The great beast grunted as is swatted Nariah away, and howled loudly as the wizard's bolt struck it in the head, giving him time to take stock of the situation. There was no advantage now for his bo staff and defensive stance; as he could not overpower the creature and could not block even a glancing blow from it. He split his bo staff in two again, sheathing the one in his left hand, taking out a small backhand dagger to replace it. He shifted his stance to the balls of his feet, and as the beast took a blind swing forward where he was, Dorje leapt into the air above the sweeping claw and swung his dagger around, planting it firmly into the beast's arm. He held on tight to the dagger as he was carried along by the strike, and planted a foot on a prominent scale and leapt a bit higher, trying to climb the beast to access more vital areas.

Conan yanked free one of his arrows from the body of one of the hound creatures with a angered grunt. He growled as he saw the warrior go flying through the air before crashing through the roof of one of the houses. He made a run to the house Nariah crashed through, strafing the beast as he did. The beast bellowed as his hide was littered with arrows. Reaching the house he stood over Nariah before preparing another arrow. "You still breathing, woman?"

Great, as if she didn’t have enough troubles. Raffy tore a dagger into the heart of a nearby creature before yanking it out; without both of her arms, she was significantly weaker and charging at the behemoth didn’t seem to be the best idea. Raffy bit her lip and began to trot to the side of Nariah and Conan, all the while keeping pressure on her searing wound. “My arm is no good.” She reported, whipping sweat from her brow so it wouldn’t blind her. Almost as if to prove her statement, Raffy threw a dagger at the behemoth with her bad arm, but it fell several feet short. The redhead growled underneath her breath. Despite her cockiness, she knew that she wouldn’t stand a chance against the huge creature alone and she admits, reluctantly, that she might even have to rely on these fools that call themselves her companions. And Raffy had a backup plan in case they fail – cut her losses and run. So, despite her useless arm, Raffy still had a big chance of survival. “We have a healer with us, yes? Which one?” She asked, brushing back the hood for a minute to itch her scalp before placing it back on her head.

Adelisa snapped out of her thoughts, her strategic planning, to look over at the thief. A slight smirk appeared on her lips and she walked over to the redhead. "Seems I am good for things other than an annoying peacekeeper" she said softly, but loud enough for her to hear. She wasn't going to hold back like other clerics. She snapped back. Adelisa wrapped her hands lightly around her wounded arm. "You, Madam Reckless, are going to need my help more than not aren't you" she muttered to herself in amusement, but realized her situation and quickly shut up. She soon let go of the girl's arm and said softly "all done." Her eyes went back to the giant creature and she almost, almost, hesitated in fear. Almost. She looked over at the warrior that went through a house and searched for a path to help the girl. She looked over at the theif and said "I need you to make sure the creature does not notice my disappearance and it definitely cannot notice my hand in helping the warrior."

Twas as though the mighty steel hammer of the Forge God had slammed against her brawn and all and tossed her through the crumbling wood and smoldering ash of the burning house, for Nariah was indeed thunderstruck by the unrelenting force of the behemoth's claw. For a while or so her vision was blurry, the bodies of her "companions" and the stoking flames eating away at the village around her, nothing more but abstract, bleary shapes moving and undulating about and causing the warrior woman to grasp her head spiked with such a pain. "Agh...by the gods... The woman groaned and lifted her head from the pile of debris she laid in, already her armor scorched to an even duller shade of gray, such as the pristine white of her hair...now caked with a smelling concoction of blood, dirt and ash, the very same that marred her face. As the rest of her battered figure rose, her vision soon returned to normal, just in the nick of time to see the healer approaching her. My...if it wasn't for the fact Nariah could recognize the rather...charming lass, she would've assumed she had died upon the battlefield and Tha'agorn's shield-maiden was rushing forth with the light of Altia at her back, to ferry the weary woman to Hall up High..where she would drink, feast, and sing with her fellow kinsmen forever. Unfortunate it wasn't the case, but at least the woman was assured..she lived to fight another day. "Ugh...I'm alright, lass." With a bit of a pained grunt and a grimace to an ache shooting through her chest, Nariah staggered against the cumbersome weight of her armor and rose to her feed addressing Adelisa with a half-hearted grin. "It's only a scratch. No need to waste yer breath on me. Save it for the others." Then, she turned to the ranger named Conan, the one who asked if she still breathed. "Aye woodsman, and I can still stand too in case ye haven't noticed." She replied popping her shoulder back into place and cracking a few bones in her neck while grabbing up her sword and shield. "But if we keep this up, none of us are gonna be breathin' fer a while. That damn beast! There's no way one man...or woman..can take it on their own. Never been my intention in the first place, but...if we want to send that bastard back into the Abyss...we're gonna have to work together..." It was a prospect she was begrudging to admit. Nariah...she always tried to be outfront, always tried to display the strength she carried, even being so brash as to charge headlong into the face of imminent demise...course that only worked on your typical rowdy band of brigands and cuthroats. However, that tactic was proved folly against the wretched behemoth. As much as she loathed the idea, the woman had no choice. None of them did. Twas either band together....or die.

Finn noticed Nariah getting up and the others crowding around by her. He rolled backwards, barely escaping the behemoth's swipe with his giant claw. Finn made a sweeping gesture with his staff and a barrage of snow was sent towards the creature's face, just enough to keep him distracted while Finn ran to the others. As he reached his companions he heard Nariah speak of working together to bring the beast down. He smirked and said, "So we're working together now are we? Well if you alright with allowing an elf to help you guys, I can keep that demon pinned to the ground while you work on killing it," he said, panting and wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

Raffy rolled her newly healed arm and her eyes as well. Licking her lips, she glanced at the group and took a step towards the behemoth, as if separating herself from their companionship. It was a measly step, it made her feel like she had more of a chance than previously thought - because if she had to rely on these fellows, she would surely die. The only thing she could rely on them for is a mediocre distraction while she hauled ass. "What is the plan, fools?" Raffy asked, ignoring Adelisa after Nariah had made it clear that she wasn't so injured. "I say a duo creates a diversion as the rest make a joint assault on the sides and behind, yeah?"

Conan silently scoffed at Raffy. She was proving to be quite mouthy for a supposed thief. Still her plan did have a some merit and he couldn't exactly argue against it. He reached for his quiver and found it a lot lighter than he wished it to be. The rest of his arrows were sprinkled around their little battlefield, sticking out of the hounds. A few more shots were all he could afford in this fight. "Sounds like a plan to me, I've survived too much to die here at the hands of some mindless beast."

Dorje dodged the giant creature's swipe at it's own arm, which he was climbing, and got on it's back, trying to find some kind of vital point in the thick scales of it. Finding none, he tried to dismount just as the wizard threw a cloud of freezing snow at it as he jumped forward off of it's massive shoulder, into the improvized smokescreen as it reared up. Dorje felt the moving of air around him in place of his sight, and had just enough time to notice the massive clawed hand rushing toward him before it hit. He had just enough time to cushion the blow with the half bo staff he had in his left hand, but it still felt like it crushed his bones, sending him down at an angle through the roof of a smoldering house; as he landed he heard something break, and pain exploded from his leg. He struggled to calm his breathing, and eventually it returned to an even pace despite the pain. The monster, however, was still looking at him; and he had a sinking feeling he wasn't long for this world.

Adelisa nodded in agreement as everyone spoke, rolling her eyes at what the theif said. She was about to add something, when she noticed the monk was on the ground and the monster was ready to attack. She instantly went into action, sprinting to the monk. When she got to the fallen man, she said in a rushed tone "do not move and do not make a sound. The beast is attracted to sounds." She reached down to touch the man's leg, feeling the broken bone under her small hand. She looked up at the monk and said "you need to be my eyes behind me as I work." She didn't give him time to respond as she started healing him, feeling the bones come back together and the tissue becoming whole. She grimaced slightly, pain shooting through her arm. She hadn't had to heal these many people in such little time. It gave her little to no recovery periods. She knew the pain in her arm would cease once she finished the monk's leg, but for now her pain showed in her tense visage. Adelisa let go of his leg once she was done.

Dorje felt around him for the half of his staff, feeling the wood in a pile of ashes as the healer did her work. The profound itching sensation subsided as he saw the monster raise another claw to smash the shack. He sprang to his feet, grabbing the slender woman by the waist and leaping sideways, feeling the amulet burn against his skin as he threw them out of the way, skidding and tumbling along the scorched earth. Dorje used one of the tumbles he took to right himself, landing in a crouched position as the beast looked in the opposite direction of the way he jumped.

"Don't ye be getting too cozy with me, elf." Nariah grumbled bitterly to the pointy-eared mage while adjusting her shield, her eyes of frozen ice forward with a blood-filled glare unto the abyssal creature massing before the lowly band of adventurers they were. "We may be working together now, but don't expect it again, ye hear me lad?" Nariah, of course she would rail against the idea to work together, even after she was the one who opposed the damn proposition to the rest. Unfortunately that meant having to work together...with a damned elf of all creatures, worse than the behemoth in the frigid woman's hateful, glaring eyes. "Aye. Sounds like a good plan we got going here." Boldly she stated, yet before her gaze fell upon Miss Nimblefingers, their surly brigand, "And ye sneak-thief, I'll be keeping me eye on ye. Don't be pulling any of yer tricks, or I'll hunt ye down meself. As for the rest of ye surly dogs, let's kill this damn thing and send him to Tha'agorn on a plate! Við Sigr!" With a mighty war cry in her native language, the warrior rose her shield and clanged her sword against it, an old ritual of the Dunenemer warriors before battle, but as the woman turned...her eyes were met by a harrowing sight. The healing lady and the monk, the two fools had broken away from their rank, and now...they were staring death in the face...quite literally. "By Auriem! Ye fools!" Nariah growled and already she was making her way across the field to their side, shouting back to Finn and Conan, "Pointy ears! Woodsman! Keep that beast distracted! I'm going for 'em!"

Conan nodded, arrow already notched and ready to fire. He was less than thrilled to be paired up with the cocky elf, but it would have to be done. "You heard the woman. Just make sure we stick to the plan, alright? I won't throw my life away for your glory." And with that he sprinted to the side of the beast, firing an arrow into its hind leg. Quickly he notched and fired another into the creature's back. If he didn't have the monster's attention before he was sure he had it now. "Over here you hellish beast!"

"Right, you fellows distract, I will attempt to slit his belly open from behind - it is the softest part of an animal's body, it might be the same for this beast." Raffy muttered, melding into the shadows and disappearing from view. She had the mere idea at that moment to leave the group to their death, but when her eyes flickered to the warrior who had threatened only a few minutes before, she knew her chances weren't the best for an escape. Biting her lip, she rounded the beast and withdrew the longest of her daggers - Nidhogg's Tooth, it was called. It was only when she was behind him that began to creep out of the shadows, slinking between his hind legs and towards the belly. Her hand gripped the dagger upwards and, in one fluid motion, she stuck him in the gut and dragged across the flesh. She didn't know if it pierced, she didn't know if she harmed it, she was hauling ass like one of those feral dogs, attempting to meld back into the shadows before the creature caught her in its jaws.

Finn shouted at the beast as he ran to the left, trying to distract it from chasing Raffy. He swung his staff upwards and five icicles, about the size of his forearm, appeared and launched themselves at the behemoth. They hit the creature in the face and while they were too small to do much damage to the hulking beast, they still pissed it off. "OVER HERE YOU BIG UGLY BASTARD! YOUR MOTHER WAS PROBABLY WORKING IN ABYSS' BROTHEL WHEN SHE HAD YOU YOU STINKING BEAST!" Finn shouted, waving his hands in the air.

Adelisa's eyes widened at the monk as she tumbled to the ground. She stumbled to her feet and looked up to see a certain redhead attacking the beast and everyone distracting it. Adelisa felt for her dagger/sword and sighed in relief when she felt it firmly strapped to her thigh. She grabbed it and held it out, ready to defend herself if need be. She wasn't an agressive type of person, but if she needed to kill to protect herself then by all means. She glanced at the elf and the ranger for a moment, wondering what the plan was that the group thought up as Adelisa was healing the monk. She soon noticed the warrior coming towards her and she realized what was going on: they were trying to protect her and the monk. Adelisa glanced back at the beast, who was now drawn to the elf and ranger, before looking back at Raffy, who was playing a dangerous game.

Out of all they tried, all the arrows fired upon the beast of wretched flames, all the magick spells and incantations cast upon it vigorously and seeming without end. It had seemed nothing the adventurers had done could crack and splinter the hard, ebony scales of the behemoth, yet what they had succeeded in was chiding the horrid monstrosity and enraging it all the more into a bloodthirsty tirade about the village, bucking, snarling and spewing forth wave after wave of searing hot fire from its wide, gaping jaws of sharp, jagged teeth, further scorching the grounds a dry, charred black, its infernal roar bellowing across the scarred lands in a cry of pain, anger, and malice towards its oncoming attackers. As the ranger and the spellcaster kept the beast's glaring eyes upon them, the sneak-thief Raffy had slipped unnoticeable underneath the armored hellion, and what had her glinting eyes and her shimmering dagger discovered? Why..the very soft underbelly of the beast, the only part that wasn't heavily armored with thick metal scales. With a plunge of her blade into the meat, the creature felt the unrelenting prick of the thief, followed by the tearing of its leathery skin, globs of black, putrid smelling blood oozing from the ghastly wound. In rage the beast wrenched and writhed, its gargantuan tail flinging about wildly and smashing the ground with a quaking thunder. Rapidly the beast whirled around just as the rogue was making her dashing escape, gnashing its jaws at her and already charging headlong towards her. Nariah soon saw this and hastily she turned to the healing woman and the monk shouting, "Dorje-lad, I need ye to keep the woman safe! Don't let her out o' yer sight, ye hear me?! Lass, stay here! I know ye can fight, but we need ye breathing!" And with that she ran off towards the beast, sprinting fast and fighting hard against the clank and clatter of her armor against her bones. She raised her shield in a defensive position and charged headlong with her sword out front towards the beast. But it was as the warrior woman blindly, yet nobly pushed forward, something happened. Cracks...they began to form in its armor, each of its thunderous feet causing more and more to perforate the scales of the giant. It wasn't too soon...those scales were shattering away from its charred, bloody flesh and falling all over the battlefield as it chased the fleeting Nimblefingers. It was all over now. The beast was unarmored, and soon it'd be good as dead...that is if Nariah could catch up with the damn thing. Just as her armor was a burden to her, so was the scales to the behemoth, and now...the bastard was galloping with a speed faster than the arrow of Veralyn. "Ye bastard!" Nariah cursed loudly trying to keep up with the newfound gait, but it was of no use. Then...she had an idea. "Mage!" A shout she gave to the elven spellcaster Finn while running. "Make of that magick of yers useful! I need an ice-path now! You, woodsman! Keep pelting the bastard with arrows! Sooner or later this damn thing'll kill over!"

Finn heard Nariah's shout over the beasts galloping and acted quickly. "Yes ma'am," he said with a smirk as he began to utter an incantation. Suddenly, Finn splayed his hand in Nariah's direction and the ground in front of her froze solid, creating a slick path that would give the warrior the speed she needed to catch up to Raffy and the creature. Then Finn took off after them, just in case his magic was needed again.

Dorje watched as the beast shed it's skin with as much ease as taking off a shirt, and took off after the girl with alarming speed, the warrior following them both clumsily. He doubted the healer would fare well if more of the smaller beasts appeared, but being immobile was likely more wise than remaining in an assaultable position. His bo staff clicked together and he slung it over his shoulder, turning towards the healer again. "I need you two steps behind me, we will follow at a distance." He tried his best at a reassuring smile and jogged off in the direction of the fleeing monstrosity, reaching out with his senses to his surroundings as he did, so as to avoid an unwarned attack.

Adelisa nodded at both the warrior and the monk, following the monk as he jogged off. Adelisa said "I apologize for being such a burden", making sure to follow his instruction. She knew she couldn't attack the creatures like everyone else could. It was against her 'moral standing', as her collegues would say, to be the aggressor rather than the defender. This mission wasn't just going to test their skills, but judgement and boundaries as well. She knew this quite well when she saw the gigantic monstrosity conceive from the depths of the earth; that she was not able to do this on her own. She needed these people just as much as they needed her. After all, they would have infections and broken limbs if she were not there. They had to be battle ready at all times and she took care of the aftermath. She shook herself from her thoughts and kept a sharp eye out for any dangerous creatures.