Strongest Among the Heavens

Matty thought he reacted fast. He thought he had casted Coral Defence in time to block the attack. Hydroguard Aura, a Passive Skill bolstering his defence by 25 points, he assumed he made it. Upon contact, his shield shattered and an explosion ensued. His arm took the brunt of the attack yet that did not prevent the Roc from spiralling down in dark flames.

"H-hang on!" Jules tried to pull the Roc up but it was too late.

Crash!

The large eagle fell head-first and Matty was flung into a pile of rubble that was once a house. He pulled himself up, accidentally gripping soft flesh too tightly, and hissed as the peeled skin on his arm was exposed to the hot air. The sensation was akin to someone knitting his burnt flesh and refusing to stop.

"Sing for me, Ibong Adarna!"

Jules’ lovely command was accompanied by a bird’s colourful singing. It was in a human language, though high-pitched as if divine. The black burn on his arm began to heal. A weary sight left Matty and he was able to pick himself up. He glanced behind him and saw Jules hung onto the Roc’s back. The bird had protected her even in the face of darkness.

He resolved himself to do the same and opened up his inventory, equipping a small round shield of lesser quality that gave twenty points of defence and five attack. Offensively, it was lackluster—not that he had a choice. There was nowhere to hide. The buildings that had once made up the small gated town had become wood, stone, and rubble.

Jack the Ripper’s footsteps were deafening, as was his voice. "Ibong Adarna...is that what I think it is...?"

There was no time to think. He was talking; therefore, he was distracted. ’Mist Veil!’ Matty’s shield breathed out a thick blast of fog that overwhelmed the red fog in place. It was his fog, his magic, and therefore Matty was able to have a vague sense of where his opponent was. ’Kraken’s Tentacle! Kraken’s Tentacle!’