Battle 4
The Ice Chimera charged.
Its enormous body moved with surprising speed, its claws scraping against the frozen ground as an icy aura spread around it.
Carrick raised his shield.
Vera moved beside him.
Rook remained a little farther back, his heavy chains already in his hands.
The Chimera swung one massive claw toward Carrick.
"Flame Guard!"
Fire erupted around Carrick's shield.
The claw collided with it and was pushed aside almost effortlessly.
Carrick immediately stepped forward.
"Burning Bash!"
His shield slammed into the Chimera's chest, sending a burst of flames across its body and forcing it backward.
Vera was already moving.
"Blazing Flash!"
She disappeared from Carrick's side and reappeared beside the Chimera, her sword cutting across its side before she moved away again.
The Chimera turned toward her.
Carrick stepped in front of it.
"Not so fast."
The creature swung its other claw.
Carrick blocked.
Vera struck again.
Then again.
Their movements were almost perfectly synchronized.
Whenever the Chimera focused on Carrick, Vera attacked from the side. Whenever it turned toward Vera, Carrick intercepted it with his shield.
"Left!" Carrick called.
Vera immediately shifted.
The Chimera's claw passed through the space where she had been.
She spun around and brought her sword down.
"Infernal Cross!"
Two fiery slashes crossed against the Chimera's chest.
BOOM!
The impact sent it sliding backward.
Rook laughed from behind them.
"Not bad!"
The Chimera suddenly lunged toward Vera.
Rook's chains shot forward.
"Thunder Snare!"
The heavy chains wrapped around one of the Chimera's legs, and lightning surged through them.
The creature's movement stopped for a moment.
Vera took advantage of the opening.
She dashed forward and struck its shoulder.
Carrick followed immediately after, smashing his shield into its side.
The Chimera roared.
It tried to pull itself free from Rook's chains.
Rook grinned.
"Come on! You're gonna have to do better than that!"
The Chimera finally broke the chains apart and swung its massive body toward him.
Rook quickly pulled the chains back.
"Okay, okay."
Carrick charged in again.
"Burning Bash!"
His shield struck the Chimera's jaw.
Flames exploded across its face.
Vera followed with another rapid series of sword strikes, each one surrounded by fire.
The Chimera was being pushed back constantly.
For several minutes, the three fighters controlled the battle completely.
Carrick blocked every major attack.
Vera kept tearing through the Chimera's defenses.
Rook disrupted its movements whenever it tried to gain distance.
The Ice Chimera's icy aura seemed almost irrelevant against the overwhelming firepower being thrown at it.
Carrick glanced toward Vera.
"We've got it."
Vera smiled.
"Looks like it."
Rook spun his chains around one arm.
"So we finish this?"
Carrick watched the Chimera carefully.
It had just attempted another attack and left itself exposed.
"Yeah."
He raised his shield.
"I'll create the opening."
Carrick charged.
The Chimera prepared to meet him.
At the last moment, Carrick shifted his shield and struck its front leg.
The creature lost its balance.
"Rook! Now!"
Rook's grin widened.
"Finally!"
He swung his chains around himself faster and faster.
"Thunderclap Swing!"
The chains became a blur before Rook brought them down in a powerful overhead strike.
CRASH!
The impact slammed into the Chimera's back.
The ground cracked beneath it.
The creature collapsed forward, almost completely stunned.
"Vera!"
She was already moving.
"Phoenix Talon!"
Vera's sword ignited with intense flames as she unleashed a powerful upward slash.
A crescent of fire tore through the air.
It struck the Chimera and exploded.
BOOM!
A huge cloud of mist spread across the battlefield.
Carrick lowered his shield.
Rook slowly pulled his chains back.
Vera landed several steps away.
For a moment, there was no movement.
The mist covered everything.
Carrick exhaled.
"That should be it."
Rook nodded.
"That was a pretty good one."
Vera kept her sword raised.
Then... BOOM!
A massive block of ice burst out of the mist.
Carrick's eyes widened.
"Behind me!"
He launched himself forward.
"Phoenix Guard!"
A wide fiery shield erupted in front of him.
The block of ice slammed into it.
CRASH!
The shield held.
But Carrick's expression changed.
The air had become noticeably colder. Much colder.
The flames surrounding his shield flickered.
Rook's smile disappeared.
"What the hell...?"
The mist began to move.
Something stepped through it.
The Ice Chimera emerged.
Its body was covered in cracks and scorch marks, but it was still standing.
Its eyes rotated slowly.
Then its corrupted aura spread across the battlefield.
The temperature dropped again.
Carrick tightened his grip around his shield.
"So it wasn't finished."
The Chimera roared.
The battle resumed.
Carrick rushed forward first.
He blocked a claw strike before pushing the Chimera away with his shield.
Vera attacked from the side.
Rook's chains wrapped around another leg.
For a while, they managed to maintain their formation.
But things were different now.
The Chimera was no longer being overwhelmed.
Its attacks had become harder to predict.
Carrick blocked one strike, only for another to come immediately afterward.
Vera landed several hits, but the Chimera's thick fur and icy armor absorbed much of the damage.
Rook repeatedly disrupted its movements, but every time he created an opening, the Chimera recovered almost immediately.
Still, it wasn't dominating them either.
The three continued fighting.
Carrick blocked.
Vera attacked.
Rook disrupted.
Back and forth.
Neither side could gain complete control.
The problem was the cold.
Every breath felt heavier.
The air itself seemed to drain their strength.
Carrick exhaled sharply.
"Why is it getting harder to breathe?"
Vera's movements had slowed.
She wiped condensation from her face.
"It's the cold."
Rook pulled his chains back.
"Yeah... starting to feel it."
The Chimera continued moving as though nothing had changed.
Its icy aura surrounded the battlefield.
Carrick's fire still burned, but maintaining it was becoming more difficult.
Vera's flames were weaker than before.
Rook's movements were beginning to lose their usual speed.
And Lance was still standing behind them.
He had barely moved since the battle began.
He watched the three of them struggle.
His expression remained almost completely blank.
Then he looked at the frozen ground.
He understood.
He had grown up in cold conditions.
This temperature was nothing to him.
But for the others... It was becoming a serious problem.
Lance sighed.
"So that's the issue."
He slowly stepped forward.
Carrick glanced back.
"Lance?"
Lance drew his sword.
"I'll help."
Rook looked surprised.
"Finally! Mr. Iamsocool"
Lance ignored him.
He walked toward the Chimera.
He knew his ice wouldn't be particularly effective against an Ice Chimera.
He wasn't going to defeat it himself.
He simply needed to give the others the openings they needed.
The Chimera charged.
Lance moved.
"Frostbite."
His sword flashed.
A quick slash cut across the Chimera's side, leaving a freezing trail behind it.
The Chimera turned toward him.
Lance immediately followed.
"Glacial Edge."
Ice concentrated around his blade.
He swung.
The attack struck the Chimera's shoulder, forcing it sideways.
It wasn't enough to seriously damage the beast.
But that wasn't the point.
Carrick immediately moved in.
"Good."
He slammed his shield into the Chimera's side.
Vera attacked from the opposite direction.
Rook's chains wrapped around its legs.
For the first time since the Chimera's corrupted aura appeared, the three began to breathe slightly easier.
Lance continued attacking.
He didn't try to take control of the fight.
He simply kept the Chimera occupied.
"Frostbite."
Slash.
"Glacial Edge."
Another strike.
The Chimera attempted to counterattack.
Lance stepped away.
Then he raised his sword.
"Winter's Descent."
He brought the blade down.
A massive formation of ice erupted from the ground around the Chimera, trapping its legs and restricting its movement.
Lance had barely used his magic until now.
So he poured as much power as he could into the attack.
The Chimera struggled.
Carrick saw the opening.
"Now!"
He charged.
"Scorching Advance!"
Flames erupted around his shield as he charged through the ice Lance had created.
The heat and impact shattered the frozen formation in front of the Chimera, filling the area with smoke.
Carrick emerged from the smoke.
"Flamebreaker!"
His shield slammed directly into the Chimera.
A massive burst of fire exploded from the impact.
The Chimera staggered.
Rook laughed.
"That's the opening!"
He swung his heavy chains.
"Storm Swing!"
The chains crashed toward the Chimera, releasing a powerful electrical shockwave.
Lightning surged across its body.
The Chimera's legs finally gave way.
It collapsed.
Rook pulled his chains back.
"Got it!"
Vera was already moving.
She raised her sword.
The flames surrounding it intensified.
Her expression was completely focused.
"Scarlet Rupture."
She disappeared.
In less than a second, Vera reached the fallen Chimera.
She concentrated an immense amount of fire into her sword and delivered one devastating slash.
For a brief moment, everything was silent.
Then... BOOM!
An explosive burst of flames engulfed the Chimera.
Its massive body was consumed by fire.
The Ice Chimera gave one final roar before its entire form burned away.
When the flames disappeared, nothing remained.
Only ash scattered across the frozen ground.
The battle was over.
Carrick lowered his shield.
Rook let his chains fall against the ground.
Vera slowly sheathed her sword.
Lance stood nearby, looking at the ashes.
Carrick glanced toward him.
"You came in at exactly the right time."
Lance looked at him.
"I figured you needed the help."
Rook laughed.
"Yeah, we definitely did."
Vera nodded.
Carrick looked across the battlefield.
The four of them had approached the fight very differently.
Carrick and Vera had dominated the opening. Rook had supported them with his unpredictable lightning. Lance had barely participated at first, believing the other three could handle it. But when the battle changed, he recognized what they needed and stepped in.
Together, they had finally brought down the fourth evolved Chimera Beast.