AWAKENING PART 6C

Day 6; 1537 (Afternoon)

Focus: Echo Serpent + Beasts

Distracted by 513’s abrupt appearance, the echo serpent lost sight of its intended target, leaving its flanks and oversized wings vulnerable to a counter-attack.

*THUMP* *THUMP* THUMP*

While the echo serpent was preoccupied, the beast that had been the target of its dive-bomb attack, scrambled up the tree that had been used as cover and leapt into the air.

The beast, which looked like a giant honey badger with enormous curved tusks protruding from its back, gracefully sailed through the air like a sugar glider. It was on an intercept course towards the echo serpent's telegraphed flight path. As it neared the point of convergence, where it and the echo serpent would inevitably come into physical contact, it adjusted its gliding posture, allowing it to float just above where the echo serpent would be.

Cocking back both of its forelegs as if it were loading-up a punch, it twisted its triangular-shaped paws one full rotation, then clasped its claws together, forming a sharp conical point like a lance. With its stance locked-down, an inaudible hum distorted the local air as a dark red glow enveloped the tuskback badger’s body, causing its fur to stiffen and skin to harden. Then, a blue sheen appeared on its front paws, coating them in a thin layer of bright, fluid-like substance; silent arcs of static electricity sparked from the blue sheen and danced between the length of the tuskback badger’s forelegs.

Reaching an optimal distance, it unleashed it’s loaded strike.

By rapidly uncoiling and recoiling its cocked forelegs, the tuskback badger was able to turn its lance-like claws into spinning drills that could bore through the toughest of materials. Punching forward, the torque of its dual-prong claw-drills turned the tuskback badger’s body into a spinning top, gaining speed as it drew closer to impact.

*THWAK* *THWAK* *BOOM*

A bright yellow tinge engulfed the area of impact as a series of consecutive explosions peppered the echo serpent’s body.

A plume of red mist erupted from its wings, drenching the nearby plantlife in dark crimson; due to its negligence, it had been devastated by an unforeseen attack. Chunks of its wings and back were carved out as if a craftsman had chiselled out two, one meter-wide channels running the full length of its body.

Still in shock of what had just happened, the echo serpent gazed inquisitively at its now defunct wings. Its large lizard eyes twitched in annoyance as its attempts to move its wings ended in futility.

Then, just as quickly as the tuskback badger’s strike, the pain that had been stunned by echo serpent’s genuine surprise, shot straight into its mind like a lightning strike. It writhed in pain, maniacally thrashing its head around, seeking to rid itself of all feelings.

Unable to withhold the pain, it yelled out in fury.

*SQUAK*

As the echo serpent wailed in agony, the pungent odor of its blood forced the tuskback badger to grimace in distaste; the blood’s malodorous aroma overpowered the stench of freshly decaying bodies and iron-scented guts loitering in the stagnant air.

Covering its nose, the tuskback badger fell silently towards the ground. The foul stench wreaked havoc on its senses, but it had no time for distractions; maintaining composure was paramount to finishing the fight.

Daintily landing on its hind legs, the tuskback badger gently leaned its upper body against a nearby tree. Though it had maintained poise, it still sustained injuries that needed to be addressed.

It had taken more damage than it had expected during its attack on the echo serpent. Both of its forelegs were nearly destroyed as a result of the encounter, but the outcome was ideal -- it had survived, and the echo serpent could no longer flee to the air using its oversized wings.

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*SCREECH*

Livid by what had transpired, the echo serpent unleashed another deafening screech. This time the effect of its cry stunned and disoriented every living thing within a five-hundred meter radius of its position.

The tuskback badger, which had just started to recuperate from its injuries, was paralyzed like the rest of the creatures caught inside the echo serpent’s zone of influence. And, like the rest, it could do nothing but wait for the piercing, mind-numbing screams to end.

*ROAR*

Neutralized by the echo serpent, the tuskback badger called out to its three allies. The three, still hiding in the shadows of the forest, had managed to evade the immobilizing screech of the echo serpent by keeping their distance away from the battle.

Now it was their turn to take action.

The three beasts, obscured and camouflaged by the shadows of trees and local fauna, worked their way towards the edges of the echo serpent’s zone of influence. They did this by observing which animals were still immobilized and which were starting to regain movement in their limbs -- signs that they were no longer affected by the echo serpent’s cry.

As they neared the edges of the zone, they managed to get a glimpse of the echo serpent’s chaotic descent to the ground.

*THUD* *CRASH* *THUD*

No longer in command of its own flight, the echo serpent careened aimlessly into several large trees, bouncing off of their thick, armored trunks like a pinball. For every collision, dislodged pieces of sharp bark struck the echo serpent’s body as if it were pin-cushion.

This only worked to further anger the echo serpent.

Still screaming madly, like a crazed beast, it increased the intensity of its cry, widening its zone of influence from five-hundred meters to one-thousand.

Entrapped by the immobilizing shout, the three pursuant beasts found themselves stuck in position, just like their comrade. As they struggled to free themselves, an ominous feeling swept over them; their limbs involuntarily shook in fear as their sense for danger spiked to the extreme.

*RUMBLE*

Portions of the forest floor, directly beneath the echo serpent’s careening flight path, liquified from the vibrations of its ferocious screaming, creating deep fissures that started swallowing the giant trees of the forest whole.

The ground shook violently as more pitfalls and deep crevices sprouted from the echo serpent’s frenzied cry. Fortunately for the three beasts and the tuskback badger, the ground tremors somehow counteracted the immobilization effects of the echo serpent's scream. Realizing this, all four quickly scrambled to regain their bearings; they needed to finish off the echo serpent right this moment, before things took a turn for the worse.

Quickly joining up with the three other beasts, the tuskback badger immediately commanded the group to initiate a three-way attack. It and one other would engage the echo serpent head-on, while the other two flanked from the side. It was a hastily made plan, but they were running out of time and options.

The echo serpent's prolonged descent from the skies finally reached ground level as the four beasts reached their attacking positions.

*CRASH*

The echo serpent’s underbelly was lacerated by countless stakes sticking up from the forest floor as it crashed into the ground --by-products of the chaotic winds it had unleashed earlier.

Bleeding-out on the very ground it had littered with debris, the echo serpent found itself quickly surrounded by the creatures that had taken its ability to fly. It tried to scream, but its voicebox was shredded by the many spikes that had cut deeply into its body.

*THUD* *THWAK* *THUD*

The beast quartet attacked the downed echo serpent relentlessly, carving away at its thick hide and using its open wounds to injure its internal organs. To fully defeat the echo serpent, the quartet needed to destroy its heart located deep inside its chest cavity, otherwise it could regenerate back to full health over the course of a full year.

*BOOM*

Relinquishing all manners of defense, the echo serpent entered an altered state where it gave-up control over its mind and body, relying purely on instinct and rage to survive -- it had become enraged; in the enraged state, the user gives up all forms of self-preservation in favor of increased offensive potential.

The echo serpent’s body began to steam as it glowed cherry red. The blood that had been oozing out from its abdomen and other open wounds, evaporated from the heat generated by its body, covering the surrounding landscape in a cloud of crimson.

The strong concussive blast associated with its changed in state, shot the beast quartet in opposite directions from where they had been attacking. Only the tuskback badger was able to land on its hindlegs, unscathed by the inopportune counter.

Of the other three, one had been impaled on a tree branch, while the remaining two slammed into large boulders. Fortunately for the quartet, all were still alive, albeit injured.

However, it was too early to celebrate their survival. Their battle with the echo serpent had just gotten a lot harder.

---Chapter End