The travel pace was nearly a jog. I was surprised at how well I was doing. I had always been healthy but six hours of jogging would have killed me on earth. I don't know how old lax is but he’s clearly feeling it. Six hours we jogged before the commander halted us. “Alright soldiers, we almost made up our time. Eat and rest for a few minutes. We are almost where we think the dragon is. We go slow from here on out. Our scout says from that peak we can see the river. We leave in five minutes.” he pointed to the east of us. It seemed less than two miles or so away but we would have to climb down one hundred or so feet then cross a beautiful valley and finally up a small grade for a few hundred feet.

While munching on some hard bread and salted meat a thought hit me. I whistled “That's a lot of open ground.” “It sure is pretty though.” Pem said while staring at the green valley. “It reminds me of home. The seasonal creek, the short trees, and the green and rock everywhere.” “you clearly miss it.” she said as a statement. “Yes and my friends and family.”

“Time to fight a dragon!” the commander yelled, breaking me from my sadness. Once we started walking Lax came up to me and put a hand on my armored shoulder. “Well my boy this is it.” I just nodded. “After you leave the port to Shasti you travel through Caponia to Eldrin.” He handed me a pouch clearly full of coins. Confused at why now he just smiled. I tied it to my belt. “Thanks Lax, not just for this but for everything. It's been nice having a friend.” “I could say the same thing.” He lightly chuckled as he went to talk with Pem.

The large red sun disappeared over the horizon making the sunset way redder than any I had ever seen. We were almost across the valley and starting our trek up the grade to see the river when the loudest roar I'd ever heard pierced everything for miles. Some people started fleeing, turning back toward the valley. Others started up the hill faster. Then there were some like me frozen in indecision.

Seeing Lax run up the hill gave me the decision I needed. One of the ones that fled dropped a ballista and I grabbed it and started dragging it up the hill. Pem ran up behind me with an arm full of ballista bolts. We make it to the top and the battle we see is truly terrifying. I can see Lady Harmony in front of three other boats. She's completely covered in flames and the other three boats have dozens of wyverns all over them.

Across the river along the eastern pass is an army of elves with ballistas and mages spread out and giving cover to the boats. They seem to be shooting at both the wyverns around the boats and the giant red dragon. The dragon is one hundred feet long and has a wingspan maybe twice that. It's speaking in a deep guttural language. Dozens of giant bolts are slamming into it, most being deflected by the scales but some find something to bite into. The dragon retaliates by getting close enough to breath fire onto the elves.

Wyverns fly over my head and swoops into the valley, waking me up. With our three ballistas set up, we turn them to help in the valley where twenty or so of us are still. Lax, Pem, and a few others are expertly shooting at the wyverns. The commander is shouting orders while a scout is next to him relaying information about the battle events keeping him up to date. I'm loading, cranking, and firing a ballista for the first time in my life. The first shot is low and almost hits someone. The second would have hit if the wyvern didn’t dodge it and the third struck into the back of one who went ballistic and started screeching in pain slowly landing on the ground. Master Stilldar is there in the valley near the one I hit and he runs up and with a powerful swing cuts the wyvern's head off. He is immediately struck in the neck by a venomed tail. We kill a few more when the commander shouts “More are coming!”

Six more are on their way from the boats. I walk a few feet to the east to see the elves battle with the dragon. Lots of the eastern pass is on fire but the elves are still fighting. Another ear piercing scream causes me to freeze up for a second. I look over as the commander is stabbed and grabbed. Lax shoots at me. The arrow smacked into a wyvern that was about to stab me. He gave me a smile before a venomed tail hits Lax in the back of his head and is grabbed. “No!” I whip my ballista around and fire. The bolt hits the wyvern holding Lax in the center of its chest and it immediately drops Lax then flies for a bit before falling down dead but it's already too late. Lax is not moving.

I loaded the ballista as another ear piercing scream echoed through the battlefield but it sounded weaker and in pain. Where’s Pem? Looking around the only humanoid I see is the massive blue dratoric who is fighting two wyverns. He literally breathes fire at one and it screams in pain and retreats. I feel extreme pain in my lower left back.

I reactively reach around to feel what it is and grab a wyvern's tail. We start playing tug of war but I'm starting to feel weak and sick. The wyvern lunges towards me with its teeth and talons. I let go of the tail with my left hand and draw my sword, swinging upward as I'm drawing it. The wyvern halts its lunge and tugs free from me. The ballista! It's right next to me and already loaded so I reach for it and prepare to fire. The wyvern knows and dives towards me but is too slow. It slams into me and the ballista writhing in pain and trying to harm me. Drawing my bowie I start stabbing where I can while being scratched and munched. Eventually the wyvern stops moving and I roll onto my back. The venom is surging through me. Oh crap! Imagining the venom leaving my body. “Cleanse!” Relief and exhaustion fill my body.

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“Get up!” The dratoric man is standing over me protecting me. Another ear piercing scream but one of pain. I can see a few wyverns flying around above us start to head north. “The dragon called for a retreat.” My protector said. I stand up to see the battlefield. Looking down towards the river I see the dragon slowly losing altitude until it crashes into the river. The entire Eastern side of the pass is on fire and took all of the attack from the dragon. I don't see any elves but it is a few miles away. Lady harmony and the other boats are either on fire or sunken. Nearby Lax lays bloody and motionless. Images of his last smile pop into my head. Did he know? Wait. “Pem!”

I start running down the hill into the valley yelling “Pem!” Dozens of wyverns and over thirty warriors lay dead in that valley. One of them could be Pem. It's almost completely dark now. The smell of the dead wyverns and warriors is so strong but I keep looking and yelling frantically for Pem. The Dratoric points to a small rocky outcrop.

“Pem!” She's curled up in the fetal position shivering like crazy. I drop to my knees “Pem, are you hurt?” I say as I look her over. She shakes her head no. “I failed…I ran.” “We all did” “You are lying.” Right, I need to reassure her without lying or exaggerating. “I froze up and many strong warriors did run. I mean it was a dragon. Are there many things in this world scarier?” “No.” thank goodness. “Sometimes failure is the only outcome. We just have to make the best of it. I failed….” “I need to see my uncle.” She interrupted me while deep in her own thoughts. “Okay”

I help her up and as we are walking up the hill back to Lax I keep thinking why? Why am I here? Why did the dragon attack? Why did I freeze up? Why did I get distracted?

Pem saw Lax and ran over sliding to his side crying and speaking in elvish. “The dragon is dead.” The blue Dratoric said in his deep voice. “Yeah… Hey, did you understand it?” “Commands, Failure is not an option, and retreat were all that was said.” “You fought well sir?” “I am known as Tal.” “Thanks Tal for everything.” “Honor dictates that I do what I do. I am going to prepare the fallen.”

I joined Pem who was sitting next to Lax and after a long silence she finally spoke. “I need to go home and tell the Empress what happened here.” After another long silence she spoke again. “She will want to know how her brother died. She will also want to meet you, Tom.” For the first time I wanted to do something other than rush home. While I had only known Lax a short time I considered him a good friend and going with Pem to the elf capital to mourn the loss of a friend just felt like the right thing to do. Would I regret my decision either way?

Eldrin, the human capital is where all the best magic schools and mages are but that doesn't mean they can help me get home. The elven capital might have the knowledge I seek as well. Why not… “Tom, can you help me with uncle?” “Of course what do you need?” “I would like to clean and wrap him for now.” her voice was broken but she was holding it together well.

We get some water, cloaks, and rope from nearby packs. While cleaning Lax’s wound I noticed the tail pierced his spine just below the skull and exited just under the left side of his jaw bone. “I will wrap him.” Pem said quietly in a way letting me know she wanted to be alone. As I stood up and started walking away I could hear her start whispering in elvish.

In the dark I spot Tal’s white armor and head over to him. “You find any other survivors?” “No” “Need any help?” “No. It is too dark now. The dead wyvern's smell will keep everything away.” “So Tal what are you going to do now?” “Rest then help Pemilandturil take Laxilandituril home.” “Why? What about your friend?” “Honor. Master Stilldar was my employer, not friend.” “Honor?” He sighed clearly annoyed now at my questions. “Honor.” “Thanks for sharing.”

Once I get back up the ridge to Pem and Lax I see the fires on the eastern side slowly dying down. Pem stood next to me and hugged my side “Thanks Tom for being a friend to my uncle. He really enjoyed your company.” “It was my pleasure. I only knew him for a short time but he was great.” after a moment of silence Pem asked. “What is next for the mighty spider and dragon slayer Hero Tom?” I think she just wanted to think of something else. “Well Pem the mighty dragon slayer I don't know. As you know my goal was to get to Eldrin but the reason why wasn't truthful so I think I should give you the whole story.” And so I did.

I started with my loving wife and our history. Then what went wrong to make me go on the camping trip. Then Magar talking with me about this world and brought me here. Then waking up in the forest alone and seeing the guardian after fighting giant ants and the Murichi helping me out after fighting with me. The Spider fight, then meeting lax and finally our meeting.

“Tom, that…if I could not tell if you were lying I would not believe it… you actually spoke to a god, the almighty no less. Another world… It all makes sense now.” After a minute of silence she spoke again. “Eldrin makes the most sense but Frintilandturil is good for magic as well. We are also only four to five days away and the empress will want to help you now.” It's decided then. “I guess I'm going to Frintilan…” “Frint is common for outsiders to say. We should try and get some sleep.” “Sleep well Pem.”