by James Patton
“Do ya know why Champions exist?”
“No. Does there need to be a reason?” He said, not liking where this conversation was going.
“They are selected, chosen to act on behalf of the gods. The gods poke and prod and try and get the Champions to do their bidding. The issue is they can never outright tell them to do it. A Champion has free will.”
“Assuming they do any of that, what is the end goal?”
“I was gonna ask ya the same thing. What if the gods succeed?”
“And keeping Boh away does what? Interrupts their plan?”
“Maybe. The drakes are already here. Who knew they were coming? What agitated them? Why are they here now?”
“You are implying that the drakes are coming here because of her?”
“Indirectly, maybe. I have worked hard these last few days to meditate, and I believe Vasia is the key to it all. Her interference in Boh’s Trial set off a series of events.”
“I think I understand. Whether Boh talks to the core or not, the events are already in motion.”
“Yes. Ya wanna know something strange? Despite Boh’s randomness, there is more order in her actions than chaos. Yet, everywhere she goes chaos follows.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Not at all, chaos itself is not evil, its an agent of change. It's necessary. Anyway, just gonna add the Core to the growing list of Ancients that seem to be in motion,” Aila told him.
“A Core is an Ancient? I never knew that,” he told her.
“They are closer to gods than Ancients.”
Aila sighed and rubbed her forehead and gave him a look that had a thousand mile stare. He had no idea what she was thinking but the way her face kept shifting, he knew she was conflicted.
“Boh will have to handle it. I gotta trust that Rune put this in motion and that the Core was purely happenstance,” Aila told him. “We are both gonna be there.”
“Why do you mistrust her so much?”
“I don’t, that is my issue. Boh the elf is a good person, but Boh the pawn of the gods is something else entirely. I fear, pity, and love her as a daughter,” she said, but could not tell if that was her speaking or the surrogacy. “She is innocent and fearless, but that innocence leads her into one mess after another. The short time I have been with her, she has never lied, never mistreated anyone, even those that deserve it, and has never backed down from a fight.”
He thought about those words for the next few hours.
Boh
Chapter 69
Matriarch
A Matriarch’s real power is in her ability to augment her children. Vasia never understood the power of loyalty.
-from Malinite, Audio Roll 1503
Joker was a little further down the line than he had been yesterday, and today he ran formations with his soldiers. There were new people in the mix, and some dragons she had not seen before. Either they were new recruits or exhausted ones from yesterday, it was hard to say.
Joker had a black eye and a cut on his cheek, but he was grinning at her when she flew up.
“What happened?” She asked pointing to his eye.
“Oh, that? Yea, that's from you.” Joker grimaced but then started laughing, and she felt Malinite joining him. “You certainly earned your callsign last night, that was some party. Have you ever been drunk before? You were out of control.”
Her cheeks were burning, and Joker just chuckled at her. “Alright, well Geo filled me in on your mission. Can’t say I envy you, but the only dragon faster than yours was sent to Haase to deliver a message, so get to it.”
“See you soon,” she said and guided Malinite with her knees.
Malinite said very little as they flew, but she could sense their bond had strengthened after the events earlier today. Hours went by with the mindless armies of drakes pounding the ground below them and occasionally used the jacks as lightning rods.
They saw plenty of Alphas below, and they messed with one or two just to break up the boredom. They did not kill any of them, but they did disrupt the line. It was about midday that they had to come to a decision.
*Boh, we are going to have to head back soon. Or we will never make it back before dark.*
*Give it another hour or so.* She replied and was thankful for her Inner Fire. The boost to her temperature made the cold winds more bearable. Even her bomber jacket was no longer tightly cinched. She readjusted her leather cap and goggles.
*Alright, let’s head-* She started to say but saw something in the distance that made her shiver. *What is that?*
She pressed both knees into Malinite’s side as she urged him forward. There were more gaps in the ranks of drakes this far out. These drakes were leaderless and looked like runts and stragglers. Not that she paid them much attention.
*What is that?* Malinite asked, and she assumed he could see the same thing she did. The magical energy was black and purple of Dark magic, and there was a lot of it. The concentrated amount reminded her of facing Vasia.
Panic wanted to creep in, and she remembered her magical show when she used Sparkles. The woman that stood before the darkness, and refuse to let the darkness overwhelm her. It calmed her and brought back rational thought, and then she looked at Malinite wondering if he had betrayed her yet again. The emotion was intense, and even Malinite could sense it through their bond.
*Whatever you think that is, I had nothing to do with it. Boh, I meant what I said, I am here to honor the bond. I will turn around and fly back right now if you command it. Malinite was angry, and she felt it.* It was not the emotion she expected, and it calmed her down.
*I believe you, but please take us closer. That might be the source of all this madness.*
Malinite said nothing but he did gain some more altitude and hid in the clouds. Neither of them needed to see the source because they could see the magic even through the clouds. He passed by it and banked hard left to turn around and come in behind whatever it was.
The clouds parted as they dropped below them and she could see a single drake and a rider. The drake was by far the most massive Alpha she had seen yet, much larger than even the one that Midnight fought.
The rider was unexpected, and she wanted a closer look. From this distance, its face looked distorted, and its head overly large.
*What is that? Can we get closer?*
*I am not sure what it is. I will go closer, but I think it’s a very bad idea.*
*Stop being such a wuss. You can fly, I doubt that thing can.* She paused for dramatic effect. *Then again, Aila can fly.*
*Sometimes you are evil, and being practical is not being a wuss you ass. An unknown creature, on a Matriarch? You are asking for trouble.”
*Wait, I was asking about the beast, not the rider. So that’s a Matriarch? No wonder they run the pack, that thing is huge.*
Malinite was chuckling under her, and he started to drift forward. She was nervous, but she was not sure if that emotion was coming from her or Malanite.
*Come. It is hard to communicate this way, and I have a message I need you to pass on.* Another voice broke into their telepathic communication.
*Was that the rider? Is that even possible?* She asked Malinite.
*It was, and it is. Do we trust it?*
*No. But- do we have a choice?*
Malinite sighed and flew towards the creature before she finished her thought. Part of her wanted to laugh at the big baby, but even she had to admit this was beyond foolish.
Taro
Chapter 70
Legends
Every drake knows from the time they are a pup until they are accepted as a warrior that they are insignificant compared to the pack. The hardest punishment a drake will ever experience is get cut from the pack. Exile.
-from Taro, Audio Roll 0543
It took him less than a day to reach his pack’s warren, but only because of Raldora, Geo’s dragon. She picked him up and flew as high as she dared before releasing him. He managed to glide mos
t of the way, and from a distance, his warren looked deserted. There was no movement, or drakes sunning on the rocks.
Cautiously, he moved through the boulders that were bigger than he was. They prevented aerial attacks, but they were also a ground defense. Similar to Crosspointe’s gates.
Passing through the defenses was the first indication that there was still something here. It was Boh’s ability that gave him a clue, but it was not as strong as hers. He did not get the boost to his Elemental Shielding, and the sight was not a natural part of his vision. So the ability could only see magic up to about thirty feet away. He was seeing magic but did not know if it was from friend or foe.
“I am Taro, who guards this place,” he called out softly, not wanting to alert the entire area to his presence.
“Thank Rune!” A voice he vaguely remembered called out. “The Matriarch was beside herself with worry.”
“Was?” He asked.
“They overran our warren.” Another voice called out. “Strange creatures came up from the depths of the underground and attacked us at night. They are weak, and a single warrior could kill hundreds, but there were too many.”
“What kind of creatures?” Taro asked, mentally preparing himself for what he would find, and for the imminent attack.
Jumping forward, he avoided the pincer move. His wings stayed close to his body as he rolled through the attack and out of danger. Both the drakes had a jellyfish-like creature on their heads, and the stinging hair like tentacles wrapped tightly around their necks.
“Mind Wraiths!” He hissed and quickly checked his surroundings to make sure none of them were preparing to pounce on him. The guard had not lied, they were weak creatures, but they moved like spiders across any surface, even vertical. Mind Wraiths spawned in great numbers, but in the earlier stages, they would die just from seeing fire, lightning, or light. They were nasty creatures of the Water and Dark Affinities and fed on memories.
These two were coordinating without speaking, and while he had no experience with them, he knew they had a telepathic link.
The idea of them communicating engaged a part of him he would rather not activate. The innate rage of a drake, the inner inferno that was always ready to be tapped. Mind Wraiths attacked his people, and if the army marching on Crosspointe was any indication, they have been at it a long time.
It took days or even weeks, to entirely turn a mind against itself. The Mind Wraiths latched on and slowly worked its tentacles into its victim’s brain to steal all their memories. Once they had control of the entire brain, there was no saving the victim. The Mind Wraith would leave a tentacle inside the brain, which rooted and wove itself intricately inside the mind. It was impossible to remove without killing the host. These creatures would then detach and find another victim.
It created an army of enthralled victims and could control them. It could even draw on its victims magic as if it were their own. This process continued until it had enough power to trigger its metamorphosis. Once finished the Mind Wraith became a humanoid and was exponentially more dangerous.
A growl escaped him, and smoke rose from his body as his fur smoldered. His blood was rising to the surface as a quiet rage overtook him. Even the air expelled from his mouth and nose was smoldering. Scales were no longer pushed out and clinked as they laid flat against one another. His body went from looking like a war bear into that of a lean wolf, a predator.
Jumping towards one of the drakes, it tried to dodge while the other prepared for the attack. The feint worked. He used his wings to change direction and crashed into the drake preparing to attack. It did not even have time to register surprise.
The nails of his claw were glowing with heat, and he raked them across the thin transparent membrane of the jellyfish looking creature. The weak flesh parted and its skin boiled and sizzled under the extreme heat.
The Mind Wraith screeched, and its hair-like tentacles started to retract from the skull of the drake. It was trying to untangle itself and attack him, but it was too slow. His teeth were dripped acid and glowed red hot. Either of which could have killed the Mind Wraith, but boiling acid practically melted the creature when he bit down on it.
Spitting out the boiling flesh, he tensed for the next attack. The stone underfoot was liquefying as his rage radiated outward, and it anchored him when the mind-controlled drake struck from the side. Whatever magic the Wraith was using broke upon impact, and most of its tentacles slid out of the dazed drake.
The Mind Wraith moved like it was drunk. It could not hold on to its host and fell to the ground. He stepped on it with his front claw and pressed down feeling it sizzle and pop underfoot.
Spinning around, he checked everywhere to make sure there were not more of them around. The two drakes he rescued stood there, dazed and oblivious. He could not leave them here, and they were useless to him in their current state.
There was a nearby entrance to one of their hidden stockpiles. It had only one entry and was impossible to approach it without being seen. Using his Seer ability, he checked the entire place and found it empty of those evil creatures. The stockpile was also empty, which he took as a good sign. Hopefully, it meant some of his pack had escaped.
The two drakes followed him without complaint, and he hid them inside the room. He told them to stay put and hoped they listened. He had to check for others and did not want to have to chase them down.
It did not take much to find another victim, but now he was in control. He knew his enemy, and he knew his town. The drake below him was standing there not even looking around or doing much of anything. The Mind Wraith was so concentrated on stealing memories that it did not feel his presence until it was far too late.
Leading this newest victim back to the others, he kept searching the city. At one point he was ambushed by the creatures, but they were not attached to a drake, and as they landed on him, his burning body and scales turned them all into a pile of bubbling flesh.
The rest he destroyed without mercy, and they could not hide. His ability allowed him to see where they were hiding and in the dark. They never stood a chance.
He went through the rest of their warren and killed a hundred more Wraiths. Nine of which were controlling drakes, and he escorted them in ones or twos as he found them, back to where he hid the others.
On his final pass through the city, he was attacked by another drake. He missed it because it no longer had the Mind Wraith attached. This drake was one of the ferals. It did not matter if its controller was around or not because it was programmed to attack. This feral would commit to its action until death or his controller reprogrammed him.
The feral attacked him from the shadows, and they both crashed through the wall of one of the two-leg’s buildings. They rolled across the lobby of the building, breaking tiles and furniture.
Where have the two-legs gone? He wondered briefly, not sure he would like the answer.
He rolled over, kicking the feral off him. His glowing scales lit up the room enough to see his enemy. They both stared each other down before he reared up and brought his two front claws down on the feral. The broken drake reared up to meet him.
Their claws and mouths were slashing and snapping at each other like two lions fighting for dominance. Snarls and growls echoed across the town. After a few seconds they disengaged, and the feral tried to attack again immediately. It misjudged its attack.
With the feral’s throat exposed he did not even hesitate and clamped down on it, using his claws to push it away at the same time. The throat ripped free, and blood splashed across the broken tiles of the floor.
“Sorry, brother,” he told the feral as he stood above it and finished it off. He recognized the drake beneath him. He was one of the Matriarch’s guard.
The controller was not around, and he checked everywhere in the area. The feral had fought with a fury that came with a mindless bloodlust and behaved just like the army invading Crosspointe. Looking for it, he could now see the spark of a tentacle i
n the brain of this one. Something easily missed if they did not know to look for it.
The town was clear, and he could find no other enemies or ferals. In all, he had rescued twelve of his pack. The hidden stockpile was open, and one of the first drakes he saved was standing guard just inside the entrance.
“What happened here? Where is the Matriarch?” He growled at them, angry that he had not been here to help.
“The Matriarch lives as far as I know. Many of our pack died in the first wave, but most of our people escaped. We stayed back to help fight, but—no one wanted to kill their brothers and sisters. The Mind Wraiths were hard to target when they attacked in packs, and by the time daylight came, those of us who stayed, we eventually succumbed too. The Mind Wraiths without a host fled below.”
“How? How did this come to be?”
“It was as we told you while under the Mind Wraith’s control. That was the truth. They came from the Depths, and in such numbers that we could not hope to stop them all.” The guard mewled with grief. “It was the surprise, once they had a few of us, it was over before it started.”
Taro placed a claw on the grieving drake. “Be at peace. I need to know what happened.”
“We were complacent.” A strong, unshaken female voice called from the back of the room. “We thought we were untouchable in our home and had become lazy. We failed, and our people paid the price. Once we understood the fight, the Matriarch called a retreat, and we evacuated. It was not enough because the Mind Wraiths already had too many of us, and so many had to stay back and fight. Blood fought against blood.”
“Does she live? And where did they go?”
“None of us know where they went, because those of us who stayed knew the risks. It was safer if we did not know,” she said. “But our Matriarch lives because I can still feel her.”
“I know you have all suffered, but there is a bigger problem. I have to warn Crosspointe because tens of thousands of these ferals are invading. It is why I am here, to warn you. Now I need to warn them. Could any of our pack possibly be in that army?”