— Aster —

After learning of what we really hunt we all became a lot quieter, finally feeling the danger. We had been walking for hours. If the directions from the egg were correct we should be very close.

We were right. It did not take long before a creature emerged from the brush. It was a lizard, a lizard the size of a full-grown man and twice as long. It had thick black scales, folded webbed wings, a light blue underbelly, and angry eyes. We were taken off guard by the creature. Hearing about them and seeing them were indeed two different things. No picture could truly prepare us for this creature. Lucky for us the lizard was caught just as off guard as us staring toward us.

Bay was the first to recover as she began to chant as the energy moved all around her. I could see the energy move as though the water was moving into her. Watching the amount of energy move around and into her, I was awed. Looking around the rest of the group it didn’t appear anyone else noticed. Can’t they see the amount of power she is holding? The sound of Bay’s chanting brought the rest of us out of our stupor. Focusing back on the creature. We pulled out our weapons and charged.

I still don’t know if it was the magic that was about to be cast or the approach of three men with swords that made it hesitate, but the fight was over so quickly if you blinked you might have missed it.

James moved first sinking his sword deep into the creature’s scales sheering its arm off. The drake screamed and tried to swing its other claw at James. James dodged the incoming strike, as five arrows flew right in front of James passing into the drake’s chest. At the last arrow struck, I closed in on the drake swinging my weapon, only to strike dirt. The drake didn’t even notice me. As Bay finished her spell causing the earth to rise below the drake and impale it with a spear of earth. Killing it.

The lifeless drake twitched. James approached poking it with his sword. “Well, I think it is dead.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

James smiled “That was a piece of cake! This is going to be easy!”

Looking at everyone I could see they were thinking the same thing as him. “Like hell, it will! That was just one, and we were all caught off guard including the drake. What are we going to do about it when we come against the elites, the queen, or even just a group of them?” I burst their little bubble.

“You worry too much. We took care of this one so fast that the others should be nothing.” James reassuringly said.

“Yeah, the others shouldn’t be too hard. Besides, we’ll be careful.” Rowan added.

“Yeah, maybe next time you can hit the drake instead of the dirt,” Violet added.

Shaking my head. “This is going to be rough.”

“Oh lighten up!” James said, grabbing my shoulder. “Besides if any of us get hurt Violet will take care of it.”

Looking over at Violet she smiled “Yup!” While waving her mace.

I could see it was a losing battle. “Fine let’s just skin the drake and go before it fades.”

Drake skin is valuable, as it can be used in magic engineering as well as armor, weapons, and a ton of other uses. “You suggested it so you have to do it,” Rowan commented.

Everyone laughed James didn’t make it better “Yeah you suggested it so it’s your responsibility.”

“You guys suck.” I pulled out my dagger and began to skin the drake. As I was skinning the drake I found that the only thin part of the hide was along its back and the scales around the back of the skull. Oddly enough there were only a few areas that were worth anything. I am not sure of the condition of the hide but I was pretty sure it was low quality especially with my inexperience in skinning. I rolled up the parts that I thought were salvageable and tied them to my bag.

“Not much left is there?” Bay commented when she saw the remains of the hide.

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“No, not really, we damaged the hide a lot when we fought it. That and I’m not very good at this.” I admitted

“Well, now we know. So how much do you think it's worth?” Bay asked. I swear I saw money signs in her eyes.

“Couple silvers to the right person.” I guessed.

“Wow really?” Bays eyes seemed to sparkle.

“Supposedly but that’s for an intact hide this will probably be coppers instead of silvers, But I’ve never tried to sell drake items.”

“Well either way we’ll make plenty of money doing this job.” Bay seemed really excited by the pelt.

“Ready to go?” James asked impatiently.

“Yeah got everything I could grab.”

“Good then let’s find the hive,” James added

What crawled up his butt? Grabbing my bag, we set out.

We located the Drake hive ten meters behind the drake we killed. We were lucky that we killed it as fast as we did otherwise we may have attracted more.

“Looks like a giant beehive,” I commented. It was enclosed in some type of paper, three stories tall, and attached to the ground with some type of thick web. Outside the web, I could see five drakes lounging in the sun on the surrounding boulders. “I see five of them. They all look to be sleeping.” I gestured over towards the sleeping drakes.

Everyone quieted down before James pointed above “No there are six one is awake it looks like it's guarding the others.” We watched the flying one circle before it landed on another boulder. It laid down after surveying the area and fell asleep.

“Well if he was guarding he appears to be sleeping now,” Rowan commented.

“So what’s the plan?” Violet asked.

“Cut off their heads while they're asleep?” Bay asked.

James looked aghast “We are not detestable thieves without honor. We are honorable adventurers! Isn’t that right Aster?”

Every time James spoke like that my mark seemed to burn, as to remind me I was a rogue. I think he likes to pretend I’m not or at least staying away from those jobs...I was but that's beside the point. “That’s right.” I really liked Bay’s plan as I thought it would work “Although Bay has a good idea, we don’t know how many are in the hive, and quickly taking these guys out will help a lot.” I said this trying my hardest to stay cool. I remember overhearing that some warrior guilds are overly fond of honor, and I guessed James must have joined one of those. “Besides didn’t they drill battle tactics into you as well?” It was something I had overheard during one of my missions. I infiltrated a warrior’s guild and overheard a lesson that was being given in tactics. It was a very odd sensation, I didn’t go into the haze but I overheard everything said in the five minutes. It wasn’t much, it was pretty much them just holding up maps and quickly describing basic ideas and concepts. When I woke I was in a panic until I found out it was only a single night, although now I had some simple knowledge on tactics enough that it appeared on my screen at level one.

James seemed troubled as though he was thinking that it might work but he didn’t agree. After a few moments, James drew his sword.

“Great ok everyone moves as quietly as possible the smell of blood…might… wake…them.” My words slowed as James went out and headed toward the drakes and shouted “WAKE UP YOU MANGY LIZARDS AND PREPARE YOURSELVES!” all of our mouths fell open as he woke the drake.

Shaking my head and placing my hand over my face “Tell me he did not just do that.”

Bay was the one to respond “He did.”

Not daring to look “Now what’s happening?”

“The six woke up, also” a loud roar sounded “they seem to be calling the others,” Bay said in an exhausted tone.

“Are they coming out?”

“Uh-huh,” Bay spoke.

“How many?”

“Ten so far.” Violet chimed holding her mace

“So sixteen total?”

“Yup,” Rowan added pulling out his bow

“Any elites?”

“Nope.” Bay sighed

“Queen?”

“No.” Rowan notched an error

“At least some good news. We might as well try to help.”

“You know we are probably going to die right?” Bay asked

“Yeah but might as well get rid of as many as we can right?” I added as I pulled out my sword.

“Might as well,” Rowan added as he began to draw his bow.

I finally looked up “Rowan, Violet, Bayberry supports us from back here, stay in the trees. Rowan distracts them, Bay tries to hit the ones around us. After using one spell move to a different spot do not use the same spot twice. Violet, we’re counting on you to watch our backs.”

After James’s idiotic outburst. I was walking towards the drakes with my sword in my hands to help the honorable idiot. I could see the drakes slowly move towards James’s shouting. Of course, the drakes couldn’t understand him, drakes aren’t that smart, but that doesn't mean they weren’t angry.

As we walked I could feel the energy from behind me building “The girls have us covered from the woods.” James nodded as he also readied himself for the charge. The drakes quickly moved towards us. The first one to reach us aimed for me snapping its jaws and lunging towards me. I quickly thrust my sword towards the drake aiming for its throat, but I missed the throat, shoving my sword into its mouth and piercing its brain, killing it.

That was lucky. Looking over at James I could tell he knew it was a lucky stab. We continued our life and death struggle as the others supported us from behind. As soon as two more approached we felt a surge of magic as two earth spikes shot out pinning one of the drakes approaching.

James and I fought, we saw drakes fall from the sky, wings filled with holes as they crashed into the ground.

Suddenly, a drake grabbed me with its jaws and flew off into the air with me in its mouth. I could feel the razor-sharp teeth pierce my sides as I was brought into the air. I pulled out my knife and began to stab anywhere I could. Stabbing it in the eye was its trigger for letting me go. It was only then that I actually notice how high I was. The drake had shot up like a rocket, I must have been over three-hundred feet in the air.