Nox hit the ground, coughing and staring. 'Holy crap! What the hell was that?'
Kendra saw it too and let out a loud, "Holy shit, Yeda! Since when can you do that?"
Vasa, still icing the alpha gobdog's legs, just nodded. "Interesting. She's awakened."
The monster landed a few feet away, looking rattled for the first time. "What the—? You think that little stunt's going to hurt me, girl?"
Yeda didn't reply. She was too focused. She swung again, her arm moving like she had been training for years. Another invisible blade shot out, slicing through the air. The monster dodged, but it clipped its shoulder, drawing a thin line of dark blood.
Its eyes widened for a split second when she came at it again. It tried to play it off, curling its snout into a snarl to cover up the surprise, but Nox caught the flicker of doubt.
Yeda was on fire—well, not literally, but her silver aura was blazing bright as she swung her arms like she was holding invisible swords. Every slash forced the creature to take a step back, its clawed feet scraping the floor as it struggled to keep up with her speed.
"Take that, you ugly fuck!" she shouted, her voice sharp and a little shaky, like she couldn't believe she was actually doing this.
She swung again, and the air rippled with another invisible cut. The monster jerked to the side, barely dodging, but it wasn't fast enough to avoid a shallow gash opening up on its arm. Dark blood dripped onto the floor.
Nox watched from a few feet away, leaning against a busted bench, still catching his breath from the beating he had taken earlier.
'She's actually pushing it back,' he thought. 'Didn't see that coming.' The girl who'd been swinging a pipe like a scared kid not too long ago was now forcing this hulking beast to rethink its life choices.
The boss stumbled, just a little, its massive frame wobbling as it tried to steady itself. Nox's earlier hits were catching up—those punches and pipe swings had left bruises and cuts all over its furry body. It growled low, trying to shake off the pain, but Yeda wasn't giving it a break. She saw the stumble and her eyes lit up with something fierce.
"Now's my shot," she muttered under her breath, gripping the air tighter like she could feel those invisible blades in her hands. She lunged forward, her aura flaring even brighter as she went for a big swing, aiming right for the monster's chest. If she landed this, it'd be a game-changer.
But then, right as her arm came down, the silver glow around her flickered—like a light bulb about to die. It blinked once, twice, then vanished completely. Her legs gave out under her, and she dropped to her knees hard, hands slamming into the floor to catch herself.
She coughed, and blood splattered out of her mouth, staining the floor in front of her.
"D-Dammit," she gasped, clutching her chest. "What the hell…?"
Nox straightened up fast, his own aches forgotten. A blue screen popped up in front of him, glowing faintly in his vision.
[Yeda has a body unfit for the power]
[Overload.]
He stared at the words, processing them quick.
'So that's why she's down. Her body can't handle that power yet.' It made sense—she'd only just awakened it, and she was already swinging it around like a pro. It was too much and too fast.
The boss monster froze for a second, watching her collapse. Then its snout split into a wide, nasty grin, showing off those jagged teeth. It let out a laugh, deep and rough, like it was genuinely enjoying this twist.
"Well, well," it said, its voice dripping with smugness. "Looks like your shiny new trick ran out of juice, huh, little girl?" It took a step closer, raising one clawed hand high, ready to bring it down on her. "Guess I'll just finish you off now. Save me the trouble later."
She looked up, still coughing, blood trickling down her chin. Her arms shook as she tried to push herself back up, but she didn't have the strength.
"No way," she whispered, panic creeping into her voice. "Not like this…"
The monster's claw started to drop, but before it could connect, Nox was there. He moved faster than he thought he could, his legs burning from the effort as he closed the gap in a blink. His fist crashed into the creature's jaw with everything he had left, sending it flying back into the gym wall.
The impact left a dent in the concrete, and the monster slumped there for a moment, dazed.
"Back off," he said, his tone flat but firm, like he was telling someone to get out of his way at school. He didn't even look at the monster after that—he just turned to Yeda, who was still on her knees, breathing hard.
She glanced up at him, her face pale and sweaty, blood smeared across her lips. He knelt down next to her, keeping one eye on the monster in case it got any ideas.
"You okay?" he asked, his voice quieter now, less sharp.
She shook her head, wincing as she coughed again.
"I'm sorry," she said, her words coming out in a shaky mess. "I thought I had it. I really tried. I didn't mean to screw up like this. I am so sorry." Before he could say anything, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. Her grip was weak, but she held on like letting go wasn't an option.
He froze for a second, caught off guard. Her arms were trembling against his back, and he could feel her heartbeat racing through her thin frame. It had been years since anyone had touched him like this—since anyone had wanted to.
Back in the old days, before all this dungeon crap, he had been the kid everyone avoided, the one they laughed at or ignored. Connection wasn't a thing he knew anymore. But this? This hit different.
He let out a slow breath and rested a hand on her shoulder, awkward but steady. "It's alright," he said, surprising himself with how soft his voice came out. "You did your best, Yeda. That's more than most people ever did for me."
She pulled back just enough to look at him, her eyes wet with tears she was trying to hold in. "But I couldn't finish it," she said, her voice cracking. "I wasn't strong enough. You had to step in again."
He shook his head, cutting her off. "Nah, don't sell yourself short. You had that thing on the ropes before your power crapped out. And you saved me earlier with that crazy slash move. That's not nothing."
She blinked at him, like she wasn't sure she believed it. "Really?"
"Yeah, really," he said, giving her a small nod. "You're tougher than you think."
The monster was starting to move again, pushing itself up from the rubble with a low growl. Nox stood up straight, stepping in front of Yeda to block her from its line of sight. "Stay back," he told her, his tone shifting back to that no-nonsense edge.
"I've got this now."
She grabbed at his sleeve, her fingers shaky. "But you're messed up too. Your face is all bloody, and you're limping. You can't take that thing alone."
"Heh, don't worry, I will kick this thing's ass for the both of us," he said, brushing her hand off gently but firmly. He turned to face the boss monster, who was fully on its feet now, glaring at them with pure fury in its red eyes.
"You think you can protect her?" the creature spat, cracking its neck as it stepped forward. "I'm going to rip you both to pieces and enjoy every second of it."