Author's Note: Demon, I hope I don't have to remind you that I have 12
other fics I work on. And you mean to tell me you've never gotten stuck on
something? Besides, I've had a ton of personal stuff going on. But these
next 6 chapters or so will come really fast, because I've been planning
this next sequence of events for about 40 chapters. Let's just say that
things are going to get very interesting very quickly. Of course, the
chapters will probably have 400-word long Author's Notes again because so
many people are going to be confused by what's going on. But that's life.
Yes, Freefall, I decided to make the second Divine Dragoon female, despite my personal experiences with said gender. *ducks under a table to avoid rain of pointy objects*
Chapter 72
The Dragoons stood silently a few hundred feet from the mountain fort, waiting silently for orders. Rayen was in the process of delivering those orders. "Is it ready?"
Shade's reply was, as always, sharp and brutally honest. "Of course it's ready. Would something have happened to it in ten hours?"
"No, I guess I'm just nervous. All right then. Let's go."
The two Dragoons headed for the amassed warriors behind them, who all looked up at their approach. The army grew quiet, for they knew Rayen was going to speak. The Guardian Dragoon cleared his throat once, and began. "Well, we've got a big fight ahead of us today. This is the first battle we've had on enemy soil. Before now it's been smooth sailing. We've been fighting on home turf, without terrain problems, and so on. But this is where things start to get rocky... literally and figuratively."
This brought a few chuckles from the crowd, but Rayen held up a hand for silence. "This battle will, more than anything, determine the course of the rest of the war. If we win here, we have a solid place to return to if things get rough, and a highly desirable defensive position. From here we can take both sides of the mountain range, hopefully picking up new Dragoons from the human settlements on the way. If we lose this one... well, it will certainly be more difficult. But I can't see how we could possibly lose here. With our little surprise in wait for them, we'll be halfway to taking the place before they realize what hit them. All the same, don't get sloppy out there. We can't afford too many clumsy mistakes, and there aren't any second chances in this business."
There were murmurs of assent from the soldiers, and Rayen turned to Shade, exhaling heavily. "Right. Let's go."
"Sure, but it's your orders, not mine."
Rayen nodded, and searched out Victor in the crowd. The highlander stood off to the side from the rest, cupping his hands around a cigarette. Due to the upcoming battle, he was using a match rather than squander magical energy, no matter how miniscule, on mere convenience. "You ready?"
"Whenever you are," was the Red-Eye's immediate reply.
During the night, Rayen had sent three Red-Eyes, including Victor, and Shade out into the mountain pass. According to Abrian and Selari's information, a garrison on either side protected the fort. If they were able to cut off troops from one garrison, they could move in easily on the undefended fort. Under Shade's magical cover of darkness that no eyes could penetrate, the Red-Eyes had lain magical explosives along the mountainside. When detonated, they should cause an avalanche of boulders to block off the narrow pass between the fort and the nearest garrison. Because the enemy had no air troops, they would have no way to reinforce the defenses. Once they had seized the garrison, moving in on the fort would be a relatively simple task.
"Make it happen."
"Right." The three Red-Eyes raised their arms simultaneously, then swung them down, and the mountains were alight with roaring explosions. The dust settled, and for a moment they thought their plan had failed, but then there was a loud rumble. A shower of rock cascaded down the slopes, forming a massive barrier over the pass. There were cheers of triumph, and Rayen felt his worries being wiped away by the exhilaration of battle. The bright glow of Spirits filled the air, and in a moment, Rayen stood before an army of Dragon Knights, all of them waiting for his command. "Let's go."
Three hundred pairs of wings spread wide, and they took to the air, weapons at the ready. They soared over the garrison, where Rayen looked down with something almost like sympathy, for the defenses along the garrison were meager, and practically nonexistent. The Dragoons dove like hundreds of hungry falcons, wiping out their foes in a matter of seconds. It was a rout, and a disheartening one at that, for there was something demoralizing about annihilating a helpless enemy.
But the Dragoons had a much larger task ahead of them. Soon they were taking off again, this time their destination far more difficult to capture. Unlike its protective wall, the fortress was swarming with activity, with tiny black shapes darting here and there among the chaos. Rayen called out over the rushing noise of the wind. "Damage as little of the building as possible!"
Sean nodded his affirmative, and folded his wings at his sides, allowing the wind current and the force of gravity to take him slowly down to earth. The cannon would blow the entire building to pieces, so he would have to go with a more selective alternative. The panel on his shoulder popped up, pulsing with suppressed energy. "Divine Dragon Ball!"
The shower of magical meteorites crashed into the flood of demons along the castle walls. Panic took hold, and the resistance scattered haphazardly around the battlement. The Dragoons charged in, knocking over the barriers around the walls and landing on the roof. Then all hell broke loose, as the rooftop became a gigantic melee, a surging mass of chaos. The Dragoons were caught up in the rush, and they swung at anything that came within range, but the area was so congested that they could barely find enough room to use their weapons, much less with any effectiveness.
Sean beat back the shifting crowd around him, trying to make a little room to work with. All he really had to do was swing his weapon, and something would be decapitated or beaten senseless by the haft of his weapon. But they couldn't keep up with this tactic for much longer. Pure mishap would claim more of their warriors than the foe. They had to think of something fast, or things could start to go very badly.
Fortunately, one of the Sea Dragoons had the same idea, and more importantly, the means to achieve it. Aquaria gave up at trying to make any headway in the seething mass on the top of the fortress, so she decided things would be a lot easier if everyone would sit still, despite how little she followed that advice herself. She took to the air, thrusting her open hand at the crowd below. "Nerve Freeze!"
Blue light flashed, and the flowing tide of black utterly halted. Sean smiled. Now that he was level with the building, he had no problems with using the cannon. With it, he could wipe out most of these clustering numbers with one swoop. He lifted the barrel, making sure it was above the battlements, but held it low enough to still deal with the demons at the same time. Satisfied, he fired. "Divine Dragon Cannon!"
The pale blue-white beam sliced through the helpless darkness like a butcher knife through a freshly slaughtered steer. Sean moved the cannon so that the beam took out as much of the foe as possible, but made sure to keep it only to the areas the Dragoons had not yet penetrated, so that no friendly warrior got caught in the blast. The remaining demons were quickly cut down due to the now comfortable amounts of space, and soon the Dragoons were ready to take on the troops that had taken to the inner sanctum of the fort. Rayen led the way; Birathion catching the first dawn's sunlight as it arced through the air and sliced the heavy wooden door in two with incredible ease. The Dragoons streamed into the chamber, spreading in a fanlike pattern.
Now that the Dragoons were blessed with the miracle of experience, this battle went much better than the previous one. The Dragoons flew into the air, taking care not to hit the ceiling, and landed on all sides of the swarming pool of darkness. With enemies on all sides, the demons were forced into the center of the room and cut to ribbons. Rayen sent small groups of Dragoons to all corners of the fort, making sure the enemy was totally wiped out. Sheathing the Protector, the Guardian Dragoon felt the last of his Spirit energy play out, his armor already fading in a last gasp of multicolored light.
The scouts came back, the last pockets of resistance dealt with, and all eyes turned to their leader. Filled with the exhaustion and elation that came with a well-earned victory, Rayen smiled. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to central command."
Author's Note: Oh gods, that chapter SUCKED. *banging head against wall* Ah well, at least the next battle scene will be better. Although I think some people are gonna get mad at me... but who cares? Mwahaha... I is evil.
Yes, Freefall, I decided to make the second Divine Dragoon female, despite my personal experiences with said gender. *ducks under a table to avoid rain of pointy objects*
Chapter 72
The Dragoons stood silently a few hundred feet from the mountain fort, waiting silently for orders. Rayen was in the process of delivering those orders. "Is it ready?"
Shade's reply was, as always, sharp and brutally honest. "Of course it's ready. Would something have happened to it in ten hours?"
"No, I guess I'm just nervous. All right then. Let's go."
The two Dragoons headed for the amassed warriors behind them, who all looked up at their approach. The army grew quiet, for they knew Rayen was going to speak. The Guardian Dragoon cleared his throat once, and began. "Well, we've got a big fight ahead of us today. This is the first battle we've had on enemy soil. Before now it's been smooth sailing. We've been fighting on home turf, without terrain problems, and so on. But this is where things start to get rocky... literally and figuratively."
This brought a few chuckles from the crowd, but Rayen held up a hand for silence. "This battle will, more than anything, determine the course of the rest of the war. If we win here, we have a solid place to return to if things get rough, and a highly desirable defensive position. From here we can take both sides of the mountain range, hopefully picking up new Dragoons from the human settlements on the way. If we lose this one... well, it will certainly be more difficult. But I can't see how we could possibly lose here. With our little surprise in wait for them, we'll be halfway to taking the place before they realize what hit them. All the same, don't get sloppy out there. We can't afford too many clumsy mistakes, and there aren't any second chances in this business."
There were murmurs of assent from the soldiers, and Rayen turned to Shade, exhaling heavily. "Right. Let's go."
"Sure, but it's your orders, not mine."
Rayen nodded, and searched out Victor in the crowd. The highlander stood off to the side from the rest, cupping his hands around a cigarette. Due to the upcoming battle, he was using a match rather than squander magical energy, no matter how miniscule, on mere convenience. "You ready?"
"Whenever you are," was the Red-Eye's immediate reply.
During the night, Rayen had sent three Red-Eyes, including Victor, and Shade out into the mountain pass. According to Abrian and Selari's information, a garrison on either side protected the fort. If they were able to cut off troops from one garrison, they could move in easily on the undefended fort. Under Shade's magical cover of darkness that no eyes could penetrate, the Red-Eyes had lain magical explosives along the mountainside. When detonated, they should cause an avalanche of boulders to block off the narrow pass between the fort and the nearest garrison. Because the enemy had no air troops, they would have no way to reinforce the defenses. Once they had seized the garrison, moving in on the fort would be a relatively simple task.
"Make it happen."
"Right." The three Red-Eyes raised their arms simultaneously, then swung them down, and the mountains were alight with roaring explosions. The dust settled, and for a moment they thought their plan had failed, but then there was a loud rumble. A shower of rock cascaded down the slopes, forming a massive barrier over the pass. There were cheers of triumph, and Rayen felt his worries being wiped away by the exhilaration of battle. The bright glow of Spirits filled the air, and in a moment, Rayen stood before an army of Dragon Knights, all of them waiting for his command. "Let's go."
Three hundred pairs of wings spread wide, and they took to the air, weapons at the ready. They soared over the garrison, where Rayen looked down with something almost like sympathy, for the defenses along the garrison were meager, and practically nonexistent. The Dragoons dove like hundreds of hungry falcons, wiping out their foes in a matter of seconds. It was a rout, and a disheartening one at that, for there was something demoralizing about annihilating a helpless enemy.
But the Dragoons had a much larger task ahead of them. Soon they were taking off again, this time their destination far more difficult to capture. Unlike its protective wall, the fortress was swarming with activity, with tiny black shapes darting here and there among the chaos. Rayen called out over the rushing noise of the wind. "Damage as little of the building as possible!"
Sean nodded his affirmative, and folded his wings at his sides, allowing the wind current and the force of gravity to take him slowly down to earth. The cannon would blow the entire building to pieces, so he would have to go with a more selective alternative. The panel on his shoulder popped up, pulsing with suppressed energy. "Divine Dragon Ball!"
The shower of magical meteorites crashed into the flood of demons along the castle walls. Panic took hold, and the resistance scattered haphazardly around the battlement. The Dragoons charged in, knocking over the barriers around the walls and landing on the roof. Then all hell broke loose, as the rooftop became a gigantic melee, a surging mass of chaos. The Dragoons were caught up in the rush, and they swung at anything that came within range, but the area was so congested that they could barely find enough room to use their weapons, much less with any effectiveness.
Sean beat back the shifting crowd around him, trying to make a little room to work with. All he really had to do was swing his weapon, and something would be decapitated or beaten senseless by the haft of his weapon. But they couldn't keep up with this tactic for much longer. Pure mishap would claim more of their warriors than the foe. They had to think of something fast, or things could start to go very badly.
Fortunately, one of the Sea Dragoons had the same idea, and more importantly, the means to achieve it. Aquaria gave up at trying to make any headway in the seething mass on the top of the fortress, so she decided things would be a lot easier if everyone would sit still, despite how little she followed that advice herself. She took to the air, thrusting her open hand at the crowd below. "Nerve Freeze!"
Blue light flashed, and the flowing tide of black utterly halted. Sean smiled. Now that he was level with the building, he had no problems with using the cannon. With it, he could wipe out most of these clustering numbers with one swoop. He lifted the barrel, making sure it was above the battlements, but held it low enough to still deal with the demons at the same time. Satisfied, he fired. "Divine Dragon Cannon!"
The pale blue-white beam sliced through the helpless darkness like a butcher knife through a freshly slaughtered steer. Sean moved the cannon so that the beam took out as much of the foe as possible, but made sure to keep it only to the areas the Dragoons had not yet penetrated, so that no friendly warrior got caught in the blast. The remaining demons were quickly cut down due to the now comfortable amounts of space, and soon the Dragoons were ready to take on the troops that had taken to the inner sanctum of the fort. Rayen led the way; Birathion catching the first dawn's sunlight as it arced through the air and sliced the heavy wooden door in two with incredible ease. The Dragoons streamed into the chamber, spreading in a fanlike pattern.
Now that the Dragoons were blessed with the miracle of experience, this battle went much better than the previous one. The Dragoons flew into the air, taking care not to hit the ceiling, and landed on all sides of the swarming pool of darkness. With enemies on all sides, the demons were forced into the center of the room and cut to ribbons. Rayen sent small groups of Dragoons to all corners of the fort, making sure the enemy was totally wiped out. Sheathing the Protector, the Guardian Dragoon felt the last of his Spirit energy play out, his armor already fading in a last gasp of multicolored light.
The scouts came back, the last pockets of resistance dealt with, and all eyes turned to their leader. Filled with the exhaustion and elation that came with a well-earned victory, Rayen smiled. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to central command."
Author's Note: Oh gods, that chapter SUCKED. *banging head against wall* Ah well, at least the next battle scene will be better. Although I think some people are gonna get mad at me... but who cares? Mwahaha... I is evil.