>>6310704Saoirse was strong, of that you had no doubt. You saw her abilities for yourself, and were confident she could defeat Shea under normal circumstances. These were anything but though, and you at least had your own ranged techniques you could count on, not to mention a far greater durability than the girl from Sreng. Besides, if you beat Shea, you could lay claim to not just her badge, but also Conrad’s, giving you a juicy 10 floor advantage.
>“I’ll go after Shea.” You save bravely. “You two take care of that thing. I’ll come back and help as soon as I’m done with her.” You turn towards your newfound companion. He’d been out of earshot of you and Saoirse’s conversation, but he at least had the sense to stay behind cover and avoid Shea’s missiles.>“Hey! You see that giant monster?!” You yell at Butch. “I need you to keep it busy!”“Sure!” Butch replies back. With nary a second thought, he leaves cover and charges straight ahead. The tiger immediately locks eyes on him, letting a bloodcurling roar that echoes through the jungle. Butch, however, follows up with his own terrifying roar. In an instant, the two are hacking away at each other. The tiger is fast, able to clear the distance between its prey in a mere moment. However, for all its might, it wouldn’t be able to defeat a Relic wielder in short order. Let alone one that would be accompanied by a Swordmaster like Saoirse, who jumps into the battle with a slash on the creature’s side. It lets out a pained cry, and swipes at her with a paw, but for all its speed, Saoirse is still faster.
Shea might be an expert marksman, but you doubted even she could hit a target in the midst of all this chaos. Sure enough, an arrow narrowly misses Butch, who crosses his blade with the tiger’s claw, holding his ground. The arrow comes from the northwest side of the jungle, and in an instant, you already have an idea of where your own prey is waiting. You dash out from behind the cover of your own tree, and begin your pursuit. You make it a few steps before an arrow embeds itself within your chestpiece. Followed by another that scratches your ear.
-12 HP (44/72 HP)
Ignoring the pain, you continue running forward, now very aware of where Shea is hiding. You hear a feminine laugh echoing through the trees, but are still unable to pinpoint the source.
“That is the most elderly trick in a book!” Shea taunts you. You’d never met anyone from Brigid before, but her accent was thick, and her command of the common language was shaky at best. “Using your comrades as bait will only bring you great shame! Now, drop your badge on the ground, and I shall allow you to poof away with your life!”
>“As if you could kill me with these pathetic little bee stings of yours.” You taunt her right back, ripping out the arrow that was embedded in your chest and dropping it to the ground. 