Nusantara: Taming a Dragon ✔

Lerazar

So darlings, as promised, enjoy the second update for today. Also, I forgot to mention it before, but I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's. And even if you spent it on your own, watching silly romcoms or playing games (like me), I hope you had a great time.

But for now I'll go away and let you lovelies enjoy this chapter~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤

P.S. The artwork, as it happens with most of the chapters in this story, belongs to SweetChiel and is part of what you can see if you go and play the first game "Nusantara: Legend of the Winged Ones", which just so happens to be on Steam right now! So go enjoy the story, try to unlock all the achievements and have lots of fun! :D

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~ Night ~

Once again, Aleera was running through the forest following Sari to where the battle was raging on. But this time her body no longer felt the strain of effort; instead it was as though she were gliding along the ground. By the time she could hear the echo of the clashing armies the sun had already fallen beyond the horizon for many hours, giving way to a full moon larger and brighter than the redhead could recall ever seeing.

'We have to hurry!'  Sari spoke in her mind, urging her on. 'Tonight the demon wakes...'

'Not if I have anything to say about it!'  Aleera scowled.

Soon enough they arrived at the edge of the immense clearing where the battle was still going strong beneath the milky light, giving the warriors a ghostly appearance. The Avians' winged bodies were the easiest to spot, and the Komodos' impossibly large frames towered over most of the other soldiers, their whips mercilessly cracking as they cut down enemies. But Reksa was nowhere to be seen, and for a moment Aleera felt fear trying to grasp at her heart.

'Over there!'  she heard Sari calling out, looking up to see the dove already fluttering toward the other side of the writhing mass of bodies.

Trying her best to get through without losing sight of the Servant – all the while having to be careful to not get killed – the redhead finally emerged onto the other side to a sight that made her heart squeeze in her chest. The open area ended abruptly in a misty chasm echoing with the roar of a waterfall nearby. Reksa was standing near the edge, facing Gudruk who seemed even larger than Aleera recalled. The Komodo prince's whip lay tossed aside in pieces, and he had taken up one of the Dayak'ulu's curved swords instead.

Though the odds looked unfavorable for Reksa, he was still holding his own – where Gudruk overwhelmed him in strength, the lithe Komodo made up for in speed and agility. But Aleera could tell he was exhausted, and the numerous cuts on his body made it clear he wouldn't last much longer. And right there, before her eyes, Gudruk slapped the blade from Reksa's hand, the fatigued warrior falling to his knees heaving for breath. When his opponent raised the massive sword above his head, Aleera felt time slowing down even as her mind already played out the horrible outcome.

She had taken no more than a step toward them, when the cracking of a whip startled her just as the spiked leather wrapped around Gudruk's wrist, deflecting his aim. Following the man's gaze she almost collapsed right then and there from sheer relief – a few steps away the Komodo Chief was glaring at his son's would-be murderer, the muscles on his arms bulging with the effort to hold onto his weapon when Gudruk tried to free himself.

'We'll help Silva... you get Reksa's blood for the dagger.'  Sari's voice echoed in her mind, startling her.

When she looked up, she was left to stare in awe at the multitude of Servants fluttering in from the forest. Swarming the hulking beast of a man, who now roared in anger and started flailing his arms to try and drive them away, the doves relentlessly pecked at his face and eyes giving Silva the chance to move in between him and Reksa.