Time seemed to slow down.
Lyanna was a whirlwind of silver and steel, her greatsword a beautiful, deadly blur. One goblin head flew from its shoulders. Another was impaled.
But there were too many of them.
For every one she cut down, two more lunged with rusty blades and spiteful, chittering laughter. She parried, spun, kicked one away, but the Hobgoblin was lumbering through the chaos, its massive club held high. Its single eye was locked on her.
It saw an opening.
Lyanna was occupied, her blade caught in the ribs of one goblin while she pivoted to block another. The Hobgoblin's club started its descent. A blow meant to crush her helmet, her skull, and her spine into a single, unrecognizable mess.
"Ravi, get her out of here!" she'd commanded.
And he was going to obey.
"Elara, run!" Ravi shouted, his voice cracking with expertly faked terror. He grabbed the healer's arm. She was frozen solid, eyes wide with horror. He gave her a hard yank.
He wasn't running from the fight. He was running directly into its path.
His 'escape route' with the terrified healer took them right past Lyanna's flank. The Hobgoblin, seeing easier prey, adjusted its aim mid-swing. The club, a log the size of a telephone pole, redirected, whistling through the damp cave air directly at them.
Perfect.
Ravi did the only thing he could. In a single fluid motion, he shoved Elara behind him, spinning to face the incoming blow himself. He had a split second to see the jagged, splintered wood of the club rushing toward his face.
This is probably going to hurt, was his last thought, a ridiculous understatement. Then, to make the act complete, he let out a choked scream.
CRUNCH.
The sound was obscene. It was the sound of a watermelon being dropped from a five-story building. Wet, final, and utterly sickening.
From Lyanna's point of view, it was a horror show. She saw the weak, clumsy F-Ranker she'd taken under her wing perform an act of suicidal, impossible bravery. She saw the club connect squarely with his chest, his entire body folding around the weapon like wet paper.
He flew.
His body rocketed backward, a limp projectile, and slammed into the far cave wall before crumpling to the floor in a motionless heap.
For one frozen second, the cave was silent save for Elara's piercing shriek. Even the goblins paused, momentarily stunned by the sheer brutality of the impact.
That second was all Lyanna needed.
Something inside her snapped. The cool, collected warrior princess vanished, replaced by an avenging angel of pure, undiluted rage.
Her blue eyes turned to chips of ice. A low growl escaped her lips.
She moved.
She was no longer just fast; she was impossibly swift. Her sword didn't just cut; it erased. The nearest goblin disappeared in a red spray. Another was bisected vertically. She flowed through the horde, a dance of absolute destruction, her movements no longer elegant but ruthlessly efficient.
The Hobgoblin, confused why its club was now vibrating painfully in its hand and had a massive crack running down its length, roared and charged her.
She met the charge head-on. She didn't dodge. She didn't parry.
She swung her greatsword and shattered the Hobgoblin's club into a thousand wooden splinters. Her blade continued its arc, biting deep into the creature's thick shoulder. Before it could even register the pain, she ripped the sword free, spun, and sliced its head clean off its neck.
The hulking body stood for a moment, gushing black blood, before toppling over with a final, earthshaking thud.
The last few remaining goblins, seeing their leader decapitated and their ranks annihilated, broke and fled into the dark recesses of the cave. Lyanna didn't pursue.
Silence descended. The air was thick with the coppery scent of blood.
Lyanna stood panting, her chest heaving, her silver hair matted with goblin gore. The rage vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by a cold, hollowing dread.
"Ravi," she breathed.
She scrambled over to his still form, falling to her knees beside him. She rolled him onto his back gently. His eyes were closed, his face slack. There was no visible blood, but after a hit like that, everything inside him had to be liquid.
"No, no, no…" she whispered, her gloved fingers fumbling at his neck, searching for a pulse. She found one. It was faint, thready, but it was there.
Elara stumbled over, sobbing, her face pale. "Is he…?"
"He's alive! Healer, help him!" Lyanna commanded, her voice ragged.
Elara nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. She knelt, her hands hovering over Ravi's chest. A soft, green light emanated from her palms, bathing him in a gentle glow. "Blessings of the Mother Earth, mend what is broken, heal what is torn, make this body..."
Her voice trailed off. Her brow furrowed in confusion.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Lyanna demanded.
"I… I don't understand," Elara stammered. "My healing magic… it's not working."
"What do you mean it's not working?!"
"No, that's not it. It is working, it's flowing into him, but... it's not finding anything to heal. No broken ribs. No ruptured organs. No internal bleeding. It's like... it's like he wasn't hurt at all. But that's impossible. That hit should have killed him instantly!"
As if on cue, Ravi's eyelids fluttered. He let out a low, theatrical groan. Okay, time to wake up. Play it dumb.
He opened his eyes slowly, blinking at the two worried faces staring down at him. "Ugh… what happened?" he slurred, putting a hand to his chest. "Feels like I got hit by a truck."
The irony was not lost on him.
"Ravi!" Lyanna's relief was a physical thing. She grabbed him by the shoulders, her grip surprisingly gentle. "You're awake! How are you alive? That club… it hit you square on!"
Ravi sat up, wincing for show. "It did? I thought it was going to miss. Everything just went black. Must have just clipped me, knocked the wind out of me or something. Lucky, huh?"
Lyanna stared at him, her icy eyes searching his face. A lucky clip? She'd seen it. It was a direct, pulverizing impact. There was no luck involved. But the healer had found no injuries. He was sitting up and talking. It didn't make any sense.
But he was alive. Right now, that was all that mattered.
She pulled him into a sudden, fierce hug, her armor cold against his cheek. "You idiot," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "You stupid, brave idiot."
Ravi froze, then awkwardly patted her armored back. This was… unexpected.
The groan from the corner of the cave reminded them they weren't alone. Erik was stirring. Elara, still looking profoundly confused by Ravi's miraculous survival, went to heal him.
Lyanna finally released Ravi, though she kept a hand on his arm as if to make sure he wouldn't disappear. The look in her eyes had changed. The pity she once had for him was gone. In its place was something deeper, more complicated. A mixture of awe, confusion, and a fierce, burning respect.
He had saved them. This weak, clumsy, magic-less F-Ranker had saved them all. And she had no idea how.
Neither did Ravi, really. He just knew the lie had gotten a whole lot bigger, and a whole lot harder to believe.