Headed by a Snake

"Mages, to me!!" Tycondrius had two casters left to sabotage the sealing formation. It would be difficult for the two of them and they'd likely suffer mana fatigue... but they'd complete the mission. Afterward, he could signal for the ranged line to collapse. They could take the casters and fall back to safety.

Tycon quickly inscribed new mana lines into the seal, bypassing its mana-limiters while mentally reviewing his situation.

Duelist: Injured, but alive.

Ranged line: Surviving, but not easily.

Casters...

The Bronze-Rank Acolyte was a young, olive-skinned girl wearing a white cloak lined with fur. She did not appear to have sustained injury, but was shaken. That was likely due to the fact that over a third of her group were dead or in critical condition.

The Iron-Rank Adept was a kindly-looking bald and beardless gentleman in billowy Church robes, his face lined with age. He looked pathetic, exhibiting clear symptoms of mana fatigue.

"My mana reserves are... greatly diminished," He admitted, confirming Tycon's fears. "Diantha, you'll need to work with the Tactician. Lead the channeling spell."

"I... I can only do my best," Acolyte Diantha grimaced. She removed her hood, revealing short, dark curly hair and wide doe eyes. "My only fear is that it will not be enough."

Tycon felt his heart drop... The young woman they were depending on was similar in age to Athena.

A woman's shriek of pain caused the Adept to look back. In Tycon's peripheral vision, the Lake Eel had caught one of the Duelist's arms in its teeth, even despite Zenon's ⌈Wind Barrier⌋ protecting her. She was stabbing at the beast's eye, growing more desperate the more blood she lost.

"Begin circulating your energy, Miss Diantha," Tycon commanded. "I'll be back in a moment."

"I hear you, Master Tactician," Diantha nodded.

"May the Eternal Flame guide your hand," The older Adept nodded.

...

With the Duelist still caught in its jaws, the Lake Eel whipped its head and slammed her painfully onto her side. Superficial cracks formed in the frozen lake's surface from the force.

Dazed but still conscious, the Iron-Ranked woman jammed her sword into the creature's maw, and with a twist, managed to pull her bloodied arm free. She ran her blade along the side of the eel's head-- not nearly deep enough.

"I'm not sure how much longer I can hold on, Tactician!" She shouted, keeping her eyes on her enemy.

The ghostly eel lunged at her once more, crashing into the ice. Tycon shielded his eyes to guard against the burst of icy shrapnel... and he peered through the cloud of powder, hoping that the woman still breathed. The current situation was worrisome enough without the group's final close combatant dying.

Tycon drew his short sword from his lower back, approaching while keeping vigilant.

The eel rose out of the white clouds with the Duelist mounted on top of its head. She held on with her ruined arm, hacking and stabbing at the beast's head with focused fervor. The eel predictably responded by thrashing about, flinging the woman away. She struck the ground hard, rolling along the ice and leaving a trail of blood as she slid the last few fulms.

Tycon immediately ran to her side to check her condition, "Young lady..."

The half-dead woman shoved him backward with a surprising amount of force.

"Go back." The Duelist got to her feet, spitting blood, "I'm handling it."

She wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"Young lady," Tycon scowled, "Please tell me this is not the best you can do."

⟬ ⌈Inspirational Surge⌋ conditions met. Activate? Y/N? ⟭

"Hah!" The woman chuckled before spitting again, "Go. Complete your formation, Tactician."

More blood ran down the side of her mouth and she wiped it with her sleeve. Her internal injuries were not light.

« ...If possible, yes. »

⟬ Activating... Activation failed. ⟭

How disappointing. The woman was resigned to her fate.

Tycon stood up straight and flicked his sword-wrist to unveil his preferred weapon, the segmented whip. The remaining Lake Eel needed to be killed quickly. He did not know when... but it was certain that more would arrive.

"Sir Tyconnnnn!!!"

Hearing the voice of Karodin of Emberhold, Tycon narrowed his eyes, tracking the fellow in his peripheral vision. Enchanted by Zenon's ⌈Wind-Walk⌋ spell, the Bronze-Rank Legionnaire bounded over the ice and rock, smashing into the Lake Eel's side with his shield.

"By the Flame!" The Duelist yelled, "What the hells are you doing here, Karodin?"

"SAVING. YOUR. ARSE!!!!" The Legionnaire roared, "PTOLEMAAAAA!!"

The Lake Eel reared up, hissing and baring its hundreds of spiny teeth. The blue-haired human's eyes widened, shocked by its terrifying speed.

The bastard was still fatigued from earlier.

"Karodin!!" Tycon yelled, "Do something!!"

He couldn't think of any specific action he could command Karodin to do without him suffering a cruel and quick death. Thus, he decided to be vague and... hope for the best.

⟬ Activating ⌈Jumping Knee Counter.⌋ Reaction ability. Targeted ally's physical defenses are improved against a single attack. Target is compelled to make an instantaneous unarmed strike against an enemy with increased accuracy. ⟭

Cognizance returned to Karodin's eyes. In that brief moment, he knelt down, stabbing his short sword into the ice and bracing his shield as silvery mana encased him. The eel collided with the shield but was rebuffed by the immovable object, recoiling back in pain.

"I'm not done with you, yet!!" Karodin yelled. Drawing his blade, he leapt up and stabbed the creature in the snout. Likely because of Tycon's compulsion effect, the Legionnaire also launched a mana-powered knee-strike into the creature's jaw. The resulting crack was thankfully from the eel's broken teeth and not from Karodin's knee-cap.

« ...System, inquiry: Karodin's information. »

⟬ System response: Karodin, Iron-Rank Human Legionnaire. Guild Brazen Guard. ⟭

The young man had broken through to Iron. That was somewhat promising. Still, that would not clear his fatigue from earlier. It was likely that he would die along with Duelist Ptolema.

It was a sacrifice Tycon was willing to make.

"Take care of it," Tycon turned on his heel and jogged back towards Acolyte Diantha and her companion Adept.