"Grab the horns, Gurk!" Itzel pointed at the Tauria's head. The man was silent now, no longer fighting back as the creature continued to push his limp body around. The crocodile jumped in front of the Essencima on command, talking hold of both of the creature's horns, one in each hand. He wrestled with the creature, forcing its head up straight while spreading the horns apart to create more space for the man to escape. No longer stuck between the two horns, the man slid out and fell onto the ground in a heap. Itzel ran to his side while Gurk used his strength to pull the creature away. On its hind legs, the Tauria was more than a few feet taller than Gurk. The Essencima fought back, changing its focus from the motionless novice Exterminator towards its new enemy. While her partner fought, Itzel checked on the condition of the victim. After placing two fingers on his neck, she was able to come to a conclusion. Alive, but wounded.
"One of you guys make yourself useful!" she shouted towards the other Exterminators. Itzel dragged the victim by underneath his arms, motioning for someone to come take him away by shaking her head. "Hurry up!"
The other three nodded and ran to Itzel. However, their progress was cut short when they saw the Tauria swing it's head to the side, bringing Gurk to the ground. Despite the crocodile letting go of one of the horns, one hand managed to keep hold of the other, breaking it off with a loud crack. After a deep and painful wail, it quickly turned around to face Itzel and the others. It narrowed its eyes and started to kick its hind leg again. The Essencima let out a deep roar with its massive maw, raising its head as it prepared for another charge. Itzel froze as she stared back the creature. The other Exterminators fled towards the safety of the park's perimeter, leaving Itzel and the victim she was attending to alone and vulnerable.
The creature darted forward, head angled down, its one sharp horn and what jagged nub remained of the other pointed directly at Itzel. She lowered her body, placing her hands above her head as she braced for impact despite knowing how futile it would be. But before the impact could come, she heard a splat coming from the direction of the Tauria. She looked towards the creature and saw that Gurk had tackled it to the ground, leaving the creature on its side as he pounced on top, clawing at it with his hands. As the crocodile and monster continued to tussle, Itzel rose to her feet and ran forward towards the action.
"Advancing Tempest!" She hit the creature in the back, making it bend inwards from the abrupt impact. Now enraged, the Tauria found the strength to upright itself, pushing Gurk to the side with a swing of its head that hit the crocodile in the side of his arm. He stepped back, holding onto the area that he was struck as he watched the Tauria stand upright. It looked to the side and saw Itzel standing to its right. She moved in a clockwise motion relative to the creature, making it slowly turn so it could track her.
"Remember how we took out the last Tauria?" Itzel said to Gurk, she continued to step to the side without losing track of the creature. Gurk slowly followed the same motion as her, making sure that the Tauria had to keep rotating to keep a line of sight on a single target.
"Yeah," Gurk replied.
"Good. I'll try to keep its attention away from that other Exterminator. You keep attacking its side and back. And try to go for the legs if you can."
"Got it."
"Serrated Gale!" The blast of air hit the Tauria in the face. It brushed the attack off with a shake of its head. It jumped forward, lunging towards Itzel with its horns pointed towards her. A swift leap to the side allowed her to completely avoid the attack by a wide margin. The creature angled its body again to face Itzel, keeping its predator-like gaze focused on her as she continued to bounce to its right side. Gurk had managed to stay close to the creature. He slashed at the hind leg of the Tauria's right. Although there were no physical marks left on the creature by the attack, the Tauria let out a low grunt as the afflicted leg waivered. The monster dashed forward once more, not bothering to spend the time to get into a proper jumping position as it ran towards Itzel. She jumped to the side again but wasn't fast enough to avoid a hefty swing of the creature's tusk. Her side was hit, knocking her out of the air and sending her skidding across the grass stomach down.
"Looks like Itzel's hurt," Janus thought as he watched Itzel struggle to rise. She held onto her ribs while her legs wobbled as she stood up. He then saw Gurk leap on top of the monster once more, this time he was on the monster's back, almost as if he were riding it belly down. The crocodile let out a burst of frozen breath down the Tauria's neck. He raised a claw as if he was going for another slash, but the creature jumped and shook its body, forcing Gurk to struggle to stay balanced. Janus turned around to look at Ven. He remained hidden behind his legs, looking at the scene with fear. He could feel him clutch onto the fabric of his pants as he buried his face into the back of his leg.
"Hey Ven," Janus said as placed a hand on the child's head. "I know you're scared, but Gurk and Itzel have got this."
"It's hurting them!" Ven exclaimed. He kept his face hidden and his eyes closed while gripping onto Janus' leg even tighter. He remained behind Janus, too afraid to watch the fight unfold. "It already hurt that other man!"
Janus looked back inside the park, this time towards the victim. He was still motionless despite the rampaging creature only a few yards away from where he lay. If I don't get in there, then they might all be dead, Janus said in a low voice. He tried to walk forward but Ven refused to release his leg. Janus turned around once more, pulling Ven's hand off his leg so he could lean down and make eye contact with the child.
"Ven," he said softly, "I know you're scared. But I need to go in there and help Itzel and Gurk fight that Essencima." He tilted Ven's head upwards with his hand. They boy's eyes were red and watery, but he managed to keep his gaze straight. "Can I trust you to be good while I go in and help them out?"
"Yes," Ven said as he wiped away a tear from his left eye.
"I believe in you, Ven. Now go stand over there with the other kids. And don't walk away with anyone, no matter who it is. Understand?"
Ven nodded.
"Alright, Ven. I'll be back. Gurk and Itzel will too. I promise." He patted him in the arm as he pointed towards the other kids. Ven ran off, further away from the park and stood behind the rest of the children. With Ven out of the way, he ran into the park and towards the danger.
