The night sky was still dark, illuminated by a faint purple light from the east. The sound of Onyxgorger's footsteps shook the earth like the beating of war drums. Thin smoke rolled from its snout. Its body, covered in metal-like scales, shimmered in the light. It resembled a living iron giant, advancing at a deliberate and steady pace.
"Simon! Mulan! Take all the villagers north to the hills! Don't look back!" shouted Laguna.
Simon nodded with urgency, then gave orders to Mulan and the other guards. "Quick! Everyone, follow me! The children first!"
Laguna turned to Eve. "We must divert his path. Don't let him reach the village. Focus attacks on his left side; force him to turn!" Laguna ran at the forefront toward Onyxgorger.
Eve twirled her arrow between her fingers, then drew her longbow. "Understood. I will attack from the top of the tree. You guard the right side." Eve ran after Laguna.
The other trained guards were ready. Some held long spears and big swords. Others chanted magic spells from behind the line.
"POSITIONS!" shouted one of the guard commanders. The troops followed Laguna and Eve from behind. Laguna stood on a high rock, looking at Onyxgorger.
[Onyxgorger]
Race: Wyvern
Skills: Titanic Shell S, Inferno Beam A, Magma Breath B, more...
Str: ???
Vit: ???
Agi: 15
Int: 50
Wis: 50
Luk: 10"Eve! try attacking the eye!" Laguna shouted as he turned to Eve, who was preparing herself in a tree. The first arrow shot from the tree, hitting Onyxgorger's right eye. But only a TING sound was heard—the arrow bounced off as if it had hit a rock.
"Damn..." Eve muttered.
Laguna jumped from the high rock; with a big swing, he slashed the wyvern's neck.
CLANGGG!
Sparks flew in all directions, but Onyxgorger's body didn't budge. He didn't even turn his head. He continued to walk, chewing on the boulders as if nothing had happened.
"He... didn't even react?" Laguna took a few steps back.
One of the guards tried to attack Onyxgorger's right leg with a magic axe. Another launched ice magic from afar. The ice froze on one of the scales but was immediately shattered by a light movement of the wyvern's foot.
"Report: No significant effects, Captain!" shouted one of the magical guards.
Eve fired three more arrows in a row, all aimed at the part below the jaw. But none of them penetrated.
"He's not even angry...!" Eve said as she climbed down from the tree.
Laguna clenched her fists. "He just... ate... kept walking... like these were all ants in his path."
One of the magic guards approached. "If this is really Onyxgorger, it won't attack... unless it's threatened. But if it gets to the village, we're all in danger."
Laguna gritted her teeth. "We haven't disturbed it enough. We need something... that will shake it from the inside."
Onyxgorger lifted its head and sniffed the air. Then, it bit off a big chunk of rock. The cracking sound of the rock sounded like a drumbeat, and then it swallowed the whole thing.
"It's starting to veer in a rightward direction," Eve said.
Laguna nodded. "That means we have hope. Don't stop attacking. We have to get it further away from the village."
In the chaos and loud screams of evacuees, Laguna stood with Eve and the other guards at the defense line. The Onyxgorger drew near. Its massive body crashed through the trees and rocks, making loud echoes in the forest.
"We'll lure it to the southwest," Laguna said, raising his voice. "We can't stop it, but we can change its path. Focus on creating noise and explosions on the right side of its path."
Eve nodded and took a position on a high rock with urgency. She aimed at the Onyxgorger's eyes, then released an arrow imbued with explosive magic. The arrow exploded as soon as it touched the side of the wyvern's face, creating a loud light and noise. The monster paused, shook its head, and then kept going straight.
"It didn't even glance at me," Eve muttered as she drew another arrow.
Laguna waved to the mage squad. "Use lightning magic. Fire it to the right side of its path without interruption. We have to make it feel uneasy."
The mages chanted spells with urgency. Lightning bolts shot into the bushes and rocks beside the path. Booms shook the ground, sending thick smoke and debris into the air. But Onyxgorger remained unturned. Its eyes were blank, focused on one direction—the village of Veredale.
"Is it... blind?" one of the soldiers asked.
"No," Laguna replied, gripping his sword tighter. "It's just... too focused. Like it has a goal."
A few soldiers with melee weapons rushed in from the sides. They aimed to stab Onyxgorger's legs and lower body. The clang of weapons hitting its hard scales bounced off without a trace. One soldier lost his grip. His sword broke when it hit the creature's belly. He was almost lifted off the ground.
"It's like slashing through a steel wall!" the soldier cried, falling to his knees.
Eve continued to fire arrows of all kinds—ice, lightning, even poison. None of them made the wyvern make a sound or quicken its pace. It kept walking slowly. It crushed every boulder in its way with strong jaws and swallowed them whole.
"Master Laguna! It's not working!" shouted his guard from behind. "He's not responding!"
Laguna glanced around, scanning her surroundings. He saw a rocky slope to the right of Onyxgorger's path.
"Let's collapse that slope," he said in a hurry. "If we can't hurt him, we can force him to change direction by blocking his path!"
"Alright!" Eve rushed up the slope, followed by two mages. They began casting earth magic at the base of the rocks.
"Everyone, fall back! Stay out of the way of the collapse!" shouted Laguna as he helped pull one of the soldiers back from the side of the slope.
Cracks began to form. Large rocks began to fall at a gradual pace.
"One more time! Focus on the same spot!"
The last burst of magic triggered a massive collapse. Large rocks fell to cover most of Onyxgorger's path.
Finally, the giant creature stopped. Its feet pressed against one of the boulders, and its body bent at a slight angle.
"He's stopped!" shouted Eve.
The entire army held its breath.
But the next second, Onyxgorger looked up, let out a low groan-like sound... and then let out a thunderous roar from deep within its throat.
The ground shook.
Laguna drew his sword and said in a serious tone, "Get ready." This isn't over yet."
The Onyxgorger paused. Its long neck turned, and its eyes emitted a faint glow as they focused on Laguna and her troops. It didn't roar or attack. Instead, it lowered its head and kept eating the rocks like they were just dust in its eyes.
"It's... ignoring us?" one of the soldiers muttered.
"No, it hasn't bothered us yet," Laguna replied with urgency. Her sharp gaze observed the wyvern's every move. "We're not important enough to it... yet."
Eve stepped closer, bow still raised. "So what's next? My arrow made a slight mark on its hide."
Laguna took a deep breath, then pointed southwest. "We'll divert its path. It's looking for rocks to eat. We'll give it a rocky path to safety, away from the village."
Eve nodded with urgency. "Bait, huh? Rocks as bait."
"Right. Destroy all the rocks around here that could be food, then arrange the rocks in a curved path to the southwest. Make it look like a natural route."
"Understood!" the soldiers answered in unison.
Without waiting any longer, the soldiers scattered. The big ones lifted heavy rocks and carried the tired mages. They rushed to destroy the other rocks that were blocking the village path.
"Hold on tight! I'll run fast!" shouted one of the soldiers while carrying a petite female mage.
"Don't drop me, okay? I still need all my fingers!" the mage shouted with laughter, his voice filled with urgency.
On the other side, an old mage raised his staff and slammed it on the ground. "Explosion!"
A small explosion shattered the large rock into pieces. The soldiers rushed to gather the rocks into sacks. Then, they poured them out to create a path, as Laguna had ordered.
Eve adjusted the position. She made sure the rocks were close enough to create a strong mineral aroma. "Ensure the rock has enough metal. Creatures like her find this most appealing."
For almost half an hour, they worked non-stop. Dust filled the air. Sweat soaked their bodies, but none of them complained.
Onyxgorger slowly finished the last stone in front of him, then... his nose lifted. He smelled something. His head turned southwest. With lazy but sure movements, his massive body began to follow the trail of the stone bait.
"He bit the bait," Laguna whispered.
"Yes!" Eve exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief.
The soldiers exchanged soft cheers. They wiped off sweat and patted each other's shoulders.
But before relief could turn into celebration...
BOOM.
Onyxgorger's steps stopped. His giant body shook, then his head turned back in slow motion—toward Veredale.
"No... don't tell me..." Mulan whispered in a choked voice.
Laguna watched in shock as Onyxgorger spun around and walked back to the village. His mouth opened a fraction, releasing a steaming breath.
"He smells... something there... something more valuable than stone..."
"What is he after... there?" Eve asked in an anxious tone.
Laguna gripped his sword with a firm hold; his voice was a faint whisper.
"Or rather... who."