As the battle raged, the earth beneath Iliana's feet began to writhe with unnatural might. Altair winced, ignoring the shooting pain, ignoring everything he shot forward with purpose. The Abyssal grinned, stomping down.
The earth parted like the jaws of a savage beast, snapping shut around the prince, splintering a few mended bones before he could react; a stone beast clamped its jaws over his body, hurdling him miles into the air. He rocketed upwards, groaning at the sheer force propelling his body forward.
From the ground, the stone golem began to take form, gaining two pairs of wings as large as twenty feet, draconic scales so precisely transfigured they seemed nearly real, alongside a long, clunky tail. A terrifying roar of a dragon tore at the skies as the stone golem took off.