[COMPLETE] R E V E R S E #NaNoWriMo2k17

Chapter 8

"Stand your ground!" Ajax shouted, drawing his sword. He heard Tas do the same behind him.

"You can't fight them," Sakura begged. "Believe me, there's too many. Hundreds of them"

"And we have thousands. I owe Zane one for insisting on bringing so many warriors." He pointed forwards with his sword, sunlight illuminating it, fear and adrenaline driving him. "Ice Flight, attack!"

A thousand cries answered his command and the entire wing surged forwards as one. Hundreds of Raptoriks streamed out of the mist, their blades glinting wickedly. The stirring of the air eased the fog, and he could now clearly see the centaurs below, opening fire on any dragon in sight.

"You're nuts. If you think you can win against them, you're fucking insane." Sakura around flapped wildly. "I'll calling for reinforcements. If you really think you can do this, stay alive! Whatever you do, don't let them advance!" She turn tail and disappeared, the remaining Wind warriors trailing behind her. They were in no hurry to stay.

The dragon ranks clashed with the Raptoriks, and the first screams ran through the air. Ajax swooped down to join Tas, who was hacking and slashing with his sword like there was no tomorrow. Ajax brought his blade crashing down on one of the monster's head, and they crumpled like tinfoil.

He and Tas backed themselves up against another group of fighters. The four of them were able to fend off against the invaders quite well, before an arrow caught the Mirror on the leg and the two of them went reeling away.

"Help!" Someone suddenly screamed. Both of them turned around and saw a Ridgeback being swamped by dozens of tiny menaces. A Fae flew around their head, fighting back any who dared get close. Despite their heavy body armour, he was bleeding badly from a thousand tiny cuts, and it was clear he was losing.

He dove in, and with a single slash, instantly killed an entire line. An arrow whizzed past his ear and slammed into a Raptorik in front of him, and they screamed as they dissolved into dust. Tas continues to circle the Ridgeback, shooting down any monsters he could see. Within minutes, the survivors turned and fled.

"Get out of the battle. You're going to kill yourself otherwise. Get back to camp."

The Fae flew towards him with graduate. "Thank you." Then she turned and was gone, the Ridgeback following sluggishly after her.

Ajax turned back to the battle, but an arrow suddenly flew through the air and knocked Tas' sword straight out of his claws. At the same time, three Raptoriks saw them and shrieked with delight, closing in for the kill.

"Get behind me!" He yelled, raising his sword. He knocked the first one's knife away and stabbed the second one through the chest. The third one tried to go up behind him, but he spun around, blade flying, and they exploded open like a pinata.

He whirled around, looking for Tas, but only seeing the fights around him. Finally, he spotted him diving between the ranks, shooting down monsters by the tenfold. Ajax powered forwards, twisting to avoid a flying Raptorik. The arrows suddenly stopped, and he had a clear path.

"Here!" He shouted, praying that the Wildclaw could actually hear him over the sounds of the battle.

Tas was by his side in an instant, snatching his sword from his grasp. He looked terrible, there was a cut directly above his eye and he was badly bashed. "Thanks," he said breathily, whirling around to rejoin the battle. The clang of metal rang over the shrieks of dragons and monsters alike as they fought for their lives.

Ajax dived into a mob of Raptoriks swamping a Spiral. Startled, they took off, but not before the leader slid the Spiral's throat. He made a lunge for them, but their eyes were already glazing over, and he watched helplessly as they fell towards the ground, far, far below.

They were losing, he could feel it. The ranks just carried on pushing, never stopping. The screams shook him to the core. They had warned him about the dangers. They warned him about the peril, the constant threat of death.

They didn't warn him about this.

Something suddenly slammed into his back, locking his wings together and snapping his head back. His throat screamed for air as he struggled against it, and the face of the Raptorik flashed in the corner of his eyes. He twisted as he started to lose altitude, but they grasped on stubbornly, gradually choking him.

A whirl of colour streaked past and there was a loud screech. He flipped over midair, suddenly free from his burden. When he regained his vision, Tas and the Raptorik were locked in a furious brawl, as both stabbed and sliced at the other.

"TAS!" He shouted. He tried to dive in to help, but a flaming arrow barely missed his face as the centaurs opened fire again. There was sheer panic as some of the dragons caught on fire, screaming as their wings burnt and frantically trying to remain airborne. A few Raptoriks went down from stray arrows, but the dragon casualties were by far higher. The Wildclaw and the monster hacked at each other, neither of them willing to back down as flaming hell rained around them. Tas was a madman, his blade nothing was an arc of deadly silver as he dove, spun and lunged. The Raptorik was just as fast, manoeuvring between his strikes with impossible agility.

"Help the others!" He shouted, making a parrying strike which should've instantly killed it, but the monster dived under him. A chill swept over his bones when he saw the murderous look in its eye.

By the time he saw the glint of metal, it was too late. The warrior powered up, impossibly fast, and with a shree of delight, sank the knife hilt deep into the Wildclaw's chest. They sliced through the chain as if though it was made of butter.

Tas' eyes widened. He made a grab for the blade but the Raptorik was already spinning away. A horrible gurgling noise rose from his mouth as he turned to him. His battered body, the knife in his chest, his white eyes - shocked that he lost, shocked at the end - would sear itself into his mind and haunt Ajax until the end of his days. Then the soldier fell backwards, the air no longer willing to carry him. He dropped like a stone towards the ground, wings splayed. Within moments, he was swallowed up by the ice.

Everything was crashing down. To lose his parents was already one thing, but Tas, his role model and sidekick, his life long friend -

"NO!" He screeched. A horrible wail rose up from his chest, sending the nearby dragons scattering in a panic. "NO, NO, NO!"

It couldn't have happened. It did NOT just happen -

He caught sight of the Raptorik gliding lazily a wingspan away. A primal fury bubbled through his veins, and his vision was going red.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed, lunging for it. The sound tore at his throat, but he didn't care. He would tear it apart, limb from him, torture it for everything, everything the world has done. No Beastclan ally was going to make it out of this battle alive.

The warrior regarded him with boredom, before flying up above him. With an expert loop it dove down and slammed the hilt of its knife on his head. They might as well have hit him with a steel bat.

A resounding crack shuddered through his skull and he was suddenly thrown off balance. The world was swirling together and he blinked, trying to regain his sense of direction. The Raptorik regarded him with beady black eyes, before raising a talon.

"Good luck in the afterlife, dragon," it snarled. The claws flashed, and blinding pain exploded across his face.

"For Talona!" He vaguely heard. The voice was like a blade into his mind. Then claws shoved him towards the ground, and he was falling, everything dissolving, held down by more than just grief. Beyond grief.

Because Tas. His last tie to the world. His best friend. Was dead.

~Word Count: 1363

~Total Word Count: 14760

Please tell me if you need any tissues or pitchforks :')