DRAGON CAMPAIGN
Raiders
CHAPTER 3
Vellweb, the Wingly Capital. The land where all Winglys pay homage to their Emperor, Melbu Frahma. Also the most impenetrable and powerful area in the entire world. Back in the creation of this great city, the Wingly Emperor of the time, Melbu Frahma's great grandfather, Norvise Frahma, decided to ensure Wingly rule was never overthrown and thus he ordered it to be raised higher then all other Wingly cities. As such, the realm was at least three times higher then other floating cities and by the time Melbu Frahma succeeded to the thrown, the city had quadrupled in fortification. Billions of Virages patrolled the city at a time. Transportation was delivered via dragon slaves. The Dragons could never do anything however as the Virage outnumbered them a zillion to one. On top of that, Billions of Wingly guards also patrolled the area, soaring on flying slaves they called Werdons.
However, despite the impressive display of security, the City of Vellweb was the most beautiful and impressive sight ever to behold by any species. Huge fountains were constructed towards the center of the city where crystal clean streams of pure bright water showered into the city pond. Smaller rivers scaled the city were the majority of Winglys bathed in more secluded areas. Not only that, the Winglys had found a way to ensure huge quantities of the most beautiful of plants groomed and blossomed in these areas, making the city all the more captivating. Huge towers scaled the height of the city, flashing the perfection and greatness of the architecture present. To say that the city resembled a utopia of perfection would be an understatement.
However, looks can often be deceiving. For all was far from perfect in the heart and mind of one specific young girl in general. Though this city was a utopia for the Wingly, in the main castle a dank dark prison resided deep near the bottom. Currently inside the cell, a shattered soul could do nothing more then cry as she continued pressing herself into a tight ball near the far corner of the room. Her body was laced with cuts and bruises and her formerly clean cloths were dirty and ripped much the same as her very spirit and innocence. She was covered in blood and her eyes continued to dart left and right in almost maniacal fear and anxiety. Her once prefect dark hair was now plastered about her face in a messy heap and previously beautiful eyes were now clouded and filled with something almost inhuman. She methodically cradled her midsection where the evil Wingly soldiers and their emperor before them had so horribly violated her. It hurt to think about it. It hurt to think about anything as all that would assault her memories were the visions of her parent's demise and the cruel actions of all those wicked Wingly faces.
A low whimper escaped her parched, bleeding lips as she began rocking back and forth once more. It hurt to make a noise. She vaguely wondered if that was due to all the screaming she had done before hand. It didn't matter now. She wanted to die. She wanted to be far away… to be with her parents again. She wanted to be anywhere but here.
Suddenly the door groaned as it was now opening once more. Rose eyes widened in shock and immediately she pressed herself tighter into a fetal position.
"Please!" She screeched suddenly, slightly surprised she actually could talk after all she had been through. "Please! No more! Please don't touch me again! Please…" She could say no more as she was suddenly wracked with a fit of uncontrollable sobs. She leaned over to her side, still in a tight ball and weeped frantically, while violently shaking from head to toe.
"Poor soul…" Came a gentle voice from towards the exit of the cave. Rose could make out a feint conversation being traded back and forth between that gentle voice and the voice of a guard, probably one of the men who violated her. She once more lapsed into a shaking fit of terror and agony.
Finally the guard left and the door closed however Rose could tell that the woman with the gentle voice was still in the room. Slowly she heard footsteps. The woman was coming closer to her. Rose reacted with lightning speed as she swiftly darted further into the corner of the room. "Leave me alone!" She screeched in a emotion filled voice of fear and dread.
The woman clutched her heart slightly as if the girl's very words struck her right to the soul. She quickly moved towards the huddled figure. Despite Rose's protests, the woman quickly grabbed hold of the girl and enveloped her in her arms.
"NO! Leave me alone!" Rose screamed but the woman continued to hold onto her for dear life, rocking her shaking form back and forth as a mother would rock a child.
"Shhhh… Hush now sweaty, it's going to be alright. I won't let those mean men anywhere near you ever again…. Shhhh… it's going to be alright… don't worry, just rest now…"
Rose wasn't sure if it was the woman's voice or the rocking she was doing but soon after she began to feel tired and for the first time since her parents were slaughtered, she began to relax her weary bones into the comfort of this strange woman's soothing embrace.
"Its going to be alright… don't you worry." The woman continued to sooth her. Rose tried to protest, to do anything to revolt. This woman was one of them, one of those evil, vile creatures! She wasn't going to be fooled. Unfortunately, she could do nothing against it. The woman's hold was strong on her and yet, no matter how much she told herself otherwise, she really didn't feel like leaving the woman's motherly touch just yet. Thus, with no other choice, Rose finally gave in and allowed sleep to envelop her as she lost consciousness in the warm protection of the only possible Wingly protector ever who would take pity on humans.
****
The trade sector in the city of Karsacks was well known for its importance to the Wingly populaces engineering infrastructure as well as the growing demand for Carvex Ore, known to exist only within the very heart of the city itself.
However, surprisingly the current trade area of Karsacks was fairly small. It was primarily a barren plot of land situated within a barricade of stone walls guarding it from outside intruders. However, not even the strongest of steel is immortal to the shifting sands of time.
This very law is what profited the Dragon guild now as they stealthy scaled the outer perimeters of the structure. It wasn't the first time the group had raided the trade post. Many times before, the Dragon guild preformed their sabotage tactics and every single time it came off without a hitch. As it was, only four of the guild's members were present this time. Flaine, their leader, had insisted that it was an easy enough job that they could accomplish it with only four and at the same time, there would be less of a chance for getting spotted if they were fewer in numbers.
Now, the group continued running along side the northern wall. Large amounts of debris, decayed building structure and the regular display of vacant skeletons littered the dusty, dead earth floor. The very sight always seemed to sicken Zieg in his youth. Even after he became a skilled guild member, he always retained a queasy feeling whenever around the more 'decorated' parts of Karsack. Now, however, everything seemed different. He simply took in his surroundings with morbid acceptance. He clutched the clothed package tied around his back even tighter. Before the mission, Flain had questioned him as to what was inside yet Zieg had avoided the issue entirely, merely telling him it was a good-luck charm.
Now, Flain was currently in the lead, having the group trail behind in single file. Zieg came second behind Flain's back to provide cover in case of danger or, at the very most, to back him up if the situation required fighting. Nea was right behind Zieg. She was also a skilled guild member with dark brown hair and matching honey colored eyes. She was pretty slim yet he lack of weight gave her a surprising agility that most guild members would kill to have. Finally there was Gruger. He was a rather muscular and tall boy for his age yet his raw strength together with his keen eyes granted him a high position in the Dragons Guild. There was no other person Flain would have chosen to provide watch for the back of the group if something attacked them from behind.
Flain Stuck to the edges of the structure, scaling the walls in an almost catlike fashion so as not to alert the ever present Virage flying overhead or to draw attention to themselves by making enough noise so that the Wingly guards around the area could hear. Instead, using stealth was the best option left open to the bad of young rebels.
Flain momentarily wiggled his nose as a huge gust of wind picked up. He could feel the delicate particles of dirt collecting at the rim of his nose and it took everything he had not to sneeze then and there. Flain gentle brought a hand over his mouth to stanch any kind of outbreak he could have. Once satisfied that he was in the clear, he lowered his hand away and leaned even further into the jagged structural wall. He could feel all the age of the building as the odd nooks and cracks pressed firmly against his back. The smell of ancient stonework and slight fragrances of mildew continued to assault his sense.
Stoically, he shrugged it all off and resumed his silent stealthy trek. As Flain rounded another jagged corner he suddenly stopped in his movements. Off in the not too far distance, he could see a tall shape walking through the area carrying a sharp cutlass in his hands. However Flain didn't need a clearer view to know who that was. He sank to a sitting position and rested his back against the wall, tentatively placing his hand over his mouth so as not to carry his voice too loudly.
"Hold up you guys… guard watch coming through. Nobody make a sound."
Everyone in the group complied. Zieg looked around anxiously, trying to make out any distinct shapes in the distance. Finally his eyes rested on the lone Wingly figure. The guard stopped momentarily, scanned the area, then resumed his trek and almost immediately after, he disappeared back into the shadows. Satisfied that the man was gone and there were no other guards in the immediate area, Zieg turned towards Flain, frowning indignantly. "I thought you said there would be no guard lookouts during this mission?" He hissed in a quite voice.
"That's what I thought too!" Flain argued back, equally quiet. "My contacts told me there weren't any guards for the past week and that cargo trade vehicles had all but stopped moving. I don't know, maybe we just have bad luck this time."
Zieg slowly shook his head. "These are the kind of surprises I hate, you know?"
A gentle hand came to rest on his shoulder. Zieg turned slightly to see the comforting gaze of Nea as she stared back at him with a light smile. "Let's just go with it." She pleaded silently. "We can still get the mission done right?"
Zieg nodded in response. "Yeah… I guess so… it's just… something doesn't feel right about this whole thing."
"We can argue about it later." Flain interjected. "All we need to do is find the secret passage and we're home free. The guard's gone so now's our chance. Lets move it." Flain quickly rose up to his feet then zipped along the surface of the wall with a skill every member of the Dragon's guild envied, including Zieg. The others followed behind him as best they could.
Flain continued scaling, so absorbed in his task that he seemed completely oblivious to the rest of his party. He anxiously felt his hand along the walls searching for what he knew was there. Despite the brave show he put on in front of Zieg, Flain was just as worried as his friend, if not more. He had indeed been informed that there would be no guards posted this night. If that were false, the whole mission could be at risk. Yet times were more desperate now. The group needed to reaffirm their commitment to the cause and he needed to ensure that none of the others tried to follow the same path as Zieg. Slowly but surely, Flain's whole world was falling apart and there wasn't much he could do to salvage it.
The guild leader savagely pushed those troubling thoughts from his mind. All that was important now was the mission. Over his years of training, the one thing he always learned was to always live in the present. Never let personal feelings get in the way of your goal and right now Flain's goal was an important one. Not only did he intend to sabotage the Wingly supply post but he also strove to win back the loyalty and camaraderie of his longtime friend, Zieg. He couldn't understand why Zieg continued to delude himself with visions of rebellion but Flain was determined to not lose his best friend to stupid idealism.
Thoughts of hopelessness once more began to fill his mind, showering him with fresh new doubts. A trickle of sweat slid down his face, momentarily blinding him. He was beginning to grow more and more weary with paranoia. How come he couldn't find the secret crack in the wall? It had always been there in the past. Had they been set up? Had his contacts finally ratted them out to the Wingly and sealed the entrance? That couldn't be possible could it? Why would the Wingly be that overly concerned with their doings? They weren't before.
Once again Flain shook his face in frustration. Arguing the issue over in his head wasn't going to solve any problems. He had to get them in. That was his main objective now. Anything else, he could deal with later. Flain slide his feet forwards slightly, feeling the sand and dust collecting at the edge of his boots. He didn't dare take a step as he had no official idea where the guards where posted now and he was beginning to doubt his own instincts. Once more, he inched his way closer, feeling his hand around a new area. Finally, he felt the familiar crack in the wall and suddenly his world was becoming a bit more focused now. His could feel his heart rate going down as he began breathing regularly once more. He shifted slightly in the darkness and gave a slight tug at the crack. Slowly a medium sized outlining began to form as he pulled harder and harder on what was now a handle-like piece of stone jutting outwards. He gave a final tug and the mildly heavy rock rolled out of the way revealing a small crawlspace tunnel. A silent sigh escaped his lips before he turned back around to give his companions a quick thumbs up.
Zieg saw the signal and nodded silently in compliance. He turned his head around towards Nea and Gruger. "Let's move!" He hissed before darting quietly towards the guild leader. Nea followed nimbly with Gruger lagging behind slightly as he was straining to keep quite with his heavy footfalls.
Zieg kept his head low and met Flain by the edge of the entrance. The Guild leader was currently making his way inside. "Why'd it take so long?" Zieg inquired quietly.
"Got tense." Came Flain's nonchalant reply while sinking down to his hands and knees and making his way into the small hole. Zieg shuddered internally as he remembered the last time he had crawled through here. There had been so many bugs and snakes that he had nearly flipped out, and the smell didn't help either. Yet he was used to the smell now after what he and Flain had just recently been through.
He pushed the memory aside as he too lowered himself to a crouching position and entered after his friend, albeit precariously as he was having trouble getting the package around his back through. Nea quietly followed yet Gruger was having even more problems then Zieg.
"Guys…" the big kid said slightly above a whisper so that he could be heard. "I can't fit in you guys!"
Flain turned slightly from his crawling position. His hands were covered in mud and bug remains as he squished them during his trek. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "Ok, you stay outside then. Just provide backup for us ok? And if you see anything, 'anything' out of the ordinary then get the hell out as fast as you can. Don't worry about us, we'll find another way."
The big kid seemed hesitant but nodded his head. "Ok, I gotcha. I'll just provide lookout."
"Good." Flain once more continued his crawling. The sound of Gruger squeezing his way out of the cave was the last thing he heard before the boy resealed the entrance, covering their secret path and showering them in complete and total darkness.
The three teens found it slightly troublesome to navigate within the closed in space but they were all skilled enough to effectively make their way through it with minimal problems.
Flain, ever the symbol of stealth, quickly crawled down the slow-like surface of the pit. Zieg tried following as best he could while at the same time, not bumping into him. Nea on the other hand was not so fortunate. Desperate to be rid of the filthy bugs and slimy mud she quickly drew her hands out to find faster purchase on the dirt so that she could increase her progress. Suddenly she reached too far and clutched Zieg's backside.
Zieg immediately stopped in his progress as did Nea upon realizing what she had just done. She was momentarily glad for the darkness as she felt a bright blush rising across her cheeks. Zieg turned slightly to regard the woman.
"Nea I know it's dark and all but now's not a good time to be frisky."
Nea suddenly frowned indignantly at the chuckling youth. "I was 'not' being frisky Zieg! You know good and well that that was an accident. Don't even try to pretend I did that on purpose."
"Of course you didn't." Zieg supplied sarcastically. Nea frowned even more however it was oblivious to Zieg as the darkness shielded them from everything.
"Hey enough with the game of footsy you two." Came Flain's voice from the far distance of the small cave. "I've found the exit."
Zieg immediately became serious once more and resumed his crawling. Nea too took on a more serious attitude. After some problematic crawling because of the darkness, Zieg finally made his way to Flain. The older boy was currently pushing against a rock surface. Zieg took a stab at where his friend could be and pushed on the rock himself. Unfortunately, even united in strength, the boys where still having problems moving it. 'Could someone have replaced the rock?' Zieg pondered absently.
Soon Nea was there as well, pushing the rock along with the other two boys. Before long, the rock guarding them from their exit gave way and the three Guild members quickly crawled out with skilled stealth.
On the other side of the dome-like walls, was a large towering structure. It was equally as old as all other buildings in the city of Karsack yet Flain was completely baffled. "What the hell is this?"
Separating them from the structure was a wide range of sandy earth, much like what they were currently walking through on the outside. Other then that, there was nothing notable in the area except for the presence of the large building and that was what troubled Flain the most.
"This wasn't here last time we sabotaged this area…" Zieg said, voicing Flain's thoughts. "What's going on?"
Nea quickly placed her hand on the combat knife she had strapped to her waist. "This could be a trap!"
"If it is then we've fallen right into it. But then…"
"But then what?" Zieg asked, staring straight at the Guild leader.
"If it were a trap then we should have been caught by now. Why give us this much leeway before attacking us? This just doesn't make since!"
"Maybe they're just toying with us." Offered Nea. Both Zieg and Flain could see that the girl was clearly frightened by the new revelation. She was shaking from head to toe. However when Zieg looked at his own hands he discovered that he too was shaking.
'Funny, I feel tense but not 'that' scared…'
Suddenly a loud rumble erupted through the area and it finally clicked to him. It wasn't him shaking at all. It was the very earth around them.
The tremors grew more violent, throwing all three of them off their feet. "Shit!" Flain swore, nimbly balancing himself back up on his feet. "I guess this is the welcoming party we were expecting."
Suddenly the structure rose up once more, blasting from the sand so that huge underground openings came up to the surface. Zieg faltered in his steps when he saw what was lying in wait for them within those dark cavernous partitions. Blazing swords gleamed in the shadows menacingly.
"Winglys!" Flain gasped.
"How perceptive, defiant cattle trash!" Yelled a harsh commanding voice from high above. The three companions quickly looked up to see a rather large Wingly standing on the highest pillar of the old structure building. "It seems you supply robbers finally got caught in the act. Suffice to say we were waiting for you. You see, some of your friends were caught a while back and they were all too eager to inform us on your more current events. Unfortunately we couldn't get them to tell us where your hideout was so we had no choice but to feed them to the Virages."
"YOU MONSTERS!" Flain yelled. Zieg saw that his friend was trembling as he backed away yet his eyes held fiery anger.
"You dare to speak to me in such a way human!?!" The Wingly shrieked. "I am Ruthktor, Supreme Wingly Warden of Karsack! For such treachery you shall die a hundred deaths in our prison! None may defile the Wingly in such a way! Seize them!"
A squad of Wingly soldiers suddenly came out from within the dark partitions. Zieg tensed into a fighting stance.
"Shit we're screwed…" Flain hissed, clutching at the daggers concealed in his boots.
"What are we going to do? We can't fight them all!" Nea said, in a panicked voice.
Zieg narrowed his eyes as he saw the charging Wingly advancing on their position. He gripped his sword even tighter. The vivid image of the old war hero continued to reverberate throughout his skull. He knew what he had to do. It was time to act. A bead of sweat trickled down Zieg's nose. He could feel his hands shaking uncontrollably and this time he knew it wasn't due to some earthly eruption. This was the moment he had been waiting for his whole life. He quickly measured up his adversaries. There were 12 Wingly troops charging towards them. He knew he couldn't take them all but at the very least…
"Quick! Nea, Flain! Get out through the passage! Hurry, I'll hold them off!"
"What?" Flain nearly shrieked. "Zieg that's suicide! You'll die!"
"Look just do it! Don't argue with me right now!"
Flain was about to say more when suddenly Nea tugged at his arm. "Flain whatever we're going to do, we've got to do it fast! Quick! You go through the tunnel. I'll stay with Zieg and help him hold them off!"
"Are the two of you nuts!?! Remember our motto! The Dragon guild stick together!"
"Both of you go!" Zieg shouted suddenly. "The two of you can't help me!"
"What are you talking about?" Flain yelled back.
A Wingly quickly intervened charging towards Zieg.
"NO! Zieg!" Flaine called out.
It was too late. The soldier came in sharp, baring the sharp edge of his blade towards Zieg's center. With the speed of a demon Zieg suddenly tucked low and rolled out of the way as the Winglys sword passed harmlessly over him. In a split second, Zieg ripped away the cloth around his shoulder and was now holding a long sword firmly in his hands.
Flain was awestruck as he saw his friend wielding the blade. Swords were highly forbidden of any races aside from the Wingly. To wield one, meant certain death!
Zieg didn't take in his friend's continence however, as he quickly dodged another strike from his Wingly opponent.
The Wingly fighter seemed overly arrogant however, as he attacked lazily, not worried at all that his opponent now had a weapon. "Drop the sword boy." The Wingly said proudly. "Drop it before you hurt yourself."
Suddenly the Wingly came in again with a sharp strike. However, Zieg quickly dodged this one as well and he dropped down. He then quickly rushed in low, swinging with all of his might. The world suddenly seemed to fall still. It felt as if the entire world had frozen over and for a split moment he couldn't breath. His sword sank deep into the Wingly's stomach and just like that, everything returned to motion again. The man keeled over immediately, falling in a pool of his own blood.
Flain was speechless. He didn't know what to say. His hands shook with uncontrollable fear and his eyes refused to shut as they glazed over the scene again and again in his head. His friend had done the unspeakable. Not only had he taken up arms against the Winglys, an account paramount to death, but he had also killed a Wingly. He 'killed' an 'Wingly'! To do such a thing! Only one fate awaited those who committed such a crime. Flain was in complete and utter shock.
"FLAIN!" Zieg screamed, finally snapping the boy out of his stupor. Zieg too looked entirely flushed after the whole event yet his eyes were more wild and animate now. His actions were calculated and direct. He seemed as if he were more focused while at the same time anxious. He quickly parried a sudden attack from another Wingly then spun his head around to regard his friend once more. "Flain go now! I can't hold them off forever!"
A hand suddenly grabbed Flain's shoulder, roughly dragging him towards the hole. "Come on Flain!" Nea screamed. "If you die you won't be able to protect the rest of the guild. You have to respect what Zieg is doing for us!"
Flain simply reacted as that of a puppet, following Nea into the exit. Zieg watched his friends left then quickly turned back towards the Winglys and smiled. They couldn't follow his friends now. Their wings and armor restricted them from performing such an action.
The Warden seemed just as shocked as Flain had been at Zieg killing a Wingly. His face shot beat red and he threw his hand out. "KILL THE HUMAN DIFILER! KILL HIM NOW TO AVENGE YOUR BROTHER IN ARMS!!!"
Zieg quickly resumed a fighting stance then darted in low. Five Winglys assaulted him at once swinging high and low. Zieg dodged and parried the attacks however a few got through cutting him deep in some areas. Fortunately, his adrenaline would not let him lose this fight. He rose up with a rising strike, impaling his blade into the throat of yet another Wingly attacker.
A third Wingly quickly struck at him from behind but Zieg was far ahead of him and ducked low so that the man struck another one of his comrades instead.
Zieg used the moment of confusion to his advantage. His throat was parched and his heart was racing as beads of sweat rained down his face yet his determination prevailed. He quickly pulled out the second item from within his cloth. He sprinted over to a far off wall and threw a burnout spell against it. The spell did its job well as a huge explosion reverberated causing tones of age-old brick to fly everywhere. Luckily, it had the desired effect as he could see the exit to the other side of the burning mass.
"DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!!" Yelled the Warden hysterically. "KILL HIM!! KILL HIM!!"
Another Wingly came charging towards him. Zieg quickly blocked the man's attack then parried with one of his own. The two were hard pressed until Zieg realized that the Wingly's reinforcements were arriving quicker then he thought. In a last ditch, desperation attack, Zieg dropped low then rammed the pommel of his blade square between the man's legs forcing him to reel over in agonized pain. Zieg swiftly scampered up to his feet then darted out of the exit he had just made.
He heard the harsh flapping of wings and knew that the Winglys were dead on his trail. Fortunately for him, as he ran further through the hole in the wall he had created, it got smaller and smaller. Soon he was on all fours crawling through the last stretch. The rustling of booted feet and the hacking of swords spurred him on, giving him the added adrenaline rush needed. He felt the heated mud caking his hands and knees yet it didn't bother him now. He didn't notice all the bugs he squished or even the putrid smell. All that was running through Zieg's mind now was a swift escape. He saw the crack of light on the other side then rammed his sword into the edge, making the hole bigger. Before long, he chipped enough away so that he could squeeze through.
Zieg ran as fast as he could down the dusty hills, loosing his footing a few times as he ran. He promptly fell over yet again only this time it was due to a solid object that had previously been in his way. Zieg looked over in mild anxiety then suddenly his breath caught in his throat. Lying stiff as a door-knob, lay Gruger's lifeless body. By the looks of him, his guts had been ripped out of his chest. It was almost as if he had been feasted upon then covered up to be finished later. As if on cue He could hear loud roars from above, no doubt the Virages swarming to attack. Zieg wanted to make the beasts pay for what they had done to his friend but knew there was nothing to be done. After all, humans could not defeat Virages. Thus instead, the young boy rose back up to his feet and once more began running faster and faster down the trail. He could hear the Virages darting by at top speed yet he wasn't too concerned about them just yet. He continued to run faster. Finally he saw what he was looking for as he darted down yet another charred, debris filled hill. A small hole in the ground. Zieg quickly slid to the ground and dived in just before a Virage passed overhead spilling the area with fiery beams of death and destruction.
Zieg felt himself falling to the underground floor. A small stream of water washed over his arm cueing him in as to where he was exactly. He knew he was somewhere inside the underground guild city's water supply line. Zieg moved further down the path finally clutching his bleeding arm. A rough smile formed on his weary face. He had just survived his first true battle against the Wingly's and he was still alive.
::::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::
Author's note: Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for chapter 4.