Φ “Now break,” I say as everyone runs into positions.

  Immediately, I say, “Four beast battle arts; Stalking fang.” Then I start to sneak around towards the leg.

  Φ The boss gave me the most dangerous job and that’s how I like it!

  Smming my hand against my shield, I say, “You hungry ye bastard e a some!” I then start to run in the opposite dire I know dra is going to distract it.

  From its three trunks, it starts to su huge amounts of air, so I say, “Now here es the tricky part.”

  From it’s trunks it shoots pressurized air towards me, so I use my shield to bloe of the shots and I am knocked back. I could have stood my ground but It’s better to let myself get sent back because I don’t feel like allowing this shield to take any damage from it’s shots.

  As I y on a pile of snow far away from it, I see it walking close to me; that’s it, give me all your attention. When Vanir Mammoths feel like their prey is weak they stab them with their giant antler-like tusks to carry them around like a trophy, and when it starts charging like now, it will grant an opening.

  “NOW ANOUK.”

  “I know.”

  Firing an arrow Anouk, hits the mammoth in one of it’s two eyes, which causes it to scream in pain. While still clearing in pain the mammoth starts to turn its charge towards Anouk, but that as well is part of our pn.

  Φ Still ialking fang, I take a moment to look at the mammoth. This thing really is a good bit bigger than the mammoths usually are and its fat tent is signifitly higher, but still, I feel the pce where the fat and muscle are thi.

  “Four beast battle arts; Predatory fang,” then I cut right down to the bone. But I am uo fully cut it, so I pull out my sword and say, “Guāng time to shine.”

  Φ Uhing his swuāng dashes past me and heads right towards the mammoth. But the mammoth shoots air directly at him but he elegantly dodges each shot.

  From the coliseum, I wasn’t able to get a real feel for him, but he really is fast, and the way he moves is almost as if he is dang across this battlefield.

  Soon he reaches the mammoth and in close quarters he dodges the trunks that try to hit him, then hops onto his head, and holds his sword over it’s rge neck.

  But suddenly Guāng stops, and looking at his face I see he is sweating. “He’s choking!!!”

  Instantly, I see dra and Thrim head towards him, so I take my bow and try to shoot out its other eye. But it does something I could never expect.

  Φ Holding my sword in the air I shake profusely. Move stupid body, move! This is your moment you ’t mess up right now, not a sed time!

  As I move and look up from its neck I see that its face is right in front of me. Its head stretched like it’s a serpent. Looking right at me I see it is about to realise a shot of air directly at me.

  From my left Thrim appears and hits it’s head making the shots fly into the air, then he says, “RUN NOW!”

  Before Thrim d the beast hits him to the ground.

  Φ Looking at it’s stretch-out neck, I grin. It seems the thicker hide isn’t the only adaption it gained on Fimbulwinter.

  It immediately sends its head to attack me, so I block it with my shield. Using spirit energy, I pnt my feet on the ground and I’m able to hold out against it, but then at cle, it shoots me with all three of it’s trunks.

  Φ Whilst I am repositioning myself, I see Thrim fly full speed into the forest, and then I see the mammoth look at me. I start shooting at it’s other eye, but then it shoots the snow on the ground sending it towards me.

  After getting hit by the snow, I stand up tain my grasp of the situation. But in front of me, I see the head of the wonderbeasts ing towards me at full speed; I ’t dodge in time; I’m going to die.

  From my side, I am tackled away. Looking at who it is I see it is Christopher, and as he lies over me, I see blood dripping from his back.

  “What is wrong with you, we are supposed to protect you!”

  With a pale face, he says, “Now is it the godly thing to do, to allow someoo die due to your ina.” After saying this he colpses on me.

  The mammoth is already preparing to shoot us again, but then dra es in and cuts it’s face.

  “Anouk patch the gash on Christophers back.”

  “But what about you boss?”

  Holding her sword out, she says, “It was more effit to fight as a team not because it was necessary, just watch I will take care of this beast myself. Now go!”

  Φ “Right,” Anouk says, as she runs away.

  “Now it’s just us you big bitch.”

  As it tries to shoot me, I dodge away, and as it chases me, I jump onto a tree and say, “Four beast battle arts; Sky fang.”

  Using the slight imperfes within any surface, just like goats we stand against them almost as if we are stuck to them.

  I jump from tree to tree, with its head followihrough the forest. With eaent, I tie up the mammoth's head in the forest more and more, until it’s head is stuck betweerees. “That giant neck of yours is just one huge ot.”

  It tries to blow the forest apart, but it won’t succeed in time, so I jump down towards its ned say, “Four beast battle arts; Predator fang.”

  But then it’s body rushes into the forest and knocks down all the trees surrounding us allowing it to break into the forest and knock me away.

  Gettihrough the air flying I recover and immediately, but I am bleeding from my right side and my head. Running, I say, “Four beasts battle arts; Stalking fang,” then try and sneak myself away.

  But then the mammoth starts to shoot air randomly around itself. Seeing a few shots moving towards me I use my sword to block them, and I’m sent right out of the forest.

  Walking out of the forest the mammoth looks at me and prepares to shoot me; I o dodge!

  Behind me I instinctively sense something and turning my head around I see that Guāng is on his knees shaking; he hasn’t moved!

  That means I ’t dodge at all I have no choice but to take the attacks head-on. I didn’t want to do this, especially now since we don’t know what ued dangers lurk ahead, but I have no choice. “Four beasts battle arts ultimate art; Four beasts vitality!” The wound on my body closes up immediately and I dash forward

  Instantly the beast shoots three more shots, but I simply cut through all three of them. So, it tio shoot but I cut through ead every shot, then when I start to get close it shoots the snow sending it towards me in a wave, and moments after that it extends it’s ned sends it through the snow to hit me.

  But I dash to it’s right before that dodging the blow, then across its fs, I cut it up repeatedly. Then I say, “Four beasts battle arts; Crushing predator fang!” And do two slices on its underbelly cutting it open and spilling out its tents; moments ter it falls over and dies.

  Φ Walking out of the forest with Thrim, and Christopher on my back, I say, “God damn boss, you're amazing.”

  Christopher says, “Saying god damn, is disrespectful.”

  “Oh, shut up!”

  Standing still, dra says, “Well I told you I was great.”

  “Hey dra, you look sort of wobbly.”

  “Oh, I guess I am feeling a little tir-,” dra’s words are cut off by her spitting up blood, and moments ter she falls down.

  “DRA!”

  -Break-

  As me and Christopher sit beside dra’s patched up and unscious body, he says, “Four beasts vitality, is a teique that grants the user full trol over their muscles allowing them not only to trol the inner ws of their bodies such as closing up wounds and diting blood vessels but als off araints on her physical output. Her body pushed itself more than it was able to, and she ended up like this. I am sure if she was younger, it wouldn’t have impacted her so much but at her age, it is like a death sentence.”

  Holding my knees, I say, “dra.” Then feeling a rage build up inside me, I stand up.

  Christopher says, “If yoing to go shout at him, I would suggest stopping.”

  “But it is his fault!”

  “I am sure that boy knows that much more than you do, what we should do now is just rest and prepare to tiomorrow, don’t waste energy being angry miss pro adventure.”

  Sitting back down, I say, “Fi when this mission is over, he is going to have it.”

  Φ Sitting by the tree, I hold my sword and say, “Why did I even e here? All I have done is fail again and again. Now my cowardice has led to one of my party members getting hurt, what is even the point of this sword I wield?”

  “I am sure Anouk is w the same thing.”

  Surprised, I say, “Thrim!?”

  Sitting on the snow beside me, he says, “How are you holding up?”

  “Well, I’m doing great because uhe rest of you, I decided to be a coward.”

  Laughing, Thrim says, “You sure did, in fact, I am actually surprised you mao look that pathetic, even a bookworm out did you!”

  L my head, I say, “Sorry!”

  “Don’t worry, and I’m not the person you o apologize to.”

  “I will apologize to dra when she wakes up but knowing her I am sure she will five me which all in all makes me feel worse. I really am pathetic.”

  “Well don’t be too hard on yourself.”

  “Why shouldn’t a pathetic failure like myself be?”

  “How should I put this? Ok, I am going to tell you a story.”

  “I really am not in the mo-.”

  “Once upon a time, there was a handsome muscur man who came from a family of shieldmerained day and night until he became someone who could block even the furious tides of the sea.

  But one day he had to try and fight an actual target, a lion. Not a wonderbeast, or a cursed animal, just a regur old lion. The man could block even a giant boulder with his shield, but when the weak lion charged at him, he spoiled his pants right then and there.

  Letting out a giggle, I say, “Really?”

  “Really, and with his pants soaked, he learhe lesson that the unknown is terrifying. But when the lion actually crashed into his shield its skull broke from how sturdy the shield was, and at that moment the boy learned another lesson, that as long as you have put stant effort into something and have faith in those skills you spent years cultivating that even the unknowns of the world be quered, and then you enjoy them with a heart without doubt.”

  Looking at Thrim I say, “That boy really does have a good head on his shoulders.”

  “Well, he was just a brat, I am sure he has grown into someone pretty fug amazing. So now are you ready tain?”

  Standing up, I clutch my sword and say, “Yes!”

  “Now first step, go apologize to Anouk.”

  “But she is going to kill me?”

  “You damn right she is, and it will be hirious!”

  Name: Vanir Mammoth (Fimbulwinter)

  Height: 6M

  Type: Wonderbeast, ivore

  Description: A rge woolly quadrupedal wonderbeast with two curved antler-like tusks. It has 3 trunks which are used to suck up air and shoot, and it extend its neck allowing it to further it’s reach.

  Fact: They will impel any foe they deem weak enough with their tusks and parade their bodies there for 2 weeks until they finally devour them; this leads to much of their food being stolen by small animals when sleeping.