"Eryn, Jorik, flank!" he yelled, whistling for Mara.
Eryn furrowed her brows as she could also sense the powerful mana that was approaching them.
Her Mistviper also understood the situation and it immediately readied itself beside Eryn, ready to fight.
But Jorik was lost, he stood there, confusion etched on his face.
"Oh hell!!"
Eryn yelled as she pulled him, pushing him to the other side. Mara skidded forward, growing to its full size as it stood beside Kael, while Eryn and her viper stood behind him, to his right, while Jorik and his beast stood to his left, behind him also.
They stood for a moment, their hearts tensing as the powerful aura grew closer, the darkness growing in on them.
However, Kael and Eryn could see just okay, being able to tap into the senses of their beasts, but Jorik was totally blind.
Kael wasn't even sure his skitterclaw could see also.
Eryn took a glance at him and she was irritated. Why the hell did he have to come if he was so bad at beast taming?
"It's coming…"
A B-rank ashviper slithered from a crevice, its scales glinting as its fangs dripped venom.
It stopped a good distance away from them, staring through the darkness. Kael could feel its gaze pin on him, then on his fox, then on the mistviper and then on Eryn.
Slowly, its eyes locked on Jorik's skitterclaw and it hissed, a loud piercing sound that reverberated around the walls on the darkness.
Jorik didn't even know that there was anything there, and the sound startled him, causing him to scream and trip.
The shout annoyed the ashviper and it dashed forward, moving at light speed.
"Jorik, down!"
Kael yelled, stepping in front of the viper. The viper lunged, then it suddenly moved even faster, faster than Kael could comprehend.
Kael took a painful tail swipe, the pain searing his arm as his vision blurred for a moment (HP: 170/190).
Kael gritted his teeth, the B-ranks damage was just too much.
"Mara, now!" Kael shouted, signaling attack. Mara leaped, her Ember Pulse claws stretching towards the viper's flank, but the viper turned around, it swung at Mara and the fox was sent flying, ramming into a wall.
Eryn snapped, "Syl, bite!" Her mistviper skidded forward, lunging at the bigger viper.
Syl's fangs flashed, aiming for the B-rank ashviper's flank, but the beast twisted, its glinting scales deflecting the bite with a metallic screech.
The viper's tail whipped, lashing at Syl and forcing Syl back, and Eryn cursed,
"Damn it, it's fast!"
Kael's arm throbbed (HP: 170/190), Mara scrambled to her feet after slamming into the wall, her gold eyes blazing. The ashviper hissed, venom dripping, its aura heavy but ragged—starved, maybe, or it was just too young for a B-rank, but it was still deadly.
Time was running out, and only the first few teams would make it, they had to fall into the range of the first ten teams to come out in their wave,
They had to end this quick."Mara, flank left!" Kael shouted, whistling flank. Mara darted, her smoky fur a blur as she darted away, her Ember Pulse claws glowing red.
Kael raised a hand, mana surging. He concentrated hard, releasing a Blazeweave fire a few meters behind the viper—a roaring wall of flame that cut off its retreat, the tunnel flickering orange.
The viper reared, distracted, and Eryn seized the chance. "Syl, now!"
Her mistviper lunged low, sinking venomous fangs into the viper's underbelly, venom against venom.
The beast screeched, and immediately wrung itself forward, throwing Syl away.
Jorik whimpered, his skitterclaw cowering behind him, completely useless. "I-I can't see it!" he stammered, blind in the dark.
Eryn growled, "Then you better stay down, kid, or you're lunch!"
Kael ignored him, his eyes locked on the viper. It lunged at Mara, its fangs bared, and Kael's heart skipped.
Tag!
Mana pulled him, swapping with Mara in a flash, the 45-second cooldown ticking.
He took her place, and he swung at the viper, fire brimming from his hand, but the viper's fangs still bit into his shoulder (HP: 150/190), the pain spread like fire.
Kael grabbed onto the viper, holding its head in place.
Mara landed safely behind, snarling, and Kael gritted his teeth, rolling to his feet.
"Mara, hit it!"
Mara leaped, her claws pushed deep into the viper's side, burns spreading like molten veins.
The viper whipped its tail, knocking Mara away, even without seeing.
Eryn stabbed a dagger into its side, while Kael still held it firmly. It swung again, aiming for Eryn, but she dove, Syl coiling around her.
"Ardyn, don't stop!" Eryn yelled, scrambling up. Kael nodded, his mana flaring.
He sparked a Blazeweave arc that spread about ten meters out, a fiery lasso that wrapped the viper's neck, scorching it's scales.
Kael stepped back now, pulling hard on the fire rope.
The beast thrashed, hissing, but the burns and venom slowed it, its movements sluggish.
But it was still very powerful.
Kael felt it quickly overpowering him and he panicked, but Mara was suddenly beside him, she bit onto the fire.
"Mara, no!" Kael snapped, but the fox bit tighter onto the rope, pulling it, he felt the weight on him reduce drastically.
Mara closed her eyes, tugging at the rope even harder and causing the viper to screech, thrashing even more violently now.
Kael was more concerned about Mara first, but he quickly remembered that Mara was also fire attuned, she was just too weak to wield real fire abilities, but she couldn't be easily injured by fire.
"Syl, again!" Eryn snapped, and her mistviper struck, its fangs piercing the viper's throat, and pumping venom deep into it.
The ashviper's eyes dimmed, its body shuddering. Kael whistled attack, and Mara left the rope, dashing towards the viper.
She clawed at it, tearing through its charred flank, her embers flaring.
Even her bite seemed to have more firepower now, maybe because she had bitten onto Kael's fire for long.
With a final, piercing screech, the viper collapsed, its scales smoking, venom pooling on the stone.
Ding. The System chimed: Ashviper defeated. +80 XP (450/1200), 51% sync.
Kael panted, blood trickling from his shoulder, and he crouched, wiping his arm. "Good work, Mara. You okay?" Her gold eyes glinted, her tail curling, she had a few scratches, despite the wall hit.
He glanced at Jorik, but he didn't say anything. The boy was starting to annoy him.
"Eryn snorted, checking Syl's scales, unscathed. "Not bad, Kael."
Jorik scrambled up, his eyes wide, clutching his skitterclaw. "Y-your fox… Mara's insane!"
Kael ignored the praise, Jorik was doing more harm than good in this team.
Eryn pushed ahead, Syl slithering. "Let's move. The Exit shouldn't be far." Kael nodded, Mara's senses guiding—stone dust, distant shouts.
"Mara, scout," he whispered, catching Eryn's eye.
They had lost account of time, and this place had gone totally dark, maybe the other team's had already finished.
Maybe they were already out of the exams, and they just didn't know.
"Let's move faster, but if we rush, we might hit traps."
Eryn scoffed, "You're the boss now?" but she moved faster and more cautiously, trusting his call.
The trio continued moving, patiently trying to get through the survival maze.