Chapter 88: Chapter 88 - The Scarlet Drake
These are the last two episodes of filler.
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While the ivory nightmare, more commonly known as Rex, was hunting on the ground, the wyvern that some had taken to calling the scarlet drake was patrolling the skies, its large wings allowing it to cover large stretches of land quickly, and though its top speed might not have matched the silver hawks, its raw power and artillery in the form of fireballs made up for that and were a tremendous help when dealing with groups of bandits or deserters.
Alongside the talon riders that had accompanied the royal huntsmen, those who saw the scarlet drake never escaped.
For most, it started with the sound of might wings flapping or a distant roar. Many would write off the noise, while others would ignore it, contributing it to a distant beast, or some other sound. After all, there were no real dangerous flying beasts in Larra besides the silver hawks and they didn't roar.
It was this naivety and lack of vigilance that cost most groups their lives. Torn apart by its massive claw, burnt by its fire, or crushed by its tail, they all died in the end, and while some tried to escape, it never worked, because the scarlet drake was not alone.
Beneath the ground, burrowed a smaller dragon, that would most likely be laughed at if seen, but its size was very misleading, for when it surfaced in the middle of the group, bodies broke and brunt under it steel claws and flaming breath, and most never got even a glimpse of it, for by the time it was done, it was already beneath the earth once again, on its way to its next target.
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Erik Kelmp glanced behind himself as he ran through the first. His breathing was strained and his chest was starting to hurt as his legs ached. He'd been running for ten minutes, but despite the pain, he hadn't dared stoped. Not after what had happened to him and his friends.
He felt a tear roll down his cheek as he remembered what had happened, the carnage and death. His brothers were gone, the only people he had left in this world, gone. He felt anger rise up, but pushed it down. There was no point in being angry, it wouldn't help him as it had done so many times before.
There was no way he could beat whatever had killed his brother. He hadn't even managed to really see it. All he'd seen was a blur and then his brothers and friend had started dying. He winced and held back tears as a branch snapped beneath his foot. It reminded him of the cracking and crunching sounds he'd heard. The image of his older brother's body being cracked in half was fresh in his mind and he had to push back the bile that rose up in his throat. His younger brother hadn't fared much better, the screams as he'd burned alive would haunt Erik for the rest of his life if he made it out.
He glanced back once more, but couldn't see anything, not that he expected to. With the speed, it had shone and the way it had popped out of nowhere, he didn't think he would be able to spot it unless it was stood still.
He turned back just in time to smack face-first into a tree. He bounced back, but thanks to being a lesser kord, it didn't hurt and would leave no mark, but that's not what he was worried about. He scrambled back to his feet and quickly glanced around himself, his dagger held tightly in his hands, which somehow felt sweaty and numb at the same time.
He ran for another ten minutes and just as he was starting to think he'd managed to get away, he heard an odd sound. It was coming from above and sounded like flapping wings. He looked up and had to hold back a scream of terror.
Above flew a large dragon-like creature. Erik had never seen anything like it.
"What the... it can't be, drakes don't live in Larra."
The creature seemed to hear his words and Erik glanced around himself to see if he could find somewhere to hide as the drake angled its head down towards his direction.
"Come on, come on, please."
Just as he was about to give up, he spotted an empty hole underneath a tree that looked big enough for him to fit in. He jumped in its direction, rolling into a crouch then scrambling into the hole. He moved in as far as he could, and quickly tried to still his rapid breathing and calm his racing heart.
"Please, please, please," He muttered, paying that the drake wouldn't find him.
The sound of mighty wings grew softer and softer, and Erik let out a breath of relief as he felt his body relax. That's when he felt something touching his side. He frowned and turned to see a small creature staring directly into his eyes.
Before he could say or do anything, it clamped its massive jaws over his head and bite down.
The loud crunch was the last thing Erik heard before he, like his brothers, died.
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"Gible!"
Gible spat out the severed head and moved out of the hole.
He was about to use dig and move back underground but stopped when he saw a talon rider moving towards him.
"Good work," The rider said. "We've got another group to the north, hop on and I'll drop you off close by. It's a kill and rescue. They've got a few prisoners, looks like village or town folk. I'll point them out before I drop you off."
"Gible!"
Gible hoped into the rider's arms, and let out one last "Gible!" before they took to the skies, towards their next hunt.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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