A thunderous boom quaked Brutus' body; the eruption of the ground under him shook his resolve, and a rain of sparks gave him clarity.
He squeezed the sword in his hands, sucked in as much air as he could, and thundered forward — toward a towering, magnificent snake whose pitch black scales swallowed all light, and whose deep amber eyes seemed to pry open one's soul.
He felt his entire body rejecting its gaze and screamed to get away. To hide. To live.
But Brutus dug one foot after another into the dried, hard clay, eyes fixed on the horrid creature.
At Brutus' periphery, he saw a massive tail coiling, ready to decimate any foe it hits, but Brutus reacted.
Its muscles bunched beneath its scales like coiled cables ready to snap, and once the cables did, the tail whipped at blinding speed toward the puny human. If Brutus had reacted any later, he would've turned to red mist, but at the last second, he slid flat to the ground, feeling the wind tear as the tail cracked past him.
'Being hit by that would... not be good'
He pushed himself up and continued to plough toward the Basilisk.
And shortly after, he was at the foot of a pitch-black mountain— no, his enemy. As he swung his sword, he felt it bounce off an almost metallic surface, sprinkling sparks on the ground.
'Hmph, really thought that would work'
"Did you really think that would work?" The Warden's voice cut dryly somewhere behind him.
"Of course I didn't," Brutus pushed out.
"Then leave the fighting to me, kid," The Warden dismissed.
Just then, the black mountain stirred, and a split second later, a pair of gargantuan ivory fangs descended onto the two. Brutus instinctively rolled out of the way, while the Warden lightly deflected the fangs' trajectory.
"You find me the weakness," The warden directed.
Back on the ground, Brutus nodded slightly.
The serpent and Warden exchanged thunderous blows that echoed through the dunes.
'Just need to find the weakness, ' Brutus repeated.
Jumping back to his feet, Brutus backed away from the beast and looked closely at the fight between the two monsters. His eyes shifted over every detail.
Its scales, its eyes, its fangs, tongue, everything.
"So?" Alicia urged, "Find anything?"
Brutus's eyes darted, frustration tightening his jaw. "This won't do." He clicked his tongue. "I need to get closer."
Alicia looked toward the calamitous clash. She swallowed hard and nodded. "Fine..." She said, gripping her blade. "I'll clear a path."
Darting forward, Alicia and Brutus engaged the Basilisk. The sudden movement bringing its attention. Its tail folded once more and released itself toward the two. Alicia stepped forward and wedged her blade between her body and the scaly mass.
She anchored her legs into the dry ground, fracturing and digging into it; the impact blasted her backwards, skidding across fractured stone. She slammed her blade into the ground to stop herself, coughing, breathing heavily, but alive.
"Im... Fine!" She shouted hoarsely. "Go!"
Brutus tensed his jaw as he saw Alicia being pushed back so easily.
Taking advantage of the opening made by Alicia, Brutus dashed toward the black mound, once more.
He scanned every inch of its scaly body.
"dammit, where is it?!" He spat.
The ground shook again as the Warden collided with the basilisk, blade carving a beautiful radiance of embers across its scales.
And for a split second, Brutus saw something different, something on top of the snake's skull. He wasn't able to discern concretely what was different, but he was sure, 'it's there...'
He darted to steal a glance at Alicia. Her feet lightly dancing on the ground, avoiding the devastating strikes of the Basilisk's tail, and striking back with her sword to remind it of her danger.
"Move!" She Roared.
He did. Closer now. Close enough to smell it—rust, venom and sun-baked stone. The ground shook as the clash continued.
The Basilisk's head snapped toward the sound of Brutus's steps crunching on the dry clay. Its jaws cracked open with a hiss that split the air.
But a smash followed by a rain of sparks diverted its attention.
Brutus exhaled. "Okay. let's do this"
Pushing his legs even though they begged otherwise, Brutus leapt onto the Basilisk's back.
Alicia drove her sword into its scales, drawing attention away from the climbing human.
His feet failed to grip onto its slick scales, almost losing his footing. Sharp movements and heavy impacts nearly sent Brutus flying off its wide back.
But one reluctant step after another, Brutus scaled the black mountain.
Each sharp turn taken by the Basilisk, each blow received from the Warden, was felt by Brutus.
But he kept climbing, hand over hand, until the Basilisk's broad head finally came to view.
Feeling the relief of almost reaching the summit, Brutus climbed faster than he had before, and, between purchases, a monstrous blow shook through its body, finally shaking Brutus loose from the serpent's body.
'dammit...!'
With time quickly running out, Brutus' keen eyes caught a momentary gap in the snake's scales. Clenching his jaw and tightening his grip, Brutus plunged his sword deep into the dense flesh of the Basilisk.
The snake flinched, and its head slowly swivelled around to stare its amber eyes straight into his soul, as if reading his exact thoughts.
Its jaw hinged open and whipped toward the helplessly hanging Brutus, but he tensed all of his abdominal muscles and somersaulted onto its back once more. Leaving his sword behind in the scales.
He wasted no time thinking, as a mere second meant he would be melted by dire poison. Each step leapt over countless scales.
He felt the Basilisk stir once again. He knew this was his only chance.
The snake, sensing urgency, began thrashing senslessly. Each time it whipped its body around, Brutus was nearly sent flying, but sheer determination anchored him to it like a parasite.
Still feeling the leech stuck onto its scales, the Basilisk tilted its head, and for a moment, it did nothing.
But then its lower neck swelled, tightening, distending with venom.
And Warden's blade began to hum.
Brutus' eyes went wide. 'venom...'
And just as Brutus thought, he would end up a melted pile of flesh. He noticed a faint blue pulse flickering at the edge of his vision, then it flared, brightening fast.
Darting his head in its direction, he saw the Warden in the lai stance, as if compressed like a spring, with his blade emitting a glowing blue hue. The glow continued to increase in brightness, and just when it seemed it couldn't get any brighter.
The Warden released the tension in his body and swung his sword, too far to slice the Basilisk, but the snake seemed to be slashed anyway, by a beautiful wave of blue light.
The slash of light zipped to the neck of the serpent and carved a deep gash into its venom sacks.
Seeing his opening, Brutus sprinted.
His head whipped to where Alicia was standing.
"Alicia!" He roared, hand thrust in the air. "Sword!"
She didn't question. Didn't look. She just spun and sent her sword flying in a silver arc.
Brutus met it exactly where she aimed as if they'd practised it a hundred times.
Almost at the snakes nape, he looked and saw it almost back to its senses.
Brutus scoured for the outcast scale; he swept his eyes left and right, and then he found it.
A scale slightly lighter in colour, thinner too.
The Basilisk had fully regained its senses.
But it was too late.
Brutus planted his feet, roared through gritted teeth, and drove Alicia's sword down with all his might.
Straight through the scale.
And into the skull of the Basilisk.