Don't Bully my Friends!

Fei was confused.

Cybel was lying in front of her, bleeding non-stop after having her entire arm ripped from her shoulders.

Sofia was tossed further inside the room, her body battered and bruised as she remained hanging on the wall. She is still breathing, so that's a good thing. Her eyes were staring at her, but Fei can't tell what she was trying to convey. She was only sure of one thing. The monster in front of her hurt her friends. There are lines that you should never cross, and this monster crossed that line ... twice! Fei isn't going to simply let it pass.

The chimera looked toward her. Compared to the one earlier, this one has three horns on its head. The animal parts combined to form it is different as well. It has the head of a wolf, the body of a bear, and the tail of a viper. An unusual combination of body parts, but nonetheless, a deadly adversary for her.

Its huge paws are equipped with vice, like claws. The marks on the walls that they've seen earlier must have been made by this one.

Judging the situation, Fei quickly ensured the safety of the missing students. Using her own weight, she rushed towards the chimera, pushing it away from the entrance of the room. The chimera was surprised by the tackle but was able to quickly dig its claws into Fei's back and shoulders.

"Ugh!"

Fei grimaced at the searing pain she felt as the razor-sharp claws dug their way into her skin. Still, she has to make sure that the others are out of harm's way, so she endured the pain for as long as she could. After pushing the chimera back towards the center of the room, Fei decided to use its weight against itself.

Using Terra, she elevated the foothold of the chimera's left side, hoping to make the beast fall on its own. However, the chimera used its viper-like tail to crush the conjured earth walls, before making a beeline towards Fei's neck.

*swoosh!*

A gust of wind flew past Fei's face as she evaded the attack by a hairline. If not for her quick reflexes, she would have now been clasped in its poisoned fangs.

(That tail is bad news! Gotta be careful to not get even a single scratch on me!)

*cough cough*

She heard Cybel from a distance, still lying down on her side, the blood on her fresh would still seeping out of her body. Her arms, still within the beast's mouth, dangle lifelessly like a marionette detached from its puppet master.

"Give that back!" she shouted towards the monster.

She launched a devasting kick toward the beast's solar plexus. Despite being an amalgamation of different animals, the chimera still follows the common law of biology. After receiving the attack, the beast momentarily loosened its grip on Cybel's arm, but that was all that Fei needed. Using Terra, she propelled herself upwards, her speed enabling her to quickly snatch away the arm from its slacked jaw.

After having retrieved the arm, Fei raced to the wounded Cybel. She lifted her head and sat it on her lap. She inspected the damaged arm, then the part where it used to be attached into.

(Good thing that the cut was clean, it can still be reconnected!)

She placed the arms in their former location, carefully aligning the parts for healing.

"Dos Ciura!"

A high-ranking healing spell. As soon as she cast the magic, the severed arm started to re-attach itself. It won't take that long for it to re-attach itself completely, but fate isn't that merciful.

At the distance, the chimera already recovered from the blow Fei gave it. Searching for its antagonist, the chimera saw Fei still healing the injured Cybel and started charging toward them.

"!"

Seeing the monster charge towards them while only halfway through the healing process, she readied herself to face it once more. That was when a ball of magic struck the chimera's face, exploding upon impact. Fei looked toward the source of the magic.

"I'll ... keep it busy... Miss Fei, so please ... don't stop healing her," Sofia declared.

She was now leaning at the door of the room, her staff serving her like a crutch to support her. Her hair is messy, her breathing ragged, and her eyes are half-closed, but she managed to keep herself upright. Was it stubbornness, tenacity, or mere willpower that she was able to continue fighting despite her state? Still, Fei was thankful for the assistance she got.

A series of bubble-like projectiles like the ones before flew toward the chimera. Despite dealing little to no damage at all, the shockwaves are more than enough to stop the chimera on its track for a few seconds. Sofia managed to conjure about a hundred of these spherical balls of mana.

As the beast was busy dealing with the bubbles, Fei continued casting her healing spell on Cybel. She managed to re-attach her arm, but she lost too much blood that she might need a blood transfusion right away.

(We have to get out of here ... and quick!)

She picked up Cybel and handed her toward one of the girls huddled at the corner.

"Take care of her for me, will you?" she said. The girl can only nod in response as Fei left the unconscious Cybel in her care. Before leaving, she patted Sofia on her head, casting Dos Ciura at the same time.

"Thanks for the backup," she said.

After receiving the healing spell, Sofia was able to prop herself up. Dusting away the dirt from her dress, they looked towards the chimera.

"What do we do now?" she asked, glancing behind her, towards the group of students still huddled together in fear for their life. "We need to get them out safely first."

"Don't worry, I have a plan,"

"And what could that be?"

"I know this might sound crazy but ... I need you to use your explosion magic on me," Fei said.

'"What!? Are you crazy!?" Sofia can't help but blurt out protests against Fei's ridiculous idea. However, the determined look in Fei's eyes suggests that she isn't joking. Seeing this, Sofia recollected herself.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course!"

"OK, but don't go blaming me if you died in the process, OK?"

Sofia walked a few distances away from Fei, her staff at the ready. Magic started gathering at the tip of her staff, producing a faint, red glow.

"[Explode!]" she cast her spell.

A flurry of burning spheres traced across the air, before making their way towards Fei, her palms outstretched, as if preparing to catch a ball thrown towards her.

*boom!*

An explosion occurred as soon as the spell made contact with Fei's hands. The room shook and vibrated, while dust and smoke raised at the place where Fei was.

"Miss Fei!? Are you alright!?" Sofia shouted, her worry visible in her voice. She can't see because of the smoke and clouds of dust disrupting her sight as she desperately tries to search for Fei.

*clang* *clang*

The sounds of metal on metal were heard from within the dust and smoke. Soon after, Sofia saw a faint, red glow, followed by the silhouette of a woman, Fei.

"Miss Fei!"

Fei was standing amidst the smoke, her gauntlets glowing red, while sparks flew as she bumped the gauntlets together.

"Now, time for round two!"