The Bitterweeds mouth had closed behind me, shutting out all the light from the outside. Its sharp-bladed teeth had nicked me, but I couldn't feel any pain from the wound on my leg, just the heat of blood slowly running down to my ankle.
The air around me was burning, but I went so far as to think it was a nice change from the hypothermia I faced outside. The monster’s acidic saliva melted into my skin, but I was so used to pain it didn't even get a reaction out of me. Instead, I felt at peace. ‘I'm seriously deranged… aren't I.’
I heard the muffled screams of my father from outside but I couldn't see anything. Since it was pitch black anyway, I closed my eyes to try and help protect them. ‘I thought I said I wasn’t going to kill myself, then I go and do this? I'm not just deranged, I'm demented too. Well… at any rate, I guess I should try to finish my plan.’
I had been feeling around the monster's mouth with my hands and once I laid them on the rocky texture that contrasted the mucus-covered flesh I knew I found the magic stone that acted as its heart. I grabbed it with both hands and pulled as hard as I could. As I did, the beast gagged and jerked back and forth violently.
My hands stung as I held on tight to the stone so that I wouldn't slide into its stomach. All of my muscles were stiff, and the effects of the cold were still very much real. I began to slip, little by little. In a last-ditch effort, I pulled again, this time using my legs to push against it and wrapping my arms around it, clasping my hands. Slowly but surely I heard it start to tear, which only made it reel even more.
In the end, its own violent shaking with my weight on the stone caused it to tear free. A loud pop echoed through the air. I opened my eyes as I began to feel the sensation of falling, and I could see all of the muscles around me contract as the monster spit me out, violently vomiting all over the muddy field where it had torn up the grass.
The monster fell completely limp as I hit the ground with a thud, still holding onto the stone. Every muscle in my body was tense as I held on for dear life. I lay curled up on the ground, wrapped around the stone. The hot acid burned on my skin as the cold wind blew through the air causing me to continue to shiver. The monster's insides were a clear mucus, but I was still disgusted as I tried wiping it from my eyes and face with one hand, refusing to let go of the stone.
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I knew the beast was dead. There was no question. I had never heard of an undead bitterweed, and even if they were real, I was holding its heart. The idea of it being able to move was out of what I considered the realm of possibility. Even taking all of that into consideration though, I couldn't bring myself to let go of the stone.
I heard my father yelling, but it still sounded muffled, even though I was right next to him. He ran towards me and picked me up in his arms. Squeezing me tightly to his chest. He held my head so close I could feel his heartbeat through his shirt. I was still so cold and numb, drenched in some combination of rainwater, mud, and plant acid, but I was alive. All of the tension from my body left at once and I let the magic crystal fall to the ground.
I tried to speak, but without anything keeping me going anymore, it came out as soft mumbling. “Ha… W-wait till M-mara hears about this…” I muttered, trying not to let my voice shake and crack as I shivered.
It was so strange. I was in pain and had just done something exceedingly gross, but I was also happy. For the first time I could remember I was genuinely happy. At least, that's what I thought the feeling I was experiencing was, the truth was that I wasn't even sure.
It didn't matter what I was feeling, the fact was that I had an idea, a plan; I was able to act on that plan and make it work. It was the first successful thing I had done in 14 years, and that felt good.
My father said something to me sternly but I couldn't understand it. It just blurred together in my mind with the rest of the muffled words. My head pounded and I began to feel warm as chills ran through my body. I raised my hand to my face again as my eyes began to sting worse and worse, but I was too exhausted, and I couldn't feel or move my hands very well. ‘It burns…’
He dropped his ax and tried to wipe away some of the goop with his coarse leather glove, noticing what was wrong. I felt it scratch against my skin as the smell of worn metal carried over from his ax handle. It was all only making it worse. I tried to swat his hand away, but I was so weak that I barely managed to lift it up, gently resting it against his. He gently took my hand in his own as he carried me with the other. His hand was so large it made me feel like a toddler again.
I felt the ground rumble as the sound of hooves slamming into it echoed through the air like a low-pitched drum and surrounded us. My father paused. It was almost as if time stopped again as he looked up at one of the guards that was on horseback.
The sun broke through the clouds and its warm light bounced off his face. He looked down at me and paused again. I could see the sunlight glinting off his orange hair making it a shade brighter down to its dark roots. Even though I was the one who killed the monster, I couldn't help the warm feeling inside of me from telling me he was my hero. Without realizing it I was still holding his hand, not wanting to let go.
My father gently placed his hand over my head while he spoke to the guards. If he were to make a fist it would have been as large as my skull, and strong enough to crush it. Still, I felt safe. I knew that everything was over and that one way or another, I was going to be alright.