There was no time to think. No time to plan.

With a hiss, Jarosormur lunged, its massive body uncoiling with terrifying speed. The ground ruptured as the serpent crashed forward, sending rock tumbling into the abyss below.

"Move!" Kale shouted, diving out of the way just as Jarosormur's colossal tail slammed into the ground where he had stood. The impact sent shockwaves through the chamber, the floor cracking and splitting like brittle ice.

Rika was already in motion, her warhammer raised high. "Come on, big guy!" she yelled. "Let's see what you're made of!" With a battle cry, she charged forward, swinging her warhammer with all her strength.

The weapon collided with Jarosormur's stone scales, the impact sending a jarring vibration up Rika's arms. But the serpent barely flinched, its body shifting as it turned its eyes on her. Its hiss rumbled through the cave, a sound that made the walls tremble.

"Shit," Rika said, jumping back just in time to avoid the serpent's snapping jaws.

Liliana hovered above, her eyes glowing as tendrils of blood magic erupted from her. She attempted to latch onto the creature, but the magic recoiled, unable to take hold on Jarosormur's stone hide. "I can't hold it!" she shouted.

Kale ducked behind a large rock, his heart racing. His dagger felt useless in his hand, there was no way it could pierce through something like Jarosormur. But he couldn't just sit back and do nothing. "Rika! We need to find a weak spot!"

Rika, still dodging the serpent's relentless strikes, grunted in response. "Yeah, well, if you see one, feel free to let me know!"

The ground trembled again as Jarosormur snaked around the chamber. Another hiss echoed through the cave, and the serpent lunged again, its massive head crashing toward them like an avalanche.

Rika darted to the side, evading Jarosormur's onslaught yet again. With a fierce yell, she swung her warhammer, the force of the blow sending a shock reverberating through the serpent's stony skin. This time, a small fracture appeared, running along one of its jagged scales.

"Got him!" Rika shouted as she saw the crack spread.

Before she could celebrate, Jarosormur's tail whipped around with incredible speed. The massive appendage slammed into Rika's side, hurling her across the chamber. She smashed into the stone wall with a sickening crack, the impact splintering the rock. Above her, the ceiling buckled, raining down heavy chunks of stone that buried her in a violent cascade of debris.

"Rika!" Kale shouted as the rocks closed over her, swallowing her from view.

Jarosormur hissed, its massive body shifting with deadly intent, the fracture on its skin a mere scratch against its overwhelming might.

"We're in trouble," Kale said, his heart pounding.

Liliana whipped towards him, eyes blazing. "Focus on the serpent, Kale! There has to be a way to beat it."

Jarosormur lunged again. The ground shook violently as its massive head drove toward them. Kale and Liliana threw themselves aside, narrowly escaping the strike. As the serpent's head crashed past him, Kale caught a glimpse of something shimmering—a tiny, blood-red gem embedded in the middle of the serpent's forehead, imperceptible before due to its immense size.

Kale's eyes widened. "Liliana! Look at its forehead!"

Another whip of the serpent's tail sent rocks and debris flying, forcing Kale to duck again. Liliana's eyes narrowed as she spotted the gem, and her expression turned from confusion to shock. "Impossible… It's a corrupting blood gem. That would explain it, the serpent was poisoned by it."

"What the hell is a corrupting blood gem?" Kale asked, dodging another tail strike.

"Legendary, powerful. Almost impossible to control. They twist everything they touch into something destructive! Kale, you need to get that gem out!"

Kale nodded, his adrenaline spiking. He activated Swiftform, his body blurring as he leapt toward the serpent's massive head. With a well-timed strike, he slashed at the gem with his dagger, but his blade bounced off harmlessly. No scratch. Nothing.

Kale landed, rolling to avoid another attack, frustration rising in his chest. "It's useless! The blade doesn't even scratch it!"

Before Liliana could respond, a blinding explosion of golden light filled the chamber. The sudden burst of energy made even Jarosormur hesitate, the serpent pausing mid-strike to turn its head toward the source of the light.

Kale and Liliana spun around, eyes wide, as rocks and debris exploded from the spot where Rika had been buried. She rose slowly, battered and bloodied, her body hunched, her clothes torn, blood streaming down her face, one eye swollen shut. Yet around her, a golden aura flared, crackling with raw energy and bathing her in a searing light.

She wiped the blood from her face with the back of her hand. "Miss me?"

Rika stepped forward, her aura blazing brighter with every step, roaring like a wildfire as she raised her warhammer high. Her voice rang out, raw and commanding, invoking the gods of the earthborn.

"Thalor, unyielding stone, grant me your strength to endure!

Kaela, keeper of roots, heal my wounds, make me whole!

Gorak, earth's fury, unleash your wrath through me!

I call upon your power, lend me your might so I may strike down this beast!"

Her golden aura surged, radiating divine energy that lit the chamber like a sun. Cracks of light spread across the floor as her warhammer glowed, imbued with the combined power of the gods.

Her eyes blazed like molten metal, radiating a heat that seemed to sear the air around her. Veins of shimmering gold spread across her body, while ancient runes burned into her skin, pulsing with the power of the three earthborn gods. The chamber quaked as divine energy coursed through her, and even Jarosormur coiled back in surprise.

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Kale had seen Rika fight before, seen her throw grown men around like they weighed nothing, shatter armor with a single swing of her warhammer, take blows that would have crushed anyone else. But this… this was something else.

And apparently, Jarosormur agreed.

Kale and Liliana stared in disbelief.

Jarosormur reared back, but Rika was faster. With a roar, she lunged forward, her warhammer slamming down on the serpent's stony skin. The impact thundered through the chamber, cracks splitting across its body as shards of stone flew in every direction. Rika struck again, and another blow tore through its armor, sending chunks of hardened flesh scattering to the ground. Each swing came harder, faster, the serpent's defenses crumbling under her relentless assault.

The serpent hissed, its tail snapping toward her, but Rika was ready. With a ferocious swing, she brought her warhammer up in a sweeping arc, colliding with the tail mid-strike. The impact rang out like a cannon blast, sending shockwaves through the chamber as cracks split the ground beneath their feet.

"There's a gem on its forehead!" Liliana screamed. "You have to take it out!"

Rika roared, charging at the serpent's head. Her warhammer crashed down with a bone-shaking impact, leaving a thin crack running across the stone surface near the gem. Jarosormur recoiled, its massive jaws snapping at her, but Rika twisted out of the way and swung again. This time, her blow struck true, hitting the gem directly. A fissure split through it, the surface beginning to fracture.

"Now, Kale!" Liliana yelled.

Kale activated Swiftform and dashed toward the serpent. Timing his leap perfectly, he drove his dagger into the crack, aiming for the gem. Gritting his teeth, he pushed with all his strength, the resistance of the stone grinding against the blade. With a final, desperate wrench, the gem broke free, flying across the chamber and landing on the floor with a sharp clink.

Jarosormur's body convulsed, the cracks along its form deepened, and the magic that had corrupted it began to fade. Liliana felt the shift instantly, the oppressive force of the corrupted magic dissipating, replaced by something steadier, more balanced.

Rika lifted her warhammer high, ready to deliver the final blow, when Liliana's voice cut through the chaos. "Wait!"

"Don't kill it!" Liliana shouted. Rika, her warhammer still raised, hesitated, glancing back at her.

"The magic," Liliana continued, "it's changed. It's back to how it was. It feels protective, benevolent... good again."

Rika, breathing heavily, slowly lowered her weapon. Her eyes still burned with the divine power of her gods, but she turned her gaze to the serpent, now trembling and weakened before them.

Jarosormur's massive form shifted slightly, still towering over them, but the violent, corrupted energy that had fueled its attacks was gone. The serpent's eyes, once cold and menacing, now held something unexpected. Kale blinked, unsure if he was imagining it, but for a fleeting moment, he thought he saw gratitude.

The serpent's golden eyes rested on them, not with malice but with an ancient, quiet acknowledgment. As if, in that moment, Jarosormur understood that they had freed it from the corruption that had twisted its essence.

Rika took a step back, her glowing aura flickering, the runes on her body dimming slightly as she relaxed her stance. "You sure?" she asked.

Liliana nodded. "Yes. The serpent is no longer a threat."

Kale approached the fallen gem, its once blood-red surface now dull and cracked. "All that because of this little gem?" he said, shaking his head in disbelief. He crouched down and gingerly picked it up, turning it over in his hand.

As soon as he touched it, the gem began to glow, this time with an intense red light. Kale's eyes widened in shock as the cracks in the gem sealed themselves, the surface becoming pristine and shiny once more, as if it had never been damaged. The glow intensified, and before he could drop it, dark veins shot out from where it touched his skin, racing down his wrist and spreading like poison through his arm.

"Kale, no!" Liliana screamed, her voice filled with panic as crimson tendrils shot out from her, wrapping tightly around the gem and tearing it from Kale's hand before the corruption could take hold.

The gem hurtled through the air, but instead of dropping harmlessly to the ground, it streaked toward Liliana. The moment it made contact, the gem embedded itself into her forehead. Black veins spiderwebbed across her face, spreading rapidly as she let out a bloodcurdling scream. The veins pulsed with malevolent energy, twisting her features in pain as the gem sank deeper, flooding her with its corrupting power.

Rika, still recovering from the fight, stood frozen. "Liliana!"

Kale's heart raced as he watched in horror, his hand still tingling with the remnants of the gem's corruption. "Lili… what's happening?"

Liliana's scream echoed through the cavern. Her red eyes, once sharp and controlled, flickered wildly as the corrupting power of the gem took hold.

Kale rushed forward, his hand reaching out, but stopped short. His heart pounded in his chest, the remnants of the gem's touch still tingling painfully on his wrist. "Liliana!" he called out, helplessness washing over him.

Rika, gritting her teeth, staggered to her feet. "We need to get that thing off her," she growled, stepping forward, but even she hesitated. The aura surrounding Liliana was dangerous, the corrupting magic seeping into the air around them.

Liliana's eyes locked onto Kale's. They glowed bright red, then flickered, almost like a struggle was happening inside her. "I... can't... control it," she said, her voice straining as the gem fed its power into her. "It's too strong..."

The black veins wrapped around her like chains, their corruption fully entrenched. Yet within the suffocating darkness, faint traces of crimson glimmered, her blood magic pushing back against the gem's malevolent grip. Liliana's breathing was ragged, each breath a battle.

Kale, desperate, stepped forward again. "There has to be a way to stop this. Rika, we can't just—"

"Don't... come... closer!" Liliana said, her face contorting in pain as the gem pulsed brighter. "I... can... handle this..."

Her face tensed as the black veins twisted tighter around her, but then, slowly, the crimson glow of her own magic began to intensify. It pushed against the darkness, like a spark of light in the middle of a storm.

"She's fighting it," Rika muttered. "But for how long?"

The gem on Liliana's forehead pulsed, the dark and crimson energies battling for control. With each pulse, Liliana's head jerked, her face a mixture of agony and determination.

Kale watched in helpless terror. "Liliana..."

Liliana tensed, the black veins still pulsing across her face as the gem's corruption battled against her magic. The crimson glow flared, then dimmed, as the two forces seemed locked in a vicious struggle. For a moment, it appeared that the darkness would overwhelm her.

Suddenly, Liliana's eyes snapped open, glowing with an intense, blood-red light. She inhaled sharply, her breath steady and controlled. The black veins across her face retreated, shrinking back into the gem embedded in her forehead. Her skin was left unmarked, as flawless as the day they met, but her presence had shifted, carrying an aura that was undeniably changed.

She floated in place, breathing deeply as the tremors in her voice and form stilled. Her eyes still flickered with power, but there was no more pain. Only control.

Kale and Rika stared, uncertainty and shock etched on their faces.

Liliana's gaze shifted slowly toward them, her red eyes gleaming with something new. "So much power..." she whispered.

Kale took a tentative step closer. "Liliana... are you alright?"

Liliana turned fully to face him. "I'm fine. It hasn't consumed me, not yet. But the power... it's incredible."

Rika, took a cautious step forward. "We need to be careful, Lili. That gem, whatever it is, it's dangerous."

Liliana's lips curved into a faint, almost defiant smile. "Dangerous, yes. But I control it now."

As Liliana steadied herself, a familiar hum filled the air. Kale's eyes widened as a soft, shimmering light enveloped them, the unmistakable sign of leveling up. Energy surged through their bodies, lifting the weight of exhaustion from the battle, leaving them invigorated.

Kale looked at Rika, who grinned as the light around her flickered briefly. "Two levels," he said, glancing at Liliana. "That's..."

Rika chuckled, flexing her fingers. "Not for me. Only one this time, but you two really earned those two. Must be nice." She winked.

Kale exhaled, feeling the strength flood back into him. His earlier frustration and fear had been replaced by something more—confidence, determination. "We actually did it," he muttered in disbelief.

Even Liliana seemed to momentarily relax as the level-up boosted her energy.

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