Chapter 57: Thadius! Help me!

“What followed you!?” Thadius yelled. He needed to know what was coming, because whatever it was, was gigantic.

Mavas just shook his head. “We need to run, right now! It’s smart, but if we make a break for it now, we can outrun it!”

“Outrun it!? Didn’t you say it’s smart!? Which is it Mavas!? Is it dumb enough for you to outrun it, or is it smart enough to let you run to more of your friends for it to munch on!?” Thadius towered over the man, prompting Desha to put himself between the two.

“Leon! It’ll be here soon! Tell me something, anything!” Thadius demanded.

Despite the situation, Leon seemed to be the most composed, looking Thadius squarely in the eye as he spoke. “It’s the Mists Hydra. I’ve heard whispers about it in the order, but seeing it is another matter.”

“Can we fight it?” Thadius asked as he walked up to the Paladin. His voice was hoarse with tension.

Leon shook his head. “Only you and I, and perhaps Banon, would be capable of actually fighting it. But the longer the fight drags on, the greater the risks become. And in Marcus’ case, it would be suicidal. The beast targets priests and priestesses with a prejudice I’ve never seen in a monster.”

“Shit!” Thadius cursed as he removed his shield from its harness. All eyes were on him, waiting for his decision. He was used to the look of dependence. But this time, lives were on the line, and a wrong move could kill them all. A part of him wanted to retreat and spare his squad the danger, but a larger part of him wanted to see the monster and test his skill against something that exceeded his imagination.

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’I could let them run and try to hold it back or slow it down. But have no idea how strong that thing is. And if I die, how will they look at me when I return? Will I be a liar? A fraud? Where will my place be among them if they find out that death means something entirely different to me?’

Blood rushed through Thadius’ veins as the massive space that was the hydra, rapidly closed in. Yet he was calm as he eyed the men around. Even if he was revealed as a Traveler, his charade wasn’t worth a life.

“Congratulations Elroy, you’ll be leading the squad back to camp. I’ll stay and buy you guys as much time as possible…” he said.

[+15 Leadership]

“Are you insane!? You’re going to face that thing alone after what we just told you!?” Mavas screamed.

“Give me a shield and a sword and it’s gonna take a lot more than a fucking water snake to send me running with my tail between my legs. Besides,” Thadius flashed his signature grin, “if I die, I might get another chance at that divine fruit!”

[ +10 Charisma ]

“He’s gone mad! Quickly, we must leave this place! Let him have his death!” Mavas looked around hoping to rally the rest of the squad, but no one moved. A hard glint was visible in the eye of every man. Their uncertainty was clear, but so was the hope in their eyes as they looked to Thadius. Under his confident gaze, no one wanted to be the first to flee.

“I’ll fight alongside you. It’ll be interesting to see what we can accomplish together…” Leon said as he drew his blade.

“Hmph, the croaka were too weak anyway. About time we fought something worth bragging about.” Banon stepped forward, reaching for his battle-axe with a sneer directed at Mavas.

Once the more experience men cast their lives in with Thadius, Thomas, Marcus, and Elroy followed. Even Desha stepped forward, much to Mavas’ surprise.

“Have all of you lost your minds?” Mavas stared at the others with a dumbfounded expression.

Thadius ignored him, calling everyone into a hundle. “Alright, if we’re going to do this everyone needs to know their role. Leon, Banon, and I will be dealing the damage. We’ll be taking advantage of every opportunity to attack.” Both Banon and Leon nodded in agreement, then Thadius looked to Desha. “How many heads does this thing have?”

“It has two…” Mavas sighed as he came to join the huddle. “It uses one to collect water while the other spits out a jet of steam.”

“Nice of you to join us.” Thadius said. Desha agreed, giving Mavas a hearty pat on the back.

“No point in dying alone right?” he replied grimly.

“Dying isn’t in the plan.” Thadius declared as he turned back to the squad. “Thomas, Elroy, Mavas, and Desha will be harassing one of the heads. All I want you to do is prevent it from preparing its steam attack, and keep Marcus out of harms way. He’s going to be a primary target for this thing. Now, Leon, I don’t think this thing is used to sunlight, so your Holy Light will come in handy in creating the opening we need. But if this thing is as smart as they say, then it’ll probably only work once.”

“Right.” Leon nodded.

“Does everyone know their role?” Thadius looked around at his squad. Everyone looked resolved to fight the battle come. “Good, now spread out.” he said, then he turned to face the heavy pressure closing in on them.

Silence fell over the squad as they settled into position. Marcus and Desha stood together in the rear with Mavas, Thomas, and Elroy in a line ahead of them. Thadius stood at the forefront with Banon and Leon just behind him.

Thadius kept tabs on the hydra with his Ambient Pressure, but it only highlighted the hydra as a large target. He couldn’t sense its presence or make out its general shape unless it entered the range of his Fighting Aura. But after a few precious seconds, the hydra came to a stop just inside Thadius’ range.

“Here it comes…” he said.

Everyone readied themselves. At a moments notice, they were ready to move. But then the mist if front of them retreated and swirled into a vortex.

“It’s gathering water!” Mavas shouted.

“Desha!” Thadius called out. When he turned around, an arrow was already flying past his head and into the center of the vortex.

The mist that had been sucked in suddenly gushed forth as the hydra roared. Then it slithered into view. Two crocodile heads glared at the squad as it slid on its massive snake-like body. Its scales were the same pale-blue as the croaka’s skin, and its whole body glistened with moisture from the mists. At a height of 30ft(9.14m), it was an intimidating figure, and the pressure it exerted reminded Thadius of a man he met on a mountain in Yune.

Thankfully, Thadius’ Holy Fighting Aura gave the squad a tremendous boost to their fighting spirit which kept them from being frozen with fear. So he started calling orders, everyone was quick to react.

“Desha, keep an eye on the left head and make sure Mavas’ group can get away safely! Leon, Banon, with me!”

The squad split into two groups. Thadius, along with Leon and Banon, rushed for the hydra’s body while Mavas’ group moved to draw the attention of the left head.

The right head immediately bent down to snap at Thadius, who was leading the charge, only to receive a surprise as a Wind Cutter cut into the roof of its mouth. It reared back in surprise, giving Leon and Banon time to hack at its lower body.

Banon, with a mighty roar, used his height to swing down into the hydra’s back while Leon moved to thrust at its torso. Both attacks were successful, drawing blood from the wounds. But the hydra’s scales and muscles were thick, and it would take a lot more attacks to cause a mortal wound.

All aggro was turned toward Thadius’ group after the first attacks, and both heads turned to handle the threat. That’s when Desha set to work, aiming at the eyes of the left head while Mavas, Elroy, and Thomas circled around to the other side of the hydra to keep it busy. With the attention of both heads divided, all seemed to be going according to plan.

Unfortunately, the true battle had yet to begin. The hydra lifted its torso off the ground, and in a stunning display of dexterity, it whipped its tail in a wide arc that sent Mavas’ group flying back. As its tail came rushing at Thadius, he rushed forward and used Shield Bash to bring it to a halt.

’Let’s see how you take an attack from me!’ Thadius thought.

As soon as he stopped the tail, he lashed out with Dragon Claw, carving four deep cuts into the hydras flesh. It thrashed in pain and knocked him back several feet. Thadius’ shield had taken some of the impact, but he still had the wind knocked out of him as he smacked into the ground.

Leon and Banon had been fortunate enough not to be caught in the attack, and they quickly moved in to take Thadius’ place, digging their weapons deep into the wounds he’d already created.

But this time, the reaction of the hydra was completely different. As Leon and Banon’s weapons sank into its flesh, it coiled around them into a crushing hold. The men cried out as the air was forced out of their lungs and bones screamed in agony.

Thadius jumped up and sprinted toward them despite the pain in his chest. But Mavas and Elroy reached them first with Desha providing them cover. They hacked at the hydras scales desperately but they barely managed a few scratches.

Thadius sheathed Serenity and then aimed a Wind Cutter at the nearest head. On contact, a deep gouge was cut into the monster’s neck, and when it felt the full pressure of the one who did harm, all aggro was on the man with shield.

“That’s right. You can’t just ignore me. I’m dangerous!” Thadius taunted as circled away from Banon and Leon.

Once he was certain he had the hydra’s undivided attention, he used Extended Slash. In exchange for all of his Fighting Aura he could slash a foe up to 6ft. away. So what seemed like an empty swing to the hydra, was actually a full on hit that ripped across its torso.

In surprise, the hydra loosened its grip on Banon and Leon which allowed Marcus to move in while the heads were preoccupied.

Mavas and Elroy fell back into their roles as decoy for the left head, with Desha giving them cover from afar. Although the tactic was sound, they all miscalculated the cunning of the Mists Hydra.

It was quite used to archers, and the more arrows Desha shot the faster it adapted to the speed of their flight. Then in between shots, the left head lunged at the unsuspecting foe.

Except Thomas noticed the attack and pushed Elroy out of harms way. When the hydra came back up, it had Thomas by the arm, screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Thadius! Help me!” he cried.