'Why is she so passionate about slaying that monster?' Aeric thought, watching from behind the outcrop. 'Perhaps she has some history with it.'
A large tentacle from the MegaSquid was crashing down, it shattered the cage that Kael had imprisoned its body with and then moved to the left, coming for his main defense, the [Aegis].
Seeing this, Bel channeled her Divinity from behind, casting a shimmering casing around Kael to bolster him as he bore the brunt of the MegaSquid's assaults.
The [Aegis] held strong, protecting him, Bel and Aeric.
"Weaken my target!" Bel cried. "Skill Activation: Nerf!"
Aeric watched in awe as Bel's Divinity glowed softly, golden and warm, contrasting sharply against the beast's sickly hue as it covered it, attempting to weaken it.
Then, Alzera moved, her form a blur. Her eyes were burning with rage, her muscles were pulsing, her veins pumping blood excessively.
She darted forward with a speed and ferocity that left Aeric breathless, her blade igniting with a blinding flash of fire as she slashed at one of the creature's primary eyes.
It roared, the sound a guttural, unearthly wail that reverberated through the cavern, causing Aeric to wince.
She slashed again, and again. Each time the beast tried to fight back, Ryn would join in and take its focus away from Alzera, giving her the space she needed to kill it.
Everything was chaos. There were tentacles slamming into the ground, rocks scattering, flashes of Divinity illuminating the room in quick bursts.
In that moment, Aeric felt like an intruder, a spectator watching as the team moved with ruthless efficiency, each in sync, each playing their part in a deadly dance.
But the thing was that the MegaSquid was relentless, adapting to each move, each strike. Every time Alzera found an opening, it would twist and recoil, using its other tentacles to ensnare Ryn and his clones, and once the tentacles were tight around Ryn, warping became difficult.
Crash!
After multiple attacks, Kael's shield came shattering into pieces.
Aeric quickly noticed a tentacle lash falling in his direction. Quickly, he stumbled left, entering deeper into the opening in the cave, and narrowly avoiding its barbed tip as it gouged the ground inches from his feet. His pulse thundered in his ears.
"Watch yourself, Dagwood!" Kael shouted as he got on his feet. The Vanguard was sweating, breathing hard and raspy, but still very determined.
But the shattered earth rose high, separating Aeric and Alzera from the others. It expanded until rocks filled up the chasm. The two sides were slanting now, so Aeric and Alzera kept rolling and rolling on the ground till they both crashed on a pile of rocks.
Alzera first, then Aeric after.
"Owww!" he groaned in pain, clutching both his head and his hip. "That hurt."
The pile of rocks began to crumble. Eyes wide, Aeric quickly got out of the way, but Alzera wasn't as fast. The crumbled rocks fell on her just as she was about to move her legs.
"Hells! Nghhhh!" she cursed in agony.
"I have you! I have you!" Aeric exclaimed as he began to pick the rocks one by one. Once they were a few left, he pulled her out, then helped her to a side of the wall.
"That's enough. That's enough." Alzera, who clearly didn't like to be helped, said. She struggled to her knees, her face pale. A small gash trailed blood down her temple.
"Damn it... Are you alright?" Aeric asked, his voice strained.
"I am fine. I can not say the same for that bastard beast."
Aeric pouted his lips, quickly moving to her side while unsure if she would slap him if he dared offer her help. "You're hurt," he muttered, pressing a cloth to the wound on her forehead.
Surprisingly, Alzera didn't stop him. Rather, she looked at him with a hint of surprise, but he kept working, checking for other injuries.
"Don't... fuss over me, Dagwood," she managed, trying to brush him off, but her words lacked their usual bite.
"Sorry, but someone has to make sure you don't pass out on me," he replied, surprising himself with the confidence in his voice. "Just... stay still a moment."
Alzera then looked around, clearly searching for something. When she didn't find it, she called Aeric's name. "Dagwood?"
Aeric lifted his head. "Yes?"
"Where is the bag of beast cores?"
The Son's face instantly dried of color and his heart sank. "What?"