Forged Destiny [Book 1: Ch. 9]

Claws screeched against metal as it hit the kite shield I held up, the sound enough to make my eyes water. There was no hope of hitting back, not when the weight of it alone was enough to send my feet sliding back across stone.

"Keep it there!" Someone shouted. I couldn't tell who, or how I was supposed to do that. If anything it was the Grimm keeping me there. An icicle exploded across the back of its head, heralding the switch in our Mage's tactics even as Ren darted low and scored a jagged gash across the back of its knee. I pushed back, trying to use the advantage to knock it down – the same way I'd killed the last one. I was losing that battle. It was much too strong.

"Try this!" Ruby shouted, seeming to float in the air past the Grimm's shoulder. Her scythe was prepared, red hood floating behind her like the trail of a star. My knees buckled, the strength of the beast finally proving too much as it burst through my guard.

—Forged Destiny [Book 1: Ch. 9]