Like before, he was still calm.
"I understand your hesitation and confusion, but you should not be too quick to judge."
We were both on edge, watching and waiting, unsure whether to attack him or not.
Lily grabbed a link from her chain, then snapped it with force. It melted and reformed into the shape of a halberd.
He studied Lily a moment, smiling warmly before raising his staff, then striking the ground with it.
A bell rang, echoing through the grass and into our bodies.
Something moved behind him, making me tense up, but instead of anything dangerous, it was a little lamb.
It walked out to stand next to him, rubbing itself on his leg.
Another stepped out, standing next to him.
Then another.
"We are fifteen ascended in total," he started.
Another walked out.
"As the youngest, you stand at fourteen and fifteen. You seem eager to confront me, but The Shepherd stands as the third."
Another walked out.
Fear.
Trepidation.
Third.
I never thought a number as simple as that would frighten me so.
For a moment, hopelessness filled a void within me.
I glanced at Lily, and she understood how pessimistic our situation was.
He crouched low, then gently rubbed the head of the little lamb.
With that gentle smile and that innocent-looking lamb, he once again looked harmless.
It leaned in closer for comfort as he stroked behind its ears.
"Protect the fold."
It made a small, gleeful sound, then turned to us and stepped forward.
It stood in the leading position, the youngest, being the one to commend.
The others followed it, then, like their shepherd, their bodies changed shape slightly.
The horns of one grew longer and sharper, tipped with gold that looked ready to pierce anything and cut through any metal or diamond.
Another shook its head, and a necklace appeared around its neck. IT was made of tiny bells, which I could already tell were dangerous.
A third shifted slightly, and though it remained a sheep, its body took an agile form.
Finally, the last one transformed, and it had the largest change, growing several times its size, looking menacing and unbreakable.
The shepherd watched as the sheep, given the role of guard dogs, prepared to attack us.
The first to move was the one with sharp horns.
Lily stepped forward, but before she confronted it, she grabbed another link and threw it at me. It turned into a spear, which I caught immediately, engulfing it in flames.
Clank!
The sound of her weapon against the horns was no different from two metals, sparks flying as it shifted to attack again.
The next to attack was the agile one, and as expected, its speed was exponential.
It shot forward, and I prepared to intercept it, but they were smart. Without giving me a chance, it slipped past me towards Lily.
As if pulled by a magnet, I pivoted and spun around, gripping the spear like a javelin.
I shot it with all my might, not missing my target.
If I allowed it to reach Lily, she'll be too hard-pressed.
It was bound to die, and I knew that because creatures that were modified for speed and agility had low defense.
I prepared to pick my next target, the bulky one, but it seemed to have been eager already.
Like a wall, it appeared in the path of the spear.
Thump!
The sound was dull as it sank into thick skin, yet the sheep stood there unfazed.
I ignored the fact that it wasn't large just for combat. One sheep was already built for combat. This one was the shield of the group.
I still need to stop it!
It was there to be a hindrance, and I had to overcome it.
"Lily, behind!" I shouted as the agile one reached her.
Without turning around, she planted the halberd into the ground like a pole and vaulted over the sheep, landing a safe distance away.
I didn't waste a second as I rushed toward the shield.
With a fist of flames, I struck hard on the spear that had only penetrated up to the tip. Purple embers exploded around it as the spear drilled into its body, shooting out the other side.
It didn't utter a sound as it fell to the ground, limp.
With the first obstacle overcome, I moved to Lily's side. She gave me another link, which turned into a dagger this time.
The two sheep didn't even notice or care that their companion was no more as they circled us.
"Continue with that one. Ill deal with this," I picked the fast one, preparing for another confrontation.
"Go!"
We sprang out, and they lunged at us.
I picked the fast one because I could counter its speed with my flames. as long as it got close enough, I would burn it.
Maybe I felt pride from my previous missions, and killing the first sheep also made me overestimate myself and undermine them.
I gripped the dagger and waited for its attack.
THey weren't stupid, and I'd overlooked the fact that they belonged to the third-ranking Ascended.
It disappeared.
My mind couldn't even register its disappearance before pain shot through my arm.
Sharp teeth sank into my arm as the dagger dropped to the ground.
It knew I wouldn't be able to attack with the dagger if it attacked that arm, which I never expected.
Thinking fast, I picked the dagger with my other hand and stabbed its neck, yet it didn't stop.
It didn't bleed, and it didn't stop. It even bit deeper.
If I allowed it, my arm would be lost.
As an ascended, I could recover even a torn limb, but not in battle.
My only choice was to
Break its jaw! I changed my grip and stabbed its jaw. I twisted the dagger in its joint.
A sound popped as its grip on my arm went limp, and I pulled my arm out.
Now having a chance, I put all my strength into the dagger and struck down.
Thud Crack!
My eyes went wide as I stared at the sheep that I thought to be dead, stopping the attack with its body