章 658: Myrmecoleon
Edjer dove with terrible speed at the massive Myrmecoleon. Despite being only halfway between the Spires and the ground, the dragon king tucked his head wings and moved like a blur toward the ground.
On the ground, the lion's maw opened wide. Its mandibles snapped in front of the razor sharp teeth. The ant had no fear. Only determined defiance.
The collision shook the ground, ripping apart one of the rolling hills.
"You sure you want to get in the middle of that?" Lilith asked the two human men.
The prince and Guardian looked at one another and gave short nods.
"Let's go." Alaron tugged at his hood. While it no longer hid his face, it did give him indescribable comfort. "Time to help a dragon."
Mairwen said a silent prayer for their safety. When she looked at Hanna, the Fate's lips were noiselessly moving as well. The two ladies grabbed hands, both begging for the Maker to help them in their time of need.
Oblivious to the small creatures skirting around the edge of Dew Mountain, the two behemoths were solely focused on the other's total destruction.
Edjer clamped onto the Myrmecoleon's injured leg and pulled with all his might. The large ant was thrown onto its back before being lifted ever so slightly from the ground.
A sickening crack caused the Myrmecoleon to hit the ground once more. Its leg was now detached from its body. The ant roared in anger even as its blood spilled on the ground.
'I still have five more!' It seemed to shout, though its cry was not intelligent.
Edjer spun the severed appendage and sent it shooting like a javelin at the Myrmecoleon. The ant barely leapt out of the way to avoid being impaled by its own sharp leg.
The jump seemed to have hurt the ant. It lay helplessly on its side. Edjer snarled, circling for a death-strike.
"Maybe we won't have to intervene," Renat hoped.
They had reached the point where they were ready to enter the boundary of Dew Mountain. The scientist looked at Alaron, hesitating to make any move.
"Watch out!" Uri screamed. He wasn't talking to either of the men. He was warning the dragon king.
Incensed, the ant had decided to lure his prey like a spider. The helpless flailing was only an act. When Edjer fell from the sky, the Myrmecoleon was ready.
Rolling on its back, the ant plucked the dragon from the air with its five remaining legs and pressed as hard as it could. The sharp ends of the legs tore into Edjer's scales.
But the ant was not done. Pulling the dragon close, the Myrmecoleon tucked it sharp stinger and stabbed it into Edjer's tail.
The king of the dragons wailed. He clawed at the ant's carapace to no avail. The armor was just too strong.
The only reason Edjer was able to remove the other creature's leg was because it had already been hurt by the bird before him. Unless he got lucky, the dragon could do no more damage.
"I think he needs our help," Alaron sighed. "We move in. You four get in position. I'll shoot the arrow once you are in place. If you can let the king know what is going on, great. If not, we will do what we can without him."
The others nodded and then fanned out. Renat took up his spot between Nath and Lilith with Uri to his far left. Together, all four entered the pastoral hills of Dew Mountain.
Before, it would have been easy to spot the intruders against the field of green, but now the ground was marked with angry gashes of battle.
This made it easy for the smaller beings to creep closer and closer to the raging battle without drawing attention.
Edjer spoke curses in the ancient tongue, trying to call down fire from above. The dragon was smaller than the ant and the blood loss from the wounds to his scales weakened him.
Yet he pressed on, determined. The king would not give up on his goal of exterminating the gigantic ant. But after the first encounter, the Myrmecoleon dealt more damage than it got.
Sooner or later, Edjer would have to retreat or die.
'Hurry!' Alaron silently bid the others. When they were far enough ahead, the Guardian also entered the clearing. He would not be getting close to the ant or the dragon, but his part to play was no less important.
In fact, if it worked like he hoped, it would be the most vital.
Finding his position, Alaron ducked into one of the remaining patches of grass and waited. The rest of the team moved swiftly. It was impressive considering the uneven ground that the battles had created.
'Just a little more…' Alaron kept a close eye on Lilith and Renat.
The she-elf had somehow won the argument for who should help the scientist. Alaron only hoped she had the strength to complete the task she had been assigned.
Renat waved his arm before ducking. He had gotten as close as he could signaling Alaron to make his move. The lanky scientist had actually gone even closer than expected. Any farther and he would have been trampled by the enormous ant.
'Just one shot. I better make it count.' Alaron steadied his racing heart. He had debated dividing the little parcel into two so he would have a back-up, but that meant whatever hit the Myrmecoleon would only be half as potent.
Taking a deep breath, the Guardian lifted his bow.
The two monsters were facing his way. The Myrmecoleon barely missed clamping its mandibles on Edjer's snout before the Dragon King pulled away and flew into the air.
Edjer looked exhausted, spouting a curse on the ant's mother and beyond. It would be a moment before he felt comfortable landing again.
The Myrmecoleon shook one of its front legs in the air. Alaron could almost swear that its rhythmic clicking was actually a laugh.
'It is not good to mock the Dragon King,' Alaron shook his head. 'Your confidence will be your downfall.'
The last sentence was as much for Alaron as a warning to the ant. His own self-importance had caused him to be blind to the truth. He hoped the same would be true for the beast before him.
With a flourish of its mane, the Myrmecoleon inhaled, ready to release a taunt in response to the dragon king.
His mouth opened wide…
…and Alaron released his arrow.
The package tied to the tip raced across the sky in a blur before landing on a pink fleshy tongue. Surprised, the Myrmecoleon shut its mouth to expel the arrow with a sputter.
This was a mistake.
The package burst, releasing all of the rotten ever berries that Alaron had been carrying since their visit to the elves. While they were bitter before, now the putrid orbs were inedible.
The nasty taste spread across the Myrmecoleon's tongue. Its pupils dilated.
Really, anything that wasn't dirt would have tasted bad to the antlike monster, but the rotten berries were a step beyond disgusting.
The creature convulsed, sputtering to get the vile liquid out of its mouth.
Because it was so consumed spitting, the mad Myrmecoleon did not notice the small human crouch in front of a she-elf.
"Now!" Renat held his arms over his head as he leapt and ran. His final step was into Lilith's waiting palms.
The elf lifted the scientist into the air, launching Renat toward the distracted beast. He caught a hold of the lion's mane and pulled himself quickly into its tangled hair.
'Now to find the right spot…' After losing his footing on the wall at Oblivion, Renat had spent some time on his grip and climbing skills. Now he was glad to be able to maneuver in the swinging locks of hair with ease.
After doing some mental math, Renat selected a spot below the lion's throat just before it met the insect's shell.
From the small bag at his side, the scientist pulled an even smaller pouch. He slathered something sticky onto the back of the pouch, popped something inside it, and then attached the pouch to the Myrmecoleon's neck…
…and then rushed as far away as he could.
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