Honeybun had spent the whole gold-form stretch of the fight studying the serpent, learning its patterns, memorizing the tells before each strike, and it put that knowledge to use. It anticipated the serpent's attacks before they came, reading the subtle coil of muscle that preceded a lunge, the shift of weight before a tail sweep, positioning itself to dodge and counter rather than simply reacting.
He dealt heavy damage, each high-velocity ramming strike carried force, and now that he was landing them freely rather than trading blows, the serpent's wounds mounted fast. Crystal projectiles fired mid-dart punched deep.
The turtle struck the beast from various angles with an aggression that the golden form could not allow.
But the trade-off showed its teeth.
The serpent's tail caught Honeybun across the shell during one exchange, and this time the jade surface cracked, spreading across the plates, deeper than the hairline from before.
A sharp, pained cry rang out Honeybun's mouth.
