Chapter LXXIX: Giant Monster Number Two

Isset’s feet scraped the Mamool Ja’s skin as she ran up its chest, backflipping off of it to land atop a Troll soldier. The beastman lurched as she wrapped her legs around the back of his neck. Reaching back, it attempted to throw her off, but not before she thrust the two blades surmounting her knuckles into the sides of its throat. She slipped free as it fell forward, purplish blood spurting from its wounds. The lizardman which had been used as a springboard came at her, swinging its serrated sword. Isset roundhouse kicked it in the face, sending it sprawling. Shoki leaped from her back where he had been patiently coiled. Its arms deployed at the Puppetmaster’s command, and a burst of light shot from it like an arrow. The Mamool Ja was struck in the chest, and gave a great heave at the wound. It fell, and did not rise again.

Two down, and it seemed countless hundreds to go. She paused for a moment to catch her breath. Other mercenaries were starting to rush into action from Whitegate as well, while Imperial units battled the beastmen in the streets of Al Zahbi. Already their efforts were starting to have an impact. The monsters the beastmen had in tow were being decimated by the mercenaries, the majority of them adventurers well-versed in dealing with the creatures which prowled the land. Still, the bulk of what faced them was the beastmen themselves. It was all they could do to hold their own against such a host.

The Mamool Ja remained the most pressing threat. They flooded into Ulthalam’s Parade Grounds, with but one more gate between them and the Hall of Binding. The undead swarm bolstered their ranks, and the ever-deadly Lamiae peppered the Imperial ranks from afar. Without Najelith’s unit providing cover for them, the Empire’s soldiers were now faced with bombardment themselves. Mages tried to attack the Lamiae from afar, but such tactics only got them targeted themselves. Isset had tried to reach them several times herself now, but the legions were packed too tightly. Just as the Empire had learned from so many battles with the beastmen, so to were they adapting their tactics.

A standstill was being reached in the eastern sector of Al Zahbi. Meanwhile, in the southern portion, an entirely different battle was transpiring.

The Stoneserpent Zazarg hammered at Gurfurlur the Menacing with his mighty fists. The Troll King grunted as blows rained down upon his tree trunk-like arms. Zazarg laughed, rearing back and delivering a shattering blow with his steel-bladed knuckles. Gurfurlur’s feet bit into the ground as the Galkan general pushed him away from the southern gates. Imperial regulars continued their back-and-forth with the Troll soldiers as Zazarg’s elite strongarms took on their bulky hammer-wielders. Making a bold declaration in his native tongue, Gurfurlur pushed back at the Stoneserpent. Zazarg met his challenge head on, bracing himself against the Troll's unforgiving strength. Beneath them, the stone walkways of Al Zahbi cracked from the strain of maintaining two brutes such as they, neither one willing to move for the other. Suddeny going limp, Zazarg let Gurfurlur fall forward against the unexpected shift in momentum. His punch collided against the Troll King's rounded jaw, snapping his head to the side. Gurfurlur reared back from the blow. He ran a hand aross his jaw, staring down speculatively at the Stoneserpent.

The Troll was clearly larger than the Galka, and had the obvious physical advantage. Still, Zazarg was formidably powerful, and moved with speed which belied his size. Gurfurlur’s mighty fists caught Zazarg full in the chest, to which the Galka skidded backwards on his heels, and then looked up smiling. Rearing his fist back, he unleashed a blistering wave of energy into his opponent. His shattering fist struck Gurfurlur straight on, and staggered the Troll King backwards. Zazarg took the opportunity to rush forward, viciously uppercutting Gurfurlur. With the mountainous Troll stunned, the Stoneserpent hammered at his exposed stomach. The Menacing doubled over, and then Zazarg executed a truly legendary feat. Bracing his arms against the Troll’s barklike skin, he strained his muscles until his veins nearly burst from his skin. With a tremendous heave, the Stoneserpent lifted Gurfurlur the Menacing off the ground, hefting his entire incredible weight over his head. With a powerful hurl, the massive bulk which was the Troll King slammed to the ground, and Al Zahbi shook at the impact.

The Trolls faltered at the sight of Zazarg standing over the fallen Gurfurlur. The Serpent General’s men rallied, pushing the giant beastmen back, regaining ground they had lost. The Stoneserpent reared back, preparing to drive his fist into the Troll’s head, ending it once and for all.

Like a serpent striking, Gurfurlur’s hand snatched the Galka’s head. His massive palm completely encased Zazarg’s skull. Slowly, a growl on his lips and a malicious glint in his eyes, he rose from the trench his fall had created. The Stoneserpent struggled mightily, but the Menacing’s grip was stronger than any vise. The red-armored Moblin by his side leaped up and down as Gurfurlur held Zazarg aloft, shouting at the Imperial army.

“The Boss says, this one is too weak! There’s no one strong enough to face down the Boss!” Gurfurlur brought Zazarg in close, whispering something in the Troll language. No translation was necessary. With crushing force, Zazarg was driven face-first into the ground, and then scraped viciously against the stone. Gurfurlur scraped the gasping Serpent General from the ground, only to smash a fist into his torso. Zazarg spat blood as Gurfurlur once again grabbed him by the head, a smile creasing his face as he looked off into the distance.

The Galka shot through the air like an arrow as he was hurled with obscene might towards the stone walls separating the Trolls from the Chocobo Alley. The Stoneserpent slid down to the ground, his body leaving an indentation where he had struck. Gurfurlur stood, slowly turning his head towards the Imperial opposition. They shrank back from his gaze, and the Trolls pushed forward stronger than ever.

“Gaha . . . hahaha . . . gwahahahahahaha!”

Gurfurlur turned in disbelief. Zazarg’s arm broke free from the ground, and a moment later the Galka pushed himself up. He stood, wavering on his feet. Shaking his head rapidly, he squinted to focus his eyes on the Troll King. His Moblin accomplice quickly hid behind the beastman’s bulk. The Galka and the Troll stared one another down across the intervening distance.

Gurfurlur shouted something in Trollish, but his meaning was clear.

Zazarg laughed again. “Come on then!” He beckoned. “Let’s settle this now!”

The Stoneserpent broke forward at a dead run. Gurfurlur did the same, both picking up speed as they ran. Cries rose from both their throats as they reared back their fists. The gap between them was closed in an eyeblink. With all their might, both fighters swung at one another.

The cobblestones at their feet shattered. Granite cracked and fissured, and the ground quaked. Soldiers from both sides were thrown off their feet from the shockwave as Stoneserpent General Zazarg and Gurfurlur the Menacing both simultaneously struck with all they had. A haze of dust billowed up from the pulverized stone which had been at their feet. In the southern sector of Al Zahbi, there was a moment of improbable silence as Troll and Imperial alike stared at the impenetrable cloud.

A mighty roar shattered the stillness as a fourth seal vanished from the Hall of Binding.


Gulool Ja Ja’s two heads hissed impatiently as Speed continued to fumble his way through a successful defense. The walls of Al Zahbi were beginning to crumble beneath the lizardman’s onslaught as it grew angrier at his foe. Speed handled his Amood like he was juggling it, clumsily slipping it from one hand to the next just in time to deflect the glancing blows directed his way. He tripped over his own feet, stumbling backwards just in time to avoid being caught by one of the Autarch’s swords. The weapon hit the brick wall beside them with such force that it buried itself up to the hilt. With a mighty tug, the Mamool Ja’s leader tore his weapon free, bringing half the wall down with it.

Stone and bricks rained down from upon Imperial and beastman alike as Gulool Ja Ja hacked away at Speed. His frustration grew with every accidental parry and lucky evasion. The Hume seemed almost unaware of what he was doing, and in fact often stopped where he was and then looked up at the Mamool Ja, astonished. However accidentally, he had thus far successfully kept Najelith safe. She lay still unconscious some distance away from the both of them, where she had fallen at Gulool Ja Ja’s hands. The Galeserpent’s soldiers were scattered now, pushed off the walls by Ja Ja’s fierce attack and devastating power. Only Speed remained to thwart him.

“Stay still, smoothskin!” The warrior head shouted, furiously slashing with his serrated blade. Speed nearly dropped his Amood, and as he caught it, the weapon twirled around, coming up to slap Gulool Ja Ja’s own sword away. The wizard head spat fire at him, but he avoided the ball of greasy flames with a swaggering sidestep. Bleary-eyed, he blinked multiple times at the lizardman, and then frowned.

“Whoa, you could really hurt me there, dude.” Speed gripped his Amood in both hands. “I know, I know, this is a fight, right? Man, so not cool. This is starting to kill my buzz, guy.”

“Speak nonsense, smoothskin does.” The wizard head hissed at him, bringing up its longsword.

“Speak no more, he shall!” The warrior head shouted, and they lunged for Speed again. The Mamool Ja Autarch’s blades flashed as he hammered at the Warrior. Each new strike came faster and faster, tearing through the stone walkways and smashing through the walls as they were deflected. Speed’s clarity was growing, and with it the power of his namesake. His moves seemed less often simple dumb luck now. The Aht Urghanian was starting to get faster, fast enough to keep pace with Gulool Ja Ja himself.

Still, the Autarch was one of the most powerful beastmen alive. When both of his heads reared up and let loose a roar of power, Speed was blown backwards, nearly off his feet. The walls shook as the walkway crumbled, now trembling under the lizardman’s weight. With some distance now between them, Gulool Ja Ja ran forward, bringing both his wicked swords forward to slash repeatedly at the off-balance Speed. The first two strikes he missed as Speed continued to reel backwards, practically tumbling over his own great axe. On the third attack, the Hume suddenly found his footing, deftly avoiding being disemboweled. An angered Ja Ja finally caught Speed with the flat of his blade, smacking him against the wall. The Warrior dropped down, recapturing his Amood even as the crescent-bladed weapon clattered to the floor.

Nimbly, Speed hopped away, spinning his great axe skillfully before landing in a defensive position. His eyes were starting to clear. The Speed which had so ruthlessly attacked the Hydra was beginning to show through. For the first time, he launched an assault of his own. Launching himself forward, he rapidly beat against Gulool Ja Ja’s swords. The Mamool Ja’s tan and blue scales glittered brilliantly in the sun as he repelled Speed’s attack, gnashing its two mouths full of teeth at the indignity. He clapped his blades together, releasing a torrent of power which blew Speed away. The Warrior somersaulted in the air, skidding to a halt as his feet touched the walkway stones.

“You have just flat out pissed me off,” Speed muttered darkly. The words left his mouth, and were still audible in the spot he had said them, though he was suddenly no longer there.

The collision of his Amood with Gulool Ja Ja’s swords nearly shook the weapons from the Autarch’s hands. Both fighters stood locked there for a moment, but then the lizardman powered Speed away. With a serpentine snarl, he hurled one of his swords at a blinding rate. It twirled so quickly it looked like a wheel rather than a weapon, but Speed sidestepped it without a thought, grimly staring forward. Gulool Ja Ja stood in place, still holding his remaining sword. The two heads both anxiously eyed Speed as the Warrior glared. In the span of a heartbeat, Speed came forward once again.

Then Gulool Ja Ja’s sword sliced back through the air, returning to the hand of its owner. Speed heard it coming, and screeched to a halt, pressing up against the battered stone wall. The Autarch cackled, leaping into the air as his sword smashed through the walkway. The entire structure quavered, and Speed gasped as it began giving way under his feet. His head snapped up. Just a few yards away, Najelith still lay unmoving, a wall coming down on top of her.

The entire walkway over the eastern gate collapsed as Speed rocketed towards her fallen form. Tons of brick and mortar fell atop of him as he scooped the Galeserpent into his arms. His head finally clear, he took off for safety.

Gulool Ja Ja’s other sword crashed into the crumbling walkway just in front of him. The structure collapsed into a cloud of debris, burying half the gate itself in the wreckage. A portion of the wall itself crumbled down, massive stones and countless bricks toppling over in a spectacular display of destruction. Within moments, there was nothing left of what had moments before been a sturdy wall and broad avenue but a thick white dust billowing into the air.

The Mamool Ja Autarch crunched down into the rubble, powerful legs cushioning his fall. With a jerk of his arm, he tore one of his swords free, eyes hunting about for the other one. He had already counted his annoying opponent amongst the dead. It was time now to rejoin the battle amongst his soldiers.

He never thought to look for the Puppetmaster and her automaton hurriedly ushering two unconscious bodies as far from the fighting as she could manage.


“This is – “ Xaerus’s words were cut off as she was forced to twirl away from yet another arrow fired her way. Medusa fired three more in rapid succession, and the Mithra let out a noise of irritation while engulfing the projectiles in flame. Their ashes fell harmlessly at her feet, but the Gorgon merely smiled.

“You are quite a dance partner, two-legs,” she called out, the snakes which comprised her hair snapping and hissing. “I wonder, can you keep it up forever?”

Xaerus responded by calling up some of the endless debris now at her disposal. Jagged shards of stone and granite shot through the air towards the Lamaie Queen. Raising her arms, she easily danced between them, swiveling her hips rhythmically. Drawing forth another three arrows from her seemingly inexhaustible quiver, she fired them simultaneously at the Red Mage. Xaerus leaped back, letting them spiral past her. The battlefield around the two was scarred with Medusa’s arrows, strong enough to burrow through the stones of Al Zahbi when fired from her bow.

“Tedious, I was going to say.” Xaerus sighed, and once again used her magic to hurtle rocks towards the Gorgon. Once again, Medusa easily slid between them as they came her way. She was too fast for Xaerus to strike with anything besides lightning, and that strategy had proven largely worthless. The snake-woman’s skin would sizzle for a moment, then regenerate as good as new.

Of course, Xaerus was under no illusions of being anywhere near the same level as such a foe. Medusa was a fiend beyond mortal reckoning, an ancient terror brought to life. Perhaps the Lamiae were, as some dark rumors contended, given life by the hands of man. Even if that were the case, a creature like Medusa was far past what science or magic could bring into being. She was the stuff of legend, fairy tale lore and stories used to frighten children, willed into being by no force other than itself. Against such a primordial evil, Xaerus knew she had no chance of victory.

However, she was just fast and clever enough to keep the Lamia Queen from diverting her attention to the real battle. For their transmuting properties to take effect, one had to actually see into the Medusa’s deadly eyes. The Mithra had no such weakness to exploit. Xaerus sufficiently managed to string the deadly snake-woman along, denying her the chance to wreak more havoc upon the Imperial forces. That was good enough for her. She possessed more than enough strength to continue dragging Medusa away, so long as the Gorgon’s attention remained focused on her. More debris sailed through the air at Xaerus’s command. Medusa languidly avoided that which she did not simply bat away, and responded with more arrows.

Of course, Xaerus knew where they were going to strike before she even fired them. Medusa could fire as rapidly as she liked, she possessed literally no chance of ever landing a shot against her target. The Lamia seemed to either not realize or care about this fact. She continued slinking closer even as Xaerus retreated back. All the while she hissed pleasurably, as if this were all some mildly amusing game. Her soulless eyes sought out the Mithra, and smiling she nocked an arrow and let it fly. As with others, Xaerus filled the air with fire, reducing it to powder before it ever reached her. Medusa’s tail slapped against the stones below her as she laughed.

“You are quite the amusement, two-legs,” the Gorgon complimented. “I may keep you by my side. Would you like that? To be my pet?”

“I’ve had better offers . . .” Xaerus responded, sending a whirlwind of debris Medusa’s way. This time she did not even bother to avoid it. She let the Red Mage’s attack swirl right past her, ignoring the heavy slabs of Al Zahbi’s firmament which broke against her scaly skin.

“A pity,” she said regretfully, “I have often wondered what it would be like to have a living two-legs by my side.” She shrugged, and the serpents which made up her hair suddenly stretched out in front of her, their forked tongues hissing wickedly. “Ah, well. A corpse shall dance just the same.”

Xaerus ducked, clutching her hands over her head. Arrows sailed past her from behind. A moment later she was forced to roll away as the spot she had landed on erupted upwards in a torrent of flame. She whipped around, staff in hand, but only just in time to leap aside, an arrow tearing a hole through her cloak. Medusa’s light chuckle caught her ears.

Five, seven . . . ten of them in all. Obeying the unspoken commands of their mistress, Medusa’s Lamiae had surrounded the Mithra. She could feel their malevolent presence in a circle all around her now. Far too many to avoid, even if she knew what they were all going to do ahead of time. And in this case, she didn’t. There was too much to focus on to maintain a clear image. Against such numbers, she would be caught unawares sooner rather than later. She turned towards Medusa, frowning behind her blindfold. For all her clever strategy, the Mithra had still be outsmarted. The Lamia Queen smiled as two of her followers shuffled in by her side, readying a barrage of arrows to put their mistress’s opponent down.

“I only hope I’ve done enough,” Xaerus said aloud. Then, a hole opened up around her, swallowing her entirely. A swarm of arrows passed through the spot where she had been, falling harmlessly to the ground as they passed through empty space. In an eyeblink of undulating black and purple, Xaerus vanished. She had no other recourse if she were to survive.

“A waste,” Medusa sighed, and then immediately turned back towards the battle. The momentary distraction over, she could focus on the Lamiae’s true objective. While Imperial and beastman alike battled for control of the Astral Candescence, she alone sought out the true target of the day.


The southern portion of the city was in disarray. Trolls rampaged unchecked through shopfronts and businesses, looting what they could carry and destroying what they could not. Overwhelmed, the Imperial soldiers were forced to abandon their positions as Troll gunners bombarded them. Thickly-muscled Trolls carrying hammers too large for human hands wantonly smashed their way through the city, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Walking amongst them, surveying with an almost bored expression the sacking of Al Zahbi, was Gurfurlur the Menacing. He occasionally grunted in Trollish at his soldiers, but mostly just stompd along behind them. There was no one left to challenge him, and thus he was rapidly losing interest in the battle. He turned his head eastward, towards where the Mamool Ja were engaged with the Imperials. More fighting was to be had there, as well as the path to the Astral Candescence. Gurfurlur grunted, lumbering onward. Certain victory was satisfying, but he longed for another opponent. It seemed nothing the Empire could produce was worthy of his power. His Trolls marched in to the residential district, Imperials fleeing at their advance. Without their Serpent General, it seemed they were helpless to halt the beastmen's swift and brutal momentum.

Gurfurlur stretched his head out curiously. His men were grinding past the Imperials a moment before, but now tey seemed to have stalled. Soldiers were massing to meet them before the gates of Al Zahbi's residential district. These men had no signs of combat upon their armor as the ones whom had been struggling to hold back the Trolls did. They were fresh, newly entered into the battlefield, and by the decisive way in which they put a stop to the Troll's march, exceptionally skilled. Having trapped the Trolls in a bottleneck at the gate, they were relentlessly pushing them backwards. Gurfurlur frowned, calling out in Trollish as he started stomping towards the front lines. Moments earlier they had been all but beaten. How had this sudden wave of revitalization swept over the Imperials? Where had these reinforcements come from?

Then the Troll King heard a voice caling out above the fray. The words meant nothing to him, he could not be bothered to learn the weak tongue of the Empire. Imbibed within them, however, were a spirit which Gurfurlur recognized right off. This was a battle cry, a call to arms, and one to which the Imperials were responding.

"Do not despair! The Goddess of Victory fights by our side!"

There, in the thick of the fighting, was the leader of the Serpent Generals. Shining armor spotted by dust and blood, his double-bladed sword biting into the Troll's front lines, was the Elvaan Rughadjeen. He had come at last to the aid of his men, bringing with him his elite personal guard to bolster their ranks. His fighting spirit was a blaze which ignited the soldiers surrounding him. Being in the presence of the Skyserpent had brought their flagging defenses back to life, and now the Imperials were gaining ground, forcing the Trolls back one step at a time. Gurfurlur's eyes narrowed as he watched Rughadjeen in action. This, he knew, was the strongest the Empire had. He recognized strength when he saw it, and not even the troubling Galka which had plagued him earlier possessed the power of this man.

A grin of satisfaction creased his lips as Gurfurlur began pushing forward. There would be a challenge for him after all.


There was no rightful description to capture the power in the form of Cerberus. Its power was nothing short of awe-inspiring, palpable in the air as the spike in temperature which accompanied its arrival. The monster tore thruogh volcanic rock like paper as it clawed its way up from the depths from which it came. Lava fell from its mouth, the three-headed beast using fire as normal creatures would blood. Those three heads saw every movement, and snapped with terrible fangs at whatever came close to it. The sheer presence it bore was overwhelming. Jinxie knew before the fight even began that there was no hope of defeating it. By the amused smirk on Chiz's face as he casually leaned against the rock wall, Pixel in his grasp, he knew it too.

Kkel threw his arms up, roaring something in a tongue foreign to mortal ears. Cerberus stared down at the Soulflayer, and then effortlessly batted him away. The impact from the three-headed beast's paw tore Kkel from the ground and sent him spiraling into one of the Troll battlements surrounding them. He cracked the stone with his impact, sliding to the ground limply. Jinxie called out to him, running to his side. Before she could reach him, a wall of flame leaped up at her feet. She skidded to a halt, putting her hands defensively up before her. The black rock beneath her boiled and bubbled as lava from Cerberus's mouth was spat down upon it. She turned to face it, sword in hand. The monster was so vast in scope that she could barely comprehend it. On the other side of the blaze, Kkel began to stir, struggling to push himself upright. His skin had gone completely white, and behind a set of pure blue eyes flickered only the dimmest remnants of humanity. He was losing himself, and quickly.

Jinxie broke to the side, trying to lead Cerberus's attention away from him. Magic swelled up inside of her, bursting to break free as she waited for the right moment. The left and central heads swiveled to watch her, snarling as the right head remained fixed on Kkel. It spat liquid magma again, and the ground at Jinxie's feet became a fiery swamp. She just barely avoided being swallowed by that intensely hot flame, but found her opportunity. Casting a simple spell to alter perception, the Red Mage slowed down its reaction speed, muddling its thoughts and thickening the air surrounding it. Cerberus swayed uncertainly, giving a piercing bark that spilled from the left head's muzzle with confused slowness. As it fought against the enchantment, Jinxie cast a similar spell on herself, but with the opposite effect. Her body felt lighter, her thoughts came quicker, and everything around her seemed slowed down by comparison. Maybe she had no hope of winning, but she could still escape.

She just had to rescue Pixel first. Darting forward, she sprinted towards Chiz, drawing back her sword. The tattooed man was moving at a snail's pace compared to her now. Cerberus bit at her, but his fangs fell short as she easily evaded his clumsy strike, making a leap towards Chiz. It might be too late for Kkel, but she could still save one of them. All she had to do was snatch the Bard from his arms and she could get away.

His hand lashed out so swiftly that she never even saw him move before his slap caught her across the face. She was knocked out of the air, falling to the ground before him as he looked down upon her, laughing.

"Please," he scoffed, "you'd have an easier time hitting the moon. Now be a good girl and let my dog kill you."

"Let Pixel go!" she demanded, dragging herself back to her feet and leveling her sword. Arcane fury sprang up around her as her magic strained to break free. She wanted to strike him down with her power where he stood, but she dare not risk hitting Pixel. "She has nothing to do with this."

He raised an eyebrow, tattoos wrinkling on his brow. "That's kind of a moot point, don't you think? None of you are getting out of here alive."

Jinxie's aura flared outwards, but in the same moment Cerberus struck her from behind. The breath left her body as she tasted blood fill her mouth. The back of her tabard was shredded as she was thrown forward, smacking against the rocks to the suond of Chiz's laughter. Her ribs creaked as she fell from the rock face, ash streaking her hair and skin. Almost instinctively, she threw up a warding of stoneskin, and in the next instant she found herself locked in Cerberus's teeth. It scooped her entire body up in the jaws of its right head with a single swipe. The heat inside its maw was so intense she could feel her skin starting to blister. Only her hastily woven stoneskin charm saved her from being impaled on its massive fangs. When the monster found it could not bite through her, it instead spit her to the ground. She bounced off the basalt, her spell shattering, along with the rest of her magical defenses. Sweat and blood mingled across her face as she vainly tried to scrape herself from the ground. Cerberus turned, its tail scraping the rocks of the confined space as its eyes searched for her.

A bolt of force suddenly struck the beast, drilling in to the thickly muscled shoulder of its right foreleg. It yelped, swinging its heads around towards the source of the disruption. Jinxie, gasping, summoned what healing strength she had to put her body back in order. A stopgap measure, she knew. If it got near her again she was as good as dead. For just a moment though, it was distracted. The Red Mage's heart skipped a beat when she saw why.

Kkel was standing defiantly before the Cerberus, ebon robes billowing in the heat rising from the rock. The Soulflayer's staff was glowing in his hands as he slashed it through the air. Waves of energy struck the monster with every swipe of his gnarled weapon, and he attacked relentlessly. A tenebrous purple light burst from Kkel's body as he struck, finally taking the staff in both hands, lancing out a bolt of eldritch force that struck Cerberus full in the chest. The beast cried out again, yelping like any dog would. Then its three sets of eyes narrowed, blazing with the furnace-like heat radiating from within it. Lava dripping from its muzzle, Cerberus began to growl.

Shaking his staff wildly, Kkel screeched out something defiantly. Cerberus apparently did not care for his tone, and smacked him away with a sweep of its paw. The Soulflayer landed face-first on the rock, a thick purple blood streaming down his face. Without hesitation, he tore himself from the black stone. Jinxie ran to his side, but he was already standing again, keeping her at arm's length.

His pale blue eyes fixed on her, then darted back to Cerberus. His voice came in a quavering rasp, sounding like he was speaking from underwater. Jinxie was shocked he could still speak at all.

"Pix . . . el . . " he managed. "Get . . . her . . . I'll . . . " He stopped, the words lost in a meaningless jumble of sounds coming from his throat.

"Kkel," Jinxie protested. "You've barely got anything left. If you try to fight this . . . "

He screeched at her, a bolt of purple lightning streaking from his staff to crackle against Cerberus's hide. His eyes looked at hers, and she was taken aback by the all too-human sadness reflecting within them. Cerberus roared, spitting flame at the Soulflayer. It struck him like a battering ram, his robes burning as he was thrown backwards by the force. Jinxie cried out for him, but he had already risen, flame sloughing off him as a sinister aura began to envelop his twisted form.

"Worth it," he rasped, "anything . . . for her."

She screamed for him to stop as he once again threw his might against Cerberus. The beast's baleful stare leveled murderously on Kkel as he snarled at it, raining forth the dark magic filling his body. Again, he was knocked down, and this time Cerberus pounced on his fallen form. He barely managed to avoid being crushed beneath is paws as it stomped down upon where he had been. It swiped at him again, seeking to eviscerate him with its claws. Shreds of his robe tore off as Kkel glided backwards. Jinxie caught sight of Chiz, languidly leaning against the rock face, watching the battle disinterestedly. Pixel was still firmly in his grasp, and Kkel was willing to give his life, and more than that, his humanity, to save her.

A sudden image struck Jinxie. In he rmind's eye, she could see Hubby as clear as day.

Her husband had gripped in his hands the great katana they had found in the treasure trove of an ancient Goobbue in the Boyahda Tree. His black hair billowed out behind him, the Mhaura sun gleaming across his armor as he stood resolutely in the path of the advancing demon horde. He turned his head ever so slightly towards her, a sad final smile on his lips. Hard, battleworn features softened as his glittering dark eyes looked longingly back at his wife. He began growing further and further away, and soon he was gone altogether, lost in a swarm of demons he willingly ran into so that she might escape. The echo of his face still held fast in her memory. His laugh, his smile, his voice, his touch. All gone now, left only in her mind. He had willingly stayed behind to make sure she and their child survived. No price had been too great for him if it meant she was safe. Not even his life.

She realized she had tears running down her face as she watched Kkel, battered, wounded, barely able to keep standing, stare up at Cerberus. Pixel seemed miles away, being held in Chiz's grasp behind Cerberus. Yet still he relentlessly struggled against the monster, uncaring of how much stronger it was, how impenetrable its hide, how feeble his attempts. All that mattered was getting her to safety.

All three of the hellish dog's heads were focused on the annoyance which continud to pester it. Chiz was yawning, waiting for the inevitable to play out.

Jinxie took off at a dead run. Her eyes were fixed on Pixel. Cerberus's hide radiated heat towards her, but its eyes remained fixed on Kkel. This was her only chance. She called forth the magic, quickening her gait, propelling her past the giant beast before it ever took notice of her. Pixel's eyes widened, and she struggled against the hand Chiz had clapped over her mouth. Jinxie reached out to her, stretching her arms out to snatch the Bard right out of his grasp.

She gasped as a hand snapped down over her wrists. Chiz pulled her up with one hand, holding her outstretched with a questioning look. Jinxie kicked at him, but he easily avoided her awkward strikes.

"Stop making this harder than it has to be," he sighed. The tattooed man tossed her away, letting her tumble to the ground. "If it helps, I'll wait until after you're dead to kill this Bard. You won't have to watch." He pursed his lips, looking out at Cerberus. "Speaking of which, this has gone on entirely too long. The beastmen are probably finished by now. Cerberus," a smile curled across his lips, "open the gates."

The hound reacted to the command immediately. At Chiz's urging, it stiffened its four powerful legs, heads all stretching upright. Red flames began appearing on its skin as the ground began to bubble at his feet. Jinxie felt a fresh wave of heat sweep through the enclave. Cerberus's eyes started glowing, and Kkel took an involuntary step back. She did as well, moving behind the Soulflayer as whatever terrible power building up within the beast swelled to the breaking point.

And then something happened to Kkel. An inhuman shriek burst from his skinless lips, tendrils flaring out from his face. He hefted his staff before him, and lightning both purple and black started to cascade from his body. A sphere of his power enveloped him, and a chill swept over Jinxie even in the midst of the inferno of Cerberus's fire. She tried to call out to Kkel, but her voice was lost in the sudden explosion of colliding energy.

Everything that was in Kkel poured out in the form of thick, crackling bolts of black lightning. At the same moment, A sphere of incandescent red-and-orange flame erupted from Cerberus, burning through rock and stone with heat which seared Jinxie's flesh. The noise was terrible, shaking the entire canyon as the Troll battlements began melting away. The ground at her feet was turning into tar and magma, and she struggled to breath as the oxygen in the area was burned through. She would have been incinerated in a flash, save for that the bulk of the energy wave was being held back. Like a leaf in a hurricane, Kkel stood at the forefront of the attack, fighting back with everything he had. Slowly, the tide building against him was beginning to move forward. Soulflayers were powerful fiends, absorbing the strength of others, but he simply did not have the power to withstand a monster like Cerberus on his own, and he had nowhere to draw power from.

Jinxie froze for just a moment. He did have one source which had gone untapped.

"Kkel!" She shouted, as loud as she could. "Kkel," her voice was nearly lost in the storm, but she struggled forward, stretching out her palm. The skin started to burn as she got closer to Cerberus's swirling conflagration, pressing down practically on top of the Soulflayer now. "Take it, Kkel! Take the power from me!!" She screamed, pressing her hand against his back. Instantly she felt deathly cold, as if the world were not melting around her. A wail broke through the noise as Kkel felt Jinxie's soul bared plain for him to take.

Like a cocoon, the dark energy surrounding Kkel wrapped around her, closing her up in its grasp. They both vanished within the swirling black embrace, even as the Soulflayer's final attack held back Cerberus's wall of flames. Then the power Kkel was supplying cut off, and it swept over the womb of darkness containing the Red Mage and the monster. Flames cut through everything as Cerberus howled, shaking Mount Zhayolm to its bedrock. The volcano nearby began billowing up smoke as the ground quaked, steaming fissures breaking loose as rivers of magma burst up from below. Fire swept over everything, until there was nothing left to burn.

In the midst of it all, a blinding white light suddenly shot forth from the epicenter. Shouting in surprise, Chiz covered his eyes hurriedly. From his distance behind the monster, not even Cerberus's flames had touched him, yet this brilliant beam was fllling up everything. Cerberus's howl was cut off, and the last vestiges of his outpouring ended in a shattering explosion as the halo swelled up from the middle of it. The beacon shot into the air, spiraling high into the skies of Mount Zhayolm, breaking through the clouds and into the heavens themselves.

Gradually, the fires died down, the quaking subsided, and the light faded away. A stillness settled over the volcanic terrain as nothing dared stir in the wake of what had just transpired. The air shimmered as the incredible heat released sizzled through it. A single breath of air dared stir through, fanning the few dying flames remaining burning across the stone itself.

Jinxie was on her knees. She felt completely drained, barely possessing the strength to even lift her head. Kkel's inky black robe was still in front of her, but her eyes were having trouble focusing on it. She felt lightheaded, and her breathing came in halting gasps. Slowly, she managed to look upwards, perception coming in hazily.

Cerberus was sprawled out on the ground before her, unmoving. The heat from its body was turning the rock beneath it to tar, and it was sinking into the very sediment. A gaping hole festered where its middle head had been, as well as a good portion of its chest. The other two heads hung limply at the side, eyes staring out into nothing. Its wound looked as if some great battering ram had simply punched clean through it. Lava flowed from the open mouths of its two remaining heads, sputtering and bubbling as it pooled beneath it. It trembled occasionally, convulsing as liquid flame dripped down from its wound. Inconceivably, unbelievably, the monster was dead.

Straining, Jinxie raised her neck up higher, realizing something was standing over her. Kkel, she realized. The Soulflayer had survived. He had reached into her soul and taken what he needed to eradicate the great beast. Slowly, her eyes came into focus, staring up at the creature looming over her.

Pitch black robes hung loosely over a body far too small to fill them. A firm grasp held its folds tightly against a thin, yet heavily defined frame. Carefully cropped blonde hair waved in the rising heat as two Elvaan ears twitched involuntarily. A hand was raised in front of a smooth face with a strong jaw. It came down gradually, and a pair of brilliant blue eyes met Jinxie's own. She knew those eyes. They had belonged to a Soulflayer. There were no Soulflayers here, however.

Chiz gave a cry of disbelief as those eyes turned on him, and Jinxie felt a wave of fresh power surge into the air. It cascaded from the body of the blonde Elvaan which had appeared in front of her. An awesome, incredible might welled up from his being, and a too-large black robe fluttered in the wind as suddenly he was in the air, surging towards the tattooed kidnapper. Comprehension dawned on Jinxie as slowly, her senses began to return.

The Soulflayer was gone.

The Sunserpent had returned.