The massive wyrm eyed the small group speculatively, marking the five it could see and recalled the two hiding behind the wall.  Having cleared the immediate area of further distractions, it was oblivious to the remnants of the patrols, some of who were crawling weakly under foot, desperately trying to get away.  More lives were snuffed out carelessly when it stepped forward and, very deliberately, destroyed the low wall hiding the final two.

           Kharin and Eunhyuk screamed in sheer terror as the massive talons sliced through the barrier in front of them, less than five feet away.  It dragged its claws back, tearing deep rivets in the ground before it reared its head back, preparing to strike.  The pair immediately in front of him scrambled madly to get out of the way, hands and feet sliding on the trampled snow that provided very little purchase.

           “Watch out!” Leeteuk warned, his voice cracking.  At the same time, Eunhyuk pointed an open hand at Kharin and pushed.  A blast of wind shoved her forcefully to the side while the resulting backlash rolled him awkwardly in the opposite direction, closer to the pool of water Siwon and Leeteuk had created only a few moments ago.  In the resulting space they had just occupied, the massive draconic head bit down, tearing up a large chunk of the ground and shattering it effortlessly, raining fragments down on them.

           Shards bounced harmlessly around both Kharin and Eunhyuk, the invisible barriers surrounding them seamlessly.  A lull settled upon the opposing forces briefly before the fight broke out anew.

           A terrible crashing sound rammed through the forest to the right where the long tail swept around swiftly, obliterating the trees in its path.  Leeteuk didn’t even pause to think.  He threw up a wall in front of them before grabbing both Summer and Eleanara by the arm and dragging them down as he created a shallow trench under them.  Desperately, he extended the self-made trench so that both Siwon and Kyuhyun tumbled into it as the tail slid over them harmlessly, terrible and unstoppable.  There was nothing he could do about the other two and he hated himself for it.

           Eunhyuk had time enough to react, spying the pool of water and deciding in an instant.  Swiftly, he raced for it, using the wind to throw himself at the pool, over a handful of weakly struggling patrolmen, before the tail could reach him.  The shock of the water took his breath away as he was completely submerged, the enclosure going dark as the tail swept across, smearing the unfortunate few men who were too slow to get out entirely or duck under.  The water turned red around him as he burst from the it, gasping and shivering instantly.  He couldn’t see what had happened to Kharin around the tail and he felt himself panic.  She was there by herself…

           Kharin had to move closer to the wyrm to avoid the tail and it followed her as she came to a stop before it.  Terrified, she lashed out, calling a rain of shadow needles that lanced along its serpentine body, mostly deflecting off the hardened scales.  Annoyed, it shook itself roughly, the motion sending the tail sliding back the way it had come.

           The other six ducked back into hiding, emerging as soon as the danger was past.  “Kharin!” Eunhyuk screamed, the first to react as he hauled himself from the water, his hands responding slowly.  The five in the trenches clambered out hurriedly, their hearts hammering in their chests and fear in their eyes.

           Nearly paralyzed by the ineffectiveness of her attack with the wyrm looming above her, she was cast in darkness by its shadow.  She screamed and cowered before it, overwhelmed by fear as the massive head struck down at her.  Her gaze was fixed on the shadows at her feet, seemingly entranced so that she did not see it.

           “NO!!!!” came the collective scream of denial as they wyrm took another bite out of the ground where Kharin had been.  There was no sign of the elementalist anywhere.

           “Kharin!” Eunhyuk cried again, a raw and primal sound.  In helpless rage, he roared, reaching with his power to do something…  A furious wind howled from behind him, taking with it the body of water he had taken refuge in.  Layer by layer of water peeled off as dangerously sharp fragments pelted past him and sprayed against the wyrm, coloring it red and embedding fragments of debris into its body.  The power of the wind froze his hair in place and his clothes to his body in turn, but Eunhyuk was oblivious, focused only on hurting the wyrm before him.

           It snarled in anger, its vision hazed over by the bloody water and debris lodged in the right eye.  The earth trembled as it clawed forward, fighting through the wind easily.  It had nearly reached the wind elementalist before a water enshrouded maul flipped end over end towards its head.  It had as much force as Siwon could muster behind it and it smashed perfectly into its left eye.  An ear-splitting howl pierced the air as the eye was shattered, fragments of pale blue ice carried away by the wind, glistening in the light.

           As it reeled back, a massive spire of earth rose beneath it, shattering against the tough belly but distracting him further.  The furious and half-blinded wyrm turned and snapped at the new attackers.  Kyuhyun was ready for it as he threw a massive fireball at it, catching it full in the mouth.  A garbled cry assaulted their ears as fangs and part of the elongated snout exploded in the attack.

           Spastically, it writhed, the tail whipping about fiercely and raking debris along with it.  A raised earth wall was shattered easily and it was only with the combined effort of Eleanara’s barrier and multiple walls that it was halted, banging agitatedly against the invisible barrier.  The force of the attack still managed to drive them back several steps, the light elementalist unable to keep the field stationary despite her best efforts.  “Focus on the head,” she yelled shrilly, aware that she could only buy them time back here.  Her strength was useless for taking this monster down.

           Kyuhyun renewed his attack on the creature, throwing more fireballs at it and taking out chunks of crystalline flesh from the body while Siwon added the power of his water to Eunhyuk’s wind, wearing away at the hardened body in the fury of the ice storm.  Leeteuk tried desperately to immobilize the creature, opening holes under the clawed feet and closing them again, only to watch in frustration as the wyrm tore the ground apart in freeing itself.

           Assaulted by feelings of uselessness and loss, Summer stood with anger and fear warring on her face.  She gasped when she noticed Eunhyuk’s peril as he was now fully covered in ice, the clothes he wore and his hair frozen solid.  He didn’t even look as if he noticed it…  “Eunhyuk!” she cried, reaching to quell the power.

           He seemed surprised and exhausted as the power stopped responding to his demands.  Unable to stop himself, his knees buckled and he fell forward, confused and broken.  His power had not been enough and all that was left was the cold.  In a haze, he watched the fire explode against the creature and steam rose up in its wake, billowing clouds wreathing it in mist.

           It was only when she had managed to calm the fury of his wind power that she realized something else…the power of wind was still active in the wyrm.  Carefully, she stared at it, ignoring the sound of its tail behind her and the maddened thrashing in front as it clawed for the elementalists that still harassed it.  Finally, the pieces came together in her mind.  “It’s a construct!” she cried suddenly, almost delirious with exhilaration.  The others seemed oblivious to her meaning but she had the power to unmake constructs.  Intensely, she reached for the fibers of power that made up the creature and she pulled.  Nothing happened at first as it was like pulling against a mountain, but at last, the outermost layer shimmered briefly, seeming to lose the cohesiveness it had held up until now.

           A stone spear broke through the belly and then shattered as it solidified again, the tip lodged in the body.  Kyuhyun’s fire blew off larger chunks, wearing away at the massive structure and, emboldened by his success, moved forward angrily, calling a more sustained fire in front of him.  As Eunhyuk had, he had lost all feeling and though the fire grew and ate away at the wyrm even more, causing the form to waver as it started to lose its solidity, it drove his companions back as well.  A heat flush afflicted him swiftly as steam began to rise from his coat before it began to discolor as the intense heat began to overpower him too.

           “Kyu!” Siwon and Leeteuk cried, unable to get close as the other man screamed in blind pain.

           Summer blinked and shifted her attention to the conflagration he had called.  It was massively beyond his control now and she immediately relinquished her unweaving to quench the fire.  She sagged at the effort it took, breathing hard as the fire extinguished, the cold more intense for its being gone.  In horror, she watched Kyuhyun slump backwards, seemingly unconscious and badly burned, his face covered in blisters.  Unable to rush to his side, she focused her gaze on the wyrm again and threw herself against the threads that held it together, tearing at it furiously.

           The wyrm began to lose strength faster now, but it continued to flail, claws digging ineffectively in the ground and the tail pounded against the shield Eleanara maintained.  She was hunched over with the effort needed to keep it up.  Leeteuk tried to renew his assault but the earth only rose up halfway to the massive body and stopped before he gasped and collapsed.  He had reached his limit…

           Siwon continued to wear at it, throwing wave after wave at its head, keeping it unfocused and disoriented.  He could tell they were running out of time and none of them still standing had strength enough to finish the creature.  Summer was trying but it was such a large construct…  He hurled another wave at it defiantly and had to pause to take a breath.  When he did, a fierce battle cry echoed over the decimated ground and three shadow blades flew at it in quick succession, slicing through the wavering flesh.  One severed the left forelimb and the body crashed to the ground heavily, making those still standing stumble.  The other two blades sliced through its neck and chest.

           “Die!” Kharin snarled, throwing more shadow blades at it.  From the other side of Leeteuk on the side of the path that was still untouched, she hurried from a copse of trees that were still standing serenely, their center shrouded in shadow.  Another volley tore through the neck and chest again and with one final, wrenching effort, the creatures roar was abruptly ended as the neck was severed.  As the frozen head fell forward, the power that held the construct together dispersed and it turned to snow in the blink of an eye, drifting away in the wind as if it had never been.

           Kharin fell to her hands and knees, exhausted and confused.  Silent tears wet her cheeks as the survivors looked around dazedly, as confused by her reappearance as she was.

           From where he lay on the ground, Eunhyuk felt tears fill his eyes and trail down his cheeks.  Relief and joy were the only things he could muster as he looked at the shadow elementalist, frozen eyelashes blinking slowly.  “Kharin,” he croaked, a smile coming to his face, though he was too cold to shiver and too weak to push himself up.

           Siwon shuffled over to Eleanara and picked her up under the arms.  She looked at him, briefly confused before he prompted her to move towards the unconscious Kyuhyun.  Summer was hovering next to him in a state of near panic as she held his hand tenderly.  “Help him,” she pleaded, thoroughly unnerved by the sight of the badly burned man.

           The broken cry pulled at Eleanara’s heart so that she had to take a deep a breath as she knelt next to his still body.  She could see for herself that the heat had burned him very badly indeed and the exposed skin was an angry red color and much inflamed with blisters, so much so that she couldn’t have opened his eyes if she wanted to.  His winter coat had been charred, the outer layer now a dingy black coloration.  She set her jaw determinedly and placed her hand ever so lightly on top of his chest, trying to feel what needed attention first.

           While she was taking care of that, Siwon was taking further stock of the situation as the most able person still standing.  Kharin was struggling to stand and make her way slowly towards them; Eunhyuk was seemingly frozen in place and Leeteuk was crumpled nearby.  Quickly, he roused Leeteuk who was drained and lethargic, but otherwise unharmed, and then gestured at the packs.  The waking man nodded dazedly and headed to find the nearest one he could.  As quickly as was possible, Siwon bypassed him to find another pack and tore the sleeping roll from it.  With single-minded determination, he made his way over to Eunhyuk, rolled him into the sleeping roll and then awkwardly picked him up, holding him close and clenching his jaw against how cold he was even through the fabric.  Carefully, he made his way back to the others with a glance back to see that Kharin was almost here.

           Leeteuk stumbled over with another sleeping roll and laid it out so Siwon could lay the other man down.  With the earth elementalist to watch over him, he returned to help Kharin, taking her arm and pulling it over his shoulder.  “Glad you made it,” he spoke quietly, the words forced as he was going on the dredges of his reserves now.

           “Me too,” she answered honestly, her voice low and tired.

           Questions ran rampant through their minds but there was no time for that right now.  The immediate danger was passed but both Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun had been badly injured and required immediate attention.  Her hand still resting gently on his chest, Eleanara whispered hoarsely, “I have stabilized him, but if I do any more I’ll be useless.”  They all knew what that meant and nodded to themselves as her face remained strangely impassive.

           Leeteuk glanced over to see that Kyuhyun still looked bad off but the worst of the damage had been taken care of.  “If you say he’s stable, hold off for now,” he decided, weary.

           She looked uncertainly at Kyuhyun and then Summer who was still watching over him in concern.  It was hard, but she forced herself to step away and pushed herself to her feet shakily.  There was a pack nearby and she went to it to retrieve the waterskin before she returned to Summer.  “Here.   See if you can get him to drink some,” she offered, knowing dehydration would be his greatest enemy now.

           Summer accepted it uncertainly and nodded.  Carefully, she tried to position him so she could pour some past his still blistered lips.  Fortunately, he came around enough to manage that, though it was obvious he was still in considerable pain.

           Eleanara turned to check on Eunhyuk who had Leeteuk and Kharin by his side, chaffing numb arms and trying to return heat to his body.  What they would have given for one of Kyuhyun’s fires just then.  Eleanara enlisted Siwon to have him help her retrieve the rest of their sleeping rolls, the waterproof blankets and most notably a dry pair of clothes for Eunhyuk.  Belatedly, she smacked her head and sighed before she looked back at the trio and set up a null-cold barrier around Eunhyuk.  She could hear his teeth chattering from here, but that was a better sign than when he hadn’t been.  Hurriedly, she found Eunhyuk’s pack and found the extra pair of clothes they had been given.  When she stood up again, it was hard to look at both the injured men and she covered her face for just a second.

           Siwon touched Eleanara’s shoulder when she covered her eyes tiredly with her hand.  It looked as if she was wiping away tears and he pulled her into a light embrace.  “You’re doing good,” he assured her, handing her two more sleeping rolls and then hefting the waterproofed blankets up on his other shoulder.

           She nodded quickly and then looked up at him, slightly uncomfortable.  “You’ve got to get him out of those wet clothes.”

           “Of course,” he agreed, the ghost of a mischievous smile on his face.

           Siwon went to recruit Leeteuk’s help with that and Kharin held up one of the waterproofed blankets for privacy while Eleanara made her way back to Kyuhyun.  Awkwardly, she opened the one and laid it over the semi-conscious Kyuhyun who regarded her with pain filled eyes.  The other she wrapped around Summer’s shoulders, pressing her hand against her shoulder comfortingly as she did so.  The neutralizer was using her lap as a pillow for the fire elementalist and he seemed slightly more comfortable for it.

           When they gave her the all clear, Kharin lowered the blanket and Eunhyuk managed to give her just the slightest smile.  Siwon was placing one of the dry sleeping rolls around him and when he seemed steady enough, Kharin stepped forward and wrapped the waterproofed blanket around him too, holding him firmly and wishing she could stop him from shivering.  Leeteuk and Siwon nodded at each other and spread out the other blanket.

           “Come on,” Siwon gestured, moving the pair to the blanket and getting another sleeping roll ready.  “You’re not going to warm up fast enough that way.”  Kharin and Siwon assisted Eunhyuk to the large blanket and then flanked him on either side.  Leeteuk laid the other blanket over them and sat on the edge, unsure what to do now.  There was nothing more he could do to help either of them…

           Kharin had to bite her lip to keep from crying.  He was shivering so hard so she tried to distract herself.  “What made you think swimming was a good idea?”

           “It l-l-looked l-l-like it mi-might be f-f-fun,” he chattered, managing a smile for her.

           She was glad that he was able to attempt levity and pulled him closer, chaffing his arm methodically.  It was probably a good thing he couldn’t focus on much of anything else as he would likely have been horrified to learn that his hair was considerably more red than normal…

           Like an island, Eleanara stood between the two groups, aware that they were there, but since they had things as under control as they were going to get, given the circumstances, she was stunned by the devastation around them.  Nothing of the original path remained.  What littered it now was a morbid mix of displaced earth, debris and the littered bodies of the patrol that had to have been looking for them.  In light of everything, she just felt empty…

           In a daze, she turned back around and went to a pack nearby, she didn’t know whose it was, snagged the waterskin and grabbed a handful of rations, at least one for each of them.  She gave the waterskin to Leeteuk and he accepted it gratefully, before she set four rations down at his side.  It took her a second to recall what else she was doing before she headed over to hand two more to Summer and then finally let herself collapse next to Leeteuk.

           Leeteuk watched her with some concern.  She was still ambulatory which was saying something, and she had taken all the injuries quite well, but he wasn’t sure she wasn’t going into some sort of shock.  Not that he could blame her, or any of them for that matter, as a glance around showed mostly expressionless faces overall.  He took a sip of water and handed the skin to Eleanara.  To her credit, she reacted well to that and he smiled when she began eating.  Whatever Kharin had told her must have stuck since he wasn’t the slightest bit hungry and he doubted she was either.

           In the aftermath of the battle, the day didn’t seem quite so bright and cheerful anymore, though the sun still shone brightly.  It did not take long for all remnants of the battle high to wear off and true exhaustion to set in.  One by one, they drifted to sleep.  It didn’t matter that it was the middle of the day or that there was carnage all around them.  It didn’t matter that some of them were still sitting up or that the one had finally stopped shivering.  Sleep claimed them, leaving them utterly helpless.  When a small party found them unconscious in the middle of the decimated area, they were completely unaware of anything at all.