First things first, I had to pay attention to where I was stepping. The ground was soft sand, but it was littered with hazards, small stones, dead wood, and the occasional sparkle that may or may not have been an exposed gemstone. Those things weren’t just tripping hazards either, if I landed on one wrong, then my feet would crack, maybe even break off entirely. Another reason why I wanted boots so badly.

I still had next to no experience running, but I was quickly realizing just how long my legs were. I didn’t have many good comparisons, especially with all these short ponies around, but if I had to guess, I was quite a bit taller than I was the last time I was able to run. My final height from before was a different matter, but with these larger strides I could gain much more speed and maintain it.

The dragon, was faster.

Its thundering footsteps sounded out as it practically galloped towards me, seemingly uncaring towards the world around it. I was booking it towards a couple of trees and large rocks on the other side of the clearing, but at our current pace, I wasn’t going to make it.

Wasn’t it that you were supposed to run away in a zig-zag pattern when being chased by a crocodile? Did that also apply to alligators? What about dragons? Or was it a hippo you were supposed to do that with?

Whatever the case, the dragon was gaining on me, and I had to do something about it.

So I changed direction, digging my heels into the sand and turning to the left to run again.

I was right, the dragon careened past, completely overshooting the turn and skidding to a halt a fair distance away. It took a few seconds to right itself, before continuing its chase after me. This would work, if I could keep juking this dragon, then I could stay out of its reach until the mercenaries were done with theirs.

Unfortunately, the dragon was wisening up to my moves all too quickly, as it started to anticipate my turns. As a result, it couldn’t follow me at full speed, meaning it wasn’t catching up to me as much, but I wouldn’t be escaping it anytime soon.

To be big, tough, strong, and smart? How was that fair? It seemed like this dragon could even understand speech to an extent, but I don’t think talking to it would make it want to eat me any less.

Still, thanks to my efforts, I was able to make it to the edge of the clearing without getting chomped, and I quickly slipped into the gaps between some boulders. I couldn’t fight the dragon on equal footing, but if I forced it into a disadvantageous area, I might be able to get in a few strikes.

Not that I was hoping to, my main focus right now was to simply get away, and with the dragon slowing down as it neared the edge, I was able to put even more distance between us.

Only for it to literally push a boulder out of the way, then tip a tree over like it was nothing.

Right, this thing was a tank, not much was going to stop it.

I continued weaving my way through the larger obstacles, with the dragon gaining surprisingly quickly. Nothing was going to get between it and me, what a pleasant thought. I ducked behind an exceptionally large rock, one that was just a bit larger than the dragon. It slammed into it a moment later, but it didn’t budge, so instead it started trailing around the side. At the same time, I moved away, and we ended up playing a little game of ring around the rosie.

Every time the dragon got near, I would just move further around the rock, and when it tried to turn around and catch me, I would just turn the other way. This continued for a lot longer than I expected, but not as long as I hoped, as the dragon quickly got fed up with the situation and flared its wings, jumping up on top of the boulder a moment later.

I then took off running in the opposite direction, just barely missing its jaws as they snapped down near my head.

With the boulder clear, we were now no longer in the clearing, and the edge of the forest was quickly coming into view, with Sir Manuscript’s carriage lying at the forefront. I immediately turned to begin running in that direction, only to stumble as a tremor shook the ground. The dragon had jumped down from the boulder, and was approaching rapidly.

I quickly picked myself up to begin running again, only to find I wasn’t moving whatsoever, my feet were scraping uselessly against the sand. They then left the ground entirely, and it took me a moment to realize that the dragon had snagged a claw underneath my belt, and was now lifting me up.

The whole world flipped as I immediately turned upside down, and I instinctively covered my crotch. I don’t know if it was to grab my belt, or for some other reason, but my hand still went down… or rather, up there as the dragon pulled me close, breathing hot air across my body.

Since it had hooked my belt from the back, and I flipped upside down, its claw was quite literally cupping my entire undercarriage.

Haven’t I seen this before? Wasn’t there something you were supposed to say in a moment like this?

“Ecchi!” I struggled in the air.

It didn’t give me any leeway. My belt was taut against my hips, and the dragon’s claw was curled more than halfway around it. I couldn’t slip it off, and I couldn’t get it unhooked either.

I did have my knife though, and the belt was made of some pretty old leather. I hastily began sawing at it with my knife, but when the dragon opened its maw and pulled me even closer, I realized I wouldn’t have enough time. I had to stop it somehow, but a few prods from my knife around its arm didn’t do anything. I didn’t have a way to hurt it, nor was I going to put my hand anywhere near its mouth.

We made eye contact for a moment, and I gasped out, leaning backwards before swinging forwards. Reaching up as high as I could, I tried to plunge my knife into the dragon’s eye.

It was not a clean stab, I missed initially, the tip of my knife scraping against the surrounding scales before sinking into the eye. It didn’t go very far in either, and with my erratic movements, my knife wiggled around a bunch, tearing up the outer layer. I finished off with a weak thrust forward, pushing my knife another inch or so further as I let go of it.

Would it blind the dragon? I don’t know, but it still reeled back with a roar, stomping its foot down.

The one I was still dangling from.

My belt finally snapped as I was violently swung to the side, sending me flying through the air. It might have been the most time I’ve spent airborne since coming here, maybe being beaten by my fall from the cliff. As such, I landed with quite a bit of force, my frantic flailing doing little to change my orientation.

With more horizontal velocity than vertical, I hit the ground in a skid, entering an overly long roll before slowing to a stop. I was once again thankful to land in the soft sand, though with our proximity to the forest, there were more and more hazards littering the ground. They were just tripping hazards this time, as a piece of rotted wood wasn’t really hard enough to break me. Still though, with enough force, I could still crack, something I really felt when I plowed through a few branches.

With another thank you to my plant cushion, I scrambled to my feet and looked back at the dragon. It was clawing frantically at its eye, trying to dislodge my knife from it. A fair amount of blood was dripping down its face, and with the angle my knife was at, it couldn’t close its eye fully either. It wasn’t making very much progress, I think my knife was too deep to simply brush it away, but actually picking it out with giant claws was a task in itself.

The dragon let out a low growl, smoke billowing from its nostrils as it repeatedly smacked itself on the side of the head. Nothing was dislodging my knife, and as its eye twitched, it finally shut, twisting my knife in the wound. The dragon roared, before planting both front feet on the ground and glaring at me with its one good eye. It stomped forward, sparks practically shooting out of its mouth as it snarled.

Uh oh. I made it mad.

I took a single step back, and my arm fell off.

…

There was a moment of silence, and we both looked at it. I think I even heard a noise of exclamation from Sir Manuscript all the way behind me.

The dragon glanced between me and my arm for a moment, before lunging forward.

“Not again!” I shouted,

Digging my foot in the sand, I wedged it underneath my arm and kicked it up, just barely catching it between my two stumps. I then did the same thing I’ve done so many times before.

I turned and ran, each step bringing me closer to Sir Manuscript’s group. The dragon followed my every move, its heavy footsteps shaking the whole area. It started gaining alarmingly quickly, and even after employing my previous tactic, I couldn’t stop it from getting close.

It was hardly following my movements now, but I wasn’t running as fast as I was. I never realized how much you needed your arms to run; the counterweight really helped with balance. It also didn’t help that I was hugging my severed arm, trying to prevent it from slipping from my grasp, which mainly entailed holding it tightly and at an odd angle.

This all meant that I was moving more at a jog than a full sprint, and the dragon was much faster than I was. A quick look back showed it was hot on my tail, and getting closer every second. A look forward, and we were only halfway to Sir Manuscript’s carriage.

I wasn’t going to make it.

Not while carrying my arm anyway.

If I didn’t have it, I could probably keep away from the rampaging dragon as long as my legs held out. I couldn’t just ditch it though, the dragon had acknowledged it, it would probably snap it up before I even had a chance to run away after dropping it. There was also the fact that it was my arm, I’d already lost one to this guy, I wasn’t going to lose another. Even if there was the prospect of getting a prosthetic in the future, not having any arms at all in the meantime was something I couldn’t accept, and I’m sure the mercenaries wouldn’t appreciate it that much either.

Then there were the memories. I wasn’t letting go of what made me me.

That was why I was running towards Sir Manuscript’s group. It wasn’t about some petty revenge or careful navigation of politics anymore, I just needed a safe place to keep my arm, and this was the only place nearby that would work. Even if it meant Sir Manuscript might find out more about me.

The soldiers Sir Manuscript hired were scrambling into position as I approached, forming a defensive line around the cart. There were ten of them, each about equally equipped, but they did not look ready to fight a dragon. Compared to the mercenaries, they looked like they would struggle just to drive one off, and even then with some casualties.

Let’s hope the dragon doesn’t realize that, and goes for the larger prize instead, me.

I felt a claw slam down just inches from my heel, and I desperately tried to pick up the pace. Little by little, my arm started to slip out of my grasp, and I wrenched it upwards to try and keep it secure. It was now or never.

I turned, letting the dragon shoot past once more as I dug my heels into the ground. I used my momentum to start spinning, before launching my arm over the dragon. It just barely cleared it, landing a few feet behind it in a cloud of dust. Thankfully, it kept its attention on me, either not not caring, or not noticing the much easier hunk of crystal nearby.

I started running again, only to immediately step on a rock.

A crack shot up my leg, and though it didn’t break, I felt something shift. I was done running.

I looked back up at the dragon with wide eyes, and took a few steps back. It growled, smoke spewing out of its mouth, and I rushed to cover my face with my stumps. A moment later a wave of fire washed over me, along with the blazing feeling of…

Being slightly warm.

I was fireproof after all.

It took a few seconds for the flames to disperse, but when they did, the dragon was already approaching me. I almost expected it to sit there, dumbfounded, but it knew that I was made of crystal. Most crystals don’t burn.

My plant disguise on the other hand, was charred to a crisp, leaving behind a flaky layer of ash and soot. I really didn’t want to get any closer to Sir Manuscript in this state, but at least I was still covered. I looked behind the dragon to see the soldiers frozen in shock, with Sir Manuscript in the back, jaw all the way dropped.

At least that was another smug look wiped off his face.

The dragon raised a claw, and I lowered my stance. I couldn’t run, so I had to dodge, but dodging giant, sweeping strikes was going to be an issue. Now I was really glad I got to experience fighting Maul before this.

The first attack came, and I stepped to the side. The claw slammed into the ground, sand spraying in every direction. I stumbled a bit, then prepared for the next claw as the dragon pressed forward.

It was a wide sweep, not just low or high, but all encompassing. I had no choice but to leap back, making sure to favor my good leg. I probably could’ve slipped below it, but that would’ve required I lay down on the ground. I had to stay on my feet, because without arms, I couldn’t get back up very easily.

I ducked underneath a follow-up bite, wobbling slightly as I fought for balance, then stumbled further back as the dragon continued to attack relentlessly.

This was so much worse than Maul! At least Maul had to pause between swings, throwing around that much weight was going to leave you slow. For a dragon however, that was just everyday movement, meaning it could swing at me again and again and again.

I couldn’t keep up, and with the sheer force of the impacts, I had trouble staying on my feet as well. I felt some cracks worsen, with completely new ones forming along my other leg. If this kept up, then it would only be a matter of time before I crumbled under my own weight. But I couldn’t get away, and I couldn’t fight back.

Looking behind the dragon again, I could see that a single soldier had snuck up to recover my arm, but the others remained steadfast in their positions. A quick look back revealed nothing else of interest, none of the mercenaries were nearby either.

I was alone as well.

Oh…

Another downwards strike, and I staggered, tripping over a branch in the sand. I landed hard on my back, the dragon immediately pouncing over me, effectively pinning me to the ground.

I was in serious danger right now.

With a coarse growl, the dragon lowered its head, putting its snout just inches away from my body. A bit of blood dripped down from its eye, and my knife was tantalizingly close, just begging to be pulled out.

If only I had a way to do so.

Now would be an excellent time to be saved by some unseen hero, but I guess that really was a once in a lifetime thing, and I had already used that up in a much similar scenario before.

It occurred to me that I wasn’t invincible. Actually no, I already knew that. I’m sure everyone thinks that way at some point in their lives, only to get humbled by some event, either big or small. I already knew I was weak, even before becoming a brittle crystal. When my body started to wither, I learned really quickly that I could get hurt just trying to get out of bed. And then that injury would remain, taking weeks, if not months to fully heal, no matter how minor it may have been.

Being here was no different. I could crack or break from a slight touch, and while it probably wasn’t as lasting as it once was, it was still a problem. I wasn’t invincible.

I was unkillable.

As long as I had all the pieces, I could be put back together. Even separated, they were still me, and still very much alive.

Just because I was unkillable though, didn’t mean I couldn’t be outright destroyed. That was something a dragon was very much capable of doing. And now I had one that was absolutely furious bearing down on me.

…

This could be it. This could be all she wrote…

I can’t believe I only got to spend a little over a week in this world, and I can’t believe I lost it all by doing something stupid, like trying to knife fight a dragon.

Still though, it was one of the best weeks of my life, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

…

Wait no, there were tons of things I would’ve changed about this.

I may have solved the forest issue, but I never got my reward.

I named a Breezie, and while we already talked about it, I would be leaving them forever, just in a different sense.

This was my first real job as a mercenary, I wonder how well I did?

I won’t be able to repay the mercenaries for saving my life, and for causing them all that trouble.

I never got to know them all that well, it seemed so fun to be a part of a group like that.

I’ll never be able to help Fletch with her issues.

I never got to experience this world to the fullest.

…

I’m sorry.

…

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, only half-watching the dragon as it opened its maw, ready to take a bite.

I wonder if I’ll get to do something like this again? I already reincarnated once, does that sort of thing happen again?

To Be Continued…

Author's Note

In your case, it does not...

Yes, these dragons have about the same intelligence as the ones in the show.

The "Ecchi" comment is also a reference to the anime.