Soli knew these creatures had a weakness, but he was sure it wasn't a free pass to survival. Killing that first lizard had relied on the element of surprise, attacking from behind. But now... closing in on a massive beast staring right at them? That was suicide.
He tightened his grip on his dagger, his eyes locked on the lizard's movements, desperately searching for any opening he could use. But every plan he came up with fell apart in his head before it even fully formed.
Soli knew that a direct frontal attack would get him injured badly enough to send him right back to square one.
If he hesitated for even a second, the creature would snatch the woman before he could take a single step.
And if another lizard showed up during the fight... that would be the end. Game over.
A scenario he didn't want to believe materialized in his mind: a pack of armored lizards... against a single human. No matter how "immortal" he was.
No matter how he tried to sugarcoat it, this was simply...
a losing battle.
The decision was bitter, but it was made.
I'll just protect the hut...
But he was cut off by a commotion from outside.
The voices of the guards rose as they charged forward with their spears, their forms bulky in padded armor reinforced with layers of hardened leather. They emerged from between the tents, running with determination, surrounding the lizard that was dragging the poor woman. In moments, they had the beast encircled, the points of their spears aimed at its armored body.
For a second, Soli thought they were moving with caution... but that thought vanished instantly.
The moment the encirclement was complete, the guards surged forward as one, a blind, chaotic assault with no strategy. Their spears clattered against the lizard's tough scales with muted metallic clangs, barely making a dent. Everything felt wrong from the start.
The lizard suddenly lifted its tail.
The air froze.
Their hearts froze.
Then the tail came down like a thunderbolt on one of the guards—a single blow—sent the man flying. He staggered in the air before crashing to the ground, motionless, the hardened leather armor over his ribs shattered.
Despite the horrifying scene, despite their comrade falling so easily... the remaining guards just stood their ground, waving their spears awkwardly, trying to fend off the beast as if it were an enemy they could actually defeat.
Soli let out a sharp breath and muttered,
"A failed attack... and pointless bravery.
If they keep up this stupidity...they're all going to die."
Finally, he decided to join them—but in his own way. He took the rope and the boy's dagger and slipped out of the hut. While the guards kept the lizard occupied, Soli would circle around and ambush it from behind with the rope, just like he did with the last one.
The boy was right beside him, matching him step for step.
The lizard had the woman's leg clamped in its jaws, its tail whipping through the air. The guards leaped and scrambled backward, trying to dodge the massive tail's attacks. Sometimes they failed, and the tail slammed into them with brutal force.
The largest guard charged forward with a thundering roar, his face hardened with rage. He raised his spear and lunged at the lizard with all his speed, but a swift swing of the tail caught him square in the face, sending him flying through the air.
The guards' attacks grew fewer and weaker, their retreats more frequent. Fear had finally taken hold of them. But it didn't matter anymore—Soli had finally reached the lizard's back.
Now, all he had to do was move slowly and carefully, waiting for the perfect moment.
Soli moved into position to throw the rope. His brow was furrowed, and he clenched the dagger between his teeth. Then, he flung the rope over the lizard.
It was over... or so it seemed to him.
In a swift motion, the lizard's tail shot toward the rope, shredding it instantly. The tail then recoiled and whipped back, this time aimed directly at Soli's head. It surged toward
him... but at the last possible second, leaped backward. If he had hesitated for even a moment, his head would have been rolling on the ground.
"What just happened?!"
The tail lashed toward him again, but he dropped into a crouch, evading the impact a split second before it connected.
"I... I can see it."
The massive lizard swung its spiked tail at Danny again and again, but he managed to dodge each blow, though just barely.
Something had changed within him. His movements were lighter, and his vision had sharpened. He could now track the lizard's lightning-fast tail, even if only for a split second. And that single second was all he needed to evade it.
He didn't have the luxury to ponder what was happening to him while trying to avoid being crushed by the spiked wrecking ball relentlessly trying to pulverize him. So, he slowly retreated, finally moving out of the lizard's tail range.
He dropped to one knee to catch his breath, his chest heaving. Dodging and retreating had taken everything out of him.
He glanced at the guards, who were utterly powerless against the brutal attacker and its swift, crushing tail. They were falling quickly, putting up little resistance, and were on the verge of surrendering and retreating.
Danny's eyes then darted to the girl. She was bleeding heavily from her leg, on the brink of death from blood loss. Her movements were slowing down. His brow furrowed deeply.
His gaze shifted rapidly between the beast's tail, its weak point, and the girl, desperately searching for a way to kill the predator.
"Time for a change of plans."
A few seconds of frantic thought passed before he made his decision.
He sprinted straight toward the armored creature's tail, his eyes locked intently on it. The tail swung toward him at high speed. Danny jumped over it, but he didn't clear it completely. He stumbled against it and crashed to the ground.
The beast seized the opportunity, sending its bony hammer speeding toward Danny's head. But it was a fraction of a second too slow for his heightened perception. He dodged and was back on his feet, sprinting at full speed toward the lizard's head.
But the lizard's tail swept in from the front, forcing Danny to drop into a slide on his knees beneath the crushing blow. As he slid, he raised his dagger in his left hand and slashed across one of the creature's four eyes.
The beast roared in agony, releasing the woman from its jaws and staggering back.
Danny sprang to his feet, meeting the creature's now blazing, furious eyes. It let out a deafening screech and launched its tail at him, but he rolled away just in time. He got up and created distance, but the enraged lizard pursued him, leaving the woman behind.
He glanced toward the guards. They had grabbed the woman and were fleeing for their lives, leaving him behind.
"Ah!... Damn it!"
The creature was in a blind rage, whipping its tail toward Danny with relentless force. He dodged, but it was getting harder; he was completely exhausted. Then, a sudden, almost imperceptible flick of the tail—one he failed to notice—struck him.
Craaaaaack!!
The sound of his shattering ribs echoed before he was hurled through the air and slammed onto the ground.
He was coughing up blood, the metallic taste filling his mouth as he choked on it. The creature let out those distorted, gurgling laughs and began moving toward him. But before it could reach him…
Thwack!
Someone hurled a rock at it. The stone itself did no damage, but it successfully grabbed the beast's attention. Its eyes scanned the area for the unknown assailant.
It was… the boy. He was the one who had thrown the rock.
The monster fixed its gaze on the young man and charged at him with terrifying speed. The boy turned and ran, but the creature was right on his heels.
Danny lay on the ground, struggling. His eyes felt incredibly heavy, his vision blurring. He slowly closed them until everything faded to black.
"Waaaake uuup!!!"
A piercing scream from nowhere jolted him back to consciousness. His breathing was labored and ragged, each breath a torment as he fought for air through the few passages not blocked by his own blood.
He could hear screaming. He looked toward the sound and saw the boy, running for his life from the tank-like beast with its spiked wrecking ball of a tail.
Danny struggled to his feet. His face was flushed deep red, his breathing was heavy and choked, and his vision was blurry. But he ignored it all, pushing himself to run toward the boy as fast as he could.
The boy was sprinting blindly, without any focus on where he was going. He stumbled and fell. He tried to get up, but the monster was already upon him. The creature opened its double-hinged jaws and lunged for the boy—but they clamped down on Danny's arm instead.
Danny strained, holding the powerful jaws at bay. The beast thrashed, trying to break free, but couldn't. It reared its tail back and swung it down at Danny with crushing force. He shut his eyes, expecting his head to be torn off, but...
CLAAAAANG!
The tail slammed into something unyieldingly hard. Danny looked up at the tail and saw...
The Village Chief.
blocking the tail with his black spear.