"No, Mok!" Paltio shouted as he watched his friend being swallowed by an enormous mouth emerging from the depths.
The creature descended again, vanishing into the same abyss from which it had come. Mok could feel himself being dragged deeper into the beast's dark, slimy interior. With one hand and one leg injured, he could barely resist. But then he heard Geki's voice. The small gecko acted swiftly, launching a rope anchored on either side of the cavernous stomach of the creature.
Mok clung to it with every ounce of strength he had left, avoiding being fully engulfed. "That was close," he murmured in relief as he caught his breath.
"Don't even mention it, buddy," Geki replied calmly, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of concern. "Now we need to figure out how to get out of here. How are you holding up?"
"A little sore, but nothing unbearable. I'll be fine." Mok tried to smile, though fatigue was etched across his face.
"Too bad I don't know any healing magic, but I can bandage those wounds for you." Geki conjured magical bandages that carefully wrapped around Mok's injured arm and leg. Mok felt a slight relief instantly, though the pain lingered faintly.
"This thing is sinking faster... Where will it stop?" Geki remarked, watching as the creature began its rapid descent. His tone carried an edge of urgency.
"First, we have to get out of here," Mok said with determination. "But once we do, I'll have to face whatever this thing is."
Geki frowned thoughtfully. "That damn Aresus sent something straight down after you. It made you fall because... well, someone really doesn't like you, Mok."
Mok fell silent for a moment, pondering. "I don't know. As far as I'm aware, I don't have enemies... except maybe whoever's behind that mask." His gaze drifted, as if trying to recall something vital.
"Well, someone must be pretty pissed at you if they want you dead," Geki continued, blending sarcasm with genuine worry. "But lucky for us, it didn't work. Let me think about how we can get out of this mess."
The tiny gecko closed his eyes for a moment, focusing intently. Then, with a triumphant grin, he announced: "I've got just the thing to help!"
With a swift motion, Geki conjured a massive crossbow, its arrow gleaming with a sharp, lethal tip. "We're going to launch this," he said as he tied a thick rope to the base of the arrow. "Get ready—I'm firing it now."
With a snap and a flash of energy, the arrow shot forward at blinding speed, slicing through the air with a high-pitched whistle. It headed directly toward the creature's enormous, jagged teeth. On impact, the arrow shattered the fangs as if they were glass, breaking them into razor-sharp fragments. It continued its trajectory until it lodged firmly into a nearby rock.
Mok looked down at the enormous creature, which roared in pain. It was a grotesque beast, with a prominent malformation on its forehead, eyes as dark as bottomless pits, and a sturdy carapace covering its segmented body. Several twisted legs jutted out from its structure, like a giant worm fused with armor.
In a fit of rage, the monster spat a viscous, corrosive liquid toward where Mok stood. He moved just in time, but the spot where he had been began to bubble and dissolve with an eerie hiss.
"Damn it, it's acid!" Mok shouted as he swung agilely across the rope. He leaped to the ground just before the beast unleashed another corrosive burst.
The creature glared at him, its dark eyes gleaming with fury. It seemed enraged, hungry... and determined to strike again.
"I can't waste any more time here," Mok said through gritted teeth. "I need to get back to Master Paltio. He must be worried."
"Most likely," Geki replied with a touch of irony. "Though I wonder why he hasn't come down to check on you."
"Something strange is going on," Mok reflected, frowning. "That Aresus guy has something to do with this. We need to hurry."
The butler drew his old sword, since the new one had fallen into the depths during their previous battle—he couldn't recall exactly where it had dropped. With determination, he raised the blade and exclaimed: "Red Blade Slash!"
The attack shot toward the monster, but to his horror, it had no effect. The sword's blade disintegrated upon impact with the creature's armored hide.
"But what…?" Mok murmured, incredulous, holding the now-useless hilt.
"It seems that the beast is extremely resilient," Geki observed seriously. "You should use the sword I gave you, though I remember that one fell too."
Before they could devise another plan, the beast roared and unleashed another spray of acid toward Mok. He moved quickly, using his knives to climb up the monster's body. However, every time he tried to embed one of them into the creature's skin, the weapons shattered upon contact.
"I've had those weapons for a long time," Mok muttered in frustration. "Now I have nothing left. What can I possibly do?"
"Take this," Geki said, handing him a spear. Mok hurled it with all his strength at the monster, but the spear also disintegrated upon impact.
"A creature like this is more than difficult to defeat," Geki noted, his voice tense yet calm. Then he pointed with his small paw behind the monster. "Look, Mok! It's the sword I gave you!"
Mok glanced toward where Geki was pointing. Sure enough, the sword was there, embedded in the ground near the beast's tail.
"With that sword, you'll surely be able to hurt it," Geki said. "But its massive body is blocking the way. There's no other choice—I'll have to help by buying you some time."
The little gecko closed his eyes for a moment, focusing deeply. Then he shouted: "FELICA FORM!"
Geki's body began to shift and transform, elongating and growing until it became an enormous reptile. His new form was awe-inspiring: he resembled a giant turtle with an armored shell bristling with sharp spikes. However, unlike an ordinary turtle, this creature was swift and agile, as if Geki had simply grown larger and developed a protective carapace.
Without hesitation, the giant reptile charged at the beast, raising its front legs to halt the creature's advance and lifting it just enough for Mok to pass through. But the monster retaliated fiercely, lashing out with spiky whips identical to the ones that had injured Mok earlier. The spikes pierced the softer parts of Geki's body, tearing through his skin.
Geki growled in pain but gritted his teeth, holding back. He looked urgently at Mok and shouted, "Go for that weapon right now! There's no time to waste!"
Instantly, Mok understood what Geki was doing by creating an opening in the fight. Without wasting a second, he sprinted with all his strength toward the cleared space beneath the massive beast. However, reaching the sword wouldn't be easy. The creature's small limbs began transforming into razor-sharp spears, attacking relentlessly in an attempt to stop him.
Mok moved with agility, dodging the strikes as he pressed forward toward his goal.
"Hurry, Mok! I can't hold it off forever!" Geki yelled from his position, his voice strained but resolute. Despite the obvious pain etched on his face, he continued to resist with everything he had.
Mok watched as his friend fought against the monster, each movement laden with sacrifice. With his primary weapons gone, the butler turned to his magical rings. He conjured a protective layer of ice around himself to block the attacks, then unleashed searing flames to repel the spikes hurtling toward him.
The fire seemed to harm the creature; its agonized shrieks echoed throughout the area like thunder rumbling in a dark cavern. With every step, Mok seized moments of the monster's weakness to forge ahead. Finally, he reached the sword: CRIMSON CRYSTAL.
As he grasped it, Mok saw how Geki was brutally repelled by the beast. More spikes shot toward him, but the gecko reacted quickly, retreating into his armored shell for protection. Before fully closing his defenses, he shouted to Mok, "Come on, Mok! You've got this!"
With the sword in hand, Mok activated the power of his air ring, propelling himself forward with a burst of speed. He leaped so high that he seemed to float above the monster. Gripping the hilt of the CRIMSON CRYSTAL with both hands, he channeled the force of gravity and descended with devastating momentum.
The blade sliced through the creature's carapace as if it were butter, piercing and cleanly splitting it in two. The monster's death cry filled the air as a thick, yellowish, viscous liquid oozed from its bisected body.
Before he could react, the creature turned toward Mok, but it was already too late. The butler, with the sword crossed in front of him, delivered one final decisive blow that ended the beast once and for all.
Mok stood frozen for a moment, awestruck by the overwhelming power of the sword Geki had given him. He watched as the monster's body collapsed, leaving behind a trail of sticky yellow liquid. Drenched in the viscous substance, he approached Geki, who still remained inside his shell.
"Hey! You okay?" Mok asked, concern etched on his face as he inspected his companion.
"Yeah, but I didn't expect that thing to hurt me so much," Geki replied with a forced smile as he slowly emerged from his refuge. "Normally, I'm the one handing out weapons... and in this form, my big shell is all I've got for protection. Besides, my role is usually more supportive." He paused before adding, "But I'll be fine."
Geki returned to his original form after receiving some carefully applied healing bandages from Mok. "We should head back up," Mok said, his expression grave. "I don't know what that guy might be doing to my prince."
Geki nodded and handed Mok a set of climbing claws designed for scaling steep surfaces. The fall had been significant, and they would need assistance to climb back up. Without another word, the butler began his ascent, ignoring the pain from his wounds. His determination outweighed any fatigue or physical discomfort.
All that mattered now was protecting Paltio and uncovering why Aresus had set such a deadly trap.