Dungeon of Niflheim

In response a magic crest swiftly appeared before the three frost dwarves and coagulating into a sturdy 3 inch thick shield of solid ice separating them from the ursa’s fierce claws. No longer was Frost’s [ice shield] spell half assed in appearance, misshapen in areas and flimsy in terms of its defensive properties no it was now a fully bona fide shield worthy of its namesake. However this was no mere enemy, the power behind a C-rank monster especially one so physically inclined would not be stopped from a mere shield spell, especially one that was only of the 2nd circle.

Thankfully the point wasn’t to prevent the ursa from smashing down merely to delay it so the frost dwarves could escape.

“Kiba” Frost spoke under his breath sending a command to his mighty glacial winged tiger through their soul connection all while moving swiftly to face off against this intruder. Time was a delicate thing especially in the higher levels, so many attacks could be thrown in just a matter of seconds.

Kiba as though perfectly attuned with his master swooped down from the sky, grasping the three paralysed frost dwarves in his claws and mouth and carrying them to safety.

And just as well, Frost’s ice shield though quite impressive to look at and sporting a decent thickness was but paper to the mighty ursa, delaying it for but a moment, but a moment was all Kiba needed. The young tiger was already away with the cargo by the time the ursa’s claw came down, smashing apart another section of the ice wall, creating another gap area for the horde to escape through, a situation that they had now noticed.

“Tsk” Frost loudly clicked his tongue as he leaped high into the air, his glaive in hand and surrounded by the wind element offered by the engraving, he was putting his all into this attack.

“[Claw of the ice wolf]” Frost summoned his energy to activate his trademark and currently most powerful skill. Three beams or rather claws of ice aspected energy formed before the glaive’s blade enhancing its already devasting power.

“Eat this you oversized bear!” With a forceful yell Frost swung his glaive at the unsuspecting ursa’s neck. He wasn’t foolish enough to think that a single attack would be enough to deal with this beast or even grant a fatal wound, but his attack needed to be strong enough and flashy enough to grab its attention. He couldn’t have this beast continue its rampage, making short work of his defences. The two gaps it already created had caught notice of some of the horde who were redirecting their charge to these areas.

.....

The ursa unfortunately wasn’t some weak monster its instincts were strong, Frost’s actions didn’t catch it by surprise, in fact it appeared as though the ursa had drawn him in on purpose. The right paw that had smashed down hard where the frost dwarves once were, moved with such speed that it appeared almost abnormal. Despite the creature’s massive size and weight it was quite agile, far more than it looked.

Baaaaannnnggggg!

An incredibly loud bang resounded throughout the area the moment Frost’s glaive made contact with the ursa’s outstretched foreleg. The three sharp blades of ice shattered into millions of pieces almost immediately posing little threat to the ursa’s paw, curbing its vast momentum only slightly.

The wind enhanced glaive blade met with tough hide next, faring far better given its near 4 star quality. The blade sunk deep into the ursa’s tough hide, drawing blood however the momentum behind the foreleg continued unabated swiftly smashing into the airborne Frost.

“Boom! Ugh!” Frost was sent flying into the nearby ice wall and groaned as the wind was knocked out of him. His chakra armour as well as the chest plate fashioned by Daki proved to absorb the majority of the blow thus he was uninjured.

Frost didn’t have time to wait sit on his laurels however, the ursa like the ice griffin was wise enough to realise that Frost was a tough adversary. It moved instantly to attack the embedded Frost.

“Raaaaaaaaahhhhhh!” The ursa roared as it lashed out with fervent ferocity, choosing speed and quantity over singular power. The ice wall was quickly annihilated, and Frost was pushed deeper and deeper into the ground unable to extricate himself from the ursa’s field of control. His adept glaive mastery now showing its true worth as it allowed him to deflect the fast, sharp yet still heavy blows. He was clearly outmatched in terms of physical prowess but that was never Frost’s only source of strength nor was he alone in this fight.

“Piss off!” Findlay who had just now caught up lashed out with his axe aiming to slam the ursa off of his master. “[Slash]” Findlay empowered his swing with his own skill, covering the blade in energy.

The large battle axe hummed with energy as it slashed threw the air and into the ursa unprotected side. “Guuuuugghhhhh!” The monster screeched in pain. Frost’s attack drew blood and was a little sore, but Findlay’s was something different entirely, the force behind it wasn’t something it could easily endure. The creature’s massive frame was forcibly pushed aside, freeing Frost from its onslaught.

Frost took the chance to extricate himself from the rubble, dusting himself off and cracking his neck.

“You activated your enrage technique.” Frost noticed the power behind Findlay’s swing as well as the protruding veins and vicious look in his eyes.

Findlay gazed at his master thankful that he reached the battlefield in time. “It was attacking you master; I couldn’t hold myself back besides....” Findlay’s gaze drifted to the ursa who was getting back up like nothing happened.

“My base physical strength won’t be enough to deal with that thing’s mass.” Findlay made an accurate judgement of their foes abilities. Though Findlay was considered an upper C-rank monster, higher than the ursa his physical capabilities as well as his defensive strength paled in comparison. This ursa was truly a one trick pony, a warrior class with only brute strength whereas he was multi-skilled with focus on leadership.

The ursa rose to its feet as Findlay and Frost chatted, blood dripping from its paws and quite significantly from its side but its size made these wounds non-fatal hell they wouldn’t even limit its battle capabilities, a foe with a lot of endurance.

“Roooooaaaaaaaarrrr!!!!” The ursa roared in defiance, its body and mind filled with such fury, what little control it once had was now long gone as it gave itself willingly to the frenzy.

“Well looks like we got its attention.” Frost twirled his glaive and entered a battle stance. “Let’s take it down Findlay, Kiba.” Findlay also tightened his grip on his battle axe, a wild and excited expression appearing on his usually stoic face. “With pleasure master.” The ice troll commander licked his lips before activating his trademark skill, the one that made him such an avid commander.

“[Invigorating shout]!” With his roar, energy radiated out from within him and empowered Frost and Kiba, enhancing their already deadly combat abilities. The nearby frost dwarves and ice dwarves though nearby were not included, Findlay had grown more talented with using his skill, allowing him to pick and choose the targets, multiplying the effect when used on lower numbers.

Frost felt his physical strength increase by at least 25% a lot considering his C-rank fighter status. Kiba felt a similar boon and wasted no time at all testing it out.

Silently the glacial winged tiger had taken to skies once again and was waiting for the perfect chance to attack the massive bear. As the ursa roared out in fury, its eyes blinded by rage and focused entirely on Frost and Findlay it was blind to that which was above him.

Boom!

Kiba swooped down like an eagle, crashing down upon the ursa’s wide back with his fangs and claws outstretched. He landed down with immense force generating a sonic boom and forcing the massive ursa’s back legs to give way. Its roar quickly changed into one of pain and anguish. Kiba dug his sharp claws in deep and bite down on its neck, refusing to let go, this was payback for harming Frost.

Though Kiba had quite a fearsome expression on his face as the ursa’s blood filled his mouth and covered his beautiful white fur all Frost heard through their soul bond was.

‘Did I do good master? How dare this stupid bear swat you like a fly? I’m gonna bite him even harder.’ It was a cute voice that was looking for praise, though his innocence felt quite insulting, comparing Frost to a fly.

“Haaaaaaaaa let’s get going Findlay time is of the essence.” Frost sighed and shook his head and ordered Findlay before quickly rushing forward to aid his reliable tiger in battle. Going in solo like that was a bit reckless of Kiba but Frost couldn’t very well condemn his actions when he did them out of his love for him. At least it wasn’t due to be lost in the thrill of battle like with the ice griffin, he should know when to back off and not end up injured like he did back then.

“Hu hu right behind you master.” Findlay was momentarily drained from using his skill on Frost and Kiba but quickly caught his breath and followed after his master, they needed to end this fight quickly after all.