Battery

“Ataru!” Rosalind called out his name as she ran out of the outpost. Sure enough the monster was perched atop the boulder. Its mouth was agape, ready to devour him. Azure flames lit alight in her hands as she fired them at the prickle pup, only for the sprawl of tendrils to knock them away as if there were little more than aggressive fireflies. Ataru was pulled closer towards the monster’s mouth, he could swear he saw it drooling in anticipation.

“Who the hell do you think you’re trying to eat you overgrown lizard!?” Ataru yelled, planting his legs between the edges of its mouth, keeping them open like a clamp. It wrenched its head back and forth in an attempt to dislodge his legs, soon enough it would succeed.

“Wha- what do I do, fire isn’t working, I-I.” Rosalind stammered as her hands sparked with magic. She held a shaky hand up and pointed with her index and middle finger towards the creature. A lightning bolt arched from her hand and struck the prickle pup. It twitched for a moment, but nothing more.

Meanwhile Ataru’s legs finally slipped, causing him to fall towards the pair of snapping jaws. Just a moment before he was turned into lunch, the tendrils holding him in place were severed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw what looked like a curved stark white blade fly through the air.

“Ice! That’s its weakness, I remember now!” He heard Rosalind scream in delight as he fell right in front of her. “Ah, Ataru, are you alright!?”

“No…” He grumbled as he jumped up to his feet. “But thanks.” He looked up at the monster which was currently writhing in agony. “Should we run?” He asked, looking around.

“No, we’ll never outrun it, we have to defeat it.” Rosalind spoke quickly, and was nearly hyperventilating. She brought her hands together, and Ataru watched as frost built up in her palms and coelesed into the form of a sword. She handed the blade of ice out to him. He took it without a word, placing it in his left hand. Even through the gloves he was wearing he could feel how cold it was. He was sure it could turn a gallon of water into chunks of ice in a matter of seconds. “It’s coming, use the blade to cut down its tendrils!” She shouted out before jumping back. The monster leapt from the boulder and charged towards him. It was clear that it wasn’t simply interested in food now, it was pissed off. One of its tendrils shot towards him like a spear, he just barely leaned out of the way before slicing it in half.

“I’ve seen fastballs quicker than that!” He jumped back as two more came from above. He said as much, but there was a difference between hitting a fastball and dodging a volley of them like he was now. His body felt lighter than usual, and the attacks were starting to look as if they were moving slower and slower.

“Just a little longer Ataru!” He heard Rosalind yell out to him. He didn’t know what she was planning, but he decided to trust her. There were fewer tendrils coming his way on account of most of them having been sliced to ribbons by him and Rosalind. The monster let out a guttural roar and charged like a rhino. He could deal with the tendrils, but this thing was three times the size of a bear.

“Uh, Rosalind!?” He called out.

“Jump to your right!” She responded. Ataru did as she said and pushed his legs as hard as they could, leaping through the air. The prickle pup turned to crash into him, only to suddenly stop in its tracks. As Ataru got to his feet he noticed that streaks of ice had been spread across the field. The prickle pup had stepped on one, which quickly exploded into a bramble of ice that rapidly spread throughout the rest of its body. “Now, its head!” Rosalind yelled.

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Ataru dashed forward, gripping the sword with both hands now. The monster was immobilized, but cracks were forming in the ice. This would be his one shot before it broke free. He tightened his grip and raised the blade just as he heard the loud snap of ice shattering. It had freed just its head and opened its jaw in an attempt to bite into him once more. Ataru strained every muscle in his body to duck under the bite. His shoulder screamed out in pain but he ignored it. From right under its neck he swung the sword as hard as he could. He felt the blade slice through flesh, only to stop midway through the monster’s neck. “Dammit, how are you not dead!?”

The monster fully broke free from the ice, if he didn’t kill it now he’d be crushed under it.

“It is now!” He heard Rosalind’s voice from above him just before the sound of something slicing into the other side of its neck was heard. A large blade of ice wielded by Rosalind cleaved through the neck, meeting with his own to fully sever the monster's head clean off. The body of the creature slumped to the ground, lifeless. Its form began to quickly melt away before fading into a dark mist that vanished with the wind.

“W-we did it?” Ataru asked, out of breath and wincing in pain.

“We did?” Rosalind answered as if she couldn’t believe it. “Yes, we did!” She reached out to hug him before stopping herself. “A-anyway, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine, just need some time.” He rolled his shoulder as it ached. He couldn’t make this a habit. “But hey, we make a great team, huh? The best up and coming battery in the world.” He said with a smile.

“Battery?” Rosalind asked.

“Like on a baseball team, it’s what you call the pitcher and catcher.” He said.

“Already consider me a part of your team, then?” Rosalind stood up straight and let out a regal huff.

“Of course, we were totally in sync there.” He let out a laugh. “It’s hard to find that in a partner, let me tell you.” Rosalind let out a surprised cough, not able to hide her reddening face.

“You really do just say whatever you want, don’t you?” She mumbled.

Huh? Well yeah. By the way...” He raised the blade of ice, which had been frozen to his gloved hands. “Mind helping me out here?” Rosalind’s eyes widened as she quickly formed a small flame to melt the ice around his hands.

“Say something sooner next time!”