"I think it's angry that we destroyed it's egg," Faylin lowers her voice in a nervous panic. The group readies their weapons.

The spinosaurus bellows a roaring hiss and sprints across the mud lake. Sink holes do nothing against it because of its size. It sloshes against the mud, and it's long snout is open ready for a bite.

"I told you it would be angry. Prepare for a hard battle. We have to kill this beast," Lyrian yells. He summons rock from the ground and launches it at the spinosaur. It shatters along the monster's side but doesn't do much.

Aleena swings her legs up, pulling up in the trees and aims her bow. She fires an arrow. It pierces the spinosaurus and it shrieks. It's eyes turn bloodshot red. Teeth is bare and it growls as saliva droops from its mouth.

The dinosaur is still charging along the mud lake, getting closer. Faylin's heart beats faster, and her body is ready for the adrenaline. Faylin pulls her hammer and runs to the spinosaur, "hey, come to me ugly!" She waves her hammer for a distraction.

Aleena turns and sees Faylin afar at the deep shore of the small land they're on, "Faylin no! Get on the tree, the sink holes aren't doing anything."

Lyrian takes a stance and shines his clawed gauntlets, "I'll make my own sink hole." He digs the claws into the wet dirt with a stab, and cracks form into the ground radiating green.

The spinosaur splashes it's belly into the mud as it struggles to swim. It's feet slides and kicks across the slippery ground under the mud. Mud sprays everywhere trying to escape, and Aleena launches another arrow. It pierces the dinosaur's neck and it rattles another hiss directly at her. It's disorganized teeth are showing as it bares them. The spinosaur climbs with it's deadly claws, breaking free from the fissure, and faster, it's legs kick the mud behind it.

Lyrian radiates his gloves and whirls them around slowly, hardening the mud underneath it. Lowing the spinosaur once more, it's belly hits the tight shore of the islands, trapping it.

"I got it, I'm trying to hold it, keep going!" Lyrian yells out, bursting with green energy.

The beast is petrified but it's neck is still free. Jaws snap at Faylin as she dashes away from the beast. She strikes the hammer at the spinosaur's face, snapping it's head to the side and the creature shrieks.

A single arrow blinds it's left eye, blood spills and the dinosaur hisses in pain and anger. It's neck flails around. Lyrian keeps his stance as sweat pours from his head.

"Flank to the left, it's blind!" Aleena shouts to Faylin.

The dinosaur's jaw is inches from Faylin's face and she rolls under the snout as it is biting down. She swings her hammer at the jaw in an upper throw. Faylin's hammer smashes into it's nose and the dinosaur's mouth opens wide.

The spinosaur's head thrashes and it knocks Faylin back trying to block with her shield. She rolls to the ground and her head hits the tree.

"Faylin, it's up to you, flank to the left. I'm trying to get a view of the neck," Aleena yells again. She shoots an arrow at the dinosaur's neck, and it bounces off the scales, ineffective. She nocks back another arrow and waits for an opening.

Faylin gets to her feet, clutching her head, and runs at the dinosaur's mouth smashing the hammer at it's teeth. The creature's jaw snaps and it screams. She makes another impact into the dinosaur's teeth. But the dinosaur's jaw shuts, and Faylin's feet slide. Her hammer is stuck in its mouth.

"Gods, this thing's strong," Faylin says.

An arrow hits again in it's snout, letting go of the hammer but flinging Faylin over it's head. She lands in a splash of mud, her hammer following.

Lyrian focuses as sweat drips from his face, "Aleena, I can't hold much longer!"

"I'm almost there." Aleena replies, "Fay! Hit the face to the left, I need a neck opening." She pulls back another arrow and focuses at a critical.

Faylin gets to her feet, and runs at the blind eye. Slashing claws are striking her shield, ripping wood. She holds it until finally, it goes for another bite which gives her a striking opportunity at it's jaw once again, "come on you stupid fish!"

The dinosaur hisses and its neck tilts to the side with pain. Aleena let's her arrow go, silencing the hiss with a choke as it lodges deep. Lyrian's hands move, and the ground loosens and the dinosaur falls and moans.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

The monster is still struggling to stay alive, climbing out of the mud but slowly.

Lyrian looks at the two, "guys, I don't know if I can kill this thing, and I can't hold it down. What do we do?" He asks.

"Kill it," Faylin says. She jumps onto to the back of the struggling beast. With a heavy swing of her hammer, she slams the hammer into the spine of the beast, crunching it's vertebrae, and damaging it's large spiny sail.

Aleena fires more arrows at a rapid rate, punching through the neck as it's still open. The creature stops moving barely but breathes slowly. Faylin looks it in its eye as it loses life, almost in relaxed sadness.

Aleena jumps from the tree and hops onto the skull. She can feel it still breathing with her hand at a prayer on his head, "May the gods bring you peace."

Aleena raises her bow and readies the blades on it. With a stab, she slams the blades into it's forehead, and the beast stops.

Aleena's eyes are closed in a prayer, "In the god of life's name, you are now at peace, spinosaur." She pulls her blades and jumps off. She wipes the blood on her clothes. The group breathes in relief, and they all sit.

Lyrian holds his chest as he breathes, "That was a big one." His chest is covered in sweat and his clothes are dirty, and soaked.

"I'm so sorry guys, that was really dumb," Faylin says. She sits and rubs her head from the bruise. "I never knew it was that big."

"It's okay, you did great," Lyrian says to Faylin. "It's gone, that's all that matters."

"We should head back to Mosswick," Aleena says. "We can let the people know, and we can get some money. We have to get that carriage."

"Guys, we should rest, this took a lot of energy," Lyrian is panting out of breath. His mana is drained and he is slumping over, holding his knees.

Aleena points to the distance, "we have another issue."

A creature larger than a castle tower, possessing a neck over forty feet tall and a tail only slightly shorter than it's neck. From a distance, Lyrian takes note of the orange air sacks inflating all along it's neck. It has four legs the size of trees arching it's neck down to eat ferns.

"That's even larger than the spino," Faylin says. Her mouth is dropped in fear and awe.

"Dreadnoughtus," Lyrian finishes looking in his book, and everyone watches the gigantic creature waltz by.

"There's a mage tower nearby, and the creature is just eating plants," Lyrian explains to the two. "It's a herbivore, so it might not attack unless provoked. These things a warriors nonetheless. Slow, but we should be careful."

"Then why is this herbivore not under a berserking spell like the ankylosaur?" Aleena asks.

"I don't know," Lyrian replies, and the three watch the giant creature slowly makes it's way by. "Maybe the mage knows something, but regardless, we should kill it since it's still messing with the environment. Right?"

"Agreed," Aleena replies sternly, and the three watch as the creature strolls along the forest, stomping on vegetation.

"Let's get moving," Aleena says, "the sooner the better." Aleena gets to her feet, and Lyrian and Faylin follow her, with her leading the way.

Aleena looks down at her bow and back at the large beast as they reach the area of the monster. Aleena shakes her head, "we're gonna some new weapons."

Moans of the creature travel through the valley, and crushing of leaves and branches snap at each step of the creature. Pops and the sound of air go straight through it's long tubular neck. But it keeps minding it's own business and reaches for another fern to rip from the ground.

Lyrian smiles and pulls the book from his satchel, "let's see here."

Faylin and Aleena watch behind his shoulder as Lyrian looks through his book.

"This is the dreadnoughtus, the third largest sauropod. It's a gentle giant, yet a warrior among it's kind, a herbivore that feeds on the tallest of trees. It's peaceful unless threatened, and will defend it's young with the strength of a titan. It's legs are as strong as a castle wall, and it's height is taller than the largest building," Lyrian explains. He shuts the book and is ready to get on with the plan despite is lack of energy.

"Okay so it's huge, what's your plan, Fay," Lyrian asks her. Faylin thinks for a second.

"We can use the trees and snipe at it. Aleena, you can shoot at its head from a far, and I can smash it's leg with my hammer, Lyrian, you can keep it's legs trapped in the fissures and use earth magic to hit, it'll be like bringing a tower down from the inside out," she explains.

"Guys, I gotta admit, I can't hold another fissure together," Lyrian is still tired and drained. His movements are slow.

"Lyrian, we need to take this creature down. At least use some kind of petrifying spell," Aleena encourages but Lyrian shakes his head.

Faylin feels a bit of sorrow but she lifts a brow to an old man who has been standing behind them.

"Why hello travelers," an old man's cheerful voice greets them.

"Hello?" Aleena looks behind he back. Faylin and Lyrian look to see an old man with a grey beard. He has a wooden cane in one hand and a book in the other. His eyes show a bit of crazy in them but a cheerful smile shines on his face.

"Are you the mage of the area?" Faylin asks.

"That'd be me. Are you guys okay? You all look like the swamp thing," the man laughs.

"We're okay. We defeated the spinosaurus and now we're going to kill this dreadnoughtus. Is there anything we should know about it?" Aleena asks, folding her arms. Lyrian and Faylin pay their attention to the mage.

"A spiny-what? And you guys are going to do what lookin' like how you are?" The man giggles.

"We're serious. We're gonna kill it, it's hurting the environment," Aleena says, gaining more frustration with a balled fist. The old man shakes his head and chuckles. Lyrian and Faylin are a bit confused as they listen.

"Let me handle it," Faylin walks up to the old man. "Look here, that gigantic creature is called a dreadnoughtus," Faylin points. "And it's a danger-"

The old man lifts a hand to stop her, "his name is Tilbert."

Faylin chokes in laughter and blinks, "what?" She lowers her head and lifts a brow. Lyrian and Aleena look at each other with confusion on their faces.

"His name is Tilbert. He's my companion," he explains. "Come," he gets serious, "I'll show you to my tower."

----------------------------------------

image [https://i.imgur.com/evWIXZB.png]