Square One

Easy or not, the ladies forged ahead in their quest to do as much damage as they could before the Titan reached the surface.

After the first two successes, the task to decapitate the hydra became infinitely harder. Having lost two of its seven heads, the monster was not about to let the rest go without a fight.

The holes where the heads had been were now sealed shut with an impenetrable flap.

The hydra viciously blocked the newly closed hatches, using any means to crush the measly humans. 

The Saint and Master struggled against the overwhelming force. 

Their communication became more natural, and eventually, they began to work in unison. 

While Jet charted a path around one of the hydra's shoulder blades, Noble swooped in front of the closest head to distract and obscure the view. 

'Who would have thought I would be using myself as bait?' Noble felt oddly calm about the situation. 

After a dozen near misses, the floating warrior was becoming comfortable in her role as the diversion. And that was dangerous. 

Noble needed to stay vigilant. 

Thankfully the Titan largely seemed to ignore her when she wasn't attacking. Either it was more concerned with getting to the surface before more of the earth gave way or her bracelets were adequate in concealing her presence when she didn't want to be seen.

It was more concerned with crushing the Saint. 

But Jet was far too resilient to let something like a Corrupted Titan finish her off. She avoided the hydra's attack with relative ease. 

What looked like constant evasion was really tactical positioning. Jet was almost in place.

'Now!'

Taking the cue, Noble emerged from the darkness and flew into the creature's view.

"Look here!" Noble called out.

The hydra turned a set of slitted eyes on her. Its jaw clenched and prepared to snap. 

Noble's heart quickened. 'Not today.' 

She immediately called out the true name for light and getting brighter, stringing the runes together as confidently as she could. 

The world around them grew suddenly brighter, temporarily blinding the serpentine head.

At the same time, Jet leapt and dug her scythe into the neck farthest to the left. 

It wasn't quite enough to sever the spine, but the ghostly blade dug deep, doing damage to the creature's soul. 

Like a spring, the head suddenly released from its shoulders and lurched to one side, smashing it into the rockface. 

The unnatural move was unexpected, catching Noble by surprise. 

'Oh no!'

The floating Master tried and failed to get free of the flailing head. Even the extra speed from the Hummingbird's Wings was not quite enough to get her clear of the collision. 

Showers of rocks came down as Noble was pushed deep into the stone. The impact alone would have hurt immensely-- 

But with her flaw...

Noble screamed as the depths of her soul cried out in agony. Her body felt like it was being ripped apart. 

The world felt like it was ending. 

Gravity tugged the head free of the wall as it began to fall into the chasm. Unable to get her bearings, Noble fell too. 

Her body slammed against the Hydra's third arm, slid off, and continued to drop. 

The world spun around her. 

Noble grasped at the air. When had she lost the Zenith? 

The darkness threatened to overtake her completely. 

Had she really fallen that far? Or was she about to pass out? 

At least if she did, she would start to float again. Her flaw would have to activate when she was unconscious. 

'Noble, are you alright?'

Jet's voice gave her an anchor. She focused on it, wrapping her very existence around the words. 

Her vision cleared. 

Fighting against the debilitating pain, Noble righted herself and began to rise. 

'I'm alive. Just got knocked around a little.'

'Incoming!' Jet's voice preceded a loud crash as more rocks tumbled down. 

Noble barely evaded the fourth head as it passed her. She paused long enough to look into the glassy eye of the monster. She could see her own reflection in its empty gaze. 

It passed her, continuing to fall into the depths. Summoning the Zenith into her palms, Noble shook her head. 

'Four gone. Three to go...' 

Would there be enough time to finish the task before they reached the surface? 

Circulating her essence, Noble began to expel the weakness caused by her flaw. She was a Master now, and her healing rate had increased considerably by Ascending. 

Whatever she couldn't heal, she would have to ignore until it was all over. There was no other choice. 

Like a bullet, Noble shot upwards. 

The light of the sun grew brighter as she rose, casting uncertain shadows all around her. It reminded her of something, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. 

Her mind felt clouded for a second. 

The hydra hissed and came to a stop. 

Looking up, Noble saw it arch its back and shake like a dog. 

The wall groaned with the pressure of the movement, sending more rocks flying. 

And dislodging Saint Jet as well. 

'Got you!' Noble slowed the woman when she came alongside her. 

'Thanks. I held on as long as I could, but that thing finally bucked me off.'

Jet was looking more exhausted than she had before. She had a small cut across her cheek as well. Noble hoped it was not filled with venom. 

Noble was worse for wear also. In addition to the damage to her soul, she could feel bruises forming beneath her armor. 

It was a miracle that they were both still alive. And even more miraculous that they were both able to fight.

Spotting their position, the seventh head shot out from beneath the hydra's belly and raced toward them. 

Noble stared evenly forward, raising her sword. Zipping out of the way, she stabbed the fiendish serpent in the same way as her first kill. 

Only this time, she funneled more essence into her effort. The force of the collision burst the eye, covering Noble in liquid she didn't want to think about. 

The tail plummeted into the deep with the rest of the discarded skulls. 

'Nice shot!' Jet nodded her approval. 'But you have a little something...everywhere.'

'Yuck!' 

It was the professor's turn to shake. 

Above them, the hydra and its two remaining heads clawed ever upward. 

They had only seconds left. 

Both women gripped their weapons and rushed at the Titan. 

But even with the Hummingbird's Wings, Noble was not fast enough. 

The hydra reached the surface and pulled itself onto the open plain. 

Its minions were there to welcome it. They swarmed around their Master, desperate to help the Titan to its feet. 

'At least it only has two heads,' Jet noted. 'Now that we know how to remove them we can...' 

The serpents around them whipped into a frenzy. The smaller ones hissed loudly while their Fallen brethren slithered up the body of the massive Titan. Five of the largest adders found their way onto the massive body, taking the places that the heads had left behind. 

The hatches opened to accept them. Swiftly, the Fallen Monsters tucked their tails into the hydra's torso and the holes closed around their writhing bodies. 

'Oh no...'

'It can't be...' 

Both Jet and Noble watched in horror as the hydra seamlessly repaired itself. 

Seven heads atop undulating necks rose from the ground and set their gazes toward Crestfall.

Noble's heart sank at the realization of what just occurred.

They were back at square one.