Wild Wastes 5 -CH2- (Patreon)

With a heavy sigh, Vince saw Coruna below him as Renata the Orange Dragon flew on.

They were flying at a good speed right now, but not at their maximum possible.

There were a number of Dragons with them loaded with Battle Dryads and Praecantrix Legionnaires.

Those two groups had very quickly bonded and found that they were very much of a similar mindset. That their shared beliefs and ideals were so closely linked that they understood one another very quickly.

“Elysia, is there a goddess of Elves?” Vince asked suddenly as they flew onward.

The High-Elf had been named the commander of hte Praecantrix and sent off with him. There’d been a brief point where they’d considered sending Caroline but she was too far along in her pregnancy for it to work.

Elysia was early enough that the Dryads could hold it back and she’d fit into Legionnaire armor suitably.

“I… well… I don’t know?” answered Elysia. “There wasn’t for anyone I know of but… we were House-Elves, Vince. We weren’t exactly deep in Elven heritage. I was just a… a forlorn little Elven girl who thought she was going to be sold for her virginity, or turned into a gladiator.

“Only to have you swoop in and... well… you took the former, bade my sisters turn me into the latter, than made me the steward of a nation. You certainly filled the propspects of my life and then went much further.

“As to my culture… the only Elven culture I know is what Caroline and Yaris have told me and that never had anything about gods. Why do you ask?”

“Oh… just a curiosity question,” Vince replied, not quite answering her completely.

He didn’t want to tell her that he’d had a sudden thought about trying to call an Elven goddess into being, negotiating with her, and turning her into a captive member of his pantheon.

Then he’d have Elves, Dragons, and Dryads as his pillars.

Dragons as the extreme physical force and flight.

Dryads as support, utility, and healing.

Elves for their magical arsenal and abilities.

I’d be unstopable.

I’ll ask Ferris and Dea about it when we land. Maybe they know of an Elven goddess.

Or… am I being greedy? Maybe.

“If you want… we could always see if we can’t summon up a goddess of Elves? If you take me to a bed, I could try screaming out to one to save me?” purred Elysia.

He was suddenly reminded that Elysia was playful.

Serious, studious, and very clinical around others.

Playful and flirty with him.

Shit… I brought another Sam along.

“Maybe if I pitched it just right and you tied me up a bit? Beg for any Elven goddess out there to come save me?” asked Elysia, pushing further. “Have to make sure we bring Blue along though. Likely a few of her wives as well.”

The Yosemite Dryads liked Yaris quite a bit. She’d doted on them, helped them in their endeavors, and provided them with access to Vince.

Elysia had apparently taken the lead from her while he’d been away. Yaris was a queen and had to look on everyone equally.

Meliae had to play grove-mother and wife to so many Dryads and children, that she often had to be fair and even-handed as well.

The High-Elf had no such qualms, problems, or difficulties. She was a steward to a nation that didn’t particularly need her anymore. Yaris and Felicity were working perfectly in concert with one another.

Making herself an emisarry of sorts and becoming a steward for them directly had apparently appealed to her.

She’d submerged herself in Dryad culture, etiquette, and children. Coming out the other side as their chosen Champion. Even Meliae came to her for things that fell outside of her own domain.

Or so Mouth had revealed to Vince after he’d made a train out of her, Meliae, Daphne, and Karya.

“I forgot you were like this,” Vince muttered.

Elysia laughed at that and pushed herself up against his back a bit more firmly.

“I started praying to Dea, you know,” admitted the Elf. “She sent me a lot of warm fuzzy feelings in return. I rather like her. Felt like I should get to know her more with everything that’s been happening.

“Especially with them all calling me their champion. I’ve even managed to start pushing Yaris to actually try. I can even beat Berenga once or twice as I get stronger.”

“Dea’s great,” Renata agreed with a laugh. “I send her and Ferris lots of prayers. Especially since, you know, I died. The afterlife was neat and I wasn’t even there that long.

“Though, you’re rather fun Elysia. I thought you’d be all uptight and a bit stuffy. I didn’t realize that’s just an act. I get that though. I kept trying to act more like Elizabeth or the others for a while.”

Elysia froze against Vince’s back.

He imagined she’d forgotten Renata existed since the Dragon had been somewhat quiet during the flight. Though now that they spotted home, he imagined she wasn’t paying as much attention now as she had been.

“Ah… yes,” Elysia managed to get out after a long pause. “Yes… well… I-I have an… image as… his steward and… and—”

Slowly the High-Elf’s words fell away.

Vince couldn’t really understand it either now that he thought about it.

“Yeah, I get that. Same for me. Ferris, too,” Renata conceded, lifting her head to glance at them. Her warm fire like eyes peered back at them. “You should talk to her sometime about it. She and I have spoken several times about it.

“It’s easier just to be who you are. Especially being around Vince.”

Renata nodded her large head and then slowly looked ahead against.

“Ferris, the goddess of Dragons,” Elysia said almost to herself. “I… yes. I suppose you’re right, Renata. I suppose you’re right. Maybe it’s time I let the mask fall away a bit more.”

“I would,” Renata laughing said and started to speed up. “Otherwise, you’re gonna be the only one not having any fun!”

Renata built up more than enough speed to the point that Vince could feel himself being pushed backward into Elysia, and away from Renata’s back at the same time.

Slowly they kept moving forward, pulling ahead of the other Dragons. They had considerably more people to carry but also simply weren’t an Orange.

Far above Coruna, she began to slowly circle it, waiting for the others to arrive.

Often she just expanded her wings out and glided lazily around the city.

It was right around then that Vince realized how amazing the view was from up here. He could see considerably into the distance and everything below.

A lot like being a satellite.

“I can see why the Nullifiers are always so keen to shoot at any Dragon they see,” Vince said, looking to the army besieging Coruna. He didn’t have to look too hard to see the barrage of Nullifier rounds slamming into the shields around it.

A situation being repeated at the wall as well as Magi-Vale, he imagined.

Mr. White had told him to not worry about it, and that he’d solve it personally. Vince was more than happy to give the man some time to do it, too.

The resources available to Vince were narrow and shallow.

Shields and mana weren’t in short supply.

Mostly because with the Praecantrix taking the field, he imagined those shields wouldn’t be going down any time soon. His Elves weren’t quite normal anymore given their new armor anymore.

Even if they weren’t doing anything, it would constantly gather any mana around, top it’s batteries off, then begin discharging the leftovers into the Elf in the armor. Which meant they would continuously gain more mana regardless of the situation.

He wasn’t needed to refill them anymore.

“We’ll stop here briefly. Pick up the rest of the people we need, drop those off we don’t… then… head off to England,” Elysia summarized.

Vince only nodded his head, this was mostly a pit-stop. It’d be awkward getting everyone in, then back out, but it wasn’t impossible. Though that was mostly because the defenders could lay down enough covering fire to get people in and out as needed.

The frequency of that was limited though, as it taxed those very same resources he’d just been thinking about.

Let’s hope… the British are willing to be an ally.

We could use the help.

Renata started to bring them in lower, angling them down toward the city.

Someone must have noticed it in the enemy camp, as Nullifier rounds started to be directed up toward them.

“To hell with this,” growled Vince, realizing he didn’t want to give Mr. White time to solve this. He was already tired of this and didn’t want to deal with it anymore.

“Elysia, I want you and the Praecantrix to give them a damn bloody nose,” ordered Vince. He was wearing a set of Elven Legionnaire armor since he himself was a living battery of sorts as well. It’d suit him just as well as it did the Elves. “Renata, pull us in somewhere you can land safely. Go let all the other Dragons with the Praecantrix know they need to head this way.”

“I told Antona!” replied the Dragon. “They’re all spreading the news now.”

Even as she mentioned it, Vince could indeed feel a shifting in his grove.

Rapid fluctations in Draconic energy and shifting Dryad trees as information was relayed about. For all those that shared a space inside him, distance wasn’t a real issue anymore.

There was a heavy response from two pieces of his grove that came next. An immediate response to the burried remains of Ferris, resting inside the dirt of Dea.

Still kinda worried about… what my insides look like.

Where do all these Dragon Horn tips go? Where are the trees? The dirt? Is it all just… in my abdominal cavity?

Maybe I should ask Felicia to make me some sort of… implant… that lets me hold more?

Errr, that’s weird, now that I think about it but… eh… she likes impossible requests.

Vince nodded to himself, resolved to send Felicia a request. With the satellite in the air it wouldn’t take long for them to be able to get communications hooked up from city to city. Starting with Legion Fortress One.

“This is exciting!” Renata said with a tone that felt full of energy. “All the Dryads and Dragons who can be here will be. They plan on attacking forward from the city!”

“How… is this part of that… religious thing you were talking about?” Elysia asked.

“Yeah! They can communicate with their partners and share information,” Vince replied even as Renata started banking harder. They’d land to the north of Coruna. It was closest to the Fortress but also had a number of cliffs and trees that’d give them a space to land on without being fired at.

“I think I need to actually look into finding an Elven goddess,” Elysia acknowledged. “If… if we can get a goddess, then have her… join… with Ferris and Dea, we’d be elevated even further as a race. I’ll have to contact Yaris, Caroline, and Felicity immediately.”

Vince glanced over his shoulder in time to see Elysia holding a hand up. It was directed back the way they’d come from. Her other hand was resting against her forearm.

There was a strange blue and green energy flowing through her arms and the armor she was wearing.

Without a noise, shifting of body, or warning, a blue ball of energy launched out of her and rapidly vanished into the distance. As if it was heading right back to the fortress.

“We have some new gadgets,” Elysia confessed when she met Vince’s eyes. “The Whites and Felicia have ah… they keep coming up with new things. The Elven Legionnaire armor can send burst messages back the Fortress, but we can’t receive anything back directly. It’ll go to our communications squad.”

Vince didn’t say anything, he just looked ahead as Renata came to a halt in the air and landed them perfectly. Leaning her head forward and down she displaced Elysia almost casually and not seeming to mean to.

She casually dropped him down in front of herself in a full prostration like bow, then simply bounced up to her feet without saying a word. The action was similar to what every other Dragon would do if they shifted near him.

Renata did it without the loud prayers and obeisance, thankfully.

Standing up, the gorgeous Orange Dragon put her hands on her hips.

If there was a Dragon that could compete with any Dryad, it was Renata.

A unique Dragon with a shape to her that could hold up to even Meliae, or Mouth. He’d once thought if he had to describe her, it’d be some lunatics sex-crazed fantasy, and that’d be the best he could manage.

Her long, curling hair that was a pale red that looked orange fell behind her back. Long delicate and pointed horns stood up from her brows. Her eyes were the same color of her fire-like scales and watching him.

With a pop her wings stretched out, then settled down over her well endowed self, one of her wings stretching further to cover her rear.

“Don’t say it,” Vince demanded.

“Your mount is suitably covered, my Lord,” purred Renata with a wide grin for him. “No one will look on me but you.”

“I’m… I… yes,” Elysia said, turning to look at Vince fully now. “I can see what Blue had meant by ritualistic and religious like beliefs.

“I can also see why you’re reticent about it. This is fine though. It’s really not that much different than how many of your people view you anyways. This is fine.

“Though… I really do need to find an Elven goddess. This is not something I can let pass by. We’re at the top of the Campbell family in Yosemite and have Felicity in Felix’s group. We… we can’t let the other races pass us by.”

Vince grinned as he listened to Elysia speak.

The Elves had taken Yosemite and made it their home. They had invested everything of themselves to make it so. To them, the Elven nation was merely a piece of Yosemite.

Any Elf not in Yosemite, or Legion, was “wrong” to them at this juncture.

He could easily see them forcefully creating a goddess if only to have equal footing with Dryads and Dragons. Since he’d asked her about it, he’d opened the door for them as well.

Dragons began landing not far away and Battle Dryads hopped off even as they hit the turf. Landing with experience and having practiced it many times. Their rifles coming up and sweeping outward as they began to clear the area.

One of their number was heading straight for Renata at a fast jog. Under her arm was likely Renata’s dress she’d taken to wearing. Kitted out in the Dryad Legionnaire armor she looked rather imposing.

“I do hope Mr. White gets us our armor soon. I dislike being naked anymore,” Renata pouted gruffly, then smiled as who Vince would bet on as Antona reached her. “Thank you, my Dryad! I really appreciate it.”

“Of course, my Dragon,” answered Antona, holding the dress out to the other woman. Then she stepped between Renata and Elysia, the Dragon moving in closer to the Dryad and starting to get into her dress.

Huh.

My Dragon. My Dryad.

They’re definitely ritualizing it further and further.

“Immediately,” Elysia whispered to herself more than anyone else. Then she pulled her helmet off from the hook at her side and pulled it down over her head. The weapon of the Praecantrix wasn’t the SMG he’d seen before.

Somewhere along the way the Praecantrix had gotten their hands on Legionnaire rifles, then modified them. They all looked to be magically tuned some-how.

Probably a last minute swap from Felicia, White, or White. Likely some type of field-configurable modification.

Vince did also notice that there were others amongst the Elven Legionnaire’s with different weapons. It looked like they had a couple weapons teams in their numbers.

Turning, Elysia looked to the Elves in her command who were dismounting, forming, then heading her way. They looked considerably less sure of themselves, but were handling it all gracefully.

There’s wasn’t an issue of ability or skill, but experience.

Antona stepped away from Renata at the same time that the Dragon was finished dressing. Not far away, many other Dragon Maidens were now dressed and coming over.

Among their number was Elizabeth.

The platinum-horned Dragon’s hair had changed in color, and was a much lighter gray color now.

When she’d joined him on this trip he’d felt a forlorn aura around her.

As soon as her incredibly luminous silver like eyes met his, he saw only a woman who felt like she was worth something and had earned her place.

The lovely Platinum Dragon came over as more Dragons all fell in line with her. She came to a stop not far off and Renata joined in. Moving into the formation.

Antona headed over to stand not far off and the Dryads formed up in a similar way.

Elysia hesitated only for a second before she also moved away from Vince, taking up a position akin to Antona’s and Elizabeth’s. Her Elves sorted themselves far quicker than he’d thought possible and began filtering into a formation behind Elysia.

Dryads, Dragons, and Elves.

Hm.

Elves are already eternal given enough mana… very similar to a Dragon, you could say. I imagine it would be hard to to transform into something like the others.

Though… what would they put in me that’d bind them like the horns and seeds?

Something to consider.

“Ferris, Dea, your lord would ask you to watch over this battle,” Vince said as he moved to stand in front of the three races. “Because I think this one… this battle… would be lovely to commeorate. In fact… let’s not make this a battle… let’s just take out that entire army out there.”

His thoughts were rapidly shifting now. From simply smacking the enemy to back up, to absolutely annihilating them.

He had places to be, people to meet, allies to wine and dine.

There was absolutely no reason to wait right now.

His only regret was that the Sword wasn’t here for him. It was still in Billbao in the throne room.

“Faith magic repels Nullifer attacks much better than regular magic,” Vince offered, turning to look straight at Elysia. “Might want to start your little plan early. Any heroes from your past that you think might be well suited to be turned into a mythic being?

“Because this is going to be something that lives on far after we’re all dead. Far after. This is where great deeds are made and recorded. For all to believe later down the road as apocrypha and anecdote.”

Vince felt the presence of Dea and Ferris pushing their awareness out through him and to the world around him. They couldn’t be here in spiritual manifestation as they were physical beings now.

“Elves, Dryads, and Dragons,” Vince murmured to himself and began walking toward the enemy lines in the distance. “Let’s add a new chapter to the Lord of Yosemite mythos. Summoning an Elven Goddess from nothing.”