— Aster —

It was a little desperate but what else did I have to lose? I began to channel a new torrent of energy into my daggers gem. I focused on nothing but the dagger and what I wanted it to do. The world narrowed to the feeling of power flowing out of me into the gem. I found myself barely able to keep my eyes open when I spoke "CHANGE" the word seemed to draw out of me afloat in the air. Slowly the word weaved its way into the gem. The gem grew brighter and began to glow. The dagger’s blade began to become longer taking the shape of a long narrow rapier. I was astonished at what I had just done.

The next creature took only a moment to dispatch with my new toy. Leaving four left, but on the next one, something odd started to happen. The light on the gem began to blink slowly. At first, I paid no mind to it thinking it was part of the change, as I really had no idea what I had just done. All I knew was I changed my dagger into a sword and could no longer pour energy into it.

Time was running short for me, the creatures slowly stirred. My side was still burning and every time I moved the infection burned to hinder my movement, somehow I put that pain in the back of my mind.

I moved as I focused knowing that if I didn't do this, my friends and I would not get out of this alive. Drakes were one thing but Elite drakes were a whole different story altogether. At least if they're not asleep.

Approaching the third drake, if you’re not counting the queen. The glow from the gem on the saber began to dim. Slowly the light seemed to dim the closer I got to the drake. Finally, I was in place and the light was almost impossible to see. At this time I thought nothing of the dimming light, I didn't have time to worry about it. I needed to kill these monsters now. I got into position and thrust my sword into its brain. As the saber pierced forward and struck the eye I felt the dagger shift in my hand. At first, I thought it was the resistance of the dagger with the drake. To my horror, I found out what it was. Withdrawing my hand I now saw it had changed back to a dagger.

This time I wasn't using all my strength. The dagger pierced the drakes eye waking it up instead of killing it. The drake woke with a roar of pain flailing its head, knocking me away. By some miracle, I was still holding onto the dagger. But didn't waste any time and struck as soon as I landed. The drake was roaring in pain, well roaring might be a bit misleading it was a strange mixture of a screech and a roar that tore at the very core of my mind. I would have covered my ears if I thought I had time, instead I swung my dagger quickly at where I thought the drake’s heart was. I was right, my dagger struck true stopping the creature in its tracks.

Removing the dagger I quickly turned, not waiting to watch the creature fall, seeing the other three slowly stir from their sleep. Apparently, the death screams of their brother weren’t enough for them to be startled. They slowly opened their eyes, lifting their heads.

It took a moment for one to notice what was going on as it raised its head. It noticed me, a small creature running toward it. At first, the creature seemed to think nothing of me, as it was still sleepy and lethargic until I disappeared right outside its field of vision. The creature laid its head down back down or it tried to. Only to feel cold steel pierce its chest. Its eye quickly widened as it began flailing wildly as blood filled its lungs. The creature was panicked and flung itself around for just a short time, almost crushing me as I was rushing toward the two remaining drakes. Who at this point saw what had happened to their brother and were ready.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

With no time to think I ran at them. My body couldn't seem to move fast enough. The first one began to rear its long neck readying itself to strike. I quickly drew my chakrams and threw as hard as could at the exposed neck of one of the beasts. But the weapons hit their target it barely scratched the surface of the creature.

Like the tension being released from a bow the drake struck. I would have tried to dodge but I didn't even have time to think. I was now grasped between the drake’s jaws. To have long fangs pierce your guts hurt, it burned as bad as I saw the bile from the infected release into its mouth. Oddly enough I wasn't lost in the pain, I just ignored it letting the adrenaline push me to strike.

My strike went straight into the eye and into its brain. The drake convulsed and dropped me from its dead maw. Turning my head to the last and final drake I could see that it was now wary of me. Me this bloody and broken creature. Sure I felt the pain but it was a distant thing almost like it was happening to someone else.

My adrenaline was pumping. I knew I only had moments before the pain would come again. I ran at the creature while covered in the gore of its hive mates. I moved slowly at first then l I focused on the word and spoke: “Faster.” Jumping forward I think I may have been screaming. I'm not sure as the blood was rushing through my head and all I saw was the final drake. It recoiled as I ran to it. From the scream, I may have yelled.

The drake slowly regained its composure but it was too late. I took my dagger pleading “Please change." As I thrust the dagger into the place where the creature's heart was. I gambled it all for just one second to try to reach its heart. If the dagger did not change as it did before then I was dead and we would all be hunted. As the dagger plunged into the creature I felt something if not only for a moment but I think I felt it change, but when I pulled out the weapon all I saw was my dagger. The drake let out a loud roar. It swiped one last time at me. Its claws seemed to have frozen. Then slowly it fell dead to the ground.

Everything was quiet. You might be surprised how quiet the death of a creature can be. While it’s happening everything feels loud, every sound is amplified. All sensations are more intense, more…real. I could tell you what the ground felt like under my shoes as it was happening. What the look in their eyes was, even the sounds of the creatures breathing, but it wasn't until the drake’s final roar did it brought me out of this trance. The roar was loud enough to make me realize that there was almost no sound for the entire fight other than the plunge of my dagger...rapier thing into the bodies of the creatures.

So quiet “Maybe this is what they mean by the silence of death.” I had killed six elite drakes and a queen.

Fun fact did you know a hive can have up to 10 elite drakes. I did not know that at that time, well I didn't until I saw four drakes rise from the forest. They rose high from the trees, flying straight for the hive. Oh, they were beautiful flying in the sky shimmering in the sun's light. Just then I realized you could only appreciate them when they're flying in the bright midday sun.

Here I was dying, or what felt like dying, leaning against a tree trying to hold in my blood. Blight and decay. They'll take me than everyone else. I had to think of something. My mind was tired, so tired as my head dropped to look down at my dagger. The dagger that I had poured so much power into in the last few months. The dagger that I somehow changed. My mind locked on to that thought, how did I change it?

I was scared and needed help. What else? I focused on a word and expelled my will for it to be true then it changed. Something so simple the idea was so simple but would it work?

The drakes at this point were flying fast towards the hive. So fast as though they were falling directly towards me. I focused hard on the word pouring all my energy into it. I willed what I wanted, and believed it would work. Feeling all my energy leave my body as I spoke the word.

“Fall”

I fell limp, unable to feel anything, and could only watch. Nothing seemed to happen at first, then all at once when the drakes were no more a hundred feet away I saw something. Something odd, the drake’s eyes had widened. They looked like they were trying to slow but their wings wouldn't listen correctly as their majestic dive turned into a panicked fall. I had just enough time to think 'huh...it worked' before I faded into black.