Alythia

Suddenly, without warning, something massive lunged at one of the flugels from below. It was so fast that it was nearly difficult to see. One moment, a flugel was there. The next, it was gone. The formation of flugels broke immediately, cries of alarm piercing the silent skies. Only on the third jump did I manage to catch a glimpse of the assailant. 

"That... That's an Earthweaver... I think?" Elara whispered, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. "They're extremely rare... and deadly. They can't fly, but their leaps... they can reach incredibly high." 

A massive, snake-like creature, its length easily surpassing 10 meters, was lunging from the rocky terrain, swallowing the flugels whole. Its rocky grey scales with occasional patches of vegetation was the perfect camouflage for this environment. 

“They’re usually only several… meters…” She added, “It’s my first time seeing one this long.”

The once orderly formation of the flugels was now in utter chaos. Panic-stricken cries filled the air as the Earthweaver kept striking from below, picking off flugels one by one. Their numbers rapidly dwindled, from a dozen to ten, then eight. 

Watching from our hiding spot, I witnessed the leader, who I assumed to be the one giving orders, trying to keep everyone calm, instructing them to regroup and use their maneuverability to their advantage.

"Caelum, use your fire magic! Heat its scales!" the leader called out. A flugel, presumably Caelum, began to cast spell after spell, but it didn’t seem to affect the Earthweaver much. The creature was too large, and the flames failed to heat its rocky scales sufficiently. Despite Caelum’s best efforts, the snake continued its attack, barely perturbed.

"Terra, create disturbances in the terrain. Make it harder for it to move!" The leader's voice rang out again. Another flugel, Terra, swooped down close to the ground, focusing his magic to disrupt the terrain. But he had to get dangerously close, and at one point, he was nearly crushed by the snake's enormous body as it moved towards another of his comrades.

The leader then flew in with the other flugels to create diversions. They executed dive feints, swooping down as if to attack, before pulling up at the last moment. But each attempt was a near miss, the snake's leaps reaching alarmingly close to them. It was clear that while they were successful in distracting the beast, it was a risky maneuver that was pushing their luck.

Despite their valiant efforts, it was clear the flugels were struggling. Their attempts to use their magic and tricks to disorient or harm the beast had limited effect, and they were barely managing to avoid its attacks.

From our vantage point, it was a terrifying sight. The flugels were up against a colossal, impenetrable foe, and their usual strengths didn't seem to be working as effectively as they hoped. It was a desperate fight that was difficult to watch.

Elara turned towards us, her voice barely above a whisper. "We need to leave. Now." 

I hesitated, my eyes flicking back to the flugels fighting desperately against the Earthweaver. The creature was relentless, and I could see it would be difficult for the Flugels to take it down or escape unscathed. 

"But we can't just leave them," Finn protested, his eyes reflecting the same turmoil I was feeling. "We need to help."

Elara shot him a look, clearly disagreeing. We then noticed a change in the beast's behaviour. Its attention had turned to the one who'd been casting fire magic, Caelum. It was clear the continuous attacks were starting to irritate the creature. With a mighty leap, it started to give chase, its enormous body slithering across the rocky terrain with an alarming speed.

"Caelum!" The flugel leader's shout echoed in the air. In the pursuit, they were moving dangerously closer to our hiding spot.

"We have to go, Alythia, Finn" Elara urged again, worry lining her face.

Finn shook his head, his resolve hardening. "They are citizens of Concordia, just like us. We can't abandon them."

Before Elara could respond, the Earthweaver lunged again. It looked certain to land its attack this time as Caelum wouldn’t be able to change his trajectory in time to dodge.

Acting on instinct, I couldn't stop myself. Gathering my magic, I heaved a giant chunk of rock from the ground and hurled it at the Earthweaver. The rock collided with the snake's body, knocking it off course and saving the flugel Caelum from a disastrous end. Before I knew it, I was flying into the fray.

Seeing me join the fight, Finn didn’t hesitate. With a determined look, he followed suit, running in right behind me. Elara sighed, clearly exasperated at our stubbornness. With a resigned look, she too joined the fight.

As I flew through the air, dodging the Earthweaver's lunges, I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Caelum has stopped with the fire and was now using his wind magic to amplify the movements of his allies. I danced around the snake's massive form, bombarding it with a barrage of icicles. With the snake’s attacks targetted towards me, Finn took the opportunity to dart in and got a couple slashes in on its underbelly. 

Elara in the back pulled out her bow and sent some rapid fire arrows towards the Earthweaver. A few bounced off against its rocky scales, but most managed to lodge themselves in the narrow gaps between the scales. One lucky shot even punctured the snake’s eye, blinding it. 

"Young girl, you saved Caelum, and for that, we're grateful. Continue with your magic like you've been doing. Swordsman, keep slashing at the underbelly. Elf, your aim is excellent! Focus on its other eye and the mouth" I heard the flugel leader yell.

With each barrage of icicles, I could see the beast's agitation grow. Each puncture and slash bled, staining the rocky terrain beneath. "It's working!" I thought. The sight of the snake as it began writhing in pain gave us a momentary surge of hope.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a massive rock formation hurtle towards the Earthweaver, knocking the balance of the snake right as it was about to lunge at me. 

"Thanks!!" I shouted, giving him a thumbs up.

 

The flugel leader's voice echoed again, encouraging us all. "Keep pushing! Aim for its belly and mouth!"

Caelum then changed from supportive wind magic to water, attempting to dowse the snake in as much water as he could. “Freeze it!" he shouted, and I obeyed as I stopped shooting icicles and began freezing the newly poured water. This strategy worked. With the water around the snake freezing, its movements slowed due to the ice clogged between its scales. 

With the Earthweaver's movements slowed, Finn, Elara, and the other flugels were able to land more hits on its vulnerable spots. Elara's arrows found their mark between its scales, and Finn's sword slashes deepened, causing the snake to bleed more profusely.

A triumphant yell echoed through the chaotic battlefield. "Got its other eye!" Elara's voice rang out loud and clear. She had landed a precise hit on the Earthweaver's other eye, effectively blinding the creature. A cheer erupted from our ranks, a small moment of victory in the intense fight.

"We're doing it!" Finn called out, his voice filled with a mixture of relief and excitement. The sight of the snake writhing in pain, now completely blind, renewed our vigour and bolstered our resolve. It felt like the tide was turning in our favour.

However, the Earthweaver, now blind, became even more dangerous. It started thrashing around wildly, its movements unpredictable. Its colossal body smashed against the icy terrain, breaking the ice almost as fast as I could form it.

"Nox, look out!" The flugel leader's warning came too late. The wild thrashing of the Earthweaver caught one of the flugels off guard. He was smashed by the beast, his cries abruptly silenced as his frame got pound into the ground.

We proceeded with increased caution, hitting the Earthweaver's only when we were absolutely certain of our safety. Victory was in sight, no one wanted to slip up and blunder now. Unexpectedly, Elara switched her longbow for her two short swords, diving in and joining Finn and the flugels in their dangerous melee. Finn and Elara were relentless, their swords glinting as they slashed through the scales of the beast. Despite the toughness of the scales, their mythril weapons appeared capable of piercing it, albeit with difficulty. 

As time went on, our relentless assault seemed to be paying off. The snake's energy was visibly waning, its movements growing more sluggish with each passing minute. It had stopped its leaps altogether.

Then, it finally ended. The Earthweaver's movements stopped entirely followed by a loud THUMP! as its colossal body crashed down.