331 Keep It Together

She fell onto the ground on her side, groaning in pain as her arm hit the ground first. There was no time to wince in pain. She quickly got back up and drew her dagger. The other children were all holding their weapons, shaking in fear. 

"Stay back!" she shouted at them. 

The creature had its eyes on her. As they circled one another, Vy could see the sword still sticking out of it's back. Looking at the snarling creature before her, she formulated a plan in her mind. 

From what she could see, the underbelly of the creature did not have the same textured scales as on its back. That might just be the weak spot she needed to exploit. Just then, the creature lunged towards her. 

It had unhinged its gaping jaw, revealing three rows of sharpened teeth. Vy dodged to the side, with just an inch of gap between them. Too close for comfort. Her heart was pumping. The fight was exhilarating!

Despite the fatigue she felt, the adrenaline was intoxicating. She took several steps back, putting more distance between her and the creature. Vy knew she could not afford to suffer from any close-range attacks from the beast. 

She gripped her dagger tightly. Then, she taunted the creature. Angered, the creature let out a blood-curdling roar. It leapt towards her again, this time with more air. 

Vy ran forward. She lowered her body towards the ground and slid underneath the creature. Using the momentum of her slide, she used her dagger to cut through the underbelly of the beast. 

Blood sprayed and splattered as she went. Vy quickly rolled to the side, to avoid being crushed by the creature as it collapsed to the ground. All the children watched in awe, speechless by what they had witnessed. 

The tail of the creature landed heavily on Vy's calf, causing her to wince in pain. She quickly lifted it off, before standing back up. Vy knew the creature was not fully dead yet. It was still struggling to stand. 

She walked over to the creature quickly, pulling her sword out of it's back. Without much energy left, she sat down on the back of the creature to stop it from moving. Aiming for its eye, she drove her sword through it with great force until she heard the crackle and splinter of bone. 

Finally, the beast stopped moving. 

Vy could hear her own heart palpitating in her ears as she gasped for air through her mouth. She looked around at the children, who looked on at her in shock and awe. But the silence soon pierced the screams of another child. 

Everyone turned to look at the source of the sound. 

The scene before her triggered a memory that had been locked away in her mind. Something about it felt familiar. Had someone close to her lost an arm before? 

She gritted her teeth and sped up. Vy got in close and realised that the beast was the same as the one she had just killed. It was biting down on Tizzie's upper arm, near her shoulder blades. 

Behind her, was Boss, watching on in horror. 

"Tizzie!" He called out, uncertain of what to do. 

Just then, a shadow cast over him. It was Vy. 

"You're not losing that arm!" She yelled as she used both her hands to pry open the mouth of the beast. 

"Are you insane?! You can't possib-" Boss was eating his words. 

Vy exerted all of the strength she could muster, grunting as she pried open the jaw of the beast. 

"AAARRGGGHHH!"

Slowly but surely, Vy was doing the unthinkable. She pried opened the mouth of the beast. Her arms were trembling and sore. But she could not give up now. The teeth of the creature were parting, opening up a gap.

Blood spewed and splattered everywhere. Tizzie cried out in pain as it happened. 

"Boss, get Tizzie out of here!" Vy shouted at him as she continued to pry open the mouth of the beast. 

Boss was trembling, but there was no time to fear. He quickly held Tizzie just as she lost consciousness. With her arm free from the jaw of the creature, he carried her in his arms. 

For a moment, he was hesitant to leave. What was going to happen to Vy? Even if they did not know each other well enough, she risked her life to save theirs. 

"Just go!" Vy shouted as her hands ached. 

Boss heed her words and fled.

At that moment, Vy's arms gave out, she let go of the beast's jaw. Taking advantage of the situation, the creature head-butted Vy in the abdomen. It swung it's head towards the side, sending her flying like a ragdoll into the air. 

There was no time to think about the pain. If she wanted to survive and remain conscious, she needed a plan. But it was too late. Vy's body landed heavily on a nearby tent. 

Lucky for her, it helped to soften her landing and there were no sharp pointed ends to impale her. But the pain was still excruciating. At least it was not bone-breaking. Ignoring the screaming pain in her muscles, Vy crawled back up on her feet. 

The creature had its eyes on her. She unsheathed her sword once more, but Vy no longer had the strength to hold it with just one hand. Her hand was shaking as she held it. 

So she clapped both hands on the hilt of the sword for a stronger grip. She steadied her breathing and concentrated on the beast in front of her. Her vision was beginning to blur. 

She blinked a couple of times before squinting her eyes to focus on the beast. 

-Come on Vyrena, keep it together.- she tried psyching herself up. 

Just then, the beast snarled and launched itself into a running start. It was coming straight towards her. Vy stood her ground, she needed to minimise her movement to conserve her remaining energy. It was dwindling fast. 

So she let the beast come to her. She tilted her sword at an angle and assumed a defensive position. The beast lunged towards her with great force. They were now inches apart. Vy only had her sword for protection against the beast. 

Their bodies were pressed against one another. Vy pushed back with great force, her feet rooted in the ground.