Cathal was glad they met the small kobold. She had easily shaved three days off their search - he didn't mind she led them on a slight detour - he wouldn't trust strangers with his home just like that too. The other two scouts agreed, there was no need for the others to know about that as it was. He could understand that, watching her eating the raw hearts and livers of the animal they killed had been disgusting.

Finding the wyvern’s lair had been easy enough, wyvern built their lair on the highest points of their territory. It had to have grown quite a bit since it had been spotted though, a kobold was quite a bit more massive than its normal prey.

They turned in early, the two mages would need all their strength tomorrow.

They had all been surprised by the speed of the kobold, they had a natural advantage, being a good deal taller and built to move for days without end, so seeing her easily outpace the two mages had been quite the shock.

The girl had left them once they arrived at the clearing, choosing to return home instead of following them further. It was the smart thing to do, she was quite small and its venom would probably be able to kill her.

Their camp was hidden in deep foliage so they were unable to see the beast, they didn't need to though, their target announced itself with a loud cry shortly after they made camp.

They rose early in the next day, preparing everything they needed to kill the wyvern. They had an hour to get ready, afterwards the air would be warm enough for the wyvern to fly and it would start hunting. They already prepared everything they could yesterday, scouting a clearing for their trap and assembling the magical trap itself.

Wyvern always hunted in the same way, finding prey they could easily carry off while flying and wait for the prey to enter a clearing. After starting their swoop down they would let out a piercing cry that stunned nearby animals and inject venom in their prey’s blood. Very deadly venom. It wouldn't kill a human - at least a forest wyvern’s like the one they were hunting - but anything smaller was fair game. It hurt humans like hell though, he still shivered thinking about it.

They didn't take any chances this time, they bought everything needed for a standard wyvern hunt, it would hurt their overall income but be well worth if they didn't fail again. They managed to set up the trap with enough time to spare, so they sat down and started a late breakfast in the shade of the trees.

He watched the nest afterwards, climbing a tree and increasing his eyesight with magic. It didn't take long for their prey to leave, he immediately left his perch and warned his team to get ready.

The two mages started supplying mana to the trap and a small doe left the woods next to them soon after, looking pitifully lost and scared - a perfect target for the wyvern. He grinned, he couldn't wait to see the beast get its fill.

They were in luck, it only took half an hour before they could hear the wyvern’s cry. The beast came swooping down only seconds later, the small form in the sky growing with each passing second. The illusionary doe froze, ‘stunned’ by its piercing cry.

Before the wyvern was able to grab its target it hit the block of wood disguised as a doe. They were out of the woods on their way towards the beast in seconds, the two mages were already starting to cast the spell that would enable them to keep the fight on the ground. They finished just as the wyvern managed to come to its senses, crying out in pain and anger; its eyes narrowing at them.

The wyvern tried to regain its advantage, flapping its wings to lift off. That's when the mages finished their spell, chains of pure mana bound its legs, connecting it to the two mages and Horas, one of their three warriors. The wyvern managed to lift off, only to be yanked down to the ground again.

His bow was at the ready, the moment it hit the ground he shot off his first arrow, same for the other two scouts. The two warriors arrived a moment later, blocking its ability to lift off again. The wyvern had really grown, it was nearly double its previous height, with shoulders reaching up to a normal human’s torso. Two of the arrows flew wide, only scratching its wings while the last managed to hit center mass, piercing its scales and depositing the paralysing venom in its blood. It wouldn't hinder a wyvern this massive too much, but slow it enough that they shouldn't have problems killing it.

It lashed out at Tormod, batting his shield with its head. He managed to weather that blow, but was knocked down by the two following blows with tail and wings. Conn managed to get a blow at its left wing, his mace breaking its bones while it attacked.

The wyvern fell down, losing the support of its left wing. Yet even while it fell its tail lashed at Tormod again - who was just starting to get up - depositing one of its stingers in his neck. He immediately fell down, screaming in pain as the venom entered his blood.

He had never stopped shooting arrows, by now the wyvern had five arrows sprouting from various body parts. It got up again, despite its broken wing and only a little unsteady because of the wing and all the venom in its blood. Before anyone could react it managed a last act of defiance.

It bit down and nearly ripped Tormod’s head off his body, killing him in the process. The wyvern collapsed after that last act, hateful eyes glaring at them.

“Well damn, that's not how I imagined how this encounter would go, that was one tough son of a bitch.”

“Yeah.”

“...”

“Let's get to it then, I want to be on my way back to Cardent before midday. Conn, you dress it while the rest of us pack up and come back here. Let's go!”