Fall of the Last Dragon Rider - 081 - Phillip and Foros II (Patreon)

Like an arrow fired from a bow, Phillip was moving. The entire group was hesitating, not sure what to do, as one of their greatest hopes of winning this battle was down, and the other dragon moved toward it.

Tears were streaming down his face as anger and rage boiled inside him. Pain and agony like nothing he had felt before burned within. A barrier stood in his way, and with a single jump that he hadn’t realized he could make, Phillip was over it, landing and rolling as he moved.

The trumpets and noise came from both sides of the battlefield, yet Phillip only saw one thing. He could imagine something far greater than anything else holding on to life by a thread.

No! Don’t come!

Those three words pained his heart as Phillip ignored them. Amaranth was almost upon his dragon, and Phillip allowed himself a single moment to glance around. Both armies were rushing forward. The kingdom of Ebonmount was coming to try and assist and protect the dragon and its rider, who was racing toward his injured partner. 

On the other side came a horde of orcs, goblins, and ogres, all intent on claiming victory over a pair of dragons.

Phillip’s legs moved faster than he had ever known they could. The memory of this last half year and everything Kaen had made him do flashed in a moment, and he finally understood why Kaen had pushed them so hard. Now was the moment when all that mattered.

His shield and axe were out as he blazed across the last hundred yards, going to beat the throng of enemies coming toward his friend.

Run! Please…

The cry from Foros was weaker.

Never! We live or die together!

Those words fueled and drove him, and suddenly, his lifestone roared in a way he had never experienced before. Kaen had told him that one day, it might act like this. His muscles felt infused with a strength and speed he never believed was possible.

Amaranth was behind her son, green light forming around her as she pressed her body against his, wrapping her wings around him for protection.

“TAKE HIM AND GO!” Phillip shouted as he leaped over the last barrier between him and Foros, charging head-first into the wall of orcs and goblins.

A few slowed when they saw him approaching, but most charged ahead, unconcerned for a man wearing black dragon-scale armor when the true prize and glory were so close.

His axe moved quickly and precisely as Phillip reached the first orcs that crossed his path. Their heads were freed from their body, and his shield slammed into another, sending it flying backward and taking out a few of its allies.

Roars and shouts of the enemy surrounded him, but Phillip paid no heed as only one thing was on his mind. 

Protecting Foros.

Every step he took carved an orc or goblin as he moved left and right, cutting down the approaching line of enemies that pressed closer to where his dragon lay on the ground.

He could feel the pain and a slight thread of hope coming from Foros as Amaranth tried to heal him. 

Unsure of how long that might take, only the death of Phillip’s enemies would buy the time he hoped Foros had.

Phillip zigzagged back and forth like a lightning bolt between the green and dark brown horde. 

Piles of bodies formed in a small semi-circle as he shouted at them, daring them to keep coming. They answered with their own roars and continued to surge ahead.

Go... left… I can buy time…

Don’t fight! 

His plea to Foros not to do anything didn’t matter as a gust of fire roared to his right, setting a section of land at least ten yards long ablaze and turning the orcs advancing from that side into ash.

Pain lanced through their bond as Phillip knew Foros had injured himself with that attempt to help.

Stop! 

He will not listen, Phillip! I need more time! The wound has pierced his entire chest, and I cannot move him! Defend my child, please!

Phillip didn’t reply. He took the distraction his dragon had caused, slid his shield into the hook on his back, and drew his sword.

His arms became death for those foolish enough to get within his reach.

Another wall of fire sprang up further ahead and Phillip was confused for a moment.

Ava is here.  She is helping me and you!

Hope flooded Phillip’s mind and he ran into the pack of orcs and goblins trying to make their way around the wall of fire.  Every move he made resulted in body parts of the green and brown monsters in his midst littering the field.

The ground became slick from the blood that ran freely, and the few who managed to strike his body with their weapon received an attack from him. The armor stopped all the cuts, but the impact still hurt. His shoulder ached from a massive club that had hit, and his left leg had taken a solid strike from an axe.

Go!

I will never abandon you! We are one! Never forget that!

The distraction of talking with Foros resulted in an orc coming from behind and landing a hit with its club into his back.

A crack came, and Phillip gritted his teeth. Ignoring the pain in his body and the constant throbbing, Phillip spun. He saw the orc smile momentarily until its head was lifted from its shoulders.

A loud roar came, and as Phillip turned again, trying to keep track of everything around him, he spotted the ogre that was approaching.

It was one of the tier twos he had faced before, and it was killing its own army as it swung its sword through the crowd, running toward Foros.

Explosions rang out off to his right and behind.  A quick glance showed that Ava was holding back the tide which tried to come at his dragon from the far side.  

Cursing under his breath, Phillip tried to breathe, trying to regain the air in his lungs that was missing from the strike he had just suffered. All around him were fallen orcs, and the number of corpses he had created began to set in. 

There were piles in some spots over four feet high from where he had struck down those trying to climb over their fallen allies. The wall of flames from Foros still burned, blocking off a place to come from, and as much as Phillip hated that Foros had hurt himself more by creating it, right now, it was the only thing allowing him and Ava to hold back the army.

Phillip yelled, racing toward the ogre. The creature turned toward him, smiling as it hefted its massive sword into the air.

Phillip grinned as he sliced down two orcs between him and the ogre. Time had passed since the last time he had faced one like this, and he knew this fight was his.

The ogre swung its sword in a wide arc, cutting through three orcs as it did, trying to cleave Phillip in one blow.

Its attack looked slow, and Phillip jumped into the air, leaping like he had over the boundary earlier. He flew over the blade and into the ogre’s face. He brought both sword and axe down at the same time upon the beast's head and neck. The top half of its head was sliced off by the sword, while the axe buried itself into the creature's neck until it hit the opposite collarbone.

Blood and gore went everywhere as the ogre stumbled, its sword flying from its hand. Two black eyes for a moment looked at Phillip in shock before the light of its life vanished, and Phillip jumped off the falling body.

Having hoped the ogre's death might buy more time, the sounds of more roars and the pressing of other orcs cut that thread quickly.

When he landed, he cut down four more creatures before retracing his steps to get closer to Amaranth and Foros.

“We have help coming!” Ava shouted.

A quick glance lifted his spirits. Only about seventy-five yards away came a rushing throng of the warriors of Ebonmount. One stood out, as Phillip had seen Hess pointing a sword in their direction, knowing the man was leading the charge.

To your right!

Amaranth’s voice startled Phillip, but he didn’t hesitate. He lifted his sword and axe as he glanced to his right.

A massive hammer struck where he had blocked with his weapons, and the ogre that had swung it sent him tumbling along the ground.

For five yards, he rolled until he got his footing and stood in time to see another attack coming from the ogre. It was larger and wore chain armor. Its hammer was spiked on one side and had a flat section he had managed to block.

“Die rider!” it shouted as it swung its hammer down at where he was trying to stand.

Rolling to the left, the hammer slammed into the ground with enough force that dirt shot out, creating a two-foot hole with a single attack.

Phillip charged, his arms aching from the strike he had blocked. He had a potion but wasn’t sure if it could still be used. The bottle might have broken in the pouch on his hip, and there was no time to check.

The ogre reacted faster than Phillip had thought it could and dragged its hammer along the ground and into the path he had been coming. His sword's swing collided with the hammer's haft, and the metallic clang of the collision rang out.

In one move, it spun the head of the hammer off the ground and had it coming for him again in a sideways arch from above.

It is stronger than you think! Use your skills!

Jumping backward and barely avoiding the ogre’s weapon swing, Phillip felt the gust of air its attack had created.

There was no time to plan as another attack came at him, the ogre moving with speed and power. It shifted its grip on the long handle, allowing it to shorten its swings and speed up the attacks it sent his way. Four attacks came in rapid succession as its fingers twirled the heavy weapon like it was nothing but a twig.

Every time, Phillip barely managed to escape the attack that came.

His eyes saw the pattern emerging and the weakness of its attack.

Feinting to the right, Phillip watched as the ogre spun his weapon again, fingers twirling it for a moment before the head of the hammer moved in the direction he had feinted.

Lunging instead forward, Phillip swung his sword at its right leg, knowing what it was about to do.

As it had before, the hammer twirled in its left hand as the right hand deftly slid along the shaft and changed the direction of the weapon to block the incoming attack.

Phillip grinned as he took his axe and sliced upward, timing the movement of the hammer and sliding it along the shaft of the weapon.

The ogre wasn’t fast enough to react as Phillip’s axe blade sliced through its left hand's fingers, which had been manipulating the weapon with skill and precision.

Four fingers, the length of his entire hand, flew through the air, and the hammer flew to his left. The momentum of the swing was unable to be controlled with only one hand.

A roar of pain and anger started to come from the ogre, but Phillip didn’t care.

[ Flurry ]

Five strikes from his sword pierced through the ogre’s abdomen and up into its chest.

The fight had shifted in a moment, and he watched as the ogre clutched the wounds with one hand.

Phillip roared at the defenseless ogre and, in moments, cut off its right leg while driving his axe head through its left hip.

The creature crashed into the ground, guttural roars of agony and rage coming from its mouth as it fell.

It bounced twice, and before it could move again, Phillip’s sword drove through the back of its neck, slicing the chain armor worn to protect against such an attack.

Straight ahead! 

Barely able to withdraw his sword, Phillip saw another ogre coming, this one just as massive as the one he had slain but wielding a shield and a seven-foot-long sword.

Glancing around him, he noticed that the orcs and goblins had pulled back, giving a small fighting area between him and Amaranth and Foros.

“My turn,” the ogre said in a tone that Phillip was surprised he could understand.

It charged, and Phillip shouted, moving to meet its charge.