The creature stood tall on long, powerful limbs, its body covered in a shaggy coat of white fur that glistened like ice under the sun. 

A series of jagged, crystalline shards protruded along its spine, shimmering menacingly as it moved.

 Its long, sharp nails dug into the ice as it approached, leaving deep gouges behind.

The monster’s jaw hung open slightly, drool dripping from its razor-sharp teeth, creating a chilling sound that echoed across the lake. 

It sniffed the air, its beady eyes locked onto us, calculating and predatory.

I felt my heart race as the creature’s gaze settled on me. 

“What the hell is that?” 

I whispered, my voice barely above a breath.

As the creature charged towards us, Evane's eyes lit up with excitement. 

“Look at that beast! It’s an Alti!” 

she exclaimed, practically bouncing on her feet.

I could see the thrill of battle igniting her spirit.

 She placed a hand on the hilt of her sheath, her expression fierce and ready for action. 

Nirva, ever the brooding presence, pulled out his massive sword, the blade glinting in the sunlight as he stepped forward. 

Ryu gripped his sickle, muscles tense and prepared for the fight, while I opened my rifle’s compartment, heart racing with adrenaline.

“Show me what you can do, Yvette Auclair!” 

Evane shouted, her voice laced with a mix of challenge and encouragement as she charged towards the Alti. 

Her sword retracted by a chain, separating into several pieces, each segment whirling around her like a cyclone as she moved.

“Cover me!” 

I called to Ryu, who nodded, positioning himself between me and the rampaging beast.

I swiftly loaded a shard into my rifle, feeling the familiar weight settle in my hands. 

The moment felt electric as I aimed for the Alti’s arm, steadying my breath before pulling the trigger. 

The shot rang out, and the shard flew true, piercing through the beast's tough hide. 

It let out a deafening roar, pain lacing its growl as it staggered back.

Evane seized the moment, her pieces of blade launching toward the Alti like a whip in the wind, slashing across its flank with precision.

 “Impressive!”

 she shouted, a grin spreading across her face. 

“I’m actually impressed!”

I felt a surge of pride as I watched her fight, my heart racing. 

Evane continued.

“A Marksman Mage with the ability to condense arcane flux into sharp points and fire them right back at her target? That’s amazing!”

“The rumors about you killing a Kaldrith were true!” 

Before I could respond, Nirva charged in with his massive sword, the blade gleaming in the cold air. 

With a powerful swing, he slashed clean through the Alti's arm, severing it with brutal efficiency. 

The beast roared in agony, staggering back and swiping at him with its remaining limb.

Nirva stood firm, barely flinching as the sharp claws came hurtling toward him, but before they could connect, Evane moved like a gust of wind. In an instant, she was in front of him, her sword snapping forward to block the attack. 

The clang of metal against claw echoed across the ice as she redirected the blow, her blade sinking into the Alti’s flesh with a deep gash.

The Alti roared again, thrashing wildly, but Evane was already retreating, her movements so quick it seemed like she disappeared and reappeared in the blink of an eye. 

She danced back with a smirk, her speed leaving the rest of us in awe.

But before we could press our advantage, a loud crack shattered the air. 

I froze, my eyes darting to the ground just in time to see the ice beneath the Alti splinter and give way. 

With a deafening roar, the beast was swallowed whole by something massive, vanishing beneath the surface in an instant.

A massive worm-like creature, its sheer size dwarfing the Alti, surged upward from the cracked ice. 

Its gigantic, gaping maw was lined with rows of jagged teeth, and its body seemed to stretch endlessly into the frozen depths.

Evane took a few steps back, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and excitement. 

Then, in typical fashion, she smirked even wider. 

“Well, I didn’t expect an uninvited guest.”

The creature's massive body loomed before us, revealing details that made my stomach churn. 

Its jaw split into four jagged sections, each lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth that curved inward, ready to shred anything unfortunate enough to fall into its maw. 

Blood from the Alti dripped from its crimson-stained mouth, painting a grisly contrast against the creature's white and blue skin. 

The sharp, bone-like spikes that protruded from its back gave it an even more menacing appearance, each spike jutting out like a spear ready to impale anything in its path.

Its eyes were pure white, devoid of emotion or life, reflecting only the icy wasteland around us.

 They glistened as it swung its head toward us, the freezing air turning its breath into visible clouds.

 Every inch of the beast screamed power, its massive body stretching endlessly into the frozen depths beneath the ice, making it look like it could swallow entire squads whole.

The ground quaked beneath us as the massive worm burrowed back into the ice, its form disappearing into the frozen depths. 

For a moment, there was an eerie silence, the only sound being the wind whipping across the lake.

 I held my breath, rifle raised, eyes scanning the ground for any sign of the creature.

Suddenly, the ice beneath Evane shattered. 

The worm erupted from the ground, jaws gaping wide, jagged teeth gleaming as it lunged straight for her. Time seemed to slow down. Its massive maw was about to close around her, and I felt a scream building in my throat.

"Evane!"

She leaped, her body soaring high into the air with a grace that seemed impossible in the face of such danger. 

The worm’s jaws snapped shut with a deafening crash, but she was already above it, just out of reach. 

For a second, I thought it had swallowed her whole—my heart stopped in my chest.

Then, a gleam of metal flashed through the air.

With a swift, fluid motion, Evane brought her sword down, slicing through the worm’s maw. 

The creature let out a deafening roar, its cry of pain shaking the ice beneath us. 

The wound she left was wide and deep, blood spilling from its torn mouth as it recoiled in agony.

She landed lightly on her feet, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction as the beast writhed in front of us, its roar echoing into the freezing sky.

“Ryu, follow me!”

I didn't wait for him to respond.

 My legs moved before I could think, the rush of adrenaline pushing me forward as the worm disappeared beneath the ice once more. 

Its enormous form shifted below us, cracking the frozen surface, creating an unpredictable maze of danger. 

But I couldn't focus on that. The plan was already clear in my mind.

The ice rumbled beneath us again—this time louder, fiercer.

"Move!"

 I shouted, and we both darted forward just as the beast exploded from the ground in a massive burst of ice and snow. 

Shards flew everywhere, gleaming in the light as the creature roared, its gaping maw still oozing blood from Evane’s earlier strike.

Before it could retreat again, I leapt. 

My boots landed on the rough, bone-like ridges of its back, and I dug my heels in, grabbing onto the spikes protruding from its spine. 

Ryu landed beside me in perfect sync. 

We started running, the jagged surface shifting beneath us as we raced toward the creature’s head.

The wind howled, and every breath felt like fire in my lungs, but there was no time to stop, no time to think. 

The worm bucked and twisted, trying to shake us off, but we held on, our feet slipping across the blood-slicked ice on its back.

I could see its head now—massive, terrifying, and thrashing as it roared in fury. 

This was it.

“Ryu!” 

I screamed over the chaos, my voice barely cutting through the storm. 

“Give me your sickle!”

Without hesitation, he tossed it to me, the metal glinting as it spun through the air. 

My fingers closed around the handle just in time.

With all my strength, I drove Ryu’s sickle into the worm’s head, right between its pale, sightless eyes. 

The blade sank deep, a satisfying crunch echoing through the beast's skull. 

It thrashed wildly, its death throes shaking the very ground beneath us, but I held on, pressing the weapon deeper, forcing the life from its monstrous body.

The worm let out one last, guttural roar before collapsing, its massive form crashing into the ice with a final, earth-shattering thud. 

The sound of the impact echoed across the frozen lake, and for a moment, everything was silent.

I stood atop the beast, chest heaving, covered in blood and ice.