Klen moved before his body could argue.
The moment his feet pushed off the ground, pain surged through his chest and side, sharp enough to blur his vision for a split second. It didn't matter. He forced it down, clenched his jaw, and drove himself forward anyway. The Everpolmar turned toward him, its massive frame shifting with unnatural speed, but Klen was already within range.
His short sword cut across its front leg in a clean, low arc.
The blade bit deep enough to draw blood.
The beast roared immediately, a violent sound that shook the air around them, and its claw came crashing down in retaliation. Klen twisted his body at the last possible moment, the strike grazing past him as he hit the ground and rolled. The movement was sloppy, his injured body refusing to cooperate fully, and the moment he stopped, a wave of pain surged through his chest, forcing a sharp breath out of him.
Behind him, Eira's voice broke through the chaos. "Klen—you're back! You shouldn't be moving like that, you're still bleeding—"
"Then stop watching me and focus on the fight!" Klen snapped without turning around, his voice rough and edged with urgency. "If you lose track of that thing for even a second, it won't matter how injured I am—you'll be dead before you realize what happened!"
The sharpness of his tone cut through her hesitation immediately.
Eira swallowed hard, forcing her shaking hands to steady as she tightened her grip on the spear. She exhaled once, then moved, stepping forward and hurling the weapon again. The spear struck the beast's side, sinking into its flesh with a solid impact.
"I hit it—!" she shouted, already running forward after it, pushing past the fear that threatened to slow her down.
She reached the weapon quickly, planting her foot against the ground and gripping the shaft, trying to drive it deeper into the beast's body.
For a brief moment, it worked.
Then the Everpolmar moved.
Its paw lashed out faster than she could react, grabbing her mid-motion.
Everything stopped for a fraction of a second.
Then she was thrown.
"Kyaaaa—!"
"Eira!"
Both voices tore out at once, but Marna was the one who moved fast enough. She rushed forward and caught Eira mid-fall, though the force still sent them both stumbling back hard. Eira gasped, clutching at Marna's arm as her entire body shook, her breath uneven and shallow.
"I can't do this," she said, the words spilling out before she could stop them. "I thought I could, but I can't—it's too strong, it's too fast, I can't even get close without—without—" Her voice broke as she grabbed at her head. "Klen's already hurt because of me. I messed up. I froze. If I do that again, he's going to die because of me—"
Marna grabbed her shoulders firmly, forcing her still.
"Look at me."
Eira shook her head, her breathing uneven. "No, I can't—"
"I said look at me," Marna snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut through the panic.
Eira flinched, but this time she obeyed.
Marna's expression wasn't soft. There was no false reassurance, no empty comfort in her gaze. Just steadiness. Just clarity.
"You think you're the only one scared right now?" Marna said, her voice low but grounded. "You think I'm standing here completely fine while that thing tears people apart? I'm terrified. Every second we're in this pit; I'm thinking about how easily we could die if we mess up even once."
Eira's lips trembled. "Then how are you still moving like this? How are you not freezing—"
"Because I don't let it decide for me," Marna cut in firmly. "Fear doesn't go away. It doesn't disappear just because you want it to. The only thing you can control is what you do with it."
She leaned in slightly, her grip tightening just enough to ground Eira in place.
"You don't need to be stronger than that thing. You don't need to be perfect. You just need to keep moving, even when you're scared. One step. One strike. That's all this is. If you stand here and let your fear take over, then yeah—you're right. We die. But if you move anyway, even with your hands shaking, even with your heart racing, then we still have a chance."
Eira's breathing began to slow.
"…what if I mess up again?" she asked quietly.
Marna didn't hesitate. "Then we deal with it. Together. Like we've been doing this entire time. But standing here and giving up before the fight's even over? That's not you. I've seen you fight. I've seen you push through worse than this."
A pause.
Then, more quietly, but no less firm—
"So, stop thinking about whether you can win," Marna said. "Just decide you're not done yet."
Eira closed her eyes for a second.
Then exhaled.
When she opened them again, they were still afraid—but steady.
"…I'm not done," she said, gripping her spear again. "…not yet."
Klen didn't hear most of it.
He couldn't afford to.
The beast was on him again, its movements relentless, forcing him to react instead of think. He stepped in, parried a claw strike with the flat of his blade, the impact rattling through his entire arm, and immediately tried to counter.
It didn't work.
The Everpolmar's other claw snapped forward, catching him before he could pull back.
Both claws closed around him.
He was lifted off the ground instantly.
The beast's jaws opened wide.
Klen struggled, his muscles straining against the grip as he tried to force his arms free, but the pressure only tightened. His breath hitched, panic rising despite himself as he stared straight into the beast's open maw.
"…damn it…" he muttered, his voice strained.
The heat of its breath hit his face.
"I still haven't done anything," he said under his breath, frustration cutting through the fear. "I couldn't protect her back then… and now I'm about to die here too? Just like this? Without changing anything?"
His grip tightened uselessly.
"…this isn't how it ends."
An arrow struck.
It hit near the beast's mane, digging into a sensitive point.
The Everpolmar roared in pain, its grip loosening just enough.
Klen dropped.
He hit the ground on all fours, coughing harshly as air rushed back into his lungs. For a moment, he stayed there, trying to steady himself, before lifting his head.
Marna stood with her bow raised.
Eira beside her.
Both watching him.
Still there.
Still fighting.
"…you two really took your time," Klen said hoarsely, a faint, tired smirk forming despite everything.
Marna scoffed. "Next time, try not to get eaten before we get a clear shot."
Eira stepped forward slightly, her voice quieter but steadier than before. "We're not letting you go down like that again. Not anymore."
Klen pushed himself up, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Good," he said. "Because I'm not planning on going down at all."
His expression sharpened.
"Listen carefully," he continued, his tone shifting back into focus. "We don't fight this thing separately anymore. We move together. Every action—coordinated. If one of us hesitates, it falls apart."
Marna nodded immediately. "Finally saying something smart."
Eira tightened her grip on the spear. "…just tell me what to do."
Klen adjusted his stance, shifting the sword in his hand. "Marna, keep firing. Don't worry about damage—just keep its attention divided. Eira, you stay with me. You intercept when I tell you to. No guessing. No rushing ahead."
"…understood," Eira replied firmly.
"Then let's finish this."
Marna's arrows flew again, one after another, forcing the beast's attention to split as Klen and Eira rushed forward together.
The Everpolmar roared and charged.
Its claw came down in a wide, crushing arc.
Klen saw it.
"Eira—now! Block it!"
"I've got it!"
She stepped in, planting her feet and raising her spear.
The impact slammed into her, driving her backward as her boots scraped against the ground, but she didn't let go.
Her arms trembled under the pressure.
"I'm not running anymore," she muttered through clenched teeth. "Not now. Not ever again. No one's getting hurt because I froze."
Klen didn't waste the opening.
He moved past the clash, leaping up and driving his blade into the back of the beast's neck.
Blood burst outward.
The Everpolmar roared violently, thrashing as it tried to shake him off.
Above, the crowd surged with excitement, voices rising in overlapping cheers as the fight grew more brutal, more intense, more entertaining by the second.
Master leaned forward slightly, his composure slipping just enough to reveal something far more unrestrained beneath.
"…look at them," he murmured, almost to himself. "They're adapting mid-fight… learning… pushing past their limits in real time. This is far beyond what I expected."
A quiet, almost giddy breath followed.
"This is what I wanted. This is what a proper show looks like."
The beast bucked violently, throwing Klen off. He hit the ground hard but rolled through it, forcing himself back up as he shouted, "Eira! Now—drive it in!"
Eira didn't hesitate.
She moved instantly, slashing across its arm before jumping up, grabbing onto its mane, and forcing herself closer.
"I'm not backing down anymore!" she shouted, her voice breaking through the chaos as she drove the spear down with everything she had.
The blade pierced deep into its chest.
The beast shrieked, its movements turning erratic as pain finally began to slow it.
Marna didn't stop.
Her last arrows struck true, burying themselves deeper now that the beast's defenses were weakening.
"It's slowing down!" she called out. "We're actually hurting it now!"
Klen's eyes locked onto the beast's movements.
"Marna—its eyes! That's the finish!"
She didn't question it.
She dropped the bow immediately and ran forward, faster than before, daggers already in her hands.
Eira was thrown off as the beast thrashed again, but she rolled and recovered quickly.
Klen grabbed her spear from the ground and hurled it forward, driving it deep into the beast's back once more.
The Everpolmar collapsed slightly.
Just enough.
Marna leapt.
The beast turned toward her too late.
Both daggers drove straight into its eyes.
Blood splattered across her face as she twisted the blades.
The beast screamed.
"Move!" Klen shouted.
Marna pulled back instantly.
Klen was already running.
He leapt onto the beast's head and drove his sword down with everything he had left.
The blade pierced through bone.
Through skull.
Deep.
The beast stopped.
Its body froze.
Then collapsed.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then the arena erupted.
Applause, cheers, laughter—voices overlapping in overwhelming excitement as the audience fed off the spectacle they had just witnessed.
Klen stood for a second longer, his body trembling as the adrenaline began to fade. Then his legs gave out.
He fell backward.
Marna and Eira caught him before he hit the ground fully, both of them breathing heavily, their bodies shaking from exhaustion and adrenaline.
"…you absolute idiot," Marna muttered, though there was no bite left in her voice.
Eira let out a shaky laugh, tears slipping down her face as she looked at him. "We did it," she said, her voice filled with disbelief. "After everything—we actually did it. We beat it."
Klen let out a weak breath, a faint smile forming as he looked between them.
"…yeah," he said quietly. "…we really did."
They stayed like that for a moment, holding onto that fragile sense of victory.
Then the gates opened.
Guards stepped in.
Cold. Indifferent.
"Up," one of them ordered.
No praise.
No acknowledgment.
Just routine.
The reminder was immediate.
They had survived the fight.
But they were still prisoners.