Three days had passed since their defeat at the hands of Harald and Troels, and Rune had been more motivated than ever to beat them the next time they met. Forde went through his notes and extracts from Fishlegs and Oswald's notes and found the reason behind the scent the hunters used. Snaptrappers used scents to lure their prey and also during mating season. It was just around that time, and what they used tricked the dragon into thinking that a potential mate was nearby. The horn they blew into also mimicked the distress call of a Snaptrapper, causing so many of them to appear and block the riders off. It was a well-thought-out plan.
In light of this, Rune and Forde devoted some hours to refresh their memories on all dragon facts they could get their hands on. The others made some readings but not as deep as theirs. The plans for an armoured flight suit were still on track. The pieces had been cut out to protect parts of the body, and the chest area already had some scales stuck to it.
In the training arena, metal clangs echoed out of it. Grunts, curses and yells could also be heard. Rune and Thyra were locked in combat with the male finally sporting the shield he created. He held on to it with his left arm while his right held his axe. He was getting accustomed to fighting with it; as it would help a lot in the coming battles. He had to be on his A-game.
He blocked a swing from Thyra's mace and pushed the weapon aside as he swung at her with his axe. Thyra took a step back, spinning around to unleash a counterattack against Rune. He acted fast and rolled to the side as the wind from her mace strike caused his hair to sway. He got to his feet and ran towards a stash of arrows. Thyra was confused, but she wouldn't be for long. Rune picked up two arrows and transformed the shield into a crossbow; her eyes shrank in realisation as Rune aimed.
Thyra had to hustle, and fast; the first arrow flew her way as she started sprinting for cover. She performed a forward somersault dive and rolled behind a target, dodging another arrow and taking cover.
"That thing is going to be a pain"
She got out a throwing knife from her boot and stuck it out, using the reflection to see where Rune was standing.
"Got ya"
Rune was trying to get a better angle to take a shot at her when a knife flew past him, cutting his shoulder pad before getting stuck behind one of the sheets of the dome.
"Oh Thor"
He switched from a crossbow to a shield as he dodged another knife. Thyra then held on to the target she used as cover and threw it at Rune to distract him. He was left with no time to react as he could only lift his shield to minimise the damage. The target broke apart as it slammed into his shield, leaving Rune safe for now. By the time he put the shield down, Thyra was already charging towards him with a battle cry. The two exchanged attacks for a while, stretching the battle longer until its final moments came.
Thyra stepped to the side as she avoided Rune's swing. He attempted to swing back at her, taking advantage of the double blades, but she saw it coming. She got hold of his hand and utilised her strength to lift him into the air and flip him onto his back. He hit the ground hard, and Thyra didn't stop there; she twisted his hand and placed her foot on his shoulder.
"Yield or I break it"
"I yield"
Rune didn't hesitate to answer. He knew damn well she would follow through if he didn't give up.
She let go of his arm as Rune could finally catch his breath. She lifted him as Forde walked closer to the two with applause.
"That was an entertaining display. You're getting better at using that shield Rune" Forde said.
"Once you master using it in battle, you will become a serious problem" Thyra added.
Just then, the sound of flapping wings got their attention as Virgil and Hothead came in to land.
"Back already?" Rune asked as he placed his axe on his back.
"Back? I think you're mistaken. It's your turn to run patrol today. Remember, we switched two days ago while you and Forde were doing your deep dive" Virgil explained.
"Oh!" Rune exclaimed with realisation. "Man, I totally forgot. I'll get cleaned up, and Sandstorm and I will hit the skies"
It wasn't long before Sandstorm and Rune were in the air. He left the island clothed in his gear: glide suit, leather armour, shield and a few arrows stored in a saddlebag. Five Z.E.Ps were also carried along as Rune didn't want to get caught out by any surprises out there.
"It's been a while since we've had a flight together, hasn't it, bud?" he said, rubbing the top of his head.
Sandstorm purred but kept his eyes forward. As much as they enjoyed the time together, they had their mission on the front of their minds: look for any hunter ships passing by. Rune and Sandstorm went further away from their usual patrol route to investigate the switch the hunters had made. With his spyglass in hand, they scanned the horizon for any ship-like figure. Just when things were looking alright, and they were about to turn back and head home, Rune spotted a ship mast.
"What do you say, Sandstorm? It wouldn't hurt us to check. I know the last few ships have been trader ships, but I have a feeling about this one"
Sandstorm rolled his eyes at his attempted patronage.
"Come on. I'll let you have some dragon nip when we get back"
That offer managed to get him excited as he flapped hard towards the ship. They kept their altitude, using whatever clouds were around to shield their movement. Rune looked through his spyglass again and spotted a cage on the ship's deck. Inside it was a girl. She had long brown hair which she made into a single braid. She had light blue eyes and a tender gaze. She wore a sleeveless V-neck blouse made of silver scales. The same silver scales were used to make the arm braces protecting her forearms, her belt, the upper part of her trousers leading down the sides of her thighs and finally the shin guards she wore. She had brown boots on and in her arms was a baby Razorwhip.
Rune had to clean his eyes and look again when he saw the baby Razorwhip.
"A baby Razorwhip? She must be a Wingmaiden then" he concluded.
"What do you think? Should we race back home and inform the others?" he asked his dragon.
Sandstorm replied with a huff, which Rune understood.
"Okay, what do you want us to do?"
Sandstorm answered with a short bellow.
"That? Are you sure?" Rune asked again.
His dragon nodded.
Rune took out his spyglass and performed a head count of the hunters on deck. The ship was not large, and the cage took half of the space on the deck.
"I guess we can take them. One blast to blow up the mast, one to the front and back of the hull of the ship and a couple of Z.E.Ps should have most of them overboard" he muttered. "Yeah, I think we can do it"
Sandstorm agreed with a sharp grunt.
It was just them this time, no room for errors. They had to hit all their marks and be on their sharpest, or they could also end up in a cage or worse.
"Let's do this"
Sandstorm and Rune flew over the ship, heading in the opposite direction from them. Then they went into a dive and hit a long turn to head back to the ship, but from behind. It was crucial that they came from behind so that they could hit them without letting them know of their presence. The hunters were oblivious to the danger quickly approaching from behind; it was business as usual for them.
Sandstorm flew a few feet above the surface of the water, causing a wake to follow behind him as he hit his top speed. Rune picked his spot on the hull; it was in between the water and open air so that the water would have no trouble rushing in once the wood was breached. Sandstorm lined up the shot, and fire illuminated the back of his mouth as he charged up a shot. He unleashed the shot like a missile; it hit the boat, smashed through the wooden planks, and water began to rush in.
The boat shook as the blast hit, rocking everyone onboard. The Sand Wraith flew past the boat with a whoosh, avoiding the gaze of any of the hunters. Below deck, the ship had begun to flood, and the hunters began to panic.
"We've been hit!" one cried.
"What hit us?" asked another.
"I don't see any dragon" said another.
"Should we abandon ship?" another questioned.
"No, get the buckets, get some planks and the nails. We will not abandon ship" the captain ordered.
Sandstorm and Rune had taken another turn, coming in from the front this time around. The captive and her dragon her also startled by the attack on the ship, they still couldn't tell if it was friend or foe that had attacked.
"Hush, little one. By the grace of the gods, all will be well" she comforted the startled baby dragon.
With the men focused on the back, they came in from the front without the challenge of watchful eyes. Just like how they hit the back, the duo hit the front, rocking the boat yet again. The men were shaken, and now the ship was sinking faster than they could scoop water out.
"What on earth is going on?" said a hunter.
"Has Odin himself decided to strike us down?" questioned another.
A hunter managed to get a glimpse of the brown blur but he couldn't confirm the species of dragon or if it had a rider or not. All hands were on deck as they tried to manage the situation, but their efforts were in vain; the ship was sinking.
The duo took another turn, setting themselves up for a straight run at the mast of the ship. They had to hit it at the base with a powerful blast to topple it. They couldn't fly in low like before, and the hunters would know of their existence now. They gained altitude, heading into the clouds before diving down to perform a dive-bomb. Rune held on to the saddle for dear life as Sandstorm gained speed rapidly. They descended from the heavens in a brown blur as a hunter spotted them.
"Dragon incoming!" he cried.
They closed in rapidly, and Sandstorm was spot on with his placement. The blast caused the mast to twist and splinter, taking it down into the ocean along with their sail. The blast set fire to the deck of the ship as smoke began to rise. The two pulled up, going above the ship with blistering speed as Rune assessed their next step.
They were disorganised, unfocused and erratic. More of them had begun pouring onto the deck to deal with him, but they could use that to their advantage. The two came in from the side for another run, but this time, Sandstorm didn't need to fire. Rune threw three Z.E.Ps onto the deck and covered it in Zippleback gas. Before the hunters got a grasp on what was going on, the timers elapsed, and the gas was ignited, sending four of the men into the water. Bits of the ship were now set ablaze as more plumes of smoke rose to the sky.
"Time for our rescue" the rider said.
They circled around the ship, approaching from the front as two men took aim at them. Sandstorm did not allow it; he unleashed another blast at them, sending them into the water below. The two landed on the ship under the cover of smoke as the hunters prepared for battle. Rune walked out slowly, his shield and axe held out as he prepared to fight. Sandstorm had his left paw put forward as his claws dug into the deck. His back was hunched and his wings partially spread as he stared down the hunters with a nasty growl.
The two knew when to push forward, with Sandstorm unleashing a devastating roar that nearly deafened Rune standing next to him. The roar shook the deck and had the men frightened; one of them had even soiled himself due to the roar. The wingmaiden and her baby dragon were scared as well; the appearance of the two was intimidating, but there was something familiar about their precision.
The two charged forward as Rune struck down a man with one swing. Sandstorm leapt forward and swiped at the head of a man with his right paw, sending him overboard. Rune blocked a swinging sword with his axe and pushed the weapon away before punching the trapper in the face with his shield, removing a few teeth from his mouth. He wasn't knocked out, so Rune spun to the left, swinging his shield into the face of the man, knocking him out.
Sandstorm blocked an arrow with his wing before unleashing a blast at the archer. He used his tail to whip a man overboard before chomping down on the shoulder of another man and throwing him off. They made quick work of all the men, leaving the maiden and her baby dragon in a cage. They had curled up at the edge of the cage in fear of what might happen to them. Rune unlocked the cage, and the baby dragon clung tightly to her caretaker.
"Who are you? What do you want with us?" she asked sharply.
"Uhh, you're welcome. We just saved you guys. We don't have much time because the boat you're on is sinking" Rune answered.
"You still haven't answered my question"
"My name is Rune, I'm a dragon rider. I defend dragons like you. You're a wingmaiden, I've met with Atali before. You can trust me. There's no time; you need to come with us" he said in a softer tone.
Her dragon gave a worried warble as they exchanged gazes and finally went with them. Rune helped them aboard Sandstorm as they took to the skies, flying far away from the sinking ship.
"My name is Gylfie" she said as they flew.
"What?" Rune said.
"My name. You never asked for it, but I'm telling you. It's Gylfie"
"Wow, cool name"
His mind was not really there; he just wanted to get back to the Edge.
They arrived just as the sun was swallowed up by the horizon and night dawned. The group were gathered at the Clubhouse for dinner just as Sandstorm landed.
"I take you had an eventful patrol?" Virgil asked.
"More than you know" Rune said as he took off his helmet.
"A terror mail came in from the Wingmaidens, they were attacked yesterday" Forde reported.
"I figured"
"How did you know that?" Vyra questioned.
"Because I met her" Rune said, helping Gylfie and her dragon off Sandstorm. "Guys, this is Gylfie"