Seventh Talon_Dragonrider's Fury

by James Patton

  “A flying elf, who is also a female Dragonrider? I recall you saying a lot of fantastical and almost unbelievable things. You sure you are not pulling my leg.”

  She did not say anything but pointed behind him. Malinite flew in at an angle and slowed as he approached the ground. Just like she had tried to do, he pulled up and gently dropped the wagon off.

  Show off! She groused.

  Malinite then circled back around and landed on the outskirts of the village. He walked into town from there.

  “Dammit, Boh. How can I protect you when you do things like that?” Malinite asked roughly.

  “Get used to it bucko. I will be doing that more, a lot more. If you want to protect me, teach me how to ride the winds.” She told him without guilt and then turned to the elder. “This is my dragon Malinite.”

  “It appears your honeymoon period has worn off.” The older elf was snickering. “I am Elder Silas Marwood of the Marwood Tribe, and a doctor as you just saw. We are a tribe of wood elves, so we do not stand on a lot of ceremony. Just call me Silas.”

  “I am afraid we bring bad news, your village is about to be destroyed.” She told him without sugar coating it. “I did try to warn you before, and now you have hours to evacuate. The people we just dropped off are going to lead you to Ramerin and assist any way they can. We have until nightfall, so I suggest you take very little and go.”

  “You are going to need more than that to convince the people to leave.”

  “Malinite, show him.” She told her dragon. “I hope you are not afraid of heights, Silas.”

  Malinite dropped to a knee and extended his wing, and Silas hesitated.

  “My word as an elf, you will not be harmed.” She told him, not sure if an oath eased minds here or not.

  “Very well,” Silas said and climbed up to the saddle on Malinite, and she locked down the leg guards. The dragon took off running towards the outskirts of town before he took to the air.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Another elf accosted her as the people they dropped off started knocking on doors asking people to join them.

  “War, but wait for the elder to get back to tell you what he saw. If that does not convince him, then we will leave peacefully.” She told them and knew she lacked tact, but they were in a hurry.

  Ten minutes later she saw Malinite arriving with the elder still in the saddle. They landed gracefully in the clearing the main road provided. Rather than hop down, the elder stood on the dragon.

  “Friends and family. Do as these people ask, we march towards Ramerin immediately. Take nothing. We do not have the time.” Silas’s face creased with worry, and for a good reason.

  “Ramerin is not safe!” One of the people in the crowd shouted.

  “It is,” Malinite said. “My rider saw to the dragon, and he has vacated. He apologized as it was not his intention to harm the city, but his growth into becoming an Ancient came on suddenly.”

  That seemed to placate the crowd, and quite a few had already run to the houses and grabbed sacks of food. They moved much more efficiently than Crosspointe had.

  “Boh.” The elder called out to her after he climbed down. “Malinite told me what you went through. Thank you for freeing Ramerin. Tell me, was the grove near the river still growing?”

  “There were trees there, but that was where some of the fighting was thickest.” She told him and realized his concern. “There is a forest above the ceiling if that helps.”

  “Really? I know it changes nothing right now, but we would like to make Ramerin our home once more. Living above the rock is ideal.”

  “I look forward to seeing what you do with the place, what little I remember was beautiful.”

  “Thank you. Now get back to your job, people need saving. I got this, and I will help organize the people once we are inside. I owe you.”

  “I have one favor then, and we can call it even. Can you teach me the basics of that healing spell?”

  The old man grinned and nodded. “I can see that would be helpful to a falling elf. What is the highest rank spell you have?”

  “Journeyman, but only because Aila refuses to teach me anything higher.”

  “For good reason, the Lady of the Woods is one of the strongest mages I have ever seen, at least when it comes to Air magic. Ok, I’ll give you the first two ranks. Watch.”

  The doctor’s hands started palm up, and his thumb touched his ring finger as his wrist went backward which made the palm point towards her. She saw the Light magic flow through him, and it was graceful and effortless.

  “And then there is this one.” Again palm up, but the thumb shifted to the index finger and then his wrist bent back again the magic once more flowed effortlessly.

  “That was amazing to watch.” She said and saw his startled look.

  “You can see magic?” He asked.

  “I—” She stopped herself, remembering her promise, but Silas just nodded because he needed no more confirmation.

  “If you could see magic, what you just saw was probably more of a boon than the spells themselves. Remember how I drew and formed the magic, it takes a long time to perfect without being able to see it.”

  You gained knowledge of the spell Glow Aura & Healer’s Aura. These are spells of the Light Affinity.

  Glow Aura - This is a Novice ranked spell of the Aura spell line. The caster must touch the item (or person) they wish to grant the Glow Aura. The target of the spell will give off a faint light illuminating the area in a ten-foot radius. If the target is living, it provides a small boost to health regeneration.

  Healer’s Aura – This is a Journeyman ranked spell of the Aura spell line. During the initial cast, it will heal and provide regeneration.

  The spells were better than she thought, and now she was excited about mixing Auras with her other spells. However, she made a promise to Aila, and that would have to wait. Not to mention she still needed to learn them.

  “Thank you. Silas, I will see you again shortly, stay safe.”

  “You as well. And Boh? You owe me the story of how you reached adulthood as a Mercury Elf because I have never seen one last that long without changing.”

  “It is simple, I am a Champion. Malinite! Let’s go.” She called out.

  Malinite came over, and she jumped into the saddle. Her dragon moved to the edge of town before running into the wind. His wings went out and angled to get wind and gain altitude. Once aloft, he circled back around for the wagon.

  “Learn to fall better!” Silas yelled out to her as they swooped down, and she found herself laughing. Within minutes they were soaring back to Crosspointe.

  Malinite

  Chapter 60

  Taunts

  Injuries may be forgiven, but not forgotten.

  -from Aesop the Wise

  Boh was something of an enigma to him. The girl was fearless, and that glide stunt nearly caused him to drop the wagon. However, she was also reckless and rash.

  He was trying to understand her, but every time he tried to be civil she had a sharp retort. The problem is none of the other dragons wanted to talk to him either, and they all shunned him. It was not that he did not understand the reasoning, and he deserved it. It was just frustrating, and he accepted it would be hard.

  They touched down back at Crosspointe and Boh jumped off before he dropped off the wagon. She told him she was going to speak with Aila and then be right back for the next load of people.

  The number of people left was still overwhelming, but they were dwindling. Another contingent of Dragonriders went out to run strikes against the drakes, and hope to thin their numbers before they reached this place.

  There were still others working on strengthening the walls, and placing large sharp metal structures throughout the field of battle. He assumed they were trying to slow the masses, but he doubted they understood the number of drakes incoming. Even he could not believe it when he took Silas.

  “Is that the dragon that forced his bond?” A bea
utiful blue dragon asked her friend, and their riders gave him dirty looks.

  He did his best to ignore them as he waited for his turn to take the next load of people. There was nowhere for him to go to avoid these taunts, and even the local riderless dragons were knocking into him deliberately.

  It was his punishment, and he took it. For now.

  “Ready,” Boh told him as she walked up and climbed into the saddle. The other dragons stopped their taunting when she was around. They never made fun of Boh or the fact that he had a female rider, but that might be because of Boh.

  Taking to the air, he felt relief once more. The skies were something they could not and would not take away from him. It rivaled the bond in importance in their culture, and to take the sky away from a dragon was like taking away the ability to breathe from a two-leg.

  He swooped down and grabbed the thick metal bar attached to the wagon and lifted off. Few dragons here were large enough to carry these things, and Boh had volunteered him.

  The elf just wanted the skies, and he felt her surge of joy and excitement every time they were in the air. Most of the day they were flying back and forth, and they said very little in all that time. Instinctively he kept silent until she spoke to him, and stayed interested in whatever she had to say and asked questions that were relevant.

  She was much more agreeable to him than he deserved, and while reluctant to fully trust him, she attempted to be courteous and civil. It was enough, and he could work with it.

  His actions that day in the library haunted him, and he was here because of them. He defied his queen and refused to return, not until he made things right. Vasia was going to be furious when she found out she lost control.

  The sounds of battle interrupted his thoughts. They were on their return trip to Crosspointe for the ninth time that day, and he was getting tired. He could see the incoming creatures, and it was only a vanguard of about thirty drakes.

  Dragonriders were flying above them keeping formation as they released barrage after barrage of gunfire. He could see the drakes’ shields collapse, and then Dragonriders started to changed formations and flew low over the vanguard. First breath attacks and magic followed by whatever short-range weapons they had.

  He could hear Boh snorting at their tactics and was curious as to what she would have done. Or maybe he did not want to know because she was a bit unpredictable.

  If the drakes kept coming in smaller packs like this, they might have a chance, but almost everyone knew saving Crosspointe was futile. The drakes just had the numbers. Most of those that stayed had a duty to protect Haase and to buy the city time to fortify. Few places had the fortifications for a ground attack, which is why the drakes were so effective.

  He was warned that there were mines outside the city, and if he had to land out there to do so on the road. Mines always made him nervous, because he knew several dragons with missing tails. They accidentally swung them outside the safe zone.

  Once the army reached the gates, this outpost was lost. Underground bunkers were part of the infrastructure, but the moment they sounded a retreat the drakes had no dam to stop their flow. He doubted they would stay to funnel themselves into the bunkers. No, they would continue unchecked towards Haase.

  Watching as he flew by, he saw only a few drakes make it to the walls before snipers took them out. There were two machine gun towers, and three two-legs manned each one, but they remained silent.

  Each tower was placed to have a straight shot down the incoming road, and the dead drakes were thrown to either side of the road to force more drakes up the center. It was not much of a roadblock, but with the other contraptions in the way too it could be devastating.

  *Look! That is not dust; those are jacks! The drakes must have drawn all of them out because there have to be thousands of them.* Boh told him, and he saw them right away. They were diving at the incoming army, and he could almost feel the marching of the drakes.

  *What drives them? They are only stopping for short rests, and they just keep coming. I do not understand the motivation.* He asked Boh but did not expect an answer.

  *A dragon. I heard it below Minot, and Midnight had some theories that he did not share.*

  *That brings up more questions than it answers. Let’s drop the wagon off and see if we can help in the fight.* He told her and realized he was looking forward to doing something more than just transporting two-legs.

  They made it back to the drop-off area, and this time Boh stayed in the saddle. There were no more civilians left, the rest of the people leaving were Seers like Boh, but they were getting sent to Haase. There was a contingent of the military ordered to Ramerin to protect the passageways and refugees.

  The only two-legs left in Crosspointe fell into one of four categories. Infantry, Snipers, Machine-Gunners, and Dragonriders.

  The Seers reminded him of his visit to Seventh Talon.

  *Boh, before we land I need to share something with you and you have to pay attention to what I’m telling you.*

  *I’m listening.*

  *Vasia sent me to Seventh Talon, it was the city Osric ruled from before Atagon had him killed. The queen has been trying to find a way back in for centuries, and you came along forcing her hand. I was made to use the ability to scout the city. She had always thought that Seventh Talon was shielded in a dome or a sphere, put in place by Atagon.*

  *So Seventh Talon is deserted?*

  *More like forced out of it. Seventh Talon sits in the center of a torus shape shield. Think of it as a ring.*

  *Wait, so are you saying that we are all inside a ring-shaped shield?*

  *Yes. Moreso, the Usurper King knows it. Seers used to be abundant at one point, and I think he has been sending them to their death. Tinkerers too.*

  *But why?*

  *I do not know. I think he lost the Talon that Osric had. After he killed my sire, he had the body disposed of, but no one knows where. The dragons the king sent to take care of it, he sent north afterward.*

  *Into the barrier? That’s messed up.*

  *I do not have proof, but I think Atagon is still actively looking for the Talon. The king will kill us both and Taro if he finds out.*

  *Shit!*

  *What?*

  *That asshole already knows. It was why he told Midnight to keep me at Minot. I ran into Atagon during my flight from the spire. He knows I’m a Seer.*

  *Then we need to wait for your drake, warn him and get the hell out of the north.*

  *Maybe…*

  Boh went silent after that, and he just did not want to ask. It was better if he did not know. He landed and saw Geo waiting nearby to direct the returning dragons.

  “Boh. Welcome back, the enemy has made contact, and I am not sure what to do with you. Aila says you two are staying for the moment, are you comfortable enough to fight with us?” He said but was eying Malinite.

  “We will fight. I do not want to interfere with your command, so we could maybe strike along the line with the other scouts.” Boh told Geo.

  He shifted uncomfortably with Boh’s decision, and not because he was afraid to fight. It was not safe fighting behind enemy lines, and if they made a mistake, they might not survive it. He wanted to fight, but his rider took too many risks. He stayed quiet.

  “Do you agree?” Geo asked him, and he sighed.

  “We are untested. It is dangerous, but if that is what she wants, then I will go,” Malinite informed him but kept his emotions in check.

  Boh

  Chapter 61

  Drafted

  What gets wet when drying? The answer is a towel, but our tactician instructor insisted trick questions forced us to reevaluate the question. I think he just loved riddles.

  -from Geo, Audio Roll 0772

  Geo rubbed his jaw with the back of his knuckles and his eyes glazed over in thought. Several minutes went by before he came back and reached into his inventory and pulled out an insignia.

  “Put that on your jacket, and it will mark you as
an ally and a soldier. Acquit yourself well, and you might even receive a promotion out of it. Welcome to the Haase Army.” Geo told her as he handed over the object.

  She flipped it over and looked at it curiously; it was roughly in the shape of a triangle and had Haase stitched into a ribbon that went across the bottom of it. On top of the triangle was a thin line stitched in blue. The other soldiers had them, and they were all on the left shoulder, so she put hers in the same place.

  Do you wish to join and give your allegiance to Haase?

  “Yes.” Not quite sure what allegiance entailed, but Midnight wanted her to join this Talon.

  Do you wish to join the Haase Military? (This provides you with a new class.)

  “Yes.” She said again and liked the idea of a new class.

  Congratulations! You have joined the Haase Military and gained the class Soldier.

  Welcome to the Military!

  Here is your briefing:

  - The Soldier is the default Military class and has five ranks: Recruit, Private, Specialist, Corporal, and Sergeant.

  - At Specialist rank, you get to choose a Military specialization class, these choices will evolve. Current specialization options: Scout, Sniper, Infantry, Sapper, and Medic.

  -Note: The specialization class is changeable by speaking to an Officer ranked higher than you.

  - At Sergeant rank, you can choose to evolve your Soldier class to an Officer class. The Officer class also has five ranks and an additional specialization. More information will be available if you become an Officer.

  Soldier [Haase Military]

  At Recruit rank you gain the following:

  - Acquire a Passive Skill

  One Time Bonuses:

  - Agility +1, Agility is now 11.

  - Reflex +1, Reflex is now 4.

  - Magic +1, Magic is now 16.

  - Mental Fortitude +1, it is now 1.