The Fall of Schrade
Chapter One: Visions of Devastation
At one point in time, someone might have called the country of Schrade the most advanced civilization in the known world. They had created light sources and electricity forms through the fabrication of Electric Sacs found within a thunder wyvern's throat. They first domesticated Felynes as both chefs, medical assistants, and even aids to Monster Hunters. The proud thirteenth king of Schrade, despite his unlucky placing, had even unionized the whole country into a single empire, and becoming the Emperor himself. But a wise man once said, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. This adage couldn't be any closer to the truth for the civilization of Schrade. Over the course of the next 72 hours, the fate of three normal people will intertwine drastically, as the darkness that will soon cripple the country, brews.
* * *
Several hundred wyverns were quickly approaching the fortress, towards Remus and his allies. They soon disappeared in the fog, and the soldiers waited anxiously.
Remus drew his short sword, raised his shield above his chin, and looked out into the fog. Several of his soldiers stirred around him, twitching in anxiety and fear. A black bird-like creature, the size of an iguana shot out of the mist, beating it's wings in a synchronized pattern. A burst of flame shot out of it's mouth, spiraling towards Remus. He lifted his shield to meet the blaze, blocking all but a little flame that licked Remus' armored shoulder. He then swung his sword in an arc, slashing through the monster's side. Blood sprayed into the air, and a gentle breeze blew it into Remus' face. The monster hit the ground of the fortress wall, where nearby archers pelted it with arrows. The creature gave one last feeble squeak, and then died.
"There, more Remobra!" shouted a nearby Guardian. Dozens of similar animals weaved in and out of the thick fog, shooting small bursts of flame. Guardians blocked them with their tower shields, and returned fire with either arrows or swords. Soon the bodies of Guardians and Remobras alike littered the fort's floor. Remus looked to his side, to see his best friend, Andair, in a desperate struggle with two large Remobra. He beheaded one with a tremendously strong slash, but the second one caught him off guard. It bit at his neck, and pulled it to the side. Andair collapsed to the ground, his head just barely connected to his body. Remus watched as his best friend lay dead, the Remobra picking at his corpse.
This Remobra saw a furious Remus, and approached. This was one of the largest Remobras Remus had ever seen in his years as a Guardian, but it had just killed his best friend and he would not stop until all that was left of it was a bloody stump on the ground. Remus hurled his sword at it, and it lodged itself in the beast's side. Remus followed up by removing the sword, all to the monster's pain, and repeatedly stabbing it's legs. It collapsed in agonizing pain, blowing wisps of smoke from it's mouth in fury.
The Remobra knocked Remus off his feet with the swipe of a tail, and approached maw wide open. It wrapped it's wicked embrace of teeth around Remus' arm, piercing through his armor and injecting a lethal neurotoxin. The poison sifted through the Guardian's veins, as he felt the life being sucked right out of him. But this hunter had twenty-five years of experience as a Guardian on his shoulder, and his time had not yet come. The man rose to his feet with surprising strength, and the jaws were removed from his arm. At least a gallon of blood and toxin spilled out of his left arm, but he drew his sword anyway. He slashed the side of the Remobra, and it's intestines spilled out, as well as a mixture of digestive fluids, and a lot of blood.
The Remobra toppled over in pain, covering it's wound with its wing. Remus approached the downed wyvern, and raised his sword. In a last ditch effort, the Remobra swiped at Remus' side with its wing's claw, but Remus just blocked it with his shield. It flew from his grasp, and his only defense now was his thick armor, which the Remobra had already proven it could penetrate. In incomparable fury, Remus slashed away at the creature's neck, until all that could be seen was a bloody clot of veins, clinging to its spinal cord. Remus didn't stop hacking at the now unrecognizable Remobra, until several minutes had passed since it's death. He gave one final slash, and its neck bones were crushed to bloody dust.
Remus walked off into the fog, and gazed around. At least seventy of his men lay dead around him, piles of slain Remobra scattered among them. Only a chosen few selected by the twisted gods of Minegarde, (As Remus would call them) had survived the massacre. Captain Remus Dain walked towards his only living friend left, Julius, and spoke to him in a quiet, deliberate manner.
"Have the General send medics. Don't bother contacting the Emperor, he can't help us and even if he could, he wouldn't. I need you to bury Andair for me. Tell his wife he died protecting his country and everything he stood for. Please, if you will -" Remus coughed up a sticky, black substance, inhaled deeply, and continued with a raspy voice: "I'd like you to become the godfather of my child. Teach him to honor deeply the protectors and valiant Guardians of Schrade, like these brave men who died today. Thank-"
And with that, Remus collapsed, more black liquid and blood spilling out of his mouth.
"-Y-you," he gargled feebly.
"Remus!"
Julius kneeled next to his dying friend, and lifted him up from the puddle of blood he lay in.
Suddenly a barrage of strange images assaulted Remus' mind. He saw various villages and towns of Schrade burning in a mass of rubble and debris, and the shadow of a massive dragon. Screaming of children and women, including his wife, attacked Remus' ears. He could hear the faint cries of his unborn and dying baby. A melancholy cry pierced his thoughts, followed by an ear-destroying roar from a dragon.
"REMUS!"
The faint scream of his friend was the last thing Remus heard before he fell unconscious.
* * *
A rather old man walked through a large crowd of people, and set his eyes on the Emperor of Schrade, who stood behind a podium in front of the audience.
"My people," said the Emperor (whose voice was amplified by a special potion brewed from the fluids within a monster's stomach, and several rare jewels crushed to dust. This is of course, another one of Schrade's technological advancements.) and his voice was met with thunderous applause and plaudits from the audience.
"Today, our great nation will be exploring the depths of Mount Schrade. Within, scouts report seeing shining stones deep down into the inactive volcano. Today, I announce the plan to send hundreds of dedicated miners into the volcano, to recover these precious stones for the glory of Schrade!
Again, thunderous applause.
The man watching the Emperor's performance grimaced in anger. Bastard thinks he can send us down into that sweltering mass of dirt, for what? "Precious stones?"
This man was Aldrith Moras, a miner for the Cantus Mining Company. Aldrith attempted to leave the town square, but several guards wearing the royal insignia raised their lances as he approached. Hmph. Now the asshole thinks he can make me watch his greedy little performance. Aldrith faced the Emperor again, and watched his fat belly shake as he spoke utter nonsense.
Twenty-five miles to the north-east of the announcement in Cantus, a trail of smoke was rising from the depths of Mount Schrade. Deep down below, beneath a thin layer of sweltering hot dirt, slept a dragon, it's black scales pushing the ground upwards with each intake of air. In about twenty-four hours, it would be awoken by a cautious miner who noticed the strange dirt as it swelled upwards, and due to the Emperors greedy, lustful habits, Schrade would be doomed.