Disclaimer: I do not own Ragnarok Online. This story, however, is completely mine and may not be redistributed or used without my approval

Chapter 7

"Blood..." I heard an eerie voice rumble from the bushes. "I...need...BLOOD!" In a flash, a large figure jumped at me, grabbing my shoulders and pushed me down to the floor. The force dislocated my right arm from my shoulder. The beast was a man...a berserker.

"Hikaru!" Raisu yelled from Chuu. She tugged on the PecoPeco's reins and rode towards me while Hwan released his arrows on the berserker. "Crono! Go back and get help!" Crono nodded and followed Raisu's orders and ran back towards the rest of the army.

"S-shit..." The berserker started choking me with his large claw-like hands. His claws dug into my neck and his weight suffocating me. "G-get...off of me!" Raisu raised her halberd and brought it down on the berserker, only to be blocked by the large arm of the beast.

"H-he..." She tried to pull the halberd away, but it was stuck in the man's flesh. "Run, Chuu!" She lets go of the spear and rode away a short distance. The berserker got off me, pulled the spear from his arm and threw it down. With thundering steps, he walked towards Raisu, growling.

I stood up, trying to steady myself. My vision was blurry due to the near suffocation. Hwan was trying to help Raisu by Double Strafing the berserker. However, the arrows did nothing. Looking at the halberd on the ground, I took a deep breath and pulled it out of the ground, wincing in pain.

"Get away from her!" I shouted and lunged at the berserker, spear first. The spear head went into the thick body of the man and stopped where the axe began. The berserker merely turned around with the spear still attached and lunged at me again. Closing my eyes, I muttered and short prayer, hoping a miracle will happen.

Moments after, I heard a roaring sound from the berserker. Crono had come back with the army. Dante's spear dug into the berserker's right eye.

"Get away!" He ordered as he pulled his fully refined Perfect Poll Axe out of the berserker and readied to attack again. His archers joined Hwan in showering the man with arrows. Skipp hacked away at the monster with his Bloody Axe and Miroku helped Tempest and the other Priests Heal like mad.

-----------------

"Hold still!" Tempest held my arm and shoulder firmly, ready to reset my arm. "Deep breath...one...two..." With a hard push, he pushed my arm back into place. I screamed in pain and apparently it was a bit too loud.

"Whoa what happened?" Crono came running into the tent. "Ohhh." He said after he saw what Tempest just finished doing. "Haha, man it hurt THAT much?" I clenched my teeth still due to the pain and nodded.

"He's done." Tempest said, wrapping bandage around my shoulder and upper arm. "Just don't move it too much. I know it's a bit much to ask, but try alright?" He patted my shoulder and got up. "I can't cast Heal on that or else it might not heal right. Just rest it and let it heal on its own." With that, he walked out the tent.

"So...does it hurt if I-" Crono took his finger and prepared to poke my injury.

"Don't touch it." I glared at Crono. The Wizard pulls back and laughs.

"I'm just joking!" He said sitting down next to me. "Man...Who'd have known...?" I looked at him, confused. "Well you know..." He started to explain. "I thought we'd be traveling alone all this time."

"Well if we did, we'd be dead by now huh?" I replied. Crono nodded and smiled. "We're lucky to have such wonderful people as companions...I don't want to lose them."

"Me either..." Crono sighs and looks down at the ground. "We're...going to survive, right?" I didn't reply, leaving an awkward silence between the two of us.

"I don't know..." I finally said, breaking the silence. "But..." Crono looks up at me. "Let's make a promise." I looked up. "A promise to try and live through all of this."

"Yea." Crono said, his smile widening, that was the Crono I knew. "We'll try!"