The square was chaos. Villagers screamed, scattering to the nearest escape routes Garm had previously mapped out. The female warriors form a protective line, guiding everyone to the agreed location for escape.
[Female Warrior] Everyone, keep moving!
They barked orders, getting everyone as far away as they can. The elderly are brought into a horse drawn wagon, quickly being sped off as the younger men and women carry their children to safety.
Above it all, the red wyvern circles the village, its massive shadow blocking any light from the moon. Its ragged wings cut through the clouds, scattering ribbons of miasma in its trail. It isn't long before its fiery breath scorches the roofs of multiple houses, burning the surrounding crops.
[Sakyo] I knew it, they came back.
Sakyo is the first to step forward, Uramasa already drawn in his hands.
[Uramasa] (It seems this opponent will be worthy of my power.)
[Naja] Boss, how should we proceed?
[Sakyo] We have to get it to the ground. Lumi.
Lumi leaps out of Sakyo's shadow, ready to fight.
[Lumi] Rawr (Lumi is ready to fight.)
[Sakyo] I want you to use that charge you did against the Manavore. Get me as close to that thing as you can. Naja, once I get it to the ground, use your poisons to slow it down. Garm, go after its wings... Garm?
Garm hasn't moved. He's the only one who hasn't stepped forward yet. He can't. His body refuses to even run away. The world dulled around him. The villagers shouting blurred into a muffled, distant roar, like hearing the battle through a thick wall. All he could see was it.
He'd recognize it anywhere. The jagged teeth that ripped his siblings apart. The fiery breath pouring from its maw that burned their bodies to ash. The claws of impossible weight that crushed his leg into a pile of flesh and blood. And finally, the scar over its right eye. The same one he'd barely been able to leave before everything went black.
His chest tightened. His breath hitched. He thought he'd never have to see it again, but here it is. It was the same wyvern from that day. The same nightmare that stalked his mind every night since.
Sakyo's strongest ally was gone. In that moment, his place was occupied by the boy who lost everything to barely escape that day.
[Sakyo] ...m...rm! Garm!
Barely coming back to his senses, Garm feels his body being pulled back. Sakyo grabbed him out of the wyvern's fiery breath, getting him behind a small stone wall.
[Sakyo] Garm, are you ok? Answer me!
His voice falls on deaf ears. Garm can't hear anything other than his own heart beating out of his chest. His vision is blurred. The edges were gone. His breath came too short, too fast, burning in his throat.
[Garm] (Not here. Not now. It can't be-) No... Please, no... (huff huff huff)
His thoughts broke apart before they could even finish being formed. The heat was still on his skin. The screams were the same as they'd been all those years ago. His hands shook uncontrollably, claws digging into the dirt. His leg locked itself into place. Every muscle in his body stopped working as the world around him slipped away.
[Sakyo] Breathe. I'm right here, Garm. Just look at me-
But it was no use. Garm couldn't hear his voice. He couldn't hear anything, but the screams of that day. His siblings wailing cries, the wyvern's screeching roar, and the snap of his leg breaking like a twig.
The battle hadn't even started yet, but he's already lost. All the strength he'd gained since then, every battle won, was instantly forgotten. Right now, there was no warrior, just a boy. The boy who had failed to save his siblings. And right now, that boy couldn't move.
[Naja] What are you doing down-
She lands next to them, squatting beside Sakyo behind the stone wall. Her words falter as she sees Garm curled into himself. Since they'd reconnected, she'd seen many sides of him. His strength. His loyalty. His fierceness. She'd seen so much, but she'd never seen him like this. He looked so hollow. Powerless.
[Naja] What is wrong with him?
[Garm] ...(It was your fault.) I'm sorry....(They are dead because of you.) I'm sorry....(You failed them.) I'm sorry....
He keeps mumbling under every shallow breath he takes, tears falling down his face.
[Sakyo] He can't here me. We're gonna have to do this without him.
Sakyo climbs on Lumi's back, ready to proceed with his original plan. Naja stands up, brandishing her knives and giving Garm one last look before jumping into the battle herself.
[Sakyo] Lumi, use that skill you did against the Manavore.
[Lumi] RAWR! ({Starlight Steps}!)
Sakyo tightens his grip as Lumi begins her charge. Her white fur lights up with the same shine as before. She runs at full speed, lifting her paws clean off the ground. She didn't jump. She was running on the air itself.
[Sakyo] Lumi, why don't you tell me you can do these things you do?!
[Lumi] Rawr! (Lumi is a master of mystery!)
Lumi circles the wyvern, trying to get as close as possible, but it's hard with the strong wind beating from its wings.
The wyvern's roar shook rooftops as it dove towards the village.
[Sakyo] (Now!)
Without a second thought, Sakyo jumps onto its back from above. It tries to snap at him, but it can't reach. The wyvern's descent slows as the fire in its mouth dies down. Instead, it tries to shake Sakyo off, but he won't let go.
[Sakyo] Alright, take this. {Auratic Pulse}!
Just one slash is all it takes to knock it out of the sky. The wyvern falls to the ground, landing with a loud thud.
[Sakyo] Naja, its wings!
Her body is a blur as she rushes to the wyvern. Her knives slash multiple openings in its left wing. Naja moves fast, but she doesn't get a chance to damage its other wing before the wyvern gets back up, shaking both her and Sakyo off its body.
[Sakyo] Regroup!
The wyvern tries to get back in the air, beating its wings with great force, but it's feet don't lift more than a couple meters. With its left wing damaged, half of its body leans to one side, causing it to fly itself right into the ground once more.
[Sakyo] Nice job. Looks like we don't have to worry about its aerial attacks anymore.
[Naja] It may be big, but it bleeds just like any other lizard.
[Sakyo] Don't get too cocky. The battle isn't over yet. For now, use your poisons to slow it down as much as you can. Make sure to keep your distance as long as possible. Lumi will provide you with extra support. I'll get to the evacuation zone and get Kaya to open a gate for everyone.
[Naja] Understood, but do not be too disappointed if I defeat it before you return.
[Sakyo] Just be safe.
With that, Sakyo leaves Naja to fight the wyvern. Although she wants to fight it more directly, she chooses to respect his orders to keep her distance. She spends her time striking its weak points and old scars with different types of poisons. Some prove ineffective. Others slow it down, even if only a little.
After what feels like an eternity, her body begins to feel heavier. Her movements begin to slow, and her strikes hit their targets less often than before. Its clear she's becoming exhausted, but she refuses to give up.
[Naja] (So this is a real wyvern. I will admit, it can see why the Python was reluctant to face it, though I do not believe it warrants that much of a reaction.)
The wyvern continues its slashes, but Naja barely dodges as she always had. Even with her body slowing down, she never loses sight of the opponent towering over her. Her poisons have done their job of slowing down the wyvern just enough that she can keep up.
Lumi comes in under her legs, carrying her out of danger more than once. Her claws don't do much damage, but they make an opening just wide enough for Naja's poisons to get in. Then it happens.
The wyvern creates an enormous gust of wing by beating its one undamaged wing. Naja is blown off of Lumi's back as they both go flying towards a burned house's remains. She shakes off the damage, but Lumi isn't as used to such pain. She needs to retreat into the shadows to recover, leaving Naja on her own for the rest of the fight. She tries to run forward, but her leg is bleeding even faster than before.
The wyvern charges towards her. It's mighty claw rising high above where she can reach.
[Naja] (Ah, I see. So this is where I meet my end. Brother was right, this wyvern is too strong.)
She drops her knives, knowing they wouldn't do any damage in this position. As her final moments approach, so many faces flash in her mind. The father she could never make proud of her. Her brother and his mate who she could never get along with. Her best friend who she'd never share another book club with. And finally, her mate who she'd never get to share a family with.
Even among all of those faces, Sakyo's lasted the longest, as if he were right there. No, he was. She could see him rushing towards her, and feel his warmth wrap around her body to protect her. Then, she felt a sharp pain, as if she'd just been kicked in the side.
Sakyo doesn't let go of her, even as they hit the ground. Naja looks back to where the wyvern's claws had dug into the ground. Her watery eyes finally focus as she realizes what caused that sharp pain. Garm, standing in front of the wyvern. His claws dig into the ground. The fierceness in his eyes is back, and stronger than ever.
[Sakyo] Sorry we took so long. You did great, now leave the rest to us.
Even though she's down for the count, she knows the real battle has only just begun.