Divine Heritage: Only I Can Judge The gods-Chapter 23: Fears

Trials were uniquely specific to all individuals. Although trials could differ, there was one important factor that was drilled into the minds of every marked individual.

'The trials will test you based on your FEAR.'

It was just far too unfortunate that they had to be faced with such a crippling one.

Ark ran through the forest, weaving his way through trees as he tried to get as far away from the monster as possible.

In his left hand was the axe he had managed to snag while in his right hand was Kiera's hand. Currently, he was pulling the girl along with him as they sought shelter from the beast.

Kiera was a far better warrior than him and had indirectly saved him a number of times but that Kiera was not the Kiera that was next to him now.

After seeing the beast Kiera had all but frozen up, her body trembled and she murmured incoherent sounds as she stared up at the monster.

It seemed she always had things in order, now that she was faced with a situation she could not control—a situation that looked far from being normal—an impossible situation, she had changed.

Ark had done the smartest thing he could think of at the time, run!

The forest floor was covered in snow, making movement difficult and everywhere they turned there was a massive tree or two obstructing their part, making their escape even more futile.

But Ark had run into it because he knew it was their only opportunity to stop the beast, in here they could take cover, compared to the plains where there was no blockade whatsoever.

Meanwhile, he had to get through to the girl accompanying him as soon as possible.

"Kiera, snap out of it! We are still in the middle of the trial you know! This is so or die."

If Kiera heard a single word he said, then she showed no signs of it, she simply started blankly straight ahead, occasionally casting a worried glance behind them.

Turning around a large tree just before a massive claw tore through it, Ark's grip on Kiera's hand tightened.

And then a few seconds later he pulled her closer to him and jumped to the left, shielding her head with his hands as they crashed into the first floor.

Just as they did something that appeared like a slight protrusion on the ground, covered in snow cut right through the path they had been running on, obliterating the tree ahead of it.

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Then out of the mound, the snow beast slowly began to rise, like an ominous eruption from the earth.

There was no were left to run.

Still lying on the floor, Ark stared into Kiera's eyes and shook her by the shoulders, his eyes wide in panic.

This was because he knew that if he could not get her to stand her ground then their death would be very much assured.

"Listen to me."

Kiera still looked terrified, her eyes locked on the beast ahead.

Ark racked his brain to try and think of anything he could use to get her attention and then he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Kiki!"

Kiera tore her gaze from the beast and onto Ark.

'That worked?'

He had thought of the weirdest, most out of pocket thing he could say to get her attention and had instead come up with a nickname for her.

And it worked... Currently, she stared at him with a slightly confused expression.

"Look at me. Remember, trials are fair."

Although Ark was beginning to doubt this theory he could not tell her otherwise.

"If it is in your trial then that simply means you have all it takes to beat it!"

Kiera nodded but Ark could still tell that she was afraid, how wouldn't she be when she was in front of a twelve foot monster?

And yet, she finally got a grip of herself and they both rose to their feet.

Kiera lifted a shaky sword up while Ark held onto his axe, staring at the beast with fierce determination.

This was his final hurdle, and he was going to clear it.

Just as the dirt and snow covering the body of the monster fell, it let out another thunderous cry before lunging straight at them.

"A-any tips on defeating this monster?" Kiera asked, her voice shaky.

Ark braced himself for the attack.

"All I can say is don't die."

Boom!

The monster dug its massive claws into the ground where they once stood, a chunk of dirt accompanying it as it pulled out its claws.

Ark and Kiera had dodged in different directions and now came at the creature from both sides in a pincer attack.

Ark swung his axe right towards the monster's left foot but it quickly evaded the attack, moving backward as though it was floating on the snow before jumping right back into action.

Its claw collided with Ark's axe, its steel-like nails digging deep into the blade of the axe to the point where Ark was worried it would break.

It was due to the short distance between the claw and his face that he could now see that they closely resembled mole claws.

'That explains all the digging'.

He disengaged, running to the right of the beast while looking for an opening to strike.

That was when the creature hissed and spun around, facing Kiera. Apparently, Kiera had managed to land a hit, judging by the blood stained portion of its fur.

Unfortunately, it led to the monster focusing all its attention on her. At the same time, it was the perfect opportunity.

Pulling the axe to his side Ark raced towards the monster, his feet almost slipping in the snow as he ran.

He leaped into the air towards its exposed back, switching his grip from a one-handed grip to a more solid two-handed hold, right before delivering a massive blow right to its shoulder.

The axe tore through the thick fur and into its flesh, adding a fresh patch of red to its coat.

It did not manage to go all the way though like the last time, but it was more than enough to hurt hell.

The monster screamed once more and scratched the floor, throwing a wall of snow into the air.

Ark slowed his charge at the sight of it, only to jump back immediately as a gleaming 20 inch claw cut through the snow cloud and tore the tree behind him to splinters.

He ran, barely dodging, as the creature's fist came down as though to crush him to a bloody pulp.

It continued like this, like a kid at a Wack-A-Mole game.

The ironic part was that he was the mole.

The speed of its claws then became so fast that Ark could no longer keep track of it, he lifted his axe, this time to block, only to have it pinned by the monster.

Now that he could no longer defend himself, the other claw was racing towards his face.

Clang!

There was a spark and a flash of steel as Kiera stepped between him and his claw, defecting it with everything she had.

The force of the blow caused her to stagger backwards but Ark held her before she could lose her balance and unhooked his axe from the claw.

The two teenagers then charged at the monster at the same time, their weapons raised and ready.

The beast was mighty and terrifyingly strong but it was still a beast. Without intelligence, its potential was considerably nerfed.

That didn't mean it wasn't dangerous, with each passing minute, new injuries were piling up above old ones and they were getting more and more exhausted.

Ark was bleeding from the slide of his face while Kiera had a disturbing wound by her side caused by dodging just a second late.

Ark ran head first towards the beast, only to slide under the creature's legs as it tried to attack him.

Just as he was passing through, he lashed out with his axe, tearing its flesh—but he was unable to jump back in time and was caught by a crushing swipe.

There was a terrible boom as the furry hand of the creature blasted Ark away.

The snow beast had gotten tired of playing around. The blow came with terrifying strength, it rammed into his chest causing him to spit out blood and knocked him into one of the broken trees.

Kiera let out a gasp as she watched Ark's body flash past the leaves and bounce helplessly against the thick bark.

He had not only reassured her but had technically saved her when the beast just appeared, and yet was this all she could do for him?

Watch him die while she cowered in fear?

Her movements had been unsteady ever since the fight and her sword style had waned due to her lack of resolve but watching him on the brink of death spurred something deep within her.

The air around her shifted as she gazed at the beast with new found resolve.

"For both our sakes, I will defeat you!"