Ehrwin had heard about Eternus from Bog, but nothing could prepare him for the sight of it in person. The mere glimpse of it was enough to cause every single hair on his body to rise, as if in defiance of its imposing presence.

“That, my dear friends, is his true visage,” Bog declared. “However, he also has a humanoid form, though it appears he has forsaken it for quite some time and may have become unhinged after trapping his spouse.”

“The books said Eternus was a serpent deity, how is that anything close to resembling a serpent?”

“Tales told by mankind are often flawed, hence why they are referred to as legends,” Bog pontificated. “It is possible that the elongated neck led a human to mistakenly associate it with a serpent.”

“Oi, what’s that shiny thing behind him?” Dolly interjected, pointing towards a tree trunk where a gleaming purple stone was visible in an open alcove.

“That, I assure you, is where the mistress is ensnared. I can sense her presence. We must shatter that stone to liberate her.”

“Ain’t no way to get there without taking down that monster first,” Gaul stated.

“Either way, let’s get to work,” Ehrwin said, unsheathing his sword.

His heart was pounding and sweat dripped down his forehead as he carefully made his way along the tree line on the left side, trying to stay concealed, avoiding the open expanse in the middle.

Meanwhile, Gaul and Dolly confidently strode toward the creature, marching straight ahead.

Flint took up a spot on the right flank, ready to unleash his arrows, while Bog was stationed behind him, hidden among the trees.

Ehrwin closed his eyes and looked into his stats.

[Name: Ehrwin Bargunri]

[Class: N/A]

[Health: 100/100]

[Stamina: 50/50]

[Mana: N/A]

Pathetic as always. As much as he wanted to engage it head-on in a brawl, he knew it would prove to be fatal for him. One bite from those massive fangs would be enough to end his life, given his current stats.

Eternus let out a hiss that was as sinister as the beast itself. Its six pairs of eyes glared and fixed upon Gaul and Dolly as they approached. There was no retreat now, only confrontation.

The air was thick with a sense of dread as the trio prepared to face the monster.

With a thundering roar that shook the very foundations of the earth, Eternus unleashed Lefty and Righty—its left and right heads—each one bellowing in unison, snarling and snapping, lunged forward with the intention of capturing Gaul and Dolly within their massive jaws. The sound of their deafening roars echoed through the land.

So, It begins.

Gaul was caught off guard as Lefty came at him with lightning speed. He let his hammer drop, instead relying on his strength to grab onto its fangs with his bare hands, grunting, his body leaning forward, feet planted firmly on his heels. A feat that can only be accomplished by an Atava with the gift of strength. The monster’s head kept stretching, pushing Gaul back, his feet digging deep into the ground when all of a sudden the head retracted, leaving Gaul nothing to hold onto and as a result, he plummeted face-first onto the ground. Lefty retracted all the way back.

Dolly relied on her gift of agility to dodge Righty’s deadly fangs. Ehrwin noted the monster could only stretch its neck forward. Instead of retracting its head a little after missing its mark, Eternus continued to swerve its head around in an attempt to hit her. He deduced that it was unable to partially retract its neck. If it retracted, it would have to retract all the way back. Taking advantage of the monster’s vulnerability, Dolly struck at its stretched neck with her weapon, causing Righty to recoil in pain.

Ehrwin moved stealthily, taking cautious steps as he crept along the side, using the cover of trees to stay hidden. His gaze was fixed on his target - the middle head of the monster. He crept from tree to tree, his eyes never leaving the prize as he inched closer to his objective.

Lefty unleashed itself again at Gaul, but this time he had his hammer ready at his fist, waiting to bash its teeth in.

The head approached. But he was ready, eyes burning with determination.

He let out a war cry as he swung his hammer as soon as it got in range. However, the creature’s razor-sharp teeth bit into the hammer, snapping it with a crunch, separating the face from the handle, as the head stretched past him.

Gaul was left staring at the broken handle in disbelief, but he quickly realized the danger he was in as Lefty swerved its neck back towards him like a boomerang. Gaul caught it with his bleeding hands again, groaning as he struggled to hold back the monster’s jaws. His hands were being pressed back, the maw closing in on Gaul’s head, about a hand’s length away. Ehrwin watched in horror, his feet pointed at Gaul, as he prepared for the worst.

The three heads of Eternus let out a simultaneous, ear-piercing scream of pain as they suddenly retracted all the way back. Ehrwin’s eyes caught sight of the cause of the monster’s distress - an arrow that had struck its horse-like body, causing it to bleed profusely.

Flint had made his timely entrance once again.

He unleashed a barrage of arrows, but they were fended off by Middler—the middle head.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Middler bit out the arrow embedded in its flesh, causing all three heads to writhe in pain. Although it managed to deflect the incoming arrows, the first one had landed its mark, giving the burly man and the Dickbreaker a vital moment to catch their breath and recuperate.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Gaul and Dolly rushed toward Middler, each step bringing them closer to their goal like pawns on a chessboard advancing to become the king. However, Righty and Lefty had different plans, fiercely protecting their queen, as they stretched forward to unleash another barrage of attacks.

Dolly nimbly dodged Righty’s attack, her agility and grace making it appear effortless, while Gaul engaged in a fierce struggle with Lefty, relying on his raw strength and the grip of his bare hands.

They were doing great, but they weren’t going to last long at this rate. Blessedly, Ehrwin had stealthily slipped from tree to tree and made it all the way behind the monster, still concealed by a dead tree, observing the situation, waiting for the right moment.

It was his turn now. He thumped his pounding heart, trying to calm it down. That wouldn’t work, and he knew better, so he did what his favorite middle school teacher had told him in his past life right before he got up to the school podium to give a speech. Acknowledge where you feel the tension in your body, feel it, and assure it that it’s okay to be scared.

Taking a deep breath, Ehrwin picked up the coil of rope resting on his shoulder and charged towards Middler, which was preoccupied with avoiding Flint’s arrows. With practiced precision, Ehrwin swung the lasso and expertly looped it around Middler’s neck. The beast’s eyes bulged in surprise as it found itself unable to crane its neck or stretch far enough to reach the rope around its neck. Checkmate.

With a determined grip, Ehrwin tightened the rope around the neck of Middler. As the rope cut off its air supply, Middler gasped for breath, and Righty and Lefty followed suit, for the creature could only breathe through Middler’s lungs. The other two heads were unable to retract as breathing was essential for them to stretch or retract.

Eternus thrashed wildly, its body violently tossing back and forth as it tried to break free, causing Ehrwin to be tossed around like a rag doll. Despite the rope loosening in his hand and the pain he felt, he held on. From the corner of his eye, he saw Dolly and Gaul rushing forward to help.

The monster’s hooves connected with Ehrwin’s stomach as he was blown away. All the way. Till he violently hit the trunk of a tree with a resounding crack. He felt his spine snap, and the pain was so intense that it made him retch, coughing up blood as his vision started to blur.

He struggled to breathe, and his ears were ringing. Deep down, he began to ask himself if this was the end. He felt himself slowly surrendering to the embrace of darkness, his consciousness slipping away.

Until he felt a gentle tug at his lips, warmth being poured into his throat.

Ehrwin’s eyelids flickered as he gradually regained consciousness. He was greeted by the sight of Bog pouring a phial of healing potion into his mouth.

“It is fortunate that each of us has one of these restorative elixirs,” Bog said. “It has proved most fortuitous in this moment.”

Ehrwin coughed, still catching his breath. “Did the plan fail?” he asked, his voice strained with pain.

“I’m afraid so,” Bog replied with a sigh. “The others are still holding on, however.”

Ehrwin attempted to sit up, but his body was weak, and he groaned in pain as he fell back onto the ground. Bog placed a steadying hand on his chest.

“Remain still. You have sustained a severe injury, and despite the potency of Mistress Othelia’s potion, it will take time for the shattered bones to mend properly.”

He muttered a curse as he accessed his stats. His hit points were alarmingly low, registering at a mere 6, slowly ticking upwards by 4.3 points per minute. He had likely been reduced to a single hit point earlier, a perilous state that bordered on death. Had Bog not swiftly come to his aid, he’d probably be dead by now.

Dolly was lying on the ground in agony, her cries growing louder as she tightly gripped her right leg. The wound was severe, with a brutal gash in her calf muscle that had torn open her skin, exposing some of her inner flesh.

“What happened?”

“It lashed out after your stunt. The madame dropped her phial too, spilling its content, sadly.”

Gaul bellowed in fury as he grappled with the two heads of Eternus, both bound tightly together by a rope. His skin glowed crimson, and sweat dripped down his brow, steam rising from his exertions. No doubt he was using Titan’s Grip—a skill that granted its user immense strength, though at a steep cost to their mana reserves.

“Keep your wretched fangs away from her!” he roared.

Eternus, undaunted, withdrew one of its heads, slipping out of the bonds and leaving the other to deal with Gaul. Flint, meanwhile, was tending to Dolly, administering his own potion to her.

Ehrwin struggled to his feet, but his efforts were met with a sharp pain that cost him one hit point. He stumbled and fell, watching in horror as Lefty stretched toward him with deadly intent.

Suddenly, strong arms grabbed Ehrwin and pushed him out of harm’s way. He tumbled and rolled, the world around him spinning in a dizzying blur.

Gasping for breath, he cursed his own weakness as he coughed and opened his eyes. When he looked back to where Lefty had attacked, he saw the still form of Bog, half of his stomach ripped away and a dark, viscous fluid pouring from the wound.

"No," he muttered, heart sinking.

“Please, save her. I beg you,” Bog croaked. And with those words, he went limp, his eyes staring lifelessly into the void.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Why was he so fucking useless?

“FUCK THIS SHIT!” Gaul charged towards the Middler, his eyes blazing with madness. The ill effects of using Titan’s Grip for too long were evident in his unhinged state.

Eternus unleashed Lefty at him, but Gaul deftly dodged and lunged towards Middler. The creature hissed and retracted its right head, as Lefty swerved to attack, but Gaul’s massive hands had already encircled the Middler’s slender neck.

Righty and Lefty sank their fangs deep into Gaul’s shoulders, but he was laughing now, like a madman, his voice echoing throughout the Mire.

“You think you’re better than me?! You fucking lump of scales!” he bellowed, his veins bulging, his muscles straining as he tightened his grip on the Middler’s neck.

Eternus thrashed and kicked, but Gaul was immovable, his grip only growing stronger until Middler’s eyes flickered and went dark, and Gaul crushed its throat with his bare hands.

The creature fell limp, lifeless. He then stumbled to his knees, panting heavily.

Ehrwin gaped in disbelief - they had won? How on Sjethia?

He managed to get to his feet and started dragging himself towards the alcove, taking stock of their situation. Dolly was recovering thanks to Flint’s potion, and Gaul, although on the verge of collapse, was still alive and had his own health phial. A hard fight it was, but they had won. They had fucking won.

“It’s over, huh, chief?” Gaul panted, looking up at Ehrwin.

A broad smile slowly spread across Ehrwin’s face. “Yes,” he said, a wave of satisfaction welling up in him.

But, it wasn’t entirely over yet. He had one last job.

Glancing in the direction where Bog lay dead, he spoke softly, “This one’s for you, friend.”

With a swift slice of his blade, he split the stone in half, but as he did so, a screeching voice echoed in his mind, causing him to step back, clutching at the part of his head where it throbbed in pain.

“Wh-what happened? The witch free now?” Gaul asked, health potion in his hand.

A powerful gust of wind barreled down from the sky, tossing mud and other debris into the air.

Ehrwin shielded his eyes from the swirling maelstrom as Flint, cradling Dolly against his shoulder, pointed to the south and cried, “There!”

Following Flint’s gesture, Ehrwin’s eyes alighted on a terrifying sight.

Black, gooey substance was flowing out of Bog, multiplying and growing larger with each passing moment. It grew and grew and grew, rapidly coalescing into the form of a giant, dark serpent, its body towering over the dead willow tree, eyes gleaming like topaz gems.

The serpent let out a most ungodly cackle, its horrid sound bouncing off the desolate scenery. “Oh, the devil take me! I cannot control my mirth,” it sneered. “I never thought that such a pack of mongrels as yourselves could bring down the Guardian. What a foolish wager, but it seems to have paid off handsomely.”

Its gleaming eyes seemed to look straight through Ehrwin, and he could feel its dark, malevolent presence pulsing like a beacon of death.

Gaul breathed out the word, “Bog?” in disbelief, but Ehrwin’s voice was a muttered denial. “That’s not Bog,” he whispered, as realization dawned on him. “That’s Eternus.”

Tales told by mankind are often flawed, my ass. They'd all been had, dancing to the tunes of their adversary this whole time.