Brilliant! so much great input, I'm always grateful for the help I receive here. I'll just touch on some of them:

-Javelin: hadn't thought of it, had never thrown one. I didn't realize finesse meant applying strength! great solution - I WAS within 30 feet.

-use up haste action to dash and get opportunity attack. Also brilliant. Although, I was not thinking that they would burrow to safety and I didn't want to just sit there amongst them. though now I see I would have been able to use riposte if they had missed...

-I think maybe I'll talk to DM about getting a magical cord I can tie to my waist or shoulder that easily stretches with movement (it's a greatsword) and brings sword to hip when dropped. but, I can also just carry javelin.

"You had a choice whether to drop the sword or not; you chose not to. If you never have to make meaningful choices, you're not in an interesting game." Inspirational stuff! helps me love the game.

-ohhhh, so object interaction is it's own action in the economy, different from bonus?? Man, I didn't know...I'll look that up. *later* Huh, and it's different from use item. Well I've learned. But hast action to put item away and object interaction to draw bow leaves me with no action to shoot. Just more knowledge of how this works.

-Hand crossbow - good idea! keep it loaded during fights...interesting.

-Yes, the short bow would have yielded little damage, but injured drakes were perhaps that low. Maybe not. Good point. Archery isn't going to make me feel good like bifurcating the living.

_no gloves of storing in 5e

-I'd grapple or or two of them, but they're already in the ground. and no way to get to them... Wizard through of making me a badger, but burrow 10ft vs their 20p'

I'll go with a few javelins on my back and strong cord from my shoulder to weapon.