33 Aid (1/2)

Anya raised her round shield, pouring her wind energy through its built in channels. Special symbols on the shield glowed, and the outer rim started rotating at high speeds, generating a magical forcefield-like current of air.

It was just in time too, as right at that moment, a powerful blast of fire crashed into the wind barrier.

Instead of being burned to a crisp, the flames were dispersed by a vortex of wind, creating a tornado of wind and fire that passed harmlessly around her.

Never had Anya been so grateful to her father for gifting her this magical artifact for her coming of age ceremony. She had requested a weapon artifact, but he had reasoned that her safety was more important. His wise choice was the only reason she was still alive today.

After dispersing the attack, Anya continued to run. In her footsteps chased a monstrous creature that was shooting fireballs the size of boulders out of its mouth at her retreating form.

Why! Why has it chosen now to attack us? Anya repeatedly asked this question as she swiftly dodged incoming fireballs.

Three years ago, it drove us from our home. Since then, it has ignored our existence. Why now all of a sudden! Activating her shield, Anya repelled another wave of flame.

Was it somehow aware that father left? How could it have known? Anya jumped over fallen debris as she attempted to create distance.

I must continue to lead it away from my people! Steeling her resolve, Ayna pulled out her short sword. Stepping out from behind the cover of a tree, she faced the monster threatening her village.

Concentrating, Anya channeled a thin layer of her wind energy along the razor edge of the blade. Swinging her sword, the energy slid off and became a blue streak as it raced across the air, cutting through anything in its path.

It collided with its target, leaving behind only a scratch on its scales, but that was enough to continue drawing its attention, judging by its offended roar of fury.

Loud stomps echoed in the forest as the massive beast gave chase to the diminutive figure that insulted it.

Meanwhile, Finn was working his way down the mountain at a rapid pace. As he approached the decline that faced the direction where the flames originated, Finn felt a regrettably familiar feeling surface from deep within him.

Fear... Finn felt an unexplainable fear coming from instincts that were ingrained into his very being. Whatever created those flames was something a whole magnitude more powerful than anything he had ever faced.

Wait, this seems familiar... A memory resurfaced in Finn's mind, his feeling of terror when he had faced that guild master long ago. A feeling of insurmountable danger.

This must be the qualitative change rank four brings... Nothing Finn had met so far in these woods had given him such a feeling of pause. Whatever this beast was, it definitely was the biggest threat he had ever encountered.

Finally reaching the bottom, Finn struggled to move forward towards the source of conflict. His body was telling him to run, but his curiosity would not be denied.

I have to see! Finn could've sworn he had seen people shaped figures. He couldn't run until he confirmed the situation himself. The sun was still up, and he could always retreat if it came down to it.

Feeling subtle vibrations on his back, Finn glanced back to see the four light foxes shivering as they curled up in fear.

They are terrified... Finn felt a little guilty for not noticing this sooner. Kneeling down, Finn gently nudged them off his back with his head. Scooting them away, Finn lightly pushed them towards the underbrush, hoping they would understand.

Finn was relieved to see they did, somewhat. The parents squeaked, leading their pups away as they turned invisible. Finn saw Shrimp give him one last long look, before he too disappeared into thin air.

I really need to learn that... Finn was jealous of their ability to turn invisible. He had been practicing, but so far his manipulation of natual light was still in its infant stages. He could only warp and compress it somewhat, lacking the delicate control such an ability likely takes.

Confident they would be able to find him later, Finn continued on towards the sounds of destruction. When he finally crept close enough to see what was happening, he finally confirmed his suspicions.

A person! A girl! Finn saw what appeared to be a young woman darting from tree to tree at incredible speeds. She had pale skin with blond hair, and was wearing what looked like a combination of brown leather and sewn white cloth for clothes.

The most eye catching feature about her was the large round shield covered with strange symbols strapped to her left arm. Observing closely, he could see a bluish glow on her legs and feet.

Wind energy! She is able to use wind energy! Finn confirmed from the safety of his hiding spot.

What is she running from? His delight at finally finding someone in these woods was hampered by this question.

The oppressive feeling of danger had only grown in intensity the closer he came, and if the loud growls and stomps he was hearing were any indication, he would soon find out.

The girl flew by his field of vision like a blur, and several seconds later, something else came chasing along the same path, something terrifying!

As the massive beast came into view, Finn started shivering uncontrollably. It was something he couldn't help, a result of being near something so dangerous. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to escape.

Finn was having trouble containing his shock. This mountain of a creature... looked similar to him! At least, its overall form looked similar. This new beast was at least three times bigger than Finn, which was saying something! He was reminded of the time when he was nearly killed by the ironhide bear. The size difference was staggering.

Adorned with blood red scales, this beast was like a physical embodiment of wrath. Its scales were not smooth like Finn's, but were tapered to sharp points that gleamed in the sunlight. It gave it a feeling of a porcupine, where simply touching it would give you a cut.

Its head, legs and claws were similar in form to Finn's own, only the beast's somehow looked even more menacing due to their larger size and reddish hue, and its head had several more horn growths than Finn had, giving it a very complex and fearsome look.

Even more eye catching was that the beast was literally on fire! Self immolation? Wait... Finn looked closer to see a layer of reddish colored energy surrounding its body.

Finn had come to learn that this was a common defensive tactic that all magical beasts utilized. However, the energy he was seeing surrounding its body was almost no different than fire itself. Tongues of flame peeled off its scales as it ran by, falling to the ground and igniting the surroundings.

Is this a common occurence for those with a fire affinity, or is this a qualitative change rank four brings? Finn didn't have time to consider the possibilities, as the game of cat and mouse was getting further away from him.

She is... leading it away? Finn made a guess. There were scents similar to the girl coming from the opposite direction. Knowing this, it wasn't hard to assume she was leading this fire breathing beast away from other people.

Finn watched as the chasing fiery beast opened its mouth and released a large flaming projectile at the puny person running away, who narrowly dodged the blast.

Finn followed behind, making sure to stay hidden. There was no question, Finn wanted to help the poor girl. Deep down, Finn still considered himself a person, and there was no way he would sit idly by while a young woman was massacred by a monster.

What would be the point of my power otherwise? Finn continuously encouraged himself to combat his ingrained instincts to run. Even now, they were telling him to leave, to forget the girl, to flee.

To... abandon someone who needed help to save his own skin.

Finn felt angry at this fear, for it highlighted the discrepancy he had always felt, being a man in a beast's body.

A magical beast would run away, only facing dangers it knew it could handle, slowly growing stronger as it hunted weaker beings. If Finn did this, in time he would grow to become strong as well, but there was a problem.