by Eric Vall
“Please don’t make me fight all three of them,” Jenik whimpered, and I smirked.
“Don’t worry, these are just some new snatchers,” I assured him, and the kid looked ready to keel over from his relief. “You’re doing great, by the way.”
Big Red shook his head in disagreement, though, and Deya looked at the kid with pity.
“Don’t give up,” she said with a sweet smile. “I think you look so brave fighting the big metal man. All of the other knights will be intimidated by you one day, and Mason always knows what’s best, so you should be grateful he is letting you train with Big Red.”
Jenik practically melted as a wonky grin came to his face, and I let out a sigh when he managed a hazy nod.
“Go on,” the beautiful elf urged. “Back to your training, squire boy.”
The kid stood a little taller as he turned his attention back to Big Red, but I noticed he kept checking over his shoulder to see if Deya was still watching him.
She was already tucked under my arm, though, as we admired the two new snatchers like they were our own metal children, and the elf sighed happily after a moment.
“I think they’re going to make you very proud,” she told me in earnest.
“I think so, too,” I agreed, “and with three of them out in the field, we might even be able to prevent every attack the Master has up his sleeve for the time being.”
“It’s a good thing you brought the new healers here,” Cayla muttered. “They’ll certainly have their hands full with three snatchers delivering daily.”
“Do we need to test their abilities?” Aurora asked, but I shook my head.
“I replicated Venkman’s build to a tee, so they’ll be ready for action,” I assured her, and I sparked my Terra powers as I held my palm out toward the two machines and connected with their channeling gems. “Alright boys, you’ll be serving under the leadership of my head snatcher, and your orders are to follow his lead. Pursue and fire on any and all possessed beings you come across, no matter what species, and once they’re tranquilized, load them into your nets and bring them straight here to the infirmary to be unloaded. Keep a constant patrol and scan the skies as well. Not one of the Master’s minions can slip by, and I’m counting on you two to see that every inch of the foothills is well guarded at all times.”
Egon and Ray nodded as I broke my connection with their gems, and Shoshanne was out of breath when she rushed to our side with a sack full of freshly laced darts. The women helped load each of the magazines on the automatons for me while I took a turn around the machines to be sure everything looked properly aligned, and by the time my original snatcher whirred his way to the infirmary with a fresh batch of mages, they were ready for action.
“Hey, buddy,” I called to the green snatcher, and I beckoned him over once he finished letting the healers unload his nets for him.
The green glow of his gem beat as steady as ever while he came to join us across the bridge, and the two new snatchers sized him up from treads to helm.
“So, I’ll be calling you Venkman from now on,” I informed the snatcher, and he nodded without taking his eyes off his new crew members.
I got the sense he was establishing his dominance over the others with some kind of automaton staring contest, and when the two new machines finally raised their hands to him, he delivered a clanking high five to each.
“Hell, yeah,” I chucked. “I’m glad you guys can respect the order of things. Venkman, why don’t you take your fleet out and show them the ropes right away? Their blow guns are locked and loaded, and I’ve filled them in on the general operation we’ve got going on here. Since you brought in a dragon today, though, I’ve instructed them to keep an eye on the skies as well, and I’d appreciate it if you did the same. Other than that, just work together, coordinate your attacks if need be, and keep up the good work.”
With that, the three snatchers turned on their treads, and both Egon and Ray waited diligently for Venkman to pass them up and lead the way through Falmount.
I instinctively followed after them with my women in tow even though I knew they’d be just fine, and I couldn’t help the slightly tyrannical laugh that escaped me as I watched the three giant machines whir ahead in strict formation. I’d never sent out a genuine fleet of automatons to do my bidding before, and despite how many times I’d imagined it, the pride that overwhelmed me now was greedier than I was prepared to handle.
When we got to the tracks and let them continue on without us, I felt like those evil scientists who thrum their fingertips together with ghoulish laughs, except I had four gorgeous women around me looking just as satisfied with my work as I was. I kind of wished they all had on skimpy lab coats or something to really mark the occasion, but watching my creations forge ahead through the trees was still one of the high points of my life in this realm.
“Who you gonna call?” I chuckled merrily, but Aurora looked at me with utter confusion.
“What?” she snorted.
My enjoyment deflated by several degrees as I realized no one for billions of miles would ever respond appropriately to the question, and every fiber of my being ached at the thought. It just felt so, so wrong.
“Ouch,” I mumbled, but I tried to focus on how epic the machines were rather than the fact this realm would never know the glory of Ghostbusters. Then I realized they’d never know about Bill Murray, either, and I actually had to brace my hand on Aurora’s shoulder before I got too overwhelmed.
“Can you ladies do me a huge favor?” I abruptly asked, and my women looked at me with a mixture of concern and confusion over the sudden shift in my mood.
“Anything,” Cayla replied.
“If I ever ask ‘who you gonna call’ will one of you please, please say the word ‘ghostbusters’ with some genuine zeal? It would just … it would mean a lot to me.”
“Ghostbusters?” Deya asked, and her Elven accent made the word sound completely adorable.
“Yes,” I laughed. “Just like that.”
“We can do that,” Shoshanne said with a shrug.
“Thanks, guys.” I grinned as I took a deep, rejuvenating breath. “You’re the best.”
Then we turned to head back down the lane, and Deya trotted ahead of us with a giddy bounce in her step.
“Dragon time!” the beautiful elf sang, and several passing mages’ eyes went wide with immediate terror.
“For us,” I clarified, “not you.”
The mages’ relief was palpable as they nodded and continued on their way, and I realized I’d have to find some way to make it up to the town about the dragon incident. They did come to Falmount Rift to live a safer life, and if the primary draw of my town was the unparalleled security, then I wanted them to know they could trust me to keep it that way. So, I tried to decide what a baron would do for his residents to make up for dragging a fire breathing dragon into town, and even though none of them knew about the Osulla, I felt like this should be rectified as well.
I still hadn’t made up my mind on the proper course of action by the time we returned to the mansion, but for now, I figured ensuring the snatchers didn’t bring any more dragons into town was a good place to start. Maybe I’d just have to crack a few more barrels of Rosh open soon and let the mages go ape shit again.
“So, how are we doing this?” I asked the two elves as I leaned against my worktable. “This is your mission, after all, so consider me at your command. Within reason.”
“First, I will transmute and fly west to come get you,” Deya replied, and I smirked at the way she pursed her lips importantly. “We can circle Mors Pass to get a look at the state of the nests there, and then I will take us closer to the Master’s fortress so we can find out if the missing dragons are being kept there. If not, venturing south might be ideal because they could be hunting in the jungles, but we should all keep a close eye out on the way there in case the Master has already sent them east toward Serin.”
“Okay, but don’t pick us up
here in the town,” I told her. “The mages shouldn’t have to worry about dragons showing up out of nowhere.”
“How about in the western woods?” Aurora suggested.
“Yeah, that’s fine,” I agreed as I turned to Deya. “We’ll wait for you near that grove where we found Ruela hunting when we first got to Falmount.”
Deya gave a very sober nod of approval, but then her “I’m the leader” facade crumbled as a glittering smile came to her face, and she squeezed Aurora’s hand.
“This is so exciting!” Deya giggled. “I cannot wait until you see who I’ll be, you’re going to love it and be so impressed!”
The beautiful elf pranced out of the atrium to find a quiet place to do her transmuting, and I chuckled as Cayla and Shoshanne came over to give me a kiss before we left.
“Please be careful,” Shoshanne murmured as she held me tighter than usual. “I don’t like the idea of you flying through the air with possessed creatures around. Or without them around. I don’t think anyone should be flying if they can’t grow wings.”
“In my realm, people have invented all kinds of flying machines,” I told her with a smirk. “We travel through the air at speeds nearly ten times faster than the train I built here.”
The healer’s brown eyes went wide at the thought. “The people in your realm must like to tempt death then.”
“Defy death,” I corrected. “We’re huge fans of pushing the limits of our species.”
“Well, regardless,” Cayla cut in, and I was surprised to see her looking worried for once, “please don’t let Deya get too close to that fortress. All three of you will be in terrible danger if someone out there catches sight of you, and it isn’t as if Deya can simply break her connection with the two of you on her back. She’ll be forced to stay no matter what happens until you’re both back on the ground and in a safe area. So, if something goes wrong, either you all will die, or just the two of you will die, and I don’t think I have to explain how furious I would be.”
I hadn’t even thought of this, and my own nerves kicked up a notch as I realized she was right.
“We’ll be careful,” Aurora assured the two women, but my mind was already racing with everything that could possibly go wrong while we said our goodbyes and headed to the clearing beside the house.
I brooded over the impending dangers I’d somehow disregarded all afternoon as we made our way through the western woods, but Aurora just looked bursting with excitement when we got to a small grove and sat on a felled tree to wait for Deya. The half-elf bounced her knees up and down in her eagerness to get started, but after a moment, she calmed down a bit, and I noticed her watching me intently instead.
“You’re thinking about the position Temin offered, aren’t you?” Aurora asked, and I smirked half-heartedly.
“No, just worrying about getting Deya killed,” I mumbled. “Dragir would be so pissed, he’d probably come all the way to Illaria and gut me at last. Not to mention how much it would suck for you and me to meet a grizzly end over a bunch of baby dragons. Being head of the Order is honestly the last thing on my mind at the moment.”
“I kind of thought so,” Aurora muttered, and she studied me for a moment. “Since you never mentioned anything to us, I take you don’t want to accept the job?”
“I haven’t decided,” I told her. “Cayla will most likely make me take it now anyway, though.”
“She will not,” the half-elf assured me, and when I sent her a wry look, she actually seemed certain about this. “Cayla may love the idea of you gaining all the power in the kingdom, but she knows nothing of magery or the workings of the Order. She’s worried the position would demand a lot from you, but she trusts you to make the right decision. We all do.”
I furrowed my brows. “Oh. That’s a relief.”
I’d avoided telling the women because I wanted to have a clear mind about the matter, but without any of them pushing my hand on this one, I realized I really had no clue what the hell I wanted to do.
“Sooo, do you think I should take the job?” I asked the half-elf, and she burst out laughing as she shook her head.
“I have no idea,” Aurora admitted, “but if it helps at all, I think you’d be an incredible head of the Order. Granted, I thought Abrus was great for years, so I’m not sure my opinion should count.”
“Of course it counts,” I assured her. “Abrus was extremely knowledgeable. No matter his loyalties, he must have been dedicated to his position in the Order because he did a fantastic job training you and plenty of others. That’s part of my concern about replacing Wyresus. I’m no Abrus.”
“You’re no Wyresus either,” Aurora snorted. “Think about why Temin offered you the job to begin with.”
“I’m the only one delivering?”
“No,” Aurora said, and she rolled her eyes as she began tapping the list of reasons off on her fingertips. “Temin offered you the job because you’re constantly striving for improvement, you approach things head on, you defend what you believe in, and you don’t harbor any bias where the elements or even the other regions are concerned. Magery is truly fascinating to you, too, and Temin clearly thinks you would do justice to the merit of the Order. What else do you think you need?”
“Infinitely more advanced abilities,” I replied. “I’ve learned a lot, but I don’t know enough to help every mage advance the way Abrus did. I don’t want to take the job if I can’t live up to the title. Sometimes, you just have to admit you’re badass but not that badass, you know?”
“I do,” Aurora said with a shrug, “but I disagree with you. Don’t forget, Abrus was speechless the first time he saw you use your magery.”
“I’m pretty sure he was more pissed off than impressed,” I chuckled.
“More importantly,” Aurora persisted, “the Order relies on so many different inlets of knowledge. Just because Abrus took an authoritative approach doesn’t mean that’s the only way to be head of the Order. Abrus couldn’t admit anyone was as skilled as himself, and he led the Order with his sense of superiority at the forefront of everything, but you value the knowledge of others. Being able to accept and work with other people’s input is part of what’s gotten you this far, and it would make you an effective leader. I think the Order would improve in several ways with a man like you in charge of it.”
I grinned as Aurora’s emerald eyes met mine, and her sincere faith in me was staggering. She’d been the one who helped me realize I was a mage to begin with when I first landed in this realm, but somehow, she truly believed I was capable of leading the entire Order of the Elementa in defense of Illaria. Her words and the look in her eyes were almost enough to make me believe I had it in me, too, and I felt like I could actually do a lot of good at the Order with a woman like Aurora at my side.
“Maybe you should be head of the Order,” I suggested as I nudged her side, and Aurora let out the loudest snort I’d ever heard.
“Hell, no,” the half-elf chuckled. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin with that mess.”
I rolled my eyes. “Nice. I’ll just clean it all up then, yeah?”
“Fix iiiit,” Aurora giggled, and we were still laughing when a loud shriek broke through the clouds above us.
Both our jaws went slack at the sight of the dragon’s black underbelly as it came in for a landing, and every tree around us rustled with the beat of its massive wings. Then its talons struck the ground, and the entire grove shook with the weight of the beast landing.
Leaves fluttered to the ground while I stared in silence, but Aurora let out a wavering whimper as she rose to her feet and stumbled forward.
“Mason … it’s a dragon,” she breathed, and Deya’s violet eyes blinked back at us from the soot black face.
The dragon Deya was transmuting with had foot long horns curling back from the skull with bloody tooth-like spikes lining the jaw, and its gleaming scales caught the light to make the black appear almost blue. A ragged line of spines jutted out of its stout
neck, and where the spines ended, two tattered wings plumed from its shoulders to span nearly twenty feet each.
I slowly dragged my eyes over every rugged muscle from head to tail while Aurora reached out with both hands trembling, and when her palms settled against the beast’s shoulder, she let out a harried sigh.
“Mason, touch it,” the half-elf ordered under her breath. “It’s amazing!”
I reminded myself this gigantic, grizzly beast was actually my super sweet and sexy elven girlfriend before I moved an inch, and even then, I was having trouble putting one foot in front of the other. I could feel heat radiating from the dragon’s body like it was a bundle of hot coals, and every breath gurgled into a deep, steady snarl that reverberated through its gullet.
Then I finally grazed my hand across the scales, and I grinned at the strange feel of the massive lungs filling under my palm as the warm scales rippled blackish blue.
“Woah,” I managed, and the dragon looked over its shoulder at us as it let out a soft screech that made its throat gleam a fiery red.
“You’re so beautiful,” Aurora whimpered, and she ducked under the draping wings to try and run her hands across the dragon’s sinewy back that rose several feet above our heads. Then she gasped, and I jumped about a foot out of instinct. “Mason, this is the dragon the snatcher brought into town earlier.”
“Are you sure?” I clarified, but I recognized the poisonous spike on the tail as I eyed the beast up and down once more.
“Here’s the patch of skin Shoshanne removed,” Aurora pointed out, and I joined her near the rear leg. Sure enough, it looked like someone had carved a thick slice out of the armor-like skin of the dragon’s leg, and I noticed there was a single scale missing just above the scar.
“Guess Deya finally got that scale she wanted,” I muttered to myself.
“Oh, this is perfect!” Aurora realized, and she ducked back under the wing. “The Master thinks he’s possessed this one, so we can get close to the fortress without raising suspicions.” Then the half-elf patted Deya on the head like she was an enormous dog. “You clever elf… errrr… dragon.”