I peered into the bag as the warrior reached for another blade, stuffing my hand into it and pushing the furball as far down as I could. Crouching down, I gave Ki Grenzer as small of a target as he could possibly have, concealing myself behind the bag like a matador behind a cape.

C’mon Grenzer! You’ve been accurate enough while I was running. How about now?

The knife flew over my head.

“Ki Grenzer!” Barlan shouted, mumbling some Yatten I didn’t grasp as Shella pinned him, seizing the bow triumphantly.

The warrior turned around. Then he got really pissed off.

Shella, sitting on Barlan’s chest with a bow in hand and laughing… well, the whole image was probably not something a professional fighter like himself wanted to tolerate. He forgot about me for a moment, screaming at the two idiots and throwing his fists out to the side like he was about to punch the air.

I looked at the knife next to me.

You know what? This might work better…

I pulled the bagged gorlen over to the cleaver which jutted from the earth, the jagged blade filed to a razor-sharp edge. Grasping the top of the bag in my mouth, and holding the larger side still with my hands, I bobbed my head, using the knife as a saw.

Thankfully, the redfaced warrior was still too mad to notice and was chewing the two fools out as they cringed.

The rope began to fray against the blade.

Just a little more!

I just needed to break one part of it, and the bag would open. And I was almost there.

Just keep yelling at them!

With barely any noise at all, the rope was cut and fell limply from the bag. Two black eyes gazed up at me through the opening, and I gestured with my head, indicating that he needed to leave.

Get busy fleeing, or get busy dying, furball!

The little guy started to climb out of the bag, and I kicked him a little bit to prod him into running.

I turned to look back at the humans.

Thunk!

Another wicked blade landed between my feet, this one longer and thinner, with a sickening bend throughout the weapon like a snake. I turned to the man who’d given up on his squires and was now sprinting towards us. He was almost upon us now.

I bared my teeth, waving my crippled tail around in the air.

I don’t want your toys, Santa! I’ve been a bad dino this year!

“Graaaaaaga!”

Yeah…

FYI, if you’re going to try and make a witty remark in battle—don’t do it as a dinosaur.

“Na!” he shouted, arriving next to me and unslinging his mace. I tried to slap him with my crippled limb, but he bashed it away with the mace.

“Raaaough!” I yelled as a shock ran up my spine, leaving my tail numb.

You’ve been [Stunned]. Your movements and reactions will be 33% slower.

My health dropped to 135. Out of 380. From full health to below half in a single swing.

What!

Pins and needles sprouted throughout my body. He did so much damage!

I guess this what a [Lvl ???] can do!

I jumped to the side before Santa swung again and prepared to run for my life. Then, I noticed the burly man wasn’t focusing on me. He dashed past, and as I turned to see why, I noticed he was following the exact path of the gorlen, who shuffled quickly towards the woods.

But not quickly enough.

I was about to tackle him when a voice shouted from behind me.

“Ki Grenzer!”

It was Barlan. They’d closed the distance to my position now, Shella stopping in place as she looked at me.

“Ter mirel oshinttreu erat?”

“Shella!” Barlan yelled, drawing a standard sword and holding it before me. “Rantaela rete!”

I growled back at him.

Whatever he was saying to her, though, she didn’t react, merely staring at me curiously before repeating, “Ter mirel oshinttreu erat?”

Barlan was breathing heavily, and rolled his eyes.

“Ter sevrin…” he answered, then tilted his head, squinting at me. “Ter sevrin… er… Ter sevrin!”

I didn’t have time for this, turning and sprinting in the other direction, chasing after Santa and the gorlen.

“Eya!” Barlan called out, sheathing his sword to pursue. Shella started running again, but I was leaving them in the dust. It seemed only the warrior was fast enough to keep up with me. Maybe it was their armor. It seemed a bit heavier than Grenzer’s own.

Your [Sprint] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 7.

Oh, or that. That could help.

Miraculously, I caught up to the black-haired menace and jumped.

Your [Leap Strike] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 4.

My talons wrapped around Grenzer’s shoulders, my weight fully pressing against him as I rode him to the ground.

“Agh!” he yelled as his face slammed into the dirt, his hands splaying outwards. “Vir Saravani skar erat!”

He shoved against the ground in a push-up, regaining his bearings, but I was already sprinting away towards the woods, swiftly gaining on the shuffling gorlen.

My spine was still numb, but it didn’t stop the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I reached down to the three-foot furball and grasped his fur in my teeth. He squealed.

Sorry my guy, but you’re going to have to deal with this for a bit!

Grenzer yelled after me as I picked up speed.

A familiar whistle sounded out, but I realized too slowly what it was, jumping out the way too late.

Schlack!

…

What?

The ground rose up to meet me, and pain erupted from my side as the blade that sprouted from it slammed into the ground.

Your health is critical! [27/380]

He’d actually hit me with a knife! I grasped it in my jaws and ripped it out, spitting it to the side. Moaning through the pain, I scooped up the gorlen who’d fallen in a heap underneath me and sprinted into the woods.

I wasn’t going to die today. Not like this.