The hunters were oblivious to the riders as they tried to capture the Snaptrapper. Rune led the charge out, with Thyra following behind him closely. She and Rune would flank the hunters from the left while Vyra and Forde would come in from the right. Virgil stayed within cover as he used his arrows to cover his teammates and stop any hunter from escaping.
Thyra let out a loud battle cry as she hit a hunter in the head from behind, sending him to the ground immediately. Rune went in next, kicking a hunter in the back and using the handle of his axe to knock another out.
"Dragon Riders!" a man cried, grabbing the attention of the two masked men.
They gave the riders a glance before returning their attention to the dragon spraying acid in their direction.
"I didn't anticipate the riders catching wind of us. We made sure not to use any of our known routes" the bulky man said.
"It doesn't matter. We have a contingency plan for a reason" the skinny man answered. "All we have to do is capture this dragon, and then we can slip away"
"Split into two groups" the bulky one commanded the trappers. "Half of you should help us capture this dragon while the rest of you hold off the riders"
"Yes, Harald"
The group of trappers split into two and had to hold down the riders long enough for the dragon to be captured. Rune pulled out two Z.E.Ps from his belt and threw them at the group. Zippleback gas got sprayed into the air, confusing the enemies before the explosion happened, launching a couple of men into the air.
"That thing never gets old" Virgil said.
He unleashed an arrow, hitting a sword out of a man's hand and disarming him. Forde acted on the man immediately; he hit him in the gut with the handle of his axe and then in the face to knock him out. Vyra deflected a sword strike, and with her footwork, she twirled and rammed her elbow into the side of the head of her enemy.
"Come on guys" Rune spurred on.
He blocked an axe strike as the hunter pushed hard on him. He kicked the knee of his opponent to throw him off balance and headbutted him on the nose, breaking it.
The other group of hunters were finding it tricky to catch the dragon. Its acid breath burned their root arrows to cinders and kept them at arm's length.
"Troels!" Harald yelled, getting his attention. "The men and I will keep this thing busy and try to get it with the net. Circle around, get your sight and shoot it" he said as he tossed him two root arrows and a bow.
The skinny masked man nodded and went into the bush.
"Use the net!" Harald instructed.
Two men held a metal net from both ends and threw it at the heads of the dragon. Two heads managed to dodge the projectile, but the remaining two weren't as lucky. The free heads looked at the two who had been tangled, looked back at the hunters and roared loudly. One head unleashed a stream of acid at the hunters, forcing them to find cover while the other tried to take the net of the other two heads.
Troels had circled around the dragon, avoiding the sight of both the dragon and the riders and took aim at it. He picked his spot and released the arrow. It flew right into the side of the dragon, causing all heads to groan in pain as dragon root got into their bloodstream.
Rune and the riders heard the dragon groan and had to get to the dragon immediately.
"Thyra, on me. We charge to the hunters. Virgil, give us cover; Vyra, Forde, keep them busy" Rune instructed.
"Aye, aye, sir!" Forde answered.
Virgil came out of cover and fired multiple arrows to keep the hunters away from Thyra and Rune as they pushed forward. Thyra and Rune dispatched their opponents quickly, wasting no time to get to the dragon. By the time they arrived, the Snaptrapper had been bound by the legs, mouths muzzled, wings tied and put on a cart.
"Release that dragon!" Rune exclaimed, with fire in his voice.
"On who's authority?" Harald questioned.
Vyra, Forde and Virgil joined up with the two as they held their weapons out at the hunters.
"In the name of the dragon riders and for the freedom of all dragons" Rune answered.
Harald and the hunters looked at themselves and laughed. They scoffed and mocked them before giving a well-worded reply.
"We don't take orders from you. You neither pay us nor feed us. Now take your weapons and get out of here. This is a man's business; it is no place for children" Harald said.
"This is your last chance" Rune said, his grip on his axe tightening.
"Have it your way" Harald said, signalling to one of the hunters with a head nod.
The hunter pulled out a horn with four ends and blew into it, releasing a call into the entire forest. Sandstorm and the rest of the dragons heard it from their landing spot, causing all their heads to rise and point in that direction. Sandstorm chuffed, and Rampage growled; they knew something terrible was about to happen. Stormbreaker looked at Sandstorm as her frills trilled and she tilted her head to the side.
"I hope you can run as fast as you fly" Harald said.
Virgil drew his bow and was about to fire when another arrow flew in and cut the string of his bow.
"What the-"
Troels came out of the bushes after using the second arrow Harald gave him.
"Let's get a move on" he persuaded.
The hunters began to push the cart quickly as they burst through the line the riders had created. The riders had to get out of the way or get crushed by the moving dragon-carrying cart. Harald gave them a smug look as they got away.
"We can't let them get away!" Vyra voiced as she stood back up.
The hunters already had a head start and were getting away; the riders gave chase, but their efforts would soon be interrupted. The leaves in the trees began to move, and bushes began to shake. Rune's eyes scanned around quickly as he sensed something getting closer.
"Something is coming" he muttered.
It didn't take long for him to wonder what as something shot out of the trees and landed in front of them. They couldn't see it because it was cloaked, but they could hear it hiss and growl. It uncloaked itself slowly, and it was a green Snaptrapper, and it didn't look happy at all. All the riders came to an immediate stop as it stood in between them and the hunters.
"Damn it. This thing cut us off, and the hunters are getting away" Virgil cursed.
"How do we get around it?" Thyra asked.
Before any answers could surface, they felt another presence as the leaves and shrubs reacted. From their left and on their right, two more Snaptrappers appeared, snarling at them with bared teeth.
"Forget chasing the hunters; we have to survive these guys" Forde said with haste in his voice.
"We have no choice, everyone run!" Rune said as he turned around and dug his heels.
The others followed and ran alongside him. The dragons chased them, firing acid blasts at them as the riders had to dodge. Rune took out two more Z.E.Ps , he turned sharply and threw them in the direction of the dragons. The explosions bought them a few seconds to think and plan their next move.
"Everyone, call your dragon!" Rune announced.
They cupped their hands around their mouths and let out their dragon calls to get their dragons to come to their rescue. The hunters had loaded up the dragon and had departed the island while the riders were still running for their lives. Forde took cover behind a tree as it was bombarded with an acid blast. He endured the hits before moving on. Rune and Thyra weaved through some bushes and behind trees as they avoided the jaws and blasts from the dragon.
"Odin help us" Thyra said as she rolled away from another acid blast.
The Snaptrappers herded the riders into an open space with no trees or bushes to hide behind.
"Shit" Rune said as the Snaptrappers surrounded them, snarling and growling at them.
A sweet, flower-like scent hit their noses as death stood at the door yet again. Their backs pressed into one another as they stood in a circle. There was nowhere to go, and no place to hide. If their dragons didn't make it back now, they were gone.
Acid began to drip from their mouths as they prepared to devour them, and just as one advanced, a blast rained down from above, hitting the dragon back. More fireblasts rained down from above, hitting the Snaptrappers and forcing them back. Sandstorm landed in front of Rune and roared loudly with great ferocity, spreading his wings to make himself look bigger.
The other dragons landed as well, standing in front of their riders and roaring alongside the Sand Wraith. The Snaptrappers roared back but retreated back into the forest. The riders were relieved to see another day; their dragons had rescued them.
"You sure took your time, didn't you bud?" Rune said as he placed his hand on Sandstorm's back and followed it all the way to his head.
"Thank you for saving me" he added, resting his head on his with closed eyes.
"Come on guys, the hunters shouldn't have gotten far. We can still catch them" Forde said as he mounted his dragon.
"You're right, we can still catch them" Rune said, mounting his dragon.
They took to the skies and made great haste, tracking the hunters to where they might have gone. The riders made good time, catching up to them as evening made its way.
"Dragon riders approaching!" A man alerted them.
"They found a way out quicker than expected. What's the play?" Harald asked his partner in crime.
"We cannot win against them head on. Their reputation precedes them in such a situation, Dane, Drago and Viggo have shown us that. We lose nine times out of ten" Troels explained.
"So?"
"We must make do with what we have. We use the life of the dragon to bargain for our freedom"
Harald nodded; he understood his plan perfectly, and so did the hunters. Rune and the rest of the riders closed in; he used his spyglass to spy on the deck of the ship, and he found Troels looking in their direction while holding a sword to the neck of the dragon. Rune let out a worried grunt, with Forde instantly catching the shift in his mood.
"What's wrong?" Forde asked.
"Those hunters, they have a sword to the neck of the dragon" he answered.
His words were met with gasps from Thyra.
"Are you sure?" Virgil questioned. He was positive that he didn't hear correctly.
"I am. I made a double take" he answered.
"Can't we attack from behind or something?" Vyra suggested.
"We make any wrong moves, and they wouldn't waste any time taking its head off" Rune answered.
"Not good at all" Thyra commented.
Despite that, Rune and the others still closed in on the ship just as the hunters knew they would.
"That's as far as you'll come" Troels said authoritatively as the riders brought their dragons to a stop.
The sword was uncomfortably pressed against the dragon's neck as Troels showed them how serious he could.
"Let go of that dragon. He doesn't deserve any of this" Rune said.
"And I don't really care. We have a job, a quota to fill, and we will fulfil it by any means necessary" he answered wittingly.
"We will stop you" Rune replied.
"Maybe, but definitely not today. Let's save the pleasantries; you look like a smart lad. You already know how this goes, but I will spell it out for you. Any of you make one wrong move, or we see you trailing us, and I will kill this dragon myself. That wouldn't be in your best interest would it?" he said with a cunning smirk.
"Even if you manage to hit me, there are many arrows pointed at both this dragon and yours. Either way, we both go down. And as extra insurance, the big lad in the back has a ballista pointed at the dragon should you choose to disregard my warning. The ball is in your court, dragon riders"
It was just as Rune suspected. He hated such situations; any decision he took against them, the dragon dies, and they lose more than they would. He let out a sigh as the smile on Troels and Harald's faces grew wider behind their masks.
"Good lad. Be on your way now, and no one should trail us, or you know what happens" said Troels.
"Riders, retreat. There's nothing we can do now" Rune said with a heavy heart.
Each one of them understood the conditions laid out to them; they simply should not win against it, despite any plan they came up with.
"Forgive us Snaptrapper" Forde whispered as they turned away.
The ride back to the Edge was silent; none of them said a word as they came to terms with their failure. Sandstorm purred, trying to comfort Rune as they approached the clubhouse. The frustration was clear on Rune's face, first Sten and now this dragon.
"I just don't get it. How were they able to lure that dragon out and call the others? They were more prepared than us, I just feel, ugh" he said voicing out his frustration. He squeezed his palms tightly and grimaced.
"I will check my notes and references for what I know about the Snaptrapper and their habits" Forde said.
"Next time, we won't be caught out like this. We know what to expect from these guys. They are more coordinated and more knowledgeable about the dragons they're after. We will just have to up our game like we always do" Virgil said. His words were exactly what they needed at this time.
It was not a time to crawl back into their shells when adversity came, but to rise above the challenge.
"You're right. Next time, we will take them down for sure" Rune said.
"Hell yeah!" cheered Thyra.