Almost is never enough.

The silence lingered in the arena as I pulled out the first weapon from Bakunawa's body.

I took a quick glance at everyone and noticed that they were all speechless; their mouths and eyes widened, staring dumbfounded at me. I turned at the gladiator woman and saw her just as confused and bewildered as everyone. 

For a short moment, I fell in a trance as I stared back at everyone in the arena. 'Shit, I probably look crazy to them,' I thought in my head. 

[Stop gawking mortal, keep going before they come to realise our plan!] Bakunawa reprimanded me in my mind, hissing at me.

"Right," I mumbled as I kept going. 

'Well, there's no turning back now,' I commented in my mind as I gulped nervously.

I tossed the weapon on my hand to the side, then I went on to the next one. I grabbed the weapon, pulled it out, threw it to the side then on to the next one.

"Stop! What are you doing!"

"Don't pull it out, stupid thief!"

"She's crazy!"

"What an insane person!"

I heard some people yelling in the crowd, staring at me in fright and perplexity, then they started bombarding me with rocks again in the arena. 

My heart drums anxiously as I feel like the crowd is slowly starting to realise what I was doing. Of course, I didn't listen to any of their bashing comments as I kept myself going.

Moving my feet and hand fast, limping as I ran and pulling out each weapon while I'm at it. However, there's about twenty or more weapons that are still stuck on Bakunawa's body, and I fear that I might not even have enough time to pull them all off. 

'Hopefully, no one would stop me,' I prayed wishfully.

I did this a few more times, taking advantage of the crowd who was still confused watching me doing a shit-show in front of them. As I pulled out each weapon, I kept glancing at the gladiator woman. She seems to be baffled with what I'm doing. 

'Good, I hope she continues to be puzzled,' I thought to myself as I continued. 

"Archers, to your position! Draw out your bows and aim at the moron in the arena!" The gladiator woman suddenly ordered, pointing at me.

Hearing that, the small hairs of my skin stood up, sending goosebumps all over me, feeling scared shitless of what's going to happen. 

The armoured men and women then came out on the first floor of the audience seat with bows and arrows, pointing in my direction. 

My eyes widened at this as I gulped, feeling my accelerating heartbeat. 

[Do not fret mortal, I got your back so just keep going and pay them no mind.] Bakunawa said in my head. 

My brows creased as I became a little skeptical, but I have no choice but to risk it and continue. Since I'm already at this point, I can't just stop suddenly and give up. 

At that, I went to the next steel, limping with my left leg being dragged on the arena, feeling the burning sun cooking me under its rays of light. I felt my own sweat sliding at the side of my face and at my back, feeling my anxious churning stomach, telling me that I'm doomed. 

"Ready your bows and take aim," the gladiator woman ordered. 

My brows pulled up together hearing the gladiator woman, however, despite hearing the loud orders of the gladiator woman, I continued to pull out another sharp blade.

[Keep going mortal, I'll handle it, so don't worry.] Bakunawa said in my head.

I nodded as I continued. Well, I don't have any other choice now, do I? So I can only continue, hoping in my heart it would all go according to plan. What is the plan?

Simple and easy. Just pull out the weapon. 

If that doesn't work?

Then I'm doomed. 

I bit my lower lip as I realised how delicate this situation I'm in, taking deep breaths as my sweat grew colder and colder by the second.

"If you don't stop with this silly prank, then I'll have no choice but to order my soldiers to hit you!" The gladiator said in a warning tone.

Prank? My brows knitted together in puzzlement, hearing this. The gladiator woman is probably still thinking I wasn't serious with what I'm doing.

'Well then, let's continue with this prank,' I thought to myself as I kept myself going with this prank. 

Anyway, I'm already at this point, so I can't stop now. Who knows what will happen if I give up now. No, I don't want to think about it, so I'm gonna continue even if I feel scared in my heart. 

"I'll count to three, if you still continue with this farce, I'll order my soldiers to shoot their arrows at you," the gladiator woman said warningly.

I gulp feeling my anxious beating heart.

"In the count of three, two…one."

'Oh ghad, someone save me.'

[Mortal, don't listen to that old hag. Just keep going.] Bakunawa said again in my head.

With a deep sigh, I pulled out another steel. 

"Shoot!" The gladiator yelled, and I felt my heart skip a beat as I held my breath, seeing the archers loose the strings on their bows releasing the sharp objects in my direction. 

I bent my knees, crouching my body together, raising both of my hands to shield me, covering my head and my heart, waiting for the arrows to come pierce me.

I waited and waited but nothing happened. I looked up and saw the deep blue scale of Bakunawa shielding me. 

[Mortal, I said keep going. Stop cowering in fear and continue, so we can escape!] Bakunawa scolded me in my head.

I swallowed as I felt my heart still beating fast in my chest. "I need to hurry," I said to myself like a reminder as I stood up straight and continued to pull the next weapon.

"Captain Jabez, go down there! Stop and detain her! She's pulling out the seals on Bakunawa's body!"

As I pulled out another weapon, I suddenly heard the gladiator woman order in a loud angry and urgent voice. 

"Bloody shit," I mumbled as I saw the gladiator woman glaring at me as she ordered the silver haired man Jabez. 

"Aye general!" Jabez replied as he went and left Pula on top of the railing in the balcony, then a loud sound of the trumpet horn echoed.

Hearing the angry voice of the gladiator woman, I held my breath as I pulled out another sharp blade, feeling my heart hammering in my chest as I became more frightened. 

Based on how infuriated the gladiator woman looks, it seems that I'm doomed if I fail to pull out all the weapons. My stomach churn as I feel anxiety crawling within my heart.

The crowd threw all sorts of things, flying inside the arena, yelling at me to stop. I turned a deaf ear as I continued hurriedly. Why would I listen to them, when they don't listen to me, right?

There's no time to pay extra attention to irrelevant things. This is a battle against time, and I need to pull out every weapon in Bakunawa's body before somebody comes to stop me. 

Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet shook as the metal door slowly opened. 

[Mortal, you need to hurry, the despicable humans are coming!] Bakunawa said in my head urgently.

'Shit,' I cursed in my head as I counted the rest of the weapons on Bakunawa's body, concluding that there's still thirteen more left that need to be pulled out. 

I took a deep sigh as I went to the next one, and I saw on my peripheral vision that some armoured men and women already came in, running as they surrounded me and bakunawa in the middle of the arena. One of them was the silver haired man Jabez with a crossbow in his hand. 

I swallowed anxiously as I stood closer to the next sword. There's only about thirteen weapons left that need to be pulled out. 

"Stand up straight, turn around, and put your hands behind your back!" Jabez ordered threateningly; he slowly approached me pointing the crossbow in my direction. 

I bit my lower lip as I repeatedly said in my heart that there's only thirteen weapons left. 

'Only thirteen weapons left, and I can finally get out of this place!' I said in my head as I moved my hand, grabbing the hilt of the sword next to me. 

In my peripheral vision, Jabez clicked his weapon, shooting as the arrow got released from the crossbow. 

My eyes widened in alarm as I quickly jumped with my right leg dodging to the side, and the pointed tool ended up hitting the ground. But Jabez didn't stop; he kept shooting as he went on and on, but all those sharp wooden objects only hit the ground. 

Seeing how all the arrows hit nothing, Jabez clicked his tongue staring at me with narrowed glaring eyes. He threw the crossbow to the soldier beside him, which the soldier received clumsily. 

After that, Jabez pulled out his sword from resting on his scabbard as he threatened and said, "I said put yer hands, *aaahhhh!*"

Suddenly, Bakunawa's long, large tail came crashing to the surrounding soldiers, sending all of them flying across the arena, crashing their bodies against the wall on the other side, afterwards, their bodies fell on the ground as they fell unconscious from the knockout. 

My eyes widened, staring dumbfounded, gasping at this in utter shock. While the crowd, on the other hand, also have their eyes wide open, however not in shock but in utter terror and fright. What came next was the crowd's shrilling cries as they all stood up trying to leave the arena in panic.

However, they were stopped by the armoured soldiers making them sit back on their seats. 

"Settle down everyone, the show has not ended yet," said the gladiator woman, squinting her eyes at the panicking terrified people, then she left the balcony leaving Pula alone on top of the railing stone or the balustrade. 

However, the crowd became even more chaotic as they all tried to protest. "Let us out of here!" 

The soldiers became busy as they tried to calm the crowd in the audience. Meanwhile, Bakunawa moved her tail, circling around me like a wall. While her head and fangs remain stuck rooted on the ground. 

[Mortal, I'll handle these despicable humans, so just hurry up and don't stop.] Bakunawa said in my head as her scaly body moved again, crashing the new oncoming soldiers from the entrance. 

My brows furrowed, opening my mouth to complain. "I told you to not hurt anyone, Bakunawa, you promised!" I said in a grunted voice, pulling out the blade next to me. 

I can't see Bakunawa's face right now, so I could only glare at her scaly body that is guarding me like a wall. 

[Mortal, is there no bottom line to how dumb can you be?] Bakunawa replied, dissing me in my head. 

Hearing what Bakunawa said in my mind, I clicked my tongue. "Tsk, you gave me your word, so I trusted that you will honour what you promised."

[Stupid mortal, I did promise not to hurt anyone, but only after you pulled out all the weapons on my body, and clearly, you haven't pulled out all of the weapons yet, and furthermore, I did that to protect you from being harm.] Bakunawa sneered in my head interrupting me. [Also, I'm desperate to escape this place, you can't expect me to play nice when my life is also on the line here, do you?]

Hearing what Bakunawa transmitted in my head, I didn't respond as my knitted brows deepened. 

Bakunawa has a point. Even though I don't approve of how Bakunawa is dealing with these things, I also can't refute it. It's not just about being right or wrong anymore. 

Bakunawa, Pula, and mine are at stake if we fail to escape this place. Yet, I feel like I'm doing something wrong seeing how many soldiers are hurt because Bakunawa is protecting me. Because I made the decision to have a deal with Bakunawa. This is all because of me. It's not Bakunawa's fault for wanting to survive and escape. 

Did I make the right decision? Or did I make it worse?

While my mind is thinking complicated things; I let out a deep exhausted sigh, remaining silent as I kept myself: moving, walking, and limping on to the next sharp steel.

I pulled the arrow out from Bakunawa's blue scaly body, throwing the sharp tool to the side, then on to the next one. 

As I pulled out the remaining weapons, both Bakunawa and I also remained silent. She didn't speak to me, and I didn't utter any words either. However, we were both working hard on different things but the same goal. That is, to escape in this place. I help her pull out the steels stuck and rooted tk her body, and she helps to protect me while I'm doing it. 

The more that I pulled those weapons; Bakunawa also grew bigger and bigger at the same time. Her attacks on the oncoming soldiers are also growing more ruthless, strong, and heavy. 

Fortunately, they are not dead, and they would only be left heavily wounded as they get knocked unconscious, but the thought that I had a part of the reason why this is all happening is weighing down on my conscience. My heart felt guilty, however, I told myself that it's fine since they aren't dead. As long as they are not dead, then I have not done anything wrong yet…right?

In addition, they were the one who brought me and Bakunawa here against our will, so all of this should only be reasonable, right?

I justified the complicated things in my heart as I continued moving, and with sorted thoughts, I pulled out the few remaining weapons that are still left stuck on Bakunawa's body. 

When I'm finally down to the last sharp steel, I smiled to myself as I walked limping fast to it. As I walked towards the last blade, everything and everyone around me became irrelevant. I turned a deaf ear to the chaotic cries of the crowd and to the roaring hiss of Bakunawa with the endless coming soldiers. My eyes were only focused on one thing, and step by step, I walked limping in a quick pace towards the last sword. 

My eyes stared at the last weapon like the key to my treasure box. 

The treasure box is my freedom. With the last weapon in sight, I walked more desperately towards it as I raised my hand, reaching out to the hilt of the sword. 

"I'm almost there…" I mumbled absentmindedly, reaching out with my right hand. "Almost there…"

A few more steps, and I'm almost…

[Mortal!] Bakunawa yelled in my head.

Huh? I blink my eyes in confusion as I suddenly hear a piercing yell from Bakunawa.

However, with a blink of an eye, my right hand went missing as red splattered out of my severed cut off hand, spurting scarlet liquid, sprinkling everywhere like a rain of blood.

With the lids of my eyes wide open, I inhaled sharply, exhaling in short deep breaths as I screamed in horror. "Haa, haaah, aaaaaaah!!!"