The creature met his swing with its tail, the impact alone rattling Fugo's arms.
The monster grinned, or at least, seemed like it was mocking him with another chittering laugh.
Renjiro forced himself on his feet again, wiping blood from his lip. He was about to rejoin the fight, but the creature's tail lashed out again, slamming into his side and sending him flying.
"Too strong!" Renjiro groaned, clutching his ribs while being stuck in the wall.
Kael struggled to raise a bow, his hands shook too much to accurately shoot.
"Irene! Help him already!" Kael yelled at her to focus.
Irene's hands were already glowing, summoning a different blade than the one in Fugo's hand. A crimson-hilted sword materialized next to Fugo.
"Use this!" she yelled.
"It's stronger than the last one...supposedly"
Fugo grabbed the sword, feeling its weight in his hands. He gritted his teeth and steadied his stance. The creature tilted its head again, curious, before lunging at him.
"Come on, Fugo!" he muttered to himself.
Fear is a monster's weapon. Don't let it win.
The creature struck, its claws slashing through the air, but Fugo dodged then countered with a swing of his blade. The edge grazed the creature's arm, drawing a black ichor that sizzled as it hit the ground.
"GROOAAHH!" Fugo cried out, his fear morphing into desperation.
Irene watched, her breath caught in her throat. "He's... holding his own now."
Renjiro began forcing himself up on his two legs.
"He's only buying time. Let's back him up.?
Fugo planted his feet again, almost out of breath. "Just a few strikes, I need only three clean hits."
The new magic sword was given a unique name. This time, Irene did not have to tell him that name, for the sword itself told Fugo, through touch.
"Severance, I'm counting on you." Fugo gasped, his legs still trembling.
When cut by the blade, it additionally cuts the opponent's speed and durability by random amount. It was not consistent, but after landing several blows to the creature. A gap in defense was starting to be seen.
Earlier, the sword would not even graze the monster, but now it could at least chip its skin.
The creature lunged again, and this time Fugo sidestepped the attack. He dashed and swung upward simultaneously, aiming for the monster's neck.
The battle was not close to being over, but Fugo could feel it leaving his soul.
The fear he loathed so greatly no longer held him back.
CHING!
The sword shattered on impact. The monster's neck hardened, with an iron substance covering that specific area. "Hardening?" Fugo was shocked.
Even now, the monster still had tricks up its sleeve.
"How can it be this tough!?"
The blade crumbled into shards, scattering across the floor. The creature turned its spider like face towards Fugo, its maw splitting into a cruel grin.
"KEEKEKEKEHEHEKEHE!" it taunted.
Leaving no time to react, the monster displayed a new level of speed Fugo had not witnessed. Its claw shot forward, clamping his throat with vice like strength.
The air was forced out of his lungs, followed by a lift into the air.
Then with a snarl, it hurled him to the ceiling like a ragdoll.
CRASH!
"Fugo!" Irene screamed, standing helpless and bewildered. Both her sword and friend were on the verge of breaking to pieces.
Fugo coughed out blood, his eyes still holding on to the little life he had left.
Pain shot through his body as his back struck the stone ceiling, it left him in a daze for a few seconds.
Sadly, the monster did not wait for him to gather his wits. Its eyes sparkled ominously, from each red orb for eyes, threads shot out in a blinding burst.
"What!?" Fugo gasped, but it was too late.
The threads formed a web that ensnared him, binding him tightly to the ceiling.
He struggled and squirmed, but the threads held him fast like an insect caught in a predator's trap.
"SHIT!" he yelled panicking. The shattered sword fell from his hands in the midst of his struggle.
Following his attack, the monster's tail lashed out violently, keeping Renjiro at bay. Renjiro tried circling the monster cautiously, to search for an opening but the tail moved with a life of its own.
When he lunged ahead, the tail swatted his blade away, with a deafening clang. The tail coiled around his neck like a serpent immediately after.
"But, if they have no effect..." she muttered... "Why am I even here?" she wondered.
Just like before, she begun questioning her worth, this time her worth in this party of four.
She turned around, to see Kael struggling to move his limbs. Kael gritted his teeth, "I-I have to do something," Kael said softly. His vision was blurred, but he managed to nock and arrow and let it loose.
The arrow flew true, but the monster batted it away with its wing, turning its gleaming red eyes toward Kael. It giggled again, a distorted, mocking sound that sent chills down everyone's spines.
"EKEEKEKKEKEKEHEKE!"
Kael's heart raced as the monster began charging toward him, claws scraping against the ground. He raised his bow again, but his body betrayed him, the poison's effects slowing his reflexes to a crawl.
"Crap! It's charging!" Irene yelled from the side.
She darted out of the monster's path, but as she ran, a chilling realization struck her.
"Why isn't Kael moving?"
Her eyes widened in horror as she remembered the venom. Kael was still too affected to dodge.
"This is bad"
Kael braced himself, his knees buckling under the weight of the monster's presence. The creature raised its claws, ready to strike him down, when—
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
Fugo's voice roared from above. The trapped adventurer, bound and beaten, forced his body to act.
With every ounce of his will, he swung his legs upward, kicking hard against the ceiling. The sudden motion caused the webbing to strain and snap, and Fugo fell, grabbing the broken hilt of Irene's sword.
With a guttural shout, he planted himself between Kael and the monster, swinging the broken blade like a shield. The monster's claws met the jagged edge, sparks flying from the impact.
"GROOOAAH!" Fugo screamed, channeling every bit of his fear into a surge of courage.
The monster hissed, backing away slightly, but its eyes still gleamed with malice.
Fugo stood there, questioning his decision as to why he kept on fighting. By now, it was painfully obvious that no one currently could kill this beast, so why?
Why hasn't Fugo given up despite the odds?
"Hehe...Hahahahahaha..." as if he was getting mad, Fugo laughed abruptly.
Not at the monster, but at himself. The laugh of joy, the realization that something inside of him changed.
"I-I won't run away!"
At this very moment, Fugo would not have minded meeting his end with this current state of mind, but he had things to accomplish.
"Just imagine what I'd become if I survive this!?" he yelled, then proceeded to laugh even louder. The humor was something only he could understand.
"I want to survive...but more than that...I want to leave that past cowardly self of mine in the dust." Fugo thought.
Fugo dropped the broken sword then reached for the old knife on his waist.
The small blade, his most cherished possess was a symbol of the man he yearns to become and a reminder of Ericka's kindness that day.
"Give me strength"
Thanks to Fugo's distraction, Irene got on the move. She hurried towards Kael with a beer bottle in her hand. She had just taken it out of her knapsack.
"Here! Hurry up and take it!"
Kael did not hesitate. He grabbed the bottle from her hand and drank its contents in one go. His eyes widened in surprise as the liquid burned down his throat.
"What's this?"
"Sorry, but it's a drug. A very addictive one at that, please forgive me." Irene bowed in apology, then elaborated more, "It's a drug my family developed, to keep fighters energized for days. It also dulls the effect of poison."
"I.. I was going to save it for Fugo, but you need it more than he does right now."
"Don't die, Kael. Please." she begged him.
Kael nodded but disagreed with her. "Fugo is more injured than I am. Your decision may have just led to his death you know. Fugo's the only one able to beat that thing."
"You can't say that for sure... Fugo needs support, which you excel at, unlike me."
Irene pointed at the beaten-up Renjiro, this whole time, he was being whipped around by the creature's extended tail, having an entirely different battle of his own.
"Renjiro is basically forced outside of the battle, so you're the only one who can truly aid right now...My best sword proved to be ineffective against it, so..."
Kael blinked, feeling the energy surge through him, but his body felt like it was being pushed to its limit as a result. He patted Irene after hearing her reasoning for her decision to give him the energizer over Fugo.
"Sorry about earlier. I had you all wrong."
Irene shook her head quickly, wiping her eyes. "No... you were right! Don't apologize for that. I deserved it."
Just as Kael smiled weakly, his attention snapped back to the monster and Fugo. Fugo was being overwhelmed, desperately parrying all the claw attacks viciously swinging at him.
By this point, Renjiro was unconscious while still in the grip of the monster's tail. If this fight continues, Renjiro will undoubtedly lose his life first in the process.
Irene shouted as support, "Hang on Fugo! Just a little more."
Unfortunately, those words might have done more harm than good. It was only for a split second, but Fugo took his eyes off the monster before him. A grave mistake he should have never made.
SWOOOSH!
Before he could react, Fugo's stomach was pierced violently by both monster's claws.
"GAH!"
Fugo tried to step back, but the monster closed the distance and slapped Fugo down to the floor with his tail.
At the very least, Renjiro was now free from the monster's grip, though he showed no signs of getting up.
Kael took a deepbreath, looking at the unconscious forms of Fugo and Renjiro.
Was their fate sealed?
"Okay, so two of us are unconcious. Hmm, close enough," Kael muttered as he began stretching his arms. He looked over to Irene, "What do you say? You mind getting knocked out too?"
"Cut it out! How can you joke at a time like this!?" Irene replied.
Kael sighed, "Okay, What you're about to see here should remain a secret, got it?"
"Huh?"
"The moment you tell the others about this. I'm through with you all."
Irene's heart pounded as she tried to understand what he meant. "What?"
Their conversation was quickly interrupted, with the monster appearing right before Irene and Kael, seemingly sending Kael to the floor.