Broadswords - 46. The Battle, Part Two

Broadswords

Chapter Forty-Six
The Battle, Part Two

Von was dead. Kasaj and Orvit, the seventh- and eighth-ranked slayers, were dead. Their numbers were dwindling at a rapid pace. One battle had already cut the Jhirdyrian slayers down by a third. And it didn't seem like it was slowing down one bit. Daegon was uncharacteristically finding himself doubting their chances. He didn't often have such a grim outlook, but this was different.

While Elan was battling alongside Tayrick and Feodoro, Daegon's group wasn't as well-rounded. Lana, the only non-slayer involved, was holding her own more than the other two. Caspin, the sixth-ranked, and Verne, the ninth, were practically useless. Whereas he and Lana had formed a smooth rhythm, the newcomers were not on the same page.

If they didn't get their acts together, they might end up getting them all killed. Daegon hadn't seen other slayers in action in quite some time. If this was how they all performed during their more routine slays, it was no wonder they hadn't moved up in the rankings.

There had already been two or three occasions in which Daegon's quick reaction time had prevented them from getting devoured as Orvit had. Neither of the men had the dexterity that Daegon would expect to see in any slayer, regardless of where they ranked. In truth, Lana should have been a slayer over either one of them. He was much more impressed with her skills.

Regardless of everything else, though, both he and Elan had managed to take down a dragon. It was tough work, far more difficult than anything he'd come to face in the past. But there were two down. Ten to go.

Elan had managed to slay his due to the ignorant actions Kasaj had taken. The foolish slayer had charged at the dragon. That was always an ill-advised move against beasts of this size. Daegon, like Elan, knew that one must always look for an opening. Distractions were of major importance in dragonslaying. One moment of a dragon letting its guard down was all that was needed to make a big move.

Unfortunately for them, these dragons didn't seem to be easily distracted. In reality, the distractions that had so far befallen them were sheer dumb luck. It would take a whole lot more of that kind of luck for them to have the same outcome with those remaining.

"Look out!" Lana called breathlessly. Daegon chanced a glance in her direction to witness as she swung her sword upward, crashing against the underside of the dragon's jaw. Verne had let his guard down, and if it weren't for Lana's quick actions, he'd have been the fourth slayer to go. It angered Daegon. Everyone had to look out for themselves, and if he and Lana were having to babysit these other two, it would prevent them from focusing on what they needed to. He almost bellowed for Caspin and Verne to back off, but he didn't have time.

The dragon's head practically bounced off of Lana's sword, and it used the momentum to swing it rapidly in Daegon's direction. He wasn't provided the right angle to attack, so instead he ducked and rolled to the side. It wasn't an easy maneuver considering how many of them there were, but he managed to escape its reach with only a smattering of scrapes along the way.

These idiots were now causing him to be in more danger than he rightfully should. If he made it out of this, he wouldn't be against having a long talk with the king about the slayer selection process. The two of them wouldn't even be well-equipped to be slayers in a less dragon-addled kingdom such as Lodus. But the fact that they were amongst the ranks in Jhirdyr, one of the biggest dragonslaying kingdoms? It was inane.

He sprung back up and distanced himself a little further from the other slayers. He didn't like having so much distance between himself and the dragon, but he didn't have much other choice. If they continued to be so clustered together, it would be their downfall. He noticed Lana doing the same thing, and realized she had come to the same conclusion. Elan had done a damn good job in choosing his squire. Whether she was this capable when she first joined him, or whether Elan had busted his ass in training her to this level, she was a force.

Daegon unfortunately could not say the same of Birten. It was no fault of Birten's, either. It was Daegon's own fault. Birten was a fine squire, and did exactly what he needed to do. He brought brains and logic to the team. Quick-witted and observant, he was perfectly suited for the job. But Daegon had never really honed Birten's fighting skills. He'd been too busy over the years tearing the squire down to consider the possibility of putting some of that effort into making him more well-rounded.

If Birten had been there with them, he'd certainly be dead. There was no way he could hold his own against a dragon, let alone these ones. And that would have to change. Daegon knew that whatever happened, he'd have to shape Birten into a warrior. That's what a dragonslayer was supposed to do with their squires, and Lana was proof that Daegon wasn't quite as perfect as he once would have considered himself to be.

He watched as she found an opening and swung at the beast. Her blade found its way in between a handful of scales and caused a thin line of crimson to bubble up between them. It was far from a death blow, but any injury could only help.

Caspin tried to take the opportunity to do something, too. Granted, the dragon was slightly reacting to its new wound, but it wasn't distracted enough for a big move. Yet there Caspin went, thrusting his sword forward.

He managed to put enough force behind the plunge that it did pierce the dragon's hide. It came as a surprise to all of them, most of all Caspin. However, it was immediately clear that a stab might not have been the best call. As the slayer tried to pull the sword back out, it appeared that it was stuck. It must have gotten lodged at just the right angle, because Daegon could tell that it wasn't budging even though Caspin was pulling at it with all his might.

The dragon stared at Caspin for a moment, and briefly all of the sounds around them seemed to fall to a hush. The group stared at the situation as it slowly unfolded before Daegon finally came to his senses. "Move, you fool!"

Caspin shook out of his own stupor and stumbled backward, leaving his sword protruding from the dragon's chest. He got out of the way just in time, too. The dragon snapped forth with such rapidness that Caspin would have been dead if he had moved one second later. Though Caspin wasn't too bright, or too capable, Daegon didn't want to see any more deaths. At least not from their side.

He could sense that everyone around him was on their last legs. Even he was beginning to feel that he was almost out of steam. If something major didn't happen soon, they'd start getting picked off one by one. Their reaction time was starting to be impacted. Reaction time was one of their biggest defenses. If they didn't have that, they didn't have much at all.

So Daegon knew that he had to make a bold move. It would be risky, sure. But he was a better planner than most of the other slayers, who so far had been making poor choices. Risky or not, he would make sure the timing was right. If he kept doing what he had been doing up to that point, chances of something happening in their favor were slim. But by putting himself in the situation he was planning, he might just be able to down another of the dragons.

He knew Birten wouldn't approve. He knew none of the other slayers would approve, either. Least of all Elan. It wasn't a plan without faults, even he would admit that. But it was something he was willing to gamble. He had to cause a distraction. It was the only thing that had worked so far, and they couldn't continue to wait on chance to cause one for them. So he would make one happen.

And the sword that Caspin had left in the dragon was exactly what he needed. While the dragon had its sights on Lana, Daegon barreled forward and leapt atop the hilt of Caspin's sword as if it were a peg utilized to climb the sheer face of a mountain. Considering the sword wasn't wedged in all that well, it wobbled quite a bit. Caspin hadn't been able to pull it out straight-forwardly, but that didn't prevent it from shaking from the weight Daegon added to it vertically. But he kept his footing. He shoved his own sword between another section of scales a few feet higher, and was able to pull himself upward.

It didn't take long for the dragon to take notice. It began writhing in an attempt to shake Daegon loose, but the slayer held fast. It wasn't an easy task by any means, but he was able to cling to the creature's hide. It was his intention to distract the dragon long enough for Lana or one of the other slayers to make their move. But the dragon wasn't having it. While trying to rid Daegon from its body, the dragon stamped its feet, creating little to no opportunity for the others to get close.

Daegon had to think on his feet. He'd thankfully shoved a dagger in each boot, which hadn't been the most comfortable, but it was paying off now. He used them to further ascend the dragon, and it was almost surreal. He was climbing this dragon as if it were a mountainside of the Ore Cliffs.

He was now straddling the beast as if it were a common horse, holding on for dear life. The dragon clearly didn't like it, as it continued to thrash about in an attempt to shake him loose. But he held tight. He looped one arm around the base of its neck, using the other hand to pry one of the daggers from between the scales. With a little bit of effort, he was able to get it out without falling from the creature's back. What he'd initially intended as a distraction was proving to potentially be a way to slay the dragon outright.

Continuing to steady himself, he brought the weapon to the dragon's throat. He forced it in with as much strength as he could muster, and he was able to pierce through the scales and skin. The dragon let out a roar, and it shook more furiously than it had thus far. Daegon continued to cling to it with every ounce of strength he had left. When the dragon would quell, Daegon would push or pull at the hilt of the dagger to lengthen the incision he'd made.

He could see the reactions of the others, none of them hiding their shock at the display. Even Lana seemed to be slightly letting her guard down, her jaw slack at what she was witnessing. It was bizarre enough from his perspective, and he could only imagine what they must be experiencing. Though they shouldn't have lost their focus, he assumed it was hard not to given the situation.

Finally, after several minutes, he was able to saw through the dragon's neck enough that it began to wobble. As it fell, slowly, he prepared himself for the impact of the body against the ground. He leapt off at just the right moment. There was no way, after all of that, in which he was going to allow himself to be catapulted into the air as a result of the chain reaction of the dying carcass slamming against the burnt earth.

As he landed, he felt his ankle twist just slightly. It would hurt later, but he didn't care. He'd done it. He'd killed another dragon.

The intensity of Elsior's feral yell could be heard above everything else, and Daegon didn't need to look at him to know that the mancer had fallen to his knees in a show of despair. The sound was enough to confirm that they had already done much more than Elsior had expected. And it was glorious.