Robbi lay sprawled on top of Gladiverserac's back slowly recovering her senses after the violent crash into the harbor. She found herself covered in the noxious green phlegm which Xenophus had spit on them. She tried to sit upright, but the straps securing her to Gladis' back remained tight and she struggled to undo them.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she felt Gladis breathing beneath her. This relief was short-lived as the small wizard looked upward to see the leering head of the Ürgod, mouth dripping and agape, slowly descending toward her.

A great sadness engulfed Robbi, not so much for her own fate, but for that of the brave albatross who was just now waking and for the fate of the world upon which Xenophus had been loosed. She steeled her nerve and stared the horrid monster square in the eye as it came ever closer.

It paused when it was a mere ten feet above her, taunting the wizard with an evil toothy grin. This infuriated Robbi, who, now loosed from her restraints, stood up on Gladiverserac's back and shook her clenched paw up at the monster's face and shouted.
"Do it then, you horror! I'm not afraid of you, you will not beat this world....never!"

Xenophus reared up slightly, preparing to strike. Robbi fought against her instincts and kept her eyes open and her chin thrust defiantly forward. The Ürgod began its strike. It did not finish it. Halfway to swallowing the two brave creatures, it was struck from the side with the full force of the attacking Asherouboros.

Robbi stared slack-jawed as the churning mass of the two gargantuan beasts submerged beneath the water to her right. As she watched, Gladis regained her senses and craned her neck around to look at Robbi who still stood on her back.

"Alive, it seems we still are," the albatross said weakly.

Robbi hopped off the big bird's back into the water to remove the monster-spit from her fur and swam around to face her friend.
"It does look that way. I'm not sure what happened. Are you all right, Gladis, that was quite a crash."

The albatross flexed her wings and moved her head from side to side before answering.
"All my parts doth function, though quite sore they seem to be. No damage seems to have befallen me," Gladiverserac turned her head quickly at a splashing noise to her rear. "What is that?" she asked urgently.

Before Robbi could investigate, a familiar voice called out.
"Ahoy there! Ith everyone thafe?"

A large smile spread across the wizard's face at seeing Thoris, Chumley, Winky and Groggs quickly approaching in their re-righted boat.

"We're fine guys. I'm really glad to see you, but a little angry that you didn't head for the beach."

Chumley chuckled.
"Yeah, life's confusin', ain't it? We ain't the brightest candles on the old altar, are we?" He reached over the side to help Robbi in, "Come on then Luv, up ya come."

Robbi climbed into the small vessel and gave each of her friends a hug. She addressed Chumley.
"Was that Ashy? It sure didn't look like him from what I could see."

"Ya noticed that, did ya? Yeah, ah'm pretty sure that's our little friend. 'E seems ta be about twice as big as 'e was and kinda shiny now."

Winky perked up.
"He's got arms and legs now too...big ones...and his head looks different."

"That potion you gave him theemth to have had quite an effect." Thoris stated flatly.

"He sure does hate that Ürgod thing." Groggs noted.

"That 'e does, that 'e does. Ah'm still worried about 'im though," Chumley added, "even with 'is added size, 'e's still only about a quarter of the size of that monster, ain't 'e?"

Thoris interrupted.
"Let'th get ourthelveth to the shore. I think it would be a good idea for uth not to get eaten."

"Sense that would make." Gladis agreed as she began paddling toward the beach, closely followed by the skiff as the waters around them churned and frothed from the epic battle transpiring within the depths of the harbor.

Robbi looked back over her shoulder and watched the turmoil. Every few minutes a gigantic body-part, a tail, torso or the top of a head, broke the surface briefly before slamming again into the sea.

Large waves radiated from the unseen battleground and pushed the craft roughly to the beach where Wilbur greeted them with Ursamus at his side. The Scratchbacks quickly joined the crowd and together they pulled the craft onto the sand and escorted its occupants and Gladis to the sandbar, where everyone seated themselves to watch the clash of the titans transpiring in the roiling deep before them.

The submerged confrontation moved all about the harbor in a violent series of  thrashing encounters involving tails, heads, and appendages bursting through the water's surface in contorted clashes punctuated by flailing claws and snapping teeth.

Each violent battle ended with the ensnared beasts once more sinking beneath the ever larger waves radiating from the point of conflict.

On the beach, the gathering watched in tense silence. It was apparent, even from the brief sightings, that Xenophus was far larger than the Asherouboros, nearly three hundred feet longer and three times its width. A geyser of water shot high into the air as the two creatures once more broke the surface.

The Asherouboros had managed to lock its powerful new arms and legs around the upper segments of the Ürgod and clung tightly to its back, out of reach of the monster's shorter legs and dangerous teeth. Xenophus swung its head angrily from side to side in an attempt to dislodge its determined enemy, slamming him harshly into the water again and again to no avail until disappearing beneath the harbor once more.

The next time the two creatures appeared, they were deeper into the harbor and closer to the waterfall and cliffs beneath Deev Castle. The Asherouboros had managed to work its way a little higher up the Ürgod's body, now only two body segments from its head.

A rock promontory which jutted out from the cliff-face into the harbor suddenly shuddered as it was struck beneath the surface by the two dueling monsters. The Ürgod breached the surface with the Asherouboros still doggedly clinging to its back. Ashy had managed to work himself further up his adversary's torso and was now nearly level with the monsters head, biting down at its skull from the rear.

Xenophus became infuriated and began to relentlessly pound his head backward onto the stone face of the promontory in an effort to crush his raging nemesis into submission.

Chumley turned to Robbi and addressed her with sadness in his voice.
"Ah don't think Ashy's got much of a chance. 'E's too small, ain't 'e? That monster's tossin' our boy around like a doll. 'E's puttin' up the fight, mind ya, but ah'm afraid that ain't gonna be enough."

Robbi took Her friend's paw into hers and smiled gently into his eyes.
"I've underestimated Ashy almost every step of this journey. I've had doubts about everything, but I trusted Arisha and she's never let me down...and so far Ashy hasn't let us down either. Don't give up hope." She pointed toward the spit of land where all the action was taking place, "Look at your boy out there. Look at the fight he's putting up! He's holding on to that monster with absolute determination, he won't quit...no matter what and we shouldn't either...we owe Ashy our faith, he's putting his life on the line for all of us."

Chumley squeezed the small wizards paw.
"Ah know, ah know," he smiled and chuckled, "quite a scrapper, ain't 'e? It's just to bad that 'e can't seem ta bite through that Ürgod body. 'E's up around it's 'ead, ain't 'e? Seems 'ard enough to get past those thick ole scales let alone bite through 'is skull," the black rat shook his head, " but that's where 'e's spendin' 'is time tryin' ta bite...meanwhile that Xenophus fella's poundin' poor Ashy ta death on that rock."

Robbi thought for a second.
"I might be able to help with that. The Ürgod is immune to magic, but I can at least cushion that rock he's beating Ashy into. It might give your pal a chance to organize himself."

"Well do it then mah friend! Whatever we can do," Chumley encouraged her.

Without further ado, Robbi began chanting and moving her paws. A soft translucent mass formed behind the two struggling creatures on the stone promontory. Rather than the severe pounding the Asherouboros had been receiving with each backward lash of the Ürgod's body, it was now a soft yet powerful squish, as though the beast were being thrust into a giant gelatinous mound.

Without the continuous violent beating, the Asherouboros recovered considerably and began to maneuver it's form even further up Xenophus' body until its head was level with that of the larger monster.

When it had fully worked itself to the top of the Ürgod's head, the Asherouboros latched its arms to either side of the monsters skull, grasping it below the creatures dead and soulless eyes. Ashy extended his jaw as far as he could and bit down on the bony head with all his considerable power, but was unable to penetrate the thick bone protecting the behemoth's brain.

The Ürgod redoubled its effort to crush his foe against the rock, lashing violently backward. The magical cushion protected the Asherouboros from any direct impact with the stone, dispersing the force of the backward thrust into the soft thick enchanted shield.

Robbi was continuing her incantation when suddenly a powerful thought invaded her mind.
"Cease!" it seemed to say loudly into her brain. "You must cease!" it chimed again and again. Who...what was pleading to her? Was it the evil Xenophus urging her to let it kill her champion, or was it the Asherouboros begging her to end her spell for some unknown reason.

"Cease!" it called again within the deep recesses of her being. She made up her mind and stopped her incantation.

Chumley turned to her desperately.
"What are you doin' Robbi?" he asked urgently,

"Ashy'll be killed without the shield!"

"A voice in my head told me to stop." She said weakly.

"That musta been the monster!" Chumley said, pleading with the small wizard, " 'E wants ta finish Ashy off! Put the shield back...please!"

Robbi took Chumley's paws in hers and looked him in the eyes.
"I'm sure it was Ashy, I can't believe that that evil monster could enter my mind. I don't know why he wanted me to remove the shield, but it was Ashy that wanted it ...I'm sure."

"Ah hope you're right luv," Chumley said nervously, "but ah trust ya, don't ah?"

As they watched, they could tell the cushion was gone. Small stones flew off the promontory as Ashy was slammed against it.

Sensing that victory was near, a gruesome grin spread across the monster's features. It extended it's body forward as far as it could in preparation for a powerful whip backward to slam the Asherouboros into the stone ledge behind it.

Ashy seemed to maneuver himself as well, lining up directly behind the creature and keeping its jaws clamped on the monsters skull. With a forceful whipping motion, Xenophus launched its head backward.

A sickening thud echoed through the harbor and everyone on the beach let out a gasp. The Asherouboros went limp after the impact, knocked senseless by the concussion. His arms and legs fell to his sides, no longer able to grasp the Ürgod, yet despite this, Ashy still hung from the monster's head, swaying as the Ürgod's body began to quiver.

" 'Ow's 'e hangin' up there?" Chumley asked no one in particular.

"His teeth, ," Ursamus offered, "I think the force of the creature's blow drove your friends teeth into the demon's skull!"

That was, in fact, precisely what had happened. The Asherouboros had maneuvered his body in such a way that the backward thrust transferred through Ashy's skull to his impressive front teeth which in turn pierced the Ürgod's skull and entered its brain.

It took Xenophus a moment to realize the fatal error he had made as he began to lose control of his body. He let loose an ear-shattering roar of anger and disbelief. Spasms began to spread through all his body segments. They were so intense that the Asherouboros was dislodged from the Ürgod's head and fell, unconscious, onto the promontory.

The Ürgod soon lost control of its body completely and slumped downward, the uppermost portion of its torso coming to rest next to the prone form of the Asherouboros.

The spasms ceased and the portions of its flesh above the waterline began to darken and crackle, except for its eyes, which clouded over to a milky white as the last remnants of life ebbed from the fallen behemoth.

Everyone watching from the beach was standing now and cheering in celebration, though the mood was tempered with concern for Ashy who still lay motionless on the tiny spit of land.

The head of Xenophus, which was near his, continued to fester and bloat, as did the remainder of the creature's form, including that beneath the harbor. This became apparent as all the submerged body portions began to rise and bob on the surface as they filled with the gases produced by the unnaturally accelerated decay.

Soon the entire enormous length of the monster, well over four hundred feet, was floating in a straight line on the harbor's surface. The bloating continued to the point where the monster's remains caught the wind and began to drift toward the Cold Narrows, pulling what had once been Xenophus' fearsome head off the promontory and slowly out to sea.

As this gruesome train of rotting body segments moved away from Xenoth, the individual segments continued to expand until they appeared on the verge of explosion.

"Oh, no!" Robbi yelled loudly.

"What'th wrong Robbi? We won...didn't we?"
Thoris asked.

Robbi kept staring at the bloated carcass of the Ürgod as she answered.

"Yes, we did, but I need to get a piece of the Ürgod's flesh so we can cure Arisha and I'm afraid that the monster is about to...."

Even before the wizard could complete  her thought, a loud boom echoed toward them as the first segment blew up, scattering pieces of the Ürgod into the sea. Another explosion followed and another after that until the air was filled with massive boom after boom, like a string of firecrackers being ignited. A few minutes later it was silent again and the remains of Xenophus were nowhere to be seen. He had been blown into a thousand pieces and each of those pieces sank unceremoniously beneath the waves, lost to the swift chilling currents of the Cold Narrows.

"...Explode." Robbi concluded sadly. She could not hold back the tears which sprang to her eyes at the though of failing Arisha.

Chumley had overheard the exchange and draped his arms over his dear friends shoulders.
"We're gonna head right out there ta see if we can find some Ürgod-meat, ain't we? We'll dredge every inch of them narrows if we 'ave to, won't we?" he laughed sweetly, "The hard part's over, luv...if we kin beat a world-eatin' god, findin' a scrap o' flesh should be a piece of cake."

Robbi smiled and gave Chumley a light peck on his snout.
"You're a good rat and a good friend, Chumley Bilgespike and you're right, this is no time to give up." She grasped his arm and squeezed, "What about Ashy, has he moved?"

"Not yet," Chumley answered softly, " 'e did take quite a shot," he smiled, "ah raised mah boy ta be tough... 'e's gonna be fine."

The Asherouboros was, in fact, beginning to stir. He raised his head and looked around, seeking his foe. Using what strength remained in his sore and beaten body, he stood on shaky limbs and raised his head, flaring his nostrils and searching out the aroma of the Ürgod. He detected the smell of decay and his eyes widened.

With newfound vigor, the Asherouboros sat on his haunches and swung his head in wide arcs to confirm what was now becoming apparent, that Xenophus was no more. Raising himself onto his rear legs and leaning back on his tail, he reared himself to his full height and let loose with a mighty roar of victory that echoed back and forth among the cliffs of Xenoth until it sounded like a symphony. This triumphant flourish was joined by all those on the beach with no one yelling louder than Chumley Bilgespike.

As everyone on the sand shared in their champion's victory, Frega, Willum, and Max, at the head of a small troop of Lokian warriors joined them on the sandbar. Robbi greeted them and immediately expressed concern for Egbert and Bobo, who were being carried along on stretchers.

King Frega quelled her concerns.
"They will be fine, Robbi. Their wounds will heal and leave scars they can be proud of."

Egbert heard the explanation and laughed painfully.
"Oi didn't realize Oi was so lucky."

Wilbur ran over and gave his uncle a cautious hug, then walked over to where Bobo lay.
"Thank you master Bobarus for taking care of moi uncle."

The nutria smiled.
"Thanks, it's a nice change of pace for me to save the guy I'm protecting."

He pointed toward the Asherouboros who was now done roaring and had left the spit of land and re-entered the harbor, "Our pal out there did himself proud. He's sure changed a lot, I don't even recognize 'im."

Wilbur chuckled.
"We've all changed, Oi think. Oi haven't had a good look at Ashy since this started, he's been pretty busy."

Frega interrupted, pointing out into the harbor.
"I think you'll see him soon enough, he seems to be heading this way...I hope he remembers that we are his friends."