Moments before Paul was hit.
"Its tongue doesn't seem to be going back in, is it unable to?" Rud thought as he stood in front of the beast.
"But that's a good thing, most of the acid on the further out parts are gone." Rud became a bit carried away by his thoughts, nearly forgetting his responsibilities.
The knives being thrown that were all being stopped by the tongue caught his eye.
He immediately charged at the injured tip of the tongue.
Its pattern of movement was irregular so he didn't bother thinking about it.
Dan was still throwing knives at it, yet no luck.
Its right eye protruded outwards locking its gaze at Rud.
At it sent its thick tubular tongue at him he spread his arms and fastened his feet to the ground.
At this same time was when it wiped Paul with its tail.
It hit him but he held on - with the fingers of his gauntlet he latched on to it - holding it still while it pushed him back.
Now at the end of its length, it couldn't extend any longer, so it began dragging him along with an irregular movement pattern.
Rud infused aether into his melting gauntlets pressing into the tongue, trying to crush or puncture it.
Yet it was too thick, the green blood from the already cut off end of its tongue smeared all over his body.
As it dragged him across the ground, his feet seemed to hinder it from flailing as much as it usually did.
"Dan!!!!!" Rud screamed.
Dan threw his two remaining knives.
Filling them to the brim with red aura even melting them.
[Bang!] He used a larger explosion at his finger tips this time.
His fingers and wrist cracked from the recoil.
[Fwish!] The knives curved outward away from each other, then at the end of their trajectory…
And less than two seconds after they were thrown, they pierced into the left eye of the beast, making it bleed out.
Its cries intensified.
[Bang!] Nearly immediately a strange noise was heard, something passed beside Dan faster than his aether enhanced eyes could perceive.
-
Moments after Rud dished out orders, Leo stood beside Laura and Heimer that laid there.
"Aren't you going to get on with it?" Laura asked Leo.
He gently removed his staff from his back, they were strapped in customised holsters.
He removed the straps then pulled it out, he gazed upon his staff fondly.
"I'll be there soon." He took a look at Heimer lying on the floor who was doing all he could to retain his halo.
Then he shifted his gaze to Laura.
"You aren't with your weapon…" He pointed out.
She sighed.
"We were in a hurry, so I forgot mine in the wagon.
I was a bit shocked that I was the fifth person Gustev chose for this…well whatever this is." She replied.
"Would've been nice having an extra hand in this.
But you're already helpful as is." Leo's voice gradually thinned out as he walked away from her.
He waved her goodbye.
"Wishing you luck" Laura said.
"wait,... why is he with his weapon if he is just retrieving the shield…" It got her thinking.
-
Leo took a wide stroll around the beast, he rested the staff on the back of his neck across his shoulder, with his right arm holding the lower end before the blade.
("While I do that, you wait for the perfect moment.
Once you see an opening, use everything you've got to go for the shield and retreat immediately.
The opening might be brief or might never even come, but just be prepared nonetheless.
Above all, stick to the plan") Rud's commands lingered in Leo's mind.
He was now directly behind Dan about seventy metres away from the beast, he stopped.
Leo watched his fail attempts at harming the eye of the cursed, yet he remained focus.
His palms trembled as he realised once more the weight of his role and the consequences failure would cause.
"There's no guarantee of how much longer Heimer can keep up his halo.
I'll have to improvise, I can't mess this up" Leo tightened his grip, the trembling halted but not completely.
[Phew] He exhaled lightly.
"Everything I've got huh.." Leo muttered.
He looked at the ground, then at his right shoulder.
Lowering the upper blade to the ground.
As he looked up to the sight of Paul in the air, and Rud getting attacked by the beast's tongue.
"I can feel it, anytime now…" Leo muttered.
His feet glowed red, he crouched slowly.
He was now in the optimal pose.
"Dan!!!" Rud's shout was dulled by the distance but still audible.
"Not yet…" Leo thought.
Leo was putting his all into this — all his aether, all his focus, and it was evident from the ground underneath his feet;
It began bubbling from the immense heat, and his legs glowed even more.
The blades of his staff were engulfed in black flames that extended their reach even more.
"Now!" Leo thought the moment Dan let go of the knives.
No explosions occured, Leo just started running, with the traces of his hot feet imprinting on the ground behind him.
He spinned his staff a few times before impact, passing by Dan who was still in throwing posture.
Upon reaching the unsuspecting creature, Leo took a leap over its thinnest region; the neck whilst slicing it, cutting through its metalic skin and its bones.
Heimer's eyes widened at the marvellous scene, Laura's was no different.
"What was that light?" Dan wondered for a moment, only to find out it was Leo not long after.
The neck fell behind Leo as he dropped on the floor, tumbling due to his inability to stop his momentum.
[Huff, huff] Leo was out of breath, the stunt he pulled had taken almost everything out of him.
He looked up to the sky and let out a sigh of relief, his risk had paid off.