-Callen-

  A dull throbbing pain echoed through my body with every step I took. It didn’t stop me from pushing forward, but I could feel various points in my body in which my muscles and maybe even my organs rubbed against internally damaged tissue. One particular standout was a jagged piece of stone that manifested inside my calf. The newly frozen ground trembled as the giant serpent wrenched itself free of the ice, causing the entire frozen bay to crack wildly. Just ahead of me, Reesia easily kept her footing even as a massive earthquake-like crack ripped open beneath her feet. I forced myself to dive out of the way of the rapidly expanding fissure and got up with enough time to recognize our enemy had finished freeing itself from the ice. Its massive head twisted, locking on to me, clearly recognizing the culprit of its inconvenience. However, even more than that was the crazed hunger in its eyes, which was that of those afflicted by the allure.

  The serpent raised its head, prepping to lunge down, but the monster lost balance. It was struggling to adapt to being on land even if it was unwilling to give up. I scanned the chunks for frozen terrain, quickly locking on a particular spot. Since the serpent wanted me, I suppose my role in this fight will be decoy. The ice cracked as I pushed off my mana boost at full force. My footing immediately struggled to find purchase as my speeds increased, forcing me to glide to a skidding halt above a smaller chunk of the cracked ice. I glanced back at the serpent and saw it had recovered from its earlier slip. It was clearly smart enough to recognize the terrain interference and adjust. I coiled its body, preparing to lunge as I slammed my arms down on the ice, shifting the chunk into the void. With nothing below me, I fell freely into the hole right as the serpent's head zipped past overhead. I pointed upward, shaping a runespell, letting lightning jump upward into the belly of the monster as it started to retract from its lunge.

  I almost started to curse as the energy seemed to have no effect on the scales until one of the blackened, withering spots on its body got caught in the strike. The energy bit into the wound, scorching flesh for a moment before the serpent's body passed over my small hole. I jumped up from the hole, trying to climb out to reassess and reposition, but aborted my jump, grabbing onto the edge of the hole at the last moment. The serpent's head was already hovering over my exit. Its yellow eyes locked on and raised upward so that it could slam down to pierce through the hole and reach me. I expanded my mana zone and opened a pair of void gates, one below me and an exit within my zone outside the hole. I slipped through my hole just in time as the serpent’s maw crashed down, swallowing my hidey-hole and all the ice around it. I barely slipped to the ground outside as the force of the closing serpent's maw crushed the void gate in the hole.

  As I landed on my ass, Reesia finally caught up with the snake and thrust her sword forward into the beast's neck. The scales seemed to shine as the aura clashed with the formidable natural armor. They held for a second before Reesia gritted her teeth, doubling down on her thrust. A loud crack rang out, and her sword slipped into the serpent’s flesh. The serpent recoiled violently upward, launching Reesia backward into me before it slammed down, sending a shockwave through the ice, sending chunks everywhere, and sending us flying backwards. I grabbed Reesia as we flew and manifested air pressure runes to slow us down right before we both hit the ice.

  “Aim for the withering wounds.” I passed off a piece of advice before breaking into a run to the right. Reesia circled the opposite way while the serpent lifted its head up from the crater its lashing out created. I took a moment to regret never storing any heavy weapons. The serpent's eyes locked back onto me, though clearly far more wary than it had been previously. Slightly below the base of its skull, blood was starting to trickle down its scales. Its jaw opened, and a deep, roaring hiss echoed over the icy field as it launched itself back on the attack. This time its pace was relatively slower than the previous lunge but still monstrously fast. It kept its eyes trained on me the whole way. I paused in place and took a moment to focus on the void. The serpent’s jaws rushed forward, closing the final sliver of distance as I summoned my emergency stone sphere of safety. I felt the sphere lift off the ground as the serpent started swallowing the sphere and me whole.

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  I reached into the void and started dumping molten metal from the forge into the monster’s throat. Conveniently there is no transference of heat in the void, meaning anything stored won’t cool down. I braced myself in my sphere as the serpent spat me back out; its hissing wails seemed to make even the runically fortified sphere shake. I came crashing back down into the ice like a wrecking ball through a flimsy building. When I stored it, I found I had been projectile vomited dozens of feet deep in the ice. I immediately got to work climbing back out of the pit, hopping from wall to wall like Mario. As I get to the surface, I’m just in time to witness Reesia getting thrown off the serpent’s back. Black blood oozing from the various new cuts she inflicted on the withered injuries. She slid to a stop on the ice and braced in the moment she had before the serpent's tail violently whipped towards her. Her blade dug into it, but it also sent her flying like a hockey puck. I lost sight as she went flying into the town but could hear the sound of a building crumbling from the impact.

  I launched myself forward at the serpent. Its gaze snapped back at me, but not before I channeled another bolt of energy into withered flesh. The electricity seared deeply, carving out a deep wound in the serpent. It immediately lashed in retaliation, but I activated a weak booster rune under me, sending me a dozen feet upward, easily flying over the tail lash. I activated another air pressure rune, sending me hurtling onto the body of the serpent, where it latched on using runes to stick me onto the monster's side. I gave it no time to respond before summoning another stream of energy into a new location. The smell of boiling meat and smoke immediately filled the air. It bucked in agony as I stuck to it, burning deeper and deeper until the flesh came loose. An extensive chunk of the serpent’s tail ripped off as the flailing tore what little flesh remained connecting it. I jumped free of the tail and back down to the ice, narrowly avoiding being crushed by it.

  I pushed myself back up and wobbled uncertainly. My vision was beginning to double again as mana exhaustion returned. I fell back to a knee as I activated Dominate Mana and forcefully pulled in more mana. I felt like my organs were freezing and my nerves burning out. Blood erupted from my mouth, and I started hyperventilating for oxygen as my attempts at breathing struggled to satisfy my need for oxygen. I stopped pulling with mana domination and dizzily got back on my feet. The red of the serpent's maw filled my vision, and my instincts screamed of my impending death.

  Suddenly the maw was knocked aside with the sound of a meaty thunk. A massive harpoon digging into the neck of the serpent, knocking it away at the last moment. Numbly I stumbled backward and saw one of the hunting ships pulled out from the ice and rotated by the seamen like a giant ballista. I ignored the ringing of my ears and the protests of my body as I turned back to the serpent. It was screeching in agony as the harpoon pierced fully through its neck. Red blood gushing out in torrents and the chain attached to the harpoon sawing back and forth as the serpent panicked trying to break free. Unsteadily I took a step towards the serpent, determined to take advantage, but a lightweight landed on my shoulder, stopping me.

  “Give me just a minute for the worst of it.” The tiny voice squeaked into my ear, and immediately the weight and dizziness began to fade. Crescent clung on to me with intense focus and a bead of sweat rolling down her temple as my lungs finally started to get the air I needed.

  “Reesia,” my voice came out dry and rasping.

  "Stable, unconscious, ok, go get 'em." Crescent jumped back off my shoulder and took flight. I snapped my attention back to the serpent. My body felt infinitely better but still weak. The serpent had ripped itself free of the chain, its throat gushing blood, but the wound was visibly closing as its monstrous vitality took effect. However, on the shore I felt Nightshade taking action, with one of her massive flowers taking shape and a link to the serpent taking form. I could feel Nightshade’s intent to weaken the serpent. I let my legs get back to work rushing forward again. The serpent’s head snapped back to me with a cold, predatory hatred. Spitting out some leftover blood and stretching my arm, I mutter to myself.

  "Round two,"

  Matthew 7:7 NIV - “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.