As the first wave of skeeters took back to the sky, to gain altitude, speed, and regroup, they saw the diving rage of dragons. The largest within the swarm, a particularly vicious female, let out a high pitched screech. This screech was soon matched by all of the other skeeters. It shot in a cone at the dragons, meant to disrupt, deafen, and confuse the attackers. But it also worked as a cry for reinforcements. 

The swarm angled to meet the dragons directly, losing critical speed as they moved upwards. The large gold that carried Rotmek flicked its tail, straightening it out, and tucked in his wings. Rotmek whooped and dug the hooks in just a bit more tightly for he knew the maneuver that was coming. The dragon dove like a spear, and then began its barrel roll. It spun quickly, releasing its corrosive breath through the swarm as it stabbed through. He took several minor knicks and cuts from the bladed wings, but his breath had spread through the swarm heavily. The skeeters that took the most of it fell from the sky as their wings could no longer support them. 

Once Rotmek and Tamaraniz shot out the back of the swarm, he opened his wings once more, glancing back to see that his rider had maintained consciousness. The smiling dwarf beamed back and the pair continued toward the village as half the swarm fell from the gas. Rotmek could see a second swarm, roughly the size of the first making way for the village. The second strike while the first kept the attackers busy. He peered through his goggles though, for something seemed off. There was something... big in the second swarm. Dragon sized big. He knew if he saw it, Tam saw it as well, and being the leader of the Flight, it would be his target. Rotmek pulled out another stick, popped the top as blue smoke began pouring out of it, and dropped it toward the village. It was the signal of the rally point. The remaining dragons would know it would indicate where they were to go to defend, rather than pulling the first swarm away. 

The second swarm reached the village first, targeting the injured first, going into a frenzy at the scent of blood in the air. Verissa saw a few latecomers join her and the other defenders, including the singing woman from earlier. The swarm flowed through the village like a river, slicing down building and person a like. Verissa whistled and charged forward, her loyal dogs following close. The tip of the swarm was heading toward her. With a few bird whistles, signals she learned from her time in the Kvaren. The dogs tucked in close to her. She slammed her staff down into the ground, and expanded the shield that she always kept around it. For a brief moment, it glowed lavender before disappearing from sight. The swarm slammed into the wedge shaped shield. It parted the swarm, several dying on impact or from being thrown into the ground or the building. After the first several deaths, the swarm pulled up and flew over it. Her dogs worked as executioners, finishing off the injured beasts while avoiding the brunt of the healthy ones. 

The large skeeter that was following the swarm was elongated, more like a massive centipede with dozens of bladed wings. Tam and Rotmek were already en route toward it. Tam could sense that it was a female, but not a queen. Queens of any insects don't leave the hive. It must be a princess, next in the line of succession. That meant bigger, stronger, and healthier. Tam flapped hard, picking up speed, keeping his legs tucked, his tail working as a rudder. Tam was quite large by even dragon's standards, but that didn't slow him. While many dragons preferred a life of leisure with their hoards, Tam did not. He flew every day, stayed active, and had no interest in wealth. Whenever he was given wealth, he had a tendency to just let whoever was nearby to have it. He just enjoyed the quiet life of a hardened warrior.

He roared in challenge at the princess, still speeding toward her. When they were close to a collision, he flipped over, extending his claws to either rake at her belly or possibly get a good hold on her, to rip her from her flight. But she was a bit too agile. She pulled up quickly, only getting a few superfluous scores in her exoskeleton. She was able to whip around faster than Tam, like an eel in the sky. On his tail, she screeched so loudly, that any watching could see a shockblast from it. The blast struck Tam in the hip and sent him careening momentarily, forcing him to strain hard to stop his momentum. By the time he got turned around, the princess was atop him, tackling into him, her many legs finding a grip under his scales. Then she stopped flying, forcing him to support all of her weight. And he could not. They started a free fall together. 

The secondary swarm kept rising and falling over the village, swooping in and out through the bigger streets. Many stopped to hover into open doors or smaller alleyways, seeking out metal and blood to eat. A particularly large male caught a scent from an alcove and floated toward it, toward Shadzi. Several others caught the scent as well, and joined in the search for its exact location.