Alex looked at Ethan expectantly. “Are you prepared?”

  The Colossus was still moving away from them at a slow, ponderous pace, each step shaking the sand as it went. Ethan didn’t answer immediately. His eyes were fixed on the creature, tracking the way its massive body shifted as it walked, the strange rhythm of its legs carving deep impressions into the dunes behind it.

  Up close, the thing was enormous. Bigger than anything else on this level. Its tusks were long, thick, and jagged, curving forward like bladed lances. For all intents and purposes, it resembled an elephant, but the similarities ended there. Its hide wasn’t flesh or fur. It was layered stone, hardened sand fused into overlapping plates. Ethan knew better than to assume it was brittle. Everything about it showed this was a monster of absurd strength.

  Its six legs moved in an almost hypnotic pattern, each one thick as a tree trunk, sinking into the ground before lifting again in a slow, deliberate rhythm. Every step sent vibrations through the sand that Ethan could feel in his feet.

  “I’m good to go.” Ethan finally said, still watching it. “Let’s stick to the plan and get it done.”

  Alex nodded, looking determined.

  Ethan let out a quiet chuckle and finally tore his gaze away from the Colossus. “Remember, it’s basically a massive slow tank that can regenerate. Armored hide, high durability, and enough mass to flatten most things just by walking into them. But, while it’s extremely powerful and defensive, it does have a weakness.”

  Ethan continued, “it has a core. One of the few creatures on this level that does. Think of it like a golem. The rest of the body is basically a shell.”

  “The core’s in its head,” he added. “Just behind the trunk.”

  “So, same plan then? Break the core?”

  Ethan shrugged. “I’m not going to tell you exactly how to fight it. I haven’t been with you long enough to know how all of you operate together. But I recommend not letting it get into tight spaces. We want it in the open, where its slow speed actually works against it.”

  “And try not to get hit,” Nivia added.

  “Yes,” Ethan agreed. “That too.”

  Alex took a breath, then straightened. “Alright. Everyone get ready, we’ve already gone over this, but let’s put it to action. Thane, you and I focus damage above the trunk, try to expose the core. Nivia, you assist where you can, but stay mobile and ready to heal. Ethan, protect Nivia and support me where needed.”

  “For sure,” Ethan said.

  The others voiced their agreement as they spread out, putting distance between each other while keeping loose sightlines. Ethan stayed close to Nivia and they all crept forward at a slow pace, sticking low to the dunes.

  The Colossus kept moving forward, unhurried, its massive bulk displacing dunes with every step. It showed no sign that it had noticed them at all.

  Thane raised one hand.

  Ethan felt the shift in the air, it tightened, like gravity was growing denser. Pressure building as mana condensed around Thane’s outstretched palm.

  The core was high up, buried deep in the Colossus’s head, shielded by layers of living stone. Difficult to reach, sure—but not impossible.

  Thane finished his chant and hurled the spell forward.

  A bolt of lightning ripped through the air and slammed into the Colossus’s head with a deafening crack. Electricity crawled across its tusks and raced along its plated hide, illuminating the amber fissures webbed across its body for a brief, blinding instant.

  Alex took that as his cue.

  Chains materialized in his hands, he launched forward, snapping them out like whips, wrapping them around the Colossus’s massive legs in a wide arc.

  The creature reacted instantly.

  It let out a deep, resonant sound that vibrated through the desert. The sound was low enough to make Ethan’s skull ache, his teeth rattling as the Colossus turned its massive head toward the source of the attack.

  It started moving towards Thane, Alex’s chains doing little to stop it.

  Alex must have realized. He adjusted mid-motion, releasing the lower bindings and flinging the chains upward instead. They wrapped around one of the Colossus’s tusks, tightening as Alex surged forward and launched himself into the air.

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  His fist slammed into the side of the Colossus’s head with enough force to shatter stone.

  A hardened plate cracked, fragments breaking loose and tumbling down its flank as the Colossus came to a stop from the impact. Beneath the broken armor, the surface glowed brighter, molten light pulsing under the exposed stone.

  The Colossus shifted its weight.

  One of its massive legs lifted and slammed down where Alex had been a heartbeat earlier. The impact was catastrophic. Sand and stone exploded upward as a shockwave tore across the battlefield.

  Ethan felt [Steadfast] take hold. His boots dug into the sand as the force hit him full on. Muscles screamed as he leaned into it, holding his ground through whipping sand. Even then, he was shoved back a step, his balance only barely holding.

  Alex landed hard, rolling once before coming up on one knee. He didn’t hesitate and launched himself straight back in.

  Thane followed up with another spell. The ground in front of him surged upward, compacting into a dense lance of earth that shot forward and slammed into the Colossus’s trunk. Stone fractured. A visible gouge tore through the segmented surface. The display of power was impressive, and highlighted the attack power a mage could have if they mastered a couple spells.

  The Colossus reacted violently.

  Its trunk swung in a wide arc, moving like a massive sledgehammer. The strike missed Alex by inches and instead slammed into the ground, carving a trench several meters long and sending debris flying.

  “Move!” Ethan shouted.

  Nivia was already sprinting sideways, but the ground beneath her feet began to collapse inward. Ethan reached her just in time, grabbing her arm and hauling her clear as the sand gave way beneath them.

  “Thanks,” she said breathlessly, regaining her footing.

  Ethan didn’t look at her. His eyes were locked on the Colossus. “Let’s get involved.”

  The creature began to draw in power. The air grew heavy, pressure building as the amber fissures across its body brightened in unison. Sand around its legs lifted and trembled, mana surging inward like a tide being pulled toward a drain. Even to Ethan’s newly awakened senses, he could feel the massive amounts of mana it was drawing on.

  “That’s not good,” Ethan muttered, stopping himself from attacking. Unlike the others, he couldn’t afford to take a hit.

  The Colossus reared back, trunk lifting high before slamming down into the ground.

  The impact was devastating.

  A compressed wave of force detonated outward, flattening dunes and hurling debris through the air. [Steadfast] tried to hold on, muscles locking as he leaned into the blast—but it wasn’t enough. He was torn off his feet, skidding across the sand before slamming to a stop hard enough to knock the air from his lungs.

  Sand filled his mouth as he rolled and forced himself upright, coughing as he spat it out.

  Alex had been thrown as well, only just beginning to stand. Ethan scanned the battlefield, heart pounding.

  Thane was gone.

  The dune he’d been standing on had collapsed completely, sand cascading downward in a roaring sheet.

  “Nivia!” Ethan barked.

  “I’m fine!” she called back, already sprinting toward where Thane had been.

  The Colossus hadn’t paused. It was advancing again, each step shaking the ground. Ethan looked between Nivia’s retreating form and Alex, who was still pushing himself upright.

  The decision took less than a second.

  Ethan turned toward the Colossus. A proper set of armor would have been comforting right about now. His vest felt like a joke in comparison to what he was facing, but he tightened his grip on his sword anyway and ran forward.

  He activated [Keen Sense]. The world sharpened around him. He could see the flow of molten light beneath the Colossus’s hide, the fissures dimming and brightening in a steady rhythm. Each pulse marked a gathering of power.

  “Alex!” Ethan shouted. “When it charges an attack, hit the head! Right behind the trunk!”

  Alex looked up once and nodded, agreeing easily.

  The Colossus lowered its tusks and surged forward, momentum building as it barreled toward them. The ground shook violently beneath Ethan’s feet.

  Alex met the charge head-on.

  Ethan planted himself in the sand as Alex sprinted past him. At the last second, Ethan dropped to one knee and braced. Alex didn’t break stride. He vaulted off Ethan’s extended palms, launching skyward.

  Ethan threw him upward with everything he had.

  Alex slammed into the Colossus’s head again. The already-fractured armor shattered completely this time. Stone broke away in chunks, revealing a glowing amber core pulsing beneath the surface.

  The Colossus bellowed. The sound rattled Ethan’s bones as the creature reared back, legs digging into the sand in an attempt to pull away from the assault.

  Chains extended from Alex’s hands, wrapping low around the tusk as he balanced precariously. Ethan grabbed the chain with one hand. It burned against his palm, heat searing his skin.

  Alex yanked.

  Ethan was ripped upward as Alex dropped away, the momentum hurling him high into the air. Wind roared past his ears as he soared above the battlefield, the Colossus sprawling beneath him.

  He released the chain.

  Both hands closed around his sword as he descended.

  The Colossus must have sensed the danger. It twisted its head violently. Ethan’s blade plunged through an open fissure, driving deep into stone but missed the core by inches. The Colossus shook its head violently, thrashing as Ethan clung to the hilt with everything he had.

  Pain lanced through his arms as the creature bucked. He felt himself tearing loose—

  Then the Colossus slammed its head sideways into the ground.

  The impact ripped Ethan free.

  The world spun as he was hurled across the sand, tumbling end over end before crashing into a dune hard enough to drive the breath from his lungs. He lay there gasping, vision swimming, as the ground shook again.

  The Colossus straightened.

  Cracks spider-webbed outward from the exposed core, amber light leaking through in unstable pulses.

  The fissures across its body flared violently as the sand around it began to lift, swirling upward in a widening vortex.

  Ethan pushed himself to his feet, sand blurred around the Colossus, its form shifting as a living storm surrounded it.

  Ethan looked around for the others. Alex was looking ready to attack again. Thane was standing behind him. His massive frame dwarfing Alex, as mana gathered around him.

  And as if summoned by thought, Nivia appeared beside him.

  “Are you alright?”

  “I’m good. Let’s just get this done.”