Chapter 226 - Time to Strike

"Emilia I think you need to call Paul for help," Grace asked.

"I already tried, no reply so far," I answered.

"Are you talking about The black Dragon Slayer?" Pichard questioned.

"Yeah, but I think he's too far away," I answered.

"Damn... it would be great if he came to help." He answered.

In the distance, the sounds of blaring horns began to erupt as the city began to respond to Pichard's flare. "We need to kill this thing before the city guards arrive I don't think they will be strong enough to hold this thing back," I informed them.

"I'm afraid in this case you might be right, this thing is beyond anything I've ever seen, encountered or read," Seraphine answered.

Grace quickly let off two arrows into the heads of Dark Elves that were already in the grasps of its tentacles dropping them dead, before they were consumed by the monstrosity. "It looks like it's feeding off them regardless of being alive or dead," Grace said noticing that it still consumed the bodies into itself.

"Well on the bright side if Paul didn't see the flare he would most defiantly hear the sound of the horns," Grace said giving us a sliver of hope.

"So Seraphine, what do you suppose we do now?" Pichard asked.

"I don't know, I hate sitting here idly but then again even if it was at half strength it tore through my holy shield in a single blow, if any of those tentacles were to hit us we're doomed for sure. Even if we were to hit it form range I'm sure we won't be able to put enough damage onto it to kill it or out range the tentacles." She said gritting her teeth.

"Captain Seraphine, your orders?" Grace asked again noticing she froze for a few seconds.

"Yes... yes...." Her voice still a little shaky, "Well for one, there's is no way we can tell how many hearts this thing has, so the only other way I know how to kill something is aim for the head." She began to explain pointing a the one head the monstrosity has.

"Sounds like a plan," Daisy said tightening her gauntlets and legplates.

"So before we start, I don't want to presume.." She began to explain.

"We're here to help." We all nodded in agreement.

"Yeah but this is very dangerous, my mother would have my head for putting Atlantis students in peril." She replied to us.

"As you said earlier, we're the most qualified here so it's up to us," Grace answered.

"Yes, Captain." We all answered nodding in agreement.

We all looked up at the monstrosity as its numerable tentacles kept lashing out gorging itself on the surrounding Dark Elves mindlessly walking into a meat grinder. I kept taking deep breaths over and over again trying to steady my nerves, I can't even imagine how Paul throws himself into perilous situations repeatedly without an ounce of care.

"We're gonna come out of this okay." Daisy smiled putting a hand on my shoulder.

"I know... I know..." I struggled to reply to her trying to keep my voice steady. "Just be careful up there okay?" I asked Dasiy looking at the monstrosity.

"Don't worry, I'm not ready to see Serra yet." She smiled giving me a firm pat on the shoulder and walked towards Seraphine and Pichard.

"I just wanted to say, it's an honour to be fighting by your side." Seraphine smiled at all of us.

"Don't worry it won't be your last." Grace smiled filed with confidence.

With a definitive nod, they began making their way forward towards the monstrosity, Daisy instantly manifested a holy shield and sword following beside them. "Make sure we only attack the tentacles that attack them, we don't want to draw unnecessary attention if we don have to," Daisy informed me, her bow and arrow drawn and ready.

"Do you really think we can defend them against this many tentacles?" I questioned as counting upwards of twelve tentacles as doubt began to fill my body.

"Emilia.... during trying times, don't let doubt fill your body. We have one mission and one mission only and that is to protect our comrades and make sure we all live to see another day. I don't know much about your past life, but what little time I've spent with you, you have grown leaps and bounds beyond anyone could ever have expected. You doubt yourself at every hurdle even though none of us doubts your capabilities one bit." She smiled at me trying to build up my courage.

"Thanks..." I smiled back her words resonating in my soul, as flashbacks began flashing through my head. "Thanks, Grace.... that's exactly what I needed to hear." I smiled back at her, holding out my wand ready to guard the others.

As they neared the monster it has grown more than I could have imagined, it's size alone was as big as a house. "How can they even hit the head?" I questioned noticing it dwarfing them.

"Just have faith in them to complete their part of the mission." Grace smiled letting off four arrows rapidly that was readying to strike them making them flex back in pain. "It's started," Grace shouted to me and began pulling back as several tentacles began to face us.

"Crap!" I shouted in a panic and began to retreat with Grace creating walls of earth between us hopefully to stop the onslaught of attacks aiming at us.

"As long as it's focused on us the others will get an opening!" Grace shouted shooting an arrow up in the air.

The sounds of the tentacles effortlessly crashing through my walls forced us to look back as Grace's arrows rained down on them making them reel back in pain. "Fulgeo-Igna!" I yelled pointing my wand at two tentacles close to each other, using the spell like a laser cutter quickly severing two tentacles.

"Nice!" Grace whispered into her drawn arrow letting off an arrow entangling one, grounding it to the floor. The monstrosity let our a deafening wail of pain that shook my balance making me drop to the floor. A total of Four tentacles erupted out the ground behind us the tip of the tentacles staring at us ready to strike. "We need to move!" Grace's yelled as her voice dulled into something incoherent as I froze staring at our eminent end. In unison, all four of the tentacles went in to strike as Grace pushed me down to the floor and jumped on top of me closing her eyes.

"No.... Don't....." I tried to mumble trying to push her off me.