The winged fiend danced before the shattered moon, weaving exploding plumes and lethal slashes between every dive towards the druid who was losing ground. They traded powerful blows within dust that smelled of blood and dirt. The earth shattered as fiery explosions lit up the night sky, and the air erupted as clashing sparks flashed from within the shadows.

The talons met the mace, but the claws swiped away the heavy slab of metal and pushed the druid back. The druid stomped the ground, using summoned roots to maintain his footing and he was barely able to bring up his defense. His enemy slashed furiously without giving the druid any chance of counter-attacking. His guard held, but his health was undeniable being whittled down.

With a roar, mana surged from the druid and he swung his mace. He grimaced as the enemy’s edge cut through his armor and slit the side of his waist, but it was calculated. His mace met the face of the fiend and the avian tumbled to the side. His foe quickly recovered but was hesitant to attack. It did not expect the druid to have such force and grit. The fiend flapped its wings and waited with some distance between them, red blood could be seen dripping from under its mask.

Emery quickly gathered mana within his hand and placed his palm onto his wound. Healing Touch could not repair his tattered armor, but it could easily mend the skin. Was it precaution? The druid was experienced, he would’ve known that the wound was not urgent enough to use such an expensive healing Spell. No. It was bait, and it worked.

The fiend charged and the air boomed. It was fast, the speed was difficult to react to, and it looked to end the fight as soon as possible. However, Emery was already waiting. There was no need to match the fiend’s speed, all he had to do was swing his mace to where it would be. Such a charge would not doubt be powerful, but the price of power was maneuverability. The strike was true and the fiend was slammed back, toppling the tree it crashed into.

Emery charged forward, but his foe was not as dazed as he hoped. He was able to land two more hits, but they were nothing more than scrapes. However, his foe’s grey feather had hints of red. He was doing damage. The two continued to trade in melee. The druid had the initiative, but the fiend still held on. The mace no doubt bruised the enemy, but the talons also clawed at his skin.

Something was slightly off. Rana did not have much experience fighting fiends, as her main hunts were mostly humans, but somewhere in her heart she felt her sister’s confusion. She had no experience fighting avian fiends, but she knew the one before her should not be trading equally with Emery. Was the druid being cautious? There was merit in approaching victory with care, but taking too long of would only make mistakes that much more difficult to salvage if they were to happen.

The fiend disengaged the druid and darted behind the woods, but it was not running away. Was it the hatred they had for humanity the reason for their persistence or was it something more? The sound of its wings grazing trees could be heard, the speed the fiend was picking up could not be mistaken. The blitz darted from shadow to shadow, and it was impossible to anticipate.

Crimson eyes sparked in the darkness and Emery readied his stance. In an instant, he forgone his defense and rolled away to the side. He decided that facing the assault head-on was a mistake. Unfortunately, he did not take into consideration the trajectory and his surroundings.

The fiend charged past the druid, but it made no attempt to attack. It flipped and stomped on a tree trunk, nearly toppling it. With it as a spring, it leaped towards the druid still recovering from his evasive move.

It was the perfect time to step in.

Rana raised her staff and a pillar of ice rose between Emery and the fiend. She could see the avian monster snarl at her. Its frustration was almost human. The powerful claws shattered Ice Geyser with little trouble, but losing sight of its prey and having its power hindered was enough for the druid to mount a counter-attack.

“Good job! Now, let us finish this fiend,” the druid gleefully yelled before lunging to an attack. She wondered if he was being too eager. “As long as you cover me, we would achieve victory!”

Her question was answered. The fiend was hit, but without proper stance the damage fell short. It quickly recovered and with a gust of its wings, Emery was blown to the side. It then turned to Rana, the human who obstructed its killing blow, and with a screech of frustration it charged towards her.

It was time to confirm her suspicion and also put her plan into action.

The fiend was injured but its speed was barely affected. If it had enough strength to contend with an ascended marked one then Rana could definitely not take it head-on. However, she already analyzed its fighting pattern, and she was confident it would buy her enough time.

The talons to her right came down and it would be followed by the same swipe in the opposite direction. Rana dodged towards the direction of the first swipe then rolled forward. The distance was enough to prepare for the third strike, which was a roundhouse swing that started on her left. Without looking, she unleashed Ice Geyser before the talons came down. The ice froze the fiend’s limb in place and Rana ignited the floor with Fool’s Fire. The runes ascribed by Emery was lit ablaze, resulting in an explosion and staggering the fiend.

Her Spellbarely did any damage due to her low level. It only singed the fiend’s feathers, but that was expected and it didn’t matter. She only had to wait until Emery recovered and come to her. She stepped forward and began to assault the fiend. Her attack did little damage, but with the fiend still regaining its composure, she could delay its recovery. She also only had mana for one Spell cast and wanted to save it for the decisive blow. With each strike she made, the more she was sure that Kent should not have lost that fast to the foe before her. If the fiend was not able to instantly break out of the Ice Geyser earlier and was actually pushed back by her melee attacks, then its stats should not overpower her party members to such an extent.

The fiend was slowly regaining ground, but the druid’s hurried footsteps informed her that it was almost time.

Rana slammed her staff down towards the fiend, but its claws rose up and parried the blow. She shifted her weight to the side and readied to defend against the counter. Her legs moved, but one foot was caught in a tangled root. She raised her arm but her footing was compromised. The claw slammed down, crushing bone and slicing her neck, severing where her major artery was. As she fell, she saw Emery rush forward with a sneer on his face.

Emery rushed past Rana and rammed her mace deep into the fiend’s torso. A pained cry could be heard under the red mask, but the druid was not deterred. He continued to slam the heavy metal left and right, each hit lifted the fiend off the ground and juggled its feeble body. Bones cracked and blood splattered everywhere. Fiends were tougher than humans, but even their body would crumble under repeated blows by an ascended marked one.

With a roar, Emery blasted the fiend against a tree and its limp body slid down the red-stained bark. It heaved heavily and each whimper was filled with pain. Its crimsons eyes darkened and its hostility was fading, taken over by desperation and regret.

Emery rushed forward, the fiend raised itself and also charged with a cry. It was a futile struggle, the fiend knew it, Emery knew it, but it would not die without giving its all.

“Die!” the druid cackled as he raised the energized mace.

Skulls did not shatter, and the mace was not brought down.

The fiend’s claws punched through Emery’s chest. His smile was frozen as he peered down, unsure of what happened. He looked to his raised arm only to find it encased in ice.

“How,” Emery coughed as realization finally set in his face. The druid was not alone in his disbelief, even the fiend was surprised and Rana could see its slightly slacked jaw as it gazed into her eyes.

Rana pulled back her hood and untied the bandages on her face. The bindings fell onto the floor, revealing runes that slowly dimmed out. She rubbed the back of her neck, but her broken arm and the hole in her artery made loosening her stiff shoulders quite an unpleasant sensation.

“Now," Rana said as she gave the fiend a glance before stalking towards Emery. "Let us end this backstabbing charade, shall we?"