Bird-footed lizard

part 2

As soon as they reached the city, Arc and Chris rushed to Dalene to tell him what they found and what he knew about it.

- Bird-foot lizard, are among the mightiest land predators, but just like any animal, they have their weaknesses. They run two to three time faster than a human but lack stamina, cannot deal well with obstacles and uneven terrains, their scales hide are thick and very resistant to piercing and slashing, but their hollow bones make them comparatively weak to heavy blow from the side. (Dalene)

- Comparatively? To what? (Arc)

- To bones with marrow, mind you, their bones are massive so there's little chance for a human to actually break them. But if you can them to trip or fall, there are higher prospects of fracture. (Dalene)

- So, what tactic should we use? (Chris)

- Poison is out of question unless you hit them in a soft spot, it is very unlikely for an arrow fired from a short bow to penetrate. (Dalene)

- Damn, just as I feared. (Chris)

- From what you said, it's already hurt, and that's a good thing. They are intelligent creatures in normal circumstances but are easily overcome by fury when hurt. (Dalene)

- Easy to lead then. How do you propose we attract him? (Chris)

- Acid or burning gel should do the trick, in normal, although being this near from a water source, it's very likely it'll simply get rid of the gel in the river. (Dalene)

- What are our chances of getting through its hide with a longbow? (Chris)

- High, but you will only have one chance to shoot, do you think it is worth going through the forest with cumbersome bow and arrows for a single shot? (Dalene)

- I don't really feel like leaving my precious longbow behind to run. It was more about once it is out of the forest. (Chris)

- You're two are the baits, there won't be any chance for you to fight... Unless everything turns horribly wrong. (Dalene)

- Classic harassment tactic then? (Chris)

- Yes... But when the beast gets enraged... Well, there is a good reason it's called the hunter-killer, it can be very intelligent when calm, and completely unpredictable when hurt. It's only interested in meat, it would be wiser to attract it with some animal carcasses and engage it from the walls. (Dalene)

Belina, who had been listening from the back for a while without saying anything suddenly speak up.

- Either we kill it soon, or we pack up. What do you think will happen if we suggest dealing with it from behind the walls? Now that the first site is done the citizen are already questioning the need for our presence. Unlike the previous group, we are all strangers and there is no good will toward us. (Belina)

- We've been paid to deal with drake-lings and incoming behemoth while we help them build their defenses. We've got a contract, it's like being paid to catch a cat only to face a tiger. (Dalene)

- People don't care. They'll say "You're behemoth hunter, it's a behemoth, deal with it! That's what we're paying you for". And if we say no, they'll simply get someone else to do it. (Belina)

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

- Then what is this contract for? (Dalene)

- For getting paid. This contract is between us and the mayor anyway. I thought you were old enough to understand that there is no point in expecting rational thinking from a terrified mob.

- So... We all agree it's dumb and suicidal but we're going to do it anyway? (Arc)

- Damn it... (Dalene)

- Aye! (Chris)

- Aye! (Belina)

- And aye by the way! (Arc)

The plan was the usual harassement tactic, one hunter shoots the target and leads the beast through the prepared course, relying on the traps and obstacles to slow it down, or with good luck, kill it. The other hunter follows a parallel path, ready to attract the behemoth attention with its own arrows if he gains too much ground.

Arc was thinking, I don't know who said "no plan survives first contact with the enemy" but he was right. It was only thanks to the tripwire that Chris had survived this long because the bloody monster was running through everything else like it wasn't there. The deadfall and tension trap only made it madder and Arc had already gone through all of its flasks, including the fire gel one with the damn thing giving him a single look.

Arc understood full well how deserved its title of hunter-killer was no, it was clear to him that if they had confronted the beast on a plain they'd both be dead by now.

The prey was running and It was running after it, that's was all there was, the chase. Soon, It would catch up, eat, deal with the pain, then eat the other one. It was too hungry to think about all those obstacles that got in its way, they only served to make It hungrier and angrier.

Chris was running, she had no time to look behind, all her concentration was on finding the optimal path and activating whatever trap she could without slowing. From the noise, she could get a good sense of the distance and it wasn't good, despite everything, it was still gaining ground on her... How much was left till the Cheval de frise? Two hundred steps? What was this idiot doing? Why...

No! She had to concentrate, the only thing she could do was running.

Belina could already hear the beast coming.

- Get ready!

The militia-men, Dalene and Belina started adjusting the sight of the long-range ballistas. Here she is, Chris comes out of the forest and pass between the Frisian horses followed a few seconds later by the giant beast who ram into the stakes. It is bleeding, but nothing fatal, despite its rage, it seems like it managed to slow itself down.

Furious the behemoth bite into the Cheval de frise and try to throw it away, but the first rank is heavily weighted, to prevent just that. Furious It looks around and finds another prey, but this one is also behind those annoying pointy sticks. Suspiciously, there's only one path, and if it had been in any another occasion, the beast would have listened to its instinct.

But right now, It was hungry, It was tired, It was in pain and there were many preys right before It.

The beast gets on the path.

- Fire at will.

The bolt flies in parallel toward their intended target but it crouches and falls, barely escaping its doom. It gets up again, slightly confused by the shock.

- To the disk throwers.

The disks fly much lower, normally being targeted at smaller target or groups. Belina hopes to cut its leg or at least some sinew, but once again, the behemoth avoids the attack by ramming itself in the spikes. The net won't do for an animal this size, and the is little chance the giant bolas will work after this display but she orders it anyway.

- Bolas launcher.

Indeed, the beast dodges it in the very same way it avoided the previous attack, only taking some blunt damage to its side and head.

Now, the bird-foot lizard is bleeding from both side and walking rather than running, but it is still coming for them.

- Get uphill, wait for orders.

There is no time to reload, the only defenses left are the small ballistas uphill and the trap pit. Both vanguards are already traversing the planks over the pit and running for their weapons.

Chris takes a longbow, while Arc chooses a halberd. The beast right behind them walk on the cover and fall, everything could have ended now if they had put spikes or stakes in the hole, but the worker had refused, fearing for their lives, not without any good reason because falls had occurred during construction.

Once again, the behemoth shows incredible reflexes and good thinking, shifting its weight to fall on its side, saving its legs in the process, but it is not enough to save its life, soon after an arrow pierce through its left eye and a blade cut deep into its neck. While the monster tries to focus its remaining eye on its attacker, its life is suddenly ended by a bolt through its neck. Thus end a mighty beast, driven out ou its territory by preys only to die at the hands of even smaller and defenseless preys.