They flew low, as low as they reasonably could above the scorching landscape. Sulfuric ashes grew on the heavy wind, blistering the air with the taste of brimstone, and fire and molten stone erupted at regular intervals, leaving the broken planes littered with obsidian shards.

Tyrrick hunched lower over Agmentha’s back with his cape brought forward before his mouth, attempting to ease the bitter taste. Would that we could be well in the dark clouds than this, he sent to her.

Yet we cannot afford to be seen so soon, she answered. Our only chance is surprise. The next beat she tilted hard to the side to avoid another burst of flame. Blazing wind beat at the dragon and rider as they twirled, spiraling upward at an angle to evade debris. Perhaps thirty feet away, Kaikha-rin simply bowed his head and used his greater bulk to smash through the bubbling inferno. He sloughed away the clinging mess with a great shake of his form, never slowing.

Soon, the Deiman called over, “Kand! We approach the first watchtower. Remember that Nexagons are blind by birth, yet it may otherwise sense our approach. If that happens I expect you to stay back and observe while I and Kaikha fell the monster.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to have us flank them?” Tyrrick called back.

“I won’t jeopardize your life before you have even seen a Draconian’s deceptive combat, Kand. If we encounter more afterwards, perhaps. But not before you have even had the chance to study and adapt to their tactics.”

Tyrrick begrudgingly agreed.

Our chance will come, no doubt, Agmentha sent to him. Do not be so hasty to cross blades with our eternal foes, my proud rider.

I’m not! I just don’t want to leave Aldrus on his own.

Trust him. She dodged another plume of molten flame, forcing Tyrrick to grip his straps to stay in place. She could sense his frustration through the bond, yet more than that his concern. We have yet to disarm him in trial, Tyrrick. He is the best swordsman among your fellows.

I won’t disagree, he sent back, and allowed the matter to rest.

It was perhaps twenty minutes after their discourse that a craggy black structure appeared over the next rising slope. And perched upon its rooftop sat the ugliest creature that Tyrrick had ever beheld, muscle and fat bulging across a misshapen skeletal structure. Dei above, is that a Nexagon?

The yellow beast’s elongated snout was parted as it breathed heavily. Great rows of black teeth glinted in the light, and as Aldrus had forewarned, two pairs of milky-white eyes stared out over the hostile domain without comprehending. It turned away from the approaching riders, revealing the twin wings curled down by its sides, and the long tail that twitched from side to side.

Tyrrick glanced over to his senior rider and matched Aldrus’ stern gaze. No words were needed, then, just directions already given, and with a thought Agmentha pulled back while Kaikha-rin’s wings beat even harder against the wind and surged ahead.

They couldn’t have been within a hundred feet when the Nexagon stilled, then craned its long neck around at an unnatural angle. And then it began to shriek, a harsh, bitter cry that pierced the ears and chilled the spirit.

Aldrus laid his hand upon the hilt of his blade, drawing strength from the faint connection to Corina Dei, and Kaikha roared in answer.

The next beat, the beast’s rider emerged from the shadows of the rooftop and with a smooth leap landed on its back, ascending the hump to settle above the base of its neck. The Draconian wore matching yellow armor, no doubt crafted of his mount’s lost scales the same way the Order forged their equipment. From deep within the Nexagon’s bulging belly a blast of putrefying flame flowed up into its elongated maw and burst out across the air.

Kaikha pulled to the side, easily dodging the telegraphed blast, and wheeling about the tower he reached out with sharp claws. The battlements were gouged deeply until at last catching, bringing Kaikha to a halt with a colossal thud.

Aldrus was already moving. As the Draconian inclined his head to stare at them coolly, the man’s fell blade slashed out, aiming for red eyes, only to be met instead by Aldrus’ Coronacrux.

Their blades skittered apart with a hiss of sparks and smoke, and Aldrus adjusted as Kaikha’s neck stretched forward and the jaws of dragon and Nexagon met violently. Shrieks and snarls filled the air.

Recovering from the initial repulsion of their swords, the Draconian stared Aldrus down. “You were a fool to come here, child,” the man stated. Rather than engage the Deiman again, he leaned down to strike at the dragon’s head, and Aldrus was there in a beat once more, red deflecting yellow upward with a half-circle stroke that unbalanced the man.

Kaikha slammed the Nexagon’s wide maw aside and suddenly lunged forward to capture it around the neck, stepping forward to pin it to the floor.

Now it was Aldrus who turned and attempted to deliver the ending blow, only to be forced into retreat by one wing snapping outward at him. His gaze narrowed and he rolled underneath the outstretched limb, and his blade carved through flesh and bone the next moment. At once, from the point of severance on, the wing began to disintegrate into ash.

The Draconian hissed down at him and raised one hand to his own shoulder, backlash through their bond apparent. “That,” the fallen rider began through clenched teeth, “was a mistake.”

“The only mistake here was when you accepted a Dusk Seed and unending servitude to our enemy,” Aldrus countered.

The Draconian’s eyes filled with rage. They began to glow, and physical heat exuded off of his form as he took his sword in both hands and dropped to the rooftop. With a powerful overhead swing, he brought the yellow blade crashing to the floor when Aldrus retreated. Stone erupted and sank.

Rising from that miss, the man threw himself forward, and Aldrus found himself backed against the battlements. The next strike blocked his attempt to sidestep, pinning him in place, and then the same overhead blow descended like lightning.

Aldrus’ knees buckled as he caught the strike across the flat of his blade and attempted to deflect it, to no avail. Sweat dripped down his brow as those sunset eyes bore into his own. “Be finished!” Inch by inch the two swords pressed down, and it would only be a few more moments before they reached his neck.

The Deiman grit his own teeth and drew upon the enlightening. The swords stopped just before his throat, as his trembling arms strengthened. He exhaled hard and twisted his body, redirecting the force pressing down upon him, and the Draconian’s sword flashed by his face to crash into the floor once more.

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Without missing a beat, Aldrus thrust his sword upward and jerked it hard and out to the side, cutting cleanly and deep.

Dark sludge spilled from the wound. The glow behind those eyes dimmed, and the Draconian took an uncertain step backwards, and then another, lifting his left hand to touch the oozing gash.

“This… this cannot be!”

Aldrus climbed to his feet and steadied himself.

“Immortality is a curse,” the Deiman said quietly. “We may not live forever, but we make the most of the hours given to us to grow.”

Hatred replaced the shock on the Draconian’s face. He took his sword in both hands again and drew even harder upon his own bond, yet before he could step forward, Aldrus was already moving, and that mercurial bolt of red met the same wound and kept on going until it emerged from the other side.

“No,” the fallen rider uttered. His sword clattered to the floor. Smoke and ash began to waft from the deepened wound, and the sludge ran thickly down his sides. “What have you done?”

“I don’t know who you once were, but you were a brother to our Order. This is all the peace I can still offer.” He readied himself as the Draconian took two last steps backwards and collapsed. The Deiman hacked through his neck in two hard strokes to end the matter.

His stomach clenched hard. He shook his head and turned to the remaining threat, as despite Kaikha’s weight pressing down upon its head and neck, the body began to go wild, lashing out with tail and wing and claws.

Aldrus rolled and snapped to his feet, coming up with his Coronacrux raised high. “By mercy, return to whence you came,” he declared. The downward stroke was smoother than for the fallen rider, and just as quickly put an end to the thrashing.

One hand stowed the Coronacrux at his hip, and the other brushed over Kaikha’s snout as those immense jaws at last released their hold. “Well done, my partner. This fell deed is done now.”

Kaikha rumbled, and spat black sludge from his mouth.

Tyrrick and Agmentha met them moments later. The younger rider’s gaze was wide as he leaned around her head, grinning. “You were incredible!”

Aldrus turned and favored him with a tired smile as the enlightening faded. “These were just tower guardians, Kand. They likely haven’t seen combat in the years we’ve been alive. We got lucky to have disabled his Nexagon so quickly into the fight.

“Maybe so, but you still won.”

Aldrus waved his hand. “Tell me what you were able to observe. How would you have answered his strikes?”

“It all happened so fast! The most we could imagine would be to take to the air instead, and use Agmentha’s agile grace to our advantage while we harried the Nexagon and stayed out of range of the Draconian’s swordsmanship. It would take much longer, but eventually we would wear them down.”

The Deiman arched a brow. “That hardly sounds like your usual tactics, Kand. Have you finally come to understand patience?”

“It was mostly her suggestions,” Tyrrick said. He reached out to rub at the base of her horns, and she preened with a delighted noise. “Seeing them for the first time, I found myself hesitating.”

“That hesitation is your instinct. It’s not too late to return to Harkon Village, and further to Mount Dracaena, Kand. You shouldn’t be here for years to come.”

Tyrrick huffed. “I’d never be able to live with myself if I abandoned this quest.”

Aldrus sighed and nodded. “Then let us gather what supplies can be found here, and then resume our journey.”

----------------------------------------

Finally, Tyrrick sent to her as they crested another smoldering hilltop and took in the fifth watchtower of the hour. Waiting for them was an alert green Nexagon, head swiveling from side to side as if trying to hear their approach. I had begun to think they would all be abandoned after that first one.

Do not be so hasty to celebrate a vicious duel, she sent to him. It must be as large as Agmeddo is.

We’ll win, he answered, exchanging a glance with his master. Aldrus nodded. Together, the senior rider mouthed, and Kaikha-rin dove.

Agmentha followed at once.

The Nexagon’s head slowed and tilted in their direction. It shrieked, and the air shook for the power in its voice. It unfurled four immense wings and lifted from the rooftop.

Tyrrick winced and clapped a hand to his left ear in pain. “Fires consume you!” he swore.

Kaikha-rin reached the foul beast first. Claws raked out at wings. The great red dragon caught a blow to the face from its tail in passing, and veered far to the side and low over the land before shaking his head and recovering.

Agmentha was right behind him. Now! She sent to her rider, and Tyrrick’s Coronacrux flashed out as they twirled, carving through flesh and bone with ease and spinning away from retaliation.

The Nexagon howled and sank down to the rooftop on its front legs, and then folded its remaining two intact wings down by its side. It paced restlessly around, tilting its head to try and sense them while they circled around overhead.

“Now what?” Tyrrick called over to Aldrus.

“We take its head, one slash at a time. Once it’s been bled enough, you and I will land on the rooftop and strike from each side together. Until then, harry it with strikes.” Aldrus drew his sword and Kaikha-rin dove once more, and claws gouged at its elongated neck only to be caught by the hindleg with black teeth. Aldrus nearly tumbled over Kaikha-rin’s head as they were stopped and forced to slam into the tower wall, and as claws scraped at stone for purchase, the elder rider fought to climb his dragon’s back.

“Aldrus!” Tyrrick yelled. Agmentha immediately descended, and with that thick neck otherwise occupied in keeping Kaikha-rin from moving, she settled upon its back and dug in tightly, snapping her jaws at its flesh. Tyrrick dropped beside her and his sword was a blur as he drew deeply upon enlightening to back his blows.

Once. Twice. Three circular slashes, and then it jerked its head and he was knocked away. All of the breath in his lungs rushed out as he rolled up against the battlements and lay there, stunned.

Tyrrick! Her voice reached him, a deep rumble, and she shoved her front leg forward and into the oozing gap his sword had made, raking her claws to carve even deeper.

The Nexagon shook wildly, and finally let go of Kaikha-rin to twist its head toward her.

She released her hold and whipped away, coming to land over her rider protectively. Up! She sent to him.

The green beast turned its head again with another pained shriek where ash and sludge oozed out of its neck. It circled to face her, and thus did not notice the other rider climbing over the battlements with his eyes practically aglow. Aldrus leapt and landed upon its back, and his sword flashed left and right, hacking away the remaining wings, then he was scaling its hump and descending directly toward its spread jaws as its head turned toward him.

Agmentha lashed out and bit at its bleeding neck. Kaikha-rin thundered up and landed on the edge of the watchtower, and both front legs crashed down on its bent neck, crushing its jaws closed.

Aldrus stepped forward and with his sword inverted high above his head, he descended to one knee and drove the red blade through its skull and to the stone beneath.

When he drew his sword free, Aldrus began to pant for breath. He stumbled away and fell to the rooftop, landing in a heap, and Kaikha-rin shoved the dead Nexagon back to nudge the Deiman with his snout. Aldrus raised one hand to pet his dragon and laid there on his back.

Tyrrick rolled over to his hands and knees and crawled out from beneath his own dragon. He leaned against her for support, and Agmentha murred. You will be well soon, my impulsive rider.

Thanks to you, he sent back. He exhaled hard and let the enlightening fade. What of Aldrus? And Kaikha-rin?

She craned her neck to see them. He is exhausted. And Kaikha is bleeding.

Fires below, he swore. He took another hard breath and then made his way over to them.

“Well, Kand? As exciting as you expected?” Aldrus said dryly.

“That was more than I wanted. But we have to do something about this blood.”

“Already am,” Aldrus said. “We’ll have to stay here for the night while my lifeforce restores his wounds. Get what food is below and prepare for resting.”

Before Tyrrick could respond to that, slow, sardonic clapping greeted them. Tyrrick spun, and there awaited the Draconian that they had forgotten about in the moment.

He was tall, dusky skinned, dark hair framing a youthful face. Green diadem and matching earrings glittered, and sunset-yellow eyes glanced from rider to dragon and back.

“I had begun to question if Reeves was correct, that the Order had given up on retrieving her. And all they could muster after these long months were two Deimen? I confess, I’m impressed. Mathias and his mount, and now Radial too, no wonder you’re wearing thin.”

He wore armament not unlike the riders, only in green and black, and at each hip sat two swords waiting for use.

Aldrus made to sit up, and his strength failed him. “Tyrrick, keep going. Complete the mission.”

Tyrrick looked back and forth between them, and he shook his head. “I won’t leave you here to die, or be turned.” He had already recovered his sword, and now he drew it, and stepped around the disintegrating Nexagon to face the Draconian.

“We’re both getting out of this alive.”