The vine-like tongue tensed reflexively around Ghent’s wrist as the boy tried to reach for his weapon. A satisfied clicking sound akin to pebbles tapping against each other rumbled from the rock beast as it flew through the air. But its success was short lived.
	The rare sensation of magic rippled through the air as it reacted to Ghent's panic. In the instant before the creature collided with the boy, a translucent blueish-gold shield spread from the his outstretched hand. 
	The monster's Mastiff-sized body collided head-first with the shield with the crunch and rumble of a miniature landslide. Dust and rocks puffed into the air. The creature’s tongues tore from Ghent, flailing about for a surprised moment before retracting back to the beast's mouth.
	The creature slid from the magic shield and pulled back. What bits of earth and stone it had lost followed after it, sucking back into its body. Slivers of crepuscular light glowed through its now deformed shoulders as if a dying sun lurked at its core. Its lost pieces quickly returned to their places, hiding the glow.
	Quickly regaining its composure, with a grating snarl, the beast crouched down to dance around Ghent, its tongues moving quicker than the rest of it. They lashed out at his feet, trying to shepherd the boy away from the stream and his weapon. It eyed him with a mild intelligence, watching for further tricks.
	Not far from him, Elayra jumped into a somersault from the path of her own stony assailant.
	The monster skid to a heavy halt where she had stood. Its stubby toes dug into the ground, leaving trenches in the soft, damp earth in its wake. 
	She landed on her feet as the monster barked out its frustration at missing. It whirled back around to face her, its crystalline teeth bared.
	She took a few quick steps backward, the monster’s tongues unfurling from its mouth. It hunkered down, readying itself for another lunge as she swiftly drew her dagger from her boot.
	Elayra took a few more backward steps further from the stream. 
	The creature raced toward her. This time, Elayra met it head on. She ran toward it, using what bit of space she’d put between them to gather speed.
	The beast leapt. She abandoned her sword and dropped to the ground. Using the damp, muddy earth to her advantage, she slid beneath the creature’s rocky underside. Heat radiated from its body, brushing over her as she thrust her dagger upward, both hands on its hilt.
	The metal scraped against its underside before it found one of the cracks of dirt between mossy stones. It sunk into it near its hind leg. With a mix of her momentum and strength, she tore it through the creature. She nearly lost her hold on the dagger, but managed to keep the weapon.
	The beast howled. Its partially torn hind leg gave way as it landed. It lurched toward the ground as the stones broke off from it. Away from its main body, they crumbled into a formless pile beside the off-balanced creature.