Femi sighed.
"Well time to get back to work, unfortunately."
Still, the queen was too focused on Varga, her ember eyes locked onto the warrior with murderous intent, her wings flared wide and as if the heavens themselves were smiling upon him in this desperate moment, she and Varga clashed once more, their movements a blur.
Femi saw his chance.
Gritting his teeth against the pain radiating through his battered body, he reared back and threw the axe with all his might. The weapon spun through the air, its edge glinting under the twin suns as it hurtled toward the queen's exposed back. Time seemed to slow, the battlefield's cacophony fading into a dull roar, as the axe streaked toward its target. For a single, breathless moment, it seemed nothing could stop it.
Unfortunately, the queen's reflexes were inhuman.
Her head snapped to the side, her pupils dilating as she caught sight of the spinning axe mid-flight. With a contemptuous flick of her wings, she conjured a gust of wind that diverted the weapon's trajectory, sending it veering off course. The axe missed her by a hair's breadth, embedding itself into the frozen earth with a dull thunk.
The queen's amber eyes flashed with fury as her gaze locked onto Femi, but that split-second distraction was enough.
Varga seized the opening.
With a grunt of effort, she wrenched her blade free from the queen's faltering grip and slashed horizontally, aiming to decapitate.
The Harpy Queen dropped like a stone, her body bending backward in an impossible contortion as the blade whistled mere inches above her throat. Then, with a snap of her wings, she kicked upward, her talons raking across Varga's stomach in a spray of crimson.
Varga gasped, stumbling back as blood welled through her furs, her face contorted in pain.
"Varga!" Femi's heart lurched, his voice raw with desperation.
If Vargas fall we are all dead.
The Harpy Queen didn't let up.
She lunged, her talons aimed straight for Varga's heart...
....Until Femi barreled into her, tackling Varga out of the way just in time. They tumbled through the snow in a tangled heap, the queen's claws gouging deep furrows into the frozen earth where they had stood moments before. Frozen dirt and ice shards erupted into the air, pelting them like shrapnel.
"You're welcome," Femi wheezed, still sprawled atop her, his ribs screaming in protest.
Varga shoved him off with a grunt. "Less talking, more stabbing."
The Harpy Queen was already turning, her wings mantling like a predator cornering wounded prey, her lips peeled back in a snarl that promised death.
Femi's mind raced.
They couldn't outmuscle her. Couldn't out-speed her. But maybe...
"Varga," he panted, "do you have any juju... I mean, Kuros that can affect this thing?"
She wiped blood from her lips, her breathing ragged. "I do, but I need time to gather enough Kuros for it. There's not enough time to chant."
"Then I will distract her!"
He leaped forward, snatching up his spear and hurling it like a javelin straight at the queen's chest. She sidestepped effortlessly, but the spear found another target, impaling a harpy that had been diving to aid its queen. The creature shrieked, its wings flapping wildly as it crashed into the snow.
The Harpy Queen's eyes blazed with fury as she whirled on Femi, her talons extended like scythes.
Femi, anticipating the attack, scrambled for the fallen axe, his fingers closing around the hilt just as the queen lunged. Their weapons clashed, the metallic *clang* ringing out across the battlefield as sparks flew from the impact.
"Wait, what am I doing fighting this thing? She was going head-to-head with Varga, am I a fool?" He cursed his own stupidity, but it was too late to retreat now.
The queen's strength was overwhelming.
With a vicious swipe of her left talon, she deflected his axe, sending it to the side leaving him open. Her right talons raked across his shoulder, slicing through cloth and flesh alike. White-hot pain lanced through his body, and Femi barely stifled a scream as he staggered back.
Gritting his teeth, he whipped the axe down in a desperate counter, but the queen was faster. She swiped again, aiming for his throat, forcing him to roll to the side just in time. Snow and dirt filled his mouth as he tumbled, his vision swimming.
The Queen wanted this prey's heart.
Her claws sliced through his shirt and cloak leaving him vulnerable and exposed, his fur was marred with patches of blood from shallow cuts. Amused by his pitiful struggle, she slammed him with her wings, the force like being hit by a door to the face. Femi was sent flying, his body crashing into the snow with enough force to knock the wind from his lungs.
Gasping, he struggled to his feet, his legs trembling beneath him. His instincts screamed at him to run, to flee, but the queen blocked his path, her wings spread wide, her smile a promise of slow death.
He was weakened, his body battered and bruised, his strength fading with every labored breath. As the queen charged forward, Femi knew he was in grave danger. He stumbled backward, his vision blurring at the edges, the cold seeping into his bones. The queen's face loomed before him, her eyes cold and unforgiving, and in that moment, Femi knew...
He was going to die.
And Varga struck.
"Kuros-Partial Enchantment-GALEBREAKER!"
Her sword's emerald light exploded outward, forming a whip-like arc of green energy that cleaved through the Harpy Queen's summoned winds. The backlash sent the queen reeling, her control over the wind momentarily shattered.
Femi didn't waste the opening.
He charged, axe in hand, aiming for her wings....
....Only for the Harpy Queen to recover mid-stumble. With a snarl, she clapped her wings together, unleashing a concussive blast of air that sent Femi flying once more. He hit the ground hard, his ribs screaming in protest, his vision swimming with black spots.
My ribs will break if this continues.
Varga was already moving.
She arrived in front of the queen like a vengeful spirit, her blade a blur of green light as she unleashed a flurry of strikes. The Harpy Queen parried each one, her talons meeting steel with showers of sparks, but Varga wasn't aiming to kill, not yet.
She was herding the queen backward, step by step, toward the camp's central fire pit, where embers still glowed amidst the snow.
Femi forced himself up, determination burning in his eyes.
We have to kill this thing, he thought. Or I won't be able to sleep at night.
A surge of adrenaline fueled his movements.
He rummaged through his belt pouch, fingers closing around a length of coiled rope. With quick, practiced motions, he tied it to the axe's handle, his lips curling into a sly grin as he whispered, "Let's see how you like this."
The Harpy Queen had Varga pinned now, her talons locked around the warrior's wrists, her wings beating furiously as she lifted them both off the ground. Varga's boots left deep furrows in the snow as she was dragged upward, her muscles straining against the queen's strength.
"Hey, Mc Donna!" Femi bellowed.
The Harpy Queen turned, just in time for Femi to hurl the axe like a lasso.
The queen's wing snapped out, summoning a wall of wind to block it, but Femi's plan was already in motion. The rope still wrapped around her wing as the axe was deflected, and Femi yanked with all his might, his feet digging into the frozen earth.
She screeched, her grip on Varga loosening just enough for Varga to twist free and drop, landing in a crouch.
The queen's response was immediate.
She beat her wings harder, lifting into the air, Femi still clinging to the rope, his body dragged upward like a kite in a storm.
"I WON'T DIE! NOT YET!" he screamed, his voice swallowed by the howling wind.
Time seemed to slow.
The battlefield stretched below him, a chaotic tapestry of clashing bodies and spilled blood. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, a frantic drumbeat.
Badam.
Badam.
Badam... Badam.
Time snapped back into focus.
Femi and the queen still air- Bourne tumbled downward, their bodies twisting in midair. By sheer luck, or Heavens grace, Femi had some how ended up tangled with the Queen and he was on top, his weight driving her towards the ground.
They both screamed in agony as they slammed into the ground, Femi ribs cracking, his arms and neck straining under the impact. The queen let out a pained cry, her body trembling beneath him
The Harpy Queen surprised by the turn of events, let out a pained and enrage cry, her body trembling beneath him as she struggled to throw him off. But Femi held on with every ounce of strength left in his battered frame, his fingers digging into her feathers, his legs locking around her waist.
She clawed at him, her talons some how bending to rake deep gashes across his shoulders and back. Blood poured from the wounds, but Femi gritted his teeth, refusing to let go even as his vision blurred with pain.
The queen's eyes locked onto his, a mixture of fury and pain.
In response, letting out a guttural roar, Femi slammed his fist into her stomach.
She quacked in pain, an almost comical sound from such a deadly creature. Enraged, she thrashed, trying to buck him off, but Femi held fast.
The sound of cracking bones and tearing flesh filled the air, and for a moment, it seemed as though both combatants were locked in a desperate bid to outlast the other. Femi's scream turned to a guttural growl as he pinned the queen down, his body battered and bruised, but his determination unbroken.
"VARGA, NOW!" he screamed.
He ducked just as Varga leaped high, her blade wreathed in a dark-green aura.
"Kuros-Partial Enchantment-FALLING SKY!"
She slammed into the Harpy Queen like a meteor, driving her sword down with enough force to shatter the frozen earth. Cracks spiderwebbed outward from the impact, sending plumes of snow and dirt into the air.
The Harpy Queen screeched, her wind shield faltering...
As Vagra's blade slashed down, the wind shield protected her, covering her body. Though the blade didn't pierce the queen's heart, it was able to cut off her left wing.
The queen's scream of agony echoed across the battlefield, a sound so piercing it sent lesser harpies recoiling in terror. She stumbled back, her remaining wing flapping wildly as she tried to put distance between herself and her attackers.
Her eyes blazed with pure hatred as she locked onto Femi.
Before he could react..
She lunged forward.
Her talons ripped into his stomach.
Femi's eyes widened as blood poured from his mouth, his body going rigid with shock.
"FEMI!" Varga's scream was raw with desperation.
The queen tore her claws free, and Femi collapsed to his knees, his hands clutching the gaping wound as his lifeblood spilled into the snow.
The Happys responded to their queen's call, leaving their battles with the krags and flying towards her. Vagra tried to stop the queen, but a Harpy slammed into her, sending her tumbling to the side. The queen used the opportunity to propel herself up, and a Harpy helped her, gripping her injured body.
The harpies, sensing their queen's distress, abandoned their battles and swarmed to her side. Varga tried to stop the queen, but a Harpy slammed into her, sending her tumbling away as the queen used the opportunity to propel herself up with the wind, were she was lifted into the air by her kin, her severed wing dangling grotesquely.
She looked down at Femi, her beautiful face twisted into a demonic visage of hatred. Screaming once more, and with the help of the other Harpies, they began to retreat.
Varga scrambled to Femi's side, her hands pressing desperately against his stomach as blood and worse spilled between her fingers.
"Oh no," she whispered, her face a mess of different emotions.
Femi gazed up at her, his body growing colder by the second.
"I saw...my life...," he mumbled, his voice weak. "My life... Flashing.. I came here... it's all because of... my village people... hahah..."
Blood bubbled at his lips as he let out a weak, broken laugh.
Varga cradled his head with her arm, laying his back flat on the snow.
"Gon, GON , SOMEONE GET ME GON NOW!"She called her voice rising in frustration for the old Krag herbsman, who might be his only chance.
Femi's eyes locked onto hers, his vision dimming at the edges.
"I am going to die," he whispered.
Varga frowned, but still forced a small smile.
It was the last thing he saw before his eyes failed him.
"Don't worry ratling . You won't..i will make sure of it."
Hahaha...
...sure... I believe you...
His thoughts drifted, the pain fading into numbness.
You know...i..not even... afr..aid ..i.. just... have... have.. of... of... ahh yes...
I ..I remember...now
"FEMI!"
He smiled weakly eyes closing
The ...only good thing ..out of this.... nonsense.
"FEMI!"
My joy....my .. sweet ...
"FEMI!"
jo..l..lo
Darkness swallowed him whole.