Just My Luck

Exhausted, hungry, and fraught with worry, Natalia combed the forest, desperately seeking Eydis. She fervently hoped her daring friend hadn't crossed paths with any of the monstrous creatures lurking in the mist-draped woods. The unseen barrier confining the contestants dictated that all five monsters must be defeated to ensure their escape and survival through the night.

"Leaves, leaves, and nothing but leaves," Natalia muttered, pushing through the tangled undergrowth. An unexpected bump beneath her foot stopped her cold. It was the crumpled form of another contestant, their eyes vacant, body bearing silent witness to the horrors of the woods.

Natalia swallowed bile, suppressing an urge to throw up, a silent scream clawing at her throat. Her mind reeled, grappling with the question: what could bring down a skilled Sylvanwood sorcerer? She clenched her fists, fear sharpening her focus.

A soft growl shattered the stillness, and in the distance, a pair of glowing eyes flickered through the mist. Sensing predatory energy, Natalia's body tensed, and sweat trickled down her forehead. Summoning her strength, she armed herself with a fist of flames. Yet, as the creature approached, she willed the flames in the grasp to flicker away, a sense of relief washed over her.

In the gloom, Natalia discerned the form of her silver-eyed Bengal Tiger, her chosen companion. Rushing toward it, hope curdled into confusion.

The tiger's fur bristled, a snarl contorting its noble features. Before Natalia could react, a powerful paw sliced through the air, sending her crashing to the forest floor, unconscious. 

**

The air crackled with an oppressive heat, a simmering tension that mirrored the battle raging before them. Callista, a silver whirlwind in the fading light, danced just beyond the fiery reach of the creature. Its form morphed and shifted, a blazing behemoth with arms like molten rivers and a maw perpetually agape, hungry for her destruction.

Every spell she conjured met the same dreadful fate - swallowed whole by the creature's flames.

Callista's breath formed misty tendrils in the frigid air, each exhale mirroring the frustration simmering within her. This creature, an inferno on legs, was unlike any she'd encountered in this tournament before. Its flames devoured every conjured weapon like kindling, but Callista was no stranger to adversity. Years of honing her magic had sculpted her into a weapon of precision and grace. She dodged a fiery whip with a ballerina's agility, the ground scorching beneath her retreating steps. 

Why was an S-Class monster here? Had the rules been tampered with? The silver-haired girl muttered as she blocked a fierce blaze with her diamond shield. 

Frustration roared within the creature, its flames intensifying in a desperate bid to consume her. The forest floor writhed with its heat, leaves curling and blackening at its edges. Callista tasted smoke on her tongue, her lungs screaming for air.

The creature stretched its mouth, as if attempting to swallow her whole, its focus wavered as its fiery dance with Callista began to wear it down. She channelled her metal mana into a shimmering blade of pure energy. Her movements blurred, a silver streak against the fiery backdrop. The creature roared, flames lashing out, but she was past its reach, a silver arrow arcing towards its heart.

The impact was like plunging a hand into a furnace. The arrowhead crackled and hissed, shattered at the impact. The creature snickered, but before it could counter-attack, a flash of blinding white light blurred its vision. Callista's eyes sharpened as she plunged her glowing hand straight to the creature's mana-heart. She crushed its fire mana, rendering it impotent, crumbling like dirt in the palm of her hand. 

A scream, not of fire, but of raw agony, ripped from the creature's maw. Its flames faltered, the once vibrant inferno sputtering into dying embers. The behemoth shrank, morphing back into the withered form of a man, his skin cracked and ashen, his eyes reflecting the dying embers of his lost power.

She knelt beside the fallen man, not with gloating victory, but with a heavy heart. In his final moments, she saw not an enemy, but a victim of its own destructive power, consumed by the very flames he once commanded.

The forest, scarred by the battle, the scent of charcoal whispered secrets of sacrifice and the perils of unbridled power. As Callista rose, the weight of her actions and the echoes of the fallen creature's scream lingered, a haunting reminder of the true cost of survival in this deadly contest.

**

"Impressive," the Emperor exclaimed. "What an immense power, effortlessly defeating an S-Class monster. Our reigning champion is truly formidable!"

"Lady Astra is indeed talented, Your Majesty. I think it is enough to prove her capability, isn't it?" Dean Gidion commented, his eyes locked straight onto the Emperor.

"Indeed, but it will be interesting to see how she can handle the other four. But what is that man doing?"

Dean Gidion furrowed his brow, "I'm not sure I follow, Your Majesty."

"I can see a seasoned knight interfering with my contest. And he is about to kill his monster," the Emperor spoke with clear irritation, adjusting his telescope.

"It might just be a coincidence, Your Majesty." Gidion deflected, knowing exactly who the Emperor was referring to.

The Emperor continued to watch the battle unfold. The cloaked man was resilient against a regenerative Wood monster, relentlessly attacking its vital point, each cut rendering the beast's regenerative power less effective. If his stamina could keep up, it would eventually guarantee his win.

"If he can keep up," the Emperor smirked, cruelty dancing in his eyes, sensing dread and apprehension radiating from the intruder. Despite his ragged breath and blood-streaked face, the silver-eyed figure—indistinguishable from afar—retained a sharp focus. Secretly conjuring another blade to replace the broken one, he was determined to conceal his magic. Opting for sheer strength and agility against the regenerative beast, he battled on.

This was going to be a long night.

**

Flares, flung skyward like dying stars, pierced the onyx curtain of night. Eydis, cloaked in the shadows beneath a gnarled oak, counted at least ten surrenders. The forest pulsed with danger, not just from the monstrous foes but from other, unseen predators lurking in the twilight. Her stomach grumbled, a hollow echo against the symphony of night insects. Autumn's bite had settled deep in her bones, making the hard-packed earth an unwelcome bed.

The earth shuddered with the guttural roar, a boulder's thunder echoing through the trees. Eydis's pulse hammered against her ribs, but her feet didn't hesitate. They ate up the rough terrain, adrenaline masking the bite of autumn in her bones.

"Shut it, you noisy blob," Eydis's hurried footsteps echoed, keeping pace with a colossal creature with a vast stomach, its meat jiggling as it thundered after her. It might not have been the most appropriate time for laughter, but the absurd sight provoked an irrepressible chuckle from her. The monster had been chasing her around this damn forest for awhile, its every guttural roar echoed the metallic screech of the rogue robots she'd once seen on screen. 

But back to reality.

Venturing through an area adorned with ancient oaks, their branches as robust as iron, Eydis's eyes reflected determination. She deftly pivoted on her heel, the blade of her sword flashing as she skillfully redirected the creature's path with the flat of her weapon. The colossal beast, caught off guard, stumbled directly into the path of a gnarled branch looming above. Its fleshy visage, a blend of fury and astonishment, collided with the bark in a sickening thud. The creature's legs buckled, and it crumpled to the ground, unconsciousness enveloping it like a tidal wave.

"Well, if I'd known a smooch with this lovely tree would silence you, I'd have planted one on you sooner," Eydis smirked, drawing her swords and nonchalantly driving them into its throat, penetrating through to its brain. She recalled reading about these creatures in one of the library books – brutish, unintelligent, with a small brain susceptible to immediate decapitation upon impact.

"All's well, except for my swords," she grimaced, making her way toward the stream she had spotted earlier. As she began to clean her blades, a powerful tremor reverberated beneath her.

"Well, just my luck, isn't it."