Chapter 10

The Three Kings part II

A barrage of arrows flew to the sky almost simultaneously with the woman's voice, creating a perfect arc directly above Robin and Lazlo, making their way to the fliers.

The band of wyverns shifted their direction to the left, dodging the arrows that kept changing alongside them. By the time the volley of arrows slowed down, they were significantly away from their initial target.

"Mages, shoot them off the sky!" The firm voice of the woman echoed through the area once again.

A gust of wind magic surged to the sky at the voice. The risens broke their formation and dispersed at the attack. Three landed on the ground while two kept their altitude.

The Ashborne soldiers, lancers and heroes, rushed the grounded risens while the rangers maintained their attack, making sure the enemies didn't go back to their original target.

Leading the charge, Eleanor zeroed in on one of the grounded wyverns with her partner, a mage closely following her. Before she would be in her attacking range, the wyvern itself decided to take the initiative from her. The beast snapped its jaw at her general direction.

Eleanor stabbed the ground directly in front of her, forcing herself to halt abruptly. She stopped just in time before the wyvern's attack connected. The clacking of the beast's teeth sent a shiver down her spine. She gulped down the lump stuck in her throat before assuming a defensive stance. The blonde grasped her brave lance with both her hands, bringing the blunt end close to her body and tucking it under her arm.

One of the riders, a hero, jumped from the back of the wyvern, raising his silver sword above his head in the air.

Eleanor kicked the ground with her left foot, propelling herself backwards just as a golden blur jetted beside her towards the attacker.

The thunder spell hit the risen square in the chest. He cried in pain while falling to the ground. Small orange jolts could be seen running through his body while he quivered on the ground before disappearing into a puff of purple smoke.

Seeing the scene unfolding before him, the wyvern lord launched his own projectile to the female sage.

Eleanor rushed in front of her comrade, parrying the flying rod with her own lance. Not bothering to stop, the female soldier 'glided' away from the mage giving her a clear shot at the beast.

She launched a gust of wind magic at the rider.

Noticing the attack coming his way, the rider tugged the rein of his wyvern turning it sideways. It hit the beast in the left wing, tearing its flaps. It jerked around for a moment, letting out an ear-piercing scream while some thick, purple goo oozed out from the cut.

Realizing her chance, Eleanor brought her right hand above her shoulder. Instinctively aiming and counting her breath, she launched her lance towards the human risen, hitting him dead center on his chest. Not one to waste and opportunity, Eleanor rushed towards the frenzied wyvern once more, pulling out her silver sword from the scabbard on her waist.

The wyvern screamed as she ran her blade through its throat.

"Now!" Eleanor shouted to her friend, immediately distancing herself from the whimpering beast.

Understanding what her captain meant, the female sage changed her tome and charged her spell. Thunder started to cackle in her palm. She launched the golden ball of energy towards the beast, aiming it at the sword protruding from its neck.

The wyvern let out a deafening screech before disappearing into purple smoke.

Finished with her end, Eleanor took the time to catch observe the surrounding while catching her breath. Most of her comrades were 'entertaining' their new guests, but some were lying still on the ground in pools of red liquid.

In the distance, she could see a black wyvern, bigger than the others was engaging a sage and few more. The reddish light enveloping the male caster made him stood out from the rest of her allies.

"Go help the others." The green-eyed woman instructed her comrade before picking up her lance and sword and made her way to one of the red blurs dancing around the battlefield.

Lazlo cursed under his breath at the turn of event.

"Lazlo!" a shout from his left snapped his focus from the black wyvern before him. He turned around to see a berserker impaled by a very familiar lance. The risen disappeared into a puff of purple smoke revealing a blonde woman dashing towards him.

"I thought Robin said not to intervene." He stated, changing the tome in his left hand to a staff and casted a wide-area healing spell.

"Robin's busy. And last time I check, I'm the leader not him." Eleanor claimed, reaching for her lance sticking on the ground. She rushed past the sage and stopped beside one of her soldier, a hero that was taking the beast's attention. "What do you say we finish this, huh?"

Lazlo smiled at the woman's 'question'. He rushed behind his friends' back, staff at the ready.

With multiple targets now surrounding him, the wyvern seemed to lose his bearing. He'd swing his claws at one of the human closest to him before changing his direction and snap his jaws at another. Countless of arrows pierced his body and both of his wings were unusable. He was panting and purple liquid started to come out of his mouth. The continuous attack by the male sage from earlier had finally managed to break his hide and the female lancer had been poking his left leg enough time he started limping.

The wyvern let out a scream before lunging at the male holding a sword and shield before him.

Surprised the beast would suddenly launch at him, the hero hesitated in his step for a moment.

The wyvern managed to pin the human in his mouth. Ignoring the scream from the man, he clenched his upper and lower jaw together. The scream stopped just as a lukewarm liquid with a metallic taste poured in his mouth. He closed his eyes savoring the taste, ignoring his surroundings.

"Darn it!" Eleanor cursed at the scene unfolding before her.

Lazlo aimed his magic at the neck of the beast, unleashing the ball of energy with everything he had. Its scale finally cracked open revealing the soft tissues underneath.

Eleanor dropped her lance and pulled her silver sword, raising it high above her head. She leaped at the wyvern's exposed flesh and brought the bladed edge down with all her might.

His surrounding had turned to chaos in matter of seconds, but he paid them no mind. He had more important task at hand. The tip of the spear was getting bigger, coming straight to his gut.

Robin took a step back, getting out of the lance's range. He let out his breath, before inhaling once more. He turned his body slightly to the side, followed by a hard kick to the ground propelling his body forward.

He thrust his longsword to the man before him. One heavy, powerful motion.

Alphonse kicked the ground as well, strafing to his left leaving Robin's blade suspended on thin air.

"Tsk." Robin reached his left hand to his sword's hilt, clasping it with both hands. Twisting his upper body with all his strength, the tactician followed his initial attack with a side slash, arcing widely towards its target.

Alphonse retracted his lance, covering the side of his body with the middle part.

"Gah!" The impact from his motion abruptly stopping snapped Robin's shoulder in its place for a moment, before everything went dark for him.

A kick from the wyvern lord forced the tactician to take three steps back.

Robin glared at the spiked-metal boot, stained with patches of red blots. He was coughing heavily, firmly pressing his left hand on his stomach. He could feel the lukewarm liquid drenched his shirt and started creeping through his fingers. I hate that lance.

Finally catching his breath, the tactician straightened his back once more. He shook his head a few times, regaining his focus. He eyed the wyvern lord once more. His stained face reminded Robin to the time when they were half their height now. Thick, purple goo was dripping from the cuts all over his body. His gaze finally stopped at Alphonse's right shoulder. His shoulder armor was all but shattered, with pieces of it buried in the man's shoulder, soaking his right arm with the purple liquid like the rest of his body. Either way, this ends here.

Robin relaxed his body, bringing the shield in his left hand to the front and his sword slightly to the back.

Alphonse gripped his lance in both hands, also bringing his weapon in front of him.

Both men lunged towards each other at the same time.

Robin brought his right hand forward as hard as he could. Coupled with the momentum from his charge, he could feel the right side of his body gravitated towards the wyvern lord.

Alphonse parried the tactician's blade with the tip of his lance, making a loud clank when both weapons met.

The moved from the lancer left Robin wide open. Contrary to his usual style, he didn't even move to defend himself. Not now, not when he was this close.

Robin took another step forward with his left foot, this time raising his shield above his shoulder. He rammed the hefty piece of metal at his opponent's shoulder.

"Arrggh!" Alphonse let out a scream for the first time since their 'reunion'. His lance dropped to the ground. He brought his right knee, metal padded and all towards the man in front of him.

Following his attack, Robin instinctively reached for his sword with one single motion, grabbing the bladed edge instead of the hilt bringing it to cover his front.

A loud clank ringed through the air once more.

Gritting his teeth, Robin sunk the broken sword in his right hand under Alphonse's left shoulder.

"Gaahh!" The wyvern lord let out another scream.

Gripping the other half of the shattered blade, Robin positioned the tip towards the man's chest. Only one thing left.

Gripping the shattered end with both hands, Robin pushed the piece of metal forward, ignoring the warmth from the liquid drenching his hands or the heat reaching out from deep within his eyes.

"You alright kid?"

"I'm fine! And don't call me kid. You're not much older than me."

"Keep talking like that even your children would call you kid. No wonder you don't have any friend. I'm Alphonse by the way."

"…"

"You really don't know what to do around strangers do you?"

"Robin. My name's Robin."

"Robin? Isn't that like, a girl's name?"

"!"

"Relax, I was just joking. Sheesh, kids these days can't even take a joke. Here, let me made up to you."

"A… sword?"

"Yep. My father used to say, these day and edge even your own brother'd stab you in the back for stale bread. Take care of that thing real good, she'll take care of you the rest of your life."

"And you believe him? Scratch that, you're giving me a sword after what he said?"

"He's my father, 'course I believe him. For your second question, I need a sparring partner…"

"?"

"Oh, stop it with the face. Not like you got anything better to do. Now, are you gonna stand there like an idiot, or are you gonna join me and get stronger for when we get out of this gods-forsaken hellhole?"

"…"

Whew, that was tiring. I'll have you know, I hadn't write that fast since got out of school. I might have gone a liiitle overboard with the action for this chapter, but I just can't help it. Writing action is so much fun.

Now for the usual. Thank you for reading, and special thanks for the follows.

Stay classy internet.