An Icy Victory

It felt like hours, but must have been only moments before another roar brought the five adventurers attention back to Karou. She was screeching and growling, blindly attacking everything, and she was heading back toward town.

Takao stood and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. They didn’t have time for this. Not now. There would be time to mourn their lost guild master later.

“She’s heading for town! If we work together, we can still beat her!” Takao shouted, then added more softly. “For the guild master.”

Nanako wiped her eyes. Kenta pulled a stone sword from the earth beneath his feet. Sumire nodded her assent. Their faces steeled with resolve. They would not fail again.

“Kenta! I have an idea, and I need your help. Takao, can you and Sumire buy some time?” Nanako asked.

Takao had been sensing a presence nearby and tried reaching out to it. A massive serpent immediately slithered from the forest and nuzzled to his side, which nearly knocked him over, and caused Nanako and Kenta to jump back. Up close, Takao noticed a scar behind one of the snake's eyes and finally recalled how he knew the serpent.

“I remember you now.” He said, patting the snake and climbing onto its head. “We’ll buy you time.” He declared confidently.

He offered a hand to Sumire, but she shook her head and took to the air instead. A screech overhead announced the return of her phoenix. Sumire joined it as it burnt a fiery streak through the air. Takao urged his serpent forward, and they charged along the ground with astonishing speed that nearly matched Sumire and her phoenix in flight.

Sumire was the first to reach Karou and drew her attention away from Sukiya by dropping a pillar of ice on her tail. She spun around with an indignant howl, swatting at Sumire with tooth and claw as if she were an insect. Sumire retaliated with bolts of lightning that kept Karou from noticing her phoenix until its talons dug into her back. It drenched her with fire before partially lifting her off the ground and dropping her.

Takao leapt from his serpents head as Karou fell toward them. It headbutted her with astonishing bone shattering strength that sent her skidding along the ground. Takao, Sumire, and their summoned monsters attacked together with water, fire, and lightning. Karou wailed under the fierce assault and looked badly injured, but still fought back like a cornered animal. Takao felt sure she couldn’t last much longer, but if anything, she seemed to be fighting harder than ever. She was even pushing them back with her wild, rapid attacks, and howling winds that left cuts in Takao’s skin if he got too close.

Takao barely avoided Karou’s snapping jaws when Nanako and Kenta finally arrived to help. A huge stone fist intertwined with trees and vines blindsided Karou. She reeled back as a second fist caught her in the jaw. The fist belonged to a huge golem that pounded toward them, nearly as tall as Karou, and made of what seemed to be half a forest. Trees and vines wrapped around chunks of earth and stone to create a monstrous golem the likes of which Takao had never seen, but knew was exactly the kind of thing Nanako would think up. She and Kenta rode atop the golems head, controlling and directing its fists to repeatedly pummel Karou.

Despite the powerful blows she was taking, Karou didn’t yield and fought still more viciously. She tore chunks from the golem, but they were replaced almost instantly by new trees and vines. Meanwhile, Sumire, her phoenix, and Takao’s serpent continued their assault on Karou, but she wouldn’t stop. The force of her attacks only grew along with the crazed look in her eye.

Takao could tell something wasn’t right. It seemed like they had the upper hand, but at this rate, Karou would overpower them. She was clearly injured, but it seemed like all their attacks only made her fight harder. Was she somehow using their attacks to strengthen herself? They couldn’t just stop fighting back, though. They needed to stop Karou from attacking without killing her and without enraging her more. Like when Aidachi had managed to freeze her for a brief moment. Freeze her? That was it!

Takao flew as fast as he could toward Sumire and crashed into her midair in his haste.

“I have an idea!” He said, before she could question his sanity. “We have to stop Karou!”

“What do you think we’ve been trying to do!?”

“No! Literally stop! The harder we attack her, the harder she fights back! So let’s freeze her! When Aidachi froze her head, she stopped completely for a second! Nanako will wrap her in vines, Sunai will spray her with water, and you and me will freeze her!” Takao explained in a rush.

Sumire looked quickly between him, Karou, and Nanako, the gears in her head working overtime.

“UGH! Okay! Let’s do it!” She relented. “But who’s Sunai?”

“My snake!” He said before grabbing her hand and starting toward Nanako and Kenta.

They were still fighting atop their golem, but despite how well they were doing when they’d first arrived, they were now fighting a losing battle. Huge chunks were missing from the golem, along with half of one arm, and the damage was no longer being repaired with new wood or vines. Takao and Sumire hovered next to Nanako and Kenta.

“We’re going to freeze her! Wrap her with vines!” Takao called.

Nanako looked exhausted and confused, but signaled her understanding without protest.

“Sumire! Your phoenix!” Takao shouted.

Sumire waved a hand at the fiery bird. A ring of fire appeared before it, and it flew straight in, disappearing instantly.

A rumble drew Takao’s attention, and it appeared at first that Nanako and Kenta’s golem was breaking apart, but then Takao realized otherwise. The golem fell forward, embracing Karou in an enormous bear hug, vines stretching forward and wrapping around her as it collapsed. Takao urged Sunai to attack through their magical connection, and it immediately took to the task, dowsing Karou with water.

Takao and Sumire dove together toward Karou, the temperature dropping rapidly around them, even before using their ice magic. They crashed feet first into Karou, barely slowing down, and unleashed their magic all at once. Ice washed over Karou like a tsunami, covering her from snout to tail in crystals and frost that extended even to the ground underfoot.

The howling wind stopped abruptly, replaced by a chilling silence, punctuated only by Takao and Sumire’s labored breathing. They glided down from the frozen statue that was Karou and found Nanako and Kenta waiting below.

“Did it work?” Nanako asked, arms wrapped around herself against the cold.

“Seems like it.” Takao replied, shivering slightly himself.

A rumble in the ice snapped their attention back to Karou. Takao stared in disbelief. She could still fight even after that!? The ice cracked and creaked until a small section near the middle shattered, and out fell a human sized shape. Sumire made to jump up and catch her, but she never left the ground before Karou vanished. The air split open below her, and she fell into a black void, disappearing instantly before it sealed itself.

The four adventurers stared in dumbfounded exasperation until Kenta broke the silence.

“You think we’ll still get a bonus?” He wondered aloud.

“Yeah, I’d say ya earned one.” A voice answered from behind.

The four turned on their heels to find Aidachi trudging toward them across the frozen landscape. Aside from the blood actively dripping from his head, he appeared unharmed.

“Guild master!” They cried in unison.

“We thought you were dead for sure.” Kenta exclaimed, warranting an elbow in the ribs from Nanako.

Aidachi chuckled gruffly.

“It’ll take more than that. Surrounded myself with ice like a giant spike. Impact buried me underground. Used the same trick when I fought a giant way back when. Anyway, I saw the dragon disappear, but what about this?” He asked, gesturing to the giant snake Sunai that was sat silently just a few feet away.

Kenta and Nanako started at the sight of it.

“That’s my summon. I saved it from a hawk when I was a kid. Though, it was much smaller then.” Takao explained, petting the snake affectionately.

“Huh. Alright. Now that we’ve done the real work, how about we leave cleanup to the town guard and get a drink?” Aidachi suggested, receiving cheers of approval in response.

As they walked back to town, Takao took Sumire’s hand.

“You know, I never got your answer from before.” He said.

She cocked her head at him. Takao chuckled at the cute expression.

“About whether you’ll go out with me or not?” He reminded.

Sumire smiled from ear to ear, and opened her mouth to respond.

“I thought you were dating this whole time!” Kenta interrupted.

“KENTA!”

Sumire’s Exposé!
‘Two halves over one whole’ is an old dragonian saying that essentially means it’s better to have less and be with the ones you love than have more and be alone. These days, it’s mostly just used to teach young kids to share.