CH 59: Petrified

Adjusting her armor to fit better, Claire stood before the carriage. Her heart raced as she did her best to calm down. She focused on her hands and keeping her mind occupied in order for her thoughts to not wander. It wasn’t working all that well as her breathing sped up as her party funneled out of the carriage. Ana rushed to Claire’s side, seeing her shifting nervously.

“C-claire? Are you going to be okay?” She asked meekly. Concern was evident in her voice as she looked up to Claire. Claire snapped out of her spiral as she looked down at her concerned lover.

“I think so… maybe not at first, but I’ll get over it.” Claire said after a long exhale. She could feel her body relax as Ana’s hand grasped hers. It was something physical to focus on instead of her own thoughts. Ana’s warmth, her slight fidgeting and the sweat of her own nerves. Claire focused on those feelings to calm herself down.

Elsie, Jasmine and Lily all watched on. None of them said anything as Ana helped calm Claire down. They waited patiently until Claire’s breathing was back to normal before joining the two. Jasmine was the first to speak up.

“If you feel overwhelmed like this, let us know. We’d rather you sit out than harm yourself.” Jasmine whispered to her. Claire nodded in response. It was probably smart to sit out of combat. She knew deep down that it was. But another part of her wanted to push forward.

“The enemies of my Goddess won’t wait for me… I need to push through. I need all the experience I can get if we’re going to stand a chance in liberating men.” Claire said, her uneasiness vanishing for the moment as adrenaline started flowing. Her words aimed mostly towards herself, but also to her party. She’d need to overcome far worse feelings in the future.

Jasmine and Elsie let out a sigh, almost in unison, before Lily spoke up. “True. But you could also become far worse.”

“Like walking on a broken ankle. You may not heal properly.” Ana said in a near whisper. Lily nodded in confirmation.

“Just… let us know.” Elsie said, with a seriousness in her voice. “If it overwhelms you, we’ll be there to support you.”

“I promise.” Claire said, her resolve steeling as she gripped her shield. Her new shield was a grim reminder of what could have been. A lesson given to her by a woman she’d never know. She gazed at her reflection in the shield as she bit back her fear.

“Okay. I’ll be sticking close this time around. Not only to monitor you, but to test my new skill.” Jasmine said, resting her hand on Claire’s shoulder. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Well… let’s get going then.” Elsie said, grabbing Ana’s hand. She pulled her along as she held onto Claire. The two were dragged by Elsie as Jasmine held back.

“Think she’ll be alright?” She asked her oldest friend. Lily pursed her lips and thought for a moment.

“Yeah. She’s strong willed enough to push past it, we just need to make sure she has an outlet for struggles. That's all we can do besides supporting her.” Lily said, rubbing her neck. She didn’t have the most experience with treating trauma like this. But her medical research helped quite a bit. “It can be something that haunts her for the rest of her life… or it can be something that haunts her for a week. We just have to watch her closely.”

Jasmine hugged Lily, surprising her slightly. “Thank you… gods, I’m so glad you joined us. I doubt I could handle this by myself.” Her voice broke momentarily before she let go. Straightening up and taking a deep breath. “Wish us luck.”

Lily nodded and Jasmine joined her party members. Lily let out a sigh as she returned to the carriage, her mind racking for knowledge on how best to help Claire.

Claire looked out on the woods, her mind clearer than before. It was silly, but her own words inspired her. She needed to overcome this reaction to fulfill her duties. It was her first real test as Her champion. She said a silent prayer to her Goddess as she asked Her for strength. She needed it.

She stood before a hole in the wall, torches surrounded her. She felt the heat of the flames as she stared out into the woods. Bushes and branches were destroyed making it clear where the cockatrices would come from. A hole in the foliage that she kept a close eye on. Jasmine was somewhere near that breach waiting for them to approach.

Elsie and Ana watched on from their vantage point as they talked silently. ‘Keep her safe Ana… If she doesn’t move, ward her and call out to me.”

‘Of course… I’ll be watching her.’ Ana replied, her hand gripping tightly to her wand. Years of watching Claire train allowed her to read Claire’s movements almost perfectly. Any change in her usual pattern would alert her. Elsie smiled as she looked at her sister.

‘Right… forgot about your little hobby.’ Elsie chided her sister. Ana gave her a flustered look before recomposing.

‘Elsie! This is serious. I was not ogling her.’ Ana said, she was clearly flustered.

‘I can literally hear your thoughts.’ Elsie said her intention wasn’t to tease Ana. It was to ease her mind. Prevent her from panicking and tunnel visioning on healing. She grabbed her sister’s hand, making her intentions known.

‘Okay… I get it. I need to make sure I don’t waste my mana.’ Ana conceded to her sister.

“Watch her. Don’t tunnel vision on her.” Elsie said out loud this time. She let go of Ana’s hand as Jasmine reappeared before Claire.

“They’re coming. Right from where May said they’d come from.” She pointed in the direction of the breach as Claire’s eyes focused on the movement. She couldn’t make out anything distinguishable as they raced down towards their position. They ran quite fast as they headed for the fence where Claire was.

“Okay. War Cry to get their attention. Keep them occupied while you and Elsie whittle them down. Ana covers for me. Anything else?” Claire said, unsheathing her sword. She gripped her shield tightly as she stood in the way of the monsters.

“If you feel their petrifying magic, cry out or make a noise.” Jasmine said, readying her bow. She’d pick off the fastest one to stall their progress. She nocked, aimed and then fired. Downing the one leading the charge. “If you freeze… drop to the ground if you can.” She said before disappearing into the darkness.

Claire felt her nerves resurface as the cockatrices recovered. They were heading her way. Her mind went back to that troll’s smile for a moment as time slowed. Her heart rate increased, her mouth dried. Her fear was taking over as the monsters approached her.

They looked just like roosters. Just with big, bulging eyes. Like eyes almost bigger than their heads that nearly popped out of their sockets. The book did not do their comedic look justice. Claire felt her laugh break out as the light illuminated the closest cockatrice. A three foot tall chick with wing-like arms and looked like the Leghorn chickens back at the farm. She broke out in laughter as it screeched at her.

They looked far too comedic for her to take it seriously. She was able to ready her shield to block as the monster striked. The unmistakable smell hit her as she counter attacked. The monster bellowed as she stabbed it, killing it.

It went down far easier than she was expecting. Eight of the other cockatrices approached her cautiously, showing intelligence as they kept their distance. Claire had a wide smile on her face as more approached her. She laughed like a mad woman as their gangly bodies made even their walk funny. She stood in the light as Jasmine and her mages readied their attacks.

She let out her taunt, enraging the monsters as they collectively rushed her. She bit back more laughs as four more appeared from the shadows. She readied her body and shield as the fastest one approached her. She waited for it to pounce before hitting it with her defensive strike, sending it straight into the three behind it. She was surrounded on all sides as she felt their claws strike at her armor.

“Fuck!” She cried out as she felt blood trickle down her shoulder. One had breached her armor and reached her skin. The wound didn’t impede her swing, but it did cause her panic to set back in. Jasmine was quick to bail Claire out, downing the cockatrice that scratched her shoulder, before pulling Claire back. Lightning struck  the moment they moved, stunning the five that swarmed Claire. She felt the warmth of Ana’s healing as she readied herself for more.

She began to feel her extremities slow as she fought to control her body, the paralyzing magic taking effect on her. She tried to speak, to tell her party, but her mouth slowed. She cried out as best she could, signaling to Jasmine as she reappeared. Claire panicked as her body froze, she couldn’t move no matter how hard she tried. The cockatrices pounced again, still frenzied from her taunt.

A wall of flames erupted between her and the monsters, setting them ablaze as they rushed to get her. They smacked into Ana’s ward as they pounced. They writhed on the ground and shrieked at Claire. Their singular focus on her.

Jasmine worked quickly, cutting down the cockatrices as fast as she could. She focused on the most able bodied monsters first before moving on. She swept through the small horde, hoping to clean this up quickly. She didn’t want to prolong the fight any longer. Claire took a deep breath as Ana’s healing slowly chipped away at the paralysis. She started with small movements, swinging her sword and then finally attempting to take a step.

She shrugged off the rest of the spell as Ana’s ward came down, her totem appearing in a blinding light beside Claire. The monsters turned to the totem, their singular focus allowing Claire and Elsie to strike. Claire used her defensive strike to set Elsie up for a massive fireball on three clumped together. Claire backed up and readied for more, only to find none.

Jasmine appeared behind her, pulling her out of the light as more approached cautiously. They slowly appeared in the light, slightly bigger and more menacing. Jasmine pulled Claire to the side, whispering in a voice nearly inaudible. “Those are the adults, the others were their children.”

Instead of 3 feet tall, these were nearly as tall as Claire. Their bodies were less gangly and more filled out. Their eyes no longer looked comedic, but fitting. Their cries pierced Claire’s ears as she readied herself for more. The closest one swiped at the totem, destroying it instantly before it turned in Claire’s direction.

“These are the real issue.” Jasmine said, before disappearing again. “Keep them occupied while Elsie and I handle them.”

Claire gripped her shield, steeling herself as she tried to keep calm. She bit her inner cheek, biting back the panic as she cautiously walked towards the circle of light. The torches illuminated her as the cockatrices let out another cry, finding their target. She let out her own as she braced for an attack.