We should have kept one alive to ask. That was the consensus after searching through the town for a couple of hours looking for something — anything to summon the great serpent. We knew it was there. Every so often, if the scarce light filtering through the foggy skies struck just right, we’d see a shadow writhing beneath the surface in the deepest parts by the fogwall. Nyt tried to shoot at it, but every arrow she sent died long before it reached the depths required.

“I think I found something,” Seth called out at the fourth or fifth hour of searching.

He was somewhat near the shore, where the roots of the mountain ran into the sea. Embedded into the wall was a round gong with the image of a writhing serpent engraved on it. It was an old thing; judging by the slight cerulean rust sticking to its edges, and the tarnish that was heavily apparent; dimming the golden gleam of whatever metals were used to make it. Would it work? How? With the gong pressed against solid stone, its ringing would be extremely muted. I rap my fingers on the dark stone behind the gong. At a touch, it felt like slate, and, to my surprise, the stone rang hollow.

“So that’s how it works?"

“What do you mean?”

“This whole section of the mountain is like a giant bell.” I tap along until it the sound changes to something more befitting a mountain. “You strike it, and the vibrations will travel down into the waters. At least I think.”

“Okay, so just strike it? Would that work?”

I shrug.

“Just wait until Nyt and I retreat a bit from the shoreline then strike it. It won’t hurt to try.”

Seth nods and once more Nyt and I retreat up the layers; keeping a wide berth away from the coast. I perch up two levels up away from the coast, and she perches one lower. She picks up a stone and tosses it in front of her. A bow explodes into a thousand pieces and forms into a gray reticulated recurve bow. Seth glances at us, and we both nod. With that, he picked up a nearby stone and slammed it into the center of the gong.

When struck the whole mountain sings in long, melodic hums. It was a tone very, very similar to the voice of the rainbow serpent. A ripple stretches out from the roots of the mountain and over the sea, and a discordant echo calls back.

The shadow beneath the surface near the edge of the fogwall begins to move toward the shore where the song had begun. Seth struck the gong again and again came the echo. The shadow approaches faster; casting white foam at its movement. I form the stone on the roof into dozens of spikes and take a deep breath.

“Bombard my enemies, O’ thou servants of Gob, the magnomious.”

I split the mana into dozens of streams to wrap around the bases of all of the spikes there and hold them.

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My heart beat quickly. How was this battle going to go? Judging by the size of the waves it made at its motions, it was orders of sizes larger than the one we had met in the cave. Seth glances back and nods once more as strikes the gong again. I see the fear coursing through my body echoing in his face. Nyt’s bow bends as she pulls loose at the string, and her clawed fingers tremble.

From the still blue, a great, pointed, serpentine head emerges, followed by the large, scaled body of the great serpent. Black, sticky liquid oozes from its body; and through that viscous liquid the once rainbow scales gleamed dully.

It roared its discordant roar, and the entire earth shook. Seth struck first; swinging his blade toward the great beast. White frost formed in the waters, as spears of ice slammed into the creature’s exposed body. The tips of those spears of ice break apart; barely scuffing the gleam. Nyt was the next one to strike: a great roar like a jet engine as the building right beside her collapsed into itself and formed a great ball that crashed into the creature’s face. It reels back at the blow.

I let loose with my spell as well. Dozens of stone javelins free themselves from the rooftop in my direction. They arc through the sky and into the creature’s exposed neck; breaking apart as they collide against its scales. As our attacks came to a stop, the creature dipped its head beneath the surface of the water, and came up shortly after; curtains of water falling from its massive form. Seth took the opportunity to slash forward again; that water that fell off of the serpent froze into thick ice that was broken apart by a small movement of its massive head.

The great serpent pulls its head back as its chest swells. Steam curls out of its mouth as it lurches forward. A massive jet of steaming water roars out of its unhinged jaw. In the blink of an eye; the building Nyt had been standing on vanished within the geyser. Half of the building surrounding her had also been reduced to rubble. The building that had been behind her crumbled a moment later.

“Nyt!” I hop down to her level and across the roofs.

“I’m okay! Focus at the front!”

Another building collapsed and hurled toward the great serpent. Nyt stood; her chest heaving, and blood dripping down from her forehead.

“You that bind the all, protect her from all that would do her harm.”

Another shield forms around Nyt. Seth charges forward and slashes up into the creature’s neck. Frost forms where his blade collides and wraps around the creature’s neck like a collar. It tries to shake the ice collar off, but it grows instead in long, thin lines that push past the scales. Red begins to stain the white ice as the first injury against the massive creature has been delivered.