An enemy attack wouldn't have had as much effect as that sudden event, which left Kowalsk dumbfounded for a few minutes, trying to guess how such a thing could have happened.
"Soldiers, I think it's best to save family surprises for later. We have company, and they're not welcome!" warned the woman, already positioning herself for a quick retreat.
"You'd better not run, miss. You'll be safer with us than fleeing in desperation, making yourself an easy and defenseless target," said Piotr, already preparing to confront the intruder with a punch.
Kowalsk also composed himself, and before he could position himself for a possible fight, he felt a gust of wind on his neck. As he turned around, ready to engage, he was surprised by the dragon that until recently had been struggling to move.
But now it was standing tall, mouth wide open just above his head, ready to snap at him.
"Shh! Quiet! It seems I hear more company," said the woman in a hushed tone.
"This must be madness!" muttered Kowalsk quietly, preparing to punch the dragon, knowing full well it would be futile and any blow he delivered would only irritate it.
Before he could even start his movement to punch the dragon, a seemingly fragile hand grabbed his wrist, simultaneously ordering, "Didn't I say to be quiet?"
Baffled by the woman's curious behavior, Piotr attempted to punch the dragon without warning, but was swiftly stopped by the woman, who showed increasing irritation.
"Are you deaf? I said no, so it's no!" she snapped.
Thunk!
A precise blow knocked her down before anyone in the group could identify the assailant.
"What the...?"
Now it was Piotr's turn to receive a blow that sent him violently into the wall.
Blind to his opponent, believing it was the dragon in front of him and knowing he would be the next to be attacked, Kowalsk wasted no time and delivered a powerful right hook to the dragon's face. To everyone's surprise, he hit the attacker who had already knocked down the others in the group.
Unfortunately, his punch didn't do much, but it did compel the mysterious attacker to reveal themselves fully.
"A giant snake, Piotr! A damn giant snake! Who had the brilliant idea to put such a creature in this lab?"
"I'm glad you liked it, Kowalsk, because here comes another one," yelled Piotr, already preparing to deliver another powerful punch with his cushioned glove to the other giant snake.
"We need to find the lever that seals their compartment or they won't stop coming," said the young woman, searching for the lever.
"Nothing like knowing who we're fighting," said Piotr, as he threw a satisfying right punch to the face of that giant snake.
Thwack!
His punch nearly sank into the creature's face, but it still wasn't enough to deter it from devouring Piotr, who tried to throw another punch with more intensity, but his arm simply refused to move.
Meanwhile, Kowalsk tried to dodge the monstrous beast that was now attacking him relentlessly.
"What kind of bad luck is this? All I was looking for was a way out, not a festival of monstrosity," he complained.
Just as he finished complaining, the snake lunged toward him in a swift strike, but before it could complete its deadly path with Kowalsk as its victim, it was tackled. At the same time, larger fangs than its own pierced its head.
Kowalsk fell with all this action and it only took a few seconds for him to realize that he was no longer in danger of being the giant snake's meal.
In his defense, though limping, was the dragon he had helped, preventing it from being minced by its peers.
That giant snake might have been longer than the dragon, but in strength and ferocity, it was still far from being a match for him.
Because within less than a minute, its head was crushed under the overwhelming pressure of the dragon's jaws, which roared in satisfaction with the outcome of the battle.
Meanwhile, eagerly heading to face the other snake, which was giving the frightened Piotr a hard time.
The dragon advanced fearlessly, and when the snake realized the presence of a more powerful enemy than itself, it attempted to retreat, ignoring Piotr at its side, which was a huge mistake.
Feeling that he could now use his arm to deliver his super punch, Piotr didn't hesitate and aimed right at the snake's face, landing a powerful blow that sank part of his hand into its skull.
Meanwhile, the dragon sank its teeth into its neck in a way that it didn't even have time to struggle, then dropped it to the ground with visible disdain, under the curious gaze of the two soldiers.
"Now what, Kowalsk? Are we going to kill the dragon? I could punch him with this glove you found," suggested Piotr.
"Why not do it now?" asked Kowalsk, already imagining the chase he would give once he recovered from the shock.
"I think I need a minute or maybe two or three to use it again and..."
"What about it, Piotr? Just give that punch and knock that beast down," urged Kowalsk, unsure whether to relax his guard or get into a combat stance.
"You men are really blind to certain things. Can't you see you've just gained an ally?" said the woman, indicating they were being foolish.
"An ally? From a dragon? Since when? Do you think I'm going to accept that?" asked Piotr, indignant and almost forgetting the danger that still seemed to be lurking.
"I don't know about you, but with the chunks of meat it's eating from that giant snake that was killed, I'm going to accept him as an ally. After all, with that appetite, it's better to have him as our ally than our enemy," replied the old soldier, more than relieved.
"Be sure of that, because you're going to need it. And can I ask you something, Mr. Kowalsk?" asked the woman, approaching his face.
"Go ahead. But next time, forget this 'Mr.' talk, just Kowalsk will do," replied Kowalsk, already preparing for the worst.
"How long has it been since you had a tasty meat in your meals?"
"Well, I can't remember anymore. So it means a long time. Why, miss?"
"Because if we take any longer, this dragon is going to eat both snakes. And look how much meat they have."
"Snake meat! Eugh," said the two fighters together, almost vomiting in disgust.