I Received System to Become Dragonborn

The creature let out a disturbing scream that sounds inhuman. Its not just noise but a violent rupture of sound. It was a scream of pain but also of fury, confusion, and something strange.

Darel and Varn who was the closest to the monster grunted in pain and staggered. The shriek tore at their ears like shattered glass, ringing through their skulls and rattling their balance. The Magic in Darel's sword pulsed wildly in response as if recoiling from the resonance.

And then, the retaliation happened.

While still screaming, the creature moved with terrifying speed. Its long arms lashed out in two sweeping arcs.

The first caught Darel across the torso, slamming into his armor with a force that felt like being hit by a runaway cart. The second claw smashed into Varn's side before he could even lift his axe again.

Both were launched backward like ragdolls.

Darel crashed into a tree with a heavy crack. The tree bark splitting and leaves showering down around him as he slumped to the ground, gasping.

Varn rolled across the dirt in a brutal tumble, finally slamming to a stop with a coughing grunt, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.

But even as they fell, Yara was already moving. She knows that the creature is far from death even after receiving a deep stab with Darel's sword.

She didn't flinch or hesitate. Her boots hit the ground hard as she surged forward. Her Mage-fighter stance shifting into one made for speed, aggression, and close combat.

The runes on her gauntlets flared, Magic pulsing in calculated bursts. Her movements were fluid but deadly. She closing the gap between her and the creature in moments.

"Fall into formation!" she shouted, her voice slicing through the lingering echoes of the scream. "Support me, NOW!"

Her authority as the second leader in command was clear and cutting. It shattered whatever fear still clung to the other adventurers after seeing what happened.

Two archers immediately took position on the flanks, drawing arrows tipped with enchanted steel. A warrior with a hammer and a young rogue moved to the side, trying to flank the creature as Yara advanced head-on.

The creature turned toward her, its smile gone, replaced with a snarl. Its glowing green eye tracked her closely, perhaps realizing this one was different.

Yara ducked under the first swipe of the creature long arm. Her foot sliding across the soil.

She slammed her gauntlet upward into the creature's exposed ribs, runes exploding in a pulse of fire and kinetic force.

The blow cracked through the air like thunder. The creature staggered back a step and it definitely felt it.

Without pause, she whirled and drove a rune-infused kick into its knee, trying to collapse its stance. At the same time, she raised her other hand, palm glowing bright, and fired a condensed bolt of Magic energy straight into its midsection.

BOOM!

The blast sent shockwaves through its torso, searing the point of impact with smoking light.

But the creature still didn't fall,but it reeled. It was hurting. And more importantly, it was focused on her now. Giving Darel and Varn time to back up again and the others to launch their attack.

"Now!" Yara shouted again. "Don't hold back! We bring this thing down together quick!"

The archers loosed their arrows. Blades flashed from the side.

And somewhere in the distance, Darel groaned, lifting his head as he tried to rise. He saw Yara there, holding the line and leading.

A faint smile touched his lips through the pain.

"Good," he whispered. "She's got this. Fortunately I bring her along."

Darel blinked through the pain, his vision swimming with double images of trees and dirt. His ears still rang with the remnants of that scream, but he forced himself to breathe. Each breath stabbed his side but its not fatal.

He turned his head slightly and spotted Varn a few meters away. He stirred with a sound of cough and half growl as he pushed himself onto one elbow. Blood streaked his chin, but his eyes blazed and teeth bared in a furious snarl.

"Good. He's still got fight."

He let out a hiss as he tested his side. The armor had absorbed the brunt of it but the deep ache and tightness told him his ribs were likely cracked.

He gripped his sword again, planting it into the dirt to help himself stand. The runes etched along its surface shimmered. He closed his eyes for a moment, summoning the reservoir of Magic deep within his core, and fed it into the blade.

A wave of heat surged up his arm as the sword responded. The runes flared brighter the color of amber and white.

Darel raised the weapon fully, standing with a slight lean but steady.

Across the field, Varn was on his feet too, axe already in hand. He spat blood to the side, rolled his neck with a crack, and let out a savage wordless yell.

The creature was locked in with Yara and the others now, fending off their barrage of attacks.

Arrows flying, blades closing in, Magic igniting the air around them. But the creature was still standing and thrashing.

Darel didn't waste another second.

He launched forward. Magic coiled around his blade.

Varn was charging in too from the opposite angle, axe raised high, his battlecry mixing with the sound of thudding boots and Magic.

Yara noticed them both coming in from the corners of her eye—and she adjusted, angling her next strike to knock the creature off balance toward Darel's side.

Darel leapt, sword cleaving down in a brilliant arc, just as the creature twisted from Yara's attack.

Steel met flesh and Magic burst in a shockwave of force. The creature shrieked again. Not as overwhelming as before but still sharp, as Darel's blade carved into its side, sparks and blood spraying.

And then Varn was there, hammering his axe down in a brutal swing, smashing into the creature's thigh with enough power to stagger it fully. It buckled under the combined assault.

Yara spun back, gauntlet glowing, and called to the rest. "Finish it!"

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