Jake retched and vomited as Amari straightened his broken leg. The half elf's slender shoulders shook and his eyes watered, but he kept a loose grip on the dragon blade just the same. He clambered to his feet gingerly as the redhead finished her healing magic. The leg still hurt - by Haide's fires, it hurt - but he could move on it, to a certain extent. He stumbled up to the same plateau as Amari and the thin man, Shinsou, whose name had been shouted several times.

The warriors gained a temporary respite as the first wave of foes fled, but then the cause of the enemies' fear loomed out of the lake. The tentacled giant slashed the air and sent its shadow energy arcing outward. Jake found himself shoved to the floor, going over awkwardly on his ankle but still managing to tumble into a roll and find his feet. He swayed as he stood, digging the tip of the dragon blade into the ground to stave of a spell of dizziness. He could feel the scalding pincers of panic and shock scraping at his muscles for purchase.

"Breathe," Jake reminded himself aloud, lifting his sword into a low guard, "breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe..."

The ethereal head of a great mustachioed serpent appeared above Jake. Long, the dragon, opened her fanged maw and expelled wave upon wave of long, thin wooden spikes. They peppered the tentacle-giant's body, having absolutely no tangible impact on the monster. But the ability did not come without merit. Jake gazed up at the image of the dragon's head wide-eyed, watching it fade to nothingness. He'd felt a surge of energy from the sword when he spoke the word "Breathe."

Could it be that simple?

"Try talking to your swords!" He called weakly to the other warriors, still somewhat breathless from the shooting pain in his leg. "That sounds silly," he said, mostly to himself. He looked up as the sword-wielding tentacle-monster bore down on them. Several wooden spikes were superficially stuck in the beast's flesh.

I hope the others have some stronger powers, he thought. Chunks of wood would do little good against the oncoming menace. Lake slime dripped from the strange creature's many appendages, and it brought a rank smell with it. Jake had an inkling to set it (and the wooden stakes embedded in it) on fire, but he waited to see if the lightning mage might strike, knowing that the lingering moisture would make the beast more vulnerable. Instead he crouched with sword upraised, ready to attack or defend as the beast drew nearer.