Dark and wet, the slurping of a warbling tongue and the pain as teeth pierced the sides of his helmet. The gnoll crunched down, but it was fouled by the helmet around Lance’s head. Yet, every second, the metal compressed as the massively powerful jaws closed down.

A brief struggle showed that Lance could not break free, not from the grip holding him aloft by his arms. He could not free his arms, could not reach the monster’s torso. And all he had was some useless Conjure Object upgrades…

Inspiration struck and Lance formed the object in his mind. Not something solid – Mana Objects had a tendency to break if formed too solid and disperse into its component parts. No, he had a better idea. Not a weapon either, because he had not much experience with them other than bows. And an arrow was useless without some kinetic energy to them.

But he could see, just briefly as he thrashed and the monster attempted to bite him, its body, its throat outlined in Mana Vision, the back of the creature’s throat. And there was one thing he was quite familiar with was sponges. Everyone in the world and him twice on Sundays was familiar with your everyday sponge.

Fluffy, yellow and green and prone to compressing and flexing. Able to squeeze down tight areas and fill up all the space. When formed and stuffed deep into a gnoll’s throat, well, it had predictable affects. First, the monster hacked and coughed, then it opened its mouth and tossed Lance free, as it tried to grab at the offending object in its throat.

Clambering to his feet, his vision only just about coming back to normal, Lance formed another Mana Object. This time, he had an arrow in hand, which was more than good enough for him to plunge into the monster’s exposed throat.

One attack. Then he stepped back, booting the monster away as he searched for his bow.

Only to be struck by a massive clawed hand, one that picked him up and tossed him aside into the trees, to bounce off trunks and break tree limbs as he spun through the air.

The Boss had made it.

And no one was in the way between it and the backline.

***

Yanesh threw a Lightning Bolt that burnt the air and fried hair and muscles. Instead of slowing down though, the Boss just muscled its way through the attack. Keeley, realizing the danger a moment later brought her hand upwards, casting Entangling Roots only for the Boss to leap forwards, dodging the grasping vegetation.

Claws leading the way, the creature plunged extended fingers at Sarah, only to find purchase in Yanesh. The man threw himself backwards, bumping the girl out of the way and taking the claws in his own body. Blood splashed as muscle and tendons tore, even as another hand swung, opening up chest and sides.

Crying in agony, Yanesh fell to the ground, his own forming spell disappearing. Keeley, stumbling to the side turned, her sole direct attack – Fire Bolt – splashing across the Boss’s side, burning skin and fur. One eye, caught in the blast, squinted shut, distracting the monster for a precious second.

Lance struggled to his feet, seeing the damage done, the breakthrough in his group. The Boss roared its anger as it wiped at its face, raising a foot as Yanesh struggled upwards and crushing the healer down. He choked and coughed, as rib bones crushed.

Whispered words, from the shadows. “Sorry about this!”

Then Matt was gone, slipping into the shadows. He appeared, moments later, in the Boss’s own shadow, making use of the shadow gnoll’s own ability. No bow in hand, instead he wielded a pair of barbed arrows that he plunged into the creature’s back.

A howl of anger and pain rose from the Boss as it arced its back. Displaying an unnerving amount of flexibility, it reached behind its back to snag Matt and tear him free, the archer losing grip of one of his arrows but pulling the second, deployed barbed arrow from the Boss’s back.

Blood fountained, but a second later, Matt arced through the air as he was tossed aside.

Not that Lance had much time to pay attention to all that, for the reason for his friend’s apology arrived soon after.

A pair of shadow gnolls, bursting from the darkness around Lance. He caught the first as its claw emerged, reaching for him, Mana Vision giving him advanced warning as the monsters shifted through a secondary space to emerge.

The claw was lopped off, a second Explosive Arrow in his hand from his quiver went upwards towards the second gnoll’s lunging body. Too slow, for the monster batted it aside, the exploding arrowhead never in contact to work.

Not that, seeing which arrow he grabbed, Lance particularly wanted it exploding. Small as the shrapnel was, it was still painful. And having an explosive go off right beside his hand was, just, yeah. No.

Distracting thoughts, as he was struck in the side. Armour and adaptive bones saved him from being injured badly, but the strength the monsters evidenced was enough to send him spinning and bouncing off a nearby tree.

Backing off, Lance took the brief gift of distance to lob the arrow at the ground between them. The explosive tore up the ground, sending shards of metal and dirt into the sky, pelting and annoying the pair of gnolls. No lucky break, no injury that did more than annoy and disturb them.

But enough time for Lance to form the Mana Object in hand and string the pair of arrows to the formed bow. He had to drop the shortsword, but that was fine. Half-draw and fire, the pair of arrows quickly becoming a half dozen as the Splitting Arrows tore through the air.

Wounds, not deep, but numerous appeared on the shadow gnolls. One dodged to the side, leaving the line of fire with an arrow embedded in a calf. The other took three arrows ints its body, alive but injured.

Backing off, Lance drew and fired, an Explosive Arrow finishing off the injured gnoll. When he searched for the shadow gnoll, it had disappeared. Even his Mana Vision could not pick the creature out, forcing Lance to hobble quickly towards his team, fearing that it had rejoined the main fight.

Clearing the pair of trees, Lance spotted the fight between his team and the Boss, only to shudder as the strength of the Boss of this incursion was fully on display.

And in the distance, howls as more gnolls arrived as the cries of the Boss drew them in.