| Test Subjects | ||
| Date Started: September 14th, 2024 Date Finished: Ongoing Next Role-Play: Timeline: XXXX, 1620 Setting: New World Characters Involved: Lazarus, Artemis D. Samantha Characters Mentioned: | ||
| Participants | ||
| User:Mr.Zeno999,User:Duck4war | ||
Part 1[]
Throwing carrots like daggers at Lazarus from down the hall, Artemis D. Samantha called out, “It is true you can die no matter what happens to you. And what if you break your arm? Will it just snap right back? What made you join Spear? How strong are you? Want to spar? What’s the mission we have to go on again?” She was being annoying on purpose; she didn’t get to tease the other Marines much, so she always took advantage of the chances she got.
Lazarus remained still as the carrots flew at him, not even bothering to dodge. One bounced off his chest, another grazed his cheek, and a third lodged itself into his trench coat before falling to the ground. His expression didn’t change, as expected, not even a flicker of irritation crossing his face.
"Yes," he said flatly, "it’ll snap back. The arm, I mean."
He turned his head slightly in Artemis D. Samantha's direction, his red eyes lazily flicking to meet hers, showing no sign of agitation despite her barrage of questions.
"As for why I joined SPEAR," he continued, his voice calm but indifferent, "I was bored. And they pay. Strong enough? I guess. Depends who you ask."
He paused, his tone still apathetic. "Spar? No thanks. You’d probably get annoyed halfway through and start throwing vegetables again."
Then, almost as if remembering her last question, he added with a shrug, "The mission? Something investigating Marine disappearances and deaths. I think. Doesn’t matter. We’ll get it done."
Lazarus stood up slowly, stretching out his limbs, as if the simple movement was an effort he wasn't particularly interested in making. "You done yet?" he asked, letting out a low sigh, clearly unfazed by her teasing but unwilling to show any enthusiasm for engaging.
She ate her last carrot and jumped on his shoulders. “Are you kidding? I'm excited! This is a missing person's case—it's like the crime novels I used to read to my sister. You can be my sidekick, and I'll be the great detective. Also, these aren't vegetables; they're roots,” Sam said with a smile, her starry eyes bright with enthusiasm.
Lazarus felt the weight of Artemis as she jumped onto his shoulders, but he barely budged, his balance unwavering. He rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly in a rare hint of amusement.
"Simpleton," he muttered, shaking his head. "You think this is a mystery novel? We're not chasing down clues like some storybook detectives."
Just then, one of the lower marines sprinted down the corridor, panting slightly as he approached. "Commodore Lazarus! We’re approaching the island!" he shouted, glancing nervously between him and Samantha.
Lazarus straightened, the playful atmosphere dissipating. His expression shifted to one of calm focus. “Well, looks like your little adventure is about to begin,” he said, turning his gaze back to Sam, still perched on his shoulders.
“Let’s see if your excitement holds up when we actually get into the thick of it.” He began walking toward the deck, moving with a deliberate pace as if to test her grip. "Hold on tight, detective. This isn't going to be like your novels."
Sam held on tight to avoid falling off with a chuckle. “You kidding? When the people see us, I’ve got to smile for them. I'm their heavily-harried hero; they look up and see hope. Now, let’s go! We have people to save, sidekick,” she said, pointing forward standing on his shoulders like a horse.
Lazarus rolled his eyes as Sam stood on his shoulders, her excitement seemingly boundless. "Heavily-harried hero, huh?" he muttered. "More like heavily-harried headache."
But before he could take another step, a sudden, violent lurch threw the entire ship off balance. The deck shifted, nearly sending many marines tumbling. The sound of splintering wood echoed as something massive slammed into the side of the vessel, shaking it violently.
Lazarus steadied himself immediately, eyes narrowing. From the sea, a monstrous creature emerged—a grotesque combination of sea creatures melded together. Its body was serpentine like an eel, with the head of a shark but sporting the thick, scaly hide of a crocodile. Tentacles lashed out from its sides, resembling those of an octopus, while jagged fins from a lionfish adorned its back, flaring with poisonous spikes. Its eyes—large and glassy like a deep-sea fish—gleamed with primal hunger as it let out a guttural roar, spraying saltwater across the deck.
The creature loomed over the ship, dwarfing it as it lashed out with its tentacles, wrapping around the hull, threatening to crush the vessel like a toy.
"Of course," Lazarus sighed, his voice as calm as ever, despite the chaos. "Because why not?"
Lazarus swiftly grabbed his axe, the weapon feeling familiar and reassuring in his grip. He moved toward the writhing tentacle that had coiled around the ship, its suckers glistening and pulsing with menace.
With a determined swing, he brought the axe down hard against the thick, rubbery appendage. The blade bit into the flesh, and the creature let out a furious roar, thrashing violently as it released its grip on the ship. Dark, viscous blood sprayed across the deck, staining the wood and making it slick underfoot.
The creature recoiled, its other tentacles flailing in response to the pain. Lazarus remained unflinching, his eyes sharp and calculating. "Now you're angry," he said dryly, taking a moment to assess the chaos around him. The marines scrambled to prepare their weapons, some shouting commands to each other as they steadied themselves against the relentless rocking of the ship.
Sam was in the air, trying to grab any mariner who fell into the water and put them back on the deck. "You know, there are easier ways to flirt with death," she said to Lazarus, before pulling out three seeds and poping them open to form daggers. "What do you think this is, some kind of messed-up sea king?" she asked, hurling the daggers at the beast, aiming for its eye, body, and tentacle with deadly accuracy. Once the blades embedded themselves, they would sprout roots, cutting off circulation by draining the blood into a rose bush.
For a moment, it looked like Sam's attack had dealt a critical blow. But just as quickly, the creature's flesh began to ripple, its body adjusting in a grotesque, unnatural way. The roots around its body shriveled up, and thick scales began to harden where the wounds had been. The creature’s skin took on a more armored, impenetrable appearance, as if it had evolved to counter the attack in real-time.
Its large, bulbous eyes locked onto Sam, recognizing her as the immediate threat. With terrifying speed, a tentacle shot toward her, crackling with electric energy, as if the beast had adapted even further to defend itself.
Lazarus, watching this unfold, sighed deeply in annoyance. "Of course, it can adapt. Why wouldn’t it?"
Now that the abomination’s attention was focused on her, Sam rushed to dodge, disappearing and reappearing in different locations, moving farther to the side and putting the ship in its newly created blind spot. “Hey, Laz! I’ll meet you on the island and get the others to safety!” she shouted, propelling herself through the air toward the spring forming on her blackened arm. As it compressed and thickened, she aimed for the beast's armored body and punched with the force of a tank round. “C50!” she yelled before quickly retreating.
Lazarus watched with his usual stoic calm as Sam darted around the battlefield, dodging the crackling tentacle with almost effortless grace. "Show off," he muttered under his breath, but there was no denying her effectiveness.
The creature recoiled as Sam’s punch, packed with explosive power, slammed into its hardened scales. A thunderous crack echoed as her attack landed, sending shockwaves through the monster’s body. For a moment, it seemed like the force might break through the beast's newly developed armor.
But as soon as Sam withdrew, Lazarus could see the telltale signs of the creature adapting once again. Its scales rippled, growing even thicker and more impenetrable. The monster let out a furious bellow, its eyes narrowing in on Sam’s retreating form with renewed vengeance.
Lazarus shook his head. "That’s not going to work," he muttered under his breath, watching as the creature writhed and twisted, clearly irritated but not injured.
Another volley fired, but this time, the creature countered. It let out an ear-splitting roar, its tentacles glowing with electric energy. With a violent whip, one of its appendages slammed into the side of the ship, sending marines flying across the deck. Lightning crackled and danced across the wooden surface as the beast retaliated, but the marines, though shaken, quickly recovered and kept firing.
Lazarus, growing tired of the back-and-forth, took a deep breath and readied himself. "Looks like I’ll have to do this up close."
He crouched, muscles tensing like a coiled spring. In one swift, fluid motion, he leapt into the air, aiming directly for the creature’s massive head. His axe gleamed in the faint light as he swung it downward with incredible force, intending to cleave into the beast’s thick hide.
But just as he was about to strike, the creature’s maw opened wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth and a cavernous throat that seemed to stretch impossibly deep. Lazarus’s eyes widened slightly, but there was no time to stop his momentum.
"Are you kidding me?" he groaned as he sailed straight into the monster’s gaping mouth.
The beast’s jaws snapped shut with a thunderous clap, and for a moment, the marines on deck stared in stunned silence.
Sam watched as Laz got eaten and panicked. “LAZ, ARE YOU OK?!” she shouted, rapidly jumping into the air. With each leap, her legs sprang with energy, igniting a flaming spiral of air that wrapped around the creature like barbed wire, burning as it went. “IRIS!”
From inside the creature’s stomach, Lazarus remained disturbingly calm, even as the walls of the beast's belly contracted around him, trying to squeeze and dissolve him like any other meal. The acid pooled at his feet, bubbling and hissing as it made contact with his skin. But where the acid burned, his body simply knitted itself back together, the flesh healing with a sickening smoothness, almost as if the damage had never happened in the first place. His black coat, tattered and soaked through with stomach bile, sloughed off as his muscles and skin reformed under the onslaught of corrosive fluid.
"This again?" he muttered, watching as a patch of skin bubbled away, only to regenerate just as quickly. "I really don’t get paid enough for this."
Lazarus's regeneration wasn’t just fast—it was absolute. His muscles and bones didn’t just heal; they restored with unnerving perfection, each tissue reforming stronger than before. His body didn't flinch at pain or damage; it was almost as if pain was just a distant echo that he barely registered. His pale skin seemed to absorb the acid, only to spit it back out with the sheer force of his undead physiology, the lingering effects of his injuries disappearing in a matter of seconds.
"Ugh, I hate this," he muttered, flicking a piece of melted flesh off his shoulder. He looked around the pulsing walls of the creature’s stomach, more annoyed than panicked. He could slash his way out, but the beast’s skin had already hardened—its quick adaptation would make any attempt to brute-force his way out a monumental waste of time. He didn’t have time for this.
Outside, he could hear the faint echo of Sam shouting, "LAZ, ARE YOU OK?!"
He sighed, knowing she was probably spiraling into panic mode. "Yeah, I’m fine. Just enjoying a nice acid bath inside this thing’s guts," he muttered sarcastically to himself, though his voice was drowned out by the squelching sounds of the creature’s digestive system working overtime.
With a resigned grunt, Lazarus surveyed his surroundings, realizing the direct approach wouldn’t cut it. The monster's scales had toughened, and cutting through the exterior from inside would be like trying to smash through a fortress wall with a butter knife. He needed to think. There had to be something—some weak point or vital organ—that hadn’t adapted yet.
His eyes drifted upward, scanning the soft tissues and pulsating veins around him. The walls were thick, but he could feel the pulse of the creature’s heartbeat, the slow, rhythmic thumping that reverberated through the chamber.
"Ah, there it is," Lazarus said flatly, locating the source. "Probably faster than hacking at the skin."
As Sam’s fiery spiral of energy erupted outside, wrapping around the creature and burning it from the outside, Lazarus made his move. He lunged toward the base of the creature’s stomach, where the heart was most likely located, judging by the vibrations. His axe gleamed in the dim, acidic glow, and with a heavy swing, he plunged it deep into the wall of the stomach, aiming to rupture a major artery or strike at the core of the creature’s internal systems.
The creature screeched, its entire body convulsing violently. Lazarus smirked faintly, ignoring the acrid fumes and the foul smell filling his lungs.
"Let’s see how you adapt to this," he grumbled, ready to finish the job from the inside out.
Sam continued to jump around in the sky, sending gusts of wind at the beast and the water below, trying to get as much water vapor into the air as she could. She soared higher before stretching her arm down to grab the beast and send a powerful current of electricity through her springs and into the creature, ensuring that she struck it all over with the water in the air surrounding them.
Meanwhile, deep inside the monster’s belly, Lazarus had found his target. As the beast convulsed from Sam’s onslaught outside, the pulsating thud of its heart grew louder in his ears. Timing his strike perfectly, he raised his axe with a calm, almost bored expression, and in one swift, precise motion, he drove it deep into the creature’s vital organ.
The moment his axe struck, there was an eruption of blood and bile, the heart’s rhythm stuttering as it was pierced. The beast let out a deafening roar of agony, its entire body seizing up as it began to falter. The convulsions from Sam’s electric attack and the internal damage from Lazarus’s strike came together in a devastating combination.
The creature's body shook violently, its once-impenetrable armor beginning to crack and splinter from the overwhelming assault. Its massive form twitched, the tentacles slowing as it struggled to adapt to the dual threat.
"Yeah, that should do it," Lazarus muttered nonchalantly, pulling his axe free from the beast’s heart with a sickening squelch. Acid and blood spilled around him as the monster’s life force rapidly drained. He glanced upward, feeling the tremors in the walls of the creature’s stomach as Sam’s electricity continued to fry its systems from the outside.
A few moments later, with a mighty heave, Lazarus cut his way through the creature's side, stepping out into the open air, completely drenched in a mix of acid and blood. He looked unbothered as always, shaking his head slightly.
"I'm fine everyone," he said flatly, his tone dry. "Just another day in paradise."
As Sam went down to Lazarus, he handed him a towel. “You know, if you had aimed higher, I'm sure you would have hit its brain eventually. It would have been much easier to kill it,” she said, looking at the beast. “So, what do you think? I've never seen a Sea King like this before.” She cut a chunk of meat with her claws and cooked it using Kurenaiken. She sniffed it a bit before biting down to eat. “Nom!”
Lazarus took the towel from Sam, wiping the blood and acid from his face with a look of mild disgust. "Thanks for the advice," he said dryly, wringing out the towel. "Next time, I'll try not to get eaten and climb through the digestive system of a Sea King to finish the job."
As Sam cut off a piece of the beast and cooked it with her Kurenaiken, Lazarus watched with a look that bordered on revulsion as she took a bite. "You're seriously going to eat that?" he asked, incredulous. "We literally just gutted it. That thing's insides were a toxic soup of acid and whatever else it had been digesting."
He shook his head, trying to ignore the sight of her eating, and turned his attention to the creature’s grotesque remains. His eyes scanned its strange amalgamation of features—the hard, chitinous plates, the elongated, eel-like body, the tentacles, and the electric energy it had wielded.
"This isn't a normal Sea King," Lazarus said, voice flat but thoughtful. "It adapted too fast. That kind of rapid evolution, like regenerating and growing armor over its wounds? Sea Kings are strong, but they don’t do that. This thing might’ve been... altered." His eyes narrowed as he kicked the ground, considering. "Maybe it’s some kind of weapon or experiment. Or worse, an entirely new species we haven't encountered yet. Either way, it's not natural. Something’s off."
He turned back to Sam, crossing his arms. "If more of these things are out there, we could be looking at a much bigger problem."
Sam spat out the meat. “This was an experiment! The meat is sour, like spoiled squid. Whoever did this either has a Devil Fruit or is a mad scientist,” she said, wiping her gloves off. “The good news is it’s more than likely not a new species, so our next stop is the Island of Mystery,” she continued, her tone serious. “Come along, sidekick! We’ve got people to save.”
Lazarus couldn’t help but crack a small smile as Sam spat out the meat, clearly grossed out. "Told you," he muttered, though he was relieved that she agreed with his assessment.
"An experiment, huh?" He glanced back at the creature's remains, his suspicion deepening. "Whoever’s behind this might be a lot more dangerous than the creature itself. Someone capable of creating or altering Sea Kings... it has to be someone with serious resources—or a Devil Fruit ability like you said."
He rolled his shoulders, feeling his body fully regenerated from the earlier acid bath, and let out a long, tired sigh. "Figures this wouldn't be simple."
At Sam's call, Lazarus raised an eyebrow. "Sidekick, huh? I don’t remember signing up for that role," he grumbled, but there was no real annoyance in his voice. He wiped off his axe, slinging it back over his shoulder before nodding.
Sam stood up, hopping up and down. “Okay, so what do you want to do? Do you want me to carry you over, or do you want to sail with everyone and do an investigation from the base?” she asked, adjusting her legs, ready to carry him the rest of the way. “You gotta tell me where I can get one of those fancy regeneration powers!” she said, mostly out of curiosity.
Lazarus sighed, watching Sam bounce around like a hyperactive kid. "You really want to carry me again? You know I can walk, right?" He shook his head, though the slightest hint of amusement crossed his face. "We’ll sail with everyone else. The last thing we need is to split up right after dealing with a sea monster. Besides, if we stick together, it’s easier to keep an eye on any surprises."
As Sam adjusted her legs, clearly ready to haul him if necessary, he raised an eyebrow at her curiosity about his regeneration. "Trust me, you don’t want this." He tapped his chest with a dry chuckle. "It’s not all it's cracked up to be—no sleep, no aging, and constantly getting torn apart just to heal again. I’ve been 'alive' long enough to know it's more of a curse than a blessing." He gave her a sideways glance. "Besides, you’ve already got enough energy for three people. Last thing the world needs is an immortal version of you."
He nodded toward the ship. "Let’s head back. We’ve got people to save and a mystery to solve. And next time, you can try keeping your food experiments to yourself," he added, smirking slightly.
Spooky Island[]
Once they reached the island, Sam jumped off the ship onto the land, munching on a carrot she hadn’t thrown yet as she scanned her surroundings with her eyes turned red for any signs of danger. “Let’s set up here for now—just the essentials. We don’t want to have to run back to the ship for everything, and if need be, we can abandon it quickly,” she commanded the other marines who were with her and Lazarus.
Lazarus stepped off the ship after Sam, surveying the area with a quick, steely gaze. “Alright, everyone,” he barked, motioning the marines forward, “get a perimeter set up around this spot. Weapons ready, supplies sorted, and stay sharp. We’ve got no idea what else this island might throw at us.” He glanced over at a few of the marines looking uncertain and added, “And keep an eye out for any unusual footprints or markings. If you see anything that even looks suspicious, report it.”
As the marines dispersed to follow his orders, Lazarus turned to Sam, watching her munch on her carrot with an almost eerie calm. “So,” he said, his tone flat but with a hint of humor, “do we start our little tour of the island now, or wait until morning?” He shrugged, clearly indifferent. “Sleep’s not an issue for me, but whatever works for you. I figure the more time we waste, the more we risk missing our target—if they’re still around, that is.”
He squinted toward the shadowy forest line ahead. “Your call, ‘great detective.’”
"I say we get the checkpoint situated for now, then head out," she said, looking for any signs of life in the area, whether it be animals or plant life. She wanted to assess the state of the island, and the best way to do that would be to find the natives.
"Hey, have you seen any seagulls since we approached the island?" she asked, turning to Laz.
Lazarus took a moment, thinking back to the approach. He’d been focused on the creature and the chaos of the battle, but now that Sam mentioned it, he realized something was off. “No,” he replied slowly, glancing around the treetops and sky. “Come to think of it, there haven’t been any seagulls or even other signs of life in the water—besides that creature.”
He scanned the thick foliage edging the beach, the silence of the island suddenly more oppressive. “That’s unusual, especially for a place this size. Even if something scared off the animals, you’d expect to see some signs or stragglers.”
Lazarus’s gaze hardened. “This place feels… off. Either the locals keep a tight lid on the wildlife, or there’s something here that’s driven them all away.”
Sam grabbed a bit of dirt and rubbed it between her fingers. "Seagulls land wherever it's safe," she said. "So that means, for some reason, this island isn't safe. If it were just people, we’d see either birds or people out here near the sea. Besides, think about it—in the new world, can you think of an island too dangerous for a bird to rest on its flight between islands? Or, at the very least, do you see any signs of life around here?" She pulled her gloves tight. "Change of plans; let's head in. The others can set up a checkpoint here."
Lazarus nodded in agreement, slipping his axe over his shoulder as he prepared to follow her lead. Just as he turned toward the dense jungle, he caught the faintest movement in the shadows of the trees and then froze, his senses sharpening. A low, unnatural howling drifted out from deeper within the island, a twisted cacophony somewhere between the howl of wolves and the guttural rumble of a predator. It reverberated through the ground, chilling even him.
Lazarus’s eyes narrowed as his grip tightened on his weapon. “Well, looks like we’re not the only ones interested in this place.”
Suddenly, the panicked shouts of Marines echoed behind them, followed by the unmistakable sounds of clashing metal and desperate gunfire. The cries were mixed with snarling and growling, as if they were fending off beasts rather than human attackers. He glanced at Sam, his usually calm expression tinged with frustration.
“So much for a quiet entry,” he muttered. “We’d better get back and help those poor idiots.”
Sam opened her hands, baring her claws. “Let's go clean house; I've got a reputation to uphold,” she said, tuning her legs like springs and bouncing forward, her red eye darting around as she tried to find the right moment to counter the attacker with an uppercut of her own.
As Same closed the gap, the beast lunged—its body a grotesque amalgamation of lupine features and reptilian scales, eyes glowing an unnatural green. It reacted with startling precision, twisting mid-leap to evade her upward strike, its claws slashing through the air in a counterattack aimed at her midsection.
Meanwhile, another of the monstrous wolves darted from the shadows and blindsided Lazarus, clamping its jagged teeth down on his left arm. The sickening crunch of bone echoed through the chaos as the creature tore the limb clean off. Blood spattered, but Lazarus merely sighed, his expression flat and unimpressed.
“Really? You’re going to regret that,” he muttered.
As the wolf turned, its prize still in its mouth, Lazarus swung his axe in a wide arc with his remaining arm. The blade buried itself deep into the beast’s neck, cleaving through sinew and bone with ease. The wolf dropped lifeless to the ground, its teeth still locked around his severed arm. Lazarus leaned down, yanked the arm free, and inspected it briefly before tossing it aside.
“Guess I’ll grow another,” he said flatly, already focusing on the next threat as his arm regenerated itself.
Sam quickly put her hand up, sending a force into the beast's chest trying to knock it away. "LAZ YOU THINK THESE ARE safe to eat?" she said with a laugh before stretching her leg out with a spring to perform a roundhouse kick to the beast's side, trying to split it in half.
The force Sam unleashed struck the beast square in the chest, causing it to skid back a few feet. Its claws raked through the ground to regain balance, its glowing green eyes locked on her with a predatory gleam. Despite the impact, it showed no signs of slowing down, its scaled body flexing as if absorbing the shock.
“Safe to eat? Knowing our luck, they’ll taste like spoiled calamari,” Lazarus called back, swinging his axe at another approaching wolf-beast without even glancing, cleaving it apart mid-charge.
Sam chuckled at Laz's response before tapping her index finger to the claw on her thumb, causing her gloves to crackle with electricity. “Thank you, Alice, for this new toy. Laz, I’m doing a bit of a test run with these gloves of mine,” she said before turning the gloves black and running at the beast, staying low to the ground before going for an electrified upward slash. “Electric Crescent!”
The wolf-like beast snarled as Sam closed the distance, its scaled hide twitching as it sensed the static charge in the air. Its glowing eyes narrowed with a mix of caution and predatory instinct, the crackling energy around her gloves triggering its heightened awareness. As her electrified slash neared, it let out a guttural growl, bracing itself to endure the strike.
In a sudden burst of speed, the beast pivoted to the side, narrowly evading the full force of the slash. The electrified edge grazed its flank, sending a shower of sparks as the energy scorched its scales, leaving a smoldering wound. Despite the damage, it twisted with unnatural flexibility, its hind legs coiling like springs.
Using the momentum from its twist, the beast launched itself upward, slashing with razor-sharp claws aimed directly at Sam’s midsection. The claws crackled with an eerie green light, a predatory mimicry of her electricity, as if it had absorbed and adapted to the energy from her gloves. The strike came with enough force to knock her back if it landed.
Sam turned her arms into springs to protect herself from the claws before seeing the green light. With a confused look, she was sent into the air, screaming in pain from the electricity. "FUCK! OK!" she said, using her gloves to absorb the electricity on her body, cracking her shoulder. "OK THEN," she said, stepping on the air and rushing forward to the beast. She tapped her middle finger to trigger the jet dial and sent a powerful gust of wind flying into the animal's chest, igniting her hands and causing the wind to catch fire.
The beast snarled as the fiery gust slammed into its chest, the force of the attack sending it skidding backward across the ground. The flames licked at its scales, burning away patches of fur and skin. It howled in rage, its monstrous voice echoing through the forest as its body began to writhe unnaturally, adapting once again to counter the onslaught.
The creature let out a guttural roar as its scales hardened, turning a dark, obsidian-like color to repel the flames. Its glowing green eyes narrowed at Sam, calculating her movements.
The beast sprang forward with terrifying speed, using its long claws to anchor itself to the ground as it zigzagged toward her, avoiding the direct line of fire from her gloves. It closed the distance in seconds, staying low to the ground, preparing for a pounce.
Leaping into the air, the beast twisted its body mid-flight, slashing downward with one electrified claw aimed at Sam's midsection. Simultaneously, its tail whipped around with the force of a battering ram, targeting her legs in an attempt to trip her up if she dodged the initial strike.