It was dark inside the cave, only a dim reflection of the outside light on the moist walls lending any light at all.

Ai looked to her right, where Jack stood. He held his axes – and his body loosely. Still too, only moving with the sway of an invisible wind. He reminded her of a snake, disguised and waiting to strike. She had been wrong to call him a lizard boy before. He was serpentine.

Feeling the weight of the short sword in her hand, Ai took a step closer. She could feel the goblins eyes on her back from where he waited at the entrance.

Warm air blew over them, smelling faintly of rotting meat.

The Queen didn’t look very Queenly; there was no regal pose and certainly no golden crown. From what Ai could see in the darkness her flesh was pocketed with holes like the one in her jaw, one was so large Ai could almost see the entirety of her rib. They didn’t look like necrosis or wounds, but it was beyond Ai why this creature had evolved in such a way her bones parted her skin.

She was curled up on the ground, a long tail with vicious looking barbs resting over her snout. She didn’t look much like a dragon, the way Ai had pictured. Instead she looked like a giant, scaly dog with wings. And a tail.

Ai didn’t know how well her poison had worked. Worst case scenario, it didn’t actually have any effect at all. Ai refused to think about what consequences that would have.

Ai flapped her hands to get Jacks attention, then pointed at the Queens tail and made a lopping off motion. Jack nodded, and raised his axes.

One moment they were stood next to a sleeping monster, the next a whirlwind of scales. The Queen screamed, long and high, the sound ringing off the walls.

One silver eye fixated on Jack.

They turned, ready to run when she was shoved aside by the Queens snapping head, hitting the wall hard and falling to the ground. It must’ve missed Jack by a hairs breath because she heard the crunch of his footsteps leaving the cave.

He was closely followed by an angry Queen Bean whilst Ai froze, knowing she was dead if she noticed her now. One shift of the Queens bulk against the wall and she would be crushed. A splat on the rock.

The Queen couldn’t stand in the cave, and dragged herself out after Jack, rumbling growls like thunder.

Ai stayed very, very still as she watched her move past, so close she could feel the heat radiating off of her body.

Her hind legs were completely limp, dragging uselessly along the cave floor behind her. It did work.

Ever so slowly, Ai picked up her sword, just as the tail was passing her. It wasn’t severed, but there was a gash. Or, she thought she saw one, it was hard to tell with the Queen blocking all the light.

Ai didn’t really think when she lifted the sword high, then swung it down. Hard.

There was a wet noise as flesh parted from flesh, but Ais sword only made it half way through. She swung again.

This time, the tail fell limply to the ground, twitching.

The Queen roared, sending every hair on Ais tail standing on end. The Queen tried to turn, get a mouthful of her but the cave was narrower towards the entrance and she couldn’t.

Ai looked for other weak spots on the creatures vulnerable flesh. Her heart was pounding, her grip on the sword slick with sweat and her muscles trembling.

It felt good. Ai felt alive.

Bearing her canines in her own snarl, Ai swung her sword at the remaining tail, now half the length it was originally.

The Queen screeched and thrashed from side to side, her hind legs twitching as she tried to get them working and beneath her.

Bracing her arms, Ai pushed the balde hard into one of the Queens many bone holes. Her sword slid off the thigh bone, underneath the scaly skin. Dimly, she realised there was blood on her now. It wasn’t like before with the ghouls. Now she was prepared for it. With a grunt, she twisted the sword inside the Queens body.

The logical part of her said this would cause more bleeding, that it would increase the rate at which the Queen died. The blood thirsty Ai just felt. It wanted to cause pain, the same pain that the ghouls should have felt.

Her sword slid free with a sucking motion as the Queen dragged herself forwards quickly, out of the cave.

Ai flexed her calves, then dashed after her.

She lept on the Queens back, small claws scrabbling to find a grip in her scaly hide.

Another hole was in easy reach, this one revealing a part of spine. Ai stabbed her sword into it, hopefully towards plenty of vital organs.

The Queen rolled, throwing Ai off of her and snapping the sword off inside of her. Out the corner of her eye, Ai saw Jack take the opportunity to swing his axe at the beasts head.

Slightly winded, it took Ai a second to get back to her feet. She was only on them a moment when half a tail swept them out from beneath her.

Ai stared at crimson leaves and blue sky for a moment, blinking away black dots.

Watch the tail.

If the tail had still been barbed, that would’ve been the end of her.

As Ai pushed herself up into sitting position she saw the Queens tail sag to the ground as if attached to weights. Her sword was still inside the Queen. Her sword that had sleeping poison on the blade.

Blood splattered across the ground and trees, making it look like a massacre was taking place. The queen was still furious, and Jack was working her to a frothing state. One of the Queens eyes had been gouged out, leaving weeping blood down her face.

She’s not going to survive this battle. Ai felt triumphant at the thought.

As if the Queen had heard her, she turned to look right at Ai. Any triumph drained from her system, replaced by dread.

The Queens silver eye was furious and hard. If I’m not surviving this battle, neither are you. It seemed to say.

Ais hand was on her knife, legs pushing her backwards as the Queen began to lunge. Jack shouted and then all Ai felt was pain.

Ais knife arm was in its mouth, dagger-like teeth buried into her delicate flesh.

The Queen gave her a one eyed glare and tightened her grip.

Snap!

Ai screamed.

Everything seemed a blur after that. Ai was dizzy, trying to push the Queen away.

Then, somehow, the Queen wasn’t on her anymore.

The goblins voice.

Someone touching her arm.

Agony.

Black.