— Aster —

Falling and with no way to stop, I fell through the forest canopy and hit some type of building. Whatever it was made of it was soft enough to cushion my fall as I burst through it. I landed on my buckler and sword breaking my arm.

I was in a lot of pain barely able to move. Instinctively I began to search for the tingling energy. Forcing it to heal myself. So slow, it was way too slow. My wounds stopped bleeding, but I was exhausted from just closing my skin. My wounds began to nit shut as my nerves began to scream and burn from the healing. I didn’t have the energy to heal anything inside especially when I realized the bite was infected.

I knew that healing was one thing but once a wound was infected it required proper treatment to get the infection out. I could feel the heat coming off the wound. Finally, able to move, I looked around, wondering where I was.

It was barely lit, room or cave or something, I couldn’t tell right away. Looking up I saw the hole I came through. While looking up I tripped over something, on the uneven ground. Looking down I saw a mass covered in scales. My eyes adjusted to the dim area. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw an eye the size of the body staring right at me, it was the queen. I was about to run when I realized the eyes staring at me saw nothing. The queen took up almost all of the three-story hive. At least twice the size of the others.

I noticed it wasn’t moving. Was it asleep or waiting? looking more closely. Its eyes were vacant, lacking life. I slowly looked around the drake to see what had caused it only to see my sword. Staring in disbelief looking at the sword. I had fallen a great distance stabbing the giant drake queen, killing it in an instance. “What in the forgotten?”

A loud roar could be heard in the distance. This brought me back to my sense of “Where am I?”

Trying to focus energy on my eyes, the world slowly sharpened, and the hive seemed to brighten. I was low on energy. It was hard to keep focused. Looking around I noticed that the area looked like a giant empty beehive, but with only five or six hexagonal alcoves.

Not wanting to waste my opportunity I dropped the eyes and quickly gathered the jewel from the queen’s chest. The jewel was a little larger than my head and seemed to shine with many distinct colors. Sadly, that was the only part of the queen I would be able to take. Maybe I can get something special for this.

Time was short but when would an opportunity like this present itself again? I began exploring the alcoves. Each held an empty nest, each filled with what looked like junk.

“Wait maybe…” looking closer something shimmered. Reaching out I picked up the object and found it was just junk trash from one of the creature’s victims. A small square piece of metal with a picture of a faded stalked flower of some kind on it. I found much the same in the other alcoves, bones, and about fifteen more tiles.

Hearing another loud noise in the distance. I had forgotten about my friend’s plight in my search. I made my way out of the hive. Catching sight of five things that made my heart stop. Lying on five separate stone outcroppings were five large drakes. “Elites” None of the drakes were moving. Just sleeping.

I was stuck in a Hive with a dead queen at my back. I was dead if I was spotted. Not to mention my scent was all over the hive. Why did I have to snoop around?

A little-known fact is a drake’s sense of smell is better than a bloodhound. Once they have a scent, they won’t stop until that scent is found or dead. This was one of the reasons we had missions like these. I'm going to have to kill them. If I don’t they would hunt me and anyone with my scent down We already had a hard enough time killing one normal drake, let alone an elite.

Now armed with this knowledge I began to approach the drakes slow and quiet. I had no plan. I was just trying to do something. Finally, I stood in front of an elite drake. The enormity of the task began to dawn on me as I realized just how big this thing is. The drakes head was the same size as my entire body. One bite and I’m gone.

Looking down I could see my hands shaking. I calmed myself as much as I could. Still slightly shaking I held my dagger and poised it over the eye of the beast. I did not know how hard its skull was, or where the heart was, I figured the best option was to go for the brain through the eye. Looking to the drake then back to my dagger and a terrible thought struck me; I don't think it’s long enough. I looked knowing the knife wasn’t long enough it wasn't going to work. But my sword was stuck in the queen’s head, so all I had to work with was my knives and chakrams. Standing over the drake ready to strike, knowing this would most likely cause my death.

I heard a sound like a deep intake of breath from the drake. I froze as the drake took in a monstrous breath. The drake began to stir as its eyes fluttered open staring directly at me.

My arm moved on instinct and panic shoving with all my might the dagger into the drake’s eye. Just barely reaching the creature’s brain. Half my arm ended up inside the creature’s skull killing it instantly. It happened fast enough it couldn’t warn any of the others. The rush of adrenaline and terror still flowing all through my system, I pulled out my arm. Making a disturbing squishing sound. “Definitely not long enough.” The morbid joke was almost too much for me. I had to fight to hold back my own manic laughter.

I was contemplating my next move when it occurred to me. How long would it be before the others smelled the death of the other drake? Now an even greater time limit than before had appeared. I need a longer weapon.