Mike and Ice looked at each other for a moment, but after a while it became uncomfortable, so Ice began to speak."Yes, let us go to the… uhm, you said titan king?"
Mike smiled."Yes, exactly. Let us kill him!"
Ice nodded and waited for Mike's instructions, but Mike did not move. He had not received any location or direction. It only said that he had started the quest. After a short moment of looking around and staring into nothing, Mike was pulled out of his thoughts.
Beyond the horizon he saw a titan. Only faintly, but its silhouette was visible."Ice, look there!"
Ice slowly turned her head toward where Mike was pointing."What is there, Mike?"
Mike paused. Could she not see it?"There is a titan."
Ice did not answer, but it seemed she could not recognize it."Mike, with this fog I cannot see anything!" she said, sounding even a little offended, though neither of them noticed.
From behind, another titan appeared. It was slightly smaller than the first, but just as gray and seemingly made of stone."Ice, watc…"
Before he could finish, the titan swung its leg and kicked straight at Mike. There was no chance to dodge. No matter how fast or strong Mike had become, this attack came out of nowhere."Argh!"
Mike was hit directly and thrown away. He flew brutally toward the edge of the mountain plateau where the three of them stood."That was close…" Mike whispered fearfully as he got up quickly.
He saw Ice charging into battle, but without success. She was slammed into the ground by the hand of the elite titan.
Mike now had a determined look. He sprinted forward. While running, he pulled his sword from the inventory. The golden handle flashed and spread its golden light everywhere.Blessing of the Shadow Tiger King.
With this new blessing, Mike leaped up. He pulled his sword back to deliver a heavy strike. Because he needed to gather momentum, the titan had time to counter. It lifted its large hand and hurled it at Mike.
"No!" Ice screamed. Blood dripped from her mouth, but she could still fight. She jumped up, not even close enough to reach Mike, but that had not been her plan. She struck the titan's right foot with a heavy blow.
Mike saw everything happen within seconds. He realized he was about to crash into the titan's body or be crushed by its hand.I have no choice. I must destroy the hand first.
His eyes shifted from the titan's body to its hand. He waited until it was close."Now!"
Mike thrust his sword forward with speed and precision. It struck perfectly. The hand shattered completely, turning to dust that scattered through the air. A painful scream echoed from the sky.
Mike landed beside Ice."Come, let us pierce its legs!" he suggested.
Ice nodded and ran forward. Mike ran faster and reached the front. He held his sword forward like a spear ready to break through the stone.
Ice and Mike exchanged one last glance before they struck. Their goal was clear. They aimed at the base of the titan's legs to make it fall.
Would it work? If it did, they had found the titan's weakness.
They hit with full force. Ice sliced forward on her side and Mike did the same. Mike's sword cut through the stone easily because of his momentum. Stone shattered in all directions. He quickly looked to Ice to see how she was doing.
Ice struck with all her strength, but nothing happened. Some stone cracked, but nothing threatening, and it healed quickly again.
However, the titan was starting to wobble. One of its feet was still missing from before. It managed to keep its balance, barely, but it held on.
Suddenly Mike had an idea."Ice, help me push!"
Mike ran to the titan's remaining foot. Ice followed him. They placed their hands against the giant stone limb and pushed forward with all their strength. Mike's muscles tensed, and his tunic tore slightly at the arm.
"Argh!"
They gave everything they had, but the titan did not move at all."Keep going, Ice, do not give up!" Mike encouraged her, but soon both of their strength began to fade.
Blood dripped down Mike's hands, and Ice quickly pulled hers away. It seemed the titan had activated some kind of spikes on its foot. The spikes stabbed into Mike, piercing his stomach, shoulder, leg, and hands.
"I… Ice…"
Mike saw his health bar turn orange. With a yank, he freed himself, but suddenly another hand came from above to grab him.
A flash lit up for a moment. The hand split into two pieces.What? How?
Mike looked around and found the answer immediately. Ice had pulled her sword back. She had managed to cut through the titan's stone.
"Thank you, Ice. You probably saved me." Mike smiled weakly, not fully, more like a forced smile fueled by adrenaline.
"Now we can do it, Ice!"
Mike charged forward with his sword. Ice followed him, sword pointed ahead. They stood before the stone foot. Together they quickly cut off the spikes. They worked like a perfect team, breaking spike after spike. After about five seconds, the foot was a bare rock again.
"Now we break through the second!" Mike shouted and struck forward. His sword pierced into the titan's leg. Ice hit from the other side.
Then they noticed the titan was trying to move."Mike, he wants to run!"
Mike thought quickly and then yelled,"Stronger!"
His face reddened from exertion. He pushed with everything he had. Mike's potential reached its peak. He screamed from fury and strength, and his sword sliced cleanly through the stone.
Ice pulled her sword back quickly. The second foot was severed.
With a dusty cloud rising, they heard a scream from above. The titan fell backwards."Ice, we did it."
Mike was covered in blood stains, and blood streamed from his nose like a waterfall. Ice simply exhaled silently.
The titan crashed to the ground. Upon impact, its body split in two. No blood flowed, only a giant cloud of gray stone dust rose upward.
Mike smiled brightly as a message appeared.Elite Titan two defeated.
A quest window opened on its own.One elite titan left. If you defeat him, you gain access to the king.
Mike paused and took a deep breath, but began coughing."Bad idea…" he muttered and coughed more. Better not breathe while the dust cloud was still spreading. Ice seemed completely fine breathing the air, though.
Mike's vision blurred."I… Ice… I do not think I feel… good…"
He stumbled toward her but collapsed. He lay on his back. He heard a faint voice."Mike?"
His vision faded as if he were underwater. He only saw one clear system message above him.
Poisoned. Stone virus spreading. Full infection in four hours.
He heard Ice's voice from somewhere above."Mike! Mike, your hand… it is stone."
Mike managed to stay conscious, but the system would likely soon force him to faint. With the last bit of strength and almost completely blind, Mike dragged himself a little farther. He saw the outline of his sword. So beautiful. The grip was majestic gold and the blade shone magnificently. A true treasure that Mike had received. The blade was strong and steadfast, simply perfect.
Mike reached for his sword, but he was too weak. He stopped and looked up at the sky. It was not a pleasant sight. The sky was gray as if it had turned to stone itself.
Mike sighed softly. A system message rang out.Defeat the last elite titan to remove the virus.
The message vanished and a new one appeared in Mike's vision. A timer.4:59:40
"I… Ice, four…"
Ice lifted her head."What do you mean, four? Mike, what is happening to you?"
Mike gathered the last bit of strength he had."Four hours!" he forced out.
Unsatisfied with how weak it sounded, Mike fell silent. He only had a few seconds left before losing consciousness. He had to tell Ice. He took a deep breath, or as deep as he could in his condition.
"Ice! Four hours left!"
A harsh cough overtook his lungs and drowned out the last sentence. No. If only she had heard the last part clearly. Mike was not even sure if he had said it properly. He waited for Ice's response, which filled his heart with hope.
"Titans?" Ice asked.
Mike smiled and lost consciousness. She had heard the important part.
"Mike… Mike!"
But suddenly the air filled with a strong aura, and Ice had one more problem to face. She now had to fight alone. Behind her appeared a medium sized rocky titan. His head was already visible from where she stood.
"Well child, I will have to kill you now."
Ice froze in shock. The titan spoke to her and raised his hand with full force, aiming straight at her. This was the end.
But a sudden flash changed everything. A cloud of dust burst forward in front of Ice. She opened her eyes again and…