The Whisper of the Nightingale

Chapter 55: Combined Assault

Under the coordinated attack of ten Panthera Drakes, all with similar strengths as the restrained Raven, the pressure on the latter increased tremendously. The beasts' pack instincts shone through as they expertly covered each others weaknesses, making it increasingly hard for Raven to find an opening.

Nonetheless, in the flurry of tail lashes, claw swipes and charging headbutts, Raven managed to avoid injury by relying mainly on movement skills such as Shadow Walk and Illusive Step - one of her newer skill additions that employed a peculiar type of footwork to fake her own trajectories. Simultaneously, whenever she found the opportunity, Raven lashed out with her sword, faster than the eye could follow, and although she had yet to bring down a third Panthera Drake, all of them had vicious lacerations criss-crossing their bodies within seconds.

Realizing that they were having a hard time pinning down their new attacker, the ten beasts growled angrily. Vicious streams of spirit essence surged through their bodies, collecting at the back of their throats.

"Watch out!" called three boys who sensed the rising essence in the Panthera Drakes, but Raven had already reacted.

As the feline creatures opened their fanged maws, raging blue flames were breathed out towards their opponent, an almost serene calm descended on Raven's face. When the flame breath of the closest Drake was merely an inch away from slamming into her upper body, the twins couldn't help but look away. Only Javelin, who had already lost the strength to even stand and yet forced himself watch, saw his roommate back bend flexibly out of the flames path to the point where Raven's unarmed hand actually touched the ground behind her.

The same instant her hand made contact with the ground, asoft chime of bells rang out in the forest and a subtle yet undeniable tremor ran through the ground, causing the leaves in the nearby trees to rustle slightly as the minute vibrations spread up their trunks. But Raven's movements didn't stop there. Her body continued its motion and, for a moment, ended up standing on one arm, before she pivoted around - avoiding another three fire blasts in the process - and got back on her feet, causing yet another chime of bells to ring out.

At this point the intensity of the battle increased dramatically; blue streams of flames attacked Raven from every angle but she swiftly avoided them all, bells chiming out every time she made contact with the ground. For Javelin, it looked more like a nymph dancing in a sea of blue fire, than a boy fighting for his life.

Suddenly, Raven saw an opening and lashed out with her sword. Needless to say, she had judged correctly and the blade hit its mark. It wasn't a very powerful stab, and Raven barely pierced an inch into the Panthera Drakes thick skin, but as the black blade sunk an inch into the beast, and that same bell noise rang, the following vibrations were a lot more intense than before.

The beast's body shook violently and immense pain could be seen in the animal's eyes. It did it's best to resist but it didn't take long before it spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

For a brief moment, the remaining nine Panthera Drakes halted their assaults as they stared disbelievingly at their fallen comrade. They too had witnessed how Raven's strike barely penetrated the skin, and yet, the results were an almost instant knock out!

'Tch, I got it wrong,' thought Raven as she observed her handiwork. The Divine Skill she had been utilizing during these last couple of exchanges was the sixth level Sonic Sword skill, Dance of Bells that she had gained her first insights in a while back. When executed perfectly, Raven's hands, feet and blade would induce a subtle shock-wave upon contact that, if tuned correctly to its targets body and mass, would resonate with the various internal organs, leading to self-destruction. The beast in front of her had been severely wounded, but not to the maximal degree.