Free to attack elsewhere, he darted along the side of the serpent, looking for his opening. When the creature dropped its head again, he took his opportunity. The troll jumped upon the horned snout of the wyrm as he pulled himself higher on the ridged brow. Lifting his sword high, he stabbed a weak spot between its orbital sockets at the center of the skull.
The crunch of breaking bone announced the death of the wyrm. With one last brittle sound, it pitched forward, crashing through the trees and brush. Its tail gave one last terrible whip through the air as death seized it.
Touching down once more on the ground, Silvas regained his natural form, his eyes trained on the wyrm as he studied it. On closer inspection, it showed signs of magical mutation. There were many more horns and ridges on its face, its snout almost grotesque in its unnatural transformation.
“What is this?” Diana asked.
He noticed that she was intentionally not looking in his direction as she posed her question and guessed that was due to his nudity. Instead, she jerked her chin to the ground, where her foot kicked the sludgy remains of one of its eyes to reveal the brilliant red gem that served as the lens of the creature’s eye. Her breath caught in fascination.
“It almost looks like a ruby.”
He cocked his head, studying her as she picked up first one and then the other, pocketing both lens stones. “It is valuable for its magical properties, but it is not a ruby, though it may be similar due to the nature of the wyrm.”
With the frenzy of battle still burning in his blood, all he wanted was to sink deep into her body, to satisfy and burn out the flames roused within him in her arms and the tight fit of her cunt. He licked his lips. His cock was already swelling as he imagined spending his passion with her.
“I don’t need to see that, Silvas,” Raskyuil grunted in a weary voice as he limped toward them, his expression pained. “There is only one hard dick I am of a mind to look at, and that is my own.”
Diana made a sound of distress as she stepped toward the troll and ducked under his arm to help shoulder his weight. “I knew you were hurt,” she accused.
“Just a minor flesh wound,” he grunted with a slight wheeze. “Hold onto those wyrm stones. It’s smart that you grabbed them. You never know when you might need something to barter. I am certain that a witch in your world will give you plenty for it. Been ages since there’s been a wyrm there.”
“I’ll be sure to keep your sage advice in mind should I happen to locate a witch,” she said as she shouldered more of his weight when the male groaned.
Silvas narrowed his eyes on Raskyuil with displeasure as he noticed the extent of the male’s injuries. Deep gashes from the short spines on the wyrm’s tail cut into his chest and abdomen, but they were not nearly as bad as the puncture wounds along his torso. The troll noted his scowl and chuckled weakly.
“Don’t look too worried, Silvas. It got ahold of me and it hurts like a bitch, but thankfully it didn’t have its fangs fully extended when it plucked me up. I’m not envenomated.”
“That is fortunate,” Silvas grunted. “Regardless, you need to a see a healer. Your crocotta will return you to Arx at once.” He held up a hand as the troll’s face hardened. “I will not yield on this. You will return.” He held Raskyuil’s gaze until the trolls lowered his head in submission to his will. Good. He didn’t have the time or patience for any foolishness. “I need you at your best, my friend,” he said as he stepped away. Turning his head, he called for Dagani and followed the crocotta’s name with a low vocalized warble.
There was no response.
Silvas frowned and repeated the call. He had seen the signs of the crocotta attacks all over the body of the wyrm. He had little doubt that it contributed to their successful slaying of the wyrm. His frowned deepened as Raskyuil joined him at his side.
“You should be resting,” Silvas growled low in his throat.
The troll wrinkled his nose in response. “I’m not about to keel over any time in the near future. Besides, I’ve known Dagani since the day he was born. He’s never failed since his whelping to answer to