NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41: Dragon Slayers
All was quiet at the Creswick Post Office after their earlier misadventures.
The commander had torn strips off Cormac and Magnus for their stupidity, then put them in a room together to work things through before they went to sleep.
There was no point trying to chase the girls in the dark. They no doubt had a clever escape route planned out in advance. Adding to the difficulty following them was a cloudy, almost moonless night sky.
Niko was on guard duty until 3am, and he sat by the front door, which was the only way in or out.
He watched the clouds scud across the sliver of moon, keeping an ear on the usual rustles in the bush for anything out of the ordinary.
A light sprinkle of rain had fallen earlier, so the frogs were in full chorus, and they were loud. He guessed that was the males' mating call for the females. Listening to the incessant croaks, he was certain they were saying "root me, root me, root me, root me…" He hoped for their sake, that they got some.
Something had gone down between Cormac and Magnus that related to that Lili chick. The commander hadn't shared the full details with him, just that they were fighting over the woman.
He got it. He would definitely go the biff with any of these boys that tried something on with Indy. Just the thought of it was making him mad right now.
The half-Asian girl looked like a tease, so he wasn't surprised. She was hot, sure. Not his type, he definitely preferred blondes, but she was cute with a good body. He could tell from her eyes and the way she stared them all down last night that she would be a handful, and she was willing to use her sex appeal.
He heard a pebble roll around the corner in the arcade. He stood up to stretch and to take a look. Before he had walked more than a few steps, a huge head emerged from the first arch.
"Shit. Dragons!" he shouted. "Wake up boys! Wake up!"
The dragon stood on its hind legs when it saw him, its head scraping the top of the brick archway.
As Niko inched backwards towards the front door, it spat at him. He heard it rather than saw it, and he jumped a foot backwards, then turned and ran for the door.
He slammed the door shut behind him, leaning hard against it while he felt around for the lock in the dark.
"Boys! Dragon! Where are you all?"
The commander ran around the upstairs mail sorting room where most of them were sleeping, shaking everyone awake.
"Dragons! Get up! Grab your weapons!"
The sound of smashing glass drove the last vestiges of sleep from Cormac and Magnus, who were asleep in the office next door. The sound was followed by a huge Komodo dragon's head, pushing through the narrow window.
"Jesus Christ! They're coming through the windows, Commander!" shouted Magnus.
"Hold it off while we make a tidy retreat," the commander yelled. "Gather your belongings men. We'll head for the horses!"
Magnus and Cormac slashed at the dragon that was halfway through their window. They had the benefit of the light of the fire in their bedroom so at least they could see what they were doing.
The beast was struggling to push itself all the way inside; its body was too fat to fit through the little arched window without better purchase.
It hissed and spat at them when they came within striking distance.
"At least we have real shields this time," Magnus said, as he and Cormac sheltered behind their shields avoiding the poison.
He peered around his shield at the angry creature.
"I think we could use the desk to get close enough to kill it."
"Let's do it," said Cormac.
They both ducked under the desk and placed their shields between the table legs, creating a protected box. They pushed the desk forward, one man on each leg, until they hit the wall.
"We're directly under its belly now," said Magnus. "Stab upwards on three. One, two, three!"
Both men thrust their swords upwards into the gap between the table and the wall. Thick blood dripped down the wall like paint.
"Do you think it's dead?" asked Cormac.
"It's a lot of blood. Let's back up and check."
They pushed the desk backwards and emerged from their makeshift hutch to find the creature slumped, its nose touching the floor and its front legs dangling.
"Looks pretty dead to me," said Magnus. "Nice work brother." He gave Cormac a high five.
Niko was struggling to hold the front door closed as the huge beast on the other side bashed against it like a battering ram. The lock wasn't up to the beating it was getting, and the door was splintering.
"Some help here Commander," he called.
The sound of pounding feet came running down the flagstone hallway towards him.
Commander Meyer joined him, adding his weight to the door as the beast tried to smash its way in.
"The door's about to give way," grunted the commander. "On my word, unlock it and swing it open."
"Are you sure about that Commander?"
"Yep. Better a controlled entry than an uncontrolled one. You swing the door open and stand behind it. I'll join you there and attack it with the element of surprise. Give me some light so I can see what I'm doing."
The beast smashed into the door again and the glass panes at the top shattered, raining glass shards down on them.
"It won't be too surprised that we're behind the door, but if you say so Commander," Niko panted.
"I say so. Ready? Right after the next thump. Try to time the opening."
Niko nodded, and they had waited for the beast to bash against the door.
"Go!"
Niko unlocked the door and opened it just as the next crash was due. The dragon bowled through the door it had expected to headbutt, stumbling over the step and sliding on its stomach for a few feet.
Commander Meyer flew out from behind the door, chasing along behind it. He struck his sword through the dragon's eye, killing it instantly.
Niko and the commander grasped each other's forearms in a quick acknowledgement of the achievement, then ran upstairs.