Chapter 955: Chapter 955: Kiba’s trial (5)

"Boss?" Khiran with his hammer held tightly in hand nervously asked, his eyes fixed on Kiba and the blood still dripping from his lips, the undeniable proof that his long time comrade and gambling addict had met his end.

"....Fuck!" Eha suddenly cursed after mulling something over which greatly alerted Khiran. Their boss was cold and calculating, brutal and some may even say emotionless but she’d rarely if ever curse. He couldn’t help but have a sinking feeling.

’Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!’ Internally Eha was cursing over and over, her own instincts were nothing to sneeze at and every one of them was screaming danger when she looked at Kiba but shit really hit the fan when she recognised his species. ’A fucking glacial winged tiger are you kidding me?’ She had never seen one personally, but a mage was always rather studious especially one that was also an adventurer. A large white tiger with massive, feathered wings, claws that could easily rend through the scales of a frost drake and fangs that could puncture through reinforced steel without effort. A monster that was at the very least B-rank when fully grown....at least this one appeared to still be a juvenile given its size but even then it wasn’t something they could handle, she’d rather face off against a half dozen ice drakes over a glacial winged tiger.

"Haaaaaa..." She let out a depressed sigh, her eyes darting around in search of an avenue of escape but deep down she knew there was no way they’d be able to escape it, its speed, its wings and the fierce intelligence dwelling behind its eyes, all pretexts for certain death if they ran.

They could try and split up, head in three different directions but against a flyer and with that attack power it’d simply chase one down and then move onto the next....no they only had one chance and that was to fight with their lives on the line.

Kiba watched Eha’s expressions, as her cold confidence started to fracture then break, replaced with fear and despair before once again becoming confident or rather determined. She was prepared to go all in.

’I guess an easy fight is off the table.’ Kiba felt a chill run down his back when Eha’s determined gaze focused back on him.

"RAWWRRRR!!!" As Kiba, Eha and Khiran engaged in a somewhat silent stand off the frost drake who belched out its breath attack was coalescing, slowly recovering from its period of weakness but instead of waiting around to be struck by its enemies it struggled in the mud and dragged itself across the terrain.

"Khiran take care of the frost drake while it’s still trapped in the mud." Eha ordered.

"What about you?"

"Don’t worry about me and do as I say Khiran." Her tone was much colder so much so that Khiran got goosebumps but not from fear but anxiety and even panic. His boss was always cold and authoritative but her current tone was over the edge and that meant just one thing. His eyes from being thoroughly trained glanced at her hands in response.

"Ugh." He instinctively groaned upon seeing her fingers curling into a specific shape, a signal for him to run with whomever was left in the party the moment he found an opportunity. The problem however was that this order involved someone staying behind as a distraction.

"Boss." He whimpered, emotions flaring.

"Khiran follow my orders." Eha replied in that same chilling and threatening tone as if retreat was the last thing on her mind.

Khiran had to hold back a tear grunting in a manly fashion as his eyes turned to the frost drake attempting to leave the confines of the mud floor.

"Hmph got it boss I’ll leave this little pussy cat to you. You hear that lizard papa Khiran’s coming!" He loudly bellowed abandoning Eha’s side without hesitation.

Her words, hand gestures and even Khiran’s violent yell were all for a single purpose, misdirection. The tiger was clearly intelligent, but she didn’t know how much thus all the cloak and dagger.

’Please survive this Nanuk.’ She silently prayed, hoping that her rising star of a nephew would be able to escape this disaster with Khiran’s help.

"[Sand blades]" The moment she finished praying Eha conjured blades of sand that ran across the floor towards Kiba. They lacked the sturdiness of rock and stone but made up for it with speed and sharpness. Kiba wasn’t armoured with scales like the frost drakes so she believed sharpness would fare better than blunt force....a wise choice but unfortunately.

Flap! With a single beat of his wings Kiba pulverized her [sand blades], he didn’t even need to use a skill just sheer brute force, but the mage wasn’t done.

"[Mud floor]" The same tactic she used against the frost drake. The ground beneath Kiba’s feet quickly transformed into thick, viscous mud that wrapped around his paws and lower legs.

’How strange.’ He could have avoided the spell given his speed -something Eha actually expected him to do -but he didn’t, instead he allowed himself to feel the effects of this 3rd circle, non-offensive spell. Watching the frost drakes struggle within it Kiba couldn’t help but grow curious wondering what the big deal was, why did they become so helpless? His question was quickly answered but instead of feeling joy he was disappointed.

The effects didn’t really work on him, he was a lot lighter than the frost drakes, more flexible, far less stocky and he also had a set of wings on his back so unlike his fellow monsters he could leave such terrain whenever he wished without much or any restriction really. The mud floor only really showed its true worth against very heavy and slow targets at least the way Eha used it.

Unlike with the sand blades a beat of his wings didn’t destroy the mud floor, but it did create a momentary hole for him to escape and rise into the air.

"[Rockfall]" Eha was prepared for that, summoning a massive boulder over his head that swiftly crashed against Kiba’s wings and forced him back down into the mud floor. "[Mud lashings]" Using the effects of the mud floor already present to enhance their strength Eha summoned mud ropes to wrap around Kiba’s four legs and even his neck binding him thoroughly in place in preparation for her real offensive.

"[Rock cannon]" A large spherical rock roughly 5 metres in diameter exited from the magic crest, an intimidating sight in of itself but that wasn’t the extent of the spell. That 5 metre rock started collapsing in on itself until it was roughly a metre in diameter, a 5th of the size yet still weighing the same, tough enough now to rival that of 3 star perhaps even some 4 star materials. What happened next was obvious the rock Eha summoned was launched with extreme force at Kiba not so dissimilar to that of a mana cannon hence the name.

Even with his peak C-rank strength getting hit by that thing in the wrong place would result in a world of hurt so Kiba avoided it. He used his innate strength to tear apart the mud ropes and dodge rolled to the left, his beautiful white fur and feathers dripping mud, but appearances matter little in a fight.

Having enough of experimenting with Eha’s magic he decided to go on the attack. The moment he avoided the [rock cannon] he flapped his wings and kicked off the ground arriving next to Eha’s flank in an instant.

With his left paw raised high he swiped at the small, feeble looking mage with a speed beyond what she should be able to react to. Mages were masters of magic not the body thus their strength, speed and reaction times normally couldn’t be compared to those of frontline fighters, but it was a known weakness and therefore something that they strove to fix....with magic of course.

Dong!

Kiba’s claws didn’t meet with soft flesh or weak cloth, but a solid barrier imbued with magic...a mana shield. Pure mages like Eha didn’t fight like Frost, they stayed as far as possible from the frontlines, launching spell after spell at the enemy but that didn’t mean they lacked protection against an enemy who engaged in close combat. If that were the case then mages would take the term glass cannon to an obscene level.

3rd circle mages and above like Eha were able to generate a barrier of mana around them at all times, no chant was necessary but as long as it was active it would drain their mana, more so when enduring attacks. A 360 degree shield that was incredibly sturdy and the ideal solution to stop mages being suddenly assassinated on the battlefield. Kiba was unaware of this knowledge or rather he didn’t understand the true depths of the mana shield, assuming it was similar to that of a shield summoned through a spell....something that would likely shatter when met with his claw.

Alas such a thing didn’t come to pass; the mana shield deformed a little but perfectly stopped his assault and granted Eha an opportunity to launch her own attack.

"Damn monster [Sand shards]." Rather than several blades she instead opted for the [sand shards] spell which was faster and far deadlier in close range.

Ptu Ptu Ptu Ptu

The shards of sharp, hardened sand were launched at Kiba’s face without mercy but thankfully he managed to avoid the worst of it. His chest sported a few bleeding holes -minor injuries- same with his left wing which he used as a shield to protect his much more vulnerable face. It stung but wouldn’t affect his strength in battle.

"Roar!" Angered however at the pain Kiba released a skin tingling roar and chased after Eha who used the chance to establish a bit of distance.

"That’s right come at me beast!" Doing her best to draw aggro the old fashioned way Eha cursed and insulted Kiba wanting him to focus on her and only her.

No one else needed to die today.