The vulture shrieked in pain, its grip loosening. Samuel braced himself as they began to fall rapidly toward the cave floor.
Locked in a desperate position. The enormous vulture thrashed violently, screeching and flapping its massive wings, trying to free itself from the blade embedded deeply into its wing. Its black feathers and droplets of blood swirled around them as they descended rapidly.
Just before impact, Samuel twisted his body quickly, kicking off from the vulture's chest to pull his blade free. He landed hard, rolling across the rocky floor to disperse the impact. His bones, neck and arm were all broken, Pain surged through his entire body, briefly overwhelming him, but his regeneration kicked in quickly, rapidly healing the damaged parts.
The vulture also crashes down in a deafening manner, shaking the entire cave. Dust and debris scattered in every direction. For a moment, the vulture lay still, breathing heavily, its wounded wing trailing blood all over the place. Slowly, it rose again, its beady eyes burning fiercely with hatred as they locked onto Samuel.
Samuel took a deep breath, coughed up blood and proceeded to steady himself, gripping his blade tighter. He knew the fight wasn't over. But mentally he was tired. Then He channeled essence into his power "Hand of War," causing his arm to glow with an intense dark red energy.
The vulture unleashed another ear-piercing screech and lunged forward with terrifying speed, snapping its massive beak toward Samuel's head. He dodged quickly, narrowly escaping its vicious attacks, and countered swiftly, slicing deep across the vulture's chest. The beast staggered back, screeching in pain, yet it refused to retreat.
In a swift, brutal motion, the vulture swung its enormous wing downward, aiming to crush Samuel beneath its weight. Samuel braced himself, raising his glowing arm defensively. The collision slammed him backward violently, his feet missed the rocky floor, and yet he managed to remain standing, breathing heavily.
He could hear his lungs, Gasping for air, Samuel knew he couldn't prolong the battle. Gathering all his remaining strength, he surged forward, Aegirion slicing sharply through the air toward the vulture's feathery neck.
The blade struck though, embedding deeply into the vulture's flesh. Yellow blood erupted from the wound, and the vulture flailed in pain, shrieking as Samuel pushed the sword even deeper. Determined, Samuel pressed on, desperate to end the fight.
However, the vulture still had strength left. With a powerful squeal, it activated its hidden ability, controlling its feathers. That was lying on the ground, Instantly, razor-sharp feathers shot from behind, one embedding deeply into Samuel's back. Samuel cried out, losing control as intense pain ripped through his body. He collapsed onto the ground, momentarily paralyzed.
Seizing the opportunity, the vulture quickly pinned him down with its massive claws. Samuel's eyes widened in horror as the beast lowered its head and began biting down viciously into his body. His screams echoed throughout the caves, the pain nearly unbearable. With every bite, his body regenerated instantly, prolonging and intensifying his suffering.
But the vulture had overlooked something crucial, Aegirion. Samuel's blade, sensing his distress, suddenly moved on its own. In a swift, precise strike, Aegirion drove itself deeply, into the vulture's back, forcing it to release its grip on Samuel.
Samuel rolled free, coughing up blood as he struggled to stand upright. Summoning every bit of essence and energy left within him, he extended his arm, "Hand of War," using his power to grip the vulture firmly, holding it helplessly in place.
With determination blazing in his eyes, Samuel commanded Aegirion to grow longer and sharper. A skill he used against the true blood giant, With a powerful, sweep in motion, he guided the blade, slicing cleanly through the vulture's thick feathery neck. The head fell heavily to the ground, rolling away as pools of blood gushed freely from its body.
Exhausted, Samuel collapsed onto the dead vulture's massive body, breathing heavily and drenched in blood.
As he sat there, trying to recover, a gentle rustling caught his attention. Slowly, he turned his head to see the Tree of Longevity beginning to heal itself. Its leaves grew back quickly, vibrant purple once again, and its colorful fruits appeared back.
Samuel watched quietly, admiring the tree's restorations. Despite his intense fatigue, a small smile formed on his lips relieved that the ordeal was finally over.
After a while.
Samuel lay quietly on the vulture's body, still catching his breath. Blood from his own body mixed with the vultures, drenched his clothes, and his muscles screamed with pain despite his regeneration slowly fixing his broken bones and torn flesh.
Then, a soft breeze blew through the cave.
Samuel's eyes narrowed. He sensed something.
In front of the Tree of Longevity, where the ground had just begun to bloom again with flowers and fruits, a strange woman appeared.
Tall, curvy, dressed in a long flowing purple gown, similar to the tree color, glittering under the cave's light. Her hair was silver-white, similar to lira, her skin pale as snow, and her eyes glowed faintly golden.
"Welcome, Outworlder," she declared, her tone soft but clear.
Samuel stood up from the vulture's corpse, slowly. He jumped down and landed, taking a defensive stance. Aegirion flew back into his hand. He held it tightly and walked forward, ready for anything.
"Who are you?" Samuel asked, eyes narrow.
The woman raised her hands slowly, not threatening. "I am not here to fight, Outworlder," she uttered. "My name is Yuliene. I am the second guidance spirit of the Tree of Longevity."
Samuel stopped a few feet away, still cautious. "Second?" he repeated.
Yuliene nodded. "Correct. You already met the first."
Samuel's mind flashed back to the vulture. His grip on Aegirion tightened. "That creature… the vulture?"
She smiled gently. "Yes. The first trial. And you survived."
Samuel lowered his blade, not fully at ease but listening now.
"You have passed the test," she responded, stepping aside and gesturing to the massive tree. "The Tree of Longevity has accepted you. You may now pluck one fruit."