Now that it's in front of me, I can sense it far more clearly, the aura of mana that had been spread throughout the tunnel has concentrated in one area, the hidden core of the monster now exposed and pulsing with power. This beast is no small fry, tier six certainly, and most likely not from the third strata. Not wanting to allow this newcomer to make the first move, I draw deep on my core, pulling out all the mana I can and feeding it into the construct, shaping and condensing it at the same time in bolts of pure flame.

[Invidia, you're on defensive duty, but feel free to take shots when you have time. Crinis, see if you can get a crack at its mind, otherwise keep the small fry away from us,] I tell my pets tersely.

The two of them acknowledge my orders as I stare up at the strange water monster. It's huge, towering above me and filling the tunnel with its presence. Its body seems to be fully formed of liquid, the core glowing bright in the centre of its mass. The water continues to flow, shifting and moving in constant motion, occasionally frothing and fizzing as competing currents wash against each other and form waves across its body. It doesn't take any particular form, no arms or humanoid shape, rather it simply looks like a giant mass, or pillar.

Then it shifts slightly and my antennae scream at me.

Holy moly!

I leap to the side, nerves afire with energy as a blade of water slices through the air where I stood just a moment ago, cutting an inches deep groove into the rock. What the heck was that!? It went straight through my fire domain like it wasn't even there! In retaliation, I fire off a duo of condensed blue fire bolts, watching as they fly straight into the water creature and fizzle out instantly.

Hmmm. That's not good.

BOOM!

Hanging back and staying behind me, Invidia weaves together an explosion right next to the monster that sends a spray of water flying out and causing waves of force… as well as literal waves to roll through the entire creature.

[Nice, Invidia!] I cheer.

Once more that gurgling roar echoes out and suddenly the air is filled with water, bolts, blasts and jets firing off every which way as the monster retaliates against the envy demon. Forced onto the defensive, Invidia weaves layer after layer of shields around himself to protect against the onslaught of aquatic attacks. Unwilling to abandon the floaty eyeball, I launch onto the offensive, peeling my mandibles back wide as I lock in place and charge!

Dash!

My legs surge with energy as I leap toward the target, bringing it within my fire domain that causes it to hiss and steam. Then, with a powerful surge I smash shut my mandibles, invoking my most powerful bite skill as I do so!

DOOM CHOMP!

Splash!

It's hard, but I manage to force my jaws shut through the monster's body… but then what? I look up to see that giant mass of flowing water, the vague outlines of a face formed within it looking down on me with contempt. Alright then, so biting doesn't work… how about this?

FWOOM!

Not content to throw tiny balls of fire at the monster any more, I unleash a solid stream of blue fire that roars forward from between my mandibles directly into the creature's body. How you like them apples?!

Immediately a wall of steam bursts forth right in front of me, singeing my antennae and washing over my body as the monster roars in pain. My senses buzz with warning but I stay put, applying the blow torch for a moment longer before a wall of condensed water slams into my side, sending me skittering to the side as I absorb the impact. It's clear that he didn't like that very much. Perhaps small amounts of fire are easy enough for him to shrug off, but you apply enough heat it starts to chip away at him. Not willing to let up, I dash forward once more, working my sub-brains overtime to pump out more blue fire mana.

BOOM!

Freed from defence thanks to my offensive, Invidia finds the time to squeeze out another explosion that rocks the mass of water, sending foam and spray all through the tunnel.

[Master! I think I have it!] Crinis cries out.

She takes advantage of the distracted creature to extend her tentacles from a shadow she had prepared earlier, directly behind it. Turning them immaterial, she pushes them deep into the frothing water, reaching for the core held right in the centre. Clever girl!

With a sound like a tsunami breaking on the shore, the monster ripples with anger before every drop that makes up its form starts to rotate. In only a moment, what was a flowing pillar of water has transformed into a raging storm, a cyclone of ripping currents that shreds Crinis’ tentacles where they connect to the ground, forcing her to retract them back through the shadow.

Damn! This thing is a right pain in the backside! It's clear that the core is it's weak point and Crinis nearly took hold of it perfectly, using her new abilities to reach right into the heart of the creature and pluck it out. Could I do the same with my gravity mandibles? Unlikely. Mana doesn't work that well on internal structures and I'm guessing the same rule applies here, otherwise Invidia would be setting off his explosions inside the creature rather than next to it. If I could spear the core, or attack from outside in some way… Should I use a gravity bomb? No. Not yet. If I can I want to capture the core whole so I can learn more about this creature. I'll face many more like it and I'd rather have more information than less if I can help it.

We know it doesn't like fire burning away at it, but I get the feeling it's only going to cause damage if I can really bring the heat. I'm going to need to bust out some serious firepower. Cursing that my mind mana focused mutation does nothing for me in these circumstances, I kick all of my brains into overdrive, drawing out every ounce of mana I can from my core and shoving it through the construct to produce as much blue fire mana as I possibly can. Once I get my mental hands on it, I use my main mind to squeeze it down and condense it as much as possible before handing it off to the smaller brains to shape into the spell I want.

Of course, all of this takes precious seconds, time that I spend trying to distract the monster as best I can. Still in its whirling wall of death, the creature is extremely dangerous to approach. I can see rocks being shattered and cut to bits by the pressure applied by the currents and swirling waters, so I'm not too eager to stick my head in. Instead, I dance around nearby, keeping it within the range of my fire domain and chomping away at it when I get the chance, doing whatever I can to make a nuisance of myself.

Frustrated, Crinis has been forced onto the defensive and occupies herself cleaning out any remaining small-fry as she watches and waits for her chance, keeping her main body at a safe distance and shifting position constantly to avoid getting pinned down. Without me actively casting offensive magic, the barrage of water has resumed and he drifts from side to side, dozens of shields popping into existence and shattering every few seconds.

It's risky, but I don't save him. With the monster focused on protecting itself from my two pets, I can use this precious time to supercharge my spell to the highest possible degree.

If anyone can be said to be big-brained, it's my little envy demon. I have every confidence in him!