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This dark beast was born on a planet with no mate – with no chance of companionship, or to sire children. It kills for the same reason it will die; for I too have the primal need to seed my mate and raise a strong family.

Stryker rushes in front, his Orb-Blade stabbing into the dragon’s side. The dragon reaches out with its claw, but the crippled beast is too slow – merely grazing Stryker’s leg as he dodges past.

Haleon jumps onto the back of the dragon, hacking at its bony spine. I run forward, leaping and smashing my Orb-Mace against the dragon’s head.

The dragon is being pulled apart, cut, and killed. It opens its gaping mouth and shoots out a stream of flame, but the scalding magma misses us entirely. I remember the burn of that fire as heat waves from the proximity of the flames sear me. I leap over a puddle of magma to finish off the dragon.

In agony, the dying dragon thrashes its tail, and knocks Haleon off its back, but when it tries to use its wings to rise into the safety of the air, only one of them works.

The dragon screams out in pain as Stryker stabs his Orb-Blade deep into its side. Red blood is flowing –gushing.

So much blood.

Then the dragon snaps its neck sideways, moving faster than I thought possible. It grabs me in its jaws and I yell out in agony as it crunches down with those sword-like teeth.

The teeth pierce my skin and I know I am slain, that only my blood-brothers will survive.

Thunder booms once, twice, and then six times more in quick succession – and the dragon’s crushing bite weakens.

I fall free of its snarling jaws, and see in horror that the eyes of the dragon have both been turned into smoking holes. I look over to see Aubrey, with that Earth weapon in her hand, pointing the smoking tip of it at the dragon.

Her hands are trembling. Mine would be too.

I glance down and confirm that my wounds are not serious. I can still feel the huge fangs of the dragon pressing down, about to end me. Marks bleed lightly, my green blood dripping from the holes as I look up at the evil beast that nearly killed me.

If Aubrey had been a second slower…

“You saved my life,” I murmur, as the dragon gurgles its last, bloody breath.

We stagger into a semi-circle and gaze down at our conquered foe – the creature that had terrorized this world for more than four decades.

But no more.

Stryker’s Orb-Blade hums into life, and Haleon and I fire up our own weapons. We cleave the head from the dragon’s muscular neck and start dragging it back south.

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27

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Stryker

Midway back to the caverns of our Scorp-Blood tribe, we pull the dragon’s head into our old cave and set up base for the night.

“I was wrong to doubt you, Aubrey,” I murmur, stroking her hair. “If you had not been with us, Brigg would be dead, and maybe us as well.”

My words are filled with pride for my mate. We fought and killed for her, as is only right in our tradition – but she did the same for us.

“Youwerewrong to doubt me, Stryker, but you never will again.” Aubrey smiles up at me, with such sweetness that my heart throbs. It’s so strange to think of such a small, vulnerable creature possessing such strength and courage.

But the Orb-God selected the perfect mate for us, as living in this world, with my triad, will require nothing less.

How did I - one so violent, and full of rage – ever deserve a mate as perfect as Aubrey?

I will not question good fortune too long. We are alive, and that is all that matters. I gently touch Aubrey’s cheek, tracing my finger down her beautiful features.

“I will bring you to the southern tribes. They are a valley people, and they have territories more suited for a woman like you.”