Seventh Talon_Dragonrider's Fury

by James Patton

  Taro has taught you the Innate skill Glide.

  Glide [Innate Shield Mod]

  – This is a shield modification ability, and a tab has appeared in your skills book to track all Elemental Shielding modifications. There are many. This modification allows you to flatten your Elemental Shield around you, so it fills in the gaps between your arms and legs and between your legs.

  How it works:

  - The Elemental Shield shifts to blocking one element: Air.

  - Air Affinity will play a part in the wind resistance, drag, and velocity. In other words, if your Air Affinity is low, you’ll plummet a little slower than a boulder. Don’t be a boulder.

  - Slowing Your Descent:

  - Push your hands and feet as far apart as possible to gain a broader shield, which will capture more air and keep you aloft longer.

  - Note: This will also reduce your vertical velocity, and at 100% Air Affinity you can adjust it so your vertical velocity will drop to about 10 miles per hour. However, your forward momentum speeds will still be like that of a speeding car. [See Landing Safely to learn how to slow forward momentum]

  - Landing Safely:

  - Your forward momentum is slowed by expanding your shield so that it bubbles out behind you. This acts more like a parachute than a glider.

  - Parachute mode will fill your Feedback fast because your shield is taking a beating by capturing air rather than letting it glide past. Use it shortly before you land to prevent turning into a blood puddle.

  How to cast:

  - Glide is a shield ability; you still activate your shield in the same way. However, to initiate Glide just concentrate on what you want your shield to do and it will react to you. The more you use your shield and Glide, the faster it will respond to your needs.

  Warning: While active, any attacks against you that are not of the Air Affinity will strike you for full damage. Switching your Elemental Shield while gliding will disengage Glide.

  Boh’s jaw lowered the more she read. This ability was beyond amazing and this was unlike any ability she had ever seen before.

  *Holy shit! This is a Wingsuit!* She exclaimed, and Taro growled with laughter.

  *Anyone else would have thought that skill was useless and insane. Maybe you are crazy, but bonded, you are my kind of crazy.* Taro told her gruffly, but he would not look at her. His face was downcast, and he looked sad.

  *What aren’t you telling me?* She asked him.

  *I have to go. My people need me, and they need to prepare for an invasion. I know you said you would come with me, but Malinite cannot come. You cannot leave him here, or they will kill him. You need to figure out what Malinite is after.*

  *Go, my friend.* She told him, and the words felt strange and awkward. *Save your family, do what I could not do. How do I share a skill with you?*

  *You just think about it, and our bond and- push. You do not have to do this.*

  *I want to, and I am sure it will help keep you alive. And Taro? I need you to stay alive.*

  She concentrated on their bond and felt her awareness of things come alive. She always knew it was there but had never focused on it. Like breathing, it just was. As her consciousness expanded, she felt the bond between both the drake and the dragon.

  Along the bond to the drake, she pushed Pierce the Veil. She felt something within her, an ancient knowledge stirred but she did not quite understand what she felt. The power went along the bond, and she felt a moment of ecstasy as it was accepted.

  *Boh- How? You should have waited to share this; it is too much.*

  *It is not. You are heading out alone, and I need someone to watch my back.*

  *But-*

  *No buts. Go. Your people need you, and that ability will help your journey ahead. Hurry back because I have no idea how long this place will hold out.*

  *Keep yourself alive. If it looks like all is lost, make sure Malinite flies you and Aila away from here.*

  *Do not worry. I will be waiting.*

  “Friends. Now that Boh is safe, I must be off. I have to warn my family and others. I will return as quickly as I can.”

  “You are just going to leave your bonded?” Malinite asked.

  “I was not going to, but a dragon ruined my plans. I have to warn my people, and she cannot leave you here alone.” Taro said coldly, and Malinite knew when to keep his mouth shut. “Besides, Boh is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She might be the scariest person here.”

  “Daniel. Make sure Taro has supplies for his journey.” Geo yelled out.

  “Yes, sir.” A voice called from among the nearby tents.

  “Ya sure Daniel exists? Not some kind o’ ventriloquist trick o’ yours?” Aila muttered and Boh smiled watching her looking for Daniel.

  “Taro, I’m sorry for the rough reception I gave you. I have not known you long, but you have my respect. You will always be welcome here. If we survive.” Geo told Taro and put his hand on his chest and bowed his head towards the drake. Taro did the same, his massive claw over his broad chest and lowered his head to Geo.

  “It is the drake sign of brotherhood,” Malinite whispered to her, so he did not interrupt. “The only honor higher is the test of blood.”

  She had mixed feelings about the dragon, but with Taro leaving she was glad he was there. Agenda or not, the battle to come would need all available dragons that could fight.

  Taro looked at her and nodded once which she returned.

  Ugh, dammit, what is this place doing to me? She ran forward and threw her arms around the big bastard and hugged him. His large claw wrapped around her and patted her back gently. She turned and walked back towards the house and saw Aila looking misty-eyed.

  By the time she turned around again, Taro was no longer in sight. Geo also moved off briskly, barking out commands and organizing civilians for a possible evacuation.

  Boh

  Chapter 58

  Dragonrider

  I know people will look back at my actions and mark my inaugural flight with Malinite as my decline into insanity. What do they know? Sanity is overrated.

  -from Boh, Audio Log 0009

  “Ya sure ya wanna do this?” Aila asked her again.

  “I’m sure. Our bond is damaged, I will not deny that. We need his help, and I can test our bond evacuating civilians.”

  Taro had left over an hour ago. The bond they shared was stronger than she had wanted to admit and she missed the security he provided. The drake made her feel safe, and he knew how to make himself known.

  “I will not stop ya, but ya gonna give me fifteen minutes to teach ya another spell. Please, I beg ya, do not try to combine this with anything.”

  “What are you, my mom?” She laughed at her friend, and Aila joined in. It felt good to relax a moment, even if there was an army riding down on them.

  “Ok. Watch, because I’m not showing ya twice.” Aila told her. The gesture was similar to Gust, but this time Aila’s hand rotated clockwise before the cast. As it started powering up the pixie closed her fingers and canceled it. She still marveled at how easily the pixie managed to do that. “Ya turn, and ya don’t get to leave until ya learn it.”

  You have gained knowledge of the Wind.

  Wind – This spell is the Journeyman ranked spell for the Wind spell line.

  “Why?”

  “I know what Taro gave ya if ya think about it, ya gonna know why.”

  She practiced it for almost fifteen minutes and managed to cast it. Sometimes Aila was spooky at how good she could predict things like that. She knew it was just based on probability or something similar, but it was still impressive.

  You have learned Wind.

  Wind

  - Affinity: Air

  - Restrictions: Learned Gust

  - Damage: Indirect

  - Range: The wind could reach up to 100 feet, but its strength drops off steeply after 20 feet.

  - Feedback: 15% per cast, 2% per tick [Channeled]

  - Effect 1: Cre
ates strong straight-line wind. Be careful of your surroundings.

  - Effect 2: Pull wind towards you, creating an airless void

  - Verbal Incantation: Wind

  - Caution: Do not use this spell in tight confines, it will suck the air from around it. This can kill everything in the area by suffocation.

  “Now go on, git. Just be back before it gets dark. Geo says some o’ the horde’ll be here by then.” Aila’s had a thin smile on her face, and Boh knew the short woman was not comfortable with Malinite.

  It reminded her that she had never known her mother. She hoped that the woman who birthed her had Aila’s patience. Out of character, she ran over and hugged the pixie woman too felt herself blushing as she ran out the door.

  “Gah! What did I tell ya about blushing?”

  The old joke had them laughing as she left the pixie behind and let the door shut behind her.

  “Malinite lets ride.” And she ran over to him and climbed up the dragon, which was a short climb compared to Midnight. A pang of guilt and sorrow hit her as she clicked her feet into place.

  “I’m sorry about your friend,” Malinite told her softly, and she forgot he could feel her emotions this close.

  “He is everything I expected of a dragon: Noble, courageous, kind, and a fearless unflinching warrior. Had Vasia not interfered I would not have spent the first day fearing he would hurt me. That is one thing you took from me that day. Another day to get to know the dragon who willingly sacrificed himself to save me. I hope you survive long enough to regain your honor, and I do hope you become even half the dragon he was.”

  She had not meant to put that on him, and she had grieved in her fungal dream state. Midnight had one of those presences that just felt like you knew him forever, and when they fought, it was like they could read each other’s minds. She was upset because she could not understand why anyone would sacrifice their life for her.

  “I hope so too. Come, we have civilians to transport.” Malinite shifted uneasily.

  “Yes, how does this work?”

  “It's like a wagon, we just fly by, and I grab the handle. It will be heavier than usual, and some of the two-legs might be harmed. Once I have it in hand, we fly it to our destination. Do not worry its safe, maybe a little bruising, and once I have it in the air, they attach a pull cord to my talon. If I have to drop the wagon for any reason, it will trigger a parachute.”

  “Do it.” She told him and felt her stomach drop as Malinite took off running and launched himself into the sky. It was not as graceful as Midnight, but he had a different build. Even his wings were different, they were a beige color, with black veins spread throughout. The arrangement of horns on his head was unlike most as he had three big horns. The one on top was the largest and the ones to the left and right were set back a little further, and the tip of all three horns were evenly aligned. It was like he had slicked back his hair.

  Along the back of his neck were very sharp looking spikes that curled slightly back towards her, and on his face were the crisscrossed wounds. Unlike Midnight, the rest of his body still had all his scales, and he was unmarred by war.

  She took out her goggles and scarf and put them on as they rose higher and higher. Malinite circled the town once, and she saw the wagon like structure he had mentioned. Diving towards it, she felt the jarring as he grasped it and kept moving.

  They rose slowly, and she realized there was no roof and she could see the people below. A lot of women and children. None of them seemed concerned about the jarring launch and wondered once more how this world adapted to its way of life.

  The mountain loomed in front of them, and try as she might, Boh remembered nothing of the latter part of their journey through it. Did not even recall casting Sizzle on herself. The land before the mountain contained an old forest with trees that stretched towards the sky. The hilly terrain left large swaths of this land unreachable without flight or a cave system.

  *Can you hear?* Malinite asked her.

  *How? I thought our bond was not strong enough?*

  *Bonded can always use mental speech when in contact. You might even be able to communicate this way with any dragon since we are your Primary Drache.*

  *Got it.*

  *So you understand what is happening, we are dropping them off at the wood elf village near cave exit. Geo decided it might be best that you warn them. There are still dragons inside burning out the fungus, and everything was as you said, even if most don’t want to believe it.*

  *How will they get to Ramerin?*

  *The elves know of another way in, and they guard the entrance. Once we make the situation clear, they’ll get on board and take these people to safety. They know some powerful Earth magic, so the refugees are safer here for now.*

  *Are they still fighting in the mountain?*

  *Yes, but the quakes are not affecting the town. There are massive supporting beams in Ramerin, but you may not have seen them before- you know. The dwarves built the city to last. You might have given the Haase Talon a considerable advantage by handing them Ramerin.*

  She unclipped her legs from the saddle and rode freestyle. With the dragon carrying the wagon she was not concerned about any shifting.

  *What are you doing?* Malinite asked her, alarm in his mental tone.

  *Going to test a new skill, do not freak out. I see the village now, and I will meet you there.*

  *Boh! Wai-*

  Her Elemental Shield was already up, and she flattened it into the glider. The wind tore her violently away from the dragon’s saddle, and she missed the rest of what he was about to say. She gasped briefly for air as the inertia or gravity sucked her breath away.

  Maintaining her glide, she wobbled back and forth a few times to test it out and almost had a mid-air panic attack. Boh’s speed was too fast, so she spread her arms and legs out as far as they would go to catch air. It worked as she started to glide at a slower pace towards the town.

  Boh’s shield filled in the gaps between her legs and between her hands and feet. Every time she shifted a limb the Glide shield adjusted. She moved her arms in several directions feeling the shifting air and her wobbling body. It took some getting used to, but sliding and arm back towards her hip would help her bank left or right, but too much and she felt like she might flip or worse.

  The shield narrowed between her hands and feet as she moved her feet closer together. It also provided less resistance overall, and as a consequence, her altitude dropped. The best part was that she shot forward like a missile and gained on her dragon. She passed by them still above the wagon so that the people inside could see her. They stared as if she was a specimen at the local zoo.

  Unable to contain her glee, she closed her legs all the way and moved her arms closer in and felt herself shooting through the air at crazy speeds. The people in the wagon had looks of shock on their faces as she overshot them and dove towards the town. Trying to get all fancy, she rotated in the air but felt her altitude drop considerably.

  Once she righted herself again, she pulled her limbs in again and dove as the city approached faster and faster. She could feel the gravity’s effect on her but ignore it. She could not stop laughing as she plummeted towards the town.

  Villagers spotted her and cried out in alarm as she tried to recall how to stop herself. The skill book was impossible to read like this, and she started to panic as the ground approached faster and faster. She closed her eyes and recalled the text.

  “Shit!” She cried out as she let her shields balloon out and catch air. It was not in time for a graceful landing, but it did prevent her from dying. The shield caught air like a parachute, her legs and arms snapped forward. It felt like someone punched her in the gut.

  She stumbled as she hit the ground and tucked herself into a ball as she flipped over and then rolled into a nearby building with a thud. Dust rose from the building as she wheezed trying to catch her breath.

  “Well, that was graceful!” She grunted painfully and laughed at t
he same time.

  Boh

  Chapter 59

  Wood Elves

  What was the question? Describe Boh? That woman lives without fear, and brings the light of life with her every where she goes. You would do well to learn from her

  -from Silas Marwood, Audio File 1084

  “Son of a biscuit eater!” She groused in pain as she tried to move.

  “No, I’m the son of the doctor, the biscuit eater is on the other side of town. Should I get him.” A male voice said from nearby.

  She cracked open an eye at an older man who was smiling at her, but it was the ears that drew her attention. She knew this elf!

  “An elf?”

  “As are you. Hit your head?” He asked as his hands moved in a gesture and she saw magic called forth. She tried to call up her shield, but warm light enveloped her. She felt it infusing her, and the pain in her side and leg disappeared. The euphoric feeling of being healed ended all too quickly, and damn if she didn’t want to learn more Light Affinity spells.

  “No. Head is fine, but I know you, Silas Marshwood.”

  “Marwood. Ah, you look different, you are the girl from the Nightwalk. I don’t think you broke anything. But I admit that was quite the entrance. I have lived a long time but cannot say that I’ve seen an elf fly before.”

  “I know this guy Woody, and he fancied himself a cowboy. He would say I was ‘falling with style.’” She told him.

  “You call that style? And what’s a cowboy?” He laughed and extended his hand to help her up. She grasped it and found his hands warm and calloused. There was a twinge in her side when she breathed, and she thought she might have a few broken ribs.

  “My falling is a work in progress, and it was going well until the landing. A cowboy would take too long to explain, and my dragon should be here shortly with some soon-to-be refugees.”