Alright everyone, I'm back with the latest chapter of World Fury. Also, for those of you on DA, I will soon be posting my second fanfic The Legend of Spyro: Aegis Arcanum there so feel free to drop in and take a peek.
Also, yeah, name change again. I thought I'd introduce a new character for the Resistance.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OR ANYONE IN THE SPYRO UNIVERSE. ONLY MY OCS.
Chapter 39: Road Hazzard
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George pushed the accelerator almost to the floor of the escort car as the four remaining OAC trucks tried to ram the escort cars and the truck carrying the POWs off the main road. Amber lined up the machinegun and fired a burst, raking the cab but, alas, it was armored and the bullets just bounced off. She cursed as George threw on the brakes to dodge another hasty ramming attempt by the lead truck.
"Hey George, any chance some Rotarian soldiers left a grenade or three lying around in here?" George shrugged.
"I don't know. Zafra, could you check the rear of the vehicle? If you see any grenades or any weapon that can give us the upper hand, give it to Amber so she can get rid of these trucks. I can't return to our base with them shadowing us."
Zafra obliged him and leaned over to check the floorboard of the car. She was looking when her hand felt a bag strap and pulled it. Inside the leather bag she heard something metal rattle against another metal thing. She opened the bag and pulled a strange looking device that had a hammer-like head, a wooden handle, and a pullcord on the bottom. She pulled them out and held them to Amber.
"These look like grenades?" Amber saw them and her eyes lit up.
"Yep, these are Rotarian 'Hammer' grenades. They basically a larger version of standard grenade but are used against vehicles." Zafra nodded and handed them to Amber who then looked as a truck came at them from the left.
Amber pulled the ripcord from the grenade, counted to three, then lobbed the hammer grenade as far as she could. The explosive device sailed through the air, shattered the passenger side window, and a second later, an explosion ripped the cab apart. The chassis was ripped in half with the rear part going into a flip, spilling the soldiers inside out along the road. George gave a sympathetic groan while he heard Amber start laughing.
"Those SOBs'll really have a case of red-ass in the mornin'! Man, that puts a whole new meanin' to the term 'road rash'!" Zafra, having been held prisoner and seeing the deeds of the OAC soldiers, found it hard to be sympathetic but also didn't laugh at their pain.
The other trucks, having seen one of their number get blown up by one of their own grenades, fell back to the other side of the road. Amber noticed this and smiled.
"I think they've had enough!"
She was proven wrong however, when the soldiers in the truck tossed the canvas covering aside revealing a small caliber cannon mounted in the bed. At that signal, the other trucks did likewise and started to traverse the gears to aim the guns at the Resistance troops. George paled and gripped the steering wheel as hard as he could.
"Crap! Hang on! We're taking a shortcut!"
At some unknown signal, George and the other vehicles turned off quickly heading down an embankment and taking the Canal Road to avoid the trucks. At the bottom of the embankment, George turned the car hard left and sailed under the Red Iron Bridge before looking back and making sure the other vehicles followed.
To his relief, they had.
Then suddenly, a loud crash got his attention and he saw the OAC trucks actually crash through the barricade and start running along the embankment, the tires slinging mud, rocks, and dirt everywhere, trying their damndest to get the vehicles within firing range. Amber lobbed the second hammer grenade, this one landing in front of a truck and when it exploded, the lead truck flipped, rolled down the embankment, and splashed into the Blue River.
"I got one grenade left and two trucks, what do you want me to do George?" George thought for a moment and then realized something.
"We're nearing the old railway bridge aren't we?" Amber looked to him.
"You mean the one that the narrow gauge engines and fahrpanzers used when they weren't on the walls? Yeah. But, I thought it was in disrepair?" George nodded.
"It should still, be sturdy enough for this convoy to cross it. Once we get to the other side, use that hammer genade to finish it off. The explosive charge should be enough to sink the bridge and it's far enough from our base that they won't find us."
"And with any luck we can sink the trucks with the bridge."
They suddenly saw a beam of light strike down and hit the last truck in the group. Zafra spared a glance up and smiled.
"We have a light dragon above us." George nodded.
"That's Caldor, he's a dragon we found unconscious in the canal after the battle." Zafra looked at him funny but didn't say anything else. George looked ahead and saw the frame of the old iron bridge.
"We're almost there! Amber, ready that grenade!"
George gripped the lever that he was sure was the handbrake and pulled it hard and jerked the wheel right. The car immediatley skidded right and slid onto the bridge with only a slight bump as the tires rolled over the old rails. Shifting gears, the convoy followed and took off over the bridge with the lone enemy truck behind them. As the car crossed the center of the bridge, George gave the signal and Amber dropped the grenade from the side of the car, well out of the way of the tires of the other vehicles.
As the vehicles in the convoy crossed and the enemy truck came to the center, the last grenade exploded, lifting the truck up and over the edge of the bridge. The magazine holding the rounds for the cannon also detonated, the force of which shook the bridge so much it actually broke free from the banks and the iron bridge collapsed with a cacophany of noise.
As the bridge fell, the POWs in the truck started cheering loudly and George allowed himself to slow down to catch a breather. Amber smiled and looked down to him.
"I don't see any more foes. We're in the clear."
A cannon round impacting the last vehicle in the convoy shattered that hope. The car was hit in the rear and flipped forward ejecting Lee and his gunner, a young man named Boyce. George turned to see a halftrack rolling up, this one mounted with a cannon that had the convoy in its sights.
"Attention Rebel soldiers, stop your vehicles at once or we will open fire!" George slowed the vehicle as the cannon traversed, clearly bracketting the truck with the POWs. He looked up to Amber.
"If you have an extra one of them hammer grenades, now would be a hell of a time to mention it." Amber shook her head.
"No dice. Used the last one on the bridge."
The halftrack slowly came down the hill, its cannon never wavering from the convoy. Amber gasped when she saw it.
"Wouldn't work anyway. That's a PzH-328C. It has thicker armor, obviously better weapons, and, unlike the standard model, is closed in to prevent a grenade from dropping in. A hammer grenade wouldn't even dent it." George gazed up.
"What about Caldor?" Zafra shook her head.
"I saw him break off and head, I assume, in the direction of your base. I would think he was out of mana and unable to attack." George then looked at the halftrack and sighed.
"Alright. I'll shift and attack the halftrack. Amber, take the wheel and as soon as I shift, you punch the accelerator and haul ass." Zafra then tapped his shoulder.
"I don't think that's going to be neccessary. Look."
George followed her gaze and saw something moving through the tall grass. The halftrack stopped and a tall soldier stepped out, pistol drawn and a transmitter in his hand for the loudspeaker on the vehicle.
"Exit the vehicle. Drop your weapons, raise your hands above your heads, and get down on your knees." The soldier glanced right at the last moment and saw the movement and leveled his pistol at the grass.
"Halt!"
That was the only word he said.
There was a bright flash and then, wonder of wonders, a projectile shot forward, struck the soldier, propelled into the half track with him, then exploded in a terrific ball of fire. There was a cry of amazement from the other vehicles and then a whoop from the grass. George looked and saw a a man in a dirty, worn Syllian uniform rise up, hefting what was known as a 'recoiless rifle' in his arms. The soldier turned to George and walked over. George smiled as the man approached.
"Hell of a shot Sergeant. And one hell of an ambush. For a moment there I thought our goose was cooked." The soldier nodded.
"Yeah. I'd been tracking that damned halftrack since the day after the occupation. Never had a clear shot at it or the members of the crew until you decided to raise holy hell. Ah, but before I forget, first meetings often warrant introductions." The soldier saluted.
"Master Sergeant Jack Hazer of the 34th Engineers. Though, most people call me 'Hazzard Jack'." George rasied an eyebrow at that.
"Why do they call you that?"
"My dad was a member of the Resistance back during the days of Tellanian occupation. I inherited the nickname 'Hazzard' from him as he was the chief trap builder, bomb maker, and weaponsmith among them. The old man...he taught me everything he knew about explosives, traps, and weapons design. Hoped to the Almighty I'd never have to use those skills but...there you have it." George looked at him.
"You build bombs?" Hazzard nodded.
"Yes sir. If you bring me enough components, I can create anything: grenades, pipe bombs, shrapnel mines, regular mines, satchel charges, demo charges, hell, bring me enough DEX5 and I'll create a bomb so massive you could bring down the building the damned OAC has set up as they headquarters...Unfortunately their HQ is in the Inner Residential District. To get there, I'd need to get some permits to travel the sectors. Damned Rotarians...they're a lot smarter than Tellanian occupiers I'll give them that."
"What do you mean?"
"They've divided the city into 'sectors'. Right now, we're in the outer sector. The Rotarians don't have much of a presense out here but their forces are concentrated on the forts and walls with the occasional patrol here and there. Inside the city, they're as thick as flies on shit. A fellow can't fart without blowing stink into one of those OAC soldier's faces." George looked back to Amber.
"Did anyone know of this?" She shook her head. George turned to him.
"Well Hazzard, I would suppose you'd like to join the Resistance, correct?" Hazzard looked at him.
"Well unless you already have a bomb maker slash engineer slash gunsmith who just so happens to have a few...'friends' in the newly built black market...then yes. Besides, I have a bone to pick with the OAC. They aren't like regular army. The Rotarian regulars...at least they have some honor. The OAC...they're a whole other kettle of fish."
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(Later, back at the Mill)
Doctor Francois Mezzanie had seen his share of injuries both on and off the battlefield. He'd seen everything from the common cold to the most virilent of sicknesses. He'd seen all manner of wounds from lacerations to bullet wounds to shrapnel wounds to burns of all types and degrees. Some of the POWs the team had brought in had injuries from their time in battle from the siege. His time in the old Resistance had also made him aware that some enemies didn't adhere to the rules of war.
And that everyone, even the most loyal officer, has a breaking point.
As he triaged each POW as well as looked over Lee who, unlike poor Boyce, had survived the car being destroyed, he also examined each and every one of the POWs, especially the officers, for signs of interrogation or torture. Thankfully, he found nothing more severe than a broken leg. As he did his duty, George went downstairs to the grainery room and then walked over the old ricketty dock to the abandoned spillway where Caldor had set himself up a 'lair' of sorts.
The inside of the spillway wasn't at all what you would think. Having been abandoned during the Blue Flood in 1918 when rainwater caused the Blue River to run out of its banks which in turn backed up the old canals and flooded most of Launces, the old spillways that ran along the new canals were bone dry and dimly lit but they were hardly dusty and plus, having grown up in such a lair before joining the Dracocorps, it was just a matter of sweeping out some dust and evicting a colony of rats and the old spillway was just like home.
Caldor heard George shift aside the old boards that had been piled up in front of the entrance to disguise it and turned to look at him. He saw George's expression and smiled.
"So, all the POWs are safe? No debilitating injuries I hope?" George nodded.
"Thanks to that distraction you caused. I'm sure that without your aid the fight would have been much worse and we would have lost more people than just Boyce." Caldor sighed.
"I...I should have been there...it's just that...I was out of mana and couldn't attack any further." George placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It's alright. I know. Besides...only a fool goes into battle thinking everyone under his command is immortal. At any time we sortie any one of us could be killed or worse, captured. That's the risk with fighting behind enemy lines." Caldor nodded but then his head jerked up and he took a long whiff of the air.
"Someone's there." George turned and heard someone move the boards and debris in front of the entrance where a voice suddenly came.
"So...this is where our dragon ally is."
George saw Zafra step from the shadows, her expression blank. Caldor tensed as she drew closer, this WAS after all, the eldest daughter of both Ignitus and Magothera, the two dragons his father had tried to kill. The only dragon known to history to not only have control of magical abilities but also be able to shapeshift. He finally averted his eyes and gazed further down into the tunnel.
"Normally, a host is to greet a guest in his den before deciding to give them the cold shoulder." Caldor huffed and didn't turn back around. Zafra turned to George.
"I spoke with Amber and she said that the millhouse didn't have any spare room. Since your things are the mill itself and the rest of the equipment is there I...I was...I was coming down here to see if there was any spare room down here but since grumpy guts there has laid claim to it I suppose I'll have to find elsewhere to den up."
THAT got Caldor's attention and he brought his head back around.
"Y-You would den down here? I...I mean...uh..." Zafra frowned.
"You think that because I'm a de Launces that I'm a spoiled little princess who doesn't like 'roughing it' as humans are wont to say? Let me tell you something right here and now. I may have de Launces blood in my veins but that only means that I am damn good with machinery and have the guts to move forward come hell or whatever else. Now I don't know what's got you so flustered around me but as far as I'm concerned, drop it. We're two dragons, stuck in the same set of circumstances, and we have to do what our race does does best: Survive and Adjust." Caldor gazed at her and sighed.
"Sorry if I seem cold and distant...it's just that...every time I think I'm close to shaking my Father's shadow, something happens that brings all those memories back with avengance. I...I just don't know how people will react when they learn that the eldest daughter of Magothera de Launces, and the only son of Caldor the Traitor, are working with the Resistance and actually sharing a den..." Zafra then surprised him by changing into dragon form and used her tailblade to cavre a line through the stone of the floor. She smirked and looked back to George who had covered his ears from the noise and then to Caldor who looked at her as if she was crazy.
"There. Now then, that's your side of the den on that side of the line and this side is mine." Caldor couldn't help but chuckle.
"Seriously? You're placing a line in the stone? Ugh, never mind. Heh, sometimes I get to wondering what it would be like to have a mate but then all those memories of Mother come rushing back and all I can recall is indifference, neglect, and the constant nagging." Zafra paused and looked to him.
"You don't have a mate? I thought most Syllian dragons your age already had a family?" Caldor snorted.
"Yeah well neither of your parents were labeled as 'traitor' now were they? Even my own wing avoided me like the Plague. You want to know the worst thing that's ever happened to me? I saw my Mother a few days before the atack. I decided to speak with her but she didn't even notice me. ME. Her own child, her flesh and blood, and she didn't even..." George and Zafra both looked at each other in shock before looking to Caldor to see him fighting back tears.
"Here I am...finally doing something right for a change...yet...as soon as the war is over, if I survive, it'll all go back to the same thing. How can I possibly get out from under the stigma of my lineage when the very daughter of the dragons my father tried to kill is sharing a den with ME and her brother is leading the Resistance?" George looked to Caldor.
"Caldor...don't tell me you...you planned to die the day Launces fell..." Caldor nodded.
"I had decided that day. If I managed to take down enough of the enemy that maybe, just maybe, I'd be good enough for someone, anyone to consider shedding a tear for me...If not, then hey, I go out on my own terms, perhaps a burial in an unmarked grave, and then I fade from the minds of people and no longer haunt the nightmares of little children." His shoulders visually slumped.
"That would be the best that I could hope for." Zafra eased over to George and looked at him.
"Is he always this depressed?" George shook his head.
"I know he hates his father and genuinely regrets what transpired all those years ago. It seems he's borne the brunt of all the hatred and anger that should have gone towards his father that people feel that they were cheated out of with Silverus' execution." Zafra nodded and gazed at Caldor before remembering something and turning back to George.
"By the way, Grant wanted to talk to you. Something about radio signals and maybe arranging a rescue for the POWs. Also, our latest ally, Hazard Jack, is trying to set up a lab of some sort in the old grainery. He's actually talking about sending some of our members out on supply runs to steal explosives and chemicals that he can use to make more of them." George nodded then looked to Caldor who was in a sort of depression in the back of the tunnel and pointed to him.
"Will you be alright being alone with him?" Zafra huffed.
"Don't worry. I think he has other things on his mind instead of trying anything. But...if he does try anything, well...Mother did make sure I was well trained in the art of combat before I left for here. Oh, speaking of which, you should probably let her know when you get the chance that I'm alright. She's probably worried sick about me..."
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(Launces)
The day after news that Launces had fallen, a passenger vessel from Avalon arrived in Eastport. From there, a group of passengers were guided to the railyard where a private train carried them to Royalis. From there, Spyro, Cynder, Ignitus, Thera, and their children went straight to the castle and met with James and Lysa in their private quarters.
Compared to the chambers in Launces, the Royal Chambers of Royalis seemed far grander and more opulent. Yet, for all its looks and seemingly relaxed atmosphere, James had not been able to get a night's rest in the large room since Launces fell. Lysa was in a foul mood regarding the fallen city as well as the fate of their eldest son. Add that to the hastily transmitted message asking them if their granddaughter, Zafra, had made it safely there or not only cast fuel on the fire.
Despite a city-wide hunt for Zafra, the City Guard and the Dracocorps had turned up nothing. This in turn had forced Thera to come, despite her condition, to Royalis to see her parents.
As the group entered the chambers, Lysa came forward to embrace her daughter, and then embraced Ignitus and smiled at Spyro and Cynder. As Lysa stepped back, Thera came forward.
"Where's Dad?" Lysa sighed.
"He's been asked to be kept informed of anything coming out of the occupied zone. Thankfully, Peninsula City has been held thanks to Josh and Bertram's timely intervention but... the victory there is but a small drop in a bucket compared to all that Rotiart has managed to do in almost a month's time. Thankfully, our forces are holding the line but the front in Northumbria isn't faring as well. Rumors that Rotarian forces have already attacked Navorra are already circulating." Thera looked to her mother and sighed.
"What about George? What about my daughter?" Lysa sighed and shook her head.
"There is still no word. We've contacted all the towns that took in evactuation trains but out of the seventeen trains that were used to evacuate civilians, barely nine escaped, the rest were trapped when the lines to Launces were blown up to prevent further evacuations. There was just no time to..."
At that moment, James came through the door, his face red from running, an expression of shock on his face.
"James, what's wrong?!" James held a paper for her to see.
"This just came over the encrypted line. Someone in Launces is transmitting using one of the G4 Enigma cyphers. We had to decode it twice because, quite honestly, I dodn't believe it at first."
Lysa came forward and looked over the letter and then passed it to Thera.
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ENCRYPT SIGNAL G4CE: CONFIRMED
ALL TRANSMITTERS FUNCTIONING
EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY.
THIS IS EDWARD GRANT, FORMER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SICB. TRANSMITTING FROM LAUNCES. TRANSMITTING THAT RESISTANCE CELLS ARE CONFIRMED TO BE STARTED AND FUNCTIONING. CURRENTLY ATTACHED TO A CELL AS RADIO OPERATOR. PRESENCE OF SEVERAL MIA AND BELIEVED KIA SOLDIERS CONFIRMED.
CANNOT TRANSMIT MUCH BUT IT HAS BECOME APPARANT. GEORGE NICHOLAS DE LAUNCES CONFIRMED ALIVE AND WELL AND IS THE DEFACTO LEADER OF THIS CELL. RECENT RAID AGAINST ENEMY FORCES SECURED FREEDOM OF SEVERAL HIGH RANKING OFFICERS INCLUDING INTEL ABOUT THE ENEMY'S SEARCH FOR WORKSHOP ONE.
ALSO, YOUNG DRAGONESS ZAFRA DE LAUNCES CONFIRMED TO BE PRESENT WITHIN THIS CELL AS WELL.
IT IS ALSO CONFIRMED THAT CALDOR, SON OF SILVERUS, HAS ALSO SURVIVED AND HAS BECOME PART OF THE SAME CELL.
I SHALL ENDEAVOR TO REPORT AS THE SITUATION PROGRESSES.
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Thera dropped the letter from her hand as she felt a sense of fear in her heart. Ignitus glanced at the paper and then looked to James sharply.
"Is the decryption accurate?" James nodded, but then gazed at them both.
"I note your concern but is it just because Zafra is behind enemy lines or is it because Caldor is there with her?" Spyro looked to James curiously.
"Caldor? Who's he?" James started to explain but Thera interrupted.
"He's the only son of the dragon who tried to kill Ignitus and me several years ago, back during the Dalon Conflict." Ignitus snorted at the memory and looked to James.
"I'd thought Silverus didn't have any offspring." James sighed.
"He did. And the stigma of being the son of a traitor fell on his shoulders. Don't look at me like that Thera. You know me well enough that I can't sit idly by while an innocent is condemned for his blood alone. All his life since Silverus was executed he was beaten, starved, disgraced, all on a near daily basis. I only became aware of his existance when he joined the Dracocorps and was assigned to Launces under Aaros' command." Thera gasped as she heard this and then hung her head.
"I...I didn't know...poor child..." James nodded.
"Reports from Aaros indicate that Caldor is a very loyal fighter but tends to act rash or irrational in combat drills. He rushes in solo to take on threats that normally would take several dragons to engage. He's an extremely powerful light wielder, much more powerful than his father or even Silverus, the only thing is he seemingly has a death wish. He seems to think that a glorious death in battle will either erase the stain on his name or at least assuage fears that he'll turn traitor like his father." Thera sighed and looked to him.
"Dad, is there a way to contact the Resistance?" James nodded.
"I...I need to get a message to the Resistance. To let Zafra and George know that we haven't given up on them..." James sighed but shook his head.
"I'm afraid that at the moment it's impossible. If we start sending mesages back and forth as easily as letters, we give the enemy more and more chances to decrypt the letters and put the cell in danger. At the moment however, I have the cryptology offices working on a set of codes that, once complete, will be used only by the Resistance cell that George is in command of. It's just a matter of getting the special encrypting device and the code into George's hands."
As Thera sighed, there was a knock on the door. They all turned to see a Syllian officer escorting three Praetorian officers who saluted.
"Your Majesties, sorry for the delay in meeting you. I am Colonel Robert Faulkland and this is my assistant, Major Frank Epps. We are Praetorian officers in charge of weapons projects." James nodded.
"Yes...I'd heard of you and sent a request to the Praetorian military. I believe you had said that you have ideas for weapons that can aid those trapped behind enemy lines?" Colonel Faulkland nodded.
"Indeed sir. I have with me, various blueprints for weapons that can be disassembled, hidden, and then put back together on a moment's notice and also use calibers most likely to be found in the occupied zones. We have an armored transport plane on standby here in Royalis with three crates of weapons and ammunition. We were going to drop them over Launces tomorrow and I believe that there is enough space on board for a small, nondescript package. That is...if you happen to have such a package?"
James grinned.
"Gentlemen, We do indeed have such a package. It just...needs the instruction manual to go with it. No sense in risking two flights when one flight would do the job perfectly. In the meanwhile, while our friends in the cryptology department finish the code and place it to paper, how about showing me these weapons you intend to send to my son and his friends?" Colonel Faulkland nodded.
"Your Majesty, it would be my pleasure."
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Whew. Alright, the new character is revealed, the weapons and codes for the Resistance are being readied, and now comes the test to see what sort of weapons will work.
I...uh...already posted a visual of the weapons on my DA gallery so that you can see what sort of weapons the Resistance will be using. So...next time, the Resistance has the members, now, they need the weapons.
Next Chapter: Supply Drop.