by Paul Cude
With an ear piercing battle cry, one that caught the attention of the entire battlefield and scared the living daylights out of Vasuki and George, in one swift move, Fredric leapt to his feet, somersaulted up, out and over the shield he'd been cowering behind, and with an ice cold determination, set his sights on the source of the attack. His... DAUGHTER!
Lost to insanity, at least for the moment, Earth hadn't even seen her father leave the protection of the shield she was trying to batter into submission, that's how far gone she was. It was only on noticing an ever approaching blur out of the corner of her left eye that she realised the trouble she was in. He was coming for her, and he was MAD! Perhaps that's where she got it from.
Steaming, thick, red blood pooled across the scorched white marble next to Flash's torn apart chest, his body deathly still, a satisfied smile chiselled into his adorable features as death inducing magic thundered all around him. Fate had found her scapegoat and just perhaps, given everything that was going on, it was better this way. Better to go out like this than with a whimper. Better not to be around when the planet's ownership changed.
More than a little shaken at his friend's change in circumstance and never, ever wanting to hear that roar again, his mind raced uncontrollably, thoughts of what to do next consuming him fully. Off in the distance, he could see the courageous Amelia Battlehard and her contingent fighting valiantly, totally outmatched, part of him wondering if he should assist them first of all. And then there were those behind the shield, those that had risked everything, those currently protected by a dragon whose memory he'd had wiped and had banished to the surface. Having known all along she was special, seeing not only what she was doing now, but what she had done since she'd shown up nearly blew his mind. What a dragon! That was when he caught sight of it through his rippling shield, beneath all the magic that was being currently cast in his direction. FLASH! Was he dead? Just injured? Or indeed, saveable? His head told him there was nothing that could be done, and that even not dead, he would be too close to it to bring back. But his heart and the fierce loyalty that made him such an exceptional king told him otherwise. In that moment, he was truly torn. That is until a voice right beside him spoke up.
"Leeeett meeee seeee toooo himmm. It'ssss theee leasssst I caaan do."
"Are you sure?" answered the king, his voice a little wobbly.
"Iffff I caaaan saaavee himmm I willlll. Afterallllll heee rescueeeed ussss frooooom thaaaat prisoooon."
The king had wondered what had happened, and now he knew. Even more reason to rescue the brave Flash.
"If you can save him, I'll be forever in your debt."
"Ittttt issss I aaaand my raaaace that aare innnnn yooour debt. GO! I wiiiillll dooo my beeeeest."
Nodding his approval, in what was almost a blur, even to those magical beings all around him, he turned, converting all the energy from his shield into speed, and disappeared off in the direction of Captain Battlehard and her overwhelmed comrades.
Enhanced by magic and with a whiff of freedom soaking through his gills, Vasuki slithered off to one side just as the king's shield dissipated, hoping not to get caught by the barrage of magic. Right at that very moment however, it stopped, much to his surprise. Too intent on helping his dragon rescuer to pay any attention to why it had ceased, he slithered off across the battlefield, once more opening himself up telepathically, again broadcasting a plea for any of his race to hear, hoping against hope that they would kowtow to his wishes and stop all this madness. For the moment though, his plea fell on deaf ears.
It was all she could do to drop the assault and bring up any kind of defensive shield in time. And that was the only thing that saved her life. Immediately he was on her, pounding on her shield with his powerful fists, his fingers spitting half a dozen types of fire, the words shouting from his mouth totally incomprehensible. Paralysed but for a moment, mainly due to the shock of seeing her father in this state, something that had never happened before, it wasn't long before her sense of self preservation kicked in, followed quickly by the injustice and then the anger, fury and rage. The magical scrap of a lifetime was about to begin.
45 Definitely Not Winging It
Knowing that the enemy's forces would be more alert and on the lookout for an attack from the sky after Steel's supposed capture, Gee Tee's ragtag troupe of dragons had decided to attack from the ground, on foot, gaining the element of surprise the rationale behind it.
Stalking through the dark, a thick layer of smog and toxic, black smoke engulfing everything, a contingent spread out five across led the way, with the master mantra maker at their centre. An unusual formation to say the least, the old shopkeeper had come up with the plan, because the visibility had been so limited. Bumping into an adversary out of absolutely nowhere was a real possibility, and with one dragon out in front, it could quite possibly lead to the alarm being raised, something they just couldn't afford to happen. With five spread across, and with Gee Tee in the middle of that five, if they stumbled across one, or even two guards accidentally, they could handle it, quickly, quietly and without any fuss, ably assisted by the master mantra maker, that is unless the opposing force were using exactly the same formation, something they all thought extremely unlikely. It was unconventional to say the least, but thinking outside the box was the only way they were going to succeed against such overwhelming odds, if indeed that was at all possible.
Noiselessly skulking between buildings they'd already cleared, the dragon/human hybrid force deliberately moved at slightly less than walking pace, determined to use stealth, not be caught off guard, and be able to take down anything in front of them very, very quietly and at a moment's notice.
Midway along the line of dragons behind them, very nervous humans, each with makeshift masks made up from torn fragments of material they'd found along the way, fingered the bandoliers that held their remaining grenades in place, each wondering what the hell they were doing here, each re-examining their life choices up to this point, apart from Taibul who hadn't really had much of a life to re-examine. For him, it was all about hoping for more... more of everything. More years to experience and relish, more hockey, more banter with his friends, and if he was honest with himself... more of this! Emma, Angela and Sam, the friends he'd bonded with on this outstanding adventure, were all very much afraid, surrounded by terror, and still astounded at being here. He, however, was secretly lapping things up. Dragons... how cool was that?! Being here, in a secret underground world that had existed forever... brilliant! Tied up in a plot to thwart an evil force taking control of the world... absolutely amazing! It gave him goosebumps just thinking about it, but in a good way. Here and now, all he wanted to do was play his part, a small cog in a mindbogglingly humungous machine, but ready to do anything he could to help all the beings around him, dragon and human alike. And so, grinning like a Cheshire cat, something none of those around him could see in the cloying, choking darkness, he trailed in Emma's wake, alert and poised, ready to act when called upon, his mere eighteen years of age filling him with confidence and excitement, instead of the trepidation, fear and horror the others felt.
As one, the five at the head of the line stopped; the others behind immediately followed suit. Directly in front of the master mantra maker a fire raged furiously, the heart of which flickered from blue to orange, to red and yellow and back again, only seen through a shimmering heat similar to that of a glassmaker's forge. Mesmerising in itself, this was something that under normal circumstances most dragons would have stopped to fully take in, bathe in the heat and lose themselves in the warm radiance and hypnotic colours. But not here, and not today, especially given the fire's purpose. One of many, the flames encompassed a horde of dragon cadavers, burning its way through what remained of their disfigured and brutally maimed bodies, searing muscle and sinew alike, roasting flesh, stripping away skin and scales from the skeleton, reducing everything but the bones to ashes, systematically destroying all evidence of the atrocities that had been c
arried out. Bile rose up the throats of all the dragons at the front. As one, the shopkeeper included, they all forced it back down, fighting against the nausea, just as they would if it were a physical opponent. It was tough on them all. Unlike the pyres back in Salisbridge, the biggest of which probably embodied no more than eight or nine dragons, the one in front of them had more than that just at its base, and rose up for as far as they could see, disappearing into the thick, throat scratching, acrid black smoke at six or seven dragon bodies high. From the looks of things, it had been an absolute massacre. Setting the feelings of grief, pain, loss, anger and disgust to one side, Gee Tee used a light touch to send a telepathic message back to the others, not wanting them to experience the same kind of horrific surprise that he'd felt when they'd stumbled upon the smoking desecration.
Soundlessly, a huge, scaled jaw cut through the darkness that surrounded them, appearing as if by magic in between the four friends. With tensions running high, Sam reached for the first of his grenades, with both Emma and Angela following his lead. Taibul, recognising the dragon from the ranks further behind them, stood down.
"Easy... little ones, we're friends, not foes. Remember?"
Clipping their grenades quickly back into place, all three shook their heads, each letting out a long breath, the relief palpable, tension eased momentarily.
"Sorry," whispered Angela, her voice taut and full of nervous energy.
"Apology accepted," mouthed the prehistoric beast quietly.
"You should all know that we've stumbled across a mass of burning dragon bodies. It's not only shocking but quite horrific. We just thought you should know so that you can prepare yourself. We have to go right past it. There's no other way around."
"We all witnessed the ones back at Salisbridge. Is it worse than that?" piped up Emma.
"I'm afraid so," replied the dragon, "and by quite some margin apparently. I'm sorry that you have to witness all this."
"And we're all sorry for your loss," put in Angela, her voice filled with regret.
"Good to know, little ones. Steel yourselves."
And with that, the huge, scaled skull disappeared back into the thick smoke behind them, leaving them all to wonder about what the others had encountered and just how bad it could be.
Pretty damn bad as it turned out. Despite their dampened, makeshift masks, the sickly, vomit inducing smell still seemed to race up their nostrils and launch a full assault on their delicate (more so than the dragons around them) senses. Digging deep, it took everything they had not to be sick, and from the few dragons in their own force that they were able to see, it didn't appear any different for them. So with sweat from the furious fire that nobody appeared to want to put out dripping down their faces, before running down their collar bones, disappearing off into goodness knows where, they did their best not to look at the towering pile of cadavers, fully aware that their own fate might well be the same. With the same courage they'd shown back in Salisbridge during the fight of their lives, and much to their dragon comrades' satisfaction, they soldiered on through the nose blocking, eye watering smoke and devastation, determined to play their part.
An accident, a total and utter coincidence was how it could be described. But that was why they'd set up this way, and that was why they were ready and unfazed... their adversaries, not so much.
Two serpent shaped nagas slithered through the overpowering, choking smoke, around a corner and ran straight into the ferocious dragon that had been stalking just to Gee Tee's left. Surprise and astonishment were the first reactions to the encounter, from both beings. Unlike their enemies, they'd fully expected to bump into trouble, and so faster than the eye could see, they reacted as only dragons could.
Instantly the telepathic warning of engagement ran through every dragon's head in the small, compact, fighting force. Those at the back tucked in, forming a shield around those in the middle, including the four humans. As one, the front four engaged, their movements shrouded in silence thanks to the mantra that had been bound to them all much earlier on. For Gee Tee, it was all about keeping his head and delving deep into the well of experience that only he could call upon. And so he did. Reacting slowly to their newfound discovery, the darker coloured of the two drew open his mouth in an effort to strike back with some kind of ear splitting scream. With a flourish of his fingers and an effortless use of his will, the old shopkeeper stood back out of range of the physical fighting and directed a three word mantra straight at the serpent's mouth. Immediately it closed tight, engendering a stifled snort and much more surprise than that of the original encounter. With super speed and the brutality to match, the four versus two match up was now in full swing, the lighter coloured of the two nagas propelling her tail around in a one hundred and eighty degree arc, sweeping the feet of one dragon away, watching in satisfaction as he hurtled to the ground, dumbfounded at the lack of noise on impact. And that tiny distraction was just enough to end her life, because in that fraction of a second, dragon number two had glided up out of nowhere and rallying against every ounce of decency in his prehistoric body, clamped his wickedly sharp teeth around the slippery beast's neck. Muscles tensing and using all his might, he bit clean through, tearing the monster's head from the rest of its elongated body. Witnessing the fate of his partner, the other naga, the much darker scaled one, reacted as only he knew how... he screamed. Or at least he tried to, but the wily shopkeeper's mantra was still in fine working order, fastening his jaws shut, preventing him from uttering a single sound. Sensing what was almost inevitable, and in a fit of utter rage at what had just happened to his longstanding friend, the remaining serpent went berserk, flailing and scrabbling, using his scaled tail as a club, casting what little magic he knew would work from deep inside his mind. Knowing better than to underestimate an enemy that had long since graced these lands, two of the dragons jumped back out of range, allowing their comrades more space and freedom to fight in, determined to offer support in the way of magical healing if required. Ravaged by bloodlust and the unfettered belief that he was going to die, the naga, despising the heat and longing for the cool, dark waters of the Antarctic, let the madness consume him. In one foul, blurred strike, he head butted the first dragon to approach him, the thick, sickly 'THUNK!' of contact echoing out over the crackle of the fire slowly consuming the mutilated dragon corpses. Instantly disappearing off into the darkness, with brilliant, thick, green blood spurting from his nose and a wound beneath his right eye, the red tinged dragon thudded to the floor, once and for all out of the fight. Having seen his chum caught well and truly off guard, one of the outer two dragons stepped in, straight away having to lean back like a limbo dancer to avoid the chest height haze of a tail that came whizzing in his direction. Mad at not having finished this floundering clown, after the tail passed him by he dived in, talons first, latching onto the scales at the base of the monster's back. As the penetrating scream of pain escaped the naga's lips, the remaining dragon that had stepped back, had the forethought to wrap the sound up with magic, preventing it from leaving the immediate area, keeping their presence a secret, shrouding everything that was going on, in silence. Razor sharp talons firmly attached, the dragon flapped his wings for momentum, and then with everything he had, pushed all his weight forward, forcing the writhing and wriggling beast onto its chest, all the time watching out for that darting and probing tail.
In Gee Tee's mind, it had to end NOW! They'd already exhausted too much of their energy on this fight, and if they were to stumble upon a much larger force of these fiends, then this encounter did not bode well. Willing up much more magic, mana and willpower than he'd hoped to expend, he tapped into an ancient Algerian spell that had once caught his eye. Never having used it before, he was unsure of the specific results, but felt that right now it would serve his purpose. Focusing in on the squirming serpent, the words appeared at the forefront of his mind. Reading them aloud in his head, allowing some of his passion and power to seep through, he looked on in fascination
as the prone naga's skull started to crumple in on itself. Two of the dragons fighting hopped back out of range, surprised at the stomach churning turn of events, while the other, talons still firmly implanted, looked on dispassionately. Moments later, it was done, the beast's skull firmly caved in, looking like some misshapen pottery attempt. As the dragon unhooked his talons, one of the others spoke up.
"What shall we do with the bodies?"
The master mantra maker thought for a moment. They didn't really have time to do too much, but if they were discovered it would raise the alarm and then they'd lose their element of surprise. What to do? What to do?
"Quickly throw them onto the pyre. If you can cover them up a bit, then do so, but time is of the essence and we can't spend too much of it doing this."
"They shouldn't go in with our kind. It's not right," piped up one of the dragons off to the side.
"I fully share your sentiments," stated Gee Tee thoughtfully, pushing his odd shaped glasses as far up his nose as they'd go. "But we don't have time to worry about right and wrong, good and bad. We have to get the job done. Not only do our lives depend on it, but the lives of millions of others, dragons and humans alike. Maybe even the fate of the planet. When and only when we've done that, can we return and clear up this mess, give our kin the proper, respectful send off they deserve. Until then, we must push on."
It wasn't the answer the dragon, or indeed the rest of them had hoped for, but it was just about enough. And so reluctantly, as one, they got to work, using magic to clear up the mess, depositing their enemies' corpses within the lower tier of the mountainous pyre that still burned fiercely, making sure they left no clue behind as to what had happened for others to find. With that all done, and with the dragon who'd been knocked out and badly injured by the naga's head butt revived and restored, the force returned to their previous positions and very slowly continued on towards their target, the building that housed the Fleet Street crystal node, all the time hoping to hell that Steel, DomCon and Jar Man were holding up their end of the bargain.