by Dave Hazel
“Thank you Mykal,” he said and turned away to join Mathis.
Mykal returned to the battle that raged in front of him and he was impressed with the Dwarven warriors. Klot-ta swung his battle axe wildly and with bad intentions. None of his foes were able to breach the edge of the pit. Mykal saw archers preparing to shoot their arrows. He trained his sights on archers.
“Shoot the archers,” he shouted. He knew he wouldn’t be able to kill them all. He was aware his yelling orders probably couldn’t be heard over the noise. There were hundreds of archers. He didn’t know what his men had been doing to take their focus off of the deadly threat.
Before he could finish reloading, death arrows rained down all around the pit. A number of Dwarven warriors were struck by the death arrows but he couldn’t see how many. He saw eight in his general area who had fallen to the ground lifeless. Klot-ta didn’t seem to notice the danger.
“It’s starting to get crazy here,” Mykal yelled while firing off shots at the oncoming Sosos. Mykal realized that Towbar would probably not return before he had to depart for his world. Emotionally it seemed like everything stopped and he was about to lose another important part of his life. He feared he would never see the giant again and wasn’t sure why it hit him so hard. Though it was selfish, he wished he would have gone with Towbar and the Elves.
The battle seemed to be intensifying. The push to the pit seemed to be harder and more determined. The men were reloading their weapons at a faster rate. “Prepare to retrograde, prepare to retrograde,” a voice commanded over the Public Address system and was repeated through the PA speakers of the other vehicles.
Mykal was thankful that hundreds of Towbar’s soldiers put their lives at risk to rush to the side of the Dwarven warriors to get their attention. He was saddened to catch sight of several of them being struck down by death arrows.
“Pull back, pull back,” the command shouted through the speaker systems. The intense weapons fire nearly ceased but the pounding blasts of the .50 caliber machine guns opened up.
Mykal heard the sound of the helicopters starting. He lagged back to help shoot while the men made their getaway behind the next pit. He eliminated as many of the archers as he could before turning and joining the companies in maneuvers. Bravo Company and Echo Company kept going to the third position where they would resupply with more ammunition and weapons if warranted. He stopped at the next pit with Charlie and Fox Companies who were anxious and eager to get into the battle.
Towbar’s soldiers and the Dwarven warriors followed behind carrying along the mini-bridges. They shouted their war cries in response to the threatening war chants and screams of the pursuing Sosos. The Sosos tried to lay their own bridge device across the pit, but they were chopped to pieces by the heavy fire power of the .50 caliber machine guns.
A couple of planks managed to get laid across the pit but nearby M-60 machine gunners trained their automatic fire on those crossing the planks. Not one Soso made it across the nine to ten foot gap by going over top. Every Soso who attempted the shortcut had been killed before making it half way across.
The scene reminded Mykal of old World War II film footage of D-Day. Just as the brave American, British and Canadian soldiers were cut down trying to get across the beaches of Normandy, so were the Sosos cut down in their approach.
Mykal dropped down behind the dirt wall to catch his breath while the men of Charlie and Fox used the dirt wall as their cover and concealment and opened fire. Towbar’s soldiers and the Dwarven warriors shouted their satisfaction with raised weapons as they watched the Sosos being cut down mercilessly. Mykal was amazed at the noised generated by the battle. It was louder than anything he heard back on the 4th of July.
Mykal grew concerned knowing they wouldn’t be able to keep this up for very long and it didn’t appear the Sosos were going to back down. He felt confident they were going to take the Pass at all costs. Mykal regretted not leaving a couple of days ago so that he could have returned by now with more men, munitions and supplies. He imagined having a couple of tanks.
Mathis returned to Mykal bringing thousands upon thousands of Towbar’s soldiers behind him. They were spread all down the line and were ready to get into the battle. They all wanted to do their part to protect their homeland from invading savages. Mykal saw the terrified look on Mathis’s face and he picked up on the death grip the Marine held on the steering wheel.
“Stay near me,” Mykal yelled and pointed to himself once Mathis looked at him. He knew Mathis could barely hear him but he hoped his hand signals made sense. Mykal debated if he should depart for the rear now so he could gather the wounded, the rescued and those deserving to go back to the real world.
Mathis ran to Mykal. He was crouched over as if he had been hurt. “What did you want Myk?” Mathis yelled.
“I just said I wanted you to stay near me. Since you’re here get back to the radio and tell all those going home to be ready. Then ten minutes later call and tell them the same thing. Also tell them that once I get back there I am not waiting for anyone. Period!”
“I’ll do that right now,” he said. Mathis remained crouched over and held his stomach.
“Mathis, are you hurt?”
“No Sir. I’m just afraid of those arrows.”
Mykal wanted to laugh but understood the kid’s fear. He wanted to tell Mathis that being crouched over wouldn’t help very much since all it took was a scratch to kill. He decided not to ruin Mathis’s day. “Get inside the vehicle and wait for me.”
Mykal watched as the helicopters swooped down near the front of the attacking Sosos and the machine gunners opened up and cut them down. He wanted to shout for joy. Not that the helicopters made a tremendous difference, but he saw the fear and terror the choppers instilled.
The machine gunners on the six helicopters weren’t as accurate in their shooting as the machine gunners on the ground. But the fact they could fly down around them created more of a distraction and that act terrified more Sosos into dropping to the ground than the fear of death itself.
“What the hell is that?” Captain Landis cried out.
Mykal turned and looked at the captain and was surprised at the confused expression. He turned back to see what Landis was looking at and couldn’t believe his eyes. Whether he believed it or not there were several flying creatures soaring into the Pass. The dragons with riders looked like flying dinosaurs.
“Dragons?” Mykal gasped. Mykal’s heart sank. He noticed the flying beasts seemed to be searching for something or someone and automatically he feared they were searching for him. He suddenly wondered about the earlier radio transmission that stated someone was looking for him. Could they be connected? Did they have information about Towbar or these flying dragons? So many thoughts bombarded his mind while the battle raged.
He clearly saw each of the creature’s heads swing from side to side as they flew over the Sosos. ‘They’re definitely looking for someone,’ Mykal thought. His heart rate rose and his breathing increased. Fear beset him as another idea jarred his thinking. ‘Or maybe they’re looking for something. What if they want my ring?’ He gulped. Mykal was fearfully confident these creatures had been sent by Zizmon-Tarl. He knew the green fog had been used both yesterday and today multiple times.
The dragons hadn’t attacked yet. More reason to believe they were on a search and recover mission. Mykal wanted to run away to hide. He wished Towbar stood here with him. Clearly the riders on the five dragons weren’t normal men. They were tall and thin and covered in dark hooded robes. He watched each dragon bank and dive. The riders remained in place with little effort. They gave the impression they were one with the monster.
Mykal saw one of the choppers spotted the aerial adversaries and hovered to look at the creatures. The pilot turned the chopper sideways so the machine gunner could open fire. The machine gun poured a steady stream of rounds into the approaching beast’s chest and long neck. The dragon let out a high pitched scream and started to
double over as its massive wing curled in. It tumbled downward into the army of Sosos where it crushed many of them when it crashed landed.
Mykal felt a sense of relief seeing the creatures could be injured and or killed. The other choppers seemed to be made aware of the war in the air that was about to take place. They hovered in the air to watch the approaching beasts. They all turned to the side so the machine gunners would have easy access to shoot at the approaching dragons.
The machine gunners opened fire and with amazing speed the dragons dove out of the line of fire. Mykal couldn’t believe the speed at which the dragons were able to maneuver. One of the flying lizards shot skyward to come up under one of the helicopters. The large head charged forward with mouth open and talons ready to strike. The open mouth showed rows of jagged spike like teeth. A loud hiss escaped as it prepared to bite down on the flying opponent.
The rotor blades, acting like a pair of swirling swords chopped into the head of the dragon and sliced half the head away just as the creature grabbed onto the helicopter. The two tangled as one creating a midair collision. Together they spiraled downward onto the army of advancing Sosos.
Mykal watched in horror. Soldiers of Towbar’s army and the warriors of the Dwarven army were captivated by fear of the giant flying lizards. When the helicopter crashed to the ground an explosion erupted igniting the fuel tank. The fire started rounds to explode which sounded like gunshots but the rounds zinged off in many directions, most harmlessly into the air. Mykal knew there could be no survivors. If there had been any unlucky enough to survive the crash, explosion and fire, they were completely surrounded by merciless Sosos who craved to dish out revenge for the lopsided beating that had been dished out thus far.
The Marines of Charlie Company, under Captain Landis, maintained their composure and continued to battle the on-coming Sosos. The multi-force mix of Fox Company reduced to chaos under Captain Griffin. He didn’t assert command and control like Landis. Some of the foreigners wanted to bolt from the present situation to make a break to the rear, but the Platoon Leaders stepped up and regained control over the men who were starting to panic. The minute given instructions they maintained their position. The Russian, Australian and British forces showed a rock hard warrior mentality whereas the German, French and Canadian soldiers wanted to vacate their position and allow the next in line to take over.
When the helicopter collided with the dragon the five other pilots feared the same outcome and flew away from the aerial conflict. They assumed they would be better off to keep their distance and try to make it an aerial dog fight. The five remaining choppers flew to the rear of the Pass to regroup and to initiate a counter attack.
Mykal dreaded the helicopters were running away in fear. His terror grew the more convinced he became the dragons were searching for him. He clearly saw they avoided people on the ground and continued to fly as if in search of something, or someone. ‘It has to be me or Towbar.’ He feared. ‘Or maybe they are really looking for my ring.’
One of the dragons seemed to zero in on his location and his knees nearly buckled. Though he had an army around him he felt all alone and wanted to break down. He wanted to yell and cry out that he wouldn’t be able to fight such a creature on his own. He could no longer hear the sounds of battle and war. He only heard the sound of the rapid thumping in his chest and the sound of panicked air exhaling from his mouth. A flying dragon was such a ferocious monster.
The dragon that spotted him turned and dove toward his location. In a panic Mykal ran to the nearby vehicle. The machine gunner in the turret kept shooting his .50 caliber machine gun at the diving creature. He knew the .50 caliber could do far more damage than the M-60s that were on the helicopters.
Mykal crouched behind the vehicle. He felt the thump, thump, thump of the .50 caliber machine gun vibrate through his body, but he worried the dragon was determined to attack the vehicle to get to him. He watched men scatter away from the vehicle and assumed the gunner wasn’t hitting the target. The dragon was about to crash into the vehicle. Mykal knew he couldn’t be safe behind it.
In a panic he dove away from the protective cover of the vehicle. Just as he made his escape the flying beast slammed into the truck like a pro middle linebacker who wanted to hurt the opposing quarterback. The massive power of the dragon destroyed the heavy vehicle as if it had been made of balsa wood. The truck rolled over several times. Mykal would have been under it if he hadn’t moved.
Mykal watched the vehicle roll on top of the Army soldier who was standing up through the turret. Internally the man’s body was broken beyond repair. He died within moments of the vehicle coming to rest on his twisted shape. The barrel of the .50 caliber machine gun crushed the left side of his face.
Mykal wasn’t sure about the men inside the vehicle and for the moment his terror filled mind didn’t care. He scrambled for survival. He couldn’t get to his feet so he rolled over to see where the monster stood. The creature, like an attack dog on a leash, rushed toward him in a strained approach. He gasped in panic and couldn’t yell words. There was no one to help him. Everyone fled from the terrible beast.
The dragon’s body stretched larger than a school bus. Its flesh seemed thick and hard as a protective armor. The strong thick neck of the creature ended with a head that reminded Mykal of pictures of Deinonychus or its smaller cousin Velociraptor. This creature had large thick leather like wings instead of being covered in feathers like Deinonychus. It had four legs, all with long deadly, powerful looking talons, including a retractable hunting claw on each of its legs. The name Deinonychus means ‘Terrible Claw’ which fit this new creature perfectly.
For a split second Mykal found it odd that such a large aggressive creature could be controlled. The rider didn’t have thick heavy chains with which to steer and dominate the monster. Rather the bit and bridle seemed to be connected by a thin piece of silk like material.
The monster clawed toward Mykal, ripping out clumps of ground with its large talons, huffing and snapping its massive jaws as it advanced on him. Each chomping snap of the jaws sounded like a bear trap snapping shut. The roar of the fierce beast sent frozen spasms of panic through his being. Mykal felt the heat from the beast’s breath that escape with each bone crushing chomp of its jaws. The rider looked directly at Mykal and cautiously approached him. Mykal only saw a black hole under the hood.
The rider withdrew a long black sword that gave off a dark glow. The hand looked like bones of a skeleton wrapped in tight leather. When the rider swung his blade in the air Mykal heard the sound of the air being ripped, almost like thunder, as if a whip cracked over his head to create a thunderous noise. The creature let out a hiss of a scream and it was clear he wasn’t human. Mykal didn’t know what it could be.
The fear that gripped Mykal tightened his chest so that he couldn’t breathe normally. The fiend and his dragon implanted such an emotional terror that he froze in place. He wanted to break down and beg for mercy but he knew that wouldn’t help. Mykal tried to speak, but could only stutter as tremendous evil chopped up the ground advancing on him. It seemed determined to kill him at all costs.
Mykal looked within himself for an inner strength to help him react, but he had nothing to combat such a monstrous beast. Suddenly, an odd thought at such an odd time popped into his head. Ski, the Jesus Freak came to his mind. Ski told him many times that he would be praying for him because God loves him. It struck Mykal odd, not being a religious or Godly man, but it stirred something in him. Without much deliberating he thought himself invisible and he believed he must have disappeared. The dark, boney, rider and beast stopped in its tracks and looked over the area for him. The fiend hissed his anger. The dragon snapped and roared as if it had been struck by the rider.
Mykal rolled out of the path of the creature unsure what it would do. He heard the sounds of gun fire, explosions of grenades, shouts and screams of warfare, but it all seemed distant. He saw everything around him but like an outsider watching eve
rything that took place. Watching from the cover of invisibility he felt relief. It felt as if he had taken a drug and gotten the fix he needed. He knew the relief came from making himself invisible.
He glanced down at the gold band and wondered if it truly did start to have control over him. He realized his fear of moments ago was suddenly long gone. Rather, now he raged with anger and intense hatred. The anger and intense hatred had been brought on by the fear he had succumbed to. It seemed like being invisible or the ring that caused his invisibility brought out a new personality. Revenge for bringing about fear was going to be served. Now it was payback time. He jumped to his feet and pulled his sword that gave off a wonderful amazing bright red glow. Mykal felt rage pulse through his being. The rage felt much stronger than the original fear the dragon and its rider forced upon him. He felt unstoppable and invincible. His confidence soared with his rage.
The sword handle felt perfect in his grip as if it molded to his hand. The weapon handled lightly as if it had no weight to it, but he could sense an awesome power in his grip. Part of his brain didn’t want to go near the monstrous beast, but another part of him controlled by the magic wanted to rip the beast apart with his bare hands.
He charged at the creature that was still sniffing and searching for him. He wasn’t sure what harm he could do to the thick, powerful, dragon’s natural armor but his anger, an unseen rage, pushed him from within. He knew something about the ring turned him into a hate filled, blood lusting, maniac. He swung his fiery red blade at the creature as if it had been the target of all his pent up revenge. The glowing blade cut into the tree trunk leg like a flame through cobwebs.