Rangers Endgame

The creatures' bladed arms snapped forward and skewered two more men, their eyes unable to track their movements. They didn't have a chance to scream as the creatures forced their blades in opposite directions, splitting them in two.

"Run!" Vlad roared.

Guards tripped over themselves as they broke into a sprint towards the exit. Gurgled howls erupted from behind them but they didn't dare look back. Chills ran down Kenji's spine when the footsteps behind them grew louder. They were sporadic like the creatures didn't know how to coordinate their steps yet they were somehow still gaining on them.

An elongated arm reached around his front, sweeping the young conjurer and sending him into a tumble. Loose stones and gems cut open his face and palms before he could come to a stop. As he lifted himself up, a shooting pain in his ankle grounded him again. He yelped, clutching onto his ankle to soothe the worsening pain as Vlad's men dashed past him. Even when extending a desperate hand they didn't spare him a single glance.

A profound sense of abandonment settled over him as watched their retreating figures. He should've expected as much. They'd already deemed him to be an inconvenience earlier, a burden to be discarded at a moment's notice. It was foolish of him to believe anyone would respect the weakest of the group enough to lend a helping hand. Especially in a dire situation.

As he continued writhing in pain, one of the creature's blades had locked onto him. The infected guard thrusted its spear appendage towards him. The world around him slowed nearly to a halt, the blade mere inches away from his chest before...

𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨!

A feminine figure slid between him and certain death, her silver hair whipping as she came to an abrupt stop after deflecting the blow. She engaged the monsters as both Yakeru and Vlad made their way over, helping the petrified boy wobble to his feet.

"Sir, take Kenji and go!" Yakeru ordered, triggering a worried expression from the leader.

"What about you?"

"I can't leave an ally behind. I'll be fine just go!"

Confliction flashed in Vlad's eyes before he gave the swordsman a hesitant nod, taking Kenji who'd just snapped out of his trance and retreated. When Yakeru turned back, he found Fuyumi engaging in a fierce battle against the infected.

Metallic bangs rang throughout the crystalized room as her daggers produced amber arcs that danced around her body, keeping her attackers at bay. The creatures swung their spear-like arms wildly as she effortlessly weaved through their strikes.

Spotting an opening, she fired an arc that sliced through one of their necks. Dashing forward, she slammed her foot into its severed head, sending it soaring into the second infected.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘮!

This flashy tactic was effective at slaying two forest lurkers before. However, this time it merely reduced the creature to a state of daze, making her face scrunch slightly in annoyance. Regardless, she adapted on the fly, leaping forward to take advantage of the gap in its defense. That is until she spotted a blur in her peripheral.

𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬!

She reflexively raised her daggers, blocking an attack meant for her throat. Looking back, her eyes widened, baffled to find the infected she'd just decapitated not only still standing, but its onslaught hadn't stopped either.

'How is that thing still-!' she was shocked out of her thought by a slash to the back of her leg, bursting into a shriek of agony as she crumpled to the floor.

In her daze, she allowed her second assailant to regain its composure and resume its assault. The monster took the golden opportunity to finish her, swinging its blade toward her neck again before she blocked it with her dagger.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘮!

Although she avoided a fatal blow, the sheer force of its attack still sent her soaring into a wall, splitting fissures through the once sturdy structure.

"Fuyumi!" Yakeru yelped.

The creature erupted into a fit of sporadic heaves and let out what he could only describe as laughter, though it was hard to tell through its gurgling. When the smoke cloud finally cleared, he could see a battered, bloodied, and unmoving Fuyumi. He stood there, his nerves overstimulating his hands, making them tremble.

The Fuyumi he knew before was a force of nature. Anything foolish enough to cross paths with her was swiftly cut down. So to see her get casually swatted away like an insect shook the kid to his core.

The creature's head jerked violently this way and that until its hollow gaze found the boy. Keeping its head perfectly still, it rotated its body to face his direction, raising its bladed arms. He swallowed hard and steeled himself.

'No going back now!' he drew his sword as it whipped its elongated arms at him.

Engaging the infected guard, he evaded its wide swipes and deflected its jabs. Seeing as it knocked Fuyumi out of the fight, he deduced the beasts were around B-tier and it felt like it too.

Sharp winds whistled past his ears with every narrow dodge and the force of its blows stung his muscles with every parry. His heart pounded and his swift movements whipped the beads of sweat off of his face.

Its uncoordinated strikes told him he was up against a mindless beast, but it made up for it with its range and raw speed.

It was nothing like his battle with the steel-quilled bear. At least with the bear, its movements were well telegraphed. But now he couldn't close the distance with it flailing wildly, let alone keep up with it for long. Its bones were also reinforced making dismembering impossible.

Glancing to his right, he ducked under an attack aimed at his midsection and leaped to his side, avoiding another that would've impaled his leg. As he recovered, he caught a glimpse of a large orange boil pulsating on its back. Decapitation didn't seem to kill them so he assumed that boil was their weak spot.

'Wait!' his brows shot up in realization as he momentarily broke his gaze from his opponent to look back.

He spotted the second infected guard...standing there idly. He initially thought it was plotting, waiting for the perfect moment but that would've implied they had some level of intelligence which contradicted his observations.

'Doesn't it know I'm here?'

Returning his attention to his original adversary, he narrowly evaded a swing aimed at his head, slicing off the headless infected's arm in the process. Losing his sword and balance, he tumbled to the ground before coming to a stop. To his horror, he landed right beside the headless infected, its contorted limbs staggering as it faced him. It winded its bladed arm back in preparation to impale him. Suddenly, he felt a wave of deja vu, frozen while starting up at his impending doom. His eyes slammed shut as they creature whipped its arm.

𝘚𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘵!

Surprisingly, he felt nothing. No pain. Not even a slight uncomfortable feeling. He figured this was how it felt when you're granted a swift end. Although, the tiny grains he felt powdering the ground told him he was still very much alive.

He cautiously peeked through his eyelids to find its spear appendage lashing out in the same direction it was attacked from, as if didn't realize he was at its feet.

'I see.' it clicked.

Yakeru carefully stood to his feet so as to not put himself in the crossfire as the second monster repositioned to gain a visual on the boy.

After taking a few steps away from the headless infected, his gaze never leaving it, he bent down to scoop up his sword. Several seconds later, the creature ceased its tantrum, retracting its arm and resuming its, quite literally, mindless totter.

He shifted his attention back to his original opponent who had just launched another attack, weaving around and blocking its otherwise fatal strikes. Although he knew how it operated now, closing the distance would be near-impossible.

'First thing's first.' he thought, veering to the side to avoid a dismemberment.

Blocking a strike, he skidded strategically between the headless infected and his assailant before the creature wailed at him again. The air whistled from its blade piercing through it as he ducked, plunging into the headless infected. Enraged, it flailed its remaining arm in the same direction, hoping to punish its aggressor.

While distracted, Yakeru slipped around its flank and drove his sword into the orange boil on its back. It thrashed violently and although it no longer had a mouth, he imagined it would've been shrieking in agony by now.

His theory was confirmed when it collapsed, motionless.

'I'm not out of the woods yet!' he shot his narrowed gaze at the second infected which had already launched another assault.

By now, his stamina had plummeted with each block and dodge. His breath got heavier and his throat was searing. Exhaustion weighed on him as he began taking nicks to his arms and sides, further ruining his jacket.

The voice in his head began criticizing him for allowing this to become a battle of endurance against an opponent that seemingly had an endless supply of it.

If it wasn't for his infused sword, his blade would've shattered by now, sparks flinging into the air with each block and deflect.

'Wait!' an idea flashed in his head that could potentially turn the tides.

As the battle roared on, he began firing arcs of radiance. Each blast stopped just short of its target, bombarding the ground with a barrage of amber-colored explosions. He was at fatigue's mercy, his movements growing more sloppy with every passing second.

'Just a little more!'

He relentlessly fired blast after blast but not a single one reached the creature. A smokescreen gradually formed around it until its assault came to a halt, the thick cloud obscuring its vision.

'Now's my chance!'

The infected guard tottered aimlessly, its bladed arms hovering to its sides, awaiting their commands. It scanned its surroundings in hopes of locating its prey but to no avail.

Then, the slightest sound of shuffling triggered an ear twitch from the creature as it shifted its gaze to the source. The sound grew louder with each passing second before a shadow burst through the cloud. Unfortunately, the monster was faster, firing its blade in its direction with one swift motion, impaling the figure and pinning it to the floor. A gurgled chuckle escaped its crooked mouth, seemingly basking in its victory before...

𝘚𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘵!

Something cold and sharp pierced through its orange boil on its back. It writhed in pain, dropping to its knees and flopping to the ground, a katana embedded in its back and a worn out, jacketless Yakeru wobbling over its corpse. As the smoke began to clear, he could see clearly where the creature had struck. His lips curling into a smile after his plan to divert the creature's attention had worked flawlessly.

"Just in time too..." he heaved, flopping to the ground, his energy completely sapped.