Anastasia's eyes widened as, last in the line of fire, she watched the creature recognise their weaponery and dodge most of the last volley. As her hammer set off the gunpowder, in the split second before the explosion, she tilted her aim ahead of it's movement, Boris and Irinna beside her having the same idea, the three shots hitting their mark.
She hadn't realized that firearms had gotten so prolific, to the point where even such a creature recognized the danger of a barrel pointed at it. She clenched her teeth as she joined her hunters in circling the beast with polearm in hand, watching in frustration as her plan fell to shambles and her initiates charged at it, five of her soldiers cut down in a few seconds.
She had hoped the volley to blast the weakened creature's scale armor. Though she had little sympathy for the common folk dying in her stead, as this was the intended purpose, weeding the extrodinary from the common, and getting rid of old equipment, she did still feel a pang of shame and guilt at the tactical fallout.
As she was about to order a retreat and have her hunters fire a second volley, she spotted a movement in the distance,
Rushing to the battle Donnel had his shield and hook out. As the beat was about to tear the face off a helpless minion, Donnel’s hook found its place wrapped around the beasts wrist, it’s talons just inches away from the hopel as hunter. ”Put yer backs into it ya gits! Even if ye a coward, you can still pull a rope!” Donnel struggled against the giant fish monster as it tried to free its arm. Donnel couldn't hope to actually over power the creature, but he could be steadfast and hardy enough to keep the monster from going anywhere else. He’d hoped that the others would he’ll pull the rope as Donnel got closer, and once he was close enough he wouldn’t need the hook anymore.
Anastasia blinked rapidly, trying to figure out the strange contraption attached to the Marauder's shield. The general idea flashed through her mind as most of the brigands scattered before the beast, some of her soldiers included, Donnel struggling with the rope.
"HELP THAT MAN DRAG THAT BLOODY THING!" She barked, her and her hunters rushing to his aid, their united 'enchanced' strength steadying him and giving him an iron hold, pulling the damnable monster in in little time. As the monster got close enough, she let go. "SCATTER!"
They ducked out of the way as Donnel's plan came to fruition, bear trap snapping, scuffle ensuing, Donnel miraculously escaping the beast's stomping. She whistled softly, smirking. Another to take note of. A picture of potential recruits forming in her mind... and potential threats.
Taking her third poisoned arrow Iva aimed carefully. In the midst of all of this chaos the mark was flailing about even as his movements would become more tiresome. She wanted to make sure this second arrow hit him where he least expected it. Taking a moment to take into account the wind, the projectiles launched by other hunters, and the beast’s movements, Iva fired her arrow with her target being the Trieste’s other eye.
As some brigands returned with renewed courage after Donnel's glorious act, firing upon the beast and prodding it with spear and sword, taunting the wretched thing, she noticed it's increasingly sluggish movements, unnatural.
This was not just of bloodloss and fatigue, no, this was far too fast, even an animal nearly bled out fought with the rage of adrenaline. This was the cleverness of the bear trap, and likely the effect of those strange arrowheads Libe had jammed into it's wounds.
She caught the faint movement through the air, an arrow puncturing the beast's remaining eye. It belowed out another razor cry of pain and anger, but it barely recovered as it did the last time, even missing a clumsy man as he stumbled back from an obvious claw swipe.
It's breaths were deeply heavy, puffs of hot air escaping it's gills, blood running down it's face and body in torrents as it's movements became more pathetic, no longer trying to fight them but actively seeking escape, pushing and roaring, stumbling.
She felt... pity.
She dashed forward as the monster was about to slash at a few hunters, knocking them back before they lost their life. Libe armed her blade to slice between each talon right where the knuckles of the beast stopped. Even if this was a monster, it took the shape of a man, and Libe knew how to hurt them. How to kill them. Using the beast’s own strength Libe sliced her sword into the fishman’s fingers, dragging the blade down while letting the momentum of the monster’s attack slice itself against Libe’s reinforced blade. With the same deft motion she used to decapitated a lesser fishman, Libe sliced off three of the bigger monster’s claws, leaving him nothing but his little finger and thumb.
As the monster largely lost the function of one arm and the danger of it's other hand, three claws missing, she rushed in with her final assault.
Carrying her poleaxe over her head, she brought down the spike behind the axe-head upon the center of it's spine in the upper back, the weapon designed to break the plate armor of men. Combined with her strength, it easily lodged through the monster's remaining armor and hooked on it's flesh.
Without command, her hunters took her example and did the same, burying their hooks into it's arms and legs from behind, keeping unsteady ground with the beast's last, desperate struggles, practically impairing it in place and bringing it to it's knees as it grunted and tried to break free, roaring... possibly crying, if such a thing could.
"Would someone finish this bastard already?!"
