"What…what happened here?" Harpy Scout was at a loss as she looked around at the carnage that surrounded them.
Half-Dragon Priestess and her comrades stopped as they reached the clearing; they had all become aware of a foul stench in the air, the scent of something rotting, and cautiously followed it to discover the source. They looked upon the body of a large dragon, various birds picking at its body and signs of other animals having feasted upon it were clear for them to see.
"Talon. Go chase black birds away."
The hawk gave a screech before taking to the air and flying toward the flock of crows, the various birds flapped their wings and cawed angrily as the hawk swooped around them but the snarling of Fang and Specter finally chased them away towards the nearby trees.
"This is horrible. What could have…" Wolf Brawler closed her eyes as a new scent wafted over the area, a foul familiar one at that. "It was him, the Dragon Executioner."
"Indeed." Padfoot Monk knelt down and placed his hand over the ground as he felt the indentations. "Curious. I can feel the deep depressions of the Executioner's feet but there is another set here…someone much lighter."
"There's someone traveling with him? An ally? Maybe a slave?" Harpy Scout took to the air to scan the area for any signs of the Executioner but thankfully did not immediately see him.
Half-Dragon Priestess frowned as she looked over the body of the fire drake then over toward the center of the clearing she saw the shattered remains of eggs.
"A mother defending her unborn children. How could such a person kill without any hesitation? No, he's not a human but a merciless monster." Half-Dragon Priestess found herself clenching her fists as she turned her gaze back to the fallen mother. "This could have easily been Mother and me if we were still roaming the wilderness. Such a terrifying thought."
She closed her eyes and brought her hands together as she prayed for the fallen dragon, perhaps she and her offspring would be reunited with their ancestors.
"Priestess." Harpy Scout descended to join her friend, she too could understand the connection between the dragon and her offspring and what her friend might have been thinking. "I'm sorry. If we had time maybe we could bury the body or at least set it ablaze to keep the other animals from feeding upon it."
"No, we would lose too much time trying to bury the body and dragon flesh is very resistant to fire. At least her body will provide sustenance to others, and she will be able to return to the earth." Half-Dragon Priestess turned toward her friend and had a weak smile on her face. "I can't deny how I draw some connection between my family and hers, but I can rest easy knowing my mother is safe."
"We'll find this bastard before he can do any further harm. He may be able to recover from most injuries but he isn't invincible." Harpy Scout smirked as she slapped her friend on the shoulder.
"Agreed."
"RAAAHHH! We found giant man and smash his head in!" Saber Rider raised his weapon up in the air and roaored. "Not let him hurt any of my family!"
"Damn straight. No running this time, let's hunt the bastard down." Wolf Brawler growled as she slammed her two fists together.
"Indeed Huntress. His atrocities have gone on long enough."
Half-Dragon Priestess smiled as she could see the confident expressions on her party's faces and soon felt Specter rub up against her with his tail wagging.
"You're all correct. Let's find him and put an end to his reign of terror."
xxxx
The goblin screamed as he raised its hand to stop the blade from cutting it but the sword slashed through the creature's flesh with little resistance. The body collapsed to the floor as its blood stained the cave walls; a figure in filthy leather armored stood over the remains looking over the remains. Off to his side a large black wolf growling as it tore at the flesh of the goblin, ripping it from the body before loudly chewing on the meat in its jaws.
"Eighteen." Goblin Slayer bent down to wipe the blood from his sword on the goblin's loincloth.
"Really Beloved, must you use such a filthy object to clean my blade with? I am a treasured item not another cheap blade you can toss aside."
"Hmm." Goblin Slayer placed his sword away and gave a final examination of the cave interior. "This is the final passage in the cave. No signs of captives or new born goblins. No sign of these orcs or uruk hai."
"This is the third goblin nest you have investigated since our departure a week ago, it would appear that the orcs are not here. Or perhaps, they are located only the areas near the Capital? You did encounter them specifically in that area."
"Perhaps, but the uruk hai were seen in this region." Goblin Slayer took up the fallen torch he had thrown to help lead his way out of the cave. "Wolf."
The dire wolf raised its head and was quick to follow beside Goblin Slayer as the two calmly exited the cave. He had then gone to let the nearby villagers know that the goblin threat had been dealt with; once finished he moved toward the woods to setup a camp for the night. Goblin Slayer stared at the fire, occasionally looking over to the sleeping dire wolf then to the empty space around him.
"Is there a problem Beloved?" The image of the Lich Queen appeared next to him, a small frown on her face.
"It feels strange, traveling alone. I had been doing so since I had begun as an adventurer but I had gotten used to others traveling with me."
"That is completely understandable Beloved, but thankfully you have both Wolf and I here to keep you company." The Lich Queen thought for a moment when a playful smirk now appeared on her face. "This is very much like how you and I had traveled alone together during that first month…thankfully you are not suffering this time."
"Hmm." Goblin Slayer turned his attention back to the fire his mind back on his final night with his large family. "I'm also concerned about my family. When I was younger and on my own, if I died there would be no one to mourn me."
"Your childhood friend on the farm would disagree with you on that."
"Yes, but she would still have her uncle. I need to be more careful so that my daughters don't have to grow up as I did."
"My, my, it would seem you have turned into quite the protective father over the last few years. Your daughters are in good hands with their mothers and I am sure they will all grow up to be able to take care of themselves." Lich Queen had a bright smile as she floated over toward Goblin Slayer's other side. "Now, what would you tell your daughters if they were to follow in your footsteps? That little one with the different colored eyes even copies your tone and method of speech."
"Hmm, she is free to do as she wishes. I will make sure she and the others are ready for any goblin threat."
"That is assuming they decide to hunt goblins or these orcs you seek."
"Yes. These creatures must be stopped before they produce any further abominations."
xxxx
"Hey! I see girl over there! She dead?"
On their way toward the next town, Saber Rider was the first to notice a figure slumped near one of the trees but appeared non-responsive. The party rushed to check on her, there was always the possibility it was a trap but they were more concerned with her well-being. Half-Dragon Priestess knelt down and brushed aside her black hair, there she could see signs of mud or dirt on her face but other than that she was all right.
"Priestess, is she okay? She doesn't look injured." Wolf Brawler looked around the woods for signs of what had caused her to end up like this and started to sniff and take in the girl's scent. "SNIFF. SNIFF. It's faint, but I can smell the Executioner's scent among others on her."
"Damn, then that means he could be watching us right now." Harpy Scout drew out an arrow and readied it on her string to attack at the first sign of him. "After seeing the remains of that dragon, I'm not feeling as confident to attack him again."
"I believe we are fine for the moment." Padfoot Monk's ear began twitching above his head, as he carefully took in all the sounds around him. "There is no one else around us, at least not in our immediate area."
"You see her clothing, it has the same color and markings as what my big sister wears; I believe she is a follower of the Earth Mother." Half-Dragon Priestess looked toward the young woman and began to gently tap the side of her face, careful not to slap her too hard. "Can you hear me? You're okay we have you."
The young earth mother acolyte's eyes began to wince before she started to open her eyes, her vision was still blurry but soon enough she could see a figure with green reptilian eyes looking at her.
"NO! DON'T HURT…"
"Please don't panic, we're not going to hurt you." Half-Dragon Priestess held up her hands to reassure the frightened girl they were not a threat to her. "You're okay now."
The Earth Mother Acolyte looked around at the group of demi-humans and their large animal companions, still unsure of whether she could trust these people but soon enough saw the guild tags around their necks.
"Thank you Earth Mother…please listen! The village near our temple had been attacked by bandits!" The Earth Mother Acolyte tightly clutched at Half-Dragon Priestess's clothing. "Many were killed but my fellow sisters…they might still be alive! Save them!"
"The bandits, were the led by a giant man?" Half-Dragon Priestess looked toward Wolf Brawler as she remembered hearing her mention the Dragon Executioner.
"Yes. A large muscular man, much bigger than a normal human. I saw him brutally crush one of the men's head between his hands."
"The Dragon Executioner." Half-Dragon Priestess frowned as she realized their pursuer had attacked more innocent people.
Harpy Scout put her arrow away and took to the sky, flying high over the trees to see if she could find the massive giant, when she noticed a faint glow just beyond the trees.
"Over there, I can see a large glow! Could be a fire!"
"That's the direction of the village I ran from! Please save my sisters and the surviving people!"
"Don't you worry, we'll do everything in our power to aid them." Padfoot Monk placed a hand upon the left side of his chest and bowed to the young woman.
"Then…oh! Please also save the slave in the green tunic!"
"Slave in the green tunic? I don't understand." Half-Dragon Priestess was confused by what the acolyte was saying.
"He travels with the bandits but helped me escape, I believe he is also one of their captives. Please help…him…too…" The Earth Mother Acolyte soon passed out from her exhaustion, thankfully Half-Dragon Priestess had hold of her, so she did not slump to the ground.
"So what do we do?" Harpy Scout landed on the ground to rejoin her comrades. "We're still a bit away from the next town we had planned to reach, and I don't think it would be wise for us to bring her with us or just leave her here."
"You're correct. I'll fly her over to the town, I can reach it much faster that way. You all make for the village and see if there are still people to aid but be careful if the Executioner is still around." Half-Dragon Priestess's wing opened up as she looked toward her friends, still cradling the body of the acolyte in her arms. "Once I have delivered her safely I shall join you all. Specter, you travel with them."
"Understood. You fly safe as well, no telling if that brute has made way over to the town." Wolf Brawler nodded toward her friend before moving to jump on Specter's back.
"Dog Face, you ride with me on Fang! We get there as fast as we can!"
"You have my thanks Rider, you as well Fang!"
"I'll fly overhead as well so we can get there and hopefully save the others. See you as soon as you're able to join us!" Harpy Scout smiled as she too flapped her wings to take to the sky.
Half-Dragon Priestess smiled as she watched her friends take off toward the village but knew she had no time to waste as she took to the air and flew as fast as she could to get the exhausted acolyte to safety.
"Ancestors! Keep them safe until I am able to arrive!"
xxxx
Even in the dark of night, the party was able to easily follow with Harpy Scout high above, but their concern was how long it was taking to reach the village.
"I'm amazed that young woman was able to run this far! This would have been quite a difficult trek even walking!" Wolf Brawler carefully watched as Specter maneuvered around the various tree roots and large stones.
"I believe they refer to that as the "flight or fight" response Huntress. Her fear of the Dragon Executioner must have pushed her past her normal tolerance, not that I would blame her."
"We need not be afraid this time! Much stronger than last time we fought!" Saber Rider anxiously looked ahead, the faint glow now growing stronger as they got closer. "I member of Tiger Tribe now! No need be afraid!"
"Don't be reckless Rider! Remember he broke most of your ribs in that first fight! Not to mention you stupidly jumping inside the monster crab to kill it from within; I'm not sure I can tolerate any more of your wild stunts." Harpy Scout continued to flap her wings as she flew over the trees but could still here their conversation below. "There ahead of us! I can see a building on fire."
"Pretty Bird worry too much! I too strong to be beaten!"
"No need to make your beloved mate worry Rider." Padfoot Monk smiled as they drew closer but soon that smile quickly changed into a frown as his nose took in the scent ahead. "Do you smell that Huntress?"
"Yes. I can smell the smoke and…SNIFF SNIFF…ugh, there's a foul stench amidst it…like a rotting body."
Harpy Scout and Talon were the first to find the village, they could see several of the houses now set ablaze but it was the sight along the main road that was truly disturbing. Wolf Brawler and the others erupted through the forest to reach the village to join their comrade who already descended only to discover what had left her speechless.
"Huntress! I can sense the heat and hear the flames but what is causing this stench, I believe it is coming from around us."
"The villagers…they're all dead."
All along the sides of the dirt road that led out of the village were several large wooden poles, or rather stakes, and impaled on them were the bodies of the villagers. The men, women, and children lay their with frozen faces of pain or fear as their bodies ever so slowly slid down the poles as gravity pulled down on their bodies.
"Villagers. Stuck on large sticks like animals you cook." Saber Rider looked at all the people around them and tightened his grip on his weapons as the images of his own village went through his mind. "How dare giant do this to people!"
"He'll pay for this." Harpy Scout too found it difficult to control her anger looking at the poor villagers. "Why such senseless slaughter?"
"Because we were hired to clear out the weaklings in hopes of luring in larger prey."
The unfamiliar voice came from one of the nearby buildings as the adventurers readied themselves for an attack but found it was not the Dragon Executioner but several men or human and beast men race emerging from around the building with weapons in hand.
"Several voices but I do not recognize the Dragon Executioner among them. Ngiphe umlilo, ukushisa ububi." Padfoot Monk gave his chant as the end of his staff was set ablaze and he readied to fight. "Are you all the ones responsible for the murder of these innocents? Unkulunkulukazi uyakulahla."
"The big boss offered us all the money, food and drink we could pillage from these idiots. They're the ones who chose to fight back knowing they stood no chance."
"Besides, we sure as hell weren't going to try and fight against that monster."
"That's it? You killed the innocent because of your greed and fear?" Wolf Brawler's eyes narrowed as she looked at the bandits, clenching her fists to the point where her knuckles were cracking. "You are fellow beast men such as I and you act this way? You disgust me!"
"Get off your high horse you puny little pup! You'll be dead and impaled on a stake before the night is through…though maybe we'll keep the two girls for a bit more enjoyment."
"You hurt and kill people who can't fight back! You pay for what you done! Fang go!"
The large saber cat let out a massive growl and charged for the nearest bandit, the figure was caught off guard and screamed as the large creature tackled him to the ground. The others all rushed forward to battle with the bandits ready to make every one of these vile villains were punished, yet they needed to also keep an eye out for the Dragon Executioner. The bandits believed they could deal with these adventurers as many appeared far younger than them and they outnumbered the group; their plan was to overwhelm the adventurers first and then focus on the large animals, but this assumption would be proved wrong.
The adventurers rushed in and showed that the years of training easily gave them an advantage as they easily dealt with the bandits as if they were amateurs. Specter would bite down on the ankle of various bandits, breaking their bones to keep them from fleeing, though Fang was not as gentle as his razor-sharp claws easily tore through the flesh and left many dead. Wolf Brawler and Harpy Scout did their best to merely incapacitate the bandits without killing them; if the Dragon Executioner was no longer in the village they would get the information out of the survivors before turning them over to the officials in the next town. Padfoot Monk and Saber Rider were not as reserved and would deal with the bandits swiftly for the terrible deeds they had done to these villagers.
"You damn son of a…gggaaaahhhhhh!"
One of the bandits tried to rush to attack Saber Rider from behind with his sword only for Talon to swoop in and begin tearing at the figure's face with his claws and beak. The bandit screamed as he fell to his knees, placing his hands on his face to stop the bleeding as Talon flew away, the bandit's eye dangling from the hawk's mouth.
"Huh? You try and attack from behind?" Saber Rider offered a grunt as he smashed the spiked mace against the side of the bandit's head. "Thank you Talon. Fat Bird do good."
From within her back satchel, Harpy Scout reached for her rope to begin securing the surviving prisoners. The others dragged the groaning or screaming bandits closer and securely tied their hands and feet and left them in the middle of the dirt road.
"Now then, where the hell is he? Where is the Dragon Executioner?" Wolf Brawler stepped forward, cracking the knuckles in her right hand with her left hand.
"Ha! You think the smallest among you can…"
"SILENCE!" Wolf Brawler barked at the injured beast man, a snarl escaping her mouth as she continued to glare at the bandit. "Now, lie to me again and I'll have the hawk gouge out your eyes before allowing the dire wolf and saber cat to feed upon you."
The bandits all hesitated as they looked toward the other adventurers and the animals around them; upon the barbarian's shoulder rested the hawk, blood still present on its beak as it screeched at them. A low growl escaped from Fang and Specter as they bore their teeth at the bandits and took a step closer toward them.
"Uh…by the lake! He's taken the acolytes to the large windmill! Call off the beasts!"
The four adventurers turned and beyond the burning houses, they could see the large windmill turning quite fast as the winds picked up.
"We find giant man at house that moves? We go now!"
"Hang on a moment friend…" Padfoot Monk looked toward the group of captive and pointed the end of his staff, still ablaze, at the closest. "The Earth Mother Acolytes! We ran into a young girl who had fled from this place, are her sisters among the poor souls impaled among us or are they still alive?"
"Those sisters? Y, yeah…he took them with him? Said they'd be bait for a dragon or some bullshit like that!"
"Then they are alive?"
"I don't know! I swear I don't know! We used them for our pleasure but they were still…"
"You did what?!" Harpy Scout could barely contain her anger as she struggled to keep from firing another arrow. "You killed these people and then went about assaulting the women? The gods damn you all to hell!"
"We'll deal with these assholes later! We need to get to the windmill and save those acolytes!" Wolf Brawler stopped Harpy Scout from attacking any further so they could keep focused on the task.
The four adventurers and their companions rushed away from the bound men, all along them were the more of the impaled villagers and destroyed houses.
"Such senseless destruction and murder!" Harpy Scout shook her head as she looked on at the carnage around them and then toward Wolf Brawler. "I have to know, were you serious about letting Specter and the others attack those men? I'm not complaining, they surely deserved it."
"I was tempted. My pride as a beastman would not let me act like some savage animal." Wolf Brawler sighed as she recalled herself practically snarling like a wolf. "Apologies if I worried any of you."
"Nothing to apologize for Huntress, each of us has moments where our emotions can get the better of us. Right now, we use our anger to either kill this monster of a man or find a way to re-confine him."
The group of adventurers soon reached the large windmill, the wind caused the gears inside to activate the large stone wheel used to crush up large pieces of rock as the leather conveyor belt moved beneath it. The mill was located near the large lake with several giant trees around it, usually a beautiful scene tonight, it was utter chaos as the village burned. There in front of a large pile of burning furniture sat the massive figure that was the Dragon Executioner, to his right was his war hammer and skull of the dragon that acted as his helmet. Away from the Dragon Executioner, the door to the mill slowly opened as Slave Bard peeked out to see who these people were that had found his master.
"Oh, welcome friends. I was hoping that you all would be the ones to find me although if some other adventurers had reached here first, that would not have been too bad either." Dragon Executioner had a large grin on his face as he stood up and tossed aside the meat he had been eating. "Let's see…one, two, three, four…hmm, were missing one? Where is the dragon?"
"She'll be here soon enough, but we'll have to on the ground before then! Where are the acolytes?" Harpy Scout had her bow and arrow ready, though she had not had the time to apply the poison as she had done last time.
"The Acolytes? Why they are here with us." Dragon Executioner smiled as he gestured with his hands around him.
The group looked around, half expecting to find the acolytes also impaled on stakes, but the area around appeared clear. Padfoot Monk looked around the area in hopes of hearing their voices but all he could initially hear was the flames around him.
"Concentrate, ignore the howling wind and crackling of the flames. Now then…there is some noise from the mill, I can hear someone there mumbling to himself, and from behind the Executioner I can hear one female voice, but there are no other…wait! I can hear rope rubbing against something from above." Padfoot Monk craned his head up, though he could not see them, his nose picked up the scent of death and heard several ropes moving in the trees. "There, above us!"
The other three looked up and to their horror could see what their comrade was referring to; high in the trees were several nude bodies hanging from the tree branches.
"The…the Earth Mother Acolytes." Wolf Brawler looked on with wide eyes, horrified by the expressions forever frozen on the women's faces.
"Aren't they lovely? I had hoped your comrade would be here to see the wonderful decorations I added to the village." Dragon Executioner smiled as he looked up at the figures who dangled from the trees. "Oh but don't worry, I made sure they knew true ecstasy as I made each of them my plaything…until they broke or I tired of them."
"Imililo yesihogo mihle kakhulu esilwaneni esinjengawe!" Padfoot Monk too found himself practically snarling as he finished his insult.
"I not know what Dog Face say, but I agree. You must die!" Saber Rider pointed his axe at Dragon Executioner while Fang snarled by his side.
"You're welcome to try, you might even save her…"
Dragon Executioner moved further away from the large fire and the adventurers could see a final acolyte tied to a large wooden pole near the edge of the lake. She tried to scream for help but her mouth was gagged by a piece of cloth, yet what truly worried them was the rope around her neck tightly tethered to the same tree as the rest of her fellow acolytes.
"I'll have her hanging with the others in a few moments…that is unless you can stop me." Dragon Executioner had a visible smirk on his face until an arrow hit his right eye. "Grrr…impatient to die aren't we?"
"Keep him occupied, I'll go for the girl!" Wolf Brawler charged forward, as did her fellow comrades, to attempt to rescue the captive acolyte.
xxxx
"Curse this blasted wind. Hang on everyone, I'll be there as soon as I am able!"
Half-Dragon Priestess had delivered the fatigued woman to the town guards and informed them of what had transpired. With their assurance of treating the poor woman and letting the guild leader and mayor know of what had been happening, she took off back toward the skies to rejoin her comrades.
"I'm really worried about them fighting against that monster. No, calm yourself, we've all been through many tough situations, and they won't fight haphazardly." Half-Dragon Priestess continued to flap her wings as she could see the burning buildings drawing closer. "Almost there, ancestors please keep them…safe from…oh no…"
Half-Dragon Priestess floated there in the air for a while as she looked over the destruction below as well as the bodies of the villagers impaled and set up along the road for all to see. She clenched her fists, angry about what had happened but soon enough spotted a group of men tied up, struggling to break their bonds. She quickly descended in front of the group, much to their surprise, and drew out her metal blade angrily glaring as she walked forward.
"You all, I assume you are the bandits? Where are my comrades? Know if you lie to me, I shall not hesitate to slay you all and put an end to your heresy."
"We…yes we were the bandits who helped the Dragon Executioner attack this village."
"Wait! Wait! Wait! He killed our boss and would have killed us if we didn't help him, we had no choice!"
"Even if he had not threatened you, you all would have hurt others! Don't plead your innocence to me!" Half-Dragon Priestess growled as she looked around again at all the carnage. "Why did he do all of this? Why did he leave them in such a state?"
"He said it was to lure out a dragon on two legs. We all killed the villagers and then he instructed us to impale their bodies, something about making the dragon angry."
"What?" half-Dragon Priestess's eyes widened as she looked over the bandits, struggling to comprehend what they had told her. "You did all this to lure me out?"
"What? You're the dragon he's after?"
Half-Dragon Priestess continued to stare at the bandits, her eyes began to dilate as her anger continued to rise; she started toward the group tightly clutching at her weapon, with every breath she exhaled flames escape from the sides of her mouth.
"W, wait! Wha, what are you doing?" One of the bandits struggled along with the rest of his fellow thieves to back away.
"You cowards…you kill, steal, and destroy all in your path for your own amusement. You even desecrate the bodies of the dead, how are their spirits to find any peace in this state?" Half-Dragon Priestess stopped only a few feet from the cowering bandits, her gentle green eyes now glowing with an eerie light. "You did all this to draw me out, didn't you? Well here I am…and it's time you all pay for what you've done."
The bandits were terrified and grew more afraid as they saw her take a deep breath, before they could let out a final plea for mercy, she bathed their bodies in flames. She continued to spew fire upon them and watched as they writhed in pain, screaming before the fire eventually burned up the oxygen in the air and they eventually died. She looked on with a look of disdain as she watched them burn, never once showing any pity but soon turned her attention to the sounds of fighting further ahead.
xxxx
"What, what was that screaming?" Wolf Brawler looked back in the direction of the screams. "I'm sure all we left back there was the captive bandits, did we miss some of the surviving villagers in the houses? Damn, we need to get to the acolyte before she too is hung like the others."
The party did their best to get past the Dragon Executioner but just as they managed to move him away from the girl, he would give a wide swing of his hammer forcing them to back away. As soon as they all heard the screams from behind everyone stopped, curious about what had caused the cries of pain and aid. Slowly coming up the hill they could see the silhouette of a figure walking toward them, horns atop their head, wings upon their back, and twin blades in their hands. Her eyes glowed in the dark as she focused on the figure in front of her.
"Priestess?" Harpy Scout was surprised by the evident scowl on her friend's face.
Specter began to wag his tail and moved toward her but suddenly stopped and backed away, his instincts telling him to be cautious of this creature.
"Well now, look at that expression, you're looking much more like a dragon now." Dragon Executioner sneered as he watched the small half-dragon walking toward him. "Did you enjoy the lovely display of the villagers? Or how about how I strung up the acolytes?"
"You…you caused all this harm to get me to come out? Have you no decency?" Half-Dragon Priestess growled as she stopped near her comrades to glare at Dragon Executioner.
"It was the only way I could get your attention. You should be thankful I only needed to destroy a single village, I would have done more if it was needed." Dragon Executioner laughed but then a new thought popped into his head. "Well that's not entirely true, I did kill those two fire drakes and their clutch of eggs. My new helmet is actually the skull of the male."
Half-Dragon Priestess clutched her hands around her weapons, her usual steel dragon tooth sword and a second she summoned from her catalysts, her anger blinding her to the others around her as they tried to call out to her. Half-Dragon Priestess roared as she charged to fight the Dragon Executioner, her party was surprised by the ferocity she was showing as she openly challenged the Executioner. Dragon Executioner smiled as he swung his hammer to strike at the approaching half-dragon and was surprised to see her counter by striking with both her blades; what's more, she was not knocked back as before but held her ground as the two struggled to overpower the other.
"Impressive. If I wanted a real challenge, I just needed to make you angry. However…" Dragon Executioner noticed that she was being pushed back ever so slightly. "You're still not strong enough to fight me alone little dragon. Maybe if I kill this one, that will be enough."
With a final grunt he pushed her back, Half-Dragon Priestess nearly fell backwards but was caught by Saber Rider.
"Lizard Girl okay?"
"We need to stop him!" Half-Dragon Priestess quickly moved away from her comrade ready to continue the fight.
"Hey wait! You need to calm down!" Wolf Brawler moved in front of her friend and placed both hands on her chest. "I understand you're mad, but right now you're playing right into his hands."
"No more. I won't let any more die because of me." Half-Dragon Priestess looked down at her friend then back toward Dragon Executioner with wide eyes. "He's pulling on the rope!"
Everyone looked to see Dragon Executioner tightly pulling on the rope over the tree limb, and could see it now tightening around her neck. Specter and Fang charged forward biting at his arm and leg to force him to move away from the girl.
"Damn you stupid…gahh damn it!"
Dragon Executioner growled as Talon swooped in and began to claw at his face, trying to swing his war hammer only to have Wolf Brawler and Saber Rider clutch at his left arm and pull to keep him from moving.
"Quickly! Get the girl loose!" Wolf Brawler struggled to hold Dragon Executioner back.
"Stupid Giant Not Move!"
Half-Dragon Priestess rushed toward the bound woman weapon in hand ready to cut the rope around her neck; while she did this Harpy Scout and Padfoot Monk moved to secure the captive and get her out of harm's way the moment the rope was cut.
"Don't worry, we'll get you…" Harpy Scout suddenly noticed a second rope tightly wrapped around her ankles, it was tied to something that was pulling her into the lake. "Priestess wait!"
Half-Dragon Priestess slashed at the rope, it immediately went slack around the girl's neck but that was when she heard the sound of the ground shifting. The wooden pole the girl had been tied to was suddenly pulled from the ground and dragged into the water before Harpy Scout and Padfoot Monk could cut the second rope. Everyone was in shock after seeing the young woman being dragged away, Dragon Executioner however was chuckling even as blood ran down his face. He grunted as he then tossed aside all those who had been holding him back, free once again he turned his attention to the stunned half-dragon.
"What…what happened? I cut the rope and…no! I need to save her! I can still see bubbles reaching the surface! There's still…"
"Priestess behind you!"
Half-Dragon Priestess looked toward Harpy Scout, in her surprise Dragon Executioner got hold of her tail and pulled her back, tossing her far away from the edge of the lake. He then rushed toward the other two adventurers and swung his war hammer down upon the ground, Padfoot Monk rolled away while Harpy Scout took to the sky.
"Sorry there little dragon, I forgot to mention the large rock tied to her feet. I would have either hung her like the others, drowned her, or potentially torn her in half, I would have been satisfied either way." Dragon Executioner laughed as he looked toward the lake and could see no further bubbles on the surface. "That poor girl, she was expecting the adventurers to come and save her along with her sisters. Not only did you all fail to save her sisters, but you're partially responsible for killing her."
"D, don't listen to him! This bastard will…Priestess?" Wolf Brawler pushed herself up from the ground but noticed her friend was acting strange.
Half-Dragon Priestess looked toward the lake with wide eyes, tears forming as she realized she had killed that young woman. She had become an adventurer to save people like her family but now this fallen adventurer from the past had killed two entire villages, displayed their bodies like a macabre piece of art, and now forced her to kill an innocent. She then turned her attention toward Dragon Executioner, her anger rising as was the temperature around her as her tears turned to steam before evaporating.
"Damn you…DAMN YOU!"
Half-Dragon Priestess was suddenly consumed by purple flames; her comrades were surprised by this event and backed away as the temperature grew too hot to stand near her. Dragon Executioner smiled as he watched the flames continue to grow until a set of wings broke through the fire and with a single flap, the flames were immediately extinguished. Where Half-Dragon Priestess had been standing was now a dragon with purple scales and bright green eyes, angrily staring at the Dragon Executioner.
"P, Priestess?" Harpy Scout landed near her comrades, completely unaware that her friend could change in this manner.
"Lizard Girl turn into giant lizard!"
"Finally, you've become a true dragon, though you might be a bit small." Dragon Executioner reached down toward the ground for his skull helmet and affixed it to his head. "Now little dragon, give me a good fight before I tear your heart out."
Author's Note: hey everyone, apologies for the delay. I haven't given up on the story, but after working on nearly the same content for almost four years, it starts to feel more like work than fun. I'm going to pace myself, but I still have plenty planned for the characters. We've seen an arc dedicated to Saber Rider as he is now a member of the Amazonian Tiger Tribe. I have some more arcs planned so Padfoot Monk, Harpy Scout, and Wolf Brawler. Half-Dragon Priestess will have several moments, but she'll first have to overcome the rage that has consumed her.
