The monster stabbed down, and Vale screamed.
A roar of red fire blasted out of his mouth, a wave of surging intensity that spilled onto the monster and then bounced back on him, creating an inferno between them.
The monster recoiled but found it impossible to make an exit. Vale gripped one of its pincers and drew it to him in something almost resembling a hug.
The monster cracked in desperation, but it couldn’t get away, and since its underbelly wasn’t covered by the hard shell of its outer body, it burned to ashes, leaving behind a shell.
Vale coughed and stumbled back, breathing hard as he greedily sucked in oxygen. The fire he created had burned the air he was supposed to take in himself.
He coughed out more ashes and grimaced at the smell of charred meat that filled his nose. But he didn’t have time to check himself for injuries.
Around him was a wave of monsters!
Most of them were focused on Slya and Tiber, but some were already swinging his way. ’Killing one is difficult enough. How are we going to kill all of these?’
He faced away from Slya and Tiber and raised his hand toward the other side. He was generous with his essence as he filled his formation.
A wall of fire rose in front of him, crackling as it swept forward, but it had little effect. The monsters curled their legs under them and used their shells as shields.
Their shells blackened, the same as the ground, but the monsters were left unharmed. The only thing he did was clear the area of vegetation forty meters in front of him.
’Shit’ Vale thought.
Red eyes lifted as the monsters unfolded from their shells, seeming to mock him with their menacing clicking.
Vale groaned. "Humans are so easy to fight. Fighting monsters is tiring! I need something that can pierce their armored bodies in one go a heavy hit!"
The monsters tensed and then shot toward him, propelling themselves over like fired arrows, pincers extended and fanged mouths spilling venom.
Vale created a blast of fire at his feet and sent himself flying up. The monsters below slammed into each other with bone-jarring crunches. They staggered back, clicking at their prey that was now somehow up there.
Vale flipped over and surveyed the battleground. Slya and Tiber were keeping the monsters at bay, but barely. A wall of forged metal had been erected around them to hold the monsters back, but they couldn’t attack, they were only fighting defensively.
’This is the worst matchup for Tiber. That nightmare form of his is useless against something with a hard body, and Slya can’t really attack with Tiber beside her. I have to do something... but what?’
Vale was falling back to the ground, and the sight of the monsters waiting for him to get within reach of their claws made him think fast. He put his hands in front of himself and sent a blast of fire roaring.
The fire blast sent a shockwave that launched him soaring higher. This time, he angled himself toward his teammates, and another blast from his legs sent him flying toward them.
"Slya!" His essence-powered voice swept toward them, and she lowered her shield briefly for him to get into their space.
The monsters surged forward, trying to get in as well, but now that she didn’t have to worry about hurting her teammates, she forged more shields around them, a bulky hunk of shadow and ember that throbbed.
"This should do something!" She raised her hand, and essence flowed from her into the shield. It shuddered and rippled, and then small projectiles like arrowheads blasted out, whistling into the midst of the monsters.
Not all of them were fast enough to turn their armored bodies in time, and the attack caught some through the head in a devastating blow, sending them staggering, clicking to death.
"They won’t fall for that again." Vale saw that the remaining monsters were creeping closer with their bodies turned upward, shields first. "Slya, do you think you can shield against my Dominion attack? Can you protect my fire attack on a large scale?"
Slya hesitated, biting her lip. She shook her head. "Maybe if it’s normal fire, but this..."
’Then what can I do? Dominion doesn’t discriminate between friend and foe. Come on, come on... The monsters are getting closer!’
Vale gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with anger. ’How dare monsters force us into a corner?’
Then he paused. ’If I’m fighting Knights with this kind of defense, I’ll be in trouble... Time to do something rash!’
"Tiber, cling to Slya. Get ready to fly!"
"Wait, what?!" Slya shouted as Tiber wrapped around her.
Her shield fell, and before she knew it, Vale gripped her from the shoulder and waist. Then he heaved her up and, with a shove, sent her flying.
At the same time...."Dominion!"
His eyes flashed hotly, and then a wave of intense heat blasted out of his body like the breath of the sun. His clothes turned to ashes immediately, and the surroundings scorched—small stones and rocks melted.
Most of the monsters perished, caught unprepared. The rest that survived had folded their bodies into their shells completely, but even their shells glowed red-hot from the heat—they were cooked from the inside.
They smelled like ash and a delicately cooked meal.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Slya shouted as she landed, Tiber still flapping around her. She constructed a flat platform beneath her feet to stand on. She glanced at the destruction and shook her head. "Yeah. I definitely can’t shield against this."
Tiber unwound himself from her. "Maybe we shouldn’t burn the loot? What are we going to take back?"
Vale paused. "Oh... right."
He walked toward one of the shells that was still hot and slapped it. The thing collapsed, revealing the cooked flesh of the monster. "Maybe we can sell this to the chefs and such?"
Slya and Tiber gave him a look.