Chapter 255 - Running with Dragons (Patreon)

Pushed through to get this one out tonight but it may be a little rough as I only managed a quick editing pass. Hope you like the chapter!

The dragon keepers were performing their final checks, adjusting their saddle straps, and ensuring their dragons were ready for battle. He marvelled at the wolf dragons, one of which towered over the others. The creature was so bulky, Hump wondered how it could even get into the air.

Hump watched as Keeper Yunillia moved between the various groups, speaking with each of the commanders. There were also shamans and healers around the camp to serve as support members.

Higri led Hump and Celaine through the camp. It turned out that the man was a forger—a creator of runes and enchantments similar to the Chosen of Loften, God of Craft. Though from the sounds of it, he differed much in what he could craft. While Chosen of Loften created complex magical contraptions, such as the carriageway of Sheercliff, the offerings from Owalyn seemed more primal. Yunillia’s unit was equipped with weapons forged to face undead, reducing the effectiveness of their healing abilities, and dismantling death magic itself. While limited, it was certainly good at what it did—killing.

It was the closest to a military unit Hump had seen from Celaine’s people. This was more than a hunting pack—it was a battalion. Higri pointed out the main figures as they walked: shamans, healers, and other supportive combatants, before finally coming to the largest group under Yunillia’s command. Roughly thirty people formed was effectively their version of infantry. Many were not Chosen, but being dragon blooded, and equipped with forged weapons and potions, Hump was sure they were a potent fighting force. Each carried medium sized bows, similar to Celaine’s, along with swords, spears, and shields. Once the fighting started in earnest, they would need to discard their bows in favour of their melee equipment, but other than that, it was a classic hammer and anvil, the infantry holding the line while dragons acted as the hammer, raining down fire and rampaging through the lines.

A man noticed them as they approached and turned to greet them. He was perhaps the largest man Hump had ever seen, with a great bushy beard, and a bald head that was tattooed with red sigils. He looked to be in his forties.

Higri gestured toward him. “Celaine, Wizard Humphrey, you’ll both be under—”

“Leif!” Celaine said cheerfully before he could speak.

“—Leif’s instruction,” Higri finished. “I’ll leave you in his capable hands.”

Celaine approached Leif in a rush, throwing out a hand and gripping his in a warrior’s clasp.

Leif chuckled. “It’s been a while, Celaine. How are you?”

“Very well,” Celaine said eagerly. “Ready for a fight.”

“There’s no shortage of that around.” He turned to Hump, extending a hand which Hump shook. “And Hump, I’ve heard impressive things. I look forward to seeing you in action.”

“I’m just happy to help,” Hump said. “Leif… you’re one of the dragon keepers, aren’t you? What are you doing with the ground hunters?”

“Captain Ordaine over here commands the vanguard,” Higri said, pointing to a woman in discussion with Yunillia nearby. “Leif will lead the task force into the temple.”

“The ground jobs usually go to me,” Leif said. “Brutus is a big dragon. Not much of a flyer, but there are few that can match him on the ground.”

That had to be the giant dragon Hump had seen.

“So, what’s our role here?” Celaine asked.

“We’ve started reclaiming ground conquered by the undead yesterday,” Leif said. “Old relics, watchtowers, burial sites, and temples like today. Our job specifically will be to get the shamans into the temple and protect them while they conduct their rituals, purifying the essence of death in the area. With the two of you, we now number six. Come, I’ll introduce you.”

He led them to where a small group were preparing their gear. Two of them were ordinary Chosen, neither having reached their fourth circle. The man was called Halvar and a woman named Nyven. They were all bulkier than most of the fighters Hump had seen in Drakalyn, clearly favouring brute force over the hunter tactics of their people.

Hump said his greetings. The three of them seemed friendly enough, though the fourth member of the group was another matter entirely. Quin fixed Hump in her eyes and stared at him, saying nothing. He met her eyes, not backing down. She was a dragon keeper of the fourth circle, and the final member of the group. While she said nothing, her glare said enough. It seemed at least one person here wasn’t so happy to see him.

“Are we good, Quin?” Leif asked.

She held Hump’s eyes for a few more seconds before breaking contact. “We’re good.” She turned back to her gear on a table behind her.

Halvar pointed at Hump. “That staff going to be enough for you, boy? Can find you a spare sword if you need it.”

“You could keep it beside your book,” Nyven said, laughing.

Hump forced a laugh, going along with it. He tapped his book. “I’m good, thanks. And you never know when you might have some time for a bit of reading.”

“Take all the time you need, outsider,” Quin said, not turning.

Leif frowned at her then turned back to them. “Best prepare yourselves too. We’re to leave in fifteen minutes.”

There was nothing for Hump and Celaine to do but wait. They stepped aside from the main group.

“You seem close with Leif,” Hump said.

“Leif was Myra’s party leader and teacher,” Celaine explained. “He’s a good man and a strong leader. We couldn’t have asked for a better assignment.”

“I see.”

Hump decided not to say what was on his mind. Celaine was in high spirits—everyone here was. Morale was high and they were ready for war with their home to fight for. To Hump, however, all he could think of was that Myra had lost her dragon. Sure, casualties were inevitable in a village that lived in the Fallen Lands, but it was a reminder that no matter how skilled Leif was, his people died, and there was no denying the danger of such a task force.

***

Hump ran with dragons. He raced through the forest, enjoying the sensation of the wind against his face, and the strength of his muscles. He felt free, almost as if he was gliding over the hard earth. His body felt stronger, his feet lighter, his mind clearer. Around him, the other dragon blooded ran with him, while dragons flew overhead. There was no describing the thrill. It was a hunt like something out of a story book. The sensation of fear, anticipation, and excitement filling him at the encroaching battle.

Celaine moved at his side, somehow even more graceful in her movements than she used to be, as if his eyes had improved enough to actually appreciate just how fast she was.

They’d been running for almost half an hour, yet Hump’s breathing was still light, and only the beginnings of tiredness were setting into his muscles. It wasn’t long before they neared the edge of the forest and Leif brought them to a stop to the left of Ordaine’s vanguard, while Yunillia and her dragon keepers landed nearby. They were to the right of a small lake. The ground sloped upward from there, cascading hills leading up to a temple at their peak.

Things had changed since Hump had last been to the edge of the forest with Ado. Clouds were thick in the sky over the mountains, a great shadow that shielded the undead from the sun. Distantly, the clouds were darker, stirring slowly as if caught in a vortex. That had to be Estora, Lich Queen Irila’s stronghold, and the ancient city Hump and Celaine had passed on their way through the Charred Heights.

An aura of darkness pervaded the air, making Hump’s skin crawl, yet it did not cross the forest boundary. None of it did. Owalyn’s domain remained sealed.

Yunillia directed one of the dragon keepers to scout the land ahead, the hills restricting their view of the land between them and the temple. Once more, Hump saw the strength of flight. The ability to communicate quickly, gather information, and attack from almost anywhere was incredibly powerful.

Soon, they were given the order to continue forward, leaving the forest and circling around the hills along the edge of the lake, until they reached a small patch of woodland to the left of the temple.

To the right, Ordaine led the main force up the centre of the hill, her great hammer held in both hands, the head glowing. Further back, Higri made his way up the hill, a mace in hand. All around them, other hunters moved from tree to tree, sneaking closer to the temple. They’d not been spotted yet. Yunillia and her dragons had retreated further back, finding a safe spot where they could get into the air unnoticed. When they saw the dragons in the sky, that was their mark to engage. That was, so long as they weren’t spotted first.

Hump followed Leif and the others up the gentle slope a good dozen paces to the right of the main group, dead trees lining their path. Six shamans were with them, a few of them likely only a couple of years older than Hump. From the look on their faces, they were nervous. To be fair to them, he was too. His heart was beating hard now. The temple was perhaps thirty paces away, nothing but trees in their path. Well, trees and a whole lot of undead.

Death essence seeped from the temple, a purple miasma that turned the grass to rot around it, and poisoned any tree or flowers nearby.

“The lich must die for this,” Halvar growled, looking over the devastation.

Grunts of agreement went up amongst Hump’s party, then a deep, huffing breath. Hump glanced over his shoulder to see Brutus and Jarni waiting in the trees, the two dragons poised to rush forward. Every one of them was furious. It was a feeling Hump could understand. Their holy place had been desecrated, and now, undead rose from its twisted remains.

Death essence seeped from the temple, a purple miasma that turned the grass to rot around it, and poisoned the trees and flowers nearby. Skeleton warriors surrounded the temple, clad in scraps of armour, and wielding shields with whatever weapons they could get their hands on. Purple light shone from their mouths, eyes, and chests—the power of the lich. They were unnaturally still, staring dead ahead like statues. A skeletal knight clad in black armour drew Hump’s eyes. He was larger than the others and equipped with a staff—a magic user.

There were others around him too: ghouls of pale flesh, phantom spirits that were barely visible floating overhead, and hollow armour, alight with magic from the temple itself. Archers were atop the temple, gargoyles just waiting for a target to come to them.

Ordaine held up a hand, ordering her force to stop. Each hunter drew their bow and prepared arrows, stabbing them into the ground. At Hump’s side, his own party did the same. Then, it was a waiting game. Hump watched the sky, searching the south side for where Yunillia would supposedly come from, her aim to draw attention away from the rest of the force.

“Target the grave knight,” Leif said.

“Will I interfere if I use my magic?” Hump asked. “It’s a big one.”

“So long as you attack with the first volley, you’re good,” Leif said. “Big is what we need right now.”

Hump withdrew his spellbook, opening it to his newest spell.

“Are you really going to read right now?” Quin said, looking at him with disgust.

“Leave him,” Celaine said. “He’s preparing a spell. Don’t distract him.”

Hump didn’t bother to answer, instead, scraping at the ground with his staff, carving runes into his surroundings. He forced himself not to rush despite the pressure. Any moment now, Yunillia and her dragons would show up, but a single mistake was all it would take to ruin his efforts. Line by line, he marked out the complex formation, filling each rune with intent and essence. He focused on minimising his essence usage, trying to reduce the amount of bronze light released from his staff. He finished just in time.

“They’re here,” Celaine whispered. She stood, preparing an arrow on her string as others did the same.

Hump pressed his staff to the base of his formation and drew upon its power. He flooded it with power, the runes coming alight with bronze essence. Tendrils of light exploded into his staff, filling the focus with essence. He grunted as he shifted it, heaving against the newfound weight, taking aim at the black clad skeleton.

He focused all that essence before his staff, condensing it into a black crystal at the core of radiant bronze.

“Shit, they’ve noticed us,” Celaine said.

“Arrows!” Ordaine shouted.

Bowstrings snapped. Arrows whizzed through the air but Hump paid them no mind. They readied their next volley as the crystal fully took form before his staff.

“Arrows!” Ordaine shouted again.

This time, Hump joined them. He fixed his gaze on the black clad skeleton, an anger building in him that could have been his own or the residual intent of his spell. He focused it on his target.

“Titan’s Wrath.” The air quaked with his voice.

Bronze light exploded before him like a flame as the obsidian spike shot forward, a blur of black. It crossed the distance in less than a second, striking the chest piece of the black clad skeleton and piercing straight through in a spray of shattered bones and broken essence. The spell didn’t stop there, striking the ground behind it with a great boom, throwing dust and air high into the way. Waves of power spread through the air in ripples. Dozens of lesser skeletons in the vicinity fell, their bones collapsing in heaps as their magic dispelled.

Around Hump, there was a momentary pause as the hunters stared at the clearing debris, revealing a large chunk of obliterated hill and skeletal remains.

Distantly, Hump heard a dragon roar, then roars thundered through the hills. Not just the dragons, but everyone. The war cry of the dragon blooded. Excitement filled Hump as he tilted back his head and shouted too.

The battle for the temple was upon them.