Ep. 59 The Chieftain Part 2

I watched as Earlston recovered and charged back toward the Chieftain that threatened Smith and Lilia. Beside him, Cecilia's slender hands wove through the air, summoning four stone walls that surrounded the monster. With a swift gesture, she attempted to crush it between them.

The walls shattered with a thunderous crash as the Chieftain roared in defiance. Cecilia had anticipated this—a volley of stone arrows already hurtled toward the beast. Two found their mark, embedding in its torso while it blocked the others.

Earlston seized the opening, swinging his battle axe at the back of the Chieftain's head. Though the monster dodged the killing blow, it lost an arm in the process, howling in pain as black ichor sprayed from the wound.

Working in perfect unison, Earlston trapped the beast's feet in erupting earth while he and Cecilia conjured massive boulders from opposite sides, smashing them against the Chieftain's head.

I stood guard over Smith and Lilia, wishing I could do more but knowing this was the best thing I could do for the team right now. Meanwhile, Maya and Rowan finished dispatching the remaining goblins. Earlston and Cecilia's victory however was short-lived—despite losing an arm and suffering significant damage, the Chieftain broke free with a rage-filled roar.

Earlston charged in again, but the monster's club struck first, sending him crashing into a distant tree. Without pause, it turned toward Cecilia, charging with impossible speed.

She launched arrow after arrow of stone, but the Chieftain barely slowed. When she conjured a boulder, it shattered the projectile with its club and closed the distance in seconds. Cecilia desperately created three floating stone walls as shields. The monster's club smashed through them one by one.

Just as the final barrier shattered, a blast of fire struck the Chieftain, sending it flying sideways. Maya stood with her palm extended, smoke rising from her fingers. Beside her, Rowan was already summoning his air magic.

I knew with them entering the battle, I couldn't stop myself any longer—even though I was terrified. Afraid to die, afraid to lose, afraid of the pain, but more than anything, afraid of watching them die. And that fear was enough to finally lift my feet from the ground where they felt stuck in cement.

I turned to look at Lilia and Smith who still stayed unmoving and began rushing towards the battle, forcing thoughts of failure and death from my mind. How are we gonna beat this thing? Can we beat this thing? Was adventuring a mistake? Are we gonna die?

As I closed in, I traded these thoughts for complete focus, tightening my grip on my sword.

The Chieftain had regained its footing only to face Rowan's assault—dozens of air blades slicing into its thick hide from all directions. I circled to its blind side, looking for any opening in its defenses.

"What's the plan?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Hit it with everything," Maya replied, her hands already glowing with another fire spell.

Cecilia joined us, pale but determined. "Earlston's down. It's just us now."

While my companions attacked with their elemental powers, I waited for my moment. As Maya's flames distracted the beast, I darted in, slashing at the tendons behind its knee. My blade bit deep, drawing more of the black ichor that served as its blood. The Chieftain roared in pain and swung wildly, forcing me to roll away.

The monster staggered, dropping to one knee from our combined assault. My hope surged—then vanished as it rose again, charging with renewed fury. Its club caught Maya with a glancing blow that sent her tumbling across the ground.

Ice filled my veins when I saw her crumpled form, but she was already struggling to her feet, blood streaming from a gash on her forehead.

For what felt like an eternity, we coordinated our attacks. While my companions unleashed their magical assaults, I struck at vulnerable points whenever openings appeared—hamstringing a leg, slicing at exposed flesh beneath raised arms, stabbing at its back when it focused on the others.

Our attacks took a toll—the Chieftain moved more slowly, its body a patchwork of wounds—but fatigue set in faster for us. Maya's spells grew weaker. Rowan's wind attacks became less precise. Cecilia's conjurations diminished in size. My sword arm grew heavy, each swing requiring more effort than the last.

"We can't keep this up," Rowan gasped, sweat pouring down his face.

"One final push," I insisted, my determination hardening despite the burning in my muscles. "Everything we have!"

We gathered our remaining strength for a final coordinated assault. As my companions unleashed their powers, I saw my opportunity and charged, sliding beneath the beast's guard and driving my sword deep into its thigh. The Chieftain howled as our combined attack connected, dropping to all fours as its club fell from its grasp. Black ichor pooled beneath it as it struggled to rise again.

"It's working!" Cecilia cried.

The victory was premature. With an animal growl, the monster lunged forward, grabbing Maya's ankle and yanking her toward its gaping maw.

"No!" I screamed, rushing forward with my sword raised, but I knew I wouldn't reach her in time.

A furious battle cry cut through the chaos. Smith—who had been in a trance-like state since the battle began—charged forward, eyes clear and focused. His red glowing hands gleamed as he leapt past me.

"ILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Smith roared.

The monster broke its gaze from Maya as it raised its head to see Smith, but it was already too late. By the time the Chieftain noticed him, Smith's hand was already glowing with fire magic only centimeters from the beast's face. Smith seized the monster's head in his grip and simultaneously released explosion after explosion directly against its skull.

The barrage was relentless. Smith didn't stop until the Chieftain's massive limbs fell limp at its sides and it ceased struggling. The look in Smith's eyes was... terrifying. In that moment, watching the scene unfold before me, I couldn't tell you which one of them was the monster.

For a moment, none of us moved. 

Smith stood over the now fallen monster, chest heaving as he took a second to compose himself before turning to us. "Is... is everyone okay?"