Jumping upwards, Koby drew his hatchets to strike but the serpent was too fast for it's size —twisting midair it dodged his blow and slammed him aside with it's massive body, flinging him from the trees and unto the ground with a brutal thud.
"Koby!!" Kai shouted, eyes wide as he saw Koby crash violently to the ground. Looking down, he saw Koby coughing violently. He had survived the fall — it seemed like he had instinctively channeled his aura around his body thereby cushioning the impact— but he was dazed.
But he had drawn more than just the serpent's attention. From the shadows, shrieking shoggoths swarmed him. Growling, Koby spun with his hatchets cutting down the first wave in a flurry of steel and rage. Panting, he looked up, gritting his teeth.
" Don't worry about me."
With those words, Kai didn't hesitate, readying his how and fired a shot at the serpent. As expected, it dodged— and used it's momentum to launch at Kai. He jumped out of the way just in time for James to swoop in from above and delivered a strike at the serpent's body. His blade struck...but that didn't still faze the serpent. It bounced harmlessly off the glistening scales.
"It's like striking iron." James cursed as he landed beside Kai.
"We can't fight like this." Kai snapped, ducking a low swing of the serpent's tail.
"These branches are choking our movements." James said and immediately, the two boys jumped down with Kai carrying Raya on his shoulder as he jumped down.
"Nice of you guys to join me." Koby said as he slashed a shoggoth that lunged at them.
"We brought a present." Kai replied grimly, eyes set on the serpent as it slid down swiftly, low and coiled like a spring.
"We gonna run?" James asked.
"You don't have to ask." Koby said as he sprinted away with James, Kai and Raya followed suit.
Branches slapped their faces, thorns tore at their clothes but the serpent relentlessly dashed it's way through the trees, shrubs and bushes — plowing them down like a battering ram. It had it's sight set on them. With terrifying speed, it turned it's attention to Raya. Like a predator targeting it's prey that had split from the herd.
Then suddenly, a land ditch caused the group to stumble, the boys got up immediately, crawling their way to their feet while Raya yelled for help. Like prey caught in a snare, she had stumbled — just once— but enough. She had gotten her feet stuck under some thick bushes and vines and the serpent surged forward, mouth wide apart as it lunged at her.
"I guess this is it for me." She muttered to herself as she covered her face, tears dropping from her eyes as she prepared to be eaten.
Just as the serpent opened up it's mouth and was about to swallow her up, Koby jumped in.
"Dual Bite." He said as he slashed at the serpent's face. The hit was strong enough to push the beast back, barely making a dent but enough to slow it down.
"Second Technique: Moon Sweeping." James yelled as he sped past slashing a bending tree that came crashing down onto the serpent briefly disorienting it. Kai rushed in at that moment, grabbing Raya and throwing her over his shoulder again.
"Man you're seriously slowing us down." He muttered while running, struggling under Raya's weight. The serpent got rid of the tree and began it's pursuit again. Diving forward it hit the trees and shrubs that fell in the path of the crew, slowing down their speed. And then the crew turned a sharp bend and came to a halt. Ahead stood a small nest of shoggoths roamed. Their grotesque forms bubbling and twitching in place, numbering up to thirty.
"We're dead." James said as everyone readied their weapons, the shoggoths charging at them.
"Hey, if we're dying, let's go out with a big bang." Koby said forcing a shaky smile.
The serpent crashed it's way into the chaos, whipping it's body and tossing trees aside. The noise and motion stirred the shoggoths into a frenzy. Some turned on the serpent, attacking it's armor- like hide.with nightmarish fury. But it only enraged the beast further, making it thrash violently. Though the shoggoths were more in number, they rarely caused any damage to the serpent. It just kept rolling around and causing more destruction to the woods.
While trying to dodge the serpent's thrashings and fighting off the shoggoths, James and Raya were hit full force against a tree by the serpent's tail.
"James! Raya!" Koby called as he rushed over, with Kai giving him cover. When Koby got to the two, they were knocked unconscious by the shock wave, blood dripping from their body.
"Kai, we need to get out of here." Koby said slinging Raya across his shoulder while he dragged James by the collar and rushed into the woods heading east.
Using the distraction of the shoggoths, Kai rushed off too in the direction of Koby, his muscles were screaming and blood smeared his face. He helped with James by slinging him over his own shoulders. And so the two rushed towards the smoke they had seen earlier.
Their only sign of hope. A village? A fire?
Before long, the serpent started following them once more. They could feel it right behind them. They could feel the dread as it loomed nearer. But Koby and Kai still kept running, stumbling only a few times while still looking to the smoke for hope.
But reality hit hard as the serpent quickly overtook them, blocking their path. Koby gulped, as fear dawned on him. He looked to Kai who had set James down and readied his bow. Seeing his buddy's courage, he steeled his nerves and laid Raya by a tree, bringing out his hatchets as he and Kai stood for their final stand.
"It's been fun, Koby." Kai muttered
"Saying it like we're gonna die." Koby said as the duo shared a laugh.
The two shared a glance, their silence spoke all the words that needed to be said. And then they jumped forward into certain doom with Kai firing the first shot. It was deflected as expected, but Koby had used that strike as a cover to close in on the beast, striking it on the body. It yielded nothing. The duo tried to make the attack as long distance as possible but this only riled up the serpent more.