How did I even get in this situation? Oh right, someone had to fall asleep and fall on me. Is this some kind of gag comic or something? I bet the person who loves stalking me through the system is loving this.
I was well and truly annoyed at this point. Stupid alligator. Stupid water. Stupid towers. I didn't even have the energy left to voice my hatred anymore.
I sensed a tree behind me and the alligator seemed to have a gleam in its eyes as it went for another full out lunge to grasp me in its powerful jaws. However, I used a nearby root to swing out of the way.
My arms felt like lead, but I clenched my teeth and managed to land a few feet away. The alligator fell to the ground and seemed to thrash around for a bit. Its snout made a gurgling noise under the water and it was then I had an idea.
They say that sharks' noses are super sensitive, so I assumed that maybe it was the same for alligators. This monster had smashed head first into the tree.
"Mat! Bash it on the nose!"
He looked at me in disbelief but did as I instructed. The alligator that he was currently battling it out with became stunned for a moment. How could the solution be so simple?
Well, if you could call facing down an alligator who is as tall as your shoulders simple that is. I turned my attention back to my opponent, who had just recovered from its blunder.
I would probably only have one more chance at this as the alligator knew my trick now. It seemed to regard me with suspicion and actively moved away from the tree.
I smiled at the creature and headed back to where I knew the wall was. My feet seemed to want to sink in the mud, but I pushed my calves past their normal limits.
Just as I reached where I knew the edge was, the alligator readied itself for another attack. I gripped my short sword with both hands and waited. My breathing came in short spurts and my body felt heavier than ever before, but this was the only way.
I imagined the alligator spreading a wide smile as it thought I was giving my last effort. I am sure I looked devastatingly exhausted. I was visibly taking in huge amounts of air and mud had made its way to just about every inch of surface on my body.
I felt really gross as well. The alligator readied its legs for another lunge. It seemed to have much more energy than me as it had been using explosive attacks since the beginning. I waited until the very last second and jumped out of the way.
I skidded in the deep mud under my feet, but my arms were already swinging on the long arch towards the monster's eyes. The alligator monster was stunned as it slammed head first into the invisible wall. It was almost too perfect.
There was little resistance from my blade as I penetrated the wide open eyes. For some reason it felt like I was simply passing the blade into a sheath as it was the perfect size to fit in between the scales surrounding its eyes.
The claws on its front legs attempted to cut into me, but this new armor that Dyno had crafted remained intact. Albeit with a long scratch from the monster's claws. I barely registered the screeching noise it made.
Finally, it fell into the semi-deep water. I tugged at my short sword and with some effort I was able to pull it from the dead carcass. I barely registered the light from the drop as I rushed to Mat and Callie's side once more.
Again, my legs threatened to give out on me as I sprinted. I began to wonder what I would do if I could not make it to them. I had given Mat another option to dissuade the alligator from attacking them, but I knew that it would never give up.
These monsters were tenacious in that they pursued their prey whole-heartedly. It was like an unspoken language that we had conversed through our battle. I do not know how to explain it better. It was just a feeling I had.
The adrenaline returned as I witnessed the second battle going on. There were new dents in Mat's new shield. I could almost see the conflict in Dyno's eyes of wanting to scold us for being so reckless or just being glad that the equipment he made held up.
Mat did not see me come up from behind, but Callie did. She almost exclaimed loudly, but I held my finger up to my lips to quiet her. It was better if the alligator monster that was fighting Mat did not realize my presence.
Since Mat was distracting the monster for me, I could get a much more favorable angle. I could almost kiss him for his determination to thoroughly bash the lights out of that thing. It also looked like the alligator had not realized that his friend had already met an untimely demise.
I gritted my teeth and pushed my body once more to run through the mud. I could not fully hide my approach as we were currently standing in a few inches of water, but the battle between Mat and the alligator creature was fortunately very loud.
I timed myself to Mat's movements and went in for the kill. I am pretty sure this is the last of my strength. I hope I don't miss.
As I got closer to the eye in question, the alligator seemed to finally notice my presence and used its clawed leg to deflect my blade. I shouted in exasperation. However, I noticed that the monster was thrashing its head.
Mat had stepped in between the thrashing alligator monster and me to protect me. Red seeped into the water around us. I blinked in surprise. Had I damaged it?
"You nicked its eye. What happened to the other one?"
"It's dead."
"You just need me to bash it enough to stun it right?"
"Yes. Make it a strong one."
"Yes, ma'am."
The blue glow on Mat strengthened, so I assumed that Callie was reapplying her magic to him.
Mat waited until the alligator monster had finished its thrashing and delivered a strong bash to it. It staggered, but seemed aware that we were attempting to hurt it again.
It backed away swiftly and entered deeper water where it would have better movement than us.
"This is a problem."
"We will just have to find a way to convince it to come back here."
I had a thought, but I decided not to inform the other two in order to make it more believable. I had faith that Mat would intervene and so I fell forward, as if my strength had given out.
"Kai!" Both of them screamed my name.
The alligator monster had a gleam in its eye just like the other one when it thought I was cornered. I attempted to get up and fell back down again. Part of it was an act and the other was just that I was so, so tired.
The alligator monster took the bait, completely believing that I was done for. Or maybe it was just confident that it could get to me before the bulky human could save me. Either way, I am pretty sure it wasn't expecting me to immediately leap over its head from a prone position.
I wasn't really sure that I could do it either. I blame my sudden burst of power on the adrenaline. I certainly would not be able to do such things again. The alligator met Mat's shield and the loudest of clangs yet filled my ears.
Just as before, once I was in the air everything seemed to slow and my sword carried a red glow. I twisted in the air and came crashing down on the alligator monster completely skewering the eye socket.
Mat was holding it down with the shield, so its final struggle was no threat to me. I could feel the sword burn its eye and into its skull. Then I was falling, and back into the water I went.
Mat must have fished me out, because I was truly out of strength now. I sputtered out the disgusting green water that had made its way into my mouth.
"Must you always end battles in a flashy and dangerous manner?"
Mat's exhausted face seemed more to do with my actions than him actually being exhausted. I probably should apologize again. However, it didn't seem fair that he would blame me for finishing our objective.
"At least I didn't get mortally injured this time."
"This isn't a joke!"
Callie butted into our conversation and helped Mat drag me to a shallower part of the water. Funnily enough, it was where I had battled the other alligator alone.
"Callie don't waste your magic. I am just out of energy."
"Fine, but what should we do?"
"Since we were already attacked anyway, let's just take turns and rest. I will take the first watch."
"But you can already hardly move!"
"I will be fine. I can still speak at least. Besides, Mat has been carrying you for hours. He needs more rest than me."
Callie closed her mouth at my comment. I could tell she felt really bad about the part she played in furthering the burden on Mat.
"Don't be sad. You already hold a very important position in our party. We wouldn't be able to fight as well without you."
She looked up at me and if my hand wasn't covered in mud, I would have patted her golden locks. She had somehow remained mostly mud free in the last battle. One of the perks of being the rearguard I suppose.
"Still, I wish you knew a spell that would clean this gunk off my armor."
"I will try to learn a suitable spell next time."
"I was just kidding. Focus on healing okay."
Callie puffed out her cheeks and Mat and I both laughed. I hated to tease her when she was being so earnest, but her spirit had relieved some of the exhaustion we were feeling, so I felt it was a good thing.
"Now, lean up against the tree and try to sleep."
Callie nodded and settled into a spot in between Mat and I. Occasionally, one of those bug monsters would show up, but it was simple to knock them down. It was so quiet I began to wonder if those two had been the floor boss or something.