Level Up: Voidwalker

[Nuliajuk's POV]

When Nuliajuk left the cave, she left the ravine, where explosions suddenly erupted, causing her to cast an Ice Shield around them quickly. The shockwaves hit her from all sides, shaking the ground.

As the blasts finally faded, she cautiously opened a hole in the barrier, her heart racing. A massive airship loomed high above, circling the skies like a predator. Her light blue eyes narrowed as she stared at it.

'What does this thing want?' she wondered, her gaze sharpening.

Moments later, she noticed several small black dots descending from the craft, growing larger as they neared. As that happened, Nuliajuk heard a massive screech, causing her to glance up.

Her eyes widened when she realized what appeared, 'The Snow Eagles are here. It looks like they will attack that thing.'

As the dark figures closed in, Nuliajuk braced herself for battle. Spotting the danger, she cast an Ice Shield over the young man, enveloping him in a barrier before unleashing a barrage of Water Bullets toward the approaching foes.

'This should hold them back,' she thought while glancing around. 'This is going to be harder than I expected.'

Without hesitation, Nuliajuk charged forward, fists clenched, as the clash erupted. Each of her punches landed with explosive force, echoing through the air with thunderous booms, driving them back with every strike.

She lunged forward as her fist connected with the nearest figure with a thunderous sound. The force sent the enemy flying back, but more rushed in. She pivoted, slamming her elbow into another attacker.

Nuliajuk followed up with a deadly punch that shattered the black-clad figure's defense. A third enemy tried to attach her from behind, but she spun, driving her fist into their chest, sending them sprawling.

There was silence as the figures fell at her feet for a moment. She straightened, breathing heavily, but before she could catch her breath, more shadows emerged from the mist, surrounding her again.

'This isn't working; I need to transform to escape with the Chosen One,' Nuliajuk thought while assessing the situation.

Without hesitation, Nuliajuk shifted into her Frostbear form, her body growing massive and covered in thick, icy fur. With a deep growl, she slammed her powerful front paws onto the ground.

The earth trembled beneath her, and a ferocious Ice Storm erupted in response. Snow and ice swirled violently, whipping through the air and engulfing the battlefield in a blinding blizzard.

As the storm raged behind her, Nuliajuk dashed toward the young man, scooping him gently into her massive jaws. Without wasting a second, she bolted from the chaos, her powerful legs tearing across the snow-covered ground.

The enemies gave chase, forcing her to lash out with her sharp claws. Each swipe tore through the attackers, reducing them to a blood mist that stained the snow red. Following that, she sped through a narrow mountain pass, her breath heavy.

Suddenly, several spells struck her from behind, hitting with enough force to send her sprawling across the ground. Nuliajuk let out a deep growl, shaking off the pain. But something in the air froze her in place—a dark, oppressive energy.

She turned to the young man, his legs trembling beneath him. Gripping a blade in one hand, a blue aura pulsed around him. His body began to shift, morphing into a terrifying creature of shadow and flesh.

His limbs stretched unnaturally, ending in claws sharper than hers, while his armor fused into his skin, becoming part of him. Only then did she truly see the face of the Chosen One—eyes glowing an intense azure, teeth like razors gleaming under the eerie blue light.

'What kind of monster is he? I know this is the Void Element as the stories described this feeling,' she pondered while backing off.

Nuliajuk's eyes widened in disbelief as the boy began slaughtering the attackers. With a guttural snarl, he lunged. The first attacker didn't even have time to scream. A flash of claws and blood splattered the ground.

The Chosen One moved faster than her eyes could follow, tearing through his enemies with savage precision. His limbs, now grotesquely elongated, whipped and slashed through the air, cutting down men like they were nothing but wheat to the scythe.

The flesh was ripped apart, bones shattered with sickening crunches, and the sharp scent of blood filled the air. Nuliajuk had seen death before and dealt with it herself, but this was different.

'Why isn't he targeting me? It would be easy for him to fight me with this kind of strength,' she thought in confusion.

This was chaos incarnate. The beast fought with no hesitation and no mercy, tearing apart anyone who dared challenge it. One attacker charged, spear raised, but he was thwarted mid-stride, his body split open in a spray of crimson.

Another tried to flee, but the monster's claws caught him by the throat, lifting him effortlessly before crushing the life from the man in a single squeeze. Afterward, the boy killed the remaining attackers.

As the impromptu battlefield fell silent, Nuliajuk caught his gaze. The Chosen One's eerie azure eyes locked onto hers before he suddenly collapsed into the snow, returning to his standard form.

The unexpected turn of events left her even more bewildered. ''Should I still help? He might harm Atek if I take him home,'' she muttered as a thunderous boom echoed overhead.

With a sigh, Nuliajuk scooped the boy up in her maw and sprinted south, determined to escape the approaching mana storm. She ran through the Northern Wastes, ignoring all the fleeing monsters that avoided her.

By the time she reached the valley where her home was, the wind was picking up. Nuliajuk leaped onto the cliff face and started climbing using her claws as Atek appeared carrying a baby mammoth.

Once she reached the top, she rushed into the cave, transforming into her humanoid form and placing the Chosen One on the spare bed. After that, she let out a breath of relief before Atek entered and growled.

Nuliajuk turned to the Frostfang, scolding him firmly. ''You will not eat him! I'll find us more food; if we're lucky, the storm won't hit for another day.''

The tiger let out a low growl, but she swiftly bonked him on the head. ''Atek! You both need to get along—he's a part of our lives now.''

Huffing in response, the Frostfang left the cave, prompting Nuliajuk to mutter under her breath, ''Stubborn child.''

After that, Nuliajuk went hunting and picked off a dozen Giant Mammoths. The next day, they dragged them back to the cave and stored them in the ice room, which kept the corpses fresh.

Once they were done hunting, Nuliajuk walked onto the ledge where Atek sat while looking over the valley. She watched as flying monsters fled further south to avoid the storm that would stop at the mountains blocking the way to Astoria.

Nuliajuk couldn't see anything; she turned to the Frostfang and spoke, ''Have there been many monsters below? They should have hidden already.''

He let out a deep growl, causing her eyes to widen, ''Herds of Snow Deer are trapped in the valley? Are they stupid?''

The Frostfang nodded as the storm picked up, and Nuliajuk saw the cold crossing over the mountains opposite. She turned to Atek and spoke concernedly, ''Let's get inside before it hits. We don't want to be frozen out here.''

After that, the two entered the cave, where Nuliajuk moved a large boulder to block the entrance, shielding them from the biting cold outside. Once secure, she lit torches throughout their cave home, casting flickering shadows on the walls. Stay connected through empire

Finally, she went to the room where the Chosen One lay. He was still unconscious, which caused her to think, 'Did he burn through his mana? Must be the case.''

After checking on him, Nuliajuk set out to complete her chores, the howling wind echoing outside the cave. Curiosity tugged at her as she approached the boulder, noticing it was frozen solid.

''What's going on here?'' she wondered aloud. ''It can't be that cold outside. This mana storm must be different.''

Then, Nuliajuk sorted out some food for the coming week and entered their cold room. She gutted the monsters before cutting off all the good meat and storing it in her ice box. 'At least me and the Chosen One will have meals in case we're stuck here,' she said.

The young woman continued to do this for a while, butchering several Giant Mammoth bodies and giving the leftovers to Atek, who happily ate everything, including the monster bones.

Once she finished in the cold room, Nuliajuk went to the bathroom. As she stepped inside, she activated a few runes, and the water began to bubble as the warmth enveloped it. A smile spread across her face.

Nuliajuk stripped off her clothes and slipped into the water before sinking deeper until only her nose was out. She relaxed in the hot water for hours until climbing out when her stomach rumbled.

'He'll still be asleep, I'll make something to eat before he gets up,' she mused while drying herself off.

After that, she got ready and left the room, only to stop when she saw the Chosen One sitting up, rubbing his head while groaning.

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