The splatter of blood stained the boulder and Raio. He froze in shock at the sight of blood streaming down Desnix' blade. Desnix elevated his sword high above his head and brought it down forcefully, swashing the blood off the blade.
"Get him out of there!" He ordered.
Quickly, the junior officer rushed over to Stlran and pulled him up. Desnix had severed Stlran's left leg, a little above the kneecap.
Desnix crouched down and grabbed Raio by the collar. "Get a hold of yourself. This is the world we live in. If you can't stand the sight of a blade coated with blood then you're not competent to rise against the empire!" Desnix gave a scowl at him and yanked him off the ground.
The piercing growls of the beasts beyond the walls accompanied by the cries of an unfortunate archer from the ramparts echo aloud as a beast plucked him off the barricade sent chills down Raio's spine. To the sidewalks of Euporieus, bodies laid, lifeless, vulnerable and defeated, homes and stalls mowed to smithereens. Barely nothing stood untouched.
The squawks of vultures had begun to fill the air as the creatures took to flight, soaring amidst the deadly skies, for today was another feast for their fattened bellies.
"Fire!!!" The voice of the archery captain tore through the unending noise. "Don't stop!!!"
Desnix turned to Raio and nudged him forward. "Get out of here! They're better things to fritter away your enthusiasm on than concepts of politics!"
The young knight had ripped off a piece from Stlran's smock and wrapped his severed leg with it. His blood dyed the white apparel crimson red and little trickles leaked off. He flung Stlran's limp hand over his shoulder and started out the street. Raio followed behind, quietly and shocked for his brain couldn't distill the atrocities his bulgy eyes gazed upon.
After a few left and right turns made, the officer pulled into an alley when he was certain with himself it was far from harm and placed Stlran against a heap of haystack.
"Stay out the light and don't come out no matter what you see or hear!" He ordered Raio before he rushed out with his sword unsheathed in his hands.
Stlran's head hung unconsciously. Guilt stormed Raio's thoughts, for he was to be blamed for the mishap of his father.
Then, shortly, the cries of the officer interrupted him as a dragon flew past the entrance of the alley with him hanging out the side of its mouth. Its rugged teeth impaled the officer's armour in the gut. His sword fell to the earth as the dragon jerked him rashly in the air.
"H-help! Help me please!!" The officer cried aloud, the words escaped out his frightened mouth in cries of pleas, for Raio could tell it was directed at him.
He finally gave up the struggle after few more intense twitches and had himself eaten up. Goosebumps ran through Raio's body as the dragon rolled its eye into the alley and gazed upon him and his father. There was no place to run to. It was a dead-end for them, they both had their backs up against the wall.
The red spiked dragon squeezed its head into the narrow alley, snapping its jigsaw canines at the cloth lines overhead. Raio's heart threatened to break out his chest with every second the beast drew nigh. Then, a flicker of light beamed into Raio's eyes from afar. It was the officer's sword.
"Ggrroooaaarrr!" The dragon growled fiercely. For its neck had reached its limit.
Something stirred up in Raio's head.
Was it pain? Fear? Courage? Or pure stupidity?
He didn't know. He took a large gulp and made a run underneath the dragon's elongated neck for the sword. The beast retraced its head backwards but Raio's speed was determined by his will to survive. A quarter to the exit, Raio scooped up the sword from the dirt and with his all at hand, he gave a slash at the dragon's spiky scaled neck.
"Grooaar!" The dragon growled louder, its' head plopped to the floor in pain.
Raio tightened his grip around the sword and landed another blow to the neck.
"Groaarr!" The dragon's roar had softened. Its' breath came out in visible clouds of grey as blood thick as glue and as dark as the hell it crawled out from spewed out the gouge.
Desnix turned into the street, where Raio stood. He watched from afar with shock as Raio brought down the blade on the dragon's neck, one slice after another.
The growls of the dragon had turned to soft cries of pain and it had lost its will to struggle.
Raio didn't stop, he continued driving the blade deeper into the thick flesh, blood splurged out on him, his fingers ached, his muscles had grown weak, he bit his lower lip and gave the final blow.
"Rwoaarrr!" The dragon gave its lost howl as the pain crept across its every nerve. The howl had turned to cries and slowly, it faded away as with the beating of its chest seize to live. Its neck was critically severed, the scar partly revealing a fraction of its bone adorned in thick rosy flesh and its neck clothed in its blood.
Desnix walked closer to Raio unnoticeably and placed a hand on his shoulder. Raio let the sword dropped to the floor, his hands hung downwards in fatigue.
"Point made," Desnix said. He turned his gaze into the alley and back at Raio. "Where's the knight?"
A frightened veil fell upon Raio's face, his forehead wrinkled roughly, his mouth hung halfway open with his eyes widened in despair.
A frown crumpled Desnix' face. Angrily, he grit hard on his teeth, stiffened his grip round his blade and stepped into the alley. He stopped at the head of the beast and looked down at it with resentment.
Something hung out the side of its open jaw.
Desnix hunkered down and took a closer look.
He bit hard against his lower lip, bounced up his feet and through the eye, he ran his sword into the beast head, severing the coarse skull in two. His muscles hardened by the sight of his assistant's hand clenched between its teeth, deeper, he drove his blade into the head.
He lifted his face up the sky and detached his blow horn from his waist. Exalting it above his face, he blew his heart into it for the alpha has fallen.

Lioraun, King Eriyn's scout, sat afar on the outskirts of Euporieus on his horseback. The blare of Desnix' blowhorn echoed out, far across the kingdom of Euporieus and out the walls, reached Lioraun hearing.
"Tell the king-Euporieus, still stands." He spoke to the wind.
He smiled to himself as he watched the beast retreat.