by Isaac Hooke
He drew vitality from Vorgon, then low-crawled toward Abigail. Weyanna was with her, and the pair sheltered behind a small bush.
Weyanna held Abigail in her arms. She had ripped away the arrow, and was applying healing magic in waves of white mist. The wound knitted up before his eyes, and soon Abigail breathed normally. They were both slumped, however, their faces haggard from the ordeal.
He transferred stamina to the two of them, and they perked up.
“How did that arrow penetrate her body?” Malem asked. He knew a little bit about Metal dragons, and when they were in human form, and uncollared like Abigail, ordinarily their flesh was as hard as their scales. Unless of course they wished their skin to be soft, like when they mated Malem.
“Magic,” Weyanna explained.
Another arrow ripped past, and he heard the swoosh and felt the blast of air as it nearly hit his head.
He ducked lower.
“Would these magic arrows cause the same damage if you were in dragon form?” Malem asked.
“I doubt it,” Weyanna replied. “We’d be much larger. The arrows would be reduced to the size of thorns.”
“Then transform,” he said.
He issued the order over their mental line.
Dragons, transform, Malem sent. Ferret out these attackers.
Weyanna quickly removed her dress, and her boots, as did Abigail beside her. Then together, the two of them changed into dragons.
Malem was forced to jump to his feet, and retreated before he was crushed by the giant figures. They changed swiftly, within the span of seconds; more arrows came in, striking them during their changes, but because they were so much larger, the arrows did far less damage.
In moments, Abigail had grown to her full height, the silver crammed in next to Weyanna’s white. Sylfi and Brita, the two chromiums, were packed in nearby.
The four dragons rammed into the surrounding trees, and bit into the trunks, uprooting them.
Blurry forms dropped away from the branches, and quickly took cover behind nearby trees.
Abigail sprayed flames across those trees, as did Weyanna and the other two. In moments the forest around him ignited.
A fire elemental appeared, and wove between the burning trees, seeking out the attackers.
The forest became alive. The burning trees experienced a growth spurt, and branches shot out, wrapping around the four dragons in turn.
Wooden limbs also sought Malem, but he clambered to his feet and drew his sword, using it to cut away the branches. The sword hummed loudly, begging for the lives of the four dragons.
He knew the arrows would be targeting him next now that he had placed himself in the open like that, and he was about to call Ziatrice, but she was already there, standing at his side. She activated her magic shield so that when the arrows came, they bounced off.
The dragons couldn’t escape the many wooden limbs that bound them; their heads were tilted skyward, so that when they breathed fire, their flames rose harmlessly into the air.
“We are here to speak with your queen!” Malem shouted. “We are an envoy, from the Metal dragons.”
The attack didn’t abate.
Malem poured stamina into Abigail, willing her to break free, but branches continued to grow from the nearby trees, thoroughly pinning her and the others. In fact he could barely see the dragons through all the wooden limbs that had wrapped around them.
How are they holding you? he sent. You’re a frickin’ dragon!
I don’t know, but it’s pissing me off! Abigail replied. These branches feel like cords of iron!
There are too many of them! Brita complained.
Abigail suddenly began to shrink, returning to human form. The branches constricted with her diminishing form, so that by the time she was human, she was bound tight, clothed by vines and wooden appendages.
That didn’t work out too well for you, Malem sent.
You forget, that in human form, I’m a full-bodied fire mage, she sent.
Her entire body lit up with flames, becoming a human torch that burned through the branches that held her.
Nice, he sent. Why can’t you do that as a dragon again?
Scales don’t conduct flames too well, she replied.
She walked forward, her naked body clothed in flames, and directed her fire toward the other dragons bound beside her. None of those dragons were fire mages in human form, so it wasn’t really advantageous of them to transform back. Malem wondered if it was worth it to do so anyway, but decided the masses of branches that held their bodies would simply clump up around them, and would be no easier for Abigail to burn through.
Abigail wasn’t able to burn through the branches holding their companions for long—she had to redirect her flames at the wooden appendages that struck out from the forest toward her.
Other living branches hurtled toward Malem as well, but the magic shield denied them. However, their touch drained the shield, forcing Ziatrice to maintain it, weakening her. He granted her stamina, and swung his sword at the branches that had wrapped around the shield’s extents—the magic allowed his blade to pass through—and he cut the wood away. Ziatrice also swung Wither beside him, breaking away those branches.
“Like trimming a hedge,” he said. “Cords of iron, I don’t think so.”
It helped that both of their blades were magical, of course.
The growth spurt did nothing to douse the flames the dragons had created throughout the forest, and the fires continued to spread, so that some of the limbs that came at Malem were on fire.
Nearby, Gwenfrieda remained ducked on the ground, releasing explosive arrows at branches that sought her out in turn. When the arrows struck, they always cut away big clumps of the branches. He didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to escape those clutching limbs however, not when they were coming in from all sides.
Come to me! he told her. Seek cover in Ziatrice’s shield!
She leaped to her feet, and Ziatrice momentarily lowered the shield so that the half gobling could enter. She resumed firing when the shield went up so that the three of them fought back to back.
He wasn’t sure where Mauritania was, but green darts of magic weaved between the burning trees, seeking targets, so she was still active out there.
Abigail abruptly returned to dragon form. She had lost her fire elementals when she became human, but she summoned them again and directed the creatures to Weyanna. Their arms reformed into fiery axes that they used to strike at the branches holding her. With each impact, the flames leaped onto the nearby binds and helped burn them away, but it would be a while yet before she broke free, especially considering more branches shot forward to replace those that were severed.
Meanwhile, Abigail, next to her, alternated between breathing flames into those binding branches, and biting into them, while at the same time defending against the branches that continually tried to catch her.
Ziatrice launched her chains of dark mist through the magic shield and ripped away one of the trees from where arrows launched, revealing a small humanoid. It was a woman, Malem realized, clad in an outfit patterned with brown and green patches so as to blend in with the forest. Underneath the war paint smeared across her cheeks and brow, she was fair-skinned, with long, pale hair and immaculate features. The only odd thing about her was the pointed ears.
Had to be an elf.
He could finally feel her with his beast sense now that he’d spotted the elf, and he tried to Break her. No good: his will evaporated upon touch.
The elf woman fled.
Mauritania, see if you can injure that one!
Killing is easy, Mauritania returned. Injuring, harder. But I’ll see what I can do.
A tall, green smear appeared in front of the elf as she fled. Mauritania materialized from that blur with her short sword equivalents—Tiercel and Peregrine—in hand. She struck out at the woman, who had drawn a sword of her own to replace the bow.
Mauritania towered over
her as they fought, and Malem realized the half Eldritch’s foe was a man—Malem had merely confused him for a woman because of the feminine face, and the long hair.
Mauritania was hit by an arrow then, in her left bicep. Her mental scream rang his mind: Fuck!
She dropped the weapon that hand wielded, and the arm flopped lifelessly at her side. She fought on through the pain with her remaining weapon, but she began to flag.
The elf scored a glancing hit on her left calf.
Weyanna, can you heal her?
In answer, white threads darted away from the trapped form of Weyanna, making their way toward the half Eldritch.
Meanwhile, Malem poured stamina into Mauritania, and she devoured it hungrily. Her eyes flared with swirls of green magic and her horns grew out demonically. The elf immediately switched to the defensive as Mauritania’s large blade struck so hard that her foe’s weapon was nearly slapped away with each strike.
Meanwhile Ziatrice launched chains of mist at the tree whence that furtive arrow had come, and uprooted it, revealing another elf in hiding. This one was definitely female, judging from its bosom.
The revealed opponent turned around, but before the archer could run, Ziatrice caught her with the next batch of chains and drew the elf toward her. She swung Wither as the elf came into range—
Wait!
But Wither struck, splitting the elf in two.
Damn it.
Weyanna’s healing magic had reached Mauritania then, and mended her arm. Malem felt both of their stamina drop from the healing, and he pumped energy into them, taking from Vorgon’s well.
Mauritania scooped up the dropped blade in her revived arm, so that she had one per hand again, and she pressed the attack against her flagging foe.
But then branches erupted from the surrounding trees en masse and wrapped around Mauritania before she could cut them away, trapping her. Her arms were yanked above her head so that the wrists were nearly touching.
The elf, grinning in triumph, plunged the blade toward Mauritania’s heart.
Teleport!
An instant before the blade struck, Mauritania dropped her blades, but instead of teleporting, she slapped the palms of her trussed hands together. A powerful green shockwave erupted from her body, breaking away the branches, and knocking the elf flat on his back.
Malem tried to Break the elf—no good.
He sensed weakness from Mauritania as she turned around to scoop up her dropped weapons—the shockwave attack had cost her. Blades in hand, she swiveled to strike at the elf once more, but her foe was already racing away through the burning forest.
Give me stamina! Mauritania sent.
He knew she wanted stamina to teleport in front of the elf and cut him off, but Malem didn’t think that was a good idea. What if she teleported into view of a bunch of elven archers?
Forget it! Get back here!
Mauritania hesitated, but then retreated as more branches sought her. Malem fed her some much-needed stamina, and she launched darts of green magic at the wooden limbs, withering them. Arrows also came in, but missed. She teleported again when several of those branches nearly snatched her up, and she appeared close to Malem and Ziatrice. She continued sprinting toward them.
Ziatrice lowered the shield to let Mauritania through, and then raised it so that the four of them could fight back to back while protected by the magic.
Gwenfrieda had exhausted her supply of exploding arrows by then, and had switched to the auto-refilling, non-exploding variety she carried in a second satchel. She was keeping the archers pinned behind the different burning trees.
Ziatrice uprooted another tree with her chains of mist, exposing an archer. Before Malem could stop her, Gwenfrieda released an arrow, killing that one instantly.
Careful! I want to Break them!
The number of branches trying to ensnare Abigail increased significantly, and she was forced to leap up onto Weyanna to avoid them all.
Hey! Weyanna said. Fuck you’re heavy.
Abigail breathed fire at the incoming branches in a wide arc, lighting them all on fire. The fiery blades wrapped around her, but they burned away, and she was able to shuck them free.
Finally she gets smart, Gwenfrieda commented.
Like you’re doing any better down there! Abigail retorted.
More branches came in at the silver dragon, but Mauritania and Ziatrice helped out, with the former launching green darts to wither the limbs, and the latter wrapping her dark chains around the appendages to yank them away. Abigail continued to breathe fire at the branches as well, pausing occasionally to tear into those that held Weyanna. Meanwhile the fire elementals hacked away at the white dragon’s binds.
And then one of the burning trees experienced a sudden growth spurt, and literally came alive. Two branches formed from its sides, becoming long arms topped with claws. It uprooted, and its exposed tubers combined to become to thick legs. The upper boughs became burning hair. In the center of the trunk, malevolent eyes peered from dark slits, while a gnarled mouth opened down the middle, filled with sharp wooden stakes that served as teeth.
“We have to find the asshole elf responsible for this shit!” Gwenfrieda said.
13
Malem tried to Break the living tree, but unsurprisingly his will evaporated upon touching its mind—if you could even call what it had a mind. Its intelligence seemed more on the level of a worm or small insect than anything else. It should have been weak-willed, but magic protected it.
One of those big arms swung down on Malem and the others, but Ziatrice’s shield deflected it. She staggered from the blow, and the shield momentarily blinked off. The tree launched vines from its arm, attempting to wrap them around Malem and the others, but he restored the half elf’s stamina and the magic shield flashed back into existence, so that the cords wrapped around the magic, instead of the occupants.
Malem and Mauritania sliced those vines away.
Meanwhile Abigail leaped down from Weyanna, and crashed into the animated tree. The pair collapsed onto the ground, and rolled about, wrestling. Abigail plowed into two trees as she fought, breaking them.
The evil tree wrapped its claws around the silver dragon’s throat, and vines extended from its arms, tightening around Abigail’s neck.
Uh, shit, Abigail said. Some help?
She breathed fire up at her attacker, and singed its already burning boughs, but wasn’t able to target the main trunk.
More branches came in from other trees nearby, trying to bind her; Mauritania and Ziatrice used their magic to help keep those branches at bay. Meanwhile, Malem was occupied with the limbs that kept trying to attack him and the others inside the shield.
Weyanna abruptly tore free of the limbs that held her, and she raced to Abigail’s aid. She ignited the creature with a direct blast of flame to the trunk, and it screamed, releasing the silver. Weyanna bit down on the burning tree and lifted it off the ground by one leg, then she swung her head about, using the heavy mass like a club to strike at the surrounding trees. Branches tore and broke away all around her, and elves fled from their covers behind them.
Gwenfrieda had a field day with those fleeing elves, striking them in the back.
He was about to remind her not to kill all of them, when Gwenfrieda altered her aim, striking one of the elves with two shots in rapid succession: one in the buttocks, the other the calf.
Malem wasn’t certain that would be enough to Break the target, but he was pleasantly surprised when his will wrapped around the elf. He squeezed, and the elf struggled like a fish grabbed by hand from the lake. He seeped stamina liberally from Vorgon, until the creature was his.
I want you to go to the mage who’s doing this, Malem instructed his new tool.
The mage? the elf asked. There are two.
Then go to the closest, and let me know when you arrive. Try to stay alive until then.
Since the dragons were bound to Malem, they would sense that the elf was his, but th
ey still might accidentally kill the Broken creature in their bloodlust.
Weyanna continued striking the surrounding trees with her living club, until the animated tree she held broke apart entirely, shattering under the stress.
Abigail swept her flames across the fleeing elves, igniting them. She also bashed into the trees around her, and unleashed fire at branches that tried to grab her. She didn’t have to worry about too many branches coming at her from behind, because of the devastation she and the other dragons had wrought, with the burning, toppled trees forming a clearing of sort; most of the entrapping limbs came from the intact forest ahead.
Meanwhile, the fire elementals concentrated on freeing the next trapped dragon: Sylfi.
Malem led the others toward that dragon; they stayed together, using Ziatrice’s shield for protection. When they reached Sylfi, they joined the fire elementals, hacking away at the limbs that bound the chromium. Gwenfrieda protected their rear, searching for any archers that were yet out there. Malem occasionally paused to turn around and hack at any branches that tried to envelope the magic shield.
Because of the clearing formed by the falling trees, the sky was partially revealed overhead, and so when he noticed motion overhead he glanced up to discover a flock of some kind of robins flying past.
He smiled grimly.
He reached out and broke all fifty-three of them; he recouped his stamina from Vorgon, and sent the robins dive-bombing toward the forest below. He instructed them to swarm any elves they encountered.
Peck the fuckers to death!
In moments Sylfi broke free with a roar. She leaped across the clearing, reaching Abigail and Weyanna, and thrust her head between the trees, unleashing a blast of flame. An elf was hidden behind a tree trunk right beside her, and leaped from cover, striking at her neck with a sword. The magic blade dug deep.
Sylfi swiveled her head in outrage, and chomped down on the elf. She raised her head, and those two feet that protruded from her mouth kicked at the air helplessly. She swallowed the elf in two quick bites.
