It was just enough. Kori's was able to reposition and cast her spell right before it happened. With Oben's vitality linked to her own, he would be protected for some time. Unfortunately, he was right in the lizard's striking range. With zero hesitation, the lizard reared up and stared directly at him. Then, that horrible croak echoed in the room.

[i]Chhrrrrrrrrrrr.[/i]

Varanense was able to see it clearly. The lizard's gullet had crushed the earth inside of it. Then, every muscle in his neck tensed and convulsed. It wasn't any of their doing; no, the lizard was making its move. Its head quickly jerked towards Oben, maw open wide. From deep within the gullet came a blast of a thick mud. It felt unlike anything he had ever felt before. It wasn't like being splashed by a puddle. No, this was more like being struck by a giant's hammer. Oben had no other option than to accept being launched back into the hole covered in mud. His entire body was difficult to move. Were his ribs broken? Maybe. The adrenaline made it hard to actually feel the pain. At the very least, he knew that he could still walk and move his arms. The mud all over him, however, was different. It felt constricting, as though it was slowly drying up and forming cement.

Kori felt the pain too. Getting struck in one place was one thing, but being struck all over one's body was entirely different. Oh boy, it hurt. If there was any similar feeling, it would be a savage body slam. One could recover, but they were still going to feel it in an hour.

[i][color=7b9d93][b]"The natural order shan't be obeyed. Deform and mold to my will creating something anew rather than reborn. Disavow the endless reformation of time and create one final form: Gaia Spear!"[/b][/color][/i]

Penn had, meanwhile, been casting her magic. Offensive magic was always a useful feat; it often took much out of an adventurer, but its effects would often completely change the tempo of a fight. Formed from Penn's small, outstretched hands, fine particles of earth began to float and form a ball. Then, Penn snapped. Her pointer finger aimed directly at the beast's gullet. The center of the ball went first, causing a massive spear-like shape to form as it flew towards the beast. A direct hit, the spear cut into the lizard's skin. All though it was unable to pierce muscle, orbs of soft earth appeared between the layers of muscle and skin.

The lizard unleashed an unholy roar of pain as it ended its rearing. It slammed onto the ground, wheezing as it expelled the muddy goo from its mouth. For now, the adventurers would have an advantage.

During this time, Castor had made a mad dash around the beast. Taking cues from Varanense, he swung to take the monster's good eye. As the lizard attempted to catch its breath, Castor had thrust with all of his might; the eye was a much denser target than he had ever experienced. Schlrlrrrrk; the spear's tip entered the iris and then got stuck. The lizard, startled from losing a considerable amount of vision, quickly shook its head. Castor had to leap away, lest he be struck by his own spear shaft.

The lizard was unable to use its eyes and it had to recover. They would, most likely, be able to push in a few free attacks. Maybe, at least. They had no idea what this lizard was capable of.