World of Fantasy

Cracked Gem

JANE

Jane gasped in despair as Quill and the monster sank into the earth. "No!" she cried out.

Where had that sinkhole come from?

When the towering, ancient tree had toppled in the past, it had torn some of its roots out of the ground with it and left a large hole behind, and a lattice of broken roots. Over time, soil and leaves and other forest detritus had built up atop the remaining broken-off roots, forming a layer over the hole. Sapphire's rain had weakened that layer. Then the great weight of the moss bear stomping down had broken a section and down the huge animal had gone, with Quill underneath it.

However, the hole created was tight. Just as Sapphire and Quill had become trapped, so too did the moss bear. The sides pressed up against the sides of the monster so that only the curve of its back and its head remained free.

For now.

The moss bear roared in frustration and snapped its huge jaws at the teddy bear knight.

The teddy bear continued to valiantly thrust and swat at the enemy with his wooden sword, dancing about, jabbing at the moss bear's furious brown eyes. This infuriated it even more.

Jane looked at Sapphire, who appeared to be just as shocked as she was. She pointed. "Aim for its head! Use those glowing blue arrows!"

Sapphire looked uncertain. "But Quill!"

"Do it! I'll attack its back. Hurry!"

Sapphire quickly nodded and drew another arrow. It charged up as she aimed, then a shining blue ray shot through the air, and the arrow nailed the moss bear in the face.

It roared but remained helpless. Not for long, though. With its great strength, it would eventually tear itself free.

Jane knew they had to act fast. She circled around the monster's head towards its back. She had to step carefully, testing the ground as she went, lest she, too, become stuck and helpless. It still rained. The soil was wet and soggy and sank under even her weight.

When she reached the edge of the hole, she knew the rotted roots below wouldn't hold her if she tried to get any closer. She wouldn't be able to stand, let alone swing her knife. There was only one place she could go if she wanted to be able to attack freely.

Taking three quick breaths and summoning all her courage, she took a step and jumped onto the beast's back.

The moss bear bellowed and tried to shake her free.

Rain had made the fur slippery. Avoiding the white moss, she grasped a handful of long, brown fur in one hand. With the other, she stabbed the bear as hard as she could, over and over.

Sapphire fired a steady stream of arrows at the beast, a look of determination almost masking her fear.

The teddy bear knight, despite the white stuffing leaking from his belly, seemed to be having the time of his life, darting in and out as he attacked with relative impunity. The black stitching of his mouth smiled almost mockingly at his prey.

Jane fought to hold onto the moving animal's shaggy back as she did her best to hurt it. She knew her attacks were weak. And with her pathetically low Stamina, she had to stop and take frequent breaks, chest heaving as she heaved air into her lungs. But with Sapphire's help, the HP bar whittled down ever so slowly.

Would they be able to do enough damage in time? Or would the moss bear free itself and eat them both? She fretted and tried to think of what she could do.

From her earlier experiences with the wolves, she understood that attacking weak spots made the HP go down faster. For the wolves, it had been real-life vital spots, like the neck or inside the mouth. Maybe it was the same here.