Ezek lets off his grenade where its swollen eye remains, yet it runs through without any hesitation, confirming its blindness on one side as well as other weak points. And with that, he also takes into consideration that the monster wants him for lunch, and so begins his bolting from one level to another, running across the walls, sliding under incoming stones falling, getting his forehead grazed as he tries to outrun the beast and its flames, ultimately getting slapped down into a dead end. His body shifts heavy from that hit, coughing blood as he gets up with the weight of a truck on his back. The beast laughs, growling as it comes forward, its pride slowly returning to its highest form.

"What are you laughing at, stink bag?" Ezek challenges, rocking his head to endure his conscious self, trying to keep his balance.

"Little worm, how fragile. To imagine something like you could ruin such a superior creation as myself, birthed from the hands of the dark gods...but reasonably I should tell you that I admire your skills and courage, little elf," The beast states, resuming its laughter.

"Well...I gotta tell it to ya- ugh...they did you real dirty making you so damn ugly. I think I should tell you that" Ezek chuckles.

"Hm...I guess you will die bravely even in the end...I respect you"

The beast lifts its paw, hindering the sunlight from Ezek's face, claws grown sharper with its bloody fangs bearing at its prey. Ezek now realizes that one of his legs is sprained, smirking as he's thinking fast on how he'll get out of the situation alive. But comes a bolting Nahshon, expression of an angered predator with lightning dancing off his body. He throws a flashbang at the face of the beast, completely dazing it and whitening its eyes, and he leaps through the space between it and its lifted paw, slashing out the swollen eye. He then stops at the side of a wall, bouncing off like a ricocheting bullet, slashing the beast in many successes in blinding speed, tearing through tendons with his sword, weakening the beast to only three firm legs. But in quick prediction, the beast catches Nahshon off guard, swatting him, throwing the boy into the air with one of its horns. Nahshon groans in pains as he gushes blood out his mouth mid-air, but refuses to let go of himself, storing his sword away.

"Fuck you!!!" Nahshon drums into the ears of the beats.

He channels his fuming wrath within, and like thunder, he throws down a bolt in the appearance of claws that rain down like a storm at the beast, casting a small dust storm. He catches himself with the blast of a charge, rolling to Ezek's side, blood trickling from his head, thanking Dahlia for the vila she had given him to use on his meals.

"Hm, I thought you were dead," Ezek says, thankful for his presence.

"Tch..I'm just glad you're okay too," Nahshon smile, flashing the blood of the beast off his sword, seeing Ezek's sprain leg. "My bag was destroyed by the fall, so I can't give you a potion right now...sorry, still how bad it is?"

"Don't worry, it's not too bad, I just need the right timing again to blast it again"

"Yeah, we should find the right chance"

"Heh...Way to make the entrance, honestly never thought you had it in you...especially remembering the first time we met"

"Tch... let's just make sure we don't die here"

The dust clears as the beast gets up, persisting in its wanting for triumph, and this time it cannot even screech from being too weak, maintaining all its leftover strength for the battle ahead.

"Let's finish this," Nahshon says, with a cloak of his magic activating, taking his stance, and Ezek summoning a weapon.

***

For the other side of the battle, the serpent had shaken the form of the elite numbers, flinging soldiers aside with its gigantic body, shooting acidic venom while others shoot at it from a distance, but it is futile for the serpent's skin seems to bounce off their bullets like rubber.

"This is bad, not one, but now two monsters now occupy our space," Arnaldo thinks. "This is absolutely terrible, Hijo de puta!"

He turns to Vernon atop a building watching everything, calmly smiling as he looks at Arnaldo and nods.

"Ah, yes! I must remember, I am a proud knight under Commander Vernon's leadership, and of the Strongcastle knights!" He declares, observing the situation. "Nora!"

"Yes, captain!" She answers.

"Cast a healing spell! Bjørn, you must protect her until she's finished," He commands.

"Yes, sir!" Bjørn shouts, both he and Nora getting prepared.

Nora builds her aura as the soldiers struggle on, keeping its attention away from where it cannot get her mixed in. With the lift of her staff, it begins shining brightly in the sun as a sea of light shines down on the battlefield. The light begins to warm her allies and the snake catches on, tasting the build-up of magic that is around her, and in a full 180 degrees, its attention shifts to Nora, slithering at full speed to savour more.

"Damn it! Nora, I think you should hurry it up!" Bjørn warns, though her eyes are closed and their voices silent to her, concentrated on the connection with her goddess.

The serpent reaches them closer and closer with every second, fangs revealed, turning its body for a great bite, however, its chance slips, thrust away by Arnaldo's strong body like a shell to the face.

"It is done!" Nora says as a beaming light shines from the entire staff.

"Goddess of protection, love, and harmony, hear my prayer. As your disciple, let your kindness shine upon us and bring aid to the wounded and weary. As I praise you, give them your support, shield them with your flames of protection" ~ Krystal prays

A cast of green fire washes over them all, cleaning entire wounds, even fixing fractured bones for everyone on the battlefield, as well as receiving buffs that strengthen their feats.

"Alright!! Bjørn, join us!!" Arnaldo shouts. "Hunters, with me. Sharpshooters, take whatever explosives from the hunters, and find a high elevation point and wait on my mark!!"

"Roger!!" They all salute.

"What's the plan, Arnaldo?" A hunter asks.

"It is a snake, so it must can die like a snake," He tells them. "Bjørn it will be up to you in the endgame, you will know when the time is right"

"Huh?" Bjørn questions, now maintaining his focus. "...Alright!"

"Now come, roar, soldiers!!"

The hunters set their shields in hand, attracting the serpent with their calling. It takes their request, wiggling as it continues to the new taste in the air.

"Now! Throw the explosives!!" Arnaldo commands.

In a unified matter, They throw a different variety of explosives, shot by the marksmen which creates a light show around the snake's field of sight, as Arnaldo stick his blade into the ground.

"Nora, make me lift!!" He says, running towards the distracted serpent, as Vernon gets beside her.

With that slim opportunity as the end of the explosions occurs, Arnaldo leaps into the air, caught by Nora's field spell in which he uses to propel himself more, striking the serpent with an uppercut to the jaw, causing it to bite its tongue, secreting venom in itself. The plan succeeds, having the serpent lash out at its venom, and with that, Arnaldo, along with the hunters, use their strength to hold the lower section of its body in place.

"Bjørn, take my weapon!!" Arnaldo tells the boy.

Bjørn grabs it in a swift take, speeding towards them at full speed. Arnaldo lifts his shield, launching Bjørn into the air at shot force. He catches his form from the intensity of the throw, leaping down with Arnaldo's great blade in his two hands. The venom sees him falling, restraining itself from spazzing out any further.

"Sh-Shit!" Bjørn freefalls, seeing that the serpent regained composure.

The serpent spits out venom at Bjørn whose movements are restricted by the air, blocked by another spell of Nora, then a whisk of fire sets off the venom splash onto serpent's face, igniting the snake. Bjørn looks over at Nora, gripping her staff to hope their plan works, and Vernon with a paper fire spell he had used up. His eyes become serious, thanking them for this chance, he comes down with the full effect of gravity as his advantage as soldiers cheer him on with chanting.

"For Verencia!!" The soldiers shout in unity.

Bjørn passes the serpent with a swing that creates a sound of the blade chopping through its scaly skin, lopping off most of its neck. The rest of its head splits off, the neck sprinkling blood like rain over the battlefield.

"Good job, boy" Arnaldo compliments, Bjørn grinning as they get to the ground. "Now, let's go help those other allies of ours"

***

The beast crashes down due to its cut tendons, yet still, it does not stop its ferocious onslaught, however, with its weakening, those attacks grow sluggish. Nahshon and Ezek fight it in absolute unity, both succeeding in where one fails, healed by Nora's spell, dodging attacks; sliding under its belly as they continue with their pressuring tactics, using the environment and each other as their advantage, leaving the beast to stagger with Nahshon's sword breaking inside its body, now preparing to burst flames against them even though its damaging itself by doing so.

"Shit-what do we do?? there's no cover!" Nahshon says.

A blast of sound echos above them, and they look up to witness a dwarf jumping over the high walls of the fort. He lands before the beast light them up, enlarging his hands, clapping away the flames with sheer power. The beast with its burning face, fumes more, deciding on just storming once again.

"Nahshon! on me!!" Ezek tells him.

The dwarf grins at its challenger, growing in size, unleashing a combo of strikes with big impacts that sprinkle the field with a small dust storm once again, sending the atrocity crashing into a wall.

"...Hmm? I've never seen you lads around before," The dwarf says, stroking his long braided beard. "And it seems you've done most of the work already"

"Yeah...!" Ezek says as the dust clears up.

With his rocket launcher summoned, crouched to aim his weapon, while Nahshon shoulders over him, lightning zapping off him and onto the front of Ezek's launcher, both pair of eyes with conviction to finish the job. The beast gets up in its last stand, forcing one last mighty roar, charging with pride even in the end.

"Now!!!" Ezek yells.

Together they let out their best attacks. Ezek fires off his rockets, speed and power matched by the claws Nahshon forms once again. And like a raging wolf pacing, the projectiles collide with the beast, a blast that throws the boys up into a whirlwind, saved by the dwarf who jumps for them. As for the beast, its skin strips from the intensity of the attack, limbs getting torn away, almost sending it into oblivion. The wind calms and comes to the end of the battle.

"You alright, lads?" The dwarf asks, setting them down.

"Yeah," Ezek says, chuckling in relief. "I don't know what the hell happened, but I'm just glad my leg healed just in time"

The rest catch up, climbing atop the rubbles, recognising the dwarf. Their smiles become even brighter, shouting vice commander as they run to the dwarf and boys, surrounding them with epic moments their just itching to tell, informing him that he missed a lot.

"Vice Commander, where were you anyway?? This seems very much like something you'd want to join in on" A female soldier asks.

"I-uh..." He laughs, clearing his throat.

"Wh-" She replies, shaking her head as the Vice awkwardly strokes his beard. "Forget I asked, I never asked you anything, nothing at all...!"

"Gunnar," Vernon comes.

"Vernon!" Gunnar grins. "I can't believe I missed all this pleasure of fighting a beast, tell me, how was it?"

"It went well, of course. His strategies are always the exciting ones," Arnaldo comes. "I'm certain if Victor and Arwyn were present, this would have been finished a lot faster, but we got the job done nevertheless"

"Yes, indeed," Gunnar nods, then claps to get everybody's attention as they have scattered. "Alright! knowing you all probably very hungry, and thirsty for a drink, we've come prepared!"

"We?" Bjørn questions.

Reinforcements arrived, some dressed as chefs, asking Vernon where they should set up. The hungry soldiers run up the rubbles in joy, help setting up tents for food, as well as bathroom purposes. Their next hours are filled with them all first taking showers, males and females separated inside different sections of the fort, then filling their bellies with warm meals, and cold drinks; sodas, fruit blends, beer and alcohol. And lastly, marking the walls of the fort with symbols that will keep out any more monsters from surprising them, with the marks self-drawing themselves into the grounds of the fort, creating the beauty of an art that glows the more the day dims, surrounded by the many mountains of Strongcastle.

Everybody spread their Sleep sacs as night has now fallen, changed in light clothing, dimming their energy into watching an old west movie on a flatscreen that they borrowed from the neighbouring and kind construction site above, one that they somehow made work with no visible plugs in the area. Ezek gets up from the audience of the show, stretching as he begins to roam around. In his wandering, he sees a man and a woman flirting in a dimmed spot, the man squeezing her butt as they both move to look for a more secluded area. Ezek smirks, seeing things may get hot for a couple of people in this fort. He then looks up to see Vernon and Gunnar having a chat, Vernon greeting Ezek below. He then turns to Nahshon sitting by a fire, playing with his magic as he creates shapes and animated animals around his finger, while Nora and Bjørn are fast asleep on their sleep sacs, cuddled together with Nora having her leg over him like he's a human-size teddy bear.

"They're a couple, aren't they? They have to be, look at them," Ezek says to Nahshon, joining him at the fire. "Ugh, I'm beat"

"Same," Nahshon replies, rubbing his head.

"Hm, I can't say you didn't show off a lot today," Ezek compliments. "The way you were bouncing among the walls was awesome, not gonna lie, you had me impress"

"Really? Thank you. You were awesome too; you really did a number on that monster"

"Yeah, it was well deserved too, but I guess...I guess I should give it some respect too," He says, looking up the northern lights swaying in the open night sky. "Prideful to the end"

"Hmm, yeah"

"...Night, I'm going offline for tonight," Ezek yawns, feeling its awkward to continue the conversation.

"Alright, bro," Nahshon says, waving hin good night.

Nahshon rests himself into his Sleep sac, looking up to the northern lights, eyes growing heavy as he begins to feel cosy in this night, eyes closed, emerging into his dreams with the passing hours.