Jack stared at the floating temple. Then at the desperate struggle unfolding below. The Zombie Frog-men continued their relentless assault on the expedition members. They were an annoyance now that the true threat had revealed itself.
"What a luck!" Jack stated helplessly. "Immortal world-ending demonic creature. Guess we're officially off the clock for relaxation, Love."
Reina merely nodded. "What's the plan, Dear?" Her hand already moved to her side where her steamrune handguns rested. Once they were Jack's back-up weapons. Now they were hers.
Jack didn't hesitate. "Let's save those people first. Clean the frog things. We need to contain the mess there before it escalates."
He waved his hand. With a shimmer of ethereal energy, his now-personal-artifact Lightning Hoverbike materialized. Humming softly as its engines engaged.
The sleek, angular machine, hovered smoothly above the ground. It was armed, fast, and ready.
He swung a leg over the seat. "Get on, Love. Time to make an entrance."
Reina climbed on behind him. Her handguns were already drawn and ready. Her focus never wavered from the chaos below. "Let'ds do it, Dear."
Jack pushed the throttle. The hoverbike surged forward with a high-pitched whine. Tearing through the forest air. He activated the on-board weaponry.
Twin lightning cannons mounted on the sides hummed to life. Pointing forward. Crackling with contained energy.
They burst from the tree line. A blur of motion streaking towards the lake. The Zombie Frog-men were still pressing their attack in their decaying forms. Their slimy claws and crude weapons were battering against the Mystic Scholars' magical defenses.
Chloe Chase parried a blow with a crackling [Lesser Wards]. And retaliated with [Wind Arrows].
Leon Drake roared as he deflected attacks with his armored hand. And slammed the attacking frog-man with his [Lighning Strike].
Dr. Crafton conjured a wall of flame to push back a wave of assailants.
Tomme and Jeanne Laycard fought back-to-back. Their grimoires were open, weaving [Enhanced Magic Missiles] and [Flaming Wards] spells in a deadly dance.
Baroness Artheim looked regal even in combat. She unleashed [Mystic Barrier] around her, while her Lightning Constructs were wreaking havoc against the enemies.
The three logistic members were also surprisingly competent. They used [Fire Arrows] and [Earth Spikes] to engage with the opponents.
But there were simply too many enemies. The expedition members, though capable, were visibly tiring. Their spells were frequent. But the frog-men seemed to rise from the dark, inky water endlessly.
Jack pressed a button. The hoverbike's lightning cannons spat energy blasts.
CRACK! BZZZT!
Bolts of concentrated electricity arced out. Striking several Zombie Frog-men with devastating force. Their decaying bodies spasmed violently. Then exploded into showers of slimy ichor and shattered bone.
The sudden, powerful intervention momentarily stunned the horde. Momentarily.
Jack continued charging. Laying down a continuous volley of lightning. Each blast tore through multiple creatures. Creating gaps in their ranks. Incinerating them before they could even understand what was happening.
Jack swerved the hoverbike. Making a wide pass over the shoreline. From the backseat, Reina took over the attack. Her steamrune handgun barked. Spitting enchanted lead bullets.
Each shot found its mark. Piercing the heads or vital points of the frog-men with lethal accuracy. She didn't waste a single round. Her movements were economical and deadly. Her aim was flawless. Picking off those trying to flank the expedition members.
"Looks like help has arrived!" Leon Drake bellowed. Finding renewed vigor as the pressure eased. He stomped. Sending a shockwave that threw several frog-men backward.
Chloe Chase glanced at Jack's hoverbike. "What in the world is that machine? And who are they?" She dodged a lunging attack. Her [Wind Webs] entangled her opponent as a retaliation.
Dr. Crafton replied as he continued conjuring [Blazing Wall]. "That was the most sophisticated hoverbike I had ever seen. They must be high level Steamrune Engineers."
Jack made another pass. Targeting the densest concentrations of frog-men at the lake's edge. The air filled with the stench of burned flesh.
The creatures, though mindless, reacted with primitive fury. Some attempting to leap at the hoverbike. Only to be vaporized mid-air by the hoverbike's electric force-shield. Or shot down by Reina.
Reina noticed a group of frog-men trying to flank Baroness Artheim. She fired multiple bullets with both of her handguns. Sickening thuds of collapsing bodies followed. The danger was neutralized.
"Thank you, Friends!" Baroness Artheim called out. Unleashing a flurry of [Ice Shards] that froze several more frog-men solid. One of her Lightning Construct had dissipated. But she immediately summoned another one.
The expedition members were reinvigorated by Jack and Reina's arrival. They pushed back with renewed vigor.
Dr. Crafton conjured a large, swirling vortex of flame that suck a dozen frog-men. Incinerating them into ash immediately.
Tomme and Jeanne Laycard combined their magic. Creating a Flaming Ogre that launched pure flame missiles. Incinerating anything that touched it. A fusion spell. [Ogre's Fire Missiles]
Jack circled once more. Directly over the remaining frog-men. Blasting the majority of them with another lighning beam. "Finish them off, Love!"
Reina unleashed a barrage from both her handguns. Emptying both clips before seamlessly reloading. And repeated the assaults.
In short order, the last of the Zombie Frog-men were dispatched. Their corrupted forms dissolved into the black lake. Or merely lying inert and stinking on the shore.
The air felt lighter. Though still heavy with the stench of decay. The expedition members were panting but victorious. They looked at Jack and Reina. A mix of relief, confusion, and suspicion were on their faces.
Jack didn't give them time to question. His gaze was fixed on the floating temple. The ink-black stain on the lake below it seemed to pulse.
Then, from the apex of the pyramid-like structure, a fissure appeared. It widened. The ancient stone groaning under an unseen pressure. A dark, chitinous limb. Scaled and ending in a wicked, oversized claw.
It slowly emerged from the opening. It was massive. Easily the size of a big tree trunk. Dripping with the lake's black water.
The limb flexed. Testing the air. Jack, Reina, and the other expedition members now stared in horrified silence.
The limb continued to push out. Gaining mass and definition. It wasn't just a simple claw. Layers of muscle, bone, and sinew began to form around it. Twisting and expanding. The stone temple itself seemed to be the source. The limb grew directly from its heart.
Slowly. Agonizingly. A creature took form. The single clawed limb splitted into two. Then a torso began to extrude. Massive and bulbous. Covered in glistening, black scales that seemed to absorb all light.
A head burst forth. Reptilian and frog-like. With four unsettling, glowing yellow eyes. Mounted on a thick, muscular neck.
It was truly monstrous. A towering, humanoid giant Frog-man. Easily ten meters tall. Its skin was the same inky black as the lake below.
It roared. A guttural, earth-shaking sound that vibrated through their very bones. Sending birds scattering from the distant trees.
The creature was grotesque. Powerful. And utterly terrifying. It was the physical manifestation of just a fraction of the Ink Dragon's ancient, malevolent power.
The very air around it felt heavy. Oppressive. It was as if the world itself recoiled from its presence.
"That..." Reina breathed. Her voice was tight. "That is what they kept within the temple. A piece of the Ink Dragon. It was far more terrifying than any records suggested."
Jack's jaw was set. "So much for a quiet vacation. Alright, Love. New objective. Stop the big bad frog-monster."
He switched the hoverbike to attack mode. The lightning cannons humming with renewed energy.
"You guys! Get ready for round two!" He shouted to the expedition members. His voice was cutting through the monster's oppressive aura.
The giant Frog-man swiveled its massive head. Its four yellow eyes were fixed on the hoverbike and the expedition members.
Its black, scaled skin seemed to ripple. It moved with a surprising speed for its size. Its massive clawed hand swiping through the air towards them.
The sheer force of the wind pressure alone was enough to make the hoverbike wobble.
Jack reacted instantly. Veering the hoverbike sharply to the side. The monstrous claw missed by mere feet. Slamming into the ground the hoverbike had just been on. The earth fractured. A small crater was formed.
"Scatter!" Baroness Artheim yelled. Her voice was strained. The expedition members were exhausted. But they immediately spread out. Their grimoires wer open. Ready for casting combat spells.
Jack sent a volley of lightning bolts from the hoverbike. They struck the giant Frog-man's chest. Exploding with a flash of light and a sound like thunder.
But the creature merely grunted. Its black scales deflected the energy as if it were nothing more than an irritant. No visible damage.
Reina unleashed a barrage of bullets. Aiming for its glowing yellow eyes. The enchanted lead pinged off its scaled face. Creating sparks, but utterly failing to penetrate.
She conjured a large, swirling illusionary vortex of hellfire directly in front of its face. Hoping to blind or disorient it.
The monster merely inhaled. And the illusion seemed to be drawn in. Absorbed by its very being. It belched. A cloud of hot, dark vapor erupting from its mouth.
"It absorbed my illusion!" Reina exclaimed. Shock was evident in her voice. "This thing... it's beyond anything I've encountered."
Jack cursed under his breath. "Right. Plan B, then." He activated his [Eyes of Judgement]...