I stepped out of the aether and into the shadow of a stygian. Both my blades were still sheathed. They would be of no help in this battle.

But that did not mean I was helpless.

My empty right hand flew forward. Midway to my target, an astral blade coalesced in my palm, and I buried it hilt-deep in the smoky outline of the serpent’s neck.

You have backstabbed a level 108 stygian serpent for 100% more psi damage!

The nether creature jerked upright, hissing in surprise. I readied a second astral blade, but before I could strike, I spotted a second form rushing downwards upon me. Aborting my attack, I blinked away and flung the psi dagger at a different target instead.

You have backstabbed a level 110 stygian serpent for 100% more psi damage!

I’d done better choosing my second prey. The beast in question was already engaged with the centaur and considerably injured. Not letting the opportunity pass by, I struck again.

You have injured your target, inflicting psi damage.

The snake shuddered, and I sensed it was almost done for. A shadow grew behind me. It was from another foe drawing closer.

Ignoring the new attacker, I stayed focused on the injured serpent. Kept busy by the crusader, it had not turned around to face me. Whipping my right hand forward again, I flicked a third astral blade at my target.

You have killed a level 110 stygian serpent.

There was no time to celebrate the kill. The serpent behind was diving. But I knew already that it was too late to avoid the onrushing blow. I whirled about, determined to not let the creature escape unscathed.

Neither I nor the serpent got to complete our attacks.

A streak of light—a glowing projectile—flashed past me to bury itself deep in the open mouth of my striking foe.

Simone has killed a level 109 stygian beast with a fatal blow.

My head jerked up in surprise, and I threw the archer on the rooftop a grateful nod. Reassured that I could count on the party’s assistance—for this encounter at least—I threw myself back into the fray.

Shadow blinking, I teleported forward to emerge on the opposite flank of a serpent Jasiah battled. I was already poised to strike and activated whirlwind the moment I emerged from the aether.

You have cast whirlwind, increasing your attack speed by 100% for 3 seconds.

The spell energized me, and my form a blur, I lunged forward to strike with the astral blade in my right hand.

You have backstabbed a level 102 stygian serpent for 100% more psi damage!

Even before I completed the first blow, my left hand was flashing forward. Alas, it was absent an astral blade. Despite my new speed, I couldn’t summon the psi daggers fast enough to keep up, and rather than delay my attacks, I struck out in another manner.

Drawing psi from my mind, I sent it coursing through my muscles, out my open palm, and directly into my foe.

There was no resistance at the moment of impact, of course.

My blow passed unheeded through the creature’s wavering form. Still, as my hand waded through the cloying ichor and gelatinous lumps that passed for the serpent’s body in the physical realm, invasive energy flooded the serpent.

A stygian serpent has passed a physical resistance check! You have failed to stun your target.

I was undaunted by the Game message. If anything, it pleased me. I’d been unsure if stunning slap would work, what with the spell being at least partially physical in nature, but the message’s phrasing implied it could succeed.

I struck out again, this time with the open palm of my right hand.

A stygian serpent has failed a physical resistance check! You have stunned your target for 1 second.

I grinned at the spell’s success. Astral blade was ready again, and with my foe still stunned, I plunged the psi dagger in my left hand into its neck.

You have backstabbed your target for 100% more psi damage! You have killed a stygian serpent.

“Nice work,” Jasiah said as the serpent collapsed between us.

I nodded perfunctorily. “Let’s get the next,” I said, already moving.

“No,” the duelist barked abruptly. “Moon has finally gotten his act together. We need to clear the field.” Raising his voice, he yelled, “Barac heads up! Incoming!”

The centaur glanced upward, and his eyes widened. Following his gaze, I spotted three roiling balls of light and energy floating downwards from the rooftop.

While we’d been trading blows with the stygians, the party’s mage had not been idle. Making use of the protection afforded by his elevated position, Moonshadow had cast a more complex spell than the simple lightning bolts he’d been using earlier. And judging from the reaction of his companions, it was a powerful one.

“Back!” Barac roared.

Trusting the fighters to know what they were about, I obediently swung about and headed after Jasiah, who had braced himself against the side of the building.

Two steps into my retreat, I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Barac wasn’t following. Worse yet, bereft of other targets, the serpents were converging on the lone crusader.

The centaur was surrounded.

I stumbled to a halt, and my eyes darted upwards. The slowly descending crackling orbs were only seconds away from impact. The hydra, too, drew closer, and while it was still not an immediate threat, it would be soon. On his own, would the crusader be able to survive orbs, stygians, and hydra?

I doubted it. I should assist him.

Barac, though, didn’t need help.

Ignoring the converging serpents, and before I could move in his direction, the crusader rose up on his back legs and brought his forelegs crashing down.

Barac has cast hoof stomp.

The ground bucked, and shockwaves rippled outward from the impact, overtaking the serpents, the hydra, and my own position.

I flung out my arms, trying to maintain my balance on the suddenly heaving ground. It was no use. Like the stygians, I was flung off my feet.

You have failed a physical resistance check! You have been knocked down. You have been stunned for 3 seconds.

Urgh. Flat on my back and helpless to move, I stared up at the sky and what I was sure was my onrushing doom—the three glowing orbs of Moonshadow’s spell.

A furious face appeared above me. “Idiot!” Barac yelled. “Didn’t I tell you to retreat?”

He had, and I was sorry now that I hadn’t listened. But still reeling from the stun, I couldn’t seem to get my mouth to work and voice my apology.

“Why do I bother?” Barac growled. With another angry mutter, the centaur reached down and dragged me away.

~~~

Despite the ignominious manner of his conveyance, Barac got me to safety in time. Moments after we took shelter against the side of the building, the mage’s spell hit.

The charged orbs, sailing gracefully downwards, splashed into the ground in slow motion to create three expanding pools of lightning.

The serpents, most of whom were still recovering from Barac’s spell, were trapped in the charged fields and writhed helplessly as the destructive coils of energy crackled through their wavering forms.

A level 105 stygian serpent has died.

A level 109 stygian serpent has died.

A level 103 stygian serpent has died.

…

With my mouth hanging open, I watched in awe as, one by one, the serpents collapsed into motionless heaps.

“Thanks for the assist earlier,” Jasiah remarked from above me.

I dusted the debris still clinging to me and rose to my feet. “You're welcome,” I replied absently, not tearing my gaze away from the dying beasts.

For the next twenty seconds, Moonshadow’s spell continued to wreak havoc. Of the original pack of seventeen serpents, only five remained alive, and they, too, looked nearly dead. Barac had charged forth again to engage them and seemed to have matters well in hand.

This time, I left him to it.

My gaze drifted past the centaur to the hydra. It was the only stygian to have escaped the destruction of Moonshadow’s spell.

The creature had come to a halt a safe distance from Barac and, with frightful intensity, watched the demise of its fellows through six pairs of eyes. I glanced at Jasiah. He was studying the hydra too.

I jerked my chin at the creature. “How do we deal with that?”

“Not easily,” he replied with a sour laugh. “Hydras may be slow, but they can be tough bloody critters. And they are a damn sight smarter than the average stygian.”

“You guys have a plan, though?”

There was no response.

“Don't you?” I asked, turning around to stare at him.

Jasiah still did not reply, but before I could badger him further, the final serpent perished, and I returned my attention to the battlefield.

Barac was looming over his last kill, eying the hydra. Staring at him in turn, the beast remained where it was. Why isn't it attacking? I wondered. Or fleeing?

At a whistling sound from behind, I glanced back to see Moonshadow and Simone slipping deftly down the rope.

The elven mage scowled at me, recognition sparking in his eyes. “I thought you looked familiar. Why have you come to trouble us again?” He craned his head to peer behind me. “You don’t have another Mantis on your tail, do you?”

“You know him?” Barac asked, returning to rejoin us.

The hydra, I noted, still hadn’t moved.

“He’s the one I told you about,” Moonshadow said. “The noob who slipped the Mantis on us.”

“Hmm,” the centaur remarked, hefting his large axe in a manner that was not very comforting. “Maybe we should—”

“Enough,” Simone said, cutting through the chatter. “We’ll sort out that mess later.” She jerked her chin towards the hydra. “For now, we've got to see to that.” Her gaze flitted to me. “You’ve proven useful so far, and we could do with help. Are you still with us?”

I nodded. I’d come this far and saw no reason to back out of the fight now. “What's it waiting for?”

“The beast is smart enough to realize it’s too slow to flee or to catch us,” Simone answered grimly. “So, it's doing the only thing it can: waiting for reinforcements. The rift is just beyond that corner,” she added, gesturing down the street. “And it is still open.” The archer eyed her companions. “If we are going to tackle this monster, it's now or never. We're doing this?”

The other three nodded.

From the group’s interactions, I guessed the archer was the party leader, and I watched her intently, curious to see what plan she came up with for tackling the hydra.

Simone glanced at the elf. “Moonshadow, you ready?”

“Just about,” the mage replied. Pulling out a flask, he gulped down its contents.

It was a mana restoration potion, I realized. Both Jasiah and Barac were drinking potions, too, although I didn’t recognize the contents of their own vials. This party is well-equipped.

“I am now,” Moonshadow said a heartbeat later.

“Alright,” Simone said, speaking rapidly now. “For those who don't know—” her gaze fixed meaningfully on me—“hydras can soak up loads of damage. On top of that, they can regenerate too. So, if we are going to slay the beast, we’re going to have to hit it hard and fast, overwhelming it. Understood?”

I nodded.

“Another thing,” Simone went on. “The hydra itself may be slow on its feet, but those heads of it are anything but. Six converging simultaneously on you is no joke. Beware of them.” She eyed me from head to foot. “I can see you’re not equipped to go toe to toe with the beast. It's best if you hang back. Do you have a ranged weapon?”

I shook my head. “Don't worry about me. I'll be fine up close.”

The archer opened her mouth, then closed it with a snap. “It's your funeral,” she said with a shrug.

“Do you even have a blade that can hurt it?” Jasiah asked.

I hesitated, then replied in the negative. “I don't, but I have a spell that can serve as a substitute.”

The duelists snorted. Digging into a pouch at his waist, he extracted a shortsword seemingly from thin air. The pouch had to be a bag of holding, I realized. The fighter held the blade out to me, hilt first. “Here, use this.”

I took the offered weapon.

You have acquired a rank 3 stygian shortsword, +3. This item has been enchanted to increase the wielder’s shortsword skill by +3 ranks.

Stygian weapons are forged from materials harvested from the corpses of nether creatures. Imbued with the essence of a stygian, this weapon will inflict necrotic damage instead of physical damage. This item requires a minimum Dexterity of 12 to wield.

With an effort, I kept my eyes from widening. “Thank you,” I managed.

“It’s a loan only,” he said.

I inclined my head, grateful nonetheless.

“One more thing,” Simone said, drawing my attention to her. “The hydra is different from most other stygians you may have fought—” her gaze darted meaningfully towards the dead serpents—“including those. The beast is more fully present in this world than most of its brethren manage.”

I frowned at her. “What does that mean?”

It was Moonshadow who answered. “What Simone is getting at is that hydra will have real weight and presence. You will not be able to pass through its form as you may have done with other stygian beasts. Got it?”

I nodded slowly in understanding. “Got it.”

“Alright, then,” Simone said. “Let’s get down to strategy. Ideas anyone?”