The ground cracked as Kaelen's blade pressed against Arden's shield. Sparks hissed, steel grinding against lotus petals of light. Kaelen's roar echoed, veins bulging, his pride hanging on the clash.
"Fall already!"
Arden tilted his head, more bored than strained. "If this is all it takes to wear you out, maybe you should crawl back to your tutors."
Kaelen's rage spiked, but the moment he pulled back, Arden's shield pulsed again—whum!—the backlash flinging him three steps into the dirt.
Selira dove in to cover him, lightning spearing out, fast and vicious.
Nyra lifted her staff, ice blooming like flowers across the ground. The bolts struck, but the frost curved, splitting them into harmless bursts. She exhaled a cold breath, her eyes faintly glowing.
"Lightning that dull won't even light a candle."
Rael came crashing in, fists sparking with his own arcs. "Let me show you how it's done!" His gauntlet slammed into Selira's barrier, the impact rippling with ice and thunder.
The shockwave sent her sprawling, sparks flickering wildly across her arms.
On the other side, Lysandra loosed another arrow, wind screaming as it tore through the air.
Zephyra darted low, claws crackling with fire. She swiped, the flames ripping apart the arrow mid-flight. The shards of wind stung her scales, but she barely flinched.
"Weak prey," she growled, pouncing.
Lysandra backpedaled, loosing again and again, each arrow breaking against Zephyra's armored hide.
A swipe caught her bow, snapping the string with a sharp twang. Lysandra stumbled back, eyes wide. Zephyra's fangs stopped an inch from her throat, her molten breath making the archer flinch.
Rael laughed over the clash of steel. "Don't worry, she won't bite—too much."
Doran tried again, his shadow blade seeking Arden's back.
But Arden's veil whispered, behind. He turned, catching the strike with two fingers glowing faintly with life energy. The assassin froze, stunned that his blade had been caught so easily.
Arden smirked, voice quiet but sharp. "If you're going to stab me, at least try to want it." He shoved, a ripple of energy blasting Doran back into the open where Nyra's frost lashed around his legs.
The Crimson Fang regrouped, battered and humiliated, but pride drove them back to their feet. Kaelen's eyes burned as he spat blood. "Enough games. We'll end this here!"
They drew deep, essences flaring bright. Steel, lightning, wind, and shadow converged, their coordinated strike shaking the ground.
Lysandra chanted, her arrows glowing with wind essence until they gleamed like spears.
Selira's body sparked, her storm fusing into Kaelen's blade. Doran vanished, his presence scattered across the field, waiting to strike at the perfect instant.
Kaelen lifted his sword, essence roaring like molten steel. "Break!"
The world dimmed as they unleashed it, their combined power screaming toward Arden's party in a strike meant to tear them apart.
For a heartbeat, silence. Arden's group stood still, the air vibrating with the coming impact.
Then Arden stepped forward. His calm never cracked, his eyes reflecting the storm.
The Lotusfang petals unfurled again, but this time they overlapped with something deeper.
His veil surged, the Umbral Convergence pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
"Stay with me," he said simply.
Nyra's staff lowered, frost weaving into the rhythm. Rael rolled his shoulders, gauntlets glowing as he synced to the beat. Zephyra crouched low, claws burning bright, her growl blending with the thrum of Arden's field.
The clash came—BOOOOM!—a storm of light, steel, shadow, and wind crashing against them.
The ground split, air cracked, and trees burned from the backlash. Dust and sparks swallowed everything.
For the Crimson Fang, victory gleamed in that instant.
But when the smoke cleared, their hearts sank once again.
Arden's group still stood, every one of them whole. Rael was dusting ash from his arm with a laugh. Nyra tapped her staff against the earth, a ring of frost spreading. Zephyra exhaled smoke, tail swishing, her claws still glowing. Arden lowered his hand, veil pulsing steady as if nothing had touched them.
His smirk returned. "That all? I thought elites were supposed to be terrifying."
Rael grinned wide. "More like kittens scratching at the door."
"Don't insult kittens," Nyra said calmly.
Zephyra's growl rumbled low. "Too soft. Crush them."
The Crimson Fang staggered, rage twisting their faces. Kaelen's pride cracked, his voice hoarse as he shouted. "Don't you dare look down on us!"
Arden's eyes narrowed, his disgust plain. "Then stop looking so small."
He stepped forward, the veil flaring, guiding his team into motion.
Rael's gauntlet smashed Kaelen's guard wide open, Nyra's frost caught Selira's legs, Zephyra's flames forced Lysandra to retreat, and Arden himself blurred, his palm slamming into Doran's chest, sending the assassin sprawling with his breath torn away.
Every exchange chipped their pride, every clash bent their resolve.
The Crimson Fang fought desperately, but it was like trying to punch through a tide. Arden's group moved with effortless coordination, each blow mocking, each counter sharper than the last.
The fight became a display, a lesson carved into their bodies. And the worst part— the laughter.
Arden's smirk, Rael's booming taunts, Nyra's cutting remarks, even Zephyra's savage growls, all made clear they were being toyed with.
Finally, the Crimson Fang collapsed in tatters, bruised, battered, and stripped of their arrogance. Kaelen's sword lay cracked in the dirt. Selira's arms trembled with exhaustion. Lysandra's bow was snapped, her hair matted with sweat. Doran lay gasping, shadow essence barely flickering.
Arden's group stood above them, untouched.
Arden looked down, voice cold. "Next time you stalk us, bring a reason worth my time. Until then, stay in the dirt where you belong."
Rael smirked, fists still glowing. "Want a rematch? No? Didn't think so."
Nyra shook her head. "Pride with no substance. Tiresome."
Zephyra leaned low, growl rolling like thunder. "Prey."
The Crimson Fang didn't answer. They couldn't.
Arden turned away, the strange pulse brushing his veil again, faint but insistent. He paused, gaze narrowing. Something deeper waited ahead.
"Let's move," he muttered.
His party followed without question, laughter fading as focus sharpened again.
The beaten elites were left behind, their pride broken, their silence heavier than any wound.
And Arden led his group toward the pulse that had stirred beneath the chaos.
A/N:
Please send Powerstones, Tickets and Gifts.
Also, Engage by leaving Comments and Reviews.
Thanks for the support thus far🔥.