Amidst the Flames

Chapter 2- Dance of the Dead

 With a fierce snarl the dragon flicked its tail, a quick snap in my direction that sent a cone of speeding projectiles spiralling towards me. I barely had time to dive forwards onto the ground before the volley of deadly spines flew right over my head. The sickening sound of my metal blades scraping against the filthy stone floor rang in my ears as I scrambled to regain my footing. My response was hasty and foolish, leaving me in a vulnerable position, and even though it was just for a second, it could've cost me my life.

 I transferred one of the daggers into my throwing hand as the monster narrowed its eyes and slowly swished its tail, as if inviting me to fight back. If it was looking for a skirmish, it would certainly get one.

 In one smooth movement of my wrist, I hurled my weapon at the dragon, aiming for its left eye. With what seemed to be an instinctual reaction, the beast dipped its head between its front legs and folded its tail inwards, curling into a sort of ball. My dagger sailed through the air, but only managed to slice through a handful of the needles before being halted completely by the mass of prickly spines.

 The dragon lunged towards me, and although its legs were think and stubby, it still managed to cover the distance between us at an incredible speed. I rolled to the right just as the dragon pounced, almost colliding head-on with the cave wall as I did so. In the short moment I took to steady myself I heard the heavy thud of the dragon landing where I was but a moment ago. Out of the corner of my eye I saw it attempt a sharp turn in my direction, but its dense form obviously wasn't built for agility, and its chunky legs slid out from underneath it and it tumbled onto the ground. Briefly it sprawled around on its side before hauling itself up with a furious grunt, but not before I caught a glimpse of its weak spot. While at first glance this beast may seem to be covered from head to toe in lethal spikes, its underbelly was defenseless.

 Unleashing another wave of massive barbs, the dragon dashed in my direction. With a quick duck I dodged the barrage of spines and darted out of the dragon's reach. Instead of making the same mistake twice, my adversary used the wall as a sort of springboard, and in an instant the dragon was almost on top of me. It lashed out with its knife-like claws, tearing through my back as if my skin were mere paper. I cried in anguish and flopped onto the floor, my back throbbing as blood oozed out of the gaping wounds and soaked through the tattered remains of my clothes. If I live, that's gonna leave one heck of a scar.

 I rolled onto my back, despite my body screaming in protest. The dragon immediately locked me down under its crushing weight, bearing its jagged, yellowed teeth. I squirmed around like a worm, wriggling desperately until I freed the hand holding the two remaining daggers.

 Just as the vile creature was about to clamp down on my neck, I plunged one of my blades into the dragon's exposed chest. With a enraged howl the dragon reared back in pain, clawing angrily at the dagger as I crawled out of its grasp.

 Extracting the dagger with a single tug from its powerful jaws, the dragon tossed the weapon over to where I'd left Jo standing not all that long ago. The tunnel was completely empty, Jo nowhere to be seen. As the rusted blade clattered and slid across the floor I felt a peculiar rush of relief, despite everything. Jo was as obstinate as an ox and is far from a coward, so I wouldn't have been surprised if she'd stuck around and tried to help. As good as the intentions within her heart may be, she's inexperienced and clumsy- she would only get herself killed.

 With a remorseless roar the dragon released a burning jet of yellow-orange flames. Ignoring the searing pain in my back as best I could, I clambered up off the ground and ran for dear life, keeping my head down to avoid the stream of fire. The tongues of flame dissipated a bit less than a metre away from their firing point- a short range breath weapon compared to most dragons.

 The blast of heat on the back of my neck seemed to make my legs move with impeccable speed; I was sure that this was the fastest that I had ever ran in my entire life. The wooden targets on the walls burst into flames as the beast tracked me with its personal blazing death ray, filling the space with stifling smoke. When some of the heat suddenly faded I almost slowed down. I quickly turned on my heel to face the dragon, but I was moments too late.

 I didn't even realize the dragon had unleashed another volley of spines until I felt a strange piercing sensation in my left leg and hand. A bolt of pain zapped through my body, and although it didn't seem to hurt nearly as much as it should've, I instantly dropped my last dagger and staggered backwards, falling ungracefully on my arse.

 As I tried to drag myself up, my left leg started to go a little numb, but I can't say I was surprised. One of the dragon's spikes was lodged at least four inches deep within my thigh, and judging from the amount of vivid scarlet blood pooling around the wound, it must have hit an artery. My hand was almost as bad, with the spine completely impaling my palm. It had entered through my lower thumb and exited through the back of my wrist, effectively skewering my hand.

 The dragon curled back its lip into an almost sneer snarl before taking a few hasty strides towards me. Despairingly I searched with my foot for the dagger, but I was hyperventilating and becoming dizzy with blood loss, not to mention the uncontrollable shaking. The monster rested one of its grotesque paws on my chest, and with what could've been a sort of satanic delight, it dug in its claws, shredding clothing and skin alike.

 I gasped in pain as blood poured from my chest and rushed down my sides like a crimson fountain, collecting in a sticky lake around my writhing body. Of all the ways to die, I'm going pass lurching in my own blood. At least Jo isn't here to see me die like this.

No, this is not the end. XD. Hopefully I will update soon. Please give me any feedback or constructive criticism you think of that will help improve my work. Also, if you think this is inaccurate from a medical perspective please tell me, my knowledge in this field is somewhat limited to what I can find on Google before impatience takes over. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!