Chapter Five, Wyrm part one

She woke early, even after three comfortable years in the Monastery she held to the Ga-Vok habit of an early breakfast. She had taken a liking to the Nieldic Travellers meals, they cooked faster and required a lot less effort than cooking bacon and eggs every morning.

She'd finished cleaning up her meal and was preparing to set out when she heard the mechanical roar. Five men, Brawnier than any Nielda she'd seen before and hairier too, were approaching on a device she recognized only from television. Jetbikes, all the Repulsor capacity and handling of a truck but with the speed of a sub-orbital aircraft. They were heading towards her, and they looked every bit as dangerous as the descriptions she'd heard.
The first one slid to face her from the side of his bike. He had a sword at his side, the others had axes and spears. All five wore heavy furs, which reminded her of just how cold it was here in the mountains, and helmets ornamented with spikes and horns.

"Well what have we got here." Their leader looked around to his fellows, all eying her greedily. "Looks to me like we've got us a flatlander. You scared flatlander?"
~Please? He looks so..juicy.~ The feral spirit knew the danger, but she wasn't going to give in that easily.
"A little, but not as much as you should be."
"Ooh, this one's got zest. Well my zesty little siren; what'll it take to get you to sing for us?"

She had to think about that one for a moment. She knew full well what he had planned for her, but that must have sounded way better in his head.
"Good jewelry and a fourth date. I'm not giving you another warning; try anything and your corpse doesn't hit the ground for a week."

She didn't have to, as he opened his mouth to reply a more organic roar came from the rocks to her right.
"Frost Wyrm, run for it boys!"
All five scrambled for their bikes. One of them got off faster than the others, but stopped abruptly as the beast spat on it. The Jetbike shut down and spun out as the beast's spit froze the turbines within it. It crashed into the side of the cliff and caused the snow above to block their exit.

Alicea turned to face the beast, placing herself between the great reptile and the remaining raiders. She could now see the beast in its full power. Gray scales on sinewy muscles, with forelimbs as large as she was and a barbed tail long enough to wrap tightly about one of the raider's jetbikes without leaving any part of it exposed. It roared again, and she saw its teeth, sharp as a skinner's knife and long as a broadsword. Beneath its tongue were patches of frost, revealing the location of its famed glands.
She searched quickly for something to be glad about in this fight. Then silently thanked the Spirit of the Light it didn't have wings.
"Stay back, and don't get in the way." She yelled to the cowering men behind her, then charged the beast with a howl.