Shit. Why did it have to be a Water monster?!
"What the hell is that?" I shouted, stepping back. My back slammed into a light barrier that hadn't been there before.
"Celestial Hydra," Llewellyn said, sword already drawn. "Don't let it touch you."
Great.
The creature roared.
"Any weaknesses?" I asked, though it was likely useless. You can't fight Water with Water—and that was the only Element I could use.
"The core there," Llewellyn said, pointing to a light at its center. "I'm going to have to free the other two heads before it creates an impenetrable shield or we'll never be able to hit it."
He charged before the monster could attack, slashing at its neck.
The Hydra reared back, roaring. Its body swelled like a wave then split into three identical heads, each tracking us with those void-like eyes.
I rolled and ducked, heart beating madly.
What should I do? Llewellyn likely didn't need my help, but I couldn't step off this platform and I couldn't fight it using Water.
I focused on dodging the attacks as I tried to think of a solution.
The Hydra kept charging.
Llewellyn's blade repeatedly sliced through each neck, but nothing happened, the water just closed back again as if it had never been hit, the heads whipping around.
"Get behind me!" Llewellyn barked as I barely dodged another attack.
I was seriously starting to wonder if I could only be a dead weight here when a System notification popped up:
[System Alert: 'Crisis Management' has been unlocked!]
Huh?
[Do you want to temporarily redirect Elemental flow? Warning: Misuse may result in Elemental imbalance.]
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
The Hydra jaws snapped.
Llewellyn kept it at bay, but one of the other heads was coming right at me.
Clearly, there was no time to think.
I kept my focus on the water sloshing inside the Hydra's translucent body and promptly answered, Yes.
The head froze mid-strike, its momentum suddenly redirected.
Then, instead of biting me, it slammed into the ground, cracking the stone.
Llewellyn looked startled for a second, but quickly took advantage of the opening.
The Hydra screeched in pain, all three heads snapping toward Llewellyn now.
Shit.
I quickly used Crisis Management again, bashing all three heads against the floor and then against each other.
Llewellyn shot me a peculiar look, looking like he didn't know whether to glare or laugh at the spectacle, then moved, his blade a blur.
Another System notification popped up.
[Skill 'Exploratory Analysis' has been unlocked! Do you want to analyze the Elemental composition of the Celestial Hydra?]
Analyze? I mean, it was clearly a Water monster.
I answered Yes anyway.
-
[Celestial Hydra:
Core: Water (90%), Air (10%)
Vulnerable to: Fire, Wood, Earth
Resistance: Water]
-
Oh.
Wait, so maybe I could—
The System window flared again with the same prompt as before.
[Do you want to temporarily redirect Elemental flow? Warning: Misuse may result in Elemental imbalance.]
This time I focused on the Air inside the Hydra, instead of the Water, and promptly answered Yes.
The Hydra's heads froze mid-air, then began to spin faster and faster, randomly hitting each other—the water inside churning into a frothy mess.
It was like watching a blender set to high. For a moment I wondered if it was going to lift off.
Llewellyn instantly made use of the opening again, blade slicing through all the Hydra's necks at once and piercing its body.
The Hydra shrieked in pain. However, it looked like not even this was enough: the water reformed again, closing the wounds as if it had never been hit, all three heads snapping at Llewellyn from different angles.
Damn it.
I heard Llewellyn curse too as he dodged and rolled.
I had no idea if the information I had was useful to him, but I tried anyway.
"Its composition is 90% Water and 10% Air," I yelled at Llewellyn. "It's vulnerable to Fire, Wood, and Earth." He probably already knew the last part at least.
Llewellyn's eyes flashed toward me.
He shouted, "Got it!", and switched tactics, his sword suddenly wreathed in flames. When the next head attacked, he plunged the burning blade straight into it.
Steam erupted as the water boiled, the Hydra thrashing in pain.
The System window still hovered before me.
I needed to think. What else could I do?
I focused on the Air bubbles inside the monster's body, trying to figure out if I could feel their movement.
I could.
Well, then.
I used Crisis Management to find more Air trapped within the Water. Bubbles burst inside the creature, shaking its form from the inside.
Llewellyn noticed and immediately changed course again—his sword suddenly wreathed in green energy. Wood.
He slashed at the nearest head.
Where the blade connected, the Hydra withered, all the moisture absorbed by the Wood Magic surrounding Llewellyn's sword.
Damn. Amazing.
The monster shrieked, its body losing volume as Llewellyn continued his assault, switching from Fire to Wood at incredible speed, vaporizing and absorbing, each strike draining more Water.
The heads thrashed wildly, trying to escape.
I kept manipulating the air bubbles inside the creature, disrupting its internal composition while Llewellyn methodically weakened it from the outside.
The Hydra's movements became more desperate, less coordinated.
Suddenly, Llewellyn crouched, slamming his palm against the ground.
Earth flared up around the Hydra's base, trapping it in mud that hardened instantly.
The Hydra's three heads jerked as its body tried to break free.
I watched Llewellyn circle the creature.
The System window still hovered before me as I wondered what else I could do.
Crisis Management had let me redirect Elemental flow without attacking directly, and Exploratory Analysis had revealed the Hydra's composition. Maybe I could combine them somehow?
I focused on the Hydra, trying to understand its conformation more deeply, and used Exploratory Analysis again—this time concentrating on the relationship between Water and Air.
The System window expanded with new information:
-
[Elemental Binding: Unstable
Core Integrity: 78%
Binding Rate: High]
-
Wow. I could actually do this?!
Those details explained why the heads kept reforming. The Binding between Water and Air was unstable, but the Binding Rate was high—meaning it could quickly pull itself back together after being damaged.
No wonder Llewellyn's attacks weren't having lasting effects.
We needed to unsettle the Binding even more somehow—and possibly also lower the Binding Rate.
If the heads kept reforming because of the relationships between the Elements, maybe we could target that specifically?
I called out to Llewellyn, explaining about the unstable Elemental Binding and the high Binding Rate as best as I could. Llewellyn's eyes narrowed in understanding.
"Let's try something," he shouted. "Attack it with Water."
What? That made no sense.
It took longer to protest than to actually do it however, so I just did it.
A jet of Water shot forward from my palm, hitting the Hydra's middle head. The creature didn't even seem to notice, it just absorbed it, becoming slightly larger.
But Llewellyn was suddenly beside me. As I kept the Water flowing, he evoked Air and chased my stream, intertwining with it.
Ice struck the creature's middle head and spread rapidly, freezing it.
Damn. That was great.
"It won't last long," Llewellyn said. "What other details do you have?"
I checked the window. "Core integrity is now 65%."
Llewellyn nodded.
"Do what you were doing before. I need you to focus on stopping it from reforming."
Then, he summoned Fire and Air at the same time and leaped forward.
What the—
I stared in shock. I had never heard of anyone summoning two Elements at once. I didn't even know it was possible.
Llewellyn sliced through with his sword.
"Ryo!"
Right, yes, stopping the Hydra from reforming.
[System Alert: 'Crisis Management' is already active! Do you want to temporarily redirect Elemental flow? Warning: Misuse may result in Elemental imbalance.]
I frantically confirmed the prompt.
The Hydra roared in pain as the ice melted. As it became mobile again, flame and wind engulfed it—the Fire and Air Elements intertwining, causing the creature's water to evaporate at an accelerated rate.
The Hydra's body began to disintegrate, its form dissolving into a cloud of mist.
I understood what Llewellyn meant now.
The creature's core integrity dropped to 50%, 45%, 40%…
I gritted my teeth and kept focusing my energy on the particles of Water, to keep it from reforming.
35%, 30%, 25%…
Llewellyn doubled the dose of Fire and Air, his sword slicing with unbelievable speed and strength. The amount of power emanating from him was astonishing.
I had no idea how he was keeping that up. I was already close to collapsing from the strain of one Element—and I wasn't even running around brandishing a sword at that speed.
15%, 10%, 5%…
With a final, ear-splitting roar, the Hydra's core integrity reached 0%.
The creature's body exploded into a cloud of mist—yet somehow it still resisted despite the inferno of Water and Fire.
Llewellyn's sword switched to Wood and absorbed it all in a lethal sweep.
For a brief second, it'd looked like he had juggled three Elements at once.
I was dumbstruck.
As the mist dissipated, a huge Knot appeared in the center of the dais, its Magic heaving slightly.
Llewellyn looked breathless, but didn't stop.
With a final burst of energy, he leapt into the air and charged at the Knot, slicing it cleanly in half. A burst of Magic exploded outward at the contact, just like last time—flashy but rendered harmless by Llewellyn's last slice.
Well. Guess none of my Thread-related abilities were needed this time. Not that it was surprising. Llewellyn had been severing Knots on his own for ages.
[System Notification: Mission complete! Celestial Hydra defeated! All conditions satisfied!]
[System Notification: +1,500 Coins awarded!]
Llewellyn landed gracefully on the ground, his sword still raised. He looked exhausted, almost tipping over.
That was enough to shake me. I sprinted toward him, body still running with adrenaline, and helped him lower himself to the ground.
"Hey. Are you okay?"
Llewellyn opened his eyes and glanced at me before closing them again.
"I'll live," he said, voice hoarse.
Honestly, take a potion or something!
As if sensing my concern, the System chimed in.
[System Alert: 'Crisis Management' is deactivating.]
[System Notification: To aid in your companion's recovery, consider maximizing physical contact for shared Healing Bonus.]
I let out an involuntary noise. What? Was that really necessary?
"I'll just take a potion," Llewellyn said—then did.
However, it looked like that wasn't enough.
I sat behind Llewellyn and leaned back so we were back to back. It felt weirdly natural.
Llewellyn opened an eye to glance back at me over his shoulder, then closed it again and tipped his head back until it rested lightly against mine.
The Dungeon would disappear in a few minutes. For now, we had some time to recuperate.