In Sterland Forest, there was one unspoken rule, one in place from time since the great calamity. Never venture far from the forest.

Very few samiets would ever dream of breaking this old and ancient rule, with some rare instances of individuals who crave the vast freedom of the outside world.

Graham, the legendary explorer was one.

Another was Elinore F. Pluper.

It all began one day when a human, a merchant, stumbled into the woods. Alone, the man would not last long against the monsters of the forest. They would find him and consume him. Elinore found the man and guided him back to the village, in spite of objections from the anti-human faction.

The bad blood between humans and their kind could be traced back to even before the great calamity. Humans enslaved other races, they persecuted and slaughtered for no reason, no justification. When the Great Calamity came, when Saruin came, the humans were thrown into discord, allowing the samiets to flee from their chains. Deep in the woods of Sterland, where no human would dare set foot, they made their new home among the rubble of the fallen kingdoms.

For three thousand years, the samiets lived in isolation, cut off from the outside world. That was until three hundred years ago, when the previous arch Sage of Cataka approached them, requesting a favor of the village chief.

The people of the village were always skeptical of humans, and this merchant was no different. But the man-made no trouble, and told the children of the village, the curious youths, stories of the outside world.

Since she was a little girl, Elinore always wanted to see the outside world, to explore the lands beyond the forest. The man offered to take her to his caravan that was just outside the forest on the Cataka side. He told her that his caravan explored the entire world, made up of not only humans but cait sith and two elves. Even if she was not human, she would be welcomed with open arms.

But Elinore was unsure. Leaving the confines of the forest was a great commitment, one that could anger her son in law, Van. But her husband, Bush, and even her skeptical daughter, Freya, encouraged her.

So, with no knowledge of the outside world, Elinore put her trust in this human, and with aid from her husband, lead the two out of the forest to the west.

Outside the border town of Soma Kar, there lay the caravan troop. Over twenty-five people of different nationalities and beliefs. Among them included two old soldiers, Several merchants, a performing troop of cait sith, even a friendly troll by the name of Rocky, ten children of both human and cait sith origins. Three elves who had abandoned Aquia. So many different people, both travelers and exiles, children with nowhere to go. Never before had Elinore seen such a device set of characters.

Amongst them was a man who constantly cried, a man clutching his staff for dear life, a man who would cry at the drop of a hat, a man who the children adored. A wizard by the name of Helpono.

He was forever gloomy, always muttering to himself, constantly crying. Everyone said they found him collapsed on the side of the road in Miltesa on a rainy day over a month ago.

To Elinore, and everyone in the caravan, the man was an enigma. When he spoke, he whimpered, and occasionally let out small matures in a soft voice, one that no one could understand.

The caravan set off, circling around Cataka. To Berkin in the north, Tattoria, the settlements of the Folkes Highlands, to Var in the south. Elinore traveled far and wide, seeing new sights she had never before seen in the confines of the forest. She conversed with all the members of the caravan, the cait siths, humans, and the two elves, her appetite for knowledge of this new world knew no bounds.

But the man called Helpono, she could never seem to get close to. When trying to converse, the man burst into tears. He would be seen, waving his hand against the water of lakes. One incident in Var was a group of muggers targeted the man, and was about to mug him if not for Elinore and the two elves. Yet there was a strange look in Helpono's eyes. A flash of something hidden deep within something that chilled the samiet to her very core.

A week later, back in Sterland Village, news from the worriers who ventured into the forest gave news of a strange phenomenon. Rain that never seemed to cease. They told of the caravan passing by Soma Rand, and how monsters beset it, like they had never seen. Hearing this, Bush, Freya, Van and a few others rushed towards the eastern side of the forest. When they reached the edge of the woods, they saw something strange, a giant dome of Water coating one area.

The samiet's approached with caution, unsure of what it was, or it's nature. All of a sudden, however, the dome fell apart, and the rain began to pour once again. What it revealed was nothing short of a scene from their deepest nightmare.

The caravan's destroyed. The bodies of every man, woman and child, spread across the ground in a grotesque array of limbs and entrails. There was Elinore right at the center, her lower body missing, a look of shock frozen on her face at the moment of death.

Before her body was a sight none of these samiet's would ever soon forget. Before her was a human, looming over her body, crying tears with a large toothy grin. His eyes bulged and bloodshot, he whispered these words.

"Thank you...... Thank you all..... 'she' is satisfied,"

****

Dora....

Freya stood before the massive water dome that took up the entirety of the central plateau. The mere sight of it brought back such horrible memories, those of that rainy day.

"Ahh!" A muffled grunt came from behind her, drawing her attention away from the dome. Kneeling on the ground was Cliff, who was clutching his chest.

"H-Human?!" Van said with a look of concern.

"D-Don't worry," Cliff reassured him. "Trust me, I've been in worse pain than this."

His guess was that this pain was a parting gift from when Ling 'stabbed' him just before the end of the battle. It certainly felt as though a thousand needle stabs concentrated in one spot.

Freya approached him, suddenly bowing. "Th-Thank you," She said quietly.

"Hm? What for?" Cliff asked.

".... For protecting me," She said quietly.

Cliff tried to think back, and then remembered how he told her to draw Ling towards her, which led to the attack from below that broke his fingers.

"Ahh, don't mention it," Cliff said, getting back to his feet. "Sorry for putting you on the spot back there. And thanks for trusting me,"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, human," Van said in a stern voice. "We may have joined forces to protect our home, that doesn't mean we trust you."

Cliff let out a small chuckle as he raised to his feet clutching his chest. "Right." He looked to the giant water dome before him and the giant root that had pierced the top. Due to the water, it was impossible to see what was happening inside. Even if he wanted to, he wasn't sure if he could. After all, the only way they got out was because of Allisa's Excalibur.

So if they're in there.... How did they get in?

"Yo! Big guy!"

Reacting to his unwanted nickname, Cliff saw Rodger and Steve running up to him. "There you are." He said looking unamused at the fact he ran off on his own. "I swear, you're no better then sir-eatsalot and the suicidal maniac,"

"Hey! A real man must always settle the score! That's what I did!" Rodger said folding his arms. "As my henchmen you should know that by now."

"If you don't drop the 'henchmen' crap, I sware I'll throw you into the lake."

"But... are you ok. You're all beat up?" Rodger asked, concerned with Cliff's ragged state.

"I could ask you the same thing," Cliff said, eyeing Rodger and Steve's state. If they're alive... that must mean they beat another one.

He then glanced up with a look of surprise. "Although.... I think she's probably the worst off,"

All eyes turned to Meracle who had just come onto the plateau with the injured Leone draped over her shoulder.

"Myow, You're ok," Meracle said with relief.

"Y-Yo...." Leone said whirly waving at Cliff. "Uh.... FMY, who's ass did you just kick?"

".... That Chinese martial artist looking guy," Cliff said folding his arms as Meracle approached and settled Leone on the ground.

"Nyew.... Sorry I ran off," she apologized, her ears and tail slumping.

"Ah, no worries," Cliff said, patting her on the head. "Looks like you managed to settle things with her, so that's all that matters here. You did a good job."

Meracle blushed as Cliff withdrew his hand, locking her fingers together with a big smile.

"Where's my praise?" Rodger asked, looking annoyed. "I am the one that took down one of those jerks after all,"

Not exactly true.... Steve thought, deciding to keep it to himself.

"When you stop irritating me, I might throw you a bone," Cliff responded.

"So... where's the others?" Meracle asked before Rodger could blurt out a response.

"Allisa's gone on ahead with Nel and that Kira woman." Cliff told her, "As for those two idiots..... Well I'm sure if we follow the explosions we'll find them."

He glanced back to the giant water dome. "Melvin's in there.... Along with Old man Bush."

Rodger and Meracle looked at the dome with unease, as did Leone who lay on her back. Her look was more of pity for those trapped inside.

"Wait.... Is that Dora's?!" Rodger pointed out the giant root that was sticking out of the water's surface.

"Yeah... your friends are in there," Steve said looking at the giant root, recalling what Gura had said before he went back to help Rodger. "Gura and Redwol went with them."

"YOU MEAN DORA IS IN THERE?!" Freya yelled at the boy. "WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HER?!"

"I-I couldn't even if I tried!" Steve defended himself. "I-I don't think we should worry. Old man Bush is in there along with that human kid who took down Celtic Hoard."

"Exactly," Rodger said, sounding sure of himself. "I've seen first hand what he can do. I can promise ya, my henchmen won't go down to one of these losers."

Cliff didn't look too confident having seen who they were up against and the strange and unpredictable attacks he launched at them.

"....... Yeah, I'm afraid those guys in there are gonna die horrible deaths."

All eyes went to Leone who had just spoken.

"What do you mean?" Cliff asked, almost afraid to know her answer.

".... They're fighting Helpono in there, right? That guy who was bawling." Leone let out a slalom sigh. "Trust me on this, that guy is dangerous.... I've met my fair shear of wackjobs but he takes the cake by a wide margin, keeps rambling on about some chick. But everyone who's ever fought him has died, and everyone who's caught in that water dome, friend or foe..... I can only imagine what goes on, but the end result's never pretty."

Meracle looked nervously on her old friend. She had never seen her with such a concerned expression.

"You lie!" Freya snapped.

"Believe me or not.... I don't care," Leone said coldly, her eyes focused on the black trees above.

Meracle glanced back to the water dome along with Rodger and Cliff, all with concerned faces. While both Rodger and Meracle were absent during the encounter in the village, they did remember him back at the ruin, where his allies began to panic when he acted up.

Cliff, who had seen the man in action, was more disturbed. The man's posture and behavior aside, there was something else deep down. Looking at him, for some reason, he was strongly reminded of the Homunculi back at the labyrinth, with abilities that didn't make sense in the conventional sense.

Melvin..... I sure hope you're able to come out of that alive.

Terrors of the sea

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.

During his stay in Terra, Melvin came across that quote in one of Dale's collection. He wasn't sure of who the quote was from, thinking it's working to be strange or mysterious for the sake of whatever narrative it was spinning. However, facing this insane wizard, with his unlimited bag of magic tricks and the number of monstrosities he was able to summon, he could now understand what that truly meant.

Just..... what is this guy?

Both Melvin and Fred took an involuntary step back as Helpono raised his staff, positioning one of the water spheres above him.

"Shower,"

The water burst with water flying into the sky, curving before slamming onto the ground like a hail of needles. Melvin jumping to the right while Fred went left dodged this.

"Kill kill kill kill....." Helpono raised his staff once again as the monster, called Yamon, slowly turned to face Melvin, who began to run, clutching onto his left side.

Meanwhile, Fred pulled back on his slingshot to try and catch the wizard off guard. He fired his shot, but before it hit, one of the shells curved upwards and intercepted the shot.

"Oh Valery..... Make sure you see to their demise." Helpono muttered as he threw his staff down, launching one of the water spheres into the ground, splashing as it hit.

Melvin looked uneasy, knowing that the wizard was up to something. Looking on the ground, he saw a ripple forming below him. On instinct, he leaped back as a waterspout fired from the ground. Fred did the same, jumping around as he saw ripples forming on the ground.

When they finally stopped, Melvin waved his wand twice, sending fireballs, which were blocked by the shell moving to protect its master.

"Damn that thing..." Melvin grumbled.

Another of the water spheres then positioned itself in front of Helpono, bubbling intensely. Melvin instinctively leaped out of the way as a powerful jet of water fired, slamming into the ground with the strength of a cannon. The splash created knocked Melvin off his feet, sending him tumbling across the ground.

"Ahhh..." He groaned the pain he felt in his left side was getting worse.

"Revel in pain.... Squeal...." Helpono muttered as the water spheres returned to his side. He clutched his staff as the jew's purple shine grew brighter. "Ohhhhhhhhhhh....." Letting out a disturbing moan he raised his staff, his eyes glancing towards Melvin. "More..... just a little more...."

****

Dora and Redwol retreated out of the giant fish monster as it collided with the root. They ducked as the splinters from the base burst out from the broken base.

"That was way to close," Redwol gasped as Dora stood with a hand on the ground. The monster broke out of the roots, letting out a howl before charging at the two, leaping off the ground to consume the samiet youths in one big gulp. Roots fired from the ground, tightening their hold on the monster, trying to pin it down.

"Hopefully that's got it," Dora said as she kept her hands firmly planted to the ground.

Redwol glanced at his crystal ball, which projected a bird's eye view over the monster. There he saw in the image several slits beginning to open underneath the scales. "Oh no.... Get back!"

A loud bang radiated from the beast as the roots were suddenly blasted off the monster. Dora and Redwol once again braced themselves, looking up as the monster got back to its feet, towering over the two Samiets while lifting it's left arm.

Both leaped out of the way as the fist slammed into the ground, after which the fish pounded the ground twice more as it crawled towards the two, ending with it raising both its fists before slamming them into the earth.

Dora rolled to a halt as Redwol stumbled across the ground, clutching his crystal ball as though his life depended on it. The monster rose up again, charging towards the two with its belly raised.

"AHH! IT'S COMING!!"

"I see that!" Dora snapped as she slammed a hand to the ground, sending spiked roots up from the ground, embedded themselves into the body of the monster. Unfortunately, the sharpened roots could do little but puncture small holes into its thick, blubbery skin. "Damn it!"

Behind her, Redwol was inspecting his crystal ball, his expression partially masked by his bug-eyed glasses, but looked nonetheless concerned. "They're about to give way!"

On his warning, Dora ran back along with Redwol. Snapping sounds could be heard as the roots began to shatter under the weight of the monster. As expected, the roots snapped and the monster flopped to the ground, crushing the roots underneath.

Both samiets were partially knocked off their feet by the vibrations of the impact. While on the ground, Dora slammed her hands on the ground, creating more large roots to bind the arms while the monster stayed put.

"Redwol!" She glanced at her partner who was inspecting the crystal ball.

"It doesn't look like anything's happening," Redwol's clairvoyance magic could grant a bird's eye view of a battlefield with crystal clear vision, able to circle around and focus on specific targets. Even a small insect could not escape scrutiny.

"Ok, looks like we've finally got this thing caught," Dora said as she tightened the grip on the arms.

The monster let out a whale as it began to crawl to its new legs, beginning to stand despite its arms being trapped underneath Dora's roots.

"It's getting back up!" Redwol pointed out.

"I can see that!" Dora snapped as she tried to maintain the grip on the arms. New roots burst from the ground, wrapping themselves around the legs. The monster, however, continued to stand, its arms beginning to bend in unnatural ways before the skin began to rip itself apart, eventually tearing them off, freeing the monster from its bines.

Both Dora and Redwol were shocked. Monster or no, no sane creature would rip off its own arms with what looked like no care at all. However, that was not what shocked them. What did was when the monster's stubs began to bubble blood before new arms exploded from the base, replacing the lost limbs.

"They grew back..." Dora gasped with her eyes widened as Redwol covered his mouth, looking pale by the gruesome sight. With another whale, the monster freed itself from the bins on its legs and lunged itself towards Dora and Redwol.

Desperately, Dora jumped to her left while Redwol rolled left, avoiding being completely crushed by the monstrosity. Dora retreated several paces as the fish monster began to stand up again. With a hand on the ground, more roots began to burst from the ground aiming at the monster. Its scales then reacted, sending out a sonic burst like before, shattering the roots.

The monster turned and let out a whale before leaping on the ground before it began crawling towards Dora. To shield herself, Dora summoned a thick forest of roots that grew as a barrier between her and the charging beast. The monster slammed on the thick wall, breaking through part of it but was nonetheless halted.

With the brief moment of respite, Dora stepped further back. In her time venturing out into the forest, homing her magic with Rodger, she had fought many of the vicious beasts of the forest. Yet she had never fought such a fearsome monster as this. They were relentless, unpredictable, and housed abilities that seemed to counter the little samiets own abilities.

"Dora! It's gonna attack again!" Redwol called out, breaking Dora out of her trance.

The monster picked itself up, raising another of its massive hands before bringing it down on the root wall, shattering the pieces under its mighty swing.

Dora retreated again, slamming a hand on the ground to send a root spear up into the creature's belly. The beast ignored it completely and charged forwards again with its arms flailing about. Dora dodged the incoming blows until the monster raised both its fists in the air. She then charged forwards, escaping through the monster's legs just as it crashed its fists into the earth.

Redwol ran to Dora's side as she turned about to face the monster again. "This is impossible!" He complained as the monster turned, keeping his eyes glued to his crystal ball. "I can't even tell what kind of monster this is! Most in the forest don't transform or heal like this thing!"

"That doesn't mean it's impossible," Dora said, sounding more confident than her partner.

"Huh?"

"Back at the ruined city, us three fought a golem that could heal itself. But I remember that had a weakness inside it."

"Hate to break it to you but this thing isn't a golem!" Redwol said flailing his arms at the monster.

"Can't you do anything but complain?" Dora said, narrowing her eyes. She turned her gaze back to the monster, which was hulking its way towards the two samiet youths. If Rodger were here instead of me..... what would he do?

****

Bush raised a mud wall, which blocked another stretched punch from the water monster. The monster withdrew its fist, turning its body a full 360 degrees counterclockwise while swinging its fist like a wrecking ball.

"It's coming back around!" Gura said as he and Bush back stepped, narrowly avoiding the first fist. Bush slammed a hand to the ground, summoning a mud wall as a second fist came towards them fast. Both ducked as the fist broke through the wall, skirting overhead of the two samiets. When it was finished with its maneuver, the monster raised both fists into the sky. Catching wind of it, Gura and Bush jumped in opposite directions, with Bush scrambling over his mud wall, moments before the fists came crashing into the ground like twin meteors.

The monster withdrew, turning towards Gura, spinning its arms like pinwheels as it slowly advanced towards the boy. Gura himself was forced to jump back a few paces as the fist stretched out towards him, slamming into the ground one after the other. Gura tumbled out of the way, looking up to see the water monster raise its two fists up in the sky, ready to slam down on the boy's location. Moments before, another mud whip wrapped itself around Gura and was pulled away from harm's way as the fists slammed into the ground once again.

Gura skidded across the ground alongside Bush, who had one hand to the ground while the other wrapped in the mud whip. At the monster, mud began to encroach from the ground, wrapping itself around the two fists and legs, trying to pull down the monster. Mud grew upwards, threatening to consume it with the plateau.

"Will that hold it?" Gura asked as he got back to his feet, his mallet resting on his shoulders.

"Hopefully," Bush said with a hint of skepticism in his own voice. "Since its entire body comprised of water, logic dictates that if encased, its body will be absorbed by the earth."

Gura glanced at the old man, picking up the skepticism in his own plan.

"Of course, that entirely depends on logic...."

As though the heavens themselves wished to prove the battle of logic was long gone, the monster pulled free its two fists from the mud. While the areas where the mud stuck had lessened the volume of water, it was not by a significant margin. Letting out a groan, the monster twisted its body which was coming up to its waist in mud, the arms striking the ground like wreaking balls, round and round as they stretched themselves outwards.

"It's coming!!" Gura pointed out, raising his mallet with the head extended outwards to use as a shield to protect the old man.

Cursing, Bush released his hold on the monster, jumping back with Gura moments before the encrusted fist struck the ground where they once stood.

With a grip of the mud loosened, the monster separated its body, sacrificing its lower body, flopping forwards. The separated limbs grew back almost instantaneously, and the monster was once again back to its feet.

"It's certainly unique I'll give it that much," Gura said nervously.

".... Maybe not," Bush said.

"Huh?"

"LOOK OUT!"

The giant monster took a step forward, pulling back its right fist, launching it as far back as the water cage's wall. Both Gura and Bush leaped to their side as the monster threw its punch, hitting the ground like a missile, uprooting the earth in a massive dust cloud, leaving behind a crater on impact.

The monster retracted its fist, spinning its body as it hulled the ball like fist over its head like a windmill. With a hand slammed to the ground, Bush summoned forth a large wall of mud, which held despite the powerful strike. The mud encroached on the fist while a spear of mud fired from the base, penetrating the body of water. The monster sacrificed its fist as it pulled away from the wall, which began to disintegrate. As before, the damage repaired itself, the hole in its chest reforming while another arm grew, encrusting at the end to reform its fist.

"So what were you saying before," Gura asked while the monster regenerated, staying on his guard. "You said it might not be unique."

"Aye," Bush nodded to the boy. "If you recall, slime monsters have a body that can recover and absorb attacks, yet right in the center is its core. If you destroy it, the monster won't reform."

"So... you saying we need to destroy its core and the monster will stop?" Gura looked back at the monster. "Suppose it's worth a shot. But I don't see it anywhere."

Bush looked at the monster, focusing on the encrusted head shaped like a shark. "I may have an idea of where it might be."

The parasite's struggle

Dora raised a solid root to block an incoming blow from the fish monster, holding long enough for her and Redwol to leap out of the way as the fist broke through the branch.

More branches and roots burst from the ground to entangle it, but a burst from beneath the scales blasted the roots apart. With a howl, the monster leaped forwards with its mouth opened wide. Both Dora and Redwol jumped to the sides just as it slammed its body on their position, crawling along the ground as though it were swimming.

As it stopped, branches and roots burst from the ground, beginning to hold it in place, only for a burst from beneath the scales destroyed the branches.

"In case you haven't noticed, that's not going to work!" Redwol snapped at Dora, who had her hands on the ground.

"It has to have some kind of weakness..." Dora said to herself, drowning out Redwol's objection. As the monster began to get back to its feet, more roots fired from the ground, grabbing its arms and coiling around its legs. The monster struggled, trying to break free of its bindings, but Dora maintained her magic, trying to force it to the ground once again, on a spike that grew before the monster. That burst can only be emitted from its body. So if I wrap around its arms, it can't blow them away like before.

"That's not going to work..." Redwol said, looking at his crystal ball.

"If you don't have anything useful to say then don't say it!" Dora snapped, having enough of his complaining.

"No look!" Redwol snapped back, pointing at the fish monster. Dora looked and saw blood leaking from its arms. She then realized the monster was trying to rip its arms off.

"Oh no, not again!" Dora muttered as she summoned more roots that wrapped themselves around the monster. A burst cleared the roots, and with one twist, the monster ripped its arms off once again, letting out a whale as its arms began to grow back again.

With its arms free, the monster turned around again, freeing its legs as it hulked towards the two samiet youths. With another whale, the monster charged again, raising its two fists up into the air. Redwol and Dora backed away as it slammed its fists into the ground. It then pulled out its hands, sweeping its left hand towards Dora as it turned, raising its fists before slamming its hands into the ground, breaking the ground with each hit, then followed up by slamming its fists into the ground.

Dora tumbled backward; almost astonished she managed to make it out of the onslaught without taking a hit. The monster raised itself again, trying to belly flop on the girl. Still on her back, Dora burst out roots from the ground to create a thick shield of roots and branches. The monster hit the barrier, which miraculously held under the monster's weight. Dora stumbled out as the barrier began to crack, getting free just before it could no longer stand the weight, collapsing and allowing the monster to slam into the ground.

"That... was too close..." Dora gasped, getting back to her feet.

Just behind it was Redwol, hiding behind one of Dora's broken branches while the monster stood back up, clutching his crystal ball.

Damn it! What am I even doing here...? He questioned himself.

He was never much of a fighter. In fact, he couldn't fight at all. His magic was catered to support rather than offense. Despite his provocative nature, he would only go on the offensive when Steve or Gura was nearby. He would sow the seeds of chaos from the confines of his position, knowing that there could be no risk could befall him.

All his early life, he would follow whoever was strongest, using their influences to get his way, shielding himself from what may befall. Now, here in a cage of water, he had lost his shield. Steve did not accompany them for some reason, and Gura was busy with his own battle. The closest to fill that role was Dora, someone who he looked down on due to his stance against humans, and she was on the back foot to a monster that was hell-bent on killing the two of them.

Its.... It's going after her at least....

All he had to do was wait, wait until Dora killed the monster then he could escape.

If it doesn't kill her first....

If it did, he could stay hidden while it charged the others.

I... I can't fight.... I'll just get in the way.

That's what he thought. He was a parasite, and parasites latch onto others for what they need, discard them when they outlived their usefulness.

I'm.... I'm....

Tears began to fall from beneath the bug-eyed spectacles as Redwol huddled himself close. He was trapped in this place, beset by monsters lead by a human who was beyond anything akin to rational thought. He was in the same predicament, yet what could he do?

Someone who let others protect him?

"I'm.... just a coward..."

*****

"Are you sure....?" Gura asked Bush, praying he was wrong about the location of the core.

"Yes. If it's anywhere, it would be in a spot that's difficult to reach for an attacker." Bush clarified as the water monster began to move towards the two. "We just need to find a way to peel away that shell,"

The water monster began to swing its arms around as it walked, building up momentum with each swing.

"That's easier said than done!" Gura yelled as he and Bush jumped back, avoiding a swing from the monster's stretched fist. The monster pulled back its fist, turning towards Gura before swinging another outstretched fist his way. As Gura dodged, the monster swung its second fist towards Bush, the impact scraping the ground. It proceeded to continue its onslaught as it continued to swing its fists haphazardly, even after Gura and Bush managed to get out of range by jumping forwards, ducking down as the monster passed with its two targets slipped under its legs.

The monster turned while still slamming its fists down repeatedly like hammers, leaving behind small craters after each hit. Bush slammed a hand down on the ground, softening the earth below the monster's tread, causing it to lose its balance as the mud rose and fell, its fists flew haphazardly around as it began to topple down.

"I'm going to try and smash the shell," Bush told Gura. "If it's there, hit it as hard as you can!"

The mud suddenly rose sharply upwards, causing the monster to topple backward, slamming into the ground on its back. At the same time, two mud fists rose from the ground and slammed into the shark carapace, hitting hard enough to cause a crack in it. They then seeped to the cracks, the hands molding to seep into the cracks as it began to pull it open. Mud also traveled across its body, trying to immobilize it temporarily as Gura began to charge in. "I sure hope you're right about this old man!"

The shark carapace was torn off, revealing a large orb glowing an early yellow, sticking out from the water's edge.

Letting out a war cry, Gura leaped upwards, pulling back his mallet, utilizing all strength he could muster to slam it down on the orb, causing a small crack to form.

"It worked!" Gura celebrated as he pulled back his mallet again.

Bush, however, noticed the water body to begin to bubble and pulse. The limbs were beginning to contrast and shrink as the main body began to expand. Realizing the danger, Bush slammed his right hand into the ground, pulling it back as the mud extended up his arm, creating a mud whip. He lashed it towards Gura who was readying another strike, wrapping it around his body before pulling him back towards him.

The water body suddenly expanded outwards, shedding its carapace while sucking in the mud that binned it. The orb retreated into its body as the water body formed a massive sphere of water.

"Looks like I was right," Bush said as Gura picked himself up from the ground. "That was a good strike. It clearly caused some damage."

"But not enough. I only caused a small crack," Gura said, holding his mallet inverted. "If I had my old one, It may have caused a lot more damage."

Sterland wood was renowned for its hardness and durability compared to normal wood. Gura's mallet was made from one of the strongest trees within the forest, the legendary Clear wood where only branches could be recovered while the tree itself stood the test of time. His mallet was a birthday present from his father and had carried him through thick and thin.

However, while strong, it was not invincible. Gura learned that the hard way as a kick from a mana user, the blond cait sith, shattered it to splinters. The one he was using at the moment was a standard one he picked up on the way. While serviceable, it wasn't much of a substitute for his own weapon.

"Causing it to crack is good enough," Bush said as the giant sphere of water began to morphed. "That means there is still a chance to kill this creature."

The water sank to the ground; spewing out around the base while a larger body raised itself from the puddle. The sphere pushed itself to the center of the monster's chest, a shell formed around it, creating a shield to protect the weak spot. The upper body took shape into a giant humanoid, arms extending out, forming giant hands in which more shells formed on the fists, creating gauntlets. A head formed with two shells making out what seemed like eyes with a water mouth.

"I thought it was ugly before....." Gura muttered.

"That just proves its taken damage."

****

Dora leaped out of the way as the monster's body slammed into the ground. She slammed a hand to the ground, summoning more roots to try and restrain the monster, only to have the roots blasted away by the sonic burst from the creature's scales.

The monster straightened itself up, swinging its right hand haphazardly towards Dora as it turned sharply. Dora rolled out of the way as earth that was displaced by the monster's fist showered down on her.

The monster completed its turn towards Dora, who had sent a root stake out, stabbing the monster in it's flabby underbelly, pushing it back slightly.

Did that get it?

The monster reached down, grabbed the root that had pierced its underbelly and snapped it off. With another wail, it rose its new weapon hight in the sky. Dora desperately summoned a thick rood to protect her as the monster slammed it down onto her position. With her shield just holding,

Dora retreated, hiding behind one of her earlier creations. By now the battleground had turned into a small-flattened forest with the amount of wood that Dora had created, trying to bind and stop the monster that assailed her. By this point, the young Samiet was feeling the strain she was placing on herself. She had drained through a good chunk of her mana with these pointless attacks, trying to keep the monster down.

"D-Damn it...." Dora painted, keeping her back against her cover. She glanced out behind to see the monster currently searching for her, using its new weapon to smash apart the root forest created, trying to find its prey.

There's got to be something that will keep this thing down?

She'd tried repeatedly to keep the monster pinned down, all attempts failed due to the burst from the scales or the monster detaching its own limbs. Her attempts to use her roots to pierce the monster were also unsuccessful as the scales themselves were as hard as iron and its belly, the one weak spot had so much blubber that it was hard for her roots to dig deep into its body. Given that the monster could restore its own limbs at will, Dora assumed the holes she managed to puncture in its belly would have healed by now.

"I can't give up...." She told herself, "Rodger wouldn't if he were here...." She glanced out towards the monster that was searching for its prey. She extended a handout, ready to summon more roots.

"That won't work,"

A voice from behind her caused her to flinch, nearly letting out a yelp. Covering her mouth, she saw Redwol crawling over to her, clutching her with his crystal ball tucked under his arms.

"Geez.... You scared the hell out of me!" She snapped in a hushed voice. She glanced back towards the monster to see if it had picked up on her little shriek. She reached to the ground to try and summon more roots.

"That's just wasting energy," Redwol said. "We're not going to get anywhere by binding that monster. Those slots beneath the scales will blow them away, and if you try to bind its limbs it will just rip them off."

"I know that!" Dora snapped at the boy. "And unless you have something useful in mind-"

Redwol interrupted her by raising out his crystal ball, which showed an image of the monster's front. There she saw blood was leaking down from the previous wounds she had inflicted along with the new hole she had created. "It can restore its arms, but it can't heal its own body."

He looked back towards the monster. "I still don't understand what that monster is. Nothing about it is natural. But if I'm right, it might be our only shot to kill this thing."

Dora glanced back towards the monster. While she never really got along with Redwol, she couldn't deny that his strategic thinking was on par with Fred.

"You're being unusually helpful," She said, narrowing her eyes at the boy. "I figured you'd have found a place to hide."

"D-Don't misunderstand me," Redwol said awkwardly pushing up his glasses. "If you die, that means my chances of survival drops. That is all." He glanced back towards the monster that was still searching for them. "Only problem is we need it to be facing us- well you- so you can land a hit. A decoy would be preferable in this situation. If only we had Gura here or even Rodger."

"No need," Redwol looked back to Dora who was giving him a sly grin. "We got the right person for the job."

The monster slammed its weapon into one of the broken roots, only finding once again that it's pray was nowhere to be seen. A yelp then came from behind it. It turned and saw a distance away was Redwol who had been flipped around, landing on his back. "WHATS THE BIG IDE-"

The boy froze mid-sentence as he turned in horror as the monster set its gaze on the boy. "Wait.... I'M THE DECOY?!"

With a loud whale, the monster charged at Redwol who shuffled backward desperately as the monster raised its makeshift club high in the sky.

"Worked like a charm,"

A thick spike then rose up from the ground just in front of Redwol, followed by two more that jutted from the earth in front of the charging beast. With its legs caught, the monster flopped forwards towards the massive spike that stuck up from the ground just as Redwol scampered out of the way.

As it hit the spike, it continued on all the way as it hit the ground, the tip of it breaking through the scales on the monster's back. The monster groaned, trying to pick itself up with the root spear embedded in its belly. Two more spikes then jutted from the ground, sticking itself into the hands of the monster, four more roots branching off from the tip of the spike to ensure the monster was fastened down.

"Guess I could have done that from the start," Dora stood a few paces from the monster with both hands on the ground. Behind her was a giant root that was forming itself into a drill, slowly beginning to spin. "Given how heavy that body was, I figured I could use it to our advantage,"

With a grin, Dora raised herself from the ground, pointing at the monster. "Listen up you bloated fish! I'm Dora T. valentine! A proud member of the Walloping willows and the number one follower of the soon to be great explore Rodger D. Huxal!" She slammed a hand into her root. "REMEMBER THAT IN THE NEXT LIFE!"

A root sharply shot up from underneath the drill, propelling itself into the fish monster's open mouth. It struck dead into its throat, the momentum drilling through the monster's body, causing a fountain of blood to erupt from the monster's mouth. Fins broke apart as blood burst from its body that managed to stay intact despite the irreparable damage to its insides. With one last wale, the monster then flopped to the ground, blood still flowing from its mouth.

"Whew.... I think that did it," Dora said collapsing to the ground, letting out an exhausted sigh.

"YOUR NO BETTER THEN THAT DUMB LEADER OF YOURS!" Redwol snapped at Dora who gave him a smile and V sign, not denying the statement.

****

The giant water monster stretched its arms backward, the new armored hands clenching as it lunged forwards, colliding with another pare of mud hands that had sprung up from the earth. With a squeeze, the mud hands were crushed in an instant.

Below was Bush with Gura standing behind him, mallet at the ready. As the monster pulled its hands backward, Bush reformed the hands. Clenched into fists, the two began to punch towards the incoming water monster's incoming punch, each one hitting like boulders crashing against one another.

The battle's pace was much different than before. The water monster was much slower in this state, and it no longer outstretched its limbs to attack. However, with the cost of its speed, its strength was now much greater.

The punch out ended with the two fists locking against one another, the water monster trying to push back against the giant hands that were contesting with it.

Two more mud hands formed from below, letting loose a barrage of punches at the crusted armor that protected the core, striking hard enough until it finally formed fissures to form.

"When it breaks, I'll send you up there," Bush told Gura who was standing at the ready. "Hit it as hard as you can!"

"Got it!" Gura said as he braised himself as the water monster crushed the mud fists that it was locked with. It then raised its right hand into the sky, palm flat to squash the two samiets like flies.

Both jumped out of the way as the hand slammed into the ground, with Bush jumping right while Gura rolled backward. The monster raised its fist, slamming it down on towards Bush, who raised a mud barrier to block the strike.

A spike of mud then jutted from the earth, flinging itself at the armor, leaving another fissure on the surface. The monster reeled backward, trying on its axis and spun around like a whirlwind. Both samiets retreated again, narrowly avoiding the strikes.

The monster then withdrew its arms, raising them high in the air.

"Get ready to run in," Bush said to Gura who nodded in response.

The monster then lunged its arms forwards, palms flat, crashing into the earth with the force of a boulder slamming into the earth sending dust to rise into the atmosphere. Mud hands then raised over its outstretched chest, grasping at the crusted armor, pulling until it was tugged clean off leaving the core exposed.

As the monster reeled back, realizing it was in peril, Gura rushed forwards with his mallet raised. When he approached, mud fired from his position, sending him upwards towards the core. Letting out a warcry, mallet in hand, he slammed it down on the core with all his strength.

More cracks formed in the base of the orb, which rattled, letting out a moan. A yellow liquid squirted from the cracks. From his position, Bush used a mud whip to recover Gura just as the water collapsed down, nearly consuming him again.

"Good hit!" Bush praise. "Looks like we've nearly broken through!"

"Yeah. One more hit should do it," Gura said as he got back to his feet.

The water then began to rise up from the ground, reforming itself into a new body. Crustation armor formed around the orb which pushed itself to the very top of the monster which formed into a large ball, big flabby arms, resembling that of a baby, with two legs that looked like round table legs.

Overall, the new form appeared more comical than threatening. However, it's weak point was much harder to get to, as more armor crusted the top of the monster, forming into what looked like a spiked top that sat atop its body.

".... That could pose a problem," Gura gulped.

The Brute's fight

Melvin leaped just as another water cannon fired by Helpono, left a trail across the ground. "Ahh..." He groaned, remembering the pain he felt in his left side.

Looming above him was the massive coruscation monster, which had Helpono, perched atop, waving his staff while the water orbs circled him.

"Damn you!" Hissing, Melvin fired off a lightning bolt at the wizard, only for the shell to extend from the bass protecting its master.

From behind the base, water tendrils fired into the sky, descending towards Melvin. In response, he strengthened his barrier as the tendrils collided into the shell, bight light ripples forming on the areas that were hit. Melvin ground his teeth, trying to keep the barrier together as the water tendrils lost there form, falling to the soaked ground below.

"Still crawling.... Still breathing...." The shell moved out of the way, revealing Helpono, holding his staff out before him. "Water bombs."

Five small spheres formed in front of him, which fired themselves towards Melvin. Not wanting to test his luck, Melvin held out his wand. "Wind blast!" He fired his spell, using the resulting backlash to propel him backward. Dodging the water spheres which hit the ground, bursting with the force of a bomb, leaving craters in the ground where they hit.

Melvin toppled across the ground until he came to a halt a few meters away, giving a silent prayer to the goddess he decided against taking the hit. He groaned as he tried to get back to his feet, feeling the pain in his left side mounting.

"Still living..... still alive...."

Melvin looked up to see a sphere position itself in front of the monster that Helpono was perched on, rippling before releasing five water blades that cut across the ground towards Melvin, expanding outwards as they approached him. Melvin jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain, running through the gap in the blades. Ripples then formed below him, prompting him to jump back to avoid the water spout that fired upwards from the ground.

This isn't going well....

On the opposite end, Fred was having his own troubles, dodging the waterspouts that burst from the ground, reaching into his pouch to pull out a shot. When they finally relented, he fired a lead shot at his enemy, only to have the wizard's barrier block the blow.

"S-Still no good..." Fred said to himself as he reached into his pouch.

A water sphere moved around the wizard, shrinking while it changed shape into an oval, pointing its tip towards the Samiet youth. It then began to fire an array of water bullets towards him.

Fred began to run around, avoiding the water bullets peppering the ground behind him. Digging through his pouch as he ran, Fred pulled out two shots, both where new one's he developed. However, he only had one of each.

Best not right now...

Fred put them back in his pouch, still running as the water gun continued firing at him. He pulled out an explosive shot, loading it onto his slingshot. Afterward, he realized that the shots had finally died down. "N-Now's my chance,"

The boy skidded to a halt as he pulled back his shot, aiming at Helpono who still had his back turned. He remembered that his new grade of explosives managed to break through the barrier. He fired off his shot. Unfortunately, one of the shells rose from the crown, the ball impact on the rough surface.

"Again..."

From the base of the monster, a giant tentacle grew out from the myriad of tendrils that made up its legs. It rose itself into the sky, extending out towards the boy. Fred jumped to the right, avoiding being crushed by it.

Meanwhile, Melvin fired a torrent of fireballs at Helpono when he finally got the opportunity, all of which were blocked by the shell, bouncing harmlessly against its rough surface.

"D-Damn it...." Melvin cursed. If I can just get off a Level 2 spell...

Level 2 spells required much more time and mana in order to perform, as well as an incantation. The problem in this battle was that he couldn't find any time between the erratic attacks made by his opponent. He constantly had to keep moving or he would meet his end in a variety of different ways.

"Taking too long.... Taking too long..." Helpono raised his staff. The monster then began to spin clockwise, dragging along the massive tentacle that scraped across the ground, coming towards Melvin at full speed.

"Oh CRAP!!" Melvin strengthened his barrier before the monster's tentacle slammed into his barrier. The barrier shattered and Melvin was flung across the field once again, coming to a halt a few meters away.

"Melvin!" Fred ran up to him, who waved his arm up to show he was still alive.

"Don't worry..." His wheezed as he got back to his feet. "My barrier managed to absorb most of the impact...."

He put emphasis on 'most.' The impact that the barrier didn't absorb still felt as through as though someone had wailed on him with a sledgehammer.

He glanced up at the monstrosity before him, his frustration and anger aimed at the wizard who was waving his staff back and forth, still surrounded by the water spheres, continuing his delusional muttering.

This thing is protecting him. If we're gonna have a shot, we need to take care of this monster first.

Melvin glanced towards Fred, who seemed to have come to the same conclusion. "Got anything in that pouch that could be useful against this thing?"

Fred glanced to Melvin, unexpected that he was addressing him. He then looked to his pouch and finally back to the monster in question. "Uh.... I think so. B-But against that shell.... I'm not sure."

Melvin understood completely. The shell of the monster was the main issue. It blocked any and all attacks to strike its master, perched within the crown at the top.

However, there was one place where the shell didn't cover, an area that could grant both him and Fred the small reprieve they so desperately need.

"I have an idea,"

****

Gura and Bush leaped back as the water monster slammed its baby-like hands into the ground, expanding outwards as though it were an egg.

Reeling its comical hand back slowly, the giant walking ball of water laid its hands flat while the water changed its shape to a cylinder, the spike on top sinking into the monster.

Both Bush and Gura leaped out of the way as the monster launched its body, stretching it out with the spike forwards, like a cannon. The spike itself embedded itself into the ground, leaving a deep groove as the monster pulled itself back.

With a moment's respite, Bush sent mud spikes running into the outstretched water body. The spikes penetrated deep into the water body, but quickly lost its shape before reaching the crumpled mass that surrounded the core. The monster drew its body backward, unopposed by the spikes, reforming into its original shape. As it reeled back, the tips of the mud spears broke apart, with large chunks of the mud captured within the water sphere, molding together in one area by unseen hands.

"No good. The water's too dense," Bush cursed. His mud may have been enhanced by his mana, but that didn't change the fact it was mud, damp earth softened by water, yet densely packed to give it a tangible shape. Unfortunately, while his ability allows him to freely move mud as well as hardening the properties, it did not change the fact that it was mud. As such, against a creature whose entire body is nothing but water, his attacks would be useless. The fact that the monster took the form that protected the weak spot deep in water meant that reaching that point would prove difficult.

The water monster reached into its body, grasping the mud that was collecting in its belly. Seeing this, Bush brought forth a mud wall as the monster freed and threw its ball towards the two. The impact hit harder than predicted, breaking through the barrier, slamming into Bush.

Gura turned towards the fallen man as the monster drew out the remaining mud from its chest. Gura only just noticed as the monster threw the ball at him. He was hit with the full force of what felt like a tree trunk, slamming into Gura's body, causing him to be pushed back a few feet, tumbling across the ground.

"Aww...." Gura moaned as he struggled back to his feet, thanking the goddess for his sturdy body. Meanwhile, the monster had sucked in its arms, lowering down its legs until it was nothing more than a large ball of water with a spike at the top. It then bounced into the sky, the spike descending into the water, reemerging at the bottom.

Gura only caught wind of the danger when he saw the shadow looming over him. He saw the water body looming directly over him. With a grunt, he jumped to his feet and ran, getting out of the way just before the body of water slammed itself into the ground spike first, the water spreading itself out like a pancake.

Gura tripped and tumbled across the ground with his mallet in his hand. Heaving it beside him as the water began to reform, Gura regained his stance, holding his mallet out before him. Large volumes of mud suddenly began to rise from the ground, coating itself around the water sphere. Turning his head he saw Bush, both hands to the ground.

"If that tip is encased in the water," Bush said through gritted teeth, trying to maintain his grip on the water sphere. "Then I should be able to crush it-"

Suddenly, a water tendril burst from the ground, warping itself around his leg. "Wha-"

Before the old man could comprehend what had happened, the water tendril burst from the ground, connecting to the water sphere embedded in the water sphere. It yanked Bush up as the water tendril dragged itself through the mud coating it, hauling the man over the creature before slamming him into the ground hard enough to crack the ground.

"OLD MAN BUSH!" Gura called out, seeing the old man obscured in the dust cloud that rose from where he landed.

The water monster rose itself from the ground, taking its shake once again. The mud flowed off the surface, the water expelling all the fragments as through purging itself of impurities. The spike atop still untouched.

"Damn you..." Gura grunted, heaving his mallet over his shoulder.

The water monster pulled back one of its hands, sending it towards Gura. The boy leaped out of the way as the hand stretched out like before, slamming down into the ground, flattening itself out like before.

"AHHHH!" Letting out a war cry, Gura slammed his mallet on the water, not caring if it would do anything that could hurt the monster. His mallet hit the water, not making any tangible damage.

The water monster drew back its hand, turning its body before lunging forwards another punch. Gura dodged out of the way, charging forwards again, resting his mallet on his shoulders as the monster drew back its fist.

With another war cry, he grasped his hammer in both hands, spinning like a whirlwind, the mallet slamming into the monster's leg, splashing out several volumes of water. Unfortunately, Gura's attack halted soon after as the mallet and his hands became caught in the water.

"... Maybe I didn't think this through," Gura said, feeling himself getting pulled into the leg, dragging him upwards by some unknown force. The boy's arms were engulfed as Gura turned his head as he struggled. His head was then the next to be consumed along with his torso.

Not good...

The inside of the water monster felt oppressive, as though he was swimming through concrete. He could barely move his body, even releasing the grip on his mallet was impossible. What was more, he could feel the air in his lings quickly drain the more he was pulled in.

Is this.... Is this how it end?

In the cold embrace, Gura could see his life flash before him, a sigh that is said to follow behind death's embrace.

All his life, he couldn't help but feel like an outcast amongst the samiets. He had no attribute for magic, which was uncommon opposed to downright rare. In exchange, he was blessed with a sturdy body. He was stronger than most, even amongst the adults. For a samiet, he was big, large, imposing. As a result, most villagers avoided him, seeing him as a violent brute because of his body size.

No one spoke to him, so he himself hardly ever spoke either. He would venture into the forest, putting his strength to the test with the monsters of the forest.

Most children avoided him in fear, none wanting to be his friend. For his early life he felt isolated, alone.

However, there was a handful who saw him as something more.

Steve, who asked him to be his henchmen almost out of the blue.

Redwol, who he felt he could confide in even though he was using him because of his size.

Rodger, who would always try to show Steve up, even calling on Gura to have a competition to see who could take down the strongest monster in the forest.

Dora and Fred, who the three would gather, to complain about there 'leaders.'

Those five were the closest thing he had to a friend. People who he would follow, people he would consider irreplaceable.

I.... I don't want to die yet....!

As Gura could feel the last of his body enter the water, a thick wave of mud grasped his legs, penetrating the water up while creeping up to his waist. The next thing he knew, Gura was heaved out of the water, flying around the monster before slamming on the ground. Coughing and spluttering, gasping for air, Gura looked up and saw Bush standing in front of him.

He saw some of his outer appearances seemed to be cracking, with some peeling off, sheading. It was an ability called 'mud shell,' in which Bush would coat himself in mud, which took on his outward appearance, acting like a second shield. Enhanced by his mana, it served as the last line defense, which seemed to have absorbed the impact of him being slammed to the ground by the water monster. The fact that it was peeling off hammered home the point of how bad an impact it was.

"Don't charge in so recklessly!" Bush snapped at the boy. His eyes turned back towards the water monster that was slowly making its way over to them. "Even your father wouldn't make such rash decisions."

Letting out a cough, Gura pushed himself up from the ground. "... Any ideas on how to reach that weak spot then?"

Bush's demeanor softened at the question, gritting his teeth. "The body's too dense. My mud burrows in deep enough to strike at that point."

"And my Mallet's useless against it," Gura said. "Only another option is to swim up into it. But...." He shuddered as he recalled the experience. Even the best swimmer in the village could not move in what felt like thick mud. "Damn it..." Gura growled, glaring at the spike atop the monster's head. "How do we beat this thing?"

AS the monster took a step forwards, four giant roots suddenly jutted from the ground, penetrating the massive body of water, crossing at the middle before continuing on out of the monster's body.

"Wha-" Both Bush and Gura stood stunned by the surprise attack.

"GRAMPS!"

"Hey! Gura!"

Standing a few feet away were both Dora (with both hands on the ground) and Redwol (clutching his crystal ball).

It didn't take much deduction to realize that if they were here the monster they were forced to contend with was dead. Gura could also see that, unlike the mud attack, the roots were not eroding under the water.

"Dora-"

"THAT SPIKES ITS WEAK POINT!" Gura called out, pointing at the spike.

"Huh?" Dora glanced at the monsters. He then looked to Redwol who consulted his crystal ball.

"There's.... something on the bottom of that spike," Redwol pointed out.

"Got it," Dora confirmed. Another spoke launched from directly below the monster, passing by the spikes in the center, slamming into the encrusted armor.

The water suddenly began to bubble and swirl, breaking apart the roots that had penetrated its body. As they continued to swirl around, the monster reached its chubby hands into its body, pulling out the roots two large root fragments, turning around before throwing it at both Dora and Redwol. Both rolled away just as the spike embedded itself into the ground. It then reached into its body, pulling out two more root fragments and threw them at Bush and Gura.

"That didn't work!" Bush said in frustration.

"Damn it.... just what are these freaks," Dora said from her position, panting heavily.

"There's still one more left in," Redwol said looking at his crystal ball. The image showed the bottom of the encrusted spike, showing the point of Dora's root still embedded within the monster. "If that's its week point, one more hit should do it."

Having heard what his friend had said, Gura looked back at the monster. Inside its body, root fragments swirling around, Gura saw the root in question. It looked as though it had cracked through the armor, probably stopping short of the core. By his reckoning, if someone were to hit it directly, it should finally kill the monster. But that proposed a dilemma. Bush's mud was useless in the water, and by the looks of it, Dora was low on mana, reckoning that it took most of what she had to just penetrate the armor.

That left only one option.

"Dora!" Gura called out, heaving his mallet over his shoulder. "When I'm directly under the monster, launch me up there!"

"Wh-what?!"

"What are you-"

"Gura! Think about-"

Not giving his companions a chance to voice their complaints, Gura charged the monster. Seeing him coming, the monster pulled back on of its arms, sending it overhead to squash the boy flat. Gura leaped out of the way before it hit, continuing his charge until he was directly between the monster's legs, holding his mallet down before yelling "NOW!"

Biting her lip, Dora lowered her head. "Don't blame me if you die!"

A flat root formed below Gura before propelling him upwards. The water hit him like a rock, pressing down on him as he traveled upwards through the swirling root fragments, calling forth all his strength to heave his hammer upwards.

The root stopped halfway through the monster's body, launching Gura forwards towards the root that was jutting out of the armor. Spinning counter-clockwise as he approached, Gura let out a war cry, expelling the air in his lungs for what felt like a boost to his strength. With all the might he had, his mallet slammed into the root, pushing it further into its target.

Everything stopped for what felt like years. The water monster instantly froze. Cracks then began to form on the armor, finally exploding outwards followed by a yellow liquid. Gura was obscured from view as the yellow substance flowed outwards. The monster reeled in what looked like pain, taking a step back. The water that made up its body began to bubble and then exploded outwards, showering the samiets.

They looked forward to see if their friend was alive and well. Right in the center, where the monster stood was the spike that was beginning to crumble. Beside it was Gura lying on his back, taking in deep breaths, something of a smile on his lips.

"That..... That actually worked,"