History Of Galen - The Raurin War

[tarriel]

The rustling and rumbling grows as the forces below form ranks. Infantry coalescing into neat, straight rows, the huge array of sizes and shapes becoming orderly in a few moments. From the cliff above I had an incredible view, legions of men, women, monsters and everything in between marching as one into the desert sands. Far off, the Monolith was in its usual shadowed place, unnatural black clouds whirling above it for miles around.

"Oddly beautiful... mmh?"

The voice was cold and probing. I felt his presence before he slid into my vision. He carried a sense of unease with him, a cold, clammy wave of discomfort. I'd never known of dragons outside of the odd tall tale spun in an inn, but these few years had brought me close enough to feel the ground move at their steps, and closer still.

"Tell me, boy... what do you see?" A clawed hand extends toward the horizon, a slight shadowy trail in its wake. For such a simple movement, Sloth filled it with malice. While far from the largest dragon in Kyras' forces, he was perhaps the most loathed. Sinewy and methodical, he moved toward the cliff edge, looming uncomfortably close, claws tapping expectantly.

It took me a fair few moments to answer, "I... see an army. A desert. Battle brewing." I never knew what exactly he wanted for an answer, though being literal seemed good enough at the time.

"Mmhn... basic, but correct." He curled into a catlike recline around me, gesturing again out to the desert. "I... see idiocy. These years have cost our -revered commander- nearly two thirds of his forces... all to end up here, a mass of those lucky enough to survive, about to charge headlong into an army we can neither kill nor reason with." He brought his gaze back down to me. "Few will survive this, if any. Do you think it was worth it... mmh?"

The question threw me. I can't say I'd not thought of how fruitless our efforts had been. So far I'd lost comrades, friends, even more than friends, and the enemy had lost nothing. Everything we killed would simply be reanimated later, or worse, re-made into something even more lethal. The answer took me a while to force out.

"Yes. We've kept them pushed back into the desert, that's spared the innocents beyond it." The answer, for all the honesty I put into it, merited nothing but a sigh and disappointed reply.

"Mmh... there is no such thing as innocence... only varying degrees of guilt." At the sounding of a horn, a cheer rose up below them, and the unmistakable "clunk-chunk clunk-chunk" of a marching army. "But, now is not the time to teach you how the world works, Galen..." He stands, then settles his front legs low onto the ground. "Come, take your place... we join the others soon..."

[tarriel]

Climbing awkwardly into the nook before his wings, and taking up the riding chain, I just manage to hear the faint hum as the Monolith responds to our army's advance. A nearly translucent field grows around it, and the inky black mass of undead and fanatics can be seen to shift toward the main gates we planned to assault.

"They outnumber us seven to one" Sloth tilts his head slightly to see me. "This is a fool's errand."

"Then why are you still here?" My reply comes out before it can even register in my brain, though unlike the anger I expected, a slight grin forms on Sloth's features.

"Ahh... now you're asking astute questions, mmh?" Looking back in front as he paces toward the other dragons and their riders, he begins to explain. "My debt to Kyras is my business, and mine alone, I say only that I am bound to help him until such a time as victory is impossible. While I believe that his current forces are... mmh... lacking, I believe they may succeed, though they will likely perish in doing so." Before I can get out another reply, we've reached the others. Falling in line, we're surrounded by a riot of colour. Red, white, silver, brass... all here despite their hate of each other. With a single motion, all of them took to the air together, climbing steeply before levelling off. Looking to and fro, I counted them. Eighteen, less than half our original number...

"Hold on, this will be rough!" The shadowed mass climbs from the pack, as it leaves the cliffs, rapidly ascending into the clouds. "I'm taking us up, outside the magic field, we'll head up and over!" Sloth's words are barely audible over the howling wind.  

"Is that wise? Everyone else headed down?" My reply barely registers in my ears, but apparently Sloth hears it.

"Yes, they headed down. I wager only half will survive the descent. That magic field and the ballistae will swat them like flies, we head up, we get behind it and dispel it!" He calls over his shoulder as he continues the climb.

As we breach the barrier of thick, black, unnatural cloud the sun blinds us for a moment. As my eyes adjust, I see the wide, towering columns of cloud reaching high into the purest blue skies. The sun caresses the edges of the lowest clouds. It's late evening, the purple tendrils of dusk writhing over the opposite horizon, dark claws pulling at the edge of the world. As we climb, the sound of battle dims, and I can hear Sloth clearly.

"Beautiful... isn't it? I used to spend so much time up here... just... thinking." His features, usually a mix of malice and intent shift briefly... something alien on his face, regret... maybe even sorrow? The change is gone as swiftly as it came. "No matter, get ready to dive."

[tarriel]

I hunker against the scales, riding chain gripped tightly. So many times we have done this dance, so many times I hesitate at this step.

"Hold my breath... count to three..." My own murmurings are swallowed by the beat of Sloth's wings.

Sloth rolls over, as I stay clinging to his back suspended over the ground. His wings briefly fold inwards, the form becoming a sleek and tempered arrow, and he hurtles downwards, almost vertically, gathering speed and momentum. As Sloth dives, his tail makes minute changes, steadying and stabilising himself. The ground rushes up towards me, the barrier of unnatural black cloud whips by in an instant. Below, masses of troops have slammed together at the gates, dragons sweep over the lines, their breath cutting swathes through the enemy. Before I can make sense of all of it, Sloth pulls up sharply, placing directly in front of us an enormous focus, a crystal suspended above a pit of some sickly green liquid. The landscape is marred with trenches and canyons, evidence of the twisted powers coming from the Monolith, as they corrupt and warp the landscape. Sloth jerks right suddenly, banking hard, then reverse rolling, dropping us into one of the canyons, out of sight of the amassed forces.

As we come to the end of trench, Sloth spreads his wings out, the sudden drag heaves us up in front of the crystal, and with an otherworldly noise, energy blasts from his maw, ripping and clawing at the crystal before him. Most of the crystal shatters, though a small chunk remains, floating above the pool.

"Dammit all... we have to go around again, I'll double back, but I can't risk another pass. They've noticed us already." Sloth calls over his shoulder as we pull backwards, dropping back into the canyon of marred grey stone. As we drop below ground level, a rumbling, roaring chorus builds... the undead have seen us. Immediately the canyon fills with volleys from ballistae and magical missiles of all types. Sloth is graceful, for his size, rolling and weaving with the onslaught. The gauntlet grows in danger as the sheer volume of projectiles increases, as more and more of the horde grow to know of our plan. As Sloth pulls around to make his escape, a large harpoon clips his hind leg. Roaring in pain, he jerks violently to the side, briefly slamming into the canyon wall. Dust and rocks pelt at me, my hands barely holding onto the chains. As I look, the ballistae around the canyon edge are turning, aiming at Sloth, an easy target now that he is slowed on the wall.  The limbs creak back, as more giant bolts are loaded, levelled squarely at Sloths midriff. Before a single one could fire, Sloth looses his grip on the wall, and we tumble, tail over wing, into the gloom below...