Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow

by J. Michael Fluck

  “We need to first tend to your wound, my rider,” Gallanth said to Mkel.

  “What happened?” Jodem asked with a concerned expression.

  “That green dragon got a lucky swipe, right before Gallanth delivered his killing blow. His claw hit my leg, more bruising it than cutting through the dragon-skin leg protectors. I will be all right,” Mkel answered.

  “I will be the judge of that,” Gallanth said as he moved his huge front foot toward Mkel. Mkel prepared for the healing process, which from a dragon could be as painful as the initial wound. Gallanth had healed several of his wounds before, which involved a rapid magically enhanced mending process but carried an intense pain. The end result was a scar and stiffness, but the injury was basically healed.

  “I think you should tend to yourself first, my friend,” Mkel said to his dragon partner.

  “My wounds will heal soon enough, but I cannot have you limping around,” Gallanth replied.

  “You being at full strength is more important, with all that just happened, and what could still be looming out there,” Mkel argued back.

  “I do not sense an immediate threat, and there will be no movement until tomorrow, when the legion decides on a course of action; now do not argue with me, my rider,” Gallanth lightly scolded.

  Gallanth’s index claw extended toward his rider and gently touched his knee. Gallanth closed his eyes to concentrate; immediately afterward, Mkel started to feel an intense pain grow deep within his knee. It felt like there was a fire inside his leg, and when it almost became unbearable, it quickly subsided, and Gallanth withdrew his claw and placed his foot back on the ground. Mkel’s knee felt much better, and he had full range of motion in it again, without any sharp pains. It still felt a little sore but was basically like new.

  “Thank you, you big lizard; isn’t there any way you can do that without the pain buildup?” Mkel joked.

  “Nothing comes without a price, my friend. Life would be too easy if it did,” Gallanth answered with a light tone. “All right, I better call Colonel Sheer,” Mkel said as he pulled his seeing crystal from its pouch on his belt. “Colonel Sheer?” he called on his crystal.

  “Captain Mkel, what is your status?” answered Sheer.

  “We just killed the last two drow and captured a priestess. Jodem has her under his control. Do you need any help?” he asked.

  “No, we just secured the town and relieved the garrison stationed here. We are setting up a defensive perimeter and camp now, and we recalled the paladins to establish a screen in case they are able to counterattack. I sent the best hippogriff riders to follow those man/dragons to see where they took the ones they captured. I also sent a message back to Battle Point to assemble more forces and prepare our rangers for a rescue mission. None of our men will be left to whatever fate those demon beasts would have in store for them.”

  “We should talk about that, sir, but how many are missing, and how many wounded are there?” Mkel asked.

  “There are at least twelve missing and believed captured. We had nine killed and nineteen wounded, of which four suffered serious injuries. The healers got to them quickly, and I was told all will live. We did lose two hippogriffs though, a sad loss, and a land dragon took a nasty strike from one of those talon dragons’ tail stingers and is not faring well. I must say if it wasn’t for you, Gallanth, and Jodem, our losses today would have been at least tenfold that amount, and this village would have been razed to the ground. We owe you all a great deal of gratitude, but we can talk of this later. I am setting up my command headquarters at the small keep where you killed that death knight earlier. Tell Gallanth we are still picking up pieces of the orcs he squashed. I will expect you soon,” Sheer finished.

  “Yes sir, we will be there momentarily,” Mkel answered while thinking to himself how quickly information disseminated in this legion.

  “We should get back, for we need to talk to Colonel Sheer about how he wants to get those men back,” Gallanth stated.

  “Yes, and I want to know what this little princess has in her dark mind,” Jodem agreed as he awkwardly got back into his saddle on Vatara.

  “All right, let’s mount,” Mkel agreed as he jumped onto Gallanth’s waiting forearm to get into his flying seat. As soon as Mkel had fastened the flying straps, Gallanth spread his wings. Vatara took off with his enlarged talons grabbing the drow priestess like he would have picked up a fish. When the giant eagle had gained enough altitude, Gallanth walked approximately one hundred yards from the drow’s broken staff.

  Mkel cocked Markthrea and placed a mithril-tipped bolt in place. He took careful aim as Gallanth paused to allow him to get an accurate shot. Mkel acquired the dark crystal in his sight and started to time his breathing. The sight’s crosshair movement settled onto the crystal, and as he exhaled one last time, he paused and squeezed the trigger. The bolt whistled through the air and struck the darkened crystal just slightly high of center, causing the evil stone to shatter and explode in a violent, blinding flash. Gallanth then leaped into the air, and with three hefts of his golden wings, he was right behind Jodem and Vatara.

  They could have teleported back over the town but it was a short flight and they all needed to wind down after the battle; it also saved power of the gems in Gallanth’s synthensium, which gave him the majority of the power for his breath weapons, for spells, and for teleportation. The land surrounding Handsdown was relatively flat with grassy plains, a few rolling hills, and small scattered forests as far as the eye could see until the southeastern mountains, which lay well beyond the horizon. A small river bisected the town and eventually rejoined the Milstra River, which flowed past Battle Point.

  Vatara could soar for hours without a single flap of his wings, but he still needed to undulate occasionally. Gallanth only needed to heft his colossal dragon wings to gain altitude. To maintain his level of speed, his and all dragons’ hides could actually force air to move over them. This enabled them to increase or decrease their speed at will without having to flap their wings. In essence, dragon skin, with its very small overlapping plates, actually had the ability to cause air to flow over their wings and body much like a dolphin can with water. This was also the strength of dragon skin, for when touched gently, it felt smooth, but it would became instantly rigid when struck, spreading the impact out across a wide surface. This and its very composition made dragon hide almost impenetrable, which was why it was so sought after for making weapons and armor. This helped make dragons among the strongest flyers, but not necessarily the most maneuverable. Gallanth could reach speeds well in excess of sixty miles per hour during level flight, and much faster when necessary. His dives attained considerably more speed, which was a woe to an enemy who was struck by him.

  Within a short time, they reached the village, which was still filled with many fires; smoke was rising from many destroyed houses and structures. However, most of them were basically intact, as the Alliance reinforcements arrived before too much destruction could take place. Mkel looked through Markthrea’s sight to get a better view of the activity below. There was a hub of movement around the small wooden fort where he and Gallanth had crushed those orcs an hour or so earlier and where he killed that death knight. His body had already been removed, and the orc bodies were being put into a pile for burning.

  Orcs stank when alive and smelled worse when dead, so the sooner they burned the bodies, the better. Orc weaponry and armor were not worth saving, for they were usually of poor quality. They favored crude swords and scimitars, battle-axes, spiked clubs, and short spears in battle, many of which were stolen or taken from their victims. Some of their ranks employed short bows, but they were not accurate, nor did they have a long range. They also employed very crude crossbows for greater range.

  The metal from their equipment was usually melted down for scrap. Orcs were insect-like in their internal structure, having a semi-open c
irculatory system with grayish black blood. Their skeletal system was also softer than that of humans, but their skin was slightly tougher.

  Their insect heritage was why only sterile males were usually encountered. Orc tribes had maybe one or two females, like termite queens, that bred offspring for that particular tribe. They reproduced at an extremely fast rate of one per week (or more, if conditions were right). They had brown, yellow, or almost black skin color, and while usually shorter than humans, some orcs were over six feet tall. Their integument was rubbery as compared to human skin, which made up for their softer skeletal system. Breeding males were up to six and a half feet tall. These specimens were stronger and slightly more intelligent than the average orc. They were usually the chieftains or war band captains of orc companies.

  Orcs were mostly substandard fighters, for they were poorly disciplined and did not possess great dexterity. They were very good at massing on an enemy, though, attacking like a colony of termites, and could wreak havoc on lightly protected or undefended communities. It took a strong chieftain, death knight, or sorcerer to keep them in check and focused on an enemy, however. Their leaders, if they were orcs, were usually the strongest and fiercest of the breeding male orcs in that tribe or colony. The orc tribes could be as few as one hundred to more than tens of thousands.

  Orcs claimed lands in Morgathia and roamed the eastern unsettled lands, either hunting or pillaging for food and treasure. They warred with anything, even other orc tribes, with the more powerful Morgathian warlords and sorcerers, as well as many giants and chromatic dragons, keeping tribes and even armies of orcs for their service as long as they could feed them. When directed by Morgathia, they banded together to form hoards in the tens to hundreds of thousands. These orc armies were coupled with human forces from Morgathia and its allies, with sections of drow, grummish, lizard men, and gnolls.

  As Gallanth approached the village, the Battle Point soldiers started to go into a hasty defensive posture, which was understandable at the sight of an incoming dragon, until several of the senior fighters and sergeants identified him. From the ground, his golden color, his immense wingspan, and the arrow-head-shaped tip of his tail made him very recognizable, even from long distances. Mkel could see that they were preparing a hasty defense by building a shallow trench and short earthen wall around the village and taking steps to flood it. It was being filled with sharpened sticks and was being dug at various depths. In some areas, it was three feet deep, other areas were over six. Once it was filled with water, an attacker could not tell which areas were deep or shallow, and the sticks were always just under the surface. The excess dirt was being compacted into a rampart for elevated defense, so if an attacking force was successful in bridging the spiked moat, they would have to scale the earthen slope and attack uphill into the spears and arrows of the defending soldiers.

  A small force could hold here against a much larger invading army when the construction was complete. More sappers would have to be brought in to build the towers and bridge that would be needed for completion of the defenses.

  Gallanth circled around the village several times, descending as he turned. He landed just inside the perimeter on the northeast side of the village, as far from the buildings as possible, for the wind generated by his wings could actually flatten small unsecured structures. As the dust settled from Gallanth’s downdraft, a cheer erupted from the Alliance soldiers. They knew he had saved many of their lives this day. The dragons that he killed in this battle could have taken out half their numbers, if not completely routed the counterattack.

  Gallanth folded his wings and settled down on the grass as Vatara set the drow priestess beside him, and both Mkel and Jodem quickly dismounted. A small squad of heavily armed men then approached them from the direction of the small wooden keep. Mkel could see the one leading them was an officer of senior captain rank. He started to salute, but the officer quickly motioned him not to.

  “Captain Mkel, there is no need for military courtesy after what we saw you and your mighty gold dragon do today. You and Gallanth deserve our utmost thanks, for we would not have been victorious without you two and Master Wizard Jodem,” the officer said.

  Mkel recognized him as Colonel Sheer’s second in command of the infantry battalion. “Captain, thank you, this is just what we are sworn to do, protect and support the infantry,” he answered with a smile.

  “Is Gallanth hurt?” he asked with a concerned expression on his face.

  “Just a few scratches, my good captain. They will heal quickly,” Gallanth answered, looking down at the squad of men. Gallanth did have several nasty gashes, but Mkel knew he would be almost totally healed by tomorrow morning. All he needed to do was to rest. “Mkel, I will take a short bath in the river and get a little rest after the prisoner is secured,” Gallanth continued.

  “Be careful, my friend, that river is nothing more than a large stream,” Mkel told his dragon mate.

  “It will suffice,” he said as Jodem walked the drow over to them.

  “Good afternoon, Captain,” Jodem said pleasantly as the squad of men that accompanied the Battle Point officer surrounded the priestess.

  “You might want to have a few paladins guard her as well, for she is very tricky and can easily seduce a man. Your cavalry knights have more of a resistance to this type of manipulation. No offense to your men, but she almost had me under her spell. I would have at least three men with her at all times, and a female soldier from your support corps units wouldn’t hurt either,” Mkel explained.

  “She seems somewhat sedate at present,” the captain said.

  “That’s because she is currently under my control,” Jodem stated, “but this will wear off by tomorrow. Her name is Vorgalla, and she is a priestess of the High Aranean order. She should have a little information about what the nature of this attack is all about. Gentlemen, you may escort her. She is harmless in her current state so swords are not necessary,” Jodem explained to the soldiers, who looked slightly spooked at being so close to a drow cleric. There was a great deal of lore about the power of the dark elf priestesses. “If it makes you feel better, place her hands in irons,” he added as he smiled at the nervous soldiers.

  They sheepishly lowered their swords but still did not sheath them, for in spite of the discipline of the Battle Point soldiers, the fear of dark magic was strong. The drow did spill Alliance blood, and she was one of the two most powerful dark elves they faced today, so retribution was also likely on their minds. These top fighters were to not only keep her from escaping, but to protect her from their fellow soldiers.

  They walked toward the wooden keep as Gallanth stepped behind them. If there was a plan to kill Vorgalla between Mkel, Jodem, and especially Gallanth, it would not happen now. They were greeted at the keep’s gate by Colonel Sheer and the rest of his hastily formed staff with a squad of paladins. Mkel noticed that several riders had arrived on hippogriffs from Battle Point, mostly senior officers with some reinforcements to help relieve the battle-weary battalion; the reinforcements were now preparing the defenses.

  “Be careful of the little spider, my friends,” Gallanth said. “Even without her staff, she still has a nasty bite.” He continued walking toward the river while looking at the group now entering the keep’s walls. “Get some rest, you big lizard. We will need you tomorrow,” Mkel called to his dragon. He knew Gallanth would fully heal from his wounds in a matter of hours, but he still felt the dragon’s pain and did not like his partner to be wounded in any way.

  “Master Gold Dragon Gallanth, we owe you our gratitude today,” Colonel Sheer spoke up to Gallanth as he walked past the wooden gate from the central building.

  “It is my pleasure, Colonel, tell your men that they fought gallantly today and are a credit to the Alliance,” Gallanth replied as he kept walking to the stream.

  “What do we have here, a little black elf witch?” Colonel
Sheer scowled at Vorgalla.

  “She can hear you, Colonel, but cannot respond while under my spell,” Jodem quickly replied.

  “Can we still question her?” he asked.

  “Yes, but we need a quiet room where I can concentrate on her,” Jodem replied.

  “You can use the small dining hall beside the council room in the keep. I will have it cleared of any personnel and leave instruction to not be disturbed and post guards. Captain, see to this,” he said to his second in command, who was standing beside Mkel.

  “Yes sir, immediately,” he replied; he put his hand on Mkel’s shoulder in a quick thank-you gesture and briskly walked off into the keep.

  “Come, Master Wizard, Dragonrider, let’s take the prisoner into the keep. We will be getting visitors both from Battle Point and from Draconia very soon,” Colonel Sheer said. “Captain Mkel, are you injured?” he asked as he noticed Mkel limping slightly.

  “I just got scratched by that green dragon before Gallanth sent his spirit on to the underworld. He already healed my leg, but it will be stiff for a couple of hours,” Mkel replied.

  “Nothing a couple of ales won’t cure, my son; come in, I will get food and drink for us,” Colonel Sheer said with a smile, and they all walked into the battered wooden keep. They filtered through the hallway and into the large council room. The senior captain already had the adjacent dining hall cleared and was making arrangements for food and drink to be brought in. Some of the hippogriffs must have been bringing supplies, and those in the town were now coming out of hiding or from the outskirts, where they fled from the invaders. The storage house next to the keep was made into a temporary healing hall, with all available aloras salve and healers consolidating and treating the wounded there.

  Gallanth walked over to the edge of the stream as carefully and gracefully as he could so as to not disturb the soldiers working on the defenses, but all the men in the immediate vicinity stopped working to stare at the gold dragon’s immense form. The soldiers by the stream moved aside as Gallanth stepped into the water. It was just over fifty yards across, barely wider than he was long, and as he moved into the middle, it was only twenty feet deep at its center. This was still enough to at least get the bottom half of his torso under water and wash the dried chromatic blood off of his golden hide.