BOOOOOOOM!
A violent wave of blue energy erupted from the monster's mouth.
Aarav's eyes widened.
The blast was coming straight toward him.
He immediately threw himself to the ground.
WHOOSSHHH!
The blue energy passed above his head, tearing through the trees behind him. The heat brushed against his back, and the force of the blast sent him rolling across the dirt.
BOOOOM!
A distant explosion shook the jungle as several trees collapsed.
Aarav slowly raised his head.
That thing can fire energy blasts?
Before he could stand, Mateo rushed toward him.
"Aarav!"
He grabbed his arm and pulled him up.
"Are you alright?"
Aarav said, "Yeah... I think so."1
Mateo glanced at the enormous crater behind them.
"Then stop lying on the ground and move!"
The monster was already turning toward them.
Its crimson eyes glowed beneath its narrow forehead.
"RUN!"
Both boys rushed in opposite directions as the creature charged. Its enormous claw smashed into the ground between them.
BOOM!
The impact sent dirt flying everywhere.
"EVERYONE, SPREAD OUT!" Abhimanyu shouted.
The group immediately scattered.
They had barely survived the first blast, and now they understood how dangerous their opponent truly was. Their crude wooden and stone spears were almost useless against its thick scales, and they had no bombs or explosives to give them even a small advantage.
They had only their weapons, their observations, and their determination to survive.
"WE NEED TO FIND ITS WEAKNESS!" Abhimanyu shouted.
Javier and Li Wei rushed toward the creature's right side while Samar and Aditya moved toward its left. They waited for the monster to attack before thrusting their spears into the gaps between its scales.
The beast roared.
"It worked!" Javier shouted.
But before they could attack again, its enormous tail swept across the clearing.
WHAM!
Samar and Aditya were thrown several metres away.
"ADITYA, SAMAR!" Aanya screamed.
She started running toward them, but Aarav stopped her.
"Don't! You'll get yourself killed!"
He looked toward the monster, carefully studying its movements.
"Abhimanyu! Its attacks are getting slower!"
Abhimanyu immediately noticed the same thing. The creature was breathing heavily, and the blue light beneath its neck had almost disappeared after the blast.
"It used too much energy!" Aarav shouted. "We need to keep attacking before it recovers!"
"Everyone, keep it moving!" Abhimanyu shouted.
Ravi grabbed his spear and rushed toward the creature's legs.
"Hey, ugly! Over here!"
The monster turned toward him.
Ravi's face went pale.
"Actually, forget I said that!"
He sprinted away as its tongue shot toward him like a spear.
SWOOSH!
The tongue struck a tree, splitting its trunk.
Ravi stumbled behind a fallen log.
"I AM NEVER MAKING FUN OF ANIMALS AGAIN!"
"THEN STOP TALKING AND FIGHT!" Karan shouted.
Karan and Manan began throwing stones at the monster's head while Javier and Li Wei attacked its exposed joints. Their weapons slowly opened small wounds beneath its scales.
The monster roared furiously.
It turned toward Javier, raised its claw, and brought it down with tremendous force.
Javier barely escaped.
"ABHIMANYU! WE CAN HURT IT, BUT WE CAN'T GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO FINISH IT!"
Abhimanyu tightened his grip on his spear.
"Then we make it come to us!"
He quickly directed everyone into position. Some attacked from the front while others moved around its sides, forcing the monster to turn repeatedly. Each time it exposed a vulnerable joint, someone struck.
Slowly, the creature began losing its balance.
Then it suddenly stopped.
Aarav's expression changed.
"Everyone, get away from its mouth!"
Blue light began spreading beneath the monster's scales again.
Its chest expanded.
The air trembled.
"IT'S GATHERING ENERGY!" Aarav shouted.
"TAKE COVER!" Abhimanyu screamed.
The monster opened its mouth, revealing another glowing sphere.
BOOOOOOOM!
The blast tore through the clearing.
Everyone threw themselves aside as the blue energy swept across the ground. A massive tree exploded into fragments, and a wave of heat rushed through the jungle.
When the blast finally disappeared, the monster was breathing even harder.
Aarav stared at it.
It can't keep firing those attacks forever.
He looked toward Abhimanyu.
"We have to exhaust it! Every blast weakens it!"
Abhimanyu nodded.
"Everyone, attack together!"
Samar and Aditya charged toward its legs. Javier and Li Wei attacked from the opposite side, while Ravi and Karan distracted it with stones. The monster struggled to keep track of everyone.
"NOW!" Abhimanyu shouted.
He rushed forward with his spear.
The creature's tongue shot toward him.
Abhimanyu dropped beneath it, rolled across the dirt, and drove his weapon into the exposed joint of its lower leg.
The monster roared and staggered.
Aarav and Mateo seized the opportunity, thrusting their spears beneath the scales along its neck.
CRACK!
One of the protective plates shifted.
The beast screamed in pain.
For a moment, everyone believed they had finally gained the advantage.
Then the monster's crimson eyes turned toward Aanya.
She was standing near Riya and Ravi, watching the battle in terror.
Before anyone could react, the creature charged toward her.
"AANYA, RUN!" Riya screamed.
Aanya turned, but her foot caught on a fallen branch. She fell hard and desperately tried to stand, only to discover that her injured ankle would not support her weight.
The monster was getting closer.
"AANYA!" Ishita shouted, trying to reach her.
Abhimanyu immediately ran toward them, but he was too far away.
Aanya looked up at the approaching beast.
Its enormous jaws opened, revealing rows of blade-like fangs.
She raised her arms in fear.
"Please..."
Suddenly, a strange warmth spread through her chest.
Aanya froze.
A faint light green light began glowing beneath her skin.
"What...?"
She stared at her trembling hands, completely unaware of what was happening.
The monster lunged.
CHOMP!
Its enormous jaws snapped shut around her.
"AANYAAAA!"
Riya's scream echoed throughout the clearing.
Abhimanyu stopped in disbelief.
Aarav stared at the monster, unable to move.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then a faint golden light appeared between the creature's teeth.
The monster suddenly stopped moving.
Its body began trembling violently.
THUM.
The ground shook.
THUM.
The golden light grew brighter, spreading beneath its scales.
The creature desperately tried to open its mouth, but something inside it was forcing its jaws apart.
"What is happening?" Mateo whispered.
Nobody answered.
Suddenly, a brilliant pillar of green-white energy erupted from the monster's mouth.
CRAAAAACK!
The beast screamed as glowing cracks spread across its enormous body. Its claws tore through the ground, and its armoured tail smashed into nearby trees.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A tremendous explosion of green energy swept across the clearing, throwing everyone backward.
For several seconds, the world disappeared inside the blinding light.
When it finally faded, the monster lay motionless in the centre of the clearing.
Its crimson eyes were lifeless.
The creature that had nearly killed them all was dead.
Nobody could believe what they were seeing.
Abhimanyu slowly stood, his eyes fixed on the fallen beast.
"Aanya..."
A faint green glow appeared between the monster's fangs.
Its enormous jaws began opening.
And then, from inside the dead creature, a small glowing hand slowly emerged.