The Mimipede didn’t approve of Arwin’s dry humor. It bucked him into the air and its head shot out, mandibles parting with plans to swallow him whole. A shadow slipped away from the wall, grabbing Arwin by the waist and yanking him out of the way as a wave of blue energy washed over the monster’s body – stalling the creature for an instant and ensuring the attack failed to connect. That minimum time on Imprison is really damn useful. Good choice, Reya. “Thanks,” Arwin called to Lillia as her shadow released him. He dropped, falling toward the centipede below, and swung Verdant Blaze as he fell. There was no reason to waste all the extra momentum. The monster churned like a vortex of stone below him. Its head tracked his movement and it tried to bite at him, but it wasn’t quite fast enough to catch him as he fell. Verdant Blaze struck its midsection with a resounding crash, empowered by [Scourge]. Flame rolled off the strike and the plate Arwin had hit cracked from the force of his strike. The monster thrashed in pain and launched him off, sending him hurtling into a wall. He struck it with a thud and dropped to the ground with a grunt of pain. Rodrick and Olive both ran into the room, their weapons raised, and spread out in an attempt to keep the Mimipede from attacking all of them at once. The clatter of hundreds of legs grated against Arwin’s ears as the creature shifted. Its dark eyes flicked around them as its jaws worked, trying to choose a target. “Do you need healing?” Anna called over the cacophony. “No, I’m fine,” Arwin replied. He shook himself off. “I’ll keep its attention. Rodrick, Olive – I don’t know. Stab the damn thing. I don’t know what the best way to kill something is other than cut its head off – and I don’t think any of us have something large or sharp enough to do that.” He ignited the head of his hammer with [Soul Flame]. The Mimipede’s eyes flicked down to him and it hissed in rage, lurching out for him. Arwin’s greaves already had a fair amount of energy coursing through them, but there wasn’t quite enough to activate them yet. He wasn’t keen on intentionally tanking a hit to draw on their benefits so he used [Scourge] to empower his legs and bound out of the way. Plating shattered beneath the hammer. [Shieldbreaker] wasn’t getting to properly stack because he was hitting different portions of the Mimipede, but it wasn’t quite so difficult to damage as it was large. Any injury that distracted it for long enough for Rodrick and Olive to finish it would be enough. And distract it Arwin did. The Mimipede slammed into a wall and raced toward him, almost throwing the two on its back off in the process. It was a minor miracle that Olive was keeping her spot with only a single hand to work with. It would be a bigger miracle if Arwin took another hit from the huge monster and didn’t break something important. He darted out of the way, using the enhanced abilities his greaves gave him to sprint past the creature’s head as it screeched against the stone. He skidded to a stop at the entrance of the cave, the aching pain so intense that he could barely move his limbs correctly. He was pretty sure he’d broken more than a few bones from the strike he’d just taken. If it hadn’t been for his armor and [Indomitable Bulwark], he would have been a pancake. Fortunately, Anna ran up to him the moment he stopped moving, magic already gathering at her hands. She pressed them into him and a wave of relief passed through Arwin. He only had an instant to enjoy it before the familiar grind of monster flesh on stone warned him of the centipede’s approach. He shoved Anna back into the hall and leapt straight up, using [Scourge] to further boost his already empowered legs. Arwin took flight, his arms flailing to keep his balance, and the Mimipede passed beneath him like a stampeding horde contained into a single body. Rodrick and Olive had made their way up to its head, but there was no way they’d get a chance to do much of anything in their current state. I need to give them one more opening. I can do that. Arwin dropped, bringing Verdant Blaze down on the Mimipede’s body to remind it who it was fighting. He needn’t have bothered. The monster screeched and turned before it could even hit the wall, racing toward him once more. More maneuverable than that thing has any right to be. Arwin reared back and gathered [Scourge]. Anna had healed a lot of the damage he’d taken, but he still couldn’t take another direct hit from this monster. “Ramp!” Arwin yelled, hoping Lillia would understand his meaning. Fortunately, she picked up after just a second. Shadows materialized before him, forming into a sloping triangle that ran all the way up to him. It wasn’t much, but it would force the Mimipede to take a few extra steps before being able to bite at him. The monster raced over the ramp – and Arwin jumped to meet it. He brought Verdant Blaze up into the bottom of its jaw and released the full might of [Scourge], leaving him with just a little more magical energy to work with. A tendril of shadow shot up from the ground and grabbed Arwin’s legs, yanking him back down to the ground. Between it and the powerful blow he’d sent into the Mimipede’s head that directed it away from him, he just barely avoided getting plowed. The monster passed overhead and slammed face-first into the wall with a resounding crash. A wave of blue gripped it, locking the creature in place for a split second. And, in that split second, Olive and Rodrick struck. Rodrick’s blade ignited with burning light and he drove it into the left side of the Mimipede’s head. At the same time, Olive drew her own sword. Almost in spite of the speed she drew it, the blade moved through the air like a sluggard. Reya’s hold on the monster had already faded and it was in the process of pulling itself free of the stone when her cut landed. The sword tore through its skin as if nothing was there. A pained scream erupted from the Mimipede’s mouth and it thrashed. Rodrick released his own sword, letting it plummet to the ground below, and grabbed onto Olive with one arm. He grabbed the rough body of the monster with his other. It was precarious, but it was enough. Olive’s sword continued through the monster’s neck and she slid down its side, dragging the blade along its length until she’d nearly carved around its entire neck. Thick blood poured from the wound – her sword wasn’t anywhere near long enough to actually sever its head, even if she plunged it all the way through the monster – but the damage it had done was enormous. Rodrick grabbed Olive and leapt to the side as the Mimipede slammed its body into the wall, trying to crush them. Lillia caught them both with a ramp of shadow and Arwin ran forward, drawing on his magical energy. The monster’s head was bleeding so profusely that he couldn’t help but take the opportunity.