User blog:ZiedGray/Brave Frontier: Another Tale - Chapter 1.5 - Strength and what it means

He had gone into battle with trust in his own skills, yet one mighty swing of his opponent's pole-axe easily shattered the shroud of confidence he donned. He could die. He could really die! Ducking just in time to barely avoid another wild swing, Kiriel rolled out of harm's way, putting some much needed distance between him and the rampaging beast. Despite having a strong affinity to Light, his attacks were next to ineffective against the monster's thick hide and sturdy plating. He may be wielding a sword, but against this creature, it simply felt like he was whacking it with a thin stick.

"Heavens..." he gasped for breath, eyes locked on to each movement his adversary made.

His five senses were heightened, his reflexes even sharper. However, all that was not due to the training he had received, it was because of his fear. Chelsea and Juno insisted that they retreat before the beast actually laid eyes on them, yet he was stubborn enough to stay all because he wanted to prove something to himself. This one was on him. Should he die here, he wouldn't hold Chelsea and Juno accountable because they did not lend him their assistance. Where are they anyway?!

All manner of thought scrambled at the sight of the beast charging him once more. Pitted against this much destructive force, the only logical thing to do for someone as weak as him was to dodge. Kiriel again barely managed to avoid getting crushed by jumping to his left with everything his legs got, and even that was not enough to get him out of the monstrosity's range. The creature followed up its attack with another swing of its pole-axe, aiming to chop off Kiriel's head. He saw the blade coming and even as he struggled to regain his footing on uneven terrain, he was lucky enough to be able to dodge the blow. Trees fell in place of his head at the wake of the monster's attack. If this goes on, Kiriel knew that one of the swings would eventually get him. He needed to act, slow the beast down somehow and pray that Chelsea and Juno were prudent enough to alert the Summoner's Hall of their... his misfortune.

Reaching into his Spirit Sphere pouch, Kiriel took out three spheres and began his summoning incantation. He was going to burn a lot of his energy by having to materialize three spirits at once but what option does he have left? It was now or never.

"Faris! Lucana! Eze! Lend me your powers!"

The bright lights coming off of the summoning circles momentarily stunned the beast, and before long, Kiriel's spirits have taken materialized form. As soon as Eze the Thunder King laid eyes upon their quarry, a bewildered smirk played on his lips.

"Summoner, I'm impressed!" Eze whistled. "This beast looks waaaaaay too strong for you. You sure know how to pick a fight!" he began stretching his swordarm, drawing his sword Batootha as soon as he got rid of the kinks.

"I do not believe we have the luxury of taking this fiend too lightly, airhead." a snide comment coming from the Flora Princess.

"Heh! This beast is nothing compared to the might of the Thunder King! Just you watch, I'll slay this beast in no time at all!" Eze boasted.

"Guys please. Kiriel called out three of us because he knows it would require more than one sword to defeat that monster. We have to work together." Lucana gently suggested teamwork.

"I don't know about that musclehead but what is your plan, summoner?" Faris addressed Kiriel.

"We attack as a team." Kiriel finally took a step forward. He hasn't formed enough bond with his other spirits to hold their respect but he knew he needed their strength should he stand a chance of surviving this ordeal. Clearly, getting them to work well together was another matter altogether, but for now, he would have to make do. "Lucana, you and I are on support. Faris, you have elemental advantage so I want you to strike hard." he gave out his orders and turned to Eze who looked like he was not intent on listening. "As for you, I need you to do what you do best and distract that thing to keep it off of Faris. Can you do that?"

"I can take it out myself y'know? Why do I have to—"

"Eze! Please! Work with us just this once!" Lucana protested against his insubordination.

The Thunder King scoffed but ultimately conceded. After all, the beast did not look like it was going to wait forever. "Fine, fine, I got it. You want me to be the bait yeah? Alright! Just don't get in my way!" Eze charged in immediately.

Kiriel watched in awe at the fierce battle that ensued between the rampaging beast against his summoned spirits. Eze was matching the beast blow for blow and while he held the beast's attention, Faris would come swooping down to deliver a devastating strike that seemed to be effective judging from how the creature reeled in pain with each of her strikes, while Lucana kept her allies strong with her magic. His plan was working! They were winning!

However, that light of hope was extinguished in an instant. The beast, after receiving another attack from Faris fell down to one knee, and just as Eze was about to hit it with a big attack, its weapon began to glow with a mysterious energy. At that moment, Kiriel wondered why his summoned spirits stopped and stepped back into the defensive, each of them wearing a worried expression as they watched the beast cautiously. Whether it was his inexperience on the field of combat or as an overall summoner that kept him from figuring out what their worry was, he did not know. All Kiriel could think of was that something was coming, and that he would be the first one down if he couldn't react accordingly.

The glow from the beast's weapon grew brighter and brighter as it slowly rose back to its feet. It swung the pole-axe around and at this point, Kiriel's eyes widened in realization. Reacting just in the nick of time, Kiriel summoned every bit of magic he could into his sword and stuck it to the ground, firing off his signature defensive spell as he did.

"Caelum Providentia!"

Bolts of lightning rained down upon Kiriel and his spirits as the beast brought its weapon down. A large explosion burst outward as Kiriel's magic collided with the beast's own. The next thing Kiriel knew was that he was lying on the ground, electrocuted and his spirits taken out of action. His consciousness was fading in and out, the damage he took was far more than what he had anticipated with his mitigation spell on. This was the end of the road for him he thought, watching as the beast slowly walked towards him, pole-axe at the ready.

He tried to move, but all that he could manage was wiggle a finger. He was spent, the last ounce of his strength used in a futile attempt to protect himself and his summoned spirits. The rookie summoner closed his eyes as he waited for the inevitable.

But his demise didn't come.

Instead, a loud clang resounded just in front of him. When Kiriel opened his eyes again, the blurry image of a gray-haired man was seen standing between him and certain death. The man easily pushed the beast back with a flurry of strikes from what looked like a lance. When he got enough distance between him and the beast, he looked back at Kiriel and met the summoner's gaze with his own cold, piercing stare.

"The Demon Slayers will take it from here. Rest easy."