"Everyone down! NOW ! "shouted Sir Jose.
Kit didn't need her master to command her twice. She dove into a roll and tumbled into an alley, even as a swath of flame ignited the street. The squire saw that most of her companions had evaded the brunt of the fires, but a few of the Sasserine militia were caught out in the open. One of the guardsmen fell to the ground, a lifeless blackened husk, while another ran seemingly in random circles as his body smouldered brightly.
After the initial strike, a roar came from down the street and a platoon of hobgoblins advanced in a steady march towards them, shields and spears arrayed like a deadly flower's bloom.
Kit considered dealing with them, but knew they had a more immediate concern. She drew her bow and popped back out of the alley scanning the sky. She spotted her draconic target soaring overhead and quickly fired before it flew out of view. Her aim and shot were true, but her arrow stopped seemingly in midair deflected by an invisible barrier. While she had clearly missed she saw a small crossbow bolt overshoot the dragon, before deflecting back and striking its target, though it was to minimal effect. Kit cursed, partially at the magical barrier but more at missing her own shot. Ever since her conversation with Madeline, the young squire had taken more appreciation and pride at her archery prowess; each time she missed felt like a blemish on her competence.
As the enemy flew out of sight behind the rooftops of Sasserine, Kit took the opportunity to scamper up the building that she was hiding behind. While the alley had no ladders, the nimble were fox leapt up to a window sill, pulled herself up, before leaping again to catch an edge, and finally flipping over and landing on the balls of her feet onto the roof. From her new vantage point, she saw Sir Jose, Pig Iron and the warrior called Grinder charge the incoming hobgoblins. Some of the guards supported them, but most were clearly demoralized and scrambled into the nearby buildings. She also spotted Trent, Maid, and a few remaining militiamen readying their bows and crossbows for a more organized volley at their elusive aerial opponent. There was no sign of their dragon attacker through the smoking city, but she did spot a pair of armored griffons tearing at another dragon in the distance. Though it was difficult to spot, she did see the sparks of metal on metal and could make out knights and Githyanki sparring atop their mounts.
As Kit watched the dragon warrior and griffon knights engaged in their aerial duel briefly before the Githyanki and its mount broke their engagement and fled through the smoke. Even as she watched the knights fly in pursuit the dragon she was searching for burst through the smoke and dove towards her party. Kit's keen eye spotted its ornate armored rider, and drew a bead on him with her bow. She saw a volley of arrows and crossbow bolts mostly deflect off the shield of the dragon again, and noted the pattern in which they were redirected. Taking this in account, she released her shot slightly to the side of her target, and grinned ear to ear as her arrow embedded into the Githyanki's chest. Kit's arrow caught her target in mid spell casting, and almost threw him off his saddle. Only his aerial leg straps prevented a fatal fall.
While the Githyanki rider was either disabled or at least interrupted, its dragon mount was undeterred by the hail of missiles coming its way. It dove once again into the street and unleashed another river of flame. Kit expected the dragon to just blast the road once again, burning friend and foe alike, but instead the dragon directed the brunt of its fiery fury into a nearby building. Screams of torment erupted from the blazing structure as the dragon soared upwards once again into the smoke.
Kit frowned as she realized their distinct tactical disadvantage. Kaeda could shift into an eagle and fly towards their airborne tormentor, but the druid proved repeatedly that she was less then skilled in close quarter combat. Kit also noted that she saw no sign of her, and assumed that Kaeda was probably cowering in fear, despite the fact that their draconic attacker was far too small to radiate a fear aura. She supposed that Sir Jose could summon Greenpaw and attempt to engage the dragon in the air, but the great celestial husky had only 'earned its wings' so to speak, and she had doubts about how her master or his mount would fair in an aerial battle. Also Sir Jose made it clear he would attempt to keep a low profile till they reached the old sea fort, taking to the sky now would summon every dragon rider the enemy had before they were ready.
Kit disregarded their tenuous position and refocused on the task on hand. The dragon was circling around once again, filling its lungs with fire or something. She knew killing the beast with a single shot was a difficult if not impossible task, but she did remember hearing some bard did it a few years ago. It was a crazy tale about talking birds, a forlorn mountain, a loose scale, and a black arrow, but if some two bit musician could do it, Kit thought she could as well.
As the squire waited for her prey, she felt her hair rise on their ends. Even before she heard the crack of thunder, Kit dove to the side evading a bolt of lightning targeted clearly at her. She scowled as she saw the warrior mage she had shot earlier, clinging to his saddle glaring at her with glowing malevolent eyes. Even more pressing was that the Githyanki's dragon mount seemed to be diving straight towards her. Kit knew that there would be little room to dodge its fiery breath while she was off balanced and exposed on the roof.
Kit attempted to spring over the roof's ledge but before she could muster her strength and find her footing, both of her attackers were seemingly caught in a powerful updraft. Both dragon and rider were tossed violently by a violent wind and were sent spinning in the air. Kit couldn't see a thing, but she did smelled something akin to a thunderstorm or a hurricane, and knew immediately it was some sort of elemental. The Githyanki seemed to sense this as well and unleashed a torrent of arcane energy, briefly illuminating before dissipating what appeared to a cloud with claws. The squire guessed it was most likely Kaeda's handiwork and resolved to apologize to the druid later for her earlier thoughts.
While the elemental was slain, the strong turbulence it caused with its death throes did manage to send the dragon and its rider tumbling uncontrolled from the sky. The pair plummeted to the ground , but to the dragon's credit it managed to break its fall partially by crashing into Kit's building . Kit scrambled out of the way as the dragon crashed through the roof before reeling back and continuing its descent to the street below. Kit managed to avoid being squashed but felt the building creak ominously to its side.
Without thinking, Kit dropped her bow and drew her blades before leaping after the falling dragon. As she jumped off the roof and hopefully on top of her opponents, Kit saw that she wasn't the only one converging on the dragon. Even though the dragon was on its side, dazed from its fall , the creature was still a deadly opponent, however that did not deter Sir Jose from charging the monster.
"Daros Lucha!" roared the knight as he bellowed his familiar war cry.
The knight slammed his sword into the creature's tail, pinning it into the cobbled street. The dragon's head shot out almost comically in anger and surprise, but Sir Jose targeted its neck with his shield and drove the steel bulwark into it with a mighty blow. Kit grimaced as the sickening sound of crushed bones filled the air, even as she fell towards the stunned Githyanki mage. She slipped both her kukris into its neck, before doing a tight flip and landing softly onto the dying astral warrior's shoulders.
Jose nodded to her even as he retrieved his sword from the slain dragon's tail. Kit returned the nod as she hopped lightly off her dead foe.
Kit had expected the hobgoblins to break and run after the dragon and mage were killed , but to their credit they fell back in an organized fashion. Their phalanx formation kept Grinder and the rest of the militia at bay with their long spears and their shields turned away most of Maid and Trent's support fire. Despite their sound formation and tactics, it helped little against Pig Iron. The crazed dwarf ignored the spears even as they pierced his heavy armor, and merrily hacked and chopped the hobgoblin's center rank with his golden bastard sword. While the militia could not overcome the hobgoblins under normal circumstances, they eagerly took advantage of the strange meowing dwarf's breach and poured into close quarters against them. The hobgoblins knew they were defeated but their leader simply abandoned their front ranks to the vengeful defenders as the rest of his unit retreated.
"That was a costly skirmish," commented Trent as he surveyed the carnage. "We lost eight militiamen."
Grinder nodded in agreement," Aye , but we knew the cost of this little foray before we set forth. Getting to the North Harbor Fort aint gonna be easy peasy." Even though Kit was busy recovering her bow from the rubble, the squire could detect a hint of resentment in the grizzled warrior's voice. In fact after she found her weapon, Kit saw that many of the other militia seemed to give Sir Jose dark menacing stares.
Kit couldn't blame them though. While most had fought vigorously against the enemy defending the Southern Gate House's impressive walls, battling the enemy face to face, hand to hand, was a different matter altogether. While some like her master, Pig Iron and herself relished the thrill of close quarter combat, most soldiers were often shaken by it. Kaeda always seemed scared by up close fightin, and she could smell a sense of nervousness even from Trent and Maid during battle. Kit wondered if her own bloodlust was a normal thing, but decided that anything similar she shared with Pig Iron was definitely abnormal.
Kit expected Sir Jose to say something inspiration or more likely threatening to restore morale, but instead Trent spoke up in his defense. "Look around you. There's goblins and giants in the streets, and dragons in the sky. Nothing is going to be 'easy' if we want to win this thing. Your homes, your livelihood and most importantly your loved ones are at stake here. I'm not going to give you the option of falling back to the Southern Gate, I need as many of you that I can get if we're going to make it to the Harbor Keep. So save your dirty looks for the enemy," warned the Halfling. While even on his dog he was easily the smallest one there , Trent seem to tower above the cowering militiamen during his speech.
Grinder sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Look matey, we understand how important this is, but besides myself , most of the lads here have little or no actual military experience. The most violent thing my boys have done before this siege was to break up the occasional bar room scrap, or brawl with kobolds in the sewers. Nuttin prepares us for dragon riding Giffyankee finger wagglers."
Trent nodded and signaled the group to resume their march, while still reluctant the rest of the soldiers followed suit with little complaint. While Kit thought the Halfling handled the situation well , she also noted that Sir Jose had quietly moved to their center and was radiating his weird hero aura. She admitted she didn't fully understand that particular paladin skill, but she did know her lord can bolster one's courage simply by standing close to them. A useful skill to have considering the task that laid ahead of them.
While their ultimate goal was the destruction of the Githyanki and their flying fortress, the fact that the enemy chose not to reveal their strength made their task difficult. Kit knew that even if they broke the siege on the city, if the astral warrior's base was not dealt with they would continue to plague the territory. Most of the blood shed by their foe had been conscripted or charmed humanoid and giant tribes, and Kit knew they could easily raise another army again. Even if they killed every goblin around in five hundred miles, the next time it could be an army of war like orcs, a horde of hill barbarians, or perhaps the ocean dwelling sahaugin shark men. Worse still, if the enemy succeeded in conquering Sasserine they would be free to continue repairs to their fortress and possibly go back in time and affect events that happened nearly a hundred years ago. Kit still wasn't clear on the concept of temporal physics but Madeline made it clear that it could possibly wipe or alter this timeline's existence.
To stop their plans, the enemy's had to be brought out in the open and stopped. A difficult task under most circumstances, but luckily they had an ace in the hole, a Githyanki Silver blade. Kit knew that their foe had some crazy obsession over it and would do anything to recover it. Only the area's unique anti arcane qualities, and perhaps some of Madeline's magic prevented the foe from finding them, but the squire was certain they would throw their might at them if its location was revealed for all to see.
Taking the blade to the most defensible part of the city, and luring the enemy to it seemed their best course of action. Sir Jose hoped that the enemy would break their own strength attempting to recover the blade, but Kit wasn't so sure. Gambling everything on the fact the enemy may or may not attempt a suicidal rush seemed too risky to the squire, but she wasn't about to question her lord. It was a decisive plan with flaws to be sure, but better to have a plan than none at all.
While her lord made the plan, luckily Sergeant Trent was the one to put it into motion. The keen minded Halfling split their forces into two groups in an attempt to make it to the keep. While Kit was leery of splitting up, his reasoning was that the enemy could spot and discern large troop movements, but two smaller groups would go unnoticed. Regardless of his logic, Kit noted that the boogey man in most horror tales often preyed on their foes after they split up.
Besides the current attack the plan seemed to be working as planned. Most of the battle seemed concentrated around the Citadel of the Snow Lion to the east or the central Militia barracks in the center of the city. Trent's outriders and a platoon of guards took the safer but longer eastern route, and hoped their speed would evade any foes. Kit noted that the Halfling left his second in command to lead his riders while he guided Jose's group through the city. An odd decision, but the squire guessed that a certain Innkeepers safety probably swayed the Halfling decision. Their own group were to head directly to the militia barracks. If things went according to plan they would break the siege there and conscript guards to help man the Harbor Keep. It seemed like a crazy plan, but Kit admitted that she had followed her lord into more dangerous situations before. An army of hobgoblins or giants seemed easier to deal with then say, the pair of them attacking a goblin village, crawling up a giant construct's leg, or perhaps taking on a full sized red dragon.
As the group advanced towards the center of the city, the pair of Griffon Knights that Kit spotted earlier descended towards them. Fierce winds buffeted them as their fierce half lion half eagle mounts landed. Kit noted that the knights were in light mail, and wielded maces and bows. Even though they were bloodied and singed by their own encounter against a dragon, the knights looked magnificent and almost regal with their banners and fierce tabards fluttering from their Griffons. Kit felt ashamed at her own grubby appearance when compared with these knights. Even without the battle grime, Sir Jose and her own dress uniforms paled compared to the glorious warriors before her.
"Hold !" demanded the lead knight. " We have been charged by Lady Ogela to coordinate and communicate the efforts of the defenders. While we commend your efforts, your group would better serve Sasserine defending the gate house and cut off the enemy's line of supply. "
Sir Jose stepped up and shook his head. "I am Sir Jose . Lady Ogela is a personal friend to my own master, and I hold her in the highest esteem, but we're heading to the main barracks and then to the Harbor Keep. "
The lead knight scowled and raised his mace. Kit had heard that the knights of the Ice Griffon were amongst the most ruthless, deadly and aloof of all the northern warriors. She could clearly understand why since they rode majestic Griffons while if she was lucky she could someday ride a big dog. She feared her lord's less then amicable communication skills were going to start a fight, but strangely the knight before her master faltered and bowed his head in deference to Sir Jose when he noticed the faded dog symbol on his tabard.
"Forgive me. I did not realize we were in the presence of a Knight of the Husky. I am Sir Albin the second and this is my squire Tanden. I do not understand the reasoning of your tactic, but we will not impede any brother of the Great Orange Champion, "stammered the lead knight in recognition.
The second rider seemed to be confused by his fellow's actions at first, but at the mention of the 'Orange Champion' he fell in line as well," All hail the followers of Champion Zax, killer of the Hafgufa, slayer of Ogremoch, and the man that brought our order back into the light," chanted squire Tanden as he bowed his head reverently.
Jose nodded; seemingly satisfied at the respect he was given.
"We will not hinder your course of action and will inform Lady Ogela of your presence immediately. Surely your Order's famed courage and martial skills will turn the tide of battle," declared Albin as he prepared to take flight.
Kit was thoroughly confused and wished she wore her tabard as well. Her own order was considered a minor one at best, especially compared to the Great Orders like that of the Ice Griffons. While Sir Jose often went on about how respected and feared their order was, Kit admitted she thought it was more prideful boasting than actual truth. She nudged up to Jose and elbowed him slightly. "What's this all about ? " she whispered.
"It's just like they said, some Husky guy in the past beat the hell out of their supreme leader over a century ago and they've given us props for it ever since," whispered Sir Jose in return as he maintained his gaze towards the Griffon Knights.
"Do you require anything else of us before we inform the Snow Lion Commander?" asked Albin.
Jose thought over his request. "Just one. Tell her to wait for my signal, and then strike with all she's got."