☀️ Arselia and Akonia

If I hadn't had enough DPS because of the Bee Queen, I would have had a meltdown (although the guys seemed to have everything under control, and I was really freaking out towards the end).

With a strained effort, he unclenches his stiff fingers. Klin plunges his blade, scorched by the boiling blood of the Magmatic Maiden, into the crater's ground and, swaying noticeably, lets out a deep breath. The question that had been echoing in his mind since the Empress's outburst until the last round finally freed his mind, leaving behind only a faint haze of fading fatigue. He throws off the pants he had wrapped around his hands, and the Kriedean wipes the ash from his face with them, and only now does he notice that the world around him has once again returned to its usual evening reality, as if the whole battle had been just another childish nightmare.

When Erefir suddenly fell, he clearly felt the inspiring forces leaving his body, resulting in a series of unfortunate misses against the stationary sacred mannequin. When the princess vanished into thin air, he felt the ground slowly slipping away from under his feet, and despair filled his soul. When, in the heat of the battle, he saw the surprised Sanex in the distance, his heart was filled with deep sadness. When a fiery flash streaked towards his beloved, he didn't dare to look away from the main target until the very end of the battle, fearing to lose the last of his strength to hold the sword in his hands.

"Well, old Crag, your mission to give your creation a legendary battle has finally come true, and no dragon whelp even came close. I owe you, legendary blacksmith, and you, alien artisan, and you, mountain inventor, a debt that I will probably never be able to repay."
Casting a final glance, filled with a touch of pride, at the raid DPS meter, the mountaineer finally looks around, making sure that no one else has suffered any serious harm.

"Your command today has clearly shown me what it means to be a true leader," he says to Erefir and Lynette. "When a battle song plays in your heart, and every strike feels four times stronger and faster than usual. It was a great honor for me to be under your support in this battle."

"Your Highness, ⛩️ is now my favorite symbol forever," he says to Aiyano. "Perhaps this was the most heartfelt support-damage build I've ever seen in my life. Without your support, this event would have ended in a completely different and much more disastrous outcome."

If he happens to meet the Empress's gaze, he politely bows to her, but doesn't force a conversation, because he has no important script to waste her time.

And then he leaves the sandy arena and rushes to the stands in search of Sanex.