Syl's head snapped up.

'...?'

It was subtle at first, a shift in the air, the faint scrape of bark somewhere deeper in the forest. Then came the unmistakable rhythm of many legs tearing through the underbrush.

'Something is coming.' She stiffened.

Her amber eyes darted to Akane, still curled by the fire's faint embers, tail wound tightly around herself. The Fox girl's breaths were slow and deep, completely lost to sleep.

"Wake up." Syl hissed.

Nothing.

"Wake up!" Syl repeated a bit louder.

Still.

"I told you to wake up!" Syl shouted, kicking her foot out toward the Fox girl. Akane stirred slightly, tail flicking, but her eyes didn't open.

"Akane. Wake up!" Syl growled louder, voice carrying urgency. Absolutely no response.

Her heartbeat spiked. The sound in the trees grew sharper, closer, moving directly towards them. Syl tried again, louder this time. "Akane!"

Nothing. Not even a twitch of the ears now.

"Damn it…" Syl cursed, looking toward the shadows.

It finally broke into view, lunging from the treetops with an awful screech. An abomination of twisted legs, with a grotesque body glistening with pinkish dark flesh and glimmering crystal shards. The many-legged Golem's eyesockets burned with faint purple light, and the speed with which it descended defied its monstrous size.

Syl didn't think. Her body moved before her mind could catch up. She pivoted on her heels, shoved her shoulder forward, and pressed herself against Akane's sleeping body.

The impact came a heartbeat later.

The creature's spider-like forelimbs slashed down, raking across Syl's back. Pain exploded through her muscles. The two women were knocked backward, rolling across the dirt until Syl landed squarely on her side, shielding Akane beneath her.

Blood soaked through her torn clothing.

Her teeth clenched, but she forced herself upright enough to glance down.

Akane's lashes fluttered at last. The Fox girl's eyes blinked open, hazy with sleep. She stood up, and her eyes immediately widened when they focused on Syl's hunched, bleeding back.

"You…" Akane whispered, dazed. "You… protected me?"

"That's what you're focusing on?" Syl hissed, sweat dripping down her temple. Her chest rose and fell sharply, each breath a struggle. She shoved Akane forward. "That thing, it's full of Demonic Magic. Use your fire. Many Demonic beings are weak to fire."

Akane stumbled, nearly tripping over her own tail. Her gaze shifted wildly between the monstrous crawler and the female Hobgoblin warrior shoving her. "Huh? No, no, you've got this wrong. I can't use Fire Magic-"

Before she could finish, the monster's maw split open.

Threads of pink, corrupted slime spewed outward like molten silk, splattering across the clearing. They hardened instantly, webbing across trees, ground, and bodies alike.

Syl barely had time to twist her frame before the threads wrapped tight around her torso, pinning her to the tree behind her. The Fox girl yelped, struggling against the sticky bindings, but there was no undoing them with brute strength.

"We need that fire of yours, Akane! Now's the time!" Syl shouted, now bound not only by the ropes but by the spiderwebs too.

The monster skittered forward, its many legs stabbing into the dirt, raising its sharpest limb to plunge directly through Syl's chest.

Her eyes closed. She braced.

And then fire bloomed, erupting from Akane's body. The flames consumed the spiderweb in an instant, shriveling into smoke, releasing both her and Syl instantly.

The spider-like Golem reeled back, screeching, several of its legs catching fire.

Syl collapsed to her knees and let out a sigh. "Looks like you can do it after all…" she chuckled. "Tsk… The ropes didn't burn though."

Akane stood trembling, her entire body glowing with the aftermath of her sudden magic. Heat shimmered off her skin, her tail bristling in fiery arcs. She turned.

"I guess it wasn't a one-time thing." Akane muttered in Syl's direction.

'Of course not, you dumbass!' Syl kept the cursing to herself though.

The Golem shrieked again, slamming one leg into the ground, shaking the earth. It darted forward with terrifying speed, weaving between Akane's flames. Its agility was unlike anything Syl or Akane had ever seen.

Each Golem was different from the others. The one sent to the Goblin Village specialized in Strength. The one killed by Amon was an all-rounder of sorts, with good Agility and Strength Stats. This one, however, specialized in Agility and speed.

"Run!" Akane shouted to Syl as she flung fire at the monster's chest.

The flame burst in a wide arc, but the Golem darted sideways, moving fast enough for her eyes to follow, but too fast for her Magic to. The fire hit only dirt and leaves, igniting nearby brush but missing the target completely.

"Go!" Akane screamed again, whipping more fire from her hands. Her voice cracked with panic. "I can't hold it off if you're still here!"

"Idiot," Syl hissed under her breath, staggering to her feet despite the pain in her back. "Just focus on your own damn self for once!"

The monster lunged again, a sharp arm crashing down. Akane threw another stream of fire upward, blocking the strike but barely pushing it aside. The flames licked across its crystal-studded back, but still it pressed closer.

Her aim was sloppy. Using Magic for only the second time in her life, there was no way for it not to be. Unlike the night before, Akane struggled to use her Magic correctly. Before, it had been instinctive and easy to use. Now wasn't the case.

The Golem darted left, then right, weaving through her bursts of fire like smoke through fingers. Its agility outmatched Akane's Magic completely.

"Don't panic!" Syl shouted. "Focus!"

Her gaze darted across the battlefield. With her hands bound and no weapons around, it would be tough to help. 'But there must be something I can do!' Syl noticed that the fire had spread to the edges of the clearing. Trees hissed as bark blackened and cracked under the flames.

Her eyes locked on one in particular. A trunk scarred with deep cuts from the monster's legs, bark half-burned through by Akane's earlier fire.

Her lips pulled into a snarl.

"Here goes nothing…" she muttered.

She sprinted toward the tree, ignoring the fire searing her feet and the stabbing ache across her wounded back. With her bound hands, she braced her shoulder against the half-burned trunk and shoved with all the strength she had left.

The trunk creaked. The wood groaned.

She paused.

The monster moved. And moved… And,

'Now!' Syl told herself, pushing with all her strength, successfully toppling the tree.

The massive trunk weakened by the monster's slashes and Akane's fire came crashing down, splintering the ground as it fell directly onto the Golem! Its legs flailed, screeching in fury, pinned beneath the smoldering weight.

"Now!" Syl shouted hoarsely.

Akane didn't hesitate.

By the time that Syl had shouted, Akane already had her hand on the monster's head.

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