Sliding beneath the guardian's massive frame was a gamble.
As I moved, the damp earth from his fur filled my senses, along with the heat radiating off his body.
His low growl vibrated through the air above me, a rumbling threat that sent shivers down my spine.
I'd almost made it to the other side when the wolf shifted again, his intentions unclear.
My escape window was closing fast, and I was still not clear.
I called on my inner Heka, crimson fire blazing to life around my right hand.
Flames danced and crackled with ferocity, ready to sear his belly as I escaped.
But just as I prepared to strike, something felt... amiss.
The guardian was holding back.
I was certain he could send me even more close to death, if he wanted to.
That hesitation clung to the air like a shadow, nagging at me.
But there was no time to think-
*Boom!*
A thunderous crash to my right, then my left.
*Boom!*
The guardian stilled momentarily, giving me a precious second.
Acting on pure instinct, I twisted to the side, narrowly dodging as he crashed into the ground with a bone-jarring impact.
*Crack! Crack!*
A series of sharp cracks echoed, probably his knee buckling beneath the strain.
Rolling out from under him, I rose to my feet and met Toby's wide eyed gaze across the clearing.
The whole thing had unfolded in mere seconds, yet I could feel every heartbeat, each reckless choice echoing in my mind.
We didn't need words.
The shock in his eyes mirrored my own.. I'd pulled it off, though barely.
Just because of me, being the reckless and stupid person I was.
"Nice move," I managed, flashing him a weak grin. "Bought me a second there."
My original plan had been to burn my way out, but Toby's well-timed elemental bombs had done the work for me.
*ROARRR!!*
There was no break, even with his knees injured the guardian moved again.
Toby and I exchanged a quick nod and moved in sync, circling the beast from either side to split his focus.
Together, we attacked furiously, our blades slicing across his furred hide.
Shallow wounds accumulated across his body, each one a small victory.
"Numbers game sure is fun when you're not on the losing side!" Toby called out, his voice laced with a defiant grin.
The guardian responded with a swift twist, and though his speed was hampered, he retaliated, whipping his massive head toward Toby.
Toby jumbed backwards and though he dodged the snap of its jaws, his balance broke and he rolled backwards.. smashing in a tree.
That didn't look like a dodge, no rather as if he tripped due to something.
Before I could move to help, vines erupted from the soil, snaking up to entangle me.
The wolf lunged, jaws clamping down on Toby's leg before he could fully regain his footing.
*AUGHHHHHHHH!*
Toby's scream sliced through the air, raw and blood-chilling.
The guardian lifted him, thrashing him side to side, leg still caught between the beast's jaws.
Toby wasn't going to let the gaurdian has his way this easily either.
He gripped his sword tight and using his core flung it under the guardian's jaw.
Then with a cruel strength, he twisted the sword for further damage.
*Screech!!*
The wolf let out a howling screech and with a vicious toss, the guardian flung him aside, spitting out his leg.
Everything happened so fast that I barely had time to react.
But the moment I regained my senses, I was moving, fueled by anger and desperation.
I tightened my grip on my fire-wreathed sword, channeling Heka through it, and struck hard.
I jumped toward the guardian, planting my feet on his injured legs, and slashed fiercely at the back of his knee.
The blade's heat sliced through his fur, and a pained howl erupted from him, raw and agonized, filling the clearing.
His movements slowed as he stumbled back, weakened but unyielding.
I didn't give him time to recuperate, and attacked again.
His eyes, now blazing with fury, locked onto mine.
His fur had caught fire from my strike earlier, and there was smell of flesh burning.
I stood between him and Toby, not daring to let my gaze falter for a second. "Toby... your leg..." I asked, dread curling in my stomach as I glanced down.
He was breathing heavily, his face pale, and his jaw clenched in pain.
Toby's right leg was nothing but a mangled mess of flesh below the knee.
Blood poured freely, pooling around his leg in dark, rivers of blood flowed that soaked into the earth beneath him.
Small shards of bone came from the wound, white and sickeningly sharp against the ruin of muscles.
"It might heal," he rasped, voice strained. "But I'm out of the battle... for a while."
"I know that. I was asking how the hell you're holding up, not about the damn battle."
A hollow ache twisted in my chest as I stared at what was left of Toby's leg.
My mind spun, caught between a surge of guilt and a simmering fury.
I'd led him here, I'd brought him into this mess, and now... now he might have been dead.
The weight of it pressed down on me, suffocating, mingling with the harsh reality of the blood pooling at his side.
Even though Toby was experienced, one mishappen was all that take for death.
A momentary lapse of judgment could have costed him his life.
My mind raced, torn between worry for Toby and the reality that I now had to protect both him and myself from this relentless guardian.
I threw a glare at the beast.
This thing was more cunning than it let on.
Even wounded, it was still dangerous, and I couldn't help feeling a bit shaken.
His speed was compromised, and so was his offence.
But this bastard wasn't giving up, the battle was still at a standstill.
"What happened? How'd you trip?" I asked, needing to know if we were dealing with more than just the wolf.
"I don't know," Toby said, pain lacing his voice. "I dodged, but... a branch erupted from nowhere and broke my balance."
*Rumble! Rumble!*
Before I could question him further, a deep rumbling filled the air, and the ground trembled.
The trees seemed to sway toward the guardian, vines crawling and coiling over him, forming a hardened shell of bark and twisted roots.
His fur vanished beneath the armor of wood, each branch melding into a barrier that seemed as impenetrable as steel.
The protective layer felt potent, like it had drawn power from the very heart of the forest.
I could somehow feel that it won't be easy to burn unlike normal wood.
The guardian e extended his massive paw, sending needle-like projectiles shooting toward us.
I glanced back at Toby.. he was in no state to defend himself.
*Huuunnnhhhh.*
Taking a deep breath, I withdrew the fire element from the sword and infused it with air.
My eyes narrowed, Heka pulsing through my limbs, and I centered my focus on the incoming projectiles.
*Clink! Clink! Clink!*
One by one, my sword moved, deflecting each needle with swift, precise strikes.
As the last projectile clattered to the ground, I raised my gaze to meet the guardian's stare.
His eyes burned with a relentless fury, mirroring my own resolve.
The forest around us grew silent, as if the trees themselves were holding their breath, waiting to see how this battle would end.