• Closed • We're All Going on a Dragon Hunt (3)

[Tio Silver]

The Lemon Messy, Egilrun
1st Cylus, 720

The final streak streaks of dusk heralding the end of Zi'da were just beginning to brush across the night's sky above Egilrun as Tio, stood beside a campfire set up on the outskirts of the town, began to cackle madly. Like the stereotypical hags from old fairy tales he crooned around a cauldron bubbling away atop the fire, sprinkling pinches of ground up herbs and reagents into the mix and grinning like a loon as the colour and consistency changed. The golden-brown, syrup-like substance he was preparing had an overpowering sweet scent, likely due to the gratuitous amount of sugar he was heaping into it, and though it bubbled rather violently had yet to actually explode.

Tio dropped in one final reagent, a large knob of butter, and watched with clear satisfaction as the violent bubbling began to fade. Quickly he took a rounded glass vial from his domain bag and scooped the concoction into it, pleased with how sticky and slowly it ran.

This was going to be good.



When the gang reconvened outside the Lemon Messy for what would hopefully be the last time Tio was quite obviously excited; literally hopping back and forth on the balls of his feet like a hyperactive child. If he was at all deterred by the dead pig he had hoisted over his shoulder it didn't show in his grin, which was so wide and bright as to be slightly maniacal. With an enthusiastically fast pace he led the way towards the mountains through the night, talking at a mile a minute about every topic under the sun along the way.

A long journey later they finally arrived at the spot on the mountain to set their trap. Tio immediately got to work building a small campfire and a spit over it, on which he hung the pig. They he pulled a vial of what looked and smelt suspiciously like treacle out of his bag and glazed the pig in it.

"Okay I've set up the lure, with a special little surprise." He called to Nir'wei and Alyssia. "It should be enough to give us an edge, but I reckon we'll still be in for a fight on our hands. The best shot we have is to tire it out through combat until it lacks enough energy to put up much of a struggle when Nir springs the trap. Everyone got weapons? Let's get to cover, and wait for it to show up."

Off Topic

Here we are guys: the final confrontation.

Alyssia I was wondering if you would like to describe the spot we've set the trap in, and what advantages the terrain give us, as your character what studying the map?
Nir'wei I was wondering if you wanted to describe what the trap we'll be using to capture it is, and how it works?

[Nir'wei]

Having seen what they were facing against... well, sitting down and actually planning through the process likely needed to capture and contain the Scalvbeast had been more than a little exhausting. The biggest issue wasn't even the fact that the thing was damn massive - it was that it could fly. He'd looked through countless traps for sale trying to find some sort of inspiration, perhaps even a provider, but the best and most reliable traps for collecting larger animals seemed to be some manner of snares, which of course wouldn't work on a creature able to simply fly back out of them again... and for flying animals, the only solution seemed to be cages or bags. The former could never be hidden in a way that would make the creature unwittingly enter them. The latter could be shredded apart in seconds, given the creature's thick claws and powerful legs. Ordinarily, he'd consider it outright foolish to plan based on the prediction that the creature would be already severely weakened, but even a giant iron cage would not have stood against such a monster. The best they could hope to do was to slow it down and severely weaken it with traps... and then, at the end, tie it up.

Hiring a large flattened cart and two halfrein for a few days took care of transportation. He doubted horses could have handled the strain and the terrain combined. Huge volumes of rope, of the best quality and in the highest quantity that he could find, spooled over its surface to anchor the creature during the return from its home. He'd considered bolas - or rather, the merchant had also attempted to sell him bolas, seeing that he was after such a large and dangerous beast - but he'd turned them down swiftly. He didn't know how to wield them, and he'd have to run on the assumption that neither of the other two did either. The last item, he'd taken with great reluctance... but at the end of the trial, this was a feral beast. It wouldn't hesitate to turn around and kill him, Alyssia or Tio. Taking it alive was the only outcome that he'd accept, but they'd never extract it unharmed. "They'll do the job," the hunter grinned as Nir'wei struggled to lift the heavy steel bear trap. "Whatever you're trying to catch... they'll do the job." He paid for four. All they needed was one to hit, at best two. He almost chose to go with six instead, just to be on the safe side, but they were no cheap things, and he'd already expended such a large amount of funds in this attempt... which he was growing less and less confident would amount to success.

At the Lemon Messy, he showed off his purchases. "I tried," he muttered, dejectedly. "I tried to find something, but... Karem above, you saw that thing. It can't be contained in a conventional trap the likes we know, or I can make." There was a reason that none others had even dared to try and take the thing at all, let alone alive. "The bear traps and the lure will slow it down and exhaust it. The rest will be down to us... and the ropes will need to be applied while it's completely exhausted, or unconscious." It was a weak plan, all things considered - he realised that now, trying to actually come up with a suitable execution. It might even take a number of days to wear it down properly; however of course there was always the option of an extended siege. They had all the tools needed to keep it from going out and collecting more food, or flush it out of its home now that they knew where it was. It would require improvisation of the highest caliber.

Nir'wei gave them a ride on the back of the cart, following Tio and Alyssia's directions to their so-called camping grounds, where he immediately took hold of the hafrein once more and led them back the way they'd come a suitable distance of about two breaks. If anything happened to either of them, he doubted just one would have the strength to bring back the beast, and everything they'd done would be likely for nought. While he'd originally planned on using the cart as the stage for their trap, the chances of getting a creature with such powerful scent to willingly climb aboard a wagon of all things, likely reeking of human scent... he worried the creature would never fall for such an obvious gambit, and even if it did, there was no chance that its struggles would allow the thing to remain intact. "We'll have to subdue it... and then herd it aboard afterwards." That could prove even more dangerous than the capture, undoubtedly. "It was either that, or spend thousands of nel constructing a giant steel cage over the top of it. It'll take longer this way, but... I think it's our only option." The wagon was left a short distance from the hafrein, detached of course and hidden away.

The four bear traps each came with multiple chains and spiked steel nails to drive deep into the earth. He sunk the first into the ground near to the camping grounds, but hopefully not close enough that the creature would land on it before consuming the tainted meat - with luck, they'd be able to lure it nearby with displaced noises or scents. The second trap was set not a short distance from the first, in the hopes that they could potentially catch it twice over. The third and fourth were set on the other side of the camping ground in much the same fashion. Each one was set as the hunter he'd bought them from had advised - partially underground. Grey, Cold and Myrth got to work digging decently-sized holes for the set traps to be lowered into, followed by the anchoring spikes, three of them, being hammered into the soil as deep as they would go. When the soil was drawn back around the traps and a thin sprinkling over the mechanism, the disturbed soil was evened out by a little more scattering of vegetation... but only the tips of the metal teeth stuck out anyway, and this thing was supposed to rely on scent, not sight. "Alright." If we get it caught twice, it should be good enough. Doesn't matter if it's two traps on opposite sides of the campgrounds, doesn't matter if we lead him all the way back around... we need his legs injured, broken, and in pain so he doesn't turn them on us or the cart."

Huge coils of rope sat under the cover of the bushes that Nir'wei eventually came to crouch in. He had a sword at his waist and a longbow at his back, his Storm Quiver looped around the back of his waist and jutting out to one side with a full set of lightning-infused arrows. Those weren't the weapons he was really planning on relying on, of course. Grey, Cold, Myrth, Squeak and Vabina sat silently around him, invisible. Cyshe hovered on one shoulder and Archailist on the other. Sage was... somewhere. He didn't know where the creepy little critter went to when he vanished from this world, but he had no intention of finding out. Last, of course, was Traveller... the Scalv Sohr Khal that clung to the rocks high above them all, around the other side of the mountain. His light saddle was strapped to its back, though he hoped he wouldn't have to use it. Traveller was... well. In situations like these, he tended to become less-than-helpful, put kindly.

[Alyssia]

Alyssia walked around the library trying to find any kind of map she could. Thankfully, the librarian seemed more than happy to help the girl find what she needed to try and plan. Nothing really made sense to her, but with a little bit of help, the girl very crudely copied the map on to a piece of paper she could take with her to the meeting with Tio and Nir. The last thing the girl wanted to do was damage the city maps or even lose them. Sitting back in her chair, the teen thought as hard as she could about places that looked like they would be large enough for the beast to enter; yet small enough they could set their traps correctly.

Marking a few spots close to where Alyssia remembered the beast living, the teen gathered her things while thanking the librarian. She quickly scurried off to check on a few other things before meeting with Tio and Nir. Running through the streets of Scalvoris, the teen tried to spot where it was exactly that she would be meeting with the others. She was surprised that the little twig man had never shown back up for their meeting to track the beast. Though with his size it did not surprise her in the slightest, the creature was intimidating to her as well.

Finally seeing the sign, the girl tried her best to slip through the crowd on the streets without hindering where people were going. Tio was the first to greet the teen making her smile. There was a general distrust with people, but after having meet Nir before and him seeming to trust the other man. She was more likely to give him a bit more trust than she would to anyone else. Her heart pounded in her chest as the girl kept getting closer. Seeing the two men there, the girl felt like she was late causing her to pick up speed.

“Sorry! I hope you both weren’t waiting long,” Alyssia stated.

She got everything needed together and followed as they made the long track up to the mountain. The girl stopped them for a moment and rolled out the traced map the girl had brought with her. There was a path that had a few more rocks than the other two on the ground for them to hide behind; while above had ledges if someone wanted to try and get above the beast. Both were dangerous options, but that was what the group had to work with. The path to its right had no rocks below to hide behind instead it came with more ledges above. And the path to the left had a lot of rocks on the ground with nearly straight walls on both sides of them.

The teen suggested the middle would give them more options as far as how to hide and attack. They had to think of as many possible scenarios the group could. Such a feat would likely be easier for Tio and Nir because of their age and what their pasts held. Alyssia would not have the kind of fighting background the pair with her did. So, she would have to listen to the men very closely and carefully in order to help them.

[Tio Silver]

Perhaps he was getting ahead of himself, but Tio really felt like this was going to work.

The location Alyssia suggested, the one that had both rocks to take cover behind and ledges to use to try and mount the Scalvbeast, seemed like an excellent spot of an ambush. Rather than just snapping at it's heels, Nir's entourage of wolves might be able to jump onto its back and harry the beast's wings and head. If they could damage the wings enough they'd be able to prevent it from flying away too. The bear traps spotted about the area would be massively helpful in limiting its movements, and were heavy duty enough to hopefully hold even against the beast's raw strength.

"We'll all do our best to not cause it lasting damage." He said to Nir'wei whilst he and the wolves were setting the trap up, guessing that the Sev'ryn might well be having second thoughts. He knew the guy loved animals, so it would be best to cause his as little stress as possible. "Once it's no longer a threat to anyone then as far as I'm concerned it's all yours."

When the traps were set up he slipped on his weapon of choice for the ambush: his gauntlet Explodibur, and took a position crouched behind one of the nearby rocks. He was wearing his armour again, but this time had left all the rest of his equipment stashed nearby so that there was nothing else to weight him down. The Scalvbeast was too strong for him to take a hit from it, so his best chance was to make use of his agility and Da'riya to keep dodging. The smell of cooking pork grew stronger as the lure gently roasted a few feet away, and for a long time there was nothing but stillness and silence as the group waited for the Scalvbeast to appear. Eventually Tio started to get bored and started daydreaming.

He snapped to attention by the sound of leathery wingbeats in the distance, and Tio peered around the corner to spot the silhouette of the Scalvbeast flying in the distance. He crouched back to the cover of his rock, and felt the earth tremble as the creature came to land.

With beefy footsteps the Scalvbeast stomped over to the lure, giving it a few curious sniffs. The smell of sweet pork was overpowering (the better to mask the scent of humans clinging to the rest of the equipment,) and after deciding that it smelt too good to ignore the beast chomped down on the lure with one huge bite.

The Scalvbeast was a slow eater, taking it's time to chew, and for a while it seemed like the lure wasn't doing anything special. Then bit by bit the speed of the chewing slowed down; not because it was getting tired, but because doing so became increasingly difficult. It tried to spit the meat out, but the food had turned to a mush that stuck to its mouth. The alchemical potion that Tio had made was really nothing more than a super-sticky toffee mix, one that became increasingly sticky as it mixed with saliva, and in no time at all the lure became so sticky that the Scalvbeast couldn't open its mouth at all.

"Now! ATTACK!" Tio cried, surging forward from behind his cover and rushing towards the Scalvbeast's head. Using Explodibur he generated a small, sharp explosion in the air, trying to startle the beast into walking backwards into the bear traps.

[Nir'wei]

Nir'wei combed his fingers through his hair when all was said and done - the camp set, the traps prepared... and he was thinking the exact same thing as Tio, apparently. Vabina took the ledges to the right of the path, while Cold and Myrth prepared themselves on the left. Grey and Squeak remained with Nir'wei as both protective shields should things fall south, and distractions to keep the creature constantly distracted from every angle. All in all, it was a lethal combination, there could be no doubt. These situations were where Nir'wei thrived.

With everything in place, he took his place crouching behind one of the larger rocks alongside Tio and unhooked his bow. "I'm not even sure it'll be possible to cause lasting damage," he admitted honestly. "Even catching it by surprise and using everything here, it's possible that it could break through the traps and shake off the wolves... and charge straight for us." He drew a quiet breath as he pulled one arrow after another from the Storm Quiver and dug them point-first into the soil to keep them within reach. "Never be sure enough in victory to remember the cost of failure." It was a lesson he'd learned the hard way, and one he'd never forget.

Now all that was left to do was wait. Breaks passed. The scent of the meat was making him salivate, even knowing that it was tainted; Squeak and Greyhide vanished more than once in the interim, claiming that their meat was attracting other beasts as well. What happened to them, he didn't bother to inquire, but Grey seemed energised, and the enthusiasm was contagious. Like a low, buzzing hum, it spread through his network until even Archailist and Cyshe were showing symptoms, bouncing on his shoulders and twirling around under his chin in lazy figure-of-eight patterns. "What do you think it really is?" Cyshe asked all of a sudden, breaking the mental silence. "Its neck looked snake-like, but its body was too bulky and awkward, and those wings... it almost looks like someone grabbed a load of animals and just mashed them together until something came out." It was a question he'd been pondering, true enough. What was the Scalvbeast. A whole species of their own, with many others hidden away in the mountains? A one-of-a-kind? An experiment gone wrong, as he'd heard spoken of other creatures in the region? There were many oddities running loose here that needed to be brought to heel and understood. Another reason to capture it alive. To discover more about its families, its hierarchy, its habits and its origins.

Perhaps this wouldn't be the last time they did this together. So they'd better pray that they got it right this time.

The moment of truth arrived with a quiet chirp in his ear. "It's arrived," Archailist whispered, startling Nir'wei back to wakefulness... and the distant, terrifying sound of wingbeats. Pressing his back to the stone and clutching his bow in both hands, he didn't even dare catch his breath as the beats grew louder, almost thunderous, and a final, sudden impact nearly shook him from his spot and announced that the creature's arrival. Over the laboured sound of his own breaths, he could hear it snuffling at Tio's offering with faint interest, followed by the wet chewing of meat sawed from bone. Somehow, the wait for it to finish the meal was even longer than the wait for its arrival. Every slow, satisfied slurp it made brought visions of the noises it would make when it got its jaws on any one of them...

Suddenly, chaos. Nir'wei drew an arrow from the scattering before him, nocked it to his bow, spun out of cover from behind the rock while drawing it back, and loosed in a smooth and fluid motion - trying to strike the creature on its nose and push it even further back into the traps. "Hold!" Vabina and the others stood stock-still up above, waiting... waiting... right up until the first trap was sprung around one of the beast's hind-legs, a sharp jerk and the rattling of metal announcing that the heavy iron shackles were doing their duty in keeping the creature contained. Whether it would survive the full power of the creature's strength wasn't something he felt like learning. "NOW! ANOTHER!" Nir'wei drew another arrow and aimed for the same spot, lightning crackling on the tip as he loosed it to push the creature back another step and hopefully into the second nearby trap, while Grey and Squeak materialised right under its forelegs, snapping and growling.

All a distraction while Vabina launched from above first, raking huge claws down the Scalvbeasts back - immediately followed by Myrth and Cold launching from the other side and scrambling on its back for purchase with their blunt claws and sharp teeth. "JOINTS OF THE LEGS!" He just needed it to rear. Expose its underbelly. Get it to twist and force it onto its side, perhaps. Grey and Squeak around its legs, Cold and Myrth around its wings, and Vabina above them all, pressing down on its spine, eight hundred pounds all by herself - he launched arrow after stunning, lightning-infused arrow around its head to force it backwards inch by inch - and then, only when it had set the second trap, he lined up his shots and turned his aim to its forelegs to buckle them. If his plan succeeded and the thing reared, he was confident that he could sink an arrow into one - perhaps even the bottom of both its giant forepaws, which it hoped were as vulnerable as other mammals - and therefore much more likely to render its forelimbs paralysed under the sharp electric currents of his unique blend of arrows.

[Alyssia]

Alyssia watched very closely as the wolves helped Nir out down the bear traps. They were huge and looked extremely painful. The teen inches closer but made sure to keep her feet away from the strange things. The last thing she wanted was to be on the Scalvbeast’s menu or completely useless in battle against it. Gulping the teen was extremely nervous at the idea of being part of a big battle. She was not trained in using a bow or the two other kinds of weapons the teen had purchased. There was only so long before the beast arrived.

She turned to look at Tio and Nir’wie who seemed to be almost comfortable as they moved around a spoke. It made her nervous to fail in helping, really what could the girl do to help? All Alyssia had to fight with was a whip which would mean close range, two sais which were also close ranger, that left only her with her shortbow. Nir did not want to hurt the beast and apparently neither did Tio. That cut out the teen using her the bow unless absolutely necessary. The Aukari walked forward trying to put the nerves out of her mind.

“Excuse me, what can I do to help? I only have one long ranged weapon, the bow I got. Is there another way that I can help until it is needed? I do not want to hurt it more than necessary. I know I wouldn’t want to be friends with anything that hurt me,” Alyssia asked.

She listened closely and nodded happy to help relay information from the sides were the teen would be safer. That would leave the teen acting as an extra set of eyes while also being able to shoot the beast. Though that idea made her want to throw up some. The creature was only doing what it needed to survive. Were the people of Scalvoris not doing the exact same? Shaking her head, the teen ran and got into position hiding where the beast hopefully would not see her.

As time ticked by, she sighed and moved to where she was sitting down rubbing her legs. They had begun to go numb while crouching behind the rocks. The sound of wings beating lazily in the air caused her heart to clench as her eyes widened. It was time, the beast had arrived. Slowly the girl moved on to her legs and peeked very carefully around the rock. The monster was eating lazily clearly not worried about being attacked by anything. She did not blame it at that size nothing in its right mind would try to harm it.

It was only trills before Nir spun out of hiding that the girl’s mind snapped out of its fog. She watched closely as the trap latched on to one leg first. Wincing at the jerk, Alyssia was surprised to see that the chain held. Though even she could tell it would not hold forever. The group had to move quickly, gasping the girl jerked back as the tail slammed down in front of her beside the rock.

“WATCH FOR THE TAIL!” Alyssia called out and stayed hidden where it could not see her body heat.

[Tio Silver]

When Alyssia asked what she could do to help, Tio nodded towards the bow she was holding. "Aye: pepper the beast's wings with your arrows. The wings shouldn't be as tough as the rest of the hide, and taking away its ability to fly is vital in preventing it from escaping. Put enough holes in them to prevent them from catching the air. Also if any of us take a clean hit and look like we're in immediate danger see if you can't distract it with a few shots to the face. Your aim doesn't need to be great; just enough to grab its notice."

When combat broke out Tio took a brief moment to be impressed by the fact that Nir'wei could apparently coat his arrows with frickin' lightning bolts! Hot damn that was cool! Why was he so worried that they might not have the strength to take the Scalvbeast down when he was bringing lightning bolts and an army of wolves to the party?!

As Nir took shots from afar, Tio charged forward to attack it directly from the front. He didn't exactly dress for subtly and grabbed the beast's attention even with its poor eyesight. It swept one large clawed paw at him, which he ducked and rolled across the dirt to avoid as he came up closer into its guard. Then he slammed his gauntlet hand into the ground and triggered an explosion, rocketing up a cloud of dirt and dust that rained down across its head. It didn't do any damage, but created enough noise and dust to disorient its hearing and smell.

Through the commotion Tio tried to push forward; hoping to get under its head so he could blast it up. However he had perhaps underestimated the Scalvbeast's intelligence. The other paw came soaring out from the same dirt cloud he'd picked up and slammed into him before he had time to properly react. Like a rag-doll being fired from a catapult Tio soared briefly through the air; the force behind the hit too much for him to counter with his floating ability. A second later he hit the ground: rolling with the force to bleed off some of the damage but still a bit worse for wear.

"...- 'm 'lright." He muttered dully and he lumbered back to his feet, swaying slightly from dizziness and pretty bruised but more or less okay.

[Nir'wei]

Alyssia's genuine concern for the well-being of a creature that had already killed - once directly in front of her, as well - brought a slight smile to his lips. "I'm afraid this thing isn't going to come quietly. You can't be afraid to hurt it," he advised in a serious tone as he inched closer, "because I can guarantee you that it won't be afraid to hurt you. Do what Tio said; aim for the wings to ground it, and then go for the face if it targets you to keep it away and distracted." It was solid advice, and he trusted her to stick to it; she'd be a lot more helpful with even the measly bow she sported than that three-inch twig. "Just make sure not to kill it, so you'll be able to apologise to it later." As funny as it might seem to her, he was quite serious; a well-placed arrow in the eye socket could spell disaster for the entire operation, and he'd never seen how good a shot she might be with that thing.

"Also... keep an eye on its movements. I have a lot of eyes but we all have our limits." She nodded in understanding, and he flashed a quick smile. "Excellent."

That advice came in handy much quicker than he would have liked it to. While his draw-and-loose rhythm was practically routine, it still required a steady surface to maintain his aim - a surface promptly shattered by a flailing tail Nir'wei barely managed to avoid by rolling like a dog for a treat. Even from such a distance, the thing had proved time and time again it wasn't to be trifled with - as shown just moments later as he readied his bow and drew another arrow, lining it up... and spotting just out of the corner of his eye, Tio sent flying, head-over-heels through the air and off to the side beyond his range of vision.

Oh no! Anyway.

Tio's distractions couldn't have come at a better time - focusing attention elsewhere and forcing it to lift both its huge paws at the same time. Another arrow, drawn and pulled, lining up with one of those flexing paws for a strike into the vulnerable soft tissue... that suddenly slammed back into the dirt, snapping his window of opportunity shut and leaving the lightning-infused arrow to bury into the fleshy muscle of its lower foreleg instead. There were so many targets it could have chosen; Grey or Squeak still biting and harrying its legs to try and corral it into the next trap, or even the three clinging to its back with claws and teeth. Instead, that thick serpentine head swung back around on itself and fastened beady eyes on Nir'wei at once.

Nir'wei, who'd rolled out of the way of the tail and ended up kneeling in the middle of the open dirt. Oh dear.

"KEEP IT DISTRACTED!" Try as they might, it wouldn't be deterred - lifting a massive foreleg and slamming it into the ground so hard that he swore the ground shuffled beneath his knees like it was trying to awkwardly make for the nearest exit. He might have overestimated the effectiveness of the wolves, no matter how many of them they were, or how large; the thing rolled its shoulders and stretched its muscles until a strangled yelp of Myrth's announced the wolf detaching from her hold and falling from its back, hard.

If it broke free of the restraints, it'd be a major setback. But as it shuffled another step forwards and the wrenching sounds of buckling metal filled his ears, it felt inevitable. Right now, they needed to get back to the second set of traps. "GET TO COVER!" he yelled without looking towards Alyssia as he rolled onto his front and began a frantic sprint towards the other end of the campgrounds. "BE READY TO HIT IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!" One final jerk and the hard SNAP of shredding metal and tearing dirt announced the metal chains breaking free of their earthly binds, followed not a moment later by the surprised barks of Cold and Vabina being hurled from the creature's back as it shook them away and began a single-minded pursuit of Nir'wei.

[Alyssia]

Alyssia nodded when Tio told her to aim for the wings if either of them was in trouble. She watched carefully waiting for her time to strike. The teen notched the arrow and moved into position when Tio was launched into the wall. Pulling back the girl fired towards the open wing nearest to her. There was nothing more for her to do than fire and hide again. It would come towards her no matter what when the arrow landed somewhere on its body. She just hoped that Nir’s wolves would not be hurt in the process.

“HEY OVER HERE!” Alyssia called out.

Her heart sank when the arrow arched and hit the dirt beside the beast’s feet instead of hitting the target. The teen’s head jerked to the side hearing the chain snap meaning the creature was no longer bound in place. She could feel her heart sink when it thew off two of Nir’s wolves. The small group had just lost the only advantage she could see. Someone would have to act as bait for the others to get better attacks on the beast. Taking a deep breath, the teen steadied her nerves and ran under the creature firing shots at the back feet. She did not pull back with her full strength because the task was not to harm the beast. But rather to get its attention.

“Hey! Under here ugly!” Alyssia called out and stayed close to the back legs where it would have a hard time attacking her with the front legs, “I have it distracted! Hurry!”