"Or worse," Aria chimed in, surprising everyone with her participation in the jokes, "he'll come back with some crazy idea about how to make us wear 3 armors... Safety first!"
The training field filled with laughter and increasingly absurd speculations about Elio's triumphant return. For a moment, worry took a back seat, replaced by a sense of camaraderie and shared hope. Their familiars seemed to pick up on the mood, their scales and fur shimmering with renewed energy. Experience tales on NovelFire _emp _y,r.
Lila, though still concerned, found herself smiling more easily. Her golden salamander uncurled slightly from its tight coil. "You're right," she finally admitted. "We must trust him."
Mei nodded, briefly squeezing Lila's hand in a gesture of support. Her purple salamander chirped encouragingly.
Kriz and Brok exchanged a satisfied look. Their familiars, the playful rabbit and muscular rabbit respectively, seemed to puff up with pride. They had managed to lift spirits and reinforce the group's motivation. Now all that remained was to wait and trust that Elio, as always, would find a way to overcome any challenge that level 6 presented.
♢♢♢♢
Elio passed out, his body motionless in the icy tunnel. The silence that followed was absolute, broken only by the faint sound of his increasingly shallow breathing.
Stamina: 0
Wide Guard watched with growing concern as his fallen summoner lay still. The icy tunnel now seemed like a silent tomb.
The cute mana elephant, though extremely small compared to its real counterpart, approached Elio, gently nudging him with its trunk.
The magical creature could feel the bond with its summoner weakening.
Elio: 22.33 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance
With each passing second, Elio's life faded a little more. Wide Guard emitted a low sound, a signal of concern. Its limited size prevented it from doing much to help its master.
But the elephant wasn't willing to give up.
Deep in its magical being, it knew it had to do something, anything, to save Elio. It was then that it felt the last point of mana remaining in its summoner's body.
Wide Guard hesitated for a moment.
Acting on its own... taking mana from its summoner without permission went against its nature. But the situation was desperate, and conventional rules no longer applied.
With a determination that rivaled that of its own summoner, Wide Guard connected with that last point of mana. It absorbed it, feeling the energy flow through its being.
It was little, barely a spark, but in the hands (or in this case, the trunk) of a pure mana creature, it was enough.
The elephant began to grow, its body expanding as it generated and absorbed carbon. Its legs became thicker, its body more robust. In a matter of seconds, it had reached a size more than sufficient to carry Elio.
Carefully, Wide Guard used its trunk to lift Elio's inert body and place it on its back. It could feel how cold its summoner was, how weak his breathing was.
There was no time to lose.
Elio: 20.22 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance
The elephant began to advance, its steps echoing in the icy tunnel. Each movement was calculated, balancing the need for speed with keeping Elio safe on its back. Wide Guard could feel Elio's resistance continuing to decrease, a constant reminder of how precarious the situation was.
As it advanced, Wide Guard noticed that its own size began to diminish. The mana it had taken was running out, used to maintain its increased form.
Elio's last resistance points were slowly being consumed.
2.49... 2.39... 2.29...
Elio's life was slipping away with a silent farewell, point by point.
1.29... 1.19... 1.09...
Like a drip...
Stamina: 0.01
Elio opened his eyes to the sound of a distant drip. The one he had heard hours ago...
Elio: 1.07 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance
His stamina had recovered a tiny fraction of a point.
Elio: 1.05 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance
Could it have been that frozen bite he had consumed?
Elio: 1.03 Resistance / 0 Armor Resistance
It didn't matter, what mattered was that he had to move. Now!
Elio crawled, moving further and further away from the cold that threatened to eliminate him.
1.01... 0.99... 0.98...
His consciousness was clouded, his stamina threatening to run out again at any moment.
0.57... 0.56... 0.55...
But Elio didn't stop.
0.11... 0.10... 0.09...
They would have to force him, they would have to tear the life from his chest if they wanted it, he wasn't made of cowardice.
0.04... 0.03... 0.02...
And the cruel games of the Gods did so.
Stamina: 0
0.01... 0.02...
But they did it too late.