Hannah screamed in terror as she brought her free arm forward, bracing herself for the impact, but only inches before her body could collide with the ground, she suddenly felt a pair of hands wrap around her body.
The person holding her was so strong that he had somehow managed to catch her entire weight, including her heavy armour and shield, without either of them crashing into the ground, an astonishing feat considering how much she weighed in full battle gear.
When Hannah turned her head, she realised it was Ryan of the Round Table. Blood dripped from the side of his head as he shot an urgent gaze down at her, his expression far more serious than she’d ever seen it.
"Brace yourself, I’m about to use the full power of my Dormant Ability."
Before Hannah could even register what he meant, her vision suddenly disappeared.
She instinctively reached towards her face and felt her eyes. They were still open, yet she couldn’t see a thing. The battlefield, the Eidolons, even Ryan holding her in his arms had all vanished into complete darkness, leaving her with nothing but the sounds of the raging battle around her.
Hannah’s breathing became frantic as she realised what had happened. She was blind and frightened.
Then Ryan’s hands suddenly left her. Hannah’s heart tightened as she realised she had no idea what was happening around her. If only she could see her surroundings.
Every Eidolon within Ryan’s sphere of influence was as blind as she was. Then Ryan’s figure flashed beside them, moving so quickly that most of them were struck before their instincts could react to defend.
It happened wantonly, each movement lasting barely a moment. Dozens of bodies collapsed into the snow as dark blood oozed from their wounds.
"Ahhh, ahh!"
Hannah exclaimed loudly as her vision suddenly returned. She lifted her head and found herself surrounded by dead Eidolons, their bodies scattered across the snow. She quickly shot to her feet and raised her shield once again, her eyes darting around for the next attack.
The taste of blood had trickled down her throat, though she couldn’t tell whether it was coming from her own mouth or if the smell of blood had somehow mixed with the freezing wind and made her imagine it.
She barely had time to think before an Eidolon charged at her.
Hannah ducked to the side, narrowly avoiding its attack as the beast crashed into the snow. It immediately twisted around with a furious roar and charged her again.
Her shield collided with its head, the Eidolon’s antlers snapped like dried twigs.
Hannah lifted her shield high into the air and drastically increased its weight before bringing it down with all her strength. The enormous shield crushed through the Eidolon’s skull and severed its head in a single, violent swing.
Hannah dragged her shield through the snow and moved in a direction she could barely identify. The entire plan had clearly gone to shit. Somehow, the Eidolons had reached the camp before the first advance force could even finish its march, and now the battlefield was nothing but scattered bodies, screaming and blood disappearing beneath the snow.
Her foot crushed the skull of a dead Eidolon as she stumbled past it. Hannah raised her head, the cold blizzard striking her face while she desperately tried to make sense of the chaos around her. This was the reality of battle, and it was far more gruesome than anyone could have prepared themselves for.
Then her eyes caught a familiar figure.
Relief flashed through Hannah as she reached out a hand towards her, but she never got the chance to call her name. An Eidolon slammed into her from the side, its antlers piercing straight through her armour and lifting her body from the ground.
Hannah froze.
The Eidolon raised the woman higher, her body hanging helplessly from its antlers, before violently shaking its head and throwing her aside like a bloodied sack.
Hannah’s mind went blank.
She stumbled backwards, nearly falling into the snow as her grip tightened around her shield. For a moment, she couldn’t even remember where she was supposed to go.
Then instinct took over, and she turned and ran.
Her body suddenly crashed into another figure. The man staggered but remained standing, a bloodied sword raised in his hand. He was unfamiliar, and one of his eyes was missing, yet there was no hesitation in the way he held his blade.
"Keep your shield up or join the dead."
His voice was the only thing Hannah could clearly hear through the storm. She immediately raised her shield.
The man moved behind her, their backs facing one another as several Eidolons charged them from different directions.
Hannah used her Dormant Ability like an extension of herself. The weight of her shield and armour shifted freely as she moved, allowing her to absorb the impact of one Eidolon before swinging the massive shield into another.
Behind her, the one-eyed man moved with far greater precision. His long sword cleaved through the throat of an Eidolon before he kicked another away as it attempted to strike him from his blind spot.
His swordsmanship was refined.
An Eidolon swung a spiked club at Hannah, the weapon coming dangerously close to crushing her skull, but the man’s blade intercepted it at the last possible moment.
He roared as his sword tore straight through the wooden club before continuing into the Eidolon’s hands, severing them both.
The creature screamed and staggered backwards.
The man stepped forward and drove his sword straight through its heart.
Hannah stared at the one-eyed swordsman in awe, barely having time to process what she had just witnessed before several figures suddenly burst from deep within the blizzard and threw themselves onto him.
"NOOO!"
Her scream was swallowed by the raging storm.
She watched helplessly as the Eidolons dragged the man to the ground, tearing into him from every direction. His body disappeared beneath the mass of crazed creatures, limbs being ripped apart as the snow around him quickly turned red.
Hannah’s chest rose and fell violently as she stared at the scene, her eyes slowly becoming bloodshot.
A low growl escaped her throat as she tightened her grip around her shield and charged straight into the Eidolons.