29 Retreat

D hung from the Destroyer's uvula his left hand digging its talons in while the bone then muscle and finally scales regenerated from the stump of his right arm. Letting out a spray of poisoned quills seemed to yield no results as if the beast was now immune. Sucking in a deep breath he spewed a stream of acid right down the monster's throat yet it too seemed to have little effect. Tightening his grip D resigned himself to waiting for his arm to regenerate while he debated on what to do next.

Outside the beast, Dean was eying the now exposed skull of the Destroyer with interest. With a glint of madness in his eyes, he turned to Geev. "Get all your mages together and that damned mad mage Larian. Have everyone prepare their strongest attack spell and aim right for the exposed part on the monster's head. Then wait for my signal." Dean didn't wait to see if the mage would comply but simply assumed he would as he turned to dash away.

"Wait, what signal?" Geev yelled out at the retreating Royal Ranger.

"You'll know it when you see it." That was the only response he got.

Dean raced across the battlefield, leaping over trenches and vaulting raised defensive walls. He could see his destination and that only drove him to run faster. With a grunt, he leapt up to crash down in the basket of one of the catapults startling the loading crew so badly the three men nearly dropped the huge stone they were trying to load it with. "Sire! What are you doing?"

Pointing his Hex Cutter at the Destroyer he ignored their question. "Aim me for that thing's head and fire away!"

"But…"

"I said aim me for that things head and fire me away. Don't make me repeat myself a third time!" Dean never took his eyes off his goal. The three-man loading team looked to the rest of the catapult's crew before everyone shrugged and started doing as they were told. Soon Dean felt the arm of the siege weapon shifting as cranks were turned and gears shifted before one of the men asked.

"Are you sure?" He was so terrified by the death glare he received he yanked the release lever without thinking. Dean screamed out a battle cry for his king and kingdom drawing eyes from all the men as he was yeeted across the battlefield.

Standing with Geev and several other mages Larian was holding a mass of golden energy in check as he asked. "Is he an idiot?" Geev said nothing but just hoped that hadn't been the signal.

Dean hit the creature's snout feet first before continuing into a roll only to pop right up running. The Destroyer didn't even seem to notice the man running up its face as it started again marching forward with one thunderous step after another. As he closed in on the exposed portion of the beast's skull Dean raised his Hex Cutter high overhead. The blade shone brightly as runes previously invisible lit up and the blade separated the middle section sliding up making the already huge sword longer.

"Shit, I think that is the signal? I hope that is the signal! FIRE! FIRE!" Geev yelled out as the mages around him all released their held spells. Fire, Wind, Lightning, Water, Darkness, and countless other elemental attacks fell like falling stars towards Dean's location accompanied by a golden lance of energy. Instead of striking the exposed skull of the beast all the spells veered off course and were drawn towards the raised sword. Drawn in the elemental forces became an amalgam of power before with a scream Dean chopped down the now crackling sword of energy. Bone sizzled as the blade cleaved into the skull of the beast, Dean's arms bulged and veins popped out along his forehead as he drove the blade in with everything he had.

Yet when the energy died down and the sword stopped glowing it was barely a foot of the blade that had managed to pierce the skull. Dean was forced to cling to the blade as the monster beneath his feet went wild screaming out in agony. As the beast thrashed around Dean's grip slipped free sending him flying free. Only then did the Destroyer pay attention to the man as it opened its mouth to swallow him up.

*********

D didn't know what was going on but the beast was going mad as he dangled from its uvula. Now he clung with both arms and even wrapped his legs around it to keep from being sucked in as it shrieked. When the beast's mouth opened wide he didn't miss the chance and disengaged from his death grip, wings flapping rapidly. As he shot out of the beast's mouth he's silvery gem capped orbs locked with the icy blue eyes of the Royal Ranger. Before he could think about his actions he reached out and caught the ranger by the ankle pulling him free of the maw as it snapped shut behind them.

Weighed down by the hulking man hanging upside down by one leg D dipped before without a shred of guilt he dropped the ranger to crash into a group of soldiers. Flapping his wings harder to regain altitude he cloaked himself before fleeing the battlefield. Hunger or no D knew when to make an exit.

Dean glared at the spot in the sky where the monster had disappeared. Being saved by such a thing made his skin crawl but more than that he wondered why the monster had saved him. "Have everyone fall back. We are moving to plan B. Keep stall tactics in place, we have no choice but to wait for reinforcements.

**********

Dean paced the command tent occasionally reaching up to grasp the missing hilt of his Hex Cutter. His blade was still stuck embedded in the skull of the Destroyer and lacking it was making him even more irritable than he'd been. Geev and Jim were watching him pace not sure what else to do while Larian was snacking on a plate of field rationed arranged to look like horderves as if he was at some royal social gathering. "Mmm you know if you take the little cracker things and you spread this paste stuff on it it's almost like the chicken liver pate they serve at Ben'li kingdom royal gatherings. Their food is quite dreadful. No taste at all." He popped another of his makeshift horderves into his mouth and smacked loudly.

"Will you shut up. I'm trying to think what our next move should be." Dean growled his anger at the mage only made worse by thinking he might owe that man and his monster his very life.

"Well, obviously our next move is to run away. Personally, I think Ben'li is quite nice this time of year… the food is terrible though as I said." He popped another bite into his mouth.

Dean's eye was twitching as he unconsciously gripped his missing sword hilt when the curtain of the tent opened up. "Finally, what news do you have?" Dean turned with a snarl on the messenger making the sweaty man almost fall over backpedaling.

"Sorry Royal Ranger, but I've not good news. No reinforcements are in route, the other Royal Rangers are currently dealing with the invading armies."

Dean's face blanched. "Invading armies? FROM WHERE?" His shout made everyone but Larian who was debating on which of the field rations made a better pate substitute.

"Melay, Kindrak, and Shemil forces have all invaded at once. Their goal seems to be the capital!" Dean turned back and forth taking small steps as he paced virtually in the same spot before flipping over the table in the center of the tent.

"Larian, where is that boy of yours we need another ward. Geev gets your mage's asses in gear, why are we relying on a boy. Jim, I need more fortifications, something to slow that damned thing down. And where the fuck is Sin." Seeing the normally cool and calm Royal Ranger throwing a fit terrified the messenger enough he nearly lost control of his bladder.

"My mages are already preparing more wards based on the one the boy used. We don't have time to charge them up nor a catalyst so their usefulness will be limited but I've already got them lining the way forward." Geev was sweating as he spit out the plan of action he'd already taken.

"We've been digging pits and trenches nonstop since yesterday. That thing is too huge, anything we place it just steps over if it even notices it." Jim raked his fingers through his beard.

Everyone turned to Larian who was trying to spread some sort of meat product over the dry cracker-like bread that came with their rations. He didn't even look up as he was currently doing his best to make the disgusting mess look like something presentable for a royal function. He had half a lotus-looking flower of meat made on one of the crackers when he felt the stares. "I'm not sharing! It tastes like shit but at least it will look like food when I'm done."

"That monster of yours, can you make it do that again? The attack that wounded it." Dean's eye was twitching non-stop but his tone was barely strained as he asked.

"Monster? I have no monster. No Idea what you are going on about. Here, have a bite, just pretend it is chicken liver pate." Larian selected one of his messier creations and held it up to the Royal Ranger ignoring the fact that his face was turning purple with rage.

For the first time in years, Dean didn't know how to handle a person or what to do. He needed the powerful yet infuriating mage in front of him. The monster he was ordered to hunt by his king had saved his life and might be their best weapon against the threat to his kingdom. In the end, he turned away from the man and stormed out of the command tent before he did something he would regret.

**********

D slinked back into his tent stopping to adjust himself as the humid air was making things stick beneath the robes. Inside he found Pena and Jane sitting next to each other on the folding cot he'd been given. Both let out an excited cry of "D!" before glaring at each other. Seeing them together made him frown.

"Got a wee bit of a harem going for one so young, that you do boy. Or should I say monster?" Sin stepped out of the shadows behind the cot wagging her dagger at the back of the girl's necks while smiling. "Now don't try anything funny. I just want to talk to you laddie."