202 - “A Rival” - Thissraelle - A Tale of Heroes

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“Thissraelle! Hurry!” her father called out to her. “Come to me!”

Thissraelle’s eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. Why is he here? He’s come for me, of course. She looked around at the fear in the eyes of her companions. He set us up. Heathrax, St. Ivarr, it was all to get me here, wasn’t it? And Eddiwarth? 

“You!” She pointed at Eddiwarth. “Did you tell him we were coming here?” He gasped and tried to speak, but the deep horrified frown on his lips told her what she needed to know.

“I... I didn’t...”

She cut him off. “Save it! He probably played you like he played me! Now we’re trapped. We can’t fight dragons. What can we do?” She spun back around to face her father. Without his Guildmaster robes, he didn’t look as commanding. He reminded her more of the fun-loving Dad she’d played with as a child. But I’m not playing games anymore! 

Thissraelle saw Karendle getting out her oculi. Parith readied his bow and jumped up on one of the railings by a column on the side of the bridge. Eddiwarth stood, confused, beside her, looking for some sort of hope in her words.

“No! You can't fight.” Thissraelle hissed at them. “It’s me he wants. I’ll distract him. All of you rush past him and get down the mountain as fast as you can. Wait—I’ll make you a portal!” She started to summon her will and held her hands forward.

Karendle grabbed her hand. “You’ll come with us, right?”

“Thissraelle!” Her father called, even more urgently. “Hurry! Come now!”

Thissraelle looked at her father, then back at Karendle. “No. I’m done with running. I’ve got to face him. Let go of me.”

“I’m not going through any portal unless you go first.” Karendle tossed Thissraelle’s hand aside. She stepped back and took her oculi, one in each hand. “We might not win but we can keep the dragons busy. You deal with your father.” Eddiwarth stepped back as well and ignited each of his hands with raging flames.

“Better hurry, they’re coming back!” Parith shouted out, drawing his bow.

Thissraelle turned back to the terrace. Well, if he wants to capture me, then he won’t actually kill me, right? Let’s see how he plays this.

“You want me?” She shouted at her father, “Then come and get me!”  Vivid shafts of dazzling light appeared in her hands as she strode toward him. Her long white hair flowed out behind her as she picked up speed. She swung her arms, throwing the bolts of light hard at him. He waved his hands and deflected them easily. She pulled her hands back as she ran, summoning more light and more will.

“Don’t fight me, m’little girl, it’s not safe!”

“If you’re so worried about me, where were you at the cathedral? Oh! Yes, you were the one that burned it down around me!”

A thunderous roar shook the canyon and an enormous dragon dove toward the bridge from the narrow slice of sky above, its open maw snarling and growling. Its expansive green wings flexed wide to break its dive and turn its massive scaly body over the bridge. Its claws, each as long as Thissraelle’s arm, crunched into the rock of the bridge as the dragon’s forelegs slammed down. The bridge shook as its muscular back legs landed. The body was big enough to block the entire walkway of the bridge. The long tail, jagged with sharp scales, swung behind and wrapped around a pillar. The hard, scaly green skin reflected the daylight. It raised its horned and spiked head up high above them and screamed a horrifying roaring shout.

Instantly, Thissraelle’s heart stopped and fell deep into her gut. Her wide eyes were bound to the face of the horror snarling some 20 feet above her. A scream sliced its way out of her chest, by way of her throat. Her feet turned her body around and she ran. I’m dead. I’m already dead. She suddenly became aware of her heartbeat pounding in her head as her feet pounded the stones.

“Thissraelle! Stop!” It was her father’s voice she heard, through the noise. Her first instinct was to stop, to obey her father, like she had done many times as a small child. This time, however, stopping was difficult and she stumbled and fell to the bridge, tumbling and rolling. As she raised her eyes to look at her father again, a second dragon, a deep red, swept over the bridge, coughing, hacking, and spitting. The walkway before her erupted in an explosion of flame, spraying burning and smoking retch all around her. The heat was unbearable. She rolled over and began scrambling on scraped hands and bruised knees back toward where she came from.

Eddiwarth knelt beside her and helped her up. She looked into his eyes. He was bleeding from a cut on his left forehead.

The dragon on the bridge roared again, this time dripping flaming drool from his tongue and teeth. He growled, forming garbled words with his mouth. “Wherrre isss...” he snarled, as he spat out smoking drops. “Where iss Heathhhraxx? Tell me now, before you die!”

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This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing. If you like this story, support us at our Patreon!
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