B2 Chapter 234: Drake, pt. 1

Kaius crouched on a branch halfway up a large pine tree, holding one hand to the rough bark of the trunk to steady himself as it swayed gently in the breeze.

Jutting out from the top of one of the taller hills that dotted the forest, it served as a perfect vantage point to watch his prey.

Their journey to the small woods had taken them a couple of weeks, with a smattering of beast fights and skill levels to tide them over. It was an easy trip, especially with the bubbling excitement that had taken over their moods as they’d gotten closer and closer to their target.

For safety, they’d decided to camp a good hour’s walk from the forest. Drakes were known to claim large swaths of land as their territory, and they patrolled it religiously. Considering this diminutive collection of trees measured only four leagues across at its widest, if they’d set up under the trees it would have only been a matter of time before the overgrown lizard would have found them.

A sharp crack echoed through the air, joined by a patch of the forest’s crown shaking as something large pushed its way through the canopy. Honed into his Truesight as he was, Kaius spotted the drake immediately.

His heart fluttered in his chest as he took in its form, like it had every time he’d laid his eyes on the beast in the days he’d been tracking it.

It was fucking huge. When Rieker had said that it was as large as a house, Kaius had been expecting it to be at least a partial exaggeration.

It wasn’t; the beast was truly that immense. A long-snouted head as big as he was, shaped similar to the drawings of a crocodile’s that he’d seen in a book of reptiles in the archives, poked through the treetops as the drake reared up on its back legs. Pushing past its curled lip, forearm length teeth shone a bright white in the sun.

He knew from the times he’d seen it pass through clearings that it was nearly a full fifty strides from tail to snout—nearly half of that length made up by its overly muscular tail that had a vicious row of spikes running down the top of it.

Mottled brown and green scales garbed it in armour as tough as any dwarven plate, their curious colouring breaking up its form—making it hard to track even with his enhanced vision, at least when it was still. It was only by the dint of the clear tracks it had left throughout the forest as it broke its way through the canopy that Kaius was able to follow its movements so easily.

A hissing snarl left the drake’s throat as it grew frustrated with the stubborn oak that barred its path, hardwood too tough for it to simply walk through with ease.

It lashed out with one of its four fingered front limbs, sword-length claws cutting deep into branches as thick as his leg, before its brute strength tore them free. With its path mostly clear, the drake lowered itself—front limbs curling back into its chest as it lumbered onwards.

Kaius felt a prickling jolt raise the hairs on his neck as he took in the casual display of power. He couldn’t wait to meet the thing out on the field.

Though, this time they’d learned from their mistakes. There would be no running in half-cocked—no crashing through the forest to fight the drake on its own terms.

It was too large, too strong, to approach with wilful negligence like that.

Before they’d left Deadacre, they’d spent three days combing the guild’s archives for anything they could find that would reveal the drake’s strengths, and the weaknesses they could exploit to ensure their victory.

It had strong scales—tougher than steel—but they were thin on the underbelly and throat. It’d still be tougher than mundane chainmail, but nothing he couldn’t handle if he aimed for the fragile seams between the large plates. Porkchop wouldn’t even have to do that—his claws of jade would punch straight through like it was paper.

It was aggressive and territorial, but stupid. If they could bait it into a trap, there would be little cunning they would need to be on guard for, though they’d have to contend with its unrelenting fury and strength.

Blessed with good hearing, he’d had to satisfy himself with following the beast from afar—any closer than he already was and there was the risk that it would notice him. Thankfully, its sense of smell was good, but not amazing, and it had crap night-vision. They’d also found reference that its senses were liable to irritation, sending it into directionless rage and confusion when it was overwhelmed.

Something they’d worked into their plan of attack.

Unfortunately, not all of the drake’s strengths had a foil. Earth aspected as it was, its manipulation skills seemed to come as naturally to it as breathing. He’d watched it shift dirt and stone casually, cutting easy trails for itself through the uneven forest floor. Hells—he’d watched it take down half a dozen deer with a shower of stone shards it had ripped out of the ground and hurled through the air with the same ease he’d cast one of his spell-hymns.

A dangerous and lethal threat, but they had a plan.

He knew where it slept. Had mapped the routes it took through the forest—the routine patrol it took every day.

And every night.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Just as the moon reached its peak, the drake would rouse itself from its slumber, ambling out of its cave to wander through its territory. Kaius had followed it from afar, moving like a ghost through the trees.

Without fail, the drake was only half attentive to its surroundings—it’s walk driven by instinct rather than true need. Without any real threats to challenge its superiority, it had grown confident and lax in its awareness.

Even if he didn’t quite understand why a beast with poor night vision would be driven to a nightly patrol, he wasn’t going to question it.

There was a gully, perhaps a half hour into its route, with steep stone sides and tree laden ridges. It walked down the middle of that path, every time.