Frostbound

This wave was different than the last one. The last wave was stressful and chaotic which left me with little chance to focus much on what I was doing. I was too preoccupied with doing everything I could to not let any monsters by me.

Now that the wall was upgraded and there wasn't anything to worry about with letting monsters by me, I could afford to fight differently. It was less frantic and more methodical.

My axe rose and fell, followed by the bodies of my enemies. Austin on one side and Jonathan on the other. I had my flanks covered and could afford to be a little more aggressive with my swings.

The last fight was wide sweeping swings to hit and injure as much as I could in the little time the beasts were in front of me, now it was more structured. Less wild swings that left me open but still powerful enough to deal damage.

Keeping the balance of doing as much damage as possible and not leaving myself open to attack was a hard line to tread. I got a few nicks and scrapes before I tuned in to the right frequency. Nothing major, just stupid mistakes when I got overconfident or chased a kill that I shouldn't have.

The longer I was immersed in the heat of battle, the better I was getting at it. It was freeing to deal out carnage without having to worry about someone getting hurt behind me.

Everyone out here knew the risks and made their own choice, I didn't have to worry about them as much. I would still step in if things went wrong, but it wasn't the same.

I got to take out my frustrations, my anger, my fury. Let it flow through me and into the battle. Nothing let me blow off some steam like making beasts disappear from existence. Sometimes in a puff of red mist.

When we initially jumped down there were some shouts and yelling to get back, but that was to be expected. I ignored them and did what I needed to do.

I was in the middle of my venting when Jonathan yelled over the noise.

"I can't take any more, I'm going back up."

I grunted a noise of affirmation and threw up an [Ice Wall] to help facilitate his exit. It was technically a waste of mana, but the cost was trivial compared to the amount I was throwing around with my swings.