One on One Battle!
"...."
"...."
"...."
An awkward atmosphere settled over the trio as they stood before a swirling white portal that shimmered like a pool of liquid light.
"Ahem," Eli coughed, breaking the silence. "Looks like we finally found that portal... but weren't we here before?" He frowned, recognizing the spot as their first campsite, the familiar surroundings triggering a sense of déjà vu.
Lily flinched slightly, her fingers moving quickly as she signed,
/Maybe it was supposed to appear at a certain time./
"Oh!" Eli nodded in understanding, his furrowed brow relaxing. Meanwhile, Ana rolled her eyes and glared at Lily, who merely gave her a smug and disgusting look, as if silently calling her a thieving bitch.
The animosity between them was almost tangible.
Ana blushed, lowering her head in embarrassment. She never thought she would lose control over her emotions, especially considering her long life and vast experience. She felt truly disgusted with herself; she had only wanted to tease Eli but had almost kissed him, driven by a primal hunger she hadn't felt in centuries.
"Okay, come on, Lily! There's no need to be angry at her... She was just lost in the moment," Eli gently said, trying to ease the tension. He kissed Lily tenderly, his lips lingering to calm her down. Lily, though reluctant, sighed and nodded in agreement with a huff.
/I want more love!!/
She signed with a serious face, her eyes demanding reassurance. Eli smiled warmly and nodded, his hand caressing her cheek.
Lily glanced at Ana, who bowed deeply and said, "I won't make this mistake again."
Lily didn't say anything, just stared at Ana with an inscrutable expression before turning and walking into the portal.
Eli looked at Ana slightly worried about their friendship.
Ana smiled calmly before saying "She's like that, no need to worry," reassuringly, hesitating a few times before adding, "I'm also sorry for my misconduct."
"T-There's no need... since I also enjoy—ahem, I mean, I am also guilty," Eli stammered as he hurriedly entered the portal to escape the awkwardness.
Ana watched him go, an amused expression playing on her lips,
"He's really true to his feelings..." she muttered to herself.
Still, she couldn't shake the unsettling feeling of losing control over her blood lust. It had never happened before. Something seemed wrong with his blood, or maybe it was her imagination. She needed to collect more information about his blood, but she decided to postpone it to avoid further upsetting Lily.
Then she stepped into the portal herself.
...
....
The scene that greeted them was surreal. They stood in what looked like a grand arena, with empty seats rising in tiers around them.
In the first row, Ana and Lily took their places, while Eli stood in the centre of the arena's ground. The sky above was bright, resembling a perfect sunny day, the light almost too vivid.
"Looks like it's a one-on-one fight," Ana mumbled, reaching out to touch the barrier in front of her.
It felt solid, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.
First, Ana had helped Eli fly over obstacles, and second, Lily had almost eradicated all the monsters, actions that might have alerted the dungeon to their interference.
Even though the level was set to maximum it seems the Dungeon understood something wrong with Lily and decided to focus on Eli only.
"And it seems the dungeon realized we are intruders helping him," Ana said, glancing at Lily, who was anxiously biting her nails, her eyes darting around the arena nervously.
"Lily, why are you so worried? It's not like he would di—!!!" Ana started to speak but immediately jumped back, startled by the sheer intensity of Lily's furious expression.
Lily sighed deeply, trying to calm herself before signing,
/It's just... I don't know what it is, but this is the first time I've felt scared... scared of losing something after thousands of years./
Her hands trembled slightly, the raw emotion behind her words evident.
"..." Ana didn't know how to respond, inwardly thinking, 'If people saw this, I'm not sure who would go insane... A god worried about a mortal.' She looked at Eli, who was holding a rusty, old trident, the weapon seeming out of place in his hands.
"I told him I have a good number of swords in my storage ring... Yet, he chose that," Ana shook her head, perplexed. She sometimes couldn't understand what he was thinking.
And she got a piece of information about.... He was very skilled with swords, yet he chose a long spear-like weapon, which he was barely proficient with.
Suddenly,
A hush fell over the arena as one of the smaller gates creaked open, the sound echoing eerily through the vast space.
Eli tightened his grip on the trident, his knuckles turning white. His eyes were focused, his breath steady.
"Grrrrrrr!"
From the dimly lit passage, a majestic lion padded out, its golden mane shimmering under the bright, almost surreal light that bathed the arena.
The lion's appearance was nothing short of awe-inspiring and regal. Its fur was a rich golden hue, catching the light in such a way that it seemed to glow, giving the animal an almost ethereal, otherworldly presence. Its eyes were a deep amber, intelligent and piercing, reflecting a keen awareness and a predatory intensity.
Whiskers twitched slightly as the lion moved with a graceful, fluid motion, each step exuding power and control. Its nose, dark and moist, flared gently as it sniffed the air, taking in the scents of its surroundings. The lion's paws were massive, equipped with sharp, retractable claws that hinted at the potential ferocity lying just beneath the surface of its calm demeanour.
And most striking of all... it had something in its mouth.
The lion held a small stone ball between its formidable jaws, an unusual sight that immediately piqued Ana's curiosity and deepened Lily's worry.
The ball seemed almost out of place, contrasting with the fierce majesty of the lion.
The lion approached the centre of the arena, moving with a confident, almost regal stride, the stone ball held gently but securely in its powerful jaws.
"Grrr"
Step, Step
Each step it took was measured, and deliberate, and its gaze never left Eli.
"Looks like he needs to take the stone from its mouth," Ana mumbled with an excited expression.
She secretly wanted to fight the lion herself, the thrill of the challenge igniting a spark in her eyes and also glad to see the monster was just a normal monster without magical powers.
"It seems the dungeon working very well" She thought and if not then the dungeon knew they would again interfere which again would be a pain in the ass for the dungeon to deal.
Glancing at Lily, who still wore a worried expression, Ana said reassuringly, "Don't worry, the dungeon must have already set this challenge to his level since he's the only one here." Inwardly, she added, 'As long as we didn't interfere, that is!'
Lily nodded, her worry etched deeply into her features. She never thought she would feel this kind of anxiety again, the fear of losing something, someone, so precious to her.
/All the best!/
Eli frowned, sensing that something was off about this lion. Even though it was staring directly at him, he had a strange, unsettling feeling that it was looking at something behind him, beyond him.
Eli glanced back, his eyes quickly scanning the empty arena seats, but there was nothing....
"ELI!!" Ana shouted.
Eli's eyes widened in shock as he hurriedly turned back to face the lion. He saw the lion's powerful paw already in mid-air, aimed at his chest with full force, a strike that carried the potential to rip him to shreds.
Chhcccccckkkkk
Splurt