"A plan?" Lie asked.
"Yeah," Rion replied, eyeing the creature as it thrashed about, shaking rubble from its back.
"Can you use control to stop it?"
Lie glanced at the Clamshell as it faced them. "Haha no, I doubt I can stop it. But I can probably slow it down."
The Clamshell suddenly charged at them.
"That's good enough!" Rion shouted as the two dodged to avoid being crushed.
"Listen, Lie—on my command, use control. But I also need you to distract it for a bit!"
Lie ducked under another swing. "How long!?"
Rion hesitated. "Twenty-five, thirty seconds!"
Lie winced. "Ah, whatever—make it quick!"
She fired a blast of water at the Clamshell, keeping its attention locked on her.
Meanwhile, Rion ran to the edge of the cave and slid through the egg goo to mask his scent. He wasn't sure if it helped, but he did it anyway. Then, he focused—completely—on channeling his magic.
Rion hadn't told Lie, but every time he used magic before, it almost felt like closing a suitcase after only placing one item inside—or drinking from a full cup that only had a single drop of water poured in.
He had so much more in him. Why? he didn't know. But it didn't matter now. What mattered was utilizing it.
He poured everything into his wand. It creaked. It cracked.
But he didn't care.
The suitcase would be full. The cup would overflow. He was going all out.
"NOW!" Rion shouted.
Lie nodded, firing rapid balls of controlled water at the Clamshell. They stuck over its legs and joints, slowing it down—little by little.
Rion watched. "That's good enough."
He stood and screamed at the creature.
"OVER HERE, YOU BASTARD!"
The Clamshell turned sluggishly toward him, no longer the frenzied beast it had been.
It charged, but its movements were slow, heavy, burdened.
Rion grinned. Great job, Lie.
He raised his wand. Magic surged through the fragile thing, white energy pulsing from every crack. His body was in pain, his hands burned, but he didn't stop. He let out a final exhale—then fired.
Immediately, Rion's wand shattered into a thousand pieces.
But the blast still soared through the air, crackling with raw power. It connected squarely with the Clamshell's forehead. The creature let out a shriek as the magic drilled through its skull, and then as if out of resistance—it burst out the back of its head.
Blue blood, the same color as the egg goo, splattered all over the cave walls and ceiling.
The Clamshell's legs trembled.
Then, with a massive slam, it collapsed to the ground.
Lie stood frozen, stunned.
Rion let out a small chuckle, then looked down at his hands—burnt, trembling.
"Haha… we… win."
He slumped against the wall and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling.
This motion was accompanied by a deep squelch, but Rion was too tired to care.
(And thus, Rion's adventure continues…)