No Greater Disaster
AN: Sorry this took a bit longer, but this one was quite difficult to write. There was one section of four hundred words that took me three days to write because I didn't know how to word it. And despite the wait, this one is a bit shorter, too, but hopefully the next one won't take as long.
And the question from last chapter still remains: Thoughts on a platonic relationship between Pengu and Raya?
Disclaimer: I do not own Raya and the Last Dragon.
Chapter 5:
The plan they decided on was actually quite simple, in theory. However, there was an old saying in Spine: No plan ever survives contact with the enemy. And this plan, though simple in theory, was a bit more complex when actually put into practice. There were many things that could go wrong, and one of those had happened before they even began to march.
Both Tong and Raya were hoping for a thousand men, yet they had just shy of eight hundred. There was nothing to be done about that, though, despite having tried to gather more. Eight Hundred was all Spine had to offer at this time.
Less warriors would make it more difficult to take the fortress, but it was still possible if the rest of the plan went well. They planned to arrive at night, so the darkness would help hide their approach. A small vanguard—including he and Raya—would clear out the patrols and sentries guarding the western path into the basin. The main gate directly faced that path, so the army could easily attack once they were ready.
They brought along a battering ram to give the appearance that the Spine warriors were actually hoping a frontal assault would succeed, but they were actually a diversion. He and Raya would lead a small force to scale the rear wall of the fortress with ladders and make their way to the main gate to open it from the inside. If the defenders weren't as disorganized from a night attack as they were expecting, and they couldn't make it to the gates, Spine's warriors would be slaughtered.
That happened to be the biggest risk with this plan, but Raya was confident they could do it. Even if they were to succeed, though, they would undoubtedly lose quite a few warriors outside the main gate, so there would still be no guarantee of a victory once their warriors made it inside the fortress. It would be tough, but for now, morale was high due to his and Raya's presence. They hoped that would hold true during the battle, as well.
Another of the worries was that the sentries and patrols they didn't take care of would end up attacking from behind, so everyone agreed that a small force of twenty or so men would have to guard the path they had taken down. But since the other two paths were too far from where they would be, there was nothing they could do about them except keep an eye out for an attack from the side.
Every warrior was equipped with a shield, too, so they hoped that would protect against enemy archers while the main gate was being attacked. They wouldn't stop a ballistae bolt, but he and Raya had noticed that they couldn't tilt down far enough to shoot at anyone who had made it within about thirty feet of the wall. It seemed they were meant for long range support or for taking down dragons.
But all of that was for later. Right now, they were still marching and wouldn't arrive until late the next day. Then, they had to wait for true darkness before they could put their plan into motion. Each of the village chiefs, Tong, and Raya all had their own elephants to ride on and several others to carry supplies for their army, but he had decided to walk once again. Though he carried much doubt, he kept his head held high to show the troops that he was confident in their success.
The thing he was concerned about most at this moment was Raya herself. They had argued even more heatedly than before the scouting mission when he told the chiefs he would be joining them on this attack. He couldn't suddenly change his mind and stay behind after that declaration, and Raya knew that. Hence, the argument.
She hadn't spoken to him much since. In fact, she hadn't spoken much to anyone, and when she did actually share words with someone, it was always Tong. Though, it seemed the Spine Chief did more of the talking while Raya did more of the listening. He did catch her glancing at him a few times, but she never said anything.
Which is why he was quite surprised when she sat next to him after they had settled down for the night. Only a handful of fires had been allowed to be lit just in case, and he had been staring into the one Tong had lit for him. Raya had been over with Tong and the other chiefs when last he saw her, yet he was brought out of his thoughts when she sat on a small log she had brought over. She stared in the fire like he had previously but didn't speak even though it appeared she wanted to.
He watched her for a few minutes before her gaze finally met his own, and she sighed. "I've never been in a battle like this before," she revealed. "I was only twelve when the Druun returned, so I had never actually been involved in a real fight before that. And after…well, the Druun turning everyone to stone was more pressing than petty wars between the different lands." She paused for a minute, and he allowed her to collect her thoughts. "Tong's been telling me what to expect, and…to be honest, I'm scared. Everyone thinks so highly of me for the part I played in defeating the Druun, but I never would have been able to do that without any of my friends."
"In that, we can relate," he said, to which she looked at him curiously. "I could not have created the Dragon Gem without my siblings, yet everyone seems to give me alone the credit," he explained.
"Actually…us humans tend to give Sisu all the credit for that," she told him with a small grin. "We used to at least," she continued, her grin fading away. "I'm not sure what people think anymore. I prefer the company of dragons over people nowadays."
He hummed at that. If he remembered right, there were a small number of dragons that lived solely in Heart's main city and Palace. He wasn't aware Raya had other dragon friends besides Sisu and himself, but it would make sense if she did after what she just told him. "May I ask why?" he questioned, genuinely curious as to her answer.
"Honestly?" she looked at him, "Because dragons make better people than people do." She looked back into the fire. "Which is why I'm scared you'll get hurt. We've only been traveling together for less than two weeks, but we've already become good friends. Right?" She turned to him for confirmation, and he nodded. "It was the same way with Sisu. I thought I had lost her once before, and I…I don't ever want to feel that way again."
He studied her sympathetically for a moment before making a split decision and moving to settle down behind her, but his head was at her left side. When she looked over at him, he smiled at her—the one he usually reserved for his siblings. "You have nothing to fear, Raya. I am more fierce than I look," he joked, and she gave a short chuckle. "I know that no promise I make will mean anything in battle, but if it helps, I will do all I can to stay close to you."
"I would have rather you stay out of the battle entirely, but at least I can keep an eye on you that way," she reluctantly agreed. She leaned back to where she was resting against his side while she continued to stare into the fire, but it seemed as if she didn't realize what she was doing. He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "What?" she asked, confused. Then, realization dawned on her face, and she shot to her feet. "Oh, Toi, I'm sorry!"
He laughed lightly at her before shaking his head. "It is quite alright. If I did not want you to lean against me, I would not have settled down where I have."
She chuckled awkwardly but sat back down. She leaned back again, uncertainly at first, but then she truly relaxed. Both of them looked up when Tong settled down on the opposite side of the fire with a small chuckle. "Never have I seen anyone who befriends dragons as easily as you, Raya." They both shared a small chuckle before Tong slowly grew more serious. "By this time tomorrow, we will have joined battle. Whether it results in victory or defeat rests largely on your shoulders." There was a somber silence between the three of them, and Pengu glanced at Raya worriedly as Tong stood once more. "Get some rest," he said before walking away once more.
"Nice pep talk…" Raya muttered once the Spine Chief was out of earshot.
Pengu opened his mouth as if to say something but thought better and laid his head down. He felt Raya shift against him slightly and glanced back to see she had tipped her hat down to try and get some rest as Tong suggested. "Good night, Raya," he whispered, and then closed his eyes to follow her into the realm of dreams.
The next day consisted of yet more marching, and though Raya remained quiet, she stayed close to him. The army halted about an hour's walk from the camp and just before night fell. Raya, Pengu, and about a dozen others readied themselves for the next stage of the plan. Once night fell, they would have two hour's head start on the rest of the army—a total of three hours—to clear a path for the attack without raising the alarm.
Easier said than done.
Everyone in the vanguard was equipped with a crossbow to take out patrols from a distance, therefore reducing the risk of being spotted. However, the risks were still high, something on all of their minds.
They didn't know the exact patrol routes or schedules, so they planned to spend the first hour making sure the forest was clear before half of their number would press forward to the main road down while the other half kept a rear guard and waited for the rest of the army to catch up.
Since he wasn't as adept at stealth as humans were, Raya ordered him to stay down and be their eyes and ears. It was an order he was happy to follow as his senses were much sharper than a human's.
That was the plan Raya briefed their group on, and everyone wore expressions of grim determination as they set out as night fell. They kept their pace at a steady jog, but each of their heads were on a swivel as they looked out for enemy patrols. They carried no torches to make it harder for them to be spotted, but luckily their prey did.
At first, it was easy to spot an incoming patrol, take up ambush positions, wait for them to walk into the trap, and fill them full of bolts, but already he and Raya sensed something was different. She approached him after taking out yet another group and whispered, "We barely saw any patrols last time, but this is the fifth one we've seen so far."
"Perhaps they have more patrols at night than during the day?" he suggested quietly.
"I suppose that's possible," she replied. "In any case, we have to press forward." They heard a quiet curse come from one of the Spine warriors, so Raya turned to see what was wrong. "What is it?" she asked.
The warrior stood and gestured to the felled enemies. "None of them carry any bows or ammo, just as all the previous patrols, and we've already used half our own bolts. And—"
"And we're only halfway to the cliffs…" Raya finished aloud. "Meaning we won't be able to employ the same strategy once we got there." The Spine warrior nodded somberly. She turned to Pengu to continue their whispered conversation. "They have to know we're coming. They're making us use our ammo in the forest, so we won't have any on the cliffs. And since we'd be more exposed there, it'd be easier to see us."
"That seems quite elaborate," Pengu observed doubtfully.
"Well…it makes sense in my head," she argued back. "Besides, if this Ronin guy is as dangerous as Tong makes him out to be, I wouldn't put it past him."
"Even if they do know we are coming, they cannot possibly know when. If we succeed despite these setbacks, we will have cleared the way for Spine's army and reduced the number of defenders we would have to defeat," he reasoned.
"True…" she acquiesced. Then she thought for a minute before smirking triumphantly. "I need you to run back to the army and get us some more ammo. Meanwhile, we'll stay and finish clearing out the forest. You should make it back fast enough to give us time to clear the path down the cliffs before the rest of the army gets here."
He nodded. "I shall return soon," he replied and bounded into the darkness. The run back to the main army was uneventful, and he made it back just as they were readying to march again. The stationed guards raised their bows when they heard him but lowered them once they saw him.
Tong soon appeared before him. "What news?" he asked, a bit uncertainly.
"We require more ammo," Pengu replied, to which the Spine Chief sighed in relief.
"I feared the worst when you returned alone," he confessed. He turned to the troops. "Bring me a satchel of bolts!" he ordered. It was brought forth shortly, and Tong helped Pengu place it around his neck.
With a nod of thanks, he began the run back to Raya—Tong's command to move out echoing from behind him. If it took him the same twenty minutes to run back, that would leave Raya's group less than forty minutes to clear the cliffs. Hopefully, that would be enough time.
It had to be.
Since Raya didn't say where to meet her when he got back, he made his way to where he knew where the cliffs were, hoping to find her there. Luckily, he guessed right, and he saw her hiding just within the tree line. Wordlessly, she acknowledged his presence and started passing bolts around until each warrior was restocked.
Her expression was grim, and he could see why even from here. The paths down were very well lit, but hopefully the half-mile distance between the cliffs and the camp itself would be to their advantage. He looked at her expectantly to see her decision, and she nodded, gesturing to proceed with the attack. Six guards stood posted at the checkpoint, and six bolts flew and hit their mark.
Several seconds passed, and each of them released their held breaths when no alarm was sounded. The checkpoint consisted of a wooden palisade with a gate and two small watchtowers, and they took cover on either side of the gate. When Raya tried to open it, it was locked, so she motioned for one of the warriors to give her a boost over the top. She looked around for a moment before jumping over, and the sounds of the wooden bar being moved followed shortly after.
When the gate open, she motioned for them to get down. "There is absolutely no way we're going to take out all the guards without being seen. We have no choice but to wait until the rest of the army gets here."
"What about the element of surprise?" one of the Spine warriors asked.
"Hopefully, the fifty-odd guards we took out will even things out," she replied with a hopeful yet uncertain tone. "But we can still widen our perimeter and take out some more now that we have ammo. Every patrol we take out means less defenders when we attack."
One of the warriors nodded. "A good idea. I'll take seven men with me while you stay here with the rest," he suggested, to which Raya nodded. With that, eight of their number ran off into the darkness to deal death.
Then, they had nothing else to do but wait for their forces to arrive.
AN: I originally planned to put the entire assault into this chapter, but I figured it would be better to spread it out and make it a multi-chapter affair-that way it actually seems important and not rushed. I've been working on showing rather than telling, and this chapter is the perfect example of that practice. I hope you enjoyed this one, and I can't wait for the next.
Until Next Time
AdmiralCole22