Standing up, I used Arcane Step to land directly on the creature and slammed the back of my shield into it with a resounding thud. The impact echoed like a drumbeat, momentarily stunning it. Quickly, I stepped to another position, avoiding staying in one place too long while giving Arcane Surge time to wear it down. However, the creature was faster than I had anticipated. Before I could reposition again, it lashed out, hitting me and sending me hurtling backward.

  Before the creature had a chance to go after one of the others, I threw an Arcane knife that I made, at it to get its attention. My goal at this moment was just to just distract and wait for someone who could do more damage to this thing to become available.

  With Panoptic Sense I was able to see that Nixy was taking down the goblins as quickly as she could, however, they had started grouping up. Whenever she tried to get behind one there was another right there, swinging with claws or crude weapons. Robert was doing his best against Derek, but it looked like his talent allowed him to predict Robert’s movements. He was always just one step ahead and out of the way.

  Evelyn was doing her best to stay out of the way. It looked like she wanted to help me, she just did not have a way to hurt the creature. As I looked over at her, she looked over to me and I could see the terror there. I gave her a thumbs up and a cheeky smile, even though she could not see it.

  Throwing the dagger had also reminded me of what I had done with Ravros, this time however, I decided to see if I could turn a brick into a grenade. Grabbing one of the rocks I held onto it as I jumped back in to distracting the monster.

  It seemed to be learning though, luckily for me I stepped behind it instead of on to its shoulder, as the moment I appeared it smashed its shoulder with enough force that I thought something inside of it broke. The arm that it hit went completely limp and just hung there at its side.

  While the monster screamed in pain from its self-inflicted injury, I smashed the edge of my shield into the back of its knee. Trying to force the creature to the ground. The whole time I was trying to will Arcane mana into the brick with trying to force Arcane Detonation to be as large of an explosion as possible.

  My shield did little to even budge the massive creature, but Arcane Detonation was enough to cause the leg to buckle. All the while Arcane Surge was still ticking off a little health here and there. With the creature having fallen, I used Arcane Step to appear on the shoulder of the working arm and tossed a blob of Arcane power into the creature’s still open mouth. Trying to get something inside.

  Unfortunately, its scream was powerful enough to disrupt the flow of my Arcane mana, shattering the concentration I needed to maintain it. The mana within my Arcane Armor remained stable, but the loose mana I had been channeling evaporated instantly, rendering my attack completely useless. The blob I had hoped would detonate in its mouth simply dissipated into nothing. I had clearly underestimated this creature, as the supposedly useless arm I’d dismissed suddenly lashed out, slamming into me with surprising force, its massive fingers wrapping tightly around my body.

  I had seen the potential energy develop through Panoptic Sense I just had not be quick enough to move. Arcane Step saved me though and I moved away from the creature before I was turned into a pancake. I was still breathing heavily from the slight squeezing it had given me though.

  Through Panoptic Sense, I saw Robert stumble as a deep cut tore along the back of his leg, forcing him to the ground. The rhythm of the battle faltered for a moment, the intensity shifting as Derek began circling him like a predator closing in for the kill. The sight sent a jolt of urgency through me, heightening the chaos. Meanwhile, Nixy was doing her best, but the sheer number of goblins overwhelmed her. Every time she took one down, two more seemed to take its place. It felt like the tide was turning against us, and with no sign of reinforcements, doubt crept into my mind. Were we really going to make it out of this alive?

  Thinking as quickly as I could, I came up with a plan I thought might work. “Nixy!” I shouted, “Help Robert!” As dumb as it might have seemed I sent her to help Robert and used Arcane Step to appear near a group of the goblins. Trusting in Arcane Surge and Arcane Rejuvenation to handle the creatures and keep me alive.

  Once I appeared next to the goblins I threw a knife, a regular one this time, at the Dreadfang to draw it near. Using the ponderous steps and hopefully sweeping claws to help get rid of the goblins while still keeping the monster distracted.

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  Nixy yowled at my words, her sharp cry cutting through the chaos, but she obeyed without hesitation. She darted away from the group of goblins, her movements swift and fluid, muscles rippling beneath her sleek coat. In an instant, she disappeared into the shadows, only to reappear with Void Warp behind Derek. Her claws gleamed in the dim light as she moved with predatory precision, striking with a speed that left him momentarily stunned. The look of absolute horror and confusion on his face as Nixy reciprocated the slice to the back of his leg that he had just given Robert was almost enough to make me laugh out loud. Unfortunately, I was still being attacked from all sides by the giant Dreadfang and now goblins.

  Evelyn was still off to the side slightly dumbstruck and unable to make decisions. This being the first time she had seen such a pitched battle I somewhat understood the shock that she felt. I had been hopeful that what Robert said would be enough to get her to use her ability to help us, but such a drastic shift in thought might be too much to ask so quickly.

  Robert was starting to get his feet under him finally now that Nixy was helping. I didn’t understand why Derek was able to predict all of Robert’s moves, but Nixy seemed to confuse him. The only thing really different about Nixy from Robert, other than the obvious, was that Nixy was a part of The System.

  I paid for my distracted thoughts and observations when the Dreadfang grabbed me once again. Arcane Step saved me again, but my Arcane Armor popped before I was able to get completely get free. This earned me a stab in my back from a goblin before I was able to use Arcane Armor once again. I made the goblin pay for stabbing me, by crushing its head with a backhanded sweep of my shield.

  With that goblin dead, there were no more standing. I was breathing heavily and from all the fighting and I didn’t know how much longer I would be able to hold out. So, I did the smart thing and started to run away from the giant seemingly indestructible monster. Forcing it to give chase, with how annoyed the creature was with me it would not let me go so easily. Fortunately, it worked out as I was not trying to truly run away, but still keep it distracted.

  Through Panoptic Sense, I saw Evelyn finally spring into action. She sprinted toward the broken wall, quickly scooping up a few bricks into her arms. Once she had gathered enough, she took off at full speed, heading straight toward her brother and Nixy. Robert noticed her approach, and I was certain Nixy heard her steps as well. Derek, however, remained oblivious, his focus entirely elsewhere.

  Evelyn kept running directly at him, and the exact moment he or his ability finally registered her movements became glaringly obvious. His head snapped toward her, eyes widening in alarm as he brandished his sword with frantic urgency. Before he could make a move, however, Nixy and Robert struck simultaneously, tackling him to the ground with coordinated precision. The impact knocked him off balance, and the two wasted no time, pinning him down and launching a relentless flurry of attacks that left him no chance to recover.

  Evelyn did not even hesitate, almost as though she was already aware of what was going to happen. She just kept running right on by. I was beginning to get confused, as I had no idea what she was doing. Her mad dash would take her nowhere near anything. Giving her more attention than I should have cost me as the creature caught me with a backhand and smashed me through several buildings.

  My Arcane Armor held up through the barrage, but it finally shattered on the last impact. If I had crashed through one more building, I might have been nothing more than a smear on the ground. Groaning, I pushed myself to my feet, every muscle aching from the relentless punishment. I barely had time to recover before the monster came crashing down right where I had been standing. Reacting on instinct, I activated Arcane Step, vanishing an instant before I would have been flattened beneath its massive form.

  After stepping out of the way I turned to face the monster. With the dust clearing from its landing, it let out a roar, I threw my brick. I had been holding on to that brick the entire time pumping as much Arcane mana into and willing Arcane Detonation to take hold of the mana. Trying to imagine a massive explosion that would hopefully finish off the creature.

  I was far enough away that when I threw, the roar of the creature did not get rid of the mana in the brick. Either that or because the mana was in the brick the roar didn’t matter. The brick landed inside the creatures open mouth causing it to instinctively shut its mouth and snap its eyes open.

  The next few moments felt like something straight out of a cartoon. The creature swallowed the brick, and what followed defied logic: its stomach expanded outward in a ridiculous balloon-like fashion before snapping back into place, smoke billowing comically from its mouth. For a brief second, I half-expected it to hold up a sign saying ‘Uh-oh.’ The creature obviously swallowed the brick, which then exploded inside its stomach.

  The only good thing that came from all that effort was the smoke covering the creature’s eyes long enough for me to stare dumbfounded at the lack of success. “I wish I could turn into a Saturday cartoon if a bomb explodes inside my stomach.” I grumbled. It looked like I was going to just have to go with the long haul and allow Arcane Surge to slowly beat it down. Hopefully, I could last that long.

  That’s when I noticed Evelyn through Panoptic Sense. She was a lot closer now, and she was throwing a brick at the Dreadfang.

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