Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Six — Saint Bastion and the Dragon
Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Six — Saint Bastion and the Dragon The amphiptere spun around, mouth gaping wide to expose its large fangs, both dripping with a liquid I could only assume wasn’t great for anyone’s health. It snapped at the air, a futile attempt to catch Bastion.The soldiers around the monster kept jabbing at it with their spears and even the occasional swing of a sword. Magic pelted the monster’s sides, leaving marks and little else against the amphiptere’s diamond-hard scales.I couldn’t stand not being helpful, but there wasn’t much a couple of fireballs would do to something like that, and Cleaning magic would just annoy it, at best.It really sucked, but maybe the best I could do was sit back and wait.As I made that decision, the amphiptere spun around on itself, coiling up in a big circle and sending the soldiers near it reeling back, else they’d be squished by the creature’s massive bulk.Bastion flew back and landed with a slight bounce some two dozen metres away from the monster.The soldiers rebuilt their formation, officers screaming out orders from within their ranks until the amphiptere was once again surrounded by a bristling wall of spearheads. It glanced around itself with a deep hiss, malevolent, angry eyes scanning across all the people that looked absolutely tiny in comparison to it.“Hey!” Bastion shouted. He waved his arm above his head, and the amphiptere turned his way and bared its fangs.It shot towards Bastion, mouth opening wide again only for Bastion to dive out of the way. The monster was clever though. It turned, one of its wings unfurled like a large leathery sail.It made a dull thump as it swatted Bastion out of the air.“Bastion!” I shouted as I saw my friend punched back. He landed with a heavy thud against the rocky ground, then rolled bum over teakettle before stopping in a heap.The amphiptere hissed, and it sounded downright pleased with itself. It shifted its bulk, scaring off the soldiers that had started to move in again, and it slithered closer to Bastion.The paladin was getting to his feet, but he looked dazed by the blow. I didn’t know if he would have time to really figure things out before the amphiptere was on him.Which meant that I had to do something.I didn’t decide to spend a heap of stamina to launch myself across the battlefield and right at the amphiptere’s head. But by the time I realized what I was doing, I was airborne and already halfway to it's scaly cranium.I wished I had my spade with me, that would have made things a whole bunch easier. The snake didn't even turn my way, apparently dismissing me. I wasn’t a threat, certainly no more than all of the soldiers fighting it from every direction.The thing is, I wasn’t rushing at it to hurt it—I was there to be the most annoying bun I could be.“Hey!” I shouted. “Don’t hurt my friends!”I landed with a crunch of loose gravel below the amphiptere’s head. It still towered way above me, but that didn’t stop me from reaching down and grabbing a rock the size of my head.With a grunt of effort, I leapt up and ahead of the amphiptere, then I flung the rock I had into its open mouth.It bounced off of a tooth with a heavy clunk, then rolled down its gullet.The amphiptere closed its mouth, and I saw the muscles of its throat working before it glanced down and glared at me. It hissed again, and I glared right back. “Well, that’s what you get for trying to eat my friend,” I shouted.The monster seemed to consider that before it moved back towards Bastion.It really had a thing against my friend. At least I’d won him time. He was back on his feet, sword arm moving around as he tested it. “Broccoli, get off the battlefield,” he said.“I can help,” I said.“I’m certain you can, but it’s dangerous here,” he said.As if to emphasize his words, the monster spat at the spot where he was, coating the ground in a thick layer of sizzling acid while he bounced away from it. “We need to shift things around—this is turning into a battle of attrition and we don’t have the numbers or the time for that,” Bastion warned.“So what do we do?” I shouted back.Bastion looked around briefly while the amphiptere slithered closer. “We lure it somewhere we have an advantage!”He had to move again right after that, the amphiptere putting pressure on him as it tried to gobble him up. I backed up, my job done for the moment. I had to think. Someplace where we had an advantage?I glanced around. The battlefield was, for the most part, flat, with only a few smaller bumps in the terrain and some roads here and there for the quarry workers to use. The biggest hill was the one the amphiptere had been living in, and it was actually a good deal smaller than the monster itself. I imagined there was some large hole underground for it to nestle itself into.The new quarry location didn’t have much going for it. The old quarry though... that was basically a huge hole with some water at the bottom. There wasn’t even that much, and there were spiralling earthen ramps all around it. The quarry was pretty darned big too, especially for something that had likely been dug mostly by hand.“Bastion!” I called out. “The old quarry! Can we make it fall down there?”Bastion grunted as he juked out of the way of a strike. “Maybe! Get to the general, we’ll need his mages. I’ll-” He paused to fly under another frustrated snap. “I’ll start attracting it over!”Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.“Got it!” I shouted before taking off.I had to find the general, which proved difficult. He wasn’t with the mages on the sidelines, or at least, I didn’t see anyone that looked like him with them.Then his fabulous hat saved the day. It was impossible to miss the colourful mane atop the general’s head, even if he was partially hidden behind a line of his troops. They seemed to be manoeuvring away from the amphiptere’s whipping tail, some of them doing their best to resist the sweeping blows that occurred whenever the monster moved while others focused on slashing and cutting at the tail whenever it came near.From what I could tell, it looked more like they were leaving a whole lot of papercuts rather than any big wounds, but they were trying their best, considering the size difference.I hopped over, moving as quick as I could and even bouncing off the giant snake when its undulating movement brought it close enough.“General Holey!” I said as I landed with a heavy thump.“Captain Bunch,” he greeted. “Tighten to the right! If you don’t hold, we’ll all be rotting in the deepest pit with our ancestors by the morning!” He turned back to me. “What can I do for you, captain?”“Bastion is planning on drawing the monster towards the old quarry. We want to make it fall down the pit so that we can hit it from above. We need your mages.”“To weaken the edge so its weight will make it collapse,” he said. “I understand. Here, take this.” The general reached down to his chest piece where a medallion hung. He tore it off and tossed it to me, then pointed to the slight rise where the mages were holding up. “Quick, show that to the lieutenant—tell him of the plan. We’ll be there.”“Got it!” I said.Battlefields, even ones where there was only one big enemy to fight, were more hectic than I’d imagined.I ran and bounced for all I was worth towards the mages, who were still casting spells, though they seemed to be taking small breaks between barrages. Judging by all of the glass bottles littering the ground around them, they were rapidly using up mana to cast so many spells nearly nonstop.“Who’s the lieutenant!” I shouted as I came within hearing.“Aye!” one of the mages said. He has a slightly more elaborate helmet, and a small badge on his chest piece.“Here,” I said, giving him the medallion. He took it, inspected it, then nodded, all in the space of two seconds. “We’re luring the monster to the edge of the old quarry. We need the ground there weakened so that it can fall into the quarry.”“Understood,” he said. “Hold fire! We’re mobilizing!”“Great,” I said.“When is this taking place?” he asked.I half turned and looked out at the fight. It was moving already, the serpent slithering its way after Bastion, who was weaving left and right before it, drawing its attention to him while keeping its pace relatively slow. “Now, I think.”“You might want to inform the other parties then,” the lieutenant said.That made sense. “Good idea,” I said. I glanced at my stamina, saw that I still had plenty left in the tank, then I charged, aiming for the hill where the amphiptere had been staying.The area around the hill was a mess. There were huge boulders all over and smaller rocks strewn about like toys on the floor of a messy kid’s bedroom. I had to watch my bounces as I darted up the hillside.I was breathing hard when I was greeted by a line of soldiers from the Inquisition. They eyed me, uncertain. “I need to talk to the major,” I said.“This isn’t the time for that,” one of the soldiers said.I blinked. “What? It’s about-” I gestured behind me. “That.”“I’ll speak with her!” Major Springsong said. He had a few officers around him, and I noticed that quite a few of his soldiers looked pretty banged up. I guessed they’d been near the worst of it for a while. The crevice, or what was left of it, was only a dozen metres away. It looked as if the stone under the edge of it was almost... melted?That might explain how something so big had fit in there.“Captain Bunch?” the major asked.“Uh, Bastion, that is, Paladin Bastion, is heading over to the old quarry. He’s hoping to lure the amphiptere there. The mole people mages are going to help him so that it falls into the quarry.”“And with it unable to fly... yes, that might work,” the major said. “Thank you, captain.”I started to give him a sloppy salute, then remembered what Bastion said about those. “Uh, right. I’m off to see the commander.”“Did the paladin give you any additional instructions?”I wiggled my tail in thought. “I don’t think so. If he did, I forgot already.”He stared.“Okay, bye!” I said.I went back down the hill. It was a lot easier running downhill than up, of course, so I got a good headstart from that. My destination was the commander, but it seemed as if the commander had guessed what would happen already. His troops were formed up in three smaller groups, all of them hemming in the amphiptere from the sides and harassing it with spears and swords, never giving it the chance to stay still without getting chopped up.The damage each soldier inflicted was small, but it looked as though it was adding up. The amphiptere was bleeding here and there, and while it looked like it could heal fast, it wasn’t outpacing the soldiers.Eventually, the army here would win. That was, as long as nothing went wrong.
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Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven — Quarry
Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven — Quarry “Hey! Here, here!” I shouted, arms and ears waving above my head.The amphiptere switched its attention from Bastion and stared at me. It wasn’t happy. In fact, it was very clearly growing less and less happy as the minutes went by and the fight dragged on. I could understand it. Bastion had been a very elusive target, and even as it moved the soldiers behind it kept poking and cutting at its tail.We had to keep it distracted though. Twice already the amphiptere had stopped going after Bastion in order to snap and spit at the soldiers behind it, and I’d seen a few of them get hit with droplets of acidic spittle before their shields went up.They’d be fine, I thought. Some sylphs were there to escort the injured to the medics’ tent, and I was pretty sure that the sylphs-who I’d been repeatedly told were the best at medicine-could take care of their own in a hurry.Still, that meant fewer fighters on the field.So I was bouncing and calling out, trying to distract the monster as best I could so that it would leave the army alone and continue its slow slither towards the old quarry.So far, things were going well. Other than a few close calls, Bastion and I were doing good work keeping it moving.Bastion was able to cut and poke at it whenever it came too close. He seemed to be aiming for the eyes, which really annoyed the monster.I didn’t have his skills with a sword... or a sword for that matter. So whenever I could, I flung some Cleaning magic at the monster’s eyes and into its open mouth. I bet it didn’t like having a dry mouth any more than anyone else.“We’re nearly there,” Bastion called out.I glanced back. There was a small line of trees atop a rise in the landscape, one that was too small to be called a proper hill. The molefolk mages were hiding a little ways from there, using the trees as cover even if most of them weren’t much thicker than a closed fist.Past the bump was a wooden fence, and beyond that, the drop.“Broccoli!”I gasped as a shadow fell above me, then I launched myself to the side and crashed on the ground belly first, avoiding the amphiptere slithering over where I would have been.“No distractions!” Bastion called out.“Right!” I shouted back as I rolled over and bounced to my feet. No one wanted a squished bun, least of all the bun in question. I had to be careful while taunting the giant high-level dragon-snake.Bastion launched an attack at the amphiptere’s face. Wide sweeping slices that had the creature flinching back. It twitched to the side, then spat out a gout of acidic spittle that utterly failed to hit Bastion.“Nearly there!” I said as I bounced up and grabbed a hold of the amphiptere’s side. Its big scales had gaps between them, some more than wide enough to grab hold of. There was a lot of dirt and detritus stuck in there. The poor thing probably didn’t clean itself all that often.Climbing up its side proved tough but doable, and in the end, I think it was worth it, especially when I was hanging off its side, within easy reach of the monster’s head. I flung a few balls of Cleaning magic towards its eyes, making it flinch back until it could blink them a few times.Then its large, slitted eye turned and narrowed as it focused on me.“Uh oh,” I muttered.The entire creature rolled onto its side, head whipping down.It was only a lucky jump that allowed me to fling myself off of it before it squished me flat. Still, the impact of its head on the ground made the entire area bounce. Trees lost leaves and pebbles skipped down the side of the old quarry.“Move back,” Bastion said. There was iron in his words; he wasn’t joking around any more. A glance around showed why. We were right on the edge of the quarry. We’d made it.I nodded, beelining for the little patch of roots where the mole people mages were hiding while Bastion distracted the monster again.“Well done,” the same lieutenant I’d spoken to earlier said.“Thanks,” I replied before stumbling over to a boulder. I sat myself down and let out a long breath. My heart was flitting around my chest like a hummingbird, so it was nice to sit back for a breather. “Will you be able to bring it down?” I asked.“Oh, we’ll manage just fine,” the lieutenant said.I watched as the mages spread out. With the sylph soldiers forming a front line before the mages, the amphiptere was being hemmed in against the long drop into the quarry.It would be a terrible drop for a person. More than enough to make it lethal, but then, the amphiptere was pretty big. The drop was only half as deep as it was long. I hoped that would be enough.Bastion flashed through the sky like a brilliant dart, leaving a single long cut along the monster’s face. “Now!” he roared.“Now, now, now!” the lieutenant shouted.All across the line of mages, mole people dropped to their knees, then brought their closed fists down and smacked the ground.After a moment, everything trembled, and I gasped as the earth surged out ahead of the mages.The soldiers before them stumbled, their formation breaking, but the initial wave was nothing compared to what was happening nearer the edge. As each earthen wave bumped into the next, the world buckled, and the ground cracked with a snap like an ice sheet coming apart in a nature documentary.The amphiptere paused, and I saw something like confusion flash in its eyes before the entire cliffside dropped.At first it was only a small drop. The crack running around the edge of the quarry widened, and everything held still.It felt like watching a coin land on its side while spinning. It was holding for now, but there was this immense sense of impending disaster, as if the entire world knew that things were about to go horribly wrong all at once.The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.A noise like a cannon going off echoed across the valley. The ground rumbled. Atop it, the amphiptere spun around on itself and rushed away from the edge.I heard Commander Warmwood shout something, and his troops formed a wall, shields up and magic glowing. Those in the rearmost rows pressed up against the soldiers before them, and they raised a spiked barrier, spears jutting towards the amphiptere.It rammed into the formation, a creature that had to outweigh the gathered soldiers a hundred times over, moving as quickly as it could, heedless of the spears biting into it.And yet, somehow, the formation held. I heard the soldiers shouting with exertion, and I could almost see the magic snapping at the air as they burned what had to be thousands of points to resist the monster’s advance.It was at once terrifying and awesome.And, most important of all, it worked.The ground fell. The entire edge of the quarry gave up with a huge roar, millions of tonnes of stone crashing down into the pit. The noise was so chaotic and loud that I winced and tugged my bun ears down over the sides of my head to protect them.The amphiptere hung onto the edge, and then the soldiers not keeping it at bay attacked it. Spears were thrown like javelins and dozens of fireballs pelted it from every direction.The snake hissed, terror mixing with rage.It tumbled back, its long sinuous form writhing even as its wings spread wide, but that didn’t help it at all.It screeched, the sound loud and piercing, and stronger even than the rumble of the world falling apart.The scaffolding along the edges of the quarry were torn apart in the fall, and then, with a final thud that sent a ripple through the grund, the amphiptere hit the bottom.The snake screamed in pain as sharp edged stones dug into and through its scaly hide, but the scream was drowned out by the rumble of cascading rocks as missing supports failed to keep back sections of crumbling wall.Gradually, the rocks settled and the echoes receded until I could here myself think again. A huge plume of dust poured out of the quarry, thick and gray.The wind turned, sending the wall of dust falling across all of the soldiers and mages on the sidelines. I pushed some of my mana into my Cleaning aura, keeping the worst of it off of me and letting me see what was going on a little better.Some of the soldiers around Commander Warmwood seemed injured. They hobbled back, supporting each other even as others ran in to fill in the gaps in the line. The Inquisition soldiers rushed over, some of them using what looked like wind magic to clear the air, and right behind them were the rest of the mole people warriors.I noticed Bastion moving to the edge of the new cliffside and went to join him. “Is it done?” I asked.“No,” he said. “It’s still alive. Though that did injure it. It isn’t quite pinned, and I suspect it will be able to move out of the quarry relatively easily if we don’t act to keep it down there.”“We’re going to go down to fight it?” I asked.Bastion shook his head. “No. We have the advantage of height. It won’t be glorious or honourable, but this might be the most effective way to fight the amphiptere without anyone getting injured.”“Oh,” I said.Bastion called for General Holey and Commander Warmwood, and soon Major Springsong joined us on the edge of the quarry.I glanced over the edge and saw the amphiptere shake itself out from a pile of stones and dirt, then twist around to right itself. It was in a rough state, the fall having damaged it more than any of the fighting so far.Then the mole people mages moved to the edge of the quarry and started to pelt the monster with Broccoli-sized rocks. It dodged a few, but there were so many that it was still hit. When the soldiers reached the edge and tossed fireballs down as well, things only got worse for the monster.A cart pulled by a pair of donkeys pulled up nearby, a couple of Inquisition soldiers riding at the back. They unloaded boxes filled with bows and barrels filled with arrows. Lines formed, and those soldiers that looked like they were running out of mana grabbed bows and some arrows, then moved to the edge.I think the arrows were enchanted with something—they glowed when fired, and some of them hit with loud bangs, while others buried themselves deep into the amphiptere’s side, rather like the spears of the molefolk..The monster spat acid up at those gathered above it, but other than burning a volley of arrows out of the air, it wasn’t able to reach the very top.I kind of felt bad. It was inherently unfair to fight something that way. Then again, the soldiers weren’t joking or making light of the situation. They were taking this seriously, as if the monster below could still turn around and become a genuine threat.That never happened.Eventually the amphiptere keeled over, the fight beaten out of it.The number of arrows and stones and magic pouring into it increased temporarily increased, then Commander Warmwood called everything to a halt. “Paladin Coldfront, would you finish it?”Bastion nodded. “Give me a moment,” he said.When Bastion jumped down the side of the cliff and started to skid down, I hesitated, then I followed him.I slipped and slid on the loose rock of the cliff, and I had to waggle my arms to keep my balance until I caught up with Bastion near the bottom. He looked at me, then nodded.Carefully, we moved over to the monster.It was still breathing, though only barely.It stared at me, anger plain in its bruised eye. “I’m sorry,” I said as I reached out to pat it.Bastion pulled his sword out of its sheath without any fanfare, then he pressed the end of the blade near the base of the amphiptere’s neck. “Well fought,” he said.A cheer rose up from the top of the quarry as the battle came to a close.
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