Free Web NovelChapter 19: The Mouths arrive
Dawn broke over the village, bleeding light across a sky that promised nothing good.
Rex stood on the watchtower, his dragon eyes fixed on the southern horizon. The river crossing was visible from here, a pale ribbon of water cutting through the green forest. Empty, for now.
He had been standing here since before sunrise. Sleep had eluded him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the Mouths—their grey skin, their glowing eyes, their too-fluid movements. The way they had hunted him in his dreams.
Two weeks.
He thought about everything that had happened since the crash. The beach. The compies. Nara’s strange kindness. The village’s suspicion. Hot sex with Rhea. The wolf hunt. The ruin. The goblins. The Lizardkin.
Two weeks, and he had built an alliance from nothing. Two weeks, and he had fallen in love with a woman who could kill him with her bare hands. Two weeks, and he had become something more than human.
But it still felt rushed. Like he was running a marathon with no finish line. Like the world was spinning too fast, and he was just trying to keep his footing.
Is this what it means to be the Dragon-Bound? To never have enough time?
Rhea climbed up to join him. She moved quietly, but he heard her anyway, the soft scrape of her feet on the ladder, the rhythm of her breathing. He knew her sounds now. Her rhythms.
"They’ll come today," she said.
"I know."
She stood beside him, close enough to feel her warmth. "Are you ready?"
"I have to be."
She took his hand. "Then let’s go."
He looked at her. The morning light caught her face, softening the hard lines. She was beautiful. He had never told her that. He should have told her that.
"Rhea..."
"Later." She squeezed his hand. "After we win."
He nodded. Words failed him. But she understood.
They descended from the tower together. The village was already awake, fighters checking their weapons, women bundling supplies, children being herded into the central hut for safety. The air hummed with tension.
Tor and Fen stood at the barricades, their copper axes gleaming. Mira was on the watchtower, her crystal spear in hand, her young face set with determination. Marta distributed food and water. Nara prepared her rituals, Screech perched on her shoulder.
The Lizardkin warriors flanked the eastern approach, their golden eyes scanning the forest. The goblins had signaled their readiness from the west.. a plume of smoke that rose and fell in three bursts.
Everything was in place.
Rex found Rhea at the barricades. They didn’t speak, there was nothing left to say. He touched her hand, and she touched his.
Then the scouts returned.
"They’re coming," Tor said. "Twelve of them. Moving fast."
Rex climbed the watchtower one last time. His dragon eyes found them, twelve figures in dark armor, crossing the river in perfect formation. Their movements were too fluid, too coordinated. Like puppets on strings.
[DRAGON EYES LV.1: ACTIVE]
[CREATURES DETECTED: MOUTHS OF VALTHORION]
[THREAT: HIGH]
[WARNING: CORRUPTED ESSENCE DETECTED]
He could see it now—the twisted energy that clung to them like a second skin. Dark, pulsing, hungry. They were not fully human anymore. Whatever Valthorion had done to them, it had stolen their humanity and left something else in its place.
The Mouths entered the valley. Their leader stepped forward—a tall figure with grey skin and eyes that glowed like dying embers. Its voice echoed, unnatural and cold.
"DRAGON-BOUND. YOU WILL SURRENDER. YOU WILL COME TO VALTHORION. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE."
Rex felt the words sink into him like stones. But he didn’t waver.
"Arrows!" he shouted. "Now!"
Mira released her first shot. The crystal-tipped arrow flew true, striking the leader in the shoulder. It staggered but did not fall.
The other Mouths charged.
The battle erupted. Arrows rained from the watchtower. The Mouths deflected them with unnatural speed, their dark armor absorbing the blows. They reached the barricades in seconds, their claws tearing through the sharpened logs.
Rex leaped from the tower, landing on his feet. He activated [FIRE BREATH].
[FIRE BREATH ACTIVATED: 10 MANA]
[MANA: 100 → 90]
Flame erupted from his mouth, catching two Mouths in the blast. They screamed—a sound like grinding stone—and fell back, their armor smoking.
Nara began her ritual. Her voice rose above the chaos, chanting words that made the air tremble. A sharp wind swept through the valley, howling like a living thing. The Mouths staggered, their dark essence flickering.
Rex pressed the advantage. He drew his copper sword and charged, his dragon eyes tracking their movements.
Rhea was beside him, her ancient sword blazing with fire aspect. She cut through two Mouths, her movements fluid and precise.
The Lizardkin attacked from the east, their bone clubs smashing through the Mouths’ armor. The goblins harried from the west, their poisoned darts finding gaps in the dark plates.
But the leader pushed through.
It broke through the barricades, its eyes locked on Rex. Faster than thought, it crossed the distance and swung its claws.
Rex barely raised his sword in time. The impact sent him flying. He crashed into a hut, splintering the wood.
He scrambled to his feet. The leader advanced, its claws dripping with dark energy.
Rex activated [HARD SCALES].
[HARD SCALES LV.1: ACTIVE]
[+10 DEFENSE]
The scales on his skin hardened, absorbing the next blow. But the leader was stronger—far stronger. It grabbed Rex by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
"VALTHORION WILL HAVE YOU," it hissed.
Rex kicked, struggled, but the grip was strong. His vision blurred. His lungs burned.
Then Rhea struck.
Her ancient sword sliced through the leader’s arm. The grip loosened. Rex fell, gasping.
The leader screamed and turned, its eyes blazing. But Rhea was faster. She drove her sword through its chest.
The leader convulsed. Its body began to dissolve, crumbling to ash.
But before it vanished, it spoke one last time: "THIS IS NOT THE END. VALTHORION WILL SEND MORE. HE WILL BREAK YOU. HE KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE."
The ash scattered on the wind.
The remaining Mouths retreated. They fled into the forest, their dark forms disappearing among the trees.
The battle was over.
Rex sank to his knees, coughing. Rhea was beside him instantly, her hand on his back.
"Breathe," she said. "Just breathe."
He did. The air was sweet. Clean. He was alive.
The wounded were carried to Nara’s hut. Several villagers had injuries, but none were fatal. The Lizardkin and goblins had lost none. The Mouths had been driven back.
But Rex knew it was only temporary.
Night fell. Rex walked through the village, offering words of encouragement to the wounded, checking on the fighters. Mira was beaming, her crystal spear still bloody. She had killed two Mouths with her own hands. Tor and Fen were laughing, their brotherhood unbroken.
Rex found Rhea by the river. She was washing the blood from her sword.
"You fought well today," he said.
"We fought well."
"I was scared."
"So was I. But you didn’t show it."
He sat beside her. The water was calm. The stars were bright.
"We made it through today," he said. "Tomorrow, we make it through the next."
She looked at him. "Is that what you told yourself? That you’d survive one day at a time?"
"It’s what I’m telling myself now."
She reached out and touched his face. "Then let’s survive together."
He pulled her close. They held each other in the darkness.
[DRAGON AFFINITY: 46 → 48]
System, not—
But the panel was already gone as quickly as it came, not waiting for Rex to berate it now.
