Wrath Of The Beast

Red Eye

As Iskander supported his commander, he remembered how they were meat and bones. He saw the noble swordsman that he had been a student too, smacked aside like wheat in the wake of a wagon. He stayed his blade to his sheath as he approached Smyth.

"I've got you, seems like we are winning." Iskander looked around the battlefield as some men were being removed by those that could carry them.

Aeron prefaced his statement with a hoarse cough and through his green helm blood splattered.
"Don't be-" he started before coughing and holding his side. "So sure greenhorn. The next stage is about to begin.."

"What are you on about!?" He barked back. For all their faults, his team had a handle on the situation, that idiot Dragomir was hacking away at the wyvern's tail, while Myra hammered it into submission, and Jethro covered the retreating forces. This was all but a wrap. Wasn't it? The dragon couldn't fly away with a sliced wing membrane and even if it could, it's been losing blood all over the place. The beast would be dead before it had the chance to reach refuge and return to rain fire upon the countryside.

"It's not done yet." Smyth lamented as he grabbed the hilt of his sword.

Iskander stared at the flailing beast while his comrades rained down their attacks onto it. He went over the plan in his mind, retracing every facet. The plan went off without a hitch. Didn't it? He peered around searching the courtyard for anything they may have missed. The smell of charred corpses filled his nose as the screams of the dying men were shrouded out by the cries of the wyvern. Was this the part we failed at? Lady Tumble's retainers gained no glory as they were burned and crushed like ants. Iskander sighed as he looked at his shaking hand. The sweat inside his gauntlet chafed against his hand, as he formed a fist, and said a quick prayer to Aranea. Would the goddess provide him with the strength he needed? Did any God? If they ever did, then none of the men he killed ever prayed.

"Then I'll finish it." he unsheathed his blade as Aeron drank mandrake tonic, before his teacher could finish the vial Iskander leaped from his position. As the Hekani started to gain its footing, he drew closer, with each step he felt his heartbeat faster, and he prayed. The Dragon snapped its jaws at Myra, thrashing her into a barrel. Dragomir leaped into the air and brought his great sword down on its tail lodging inside. It swirled in pain, sending Dragomir crashing into a wall. Iskander grits his teeth and stops fifty paces from the beast, raises his shield, and locks in his defense.

"Strike me down if you dare, beast!" as he locked his jaw, ready for anything the Hekani turned toward him, its blue eyes glowing with blood lust. Iskander felt the effort of his chore roll down his face, as he trembled behind his shield. They both took a step towards each other, and in a flash, they went at each other. The beast's maw was wide, he saw that it meant to snap down and devour him. With a twist Iskander meant to smack the beast on the side of its skull with his shield, however with a sudden shake of its head, he was off balance and the dragon reared over him and let out a roar, and if he heard right, a chuckle of victory. The beast over him was a majesty of power, even as it was wounded and bleeding, it could devastate entire armies, and what was he? A raider? Some nobleman's passed over son? No. He was meat, and about to be roasted.

Iskander cowered, crawling back as he saw the luminous light of flame at the back of its throat, Iskander heard the retainers screams once again. They were louder and even more high-pitched and full of anguish, shaking his ribcage as the cacophony came to a crescendo, the blaze was nearly past the dragon's toothy maw, when three small explosions forced the creatures head up in an uppercut, slapping it's jaws together. What could have done that? Jethro? No, he was covering the men's retreat by now. Iskander turned and saw Myra stumbling to find her war hammer as Dragomir was rushing from the side, throwing impact bombs at the creature as he ran up it's side. The dragon twirled and jerked trying to be free of his teammate. When Dragomir bounded into the air and spun, grabbing the hilt of his blade stuck in the dragon's tail, forcing it through and shearing it in two. The dragon stumbled, and just when it lost its footing, Iskander caught a glimpse of a green flash running by him.

"Listen up! That's it trainees I'll finish this. Just stand back and watch a Master at work!" Aeron shouted as he reversed his blades in hand. What happened next was in truth a flurry of spins and strikes from Aeron. He moved like water, flowing with the ebb of the aether which courses through us all.

"Done screaming?" A feminine voice asked as he was jolted away from the display. A sudden fear overcame him and he reached for his sword, immediately he fell, stammering in the dirt before turning it on her, it was Myra. "Easy sharky. Just me." Before another word could be uttered, a sudden squelching raised their heads, and weapons towards the fight.

There, the commander was in the dragon's jaws. His entire arm up to the shoulder was obstructed by the creature's tremendous dome. The crimson ichor from his arm covered his green armor, as he wretched in agony, frantically attempted to stab the beast in it's the eye, which caused it to yank and tear, throwing its head around forcing the commander into the air.
"Trainees!!! Retreat!!! That's an order!!"

They froze in fear, Iskander locked his eyes onto Myra.
"We can't just leave Him! We have to help!" Several seconds of languishing cries from their commander, their mentor filled the air as Myra's clutch on her hammer fastened.

"You're damn right we aren't." She grit her teeth below her helm. This operation would not fail if she were able to resist it.
"Iskander, you're going to free the commander."

"Jethro! Rain fire!" She yelled as she began her labored charge. "Dragomir, let's end this!!"
They descended upon the dragon, like drops of rain. Tired and broken, Dragomir and Myra smashed their weapons against the creature as The arrows seemed to rain down on it's back. Iskander swooped to the wall and ran alongside, leaping onto the beast's neck, steadying himself by plunging his hunting blade into its scales.

"I said retreat Goddamnit! This fight is lost!" Aeron shouted at them.

"Not yet Sir! We still have some fight left in us!" Iskander clung to the dragon's neck as he gained his footing. As the creature shook violently, attempting to free itself if him, it crunched down on aeron's arm, its fangs ripping and tearing through flesh and armor, to the cries of the man until he went unconscious. When the commander began to fall, Iskander jumped from it's neck and grabbed him, tumbling into the dirt. "Finish it Myra!!!" He shouted as the monster swallowed.

The constant booms of Jethro's arrows, strikes from both Myra and Dragomir forced the beast off balance, kicking and screaming. The huntress was slashed from collar to thighs by it's kicks, knocking her on her back. The three men were stunned, Jethro stopped his volley, Dragomir froze mid-swing, Iskander shook in fear.

As Dragomir knelt on the ground, it seemed as if his crimson eye glowed through his helm. He was shaking as he brandished his oversized blade, rose, and began his assault. Like a ravenous predator, he struck the beast, ripping it's armored scales to bits, each strike thundering like a storm, and with his final blow, the head of the beast flopped to the ground in a heart shaking boom. Dragomir stood over the corpse, breathing heavily and like a ravenous lion.

"Dragomir..? " Myra said in fear as she gripped his ankle.

"It's over." He declared leaning down.