[Winter – Parso]

The group of Sharks on horseback noticed smoke billowing in the distant horizon as they continued to investigate what was causing people to scatter in numbers. The dark sky's smokey-tint warned the outlaws that true trouble lay ahead. They began to understand more clearly while approaching an inclined hill in the road they'd followed, the extent of chaos that individuals who had rode past them in the opposite direction were escaping from.

Finally reaching the apex of the final hill, they were unprepared for the sight in the farm-filled land already ablaze. Monstrous columns of smoke streamed upward into the now amber-toned atmosphere as an Agi creature the size of two town hall buildings stacked upon each other crashed his flame-engulfed fists into what was someone's house only seconds ago.

What was a valley of produce and prosperity, was engulfed in Agi chaos.

Following up his crushing motion, the beast opened it's rock jaws and let out a petrifying shout that was louder than any noise Jennings or the others had ever heard. The sound blasted like a volcano lashed a whip through the air. As the group moved their hands over their ears in an attempt to forcibly block out the scream, Ollie took advantage of the sound finally dissipating and shouted to his team slightly behind.

Although barely able to hear the words himself, he shouted with his best effort.

“What the fuck is that thing Jennings?”

Before Jennings could stop staring at the Agi beast and form a reply that he hadn't had a clue, Rosemary kicked her horse, sending it full speed in the direction of the danger, aiming for an offensive attack.

“Wha-!” yelled Ollie.

Brody didn't hesitate at the sudden change of plans by Rosemary, and charged in unison to assist.

“Hell, we have to back them up now J.J.!” added Ollie before him and Jennings proceed to follow their colleagues into another fight like old times.

The elemental abomination left the shack it had just trampled with a mighty fist and turned its attention to a farmhouse close by. The beast began to charge up a beam of fire in its mouth when it got interrupted by a flurry of projectile knives embedding themselves in its agap jaws, causing the giant to miss its target by the slightest margin.

“Good shot!” said Brody from behind Rosemary, acknowledging her proficiency with her throwing knives that she frequently carried.

Now noticing all four teammates from the Sharks, the creature shifted its sight to the group directly approaching its feet with haste. It let out another scream that would send shivers down the bravest of spines. As the Sharks' regained their bearings, they had very little time to react to the swiping claw as it reached towards them faster than seemingly possible.

Everyone had dodged it within the slightest room for error, except Rosemary, who was barely able to escape its path, falling to the floor backwards with her horse not being so lucky as its body flung across their field of view and tumbled to its death mere meters away.

The other two horses previously next to Poni scurried away at high speeds, leaving behind Jennings’ horse Poni as the last standing.

“Well . . . there goes our escape plan.” says Ollie to himself.

Brody helped Rosemary off the ground with her shrugging off the assistance and preparing herself for a counter attack.

A circle of water began to form around the beast, with the heat from its own presence evaporating a portion of it, creating a mist barrier that blocked vision of its next strike.

“Stand back and fire! Rose, get to it's rear! Try to learn its range everyone!” barked Ollie.

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Rosemary started to circle around the creature attempting to get to its blind spot as the remaining three kept their distance and fired multiple bullets at the beast. The shroud of water and mist around the target was beginning to clear, only to reveal that it had readied it's leg for a destructive stomp into the ground.

Rounds sparked as they connected, inflicting small chunks of damage to the creature at a time, yet nothing significant. Clumps of rocky debris fell off the creature as most of the ammunition found its mark. The Agi amalgamation seeped a colorful miasmia from its crumbling wounds. Jennings needed to find out if it was making a difference in the contest.

The looming tremendous force was released into the ground sending all those in the area on their way, into the air momentarily, then back to the floor with force. The strength of the hit caused the ground to shake as if an earthquake had gone off. The house who had narrowly avoided the fire burst earlier, had a wall topple and collapse, revealing a hiding family of three in their washroom, clutching each other in dire fear.

Spotting Rosemary on the ground behind, the creature launched a burst of water from its mouth unannounced, hitting her downed body and sending it crashing a great distance away, feeling every bump and bruise along the way as she skidded to a stop in the dirt, unresponsive.

“Rose!” shouted Brody from his position before bolting recklessly in her direction.

They say that time moves slower in situations where death was on the line, however for Jennings it felt like seconds between determining actions, and only he was as familiarized with the ramifications of lost time.

Jennings yelled toward the family with the fallen wall of their house exposing them, still frozen in from distress to break his line of thought.

“Get the fuck outta' here! Run!”

The blunt and brute nature of the words must have invoked something powerful, as they rushed around the side of the house, the chaos proved grueling and disorientating, they were lost in the black smoke surrounding their cries.

Brody was nearing Rosemary at that moment, while Ollie continued to fire at the creature with his rifle, successfully becoming a distraction for the time being. Although it seemed damage was still being applied, it wasn't detouring the beast from refocusing on the house with the parents and their little girl near the home. Jennings knew he had to do something if he didn't want to witness their untimely death and began to sprint, full speed, in a brisk attempt to aid them.

The giant reached out for the family with its gigantic right claw, attempting to grab them in one swoop. The family finally gained the courage to set off in a definitive direction as the hand grew closer, but it wasn't swift enough of a decision. They reacted too late, as the creature reached for their impending doom. Just before contact was made, a giant block of ice blasted into the beast's fingers, shattering the pieces of rock that were forming its hand and ripping them from the arm to save the family, while they luckily avoided any harmful debris.

Its body dripped Agi.

Meanwhile Brody shook Rosemary's unconscious body, trying to force a response. Pain, regret, sadness, any of those feelings would suffice for him, as long as she showed any sign of life.

“Please, just wake up! C'mon Rose, we can do this. We're here for ya',” cried Brody to his motionless partner.

The creature grew angrier now that it was missing one of its rocky limbs. The following screech muted the rain of bullets that showered the creature as a giant slab of rock fell from its face to the floor. Ollie took the opportunity to reposition himself closer to Brody and Rosemary when they noticed its foot rising again, preparing for yet another stomp.

Just before the impact Jennings shouted, “Jump aside!”

Once again however, the distance between them felt like the vacuum of space. Definitively, nothing could escape in time.

As before, a shock wave dispersed through the vicinity and leveled all who felt its fury from below. Now on the floor, Jennings hadn't foreseen a separate wall of a wooden house behind him crashing down on him. As the layers of dirt in the air cleared, Brody and Ollie now stood side-by-side and noticed what they were hoping for, as Rosemary awoke and began to cough uncontrollably. Blood escaped with each attempt at a breath, she stifled it enough to utter to her fellow Sharks.

“Stand me . . . up.”

The relief was short-lived from the close friends as Rosemary lifted her head upward with Brody and Ollie's assistance. She saw the downward motion of the giant's remaining hand coming straight down upon them.

As Jennings slowly lifted the portion of the wall that fell on him and brushed off pieces in a hurried fashion, he could only fix his eyes at the last second, unable to possibly relay a notice to the gang. He felt himself delve deeper into helplessness.

Ollie and Rosemary are flung from certain death by a last-second effort from the incomprehensibly strong Brody, while sporting a smile on his face. That same smile would be the last expression he'd ever wear. The hoof-like mass of Earth smashed down on him, causing him to disappear the very next moment. A bloody mist spurted across the bodies of those whom Brody saved with his last bit of strength. The loud sound of battle had all faded into the background due to the crack of horror they had just observed. Brody was no more.