Let's Clear These Ones

The Elite Variant descended with a thunderous crash, shaking the ground as it landed before them. It was massive, towering over Eric and Laura, with a body covered in shimmering crystalline armor that refracted the faint light around it like a fractured prism. Despite its large size, the beast moved with alarming agility, its crystal-plated limbs striking out with lethal precision.

"Eric, stay on its left! It can't pivot as quickly that way!" Laura shouted, darting to the right to flank the creature.

Eric obeyed, circling to the beast's left side and narrowly avoiding a crystalline spike that shot out from its forearm. His heart raced as he darted in, slashing at a gap in the armor just above the knee. The blade sparked against the crystal plating, barely scratching the surface. The Variant let out a low, rumbling growl and swung its arm wide. Eric leapt back, but the tip of the spike still caught his leg, sending a jolt of pain shooting up through his body.

Gritting his teeth, he stumbled but managed to stay on his feet. "This thing's too fast!" he shouted, his voice strained.

Laura grunted as she dodged a spike aimed at her chest, then lashed out with her knife, striking at a joint where the crystalline armor didn't fully cover. "Focus on keeping its attention," she called back. "It can't protect all its weak spots at once!"

The battle raged on, the two of them dancing around the Variant as it struck out again and again with its powerful limbs. The beast was relentless, swinging its spiked arms in wide arcs, forcing Eric and Laura to stay constantly on the move. Even with her experience and knowledge from her past life, Laura found herself struggling to keep up with its unpredictable movements. The Variant wasn't just strong—it was smart, reacting to their attacks with a brutal intelligence.

Laura took a hard hit to the shoulder as one of its crystalline spikes stabbed into her flesh. She gasped as pain shot through her arm, stumbling backward as blood seeped from the wound. Her vision blurred for a moment, but she shook it off, forcing herself to stay focused. She had faced creatures like this before, and she knew there was a way to beat it.

The crystalline armor, though tough, was rigid. The creature's movements were limited by the very thing that made it so formidable. It couldn't twist and turn with the same flexibility that a human could, and that was an opening they needed to exploit.

"Eric, keep moving! Don't give it time to line up another attack!" Laura shouted, forcing herself back into the fray despite the pain in her shoulder. She lunged low, slashing at the creature's leg again. This time, her blade sank into a weak spot at the joint, and the Variant let out an enraged roar.

Eric saw his chance and charged forward, aiming for the beast's side where its movements were the slowest. He managed to land a solid blow on one of the softer patches of its armor, cracking the crystal. But the victory was short-lived. The Variant lashed out with a backhanded strike that caught Eric square in the chest, hurling him backward. He hit the ground hard, gasping as the air was knocked from his lungs.

The world spun, and for a moment, he felt darkness creeping in at the edges of his vision. But then he saw Laura darting in, her blade flashing as she struck at the beast's face. The sight of her fighting, pushing forward despite her injury, reignited the fire inside him.

Eric forced himself back up, ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs. "Come on, you overgrown shard of glass," he growled under his breath, gripping his dagger tighter. "Let's see how tough you really are."

Together, they kept the pressure on, moving like a pair of wolves circling their prey. Laura would distract it with a feint, drawing its gaze to one side, while Eric would strike from the other. The Variant grew more frenzied as it took damage, its crystalline body shuddering with each blow.

Laura saw the opportunity she had been waiting for. The creature's movements had become slower, its strikes less coordinated. It was weakening. She darted in close, narrowly avoiding a wild swing, and leapt onto its back. Climbing quickly, she reached for the gap in the crystal where its supposed eye socket was located—a vulnerable spot she had identified from her knowledge of these creatures in her past life.

With a final, powerful thrust, Laura drove her blade deep into the socket. The beast let out a deafening roar, staggering back as the knife found its mark. Its limbs thrashed wildly, and then, with a shudder, the Variant collapsed to the ground, its body falling limp.

As the adrenaline drained from her, fatigue washed over Laura, and she struggled to catch her breath. Her shoulder throbbed where the spike had pierced her, and her entire body ached from the relentless battle.

"That was a close call." She muttered, turning to see Eric staggering toward her, his chest rising and falling as he tried to keep himself upright.

But Eric wasn't done yet. He glanced toward the frozen monsters around them. Now that the Variant had been slain, the lesser creatures would soon regain their mobility. He spotted their initial target—the hulking beast with green scales and bulging muscles—just as it began to stir.

Without hesitation, Eric sprinted forward, his body screaming in protest from the strain. The creature's eyes flickered back to life just as he reached it, and with a shout, "You should remain dead!"

Eric drove his dagger into its chest, aiming for the heart. The blade sank deep, black blood spraying out as the creature let out a final gurgling snarl.

Thud!

The beast collapsed in a heap, and Eric stood over it, panting heavily, covered in its dark blood. For a moment, the world seemed to go quiet, the sounds of chaos around them fading into the background. They had won, but the battle was far from over.

As Laura joined him, she placed a hand on his shoulder, her grip firm despite her exhaustion. "Good job, Eric," she said, her voice carrying a mix of relief and pride. "But this is just the beginning. There will be more waves coming in the next few days."

Eric nodded, his chest still heaving as he struggled to recover from the fight. "I'm ready," he said, though the weariness in his voice was undeniable. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep pushing himself like this, but for now, he was still standing.

Laura glanced around at the frozen creatures starting to stir. "Then let's get moving. We need to find somewhere to regroup before the next wave hits."

"Also, now that the second wave is over, we'll soon receive the rewards for our performances." Laura smiled and she helped him up. "Before that though, let's clear these ones."

"Yes! Eric replied.