You know, it's been a while since I updated World Fury. I guess I got so caught up with Forge Summoner I completely lost it in the shuffle. Still, I'm glad that it's getting the attention I had hoped. To be honest, Forge Summoner has completely surpassed my expectations, which I owe all to you guys so thank you.
You know, sitting here at my desk, I can't help but glance at the plaque I recieved from my JROTC class almost ten years ago when I graduated High School. Thinking back on everything, the friends I made, the people I met, my teachers who kept pushing me to excel and never relented, it's thanks to them, and my family, and even you guys, my online friends that I am who I am today.
One of my most notable instructors was my JROTC instructor, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam and worked his way around from artillery to comms to field work and even a stint in the Airborne. I remember this because I once asked him:
"Colonel, why is it that soldiers in the Airborne jump out of perfectly good airplanes?"
The Colonel smiled at me and chuckled and then pointed to our class book which was open to the 'History of the US Army, WWII' and said, with a perfectly straight face:
"It's more fun than jumping out of a burning one."
Well, enough about the past and other stories, here's the long-promised update of World Fury. Hopefully I can get some more chapters cranked out and maybe come up with a suitable finale.
Also, starting to save up to get a PS4 cause they're finally doing it. The original Spyro trilogy is being remade and is set to come out in September this year.
You know something? The reason the Spyro trilogy holds such a close space in my childhood is because buying it was a milestone for me. I bought it using money that I had earned splitting wood for my Grandma. Every log split was ten cents for halves, five cents per quarter, and a penny kindling sticks and tree bark.
Needless to say, I split a LOT of wood.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE SPYRO UNIVERSE. ONLY MY OCS.
Chapter 69: Damocles Pt. 2
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Despite the rocking of the cart as the column of soldiers marched along, Corporal Ambrose Dexter managed to keep his hands steady as he worked on linking the last shells together for the improvised bombs that would, with any luck, send the massive railgun bearing down on allied positions to the scrap heap. As the last wires were connected, the cart hit a hole which made the connected shells bounce around enough to make Dexter turn paler than normal. One of the Tellanian soldiers also turned pale and muttered something in his native language to which the driver replied harshly.
Still though, George glanced to the payload and then looked to Dexter sharply.
"Calm down. It was just a bump. This thing isn't going to go off with a pothole, is it?" Dexter shook his head.
"Not normally, but still, you never know. Rule number one when handling any explosives is 'be very, very careful'. That is followed rather closely by rule two which is 'never assume that something cannot explode because it is not yet armed'." George shook his head with a half grin on his face.
"Is there a rule three?" Dexter gave a flat nod.
"Yeah. When in doubt, drop what you're doing and run like your ass is on fire." George chuckled.
"I thought you said rule one is being careful? Then you say drop it?" Dexter sighed and went back to his work.
"It's implied." He fiddled with the wires a little bit more and then nodded to himself.
"Alright, it's done. Now all we need is to get it to the weak spot, arm it with a timer, and then quickly and efficiently de-ass the area. I enjoy watching my handiwork, don't get me wrong, but this kind of 'masterpiece' you do not want a front row seat when it goes off." He made a few last minute adjustments and sighed with apprehensive relief.
"Something like this, it's best observed from the balcony, or better yet from the opposite side of the ravine." George nodded and then he heard Colonel Korovitch chuckle from behind him.
"And here I payed good money on the seats front row center to watch the show. Oh well, maybe I can get my money back, eh?" Dexter nodded.
"Nevertheless Colonel, I don't think you'll want a refund for this show. This one's going to be a treat from all involved, except the Rotarians, of course." The soldiers laughed loudly at that and Dexter got out of the wagon and nodded to the driver who continued on. George nodded and then glanced to Korovitch and nodded.
"We're almost to the bridge now. Just a little further and we'll be-" A soldier approached and pointed to the bridge. George glanced ahead and cursed.
The area where the bomb was supposed to be planted was crawling with Rotarian soldiers. George used his dragon-keen eyesight to get an exact number and uttered a second oath.
"Okay, fess up. Who the hell broke a mirror? That area isn't just swarming with Rotarians, it's infested. On top of that, I see armor. Heavy armor." Korovitch looked to him, all previous humor gone.
"What kind of heavy armor?" George focused his eyes on the target, his pupils narrowing to paper thin slits monetarily before returning to normal.
"I've got at least a half dozen MPz5's, four MPz4's, three MPz6's and MPz7's and... good grief that's a big tank." George pointed it out to Korovitch who sighted it through the binoculars and gasped.
"We had intel that the Rotarians had a so-called 'super tank' that had been built to challenge Syllian 'Marmota' tanks, but we didn't believe it. The project we discovered was codenamed 'Mouse' so we didn't think much of it. My God how can such a thing exist?" George shrugged.
"In the words of my Father: 'Given enough time and determination, mankind can create great wonders or great atrocities'. The war has been going on long enough to witness multitudes of both." Korovitch lowered the binoculars and eyed George and then his troops.
"How the hell are we going to get the bomb onto the bridge with that many troops? It's not possible." George nodded.
"It'll be a challenge, no doubt about it there. Still, I thought the Tellanian motto was 'nothing is impossible if done for the Motherland'?" Korovitch gave him a sour look.
"There is also a phrase that forbids suicidal attacks against hostiles capable of holding their own against an entire division. 'Fight smarter, not harder'." George nodded.
"Well then, I think we may have a way to do just that. Instead of using the bomb to blow the bridge, we'll let nature do the work for us. See those snowcaps? I'll bet ten to one odds that is fresh snow and if we can get an avalanche going, we can wipe out the enemy forces and the bridge at the same time." Korovitch smiled.
"Use the same tactic used against us to retake Three Points Pass, eh? What, is there a tactics book in Syllia I don't know about?" George chuckled.
"No, it's just one of our greatest hits. Despite the fact it was Gregory Dalon who came up with the tactic." George then examined the terrain and looked back to Korovitch.
"You have a map that shows any sort of trail or road leadong up to the summit?" Korovitch shook his head but then a young soldier came up and saluted.
"Sir, Private Damedov reporting, I have family in the area and I know the trails here." George smiled.
"Any way to get this bomb up that mountain?" Damedov nodded.
"Yes sir, there should be a trail leading up the peak. Before the war a lot of reckless adventuring types started chartering trips up the mountain. They had the trail fairly well mapped out but after the climbing disasters of '24, '26, and the horrific tragedy of '29, buisiness dried up and they moved on. Guide markers are still there, you just have to watch where you step. 'Loose snow, easy go', as they say." George nodded and then turned to the group.
"Alright then, let's start trying to get this thing up the mountain." He turned to Korovitch.
"Normally, I wouldn't suggest this but, I don't trust donkeys on this mountain. All it would take is for them to get spooked once and misstep to bring the mountain down on us instead of the enemy. I'm going to shift into my other form, release the donkeys and lash the cart to me. As a shapeshifter, I don't have any offensive abilities so I'll be relying on you guys to protect me as I get the bomb up the mountain."
Korovitch nodded and turned away to give the orders to his men and when he turned around he was staring at George's dragon form and was momentarily stunned. George gave a knowing smile and nodded as four soldiers tired ropes around him forming a makeshift harness to hold the bomb-laden wagon.
"It's alright, I'm used to that reaction." Korovitch recovered with a chuckle and nodded.
"First time seeing a dragon, you're as big as a train car." George chuckled.
"Not that big but for my size and my age, I'm of decent size. Still, if you think I'm big, you should see Elder Titanus, or even Lord Pallas. The older the dragon, most often, the bigger they are." Korovitch sighed and nodded.
"Hearing that, I wonder even more so at the sanity of the Council. It is foolish judgements like those that the Council made that has weakened us so. Almost three centuries of war with sporadic periods of strenuous peace weakened us more than most people would be willing to contemplate. Though the General may not agree with me for saying so, disbanding the Slayer Corps and seeking to repair relations with Syllia has been one of the few good decisions the Council has made." George gave a nod as the last of the ropes was tightened, holding the cart firmly to him. He then glanced left and right, watching the Tellanian soldiers take up positions alongside him.
"Let's go climb a mountain."
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The climb up the mountain, despite all appearances, was a lot easier than what George had thought it was going to be. Despite a few moments where the cart shifted in the soft snow, and once where a soldier lost his footing and George caught him with his tail, they were now on a ledge overlooking the bridge. Korovitch stuck his bayonet into the snow and shook his head in thought.
"How much snow do you think this is?" George smiled.
"At least a ton, give or take. Either way, this is more than enough nature to suit our purpose." He gazed a bit up the slope.
"I'll carry the wagon a little further up that way we have even more snow to pile on. Once I get the bomb situated over there, de-ass the area with all haste." Korovitch nodded but the silence on the slope was shattered with various reports of gunfire. One of the Tellanians dropped to a knee, shouldered his rifle and fired towards a snow bank across from where they were. Another soldier glanced to Korovitch with a scowl.
"Rotarian Mountain Troops! They're hiding in the snow!" George swore and then looked to Dexter.
"Is the bomb on a timer?" Dexter nodded.
"I haven't set it yet though." George turned to Korovitch.
"Have your men fall back now! Dexter, arm the bomb, thirty seconds or less is preferable!" Korovitch overheard him and started shouting in Tellanian and his men began falling back, firing as they went. Dexter made a running leap onto the cart, opened his little 'party bag' and removed a thirty second acid pen, opened a shell and inserted the detonator into the propellant and used a pair of pliars to crush the acid capsule, starting the timer.
"We're hot! Thirty ticks till boom!" George turned to him.
"Alright, unhook me and climb on!" Dexter looked at George with wide eyes.
"You mean on your back?!" George gave him a flat look.
"Unless you'd rather try riding an avalanche down. Don't worry, I only bite when I'm annoyed." Dexter gave a nervous nod then, using his knife, cut the lines lashing George to the bomb and then climbed up onto his back. George looked in time to see several soldiers clad in white snow uniforms and camo rise up and level rifles at him as he spread his wings. He gave only two words of warning.
"Hang on."
Dexter cocked an eyebrow at that just as George leapt from the slope of the mountain, furled his wings, and fell into a steep, almost straight down, dive. Time seemed to slow down for Dexter as they fell. He was aware of an alarm going up on the bridge just as the large train came into view. Tanks rotated their turrets and prepared to fire, tracers from rifle and machinegun rounds arced towards them from the slope above and the bridge below.
Then, it happened.
The improvised bomb exploded on the slope, tearing the wagon to pieces and creating a big enough fireball that, in Dexter's opinion, would be seen halfway across Tellanos. The bombs explosion echoed for a moment, and then a loud 'crack', followed by a low rumbling was heard. George snapped open his wings at that moment and broke into level flight, sparing a glance backwards just in time to see the entire slope break free from the mountain and fall towards the bridge.
That got the attention of the soldiers on the bridge and they started fleeing in panic. The train that was incoming had just applied the brakes and started to screech to a halt but George could instinctively see that, at the speed they were going, they wouldn't stop in time. He performed a perfect wingover and climbed, allowing him to see the end result of their labor.
A wall of white snow and ice along with stone that also broke free as well as trees and boulders, crashed down onto the tracks below. A fairly large boulder actually landed on the bridge and punched a hole through the structure. Without an anchor on that side, that entire section of the bridge, some sixty-three feet of it, collapsed under its own weight, opening the gap even wider.
George watched on as the locomotive reached the end of the line, its momentum carrying it straight forward a little bit longer before it started to drop. In mid-air, a series of coupling chains snapped, sending a half dozen pillbox armored cars sailing off and striking the central support, damaging it enough that the rest of the bridge began to sag heavily. Two loud snaps were heard at the far end as the railroad tracks snapped in half under the strain and the central section of the bridge started to tip over like a tree felled by a lumberjack.
This happened just as the railgun mentioned in the report reached the ravine, its crew jumping clear of their weapon before it reached the cliff. As the weapon was rear facing, the magazine for it reached the cliff before the weapon itself and was the car in the way when the central section came crashing down. Metal beams impacted the car mid air, creating sparks and moments later the car, along with its munitions, exploded.
George realized that he was a little too close for comfort and veered away to escape the blast wave but he suddenly heard Dexter shout and felt a heavy force, like someone had just tackled him in midair, slam into his body, sending him into a spiral dive. Struggling, he managed to right himself and maintain a steady glide down towards the ground. He thought heard Dexter say something vague moments before he felt tree tops brush against his belly scales and then, with a loud 'whoomph', he crashed into a rather enormous snowbank.
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George awoke to find himself staring a a roof over his head, and felt himself in a soft bed with several blankets piled atop him. He blinked a few times, then tried to rise but felt a hand on his chest pushing him back down. He turned to see a Syllian Medical Corps nurse beside him with a soft smile on her face. She then turned and, to George's horror, she spoke but he couldn't hear a word she was saying.
All around him, there was activity, noisy activity. Wounded being brought in, screaming in pain, doctors trying to triage their patients, nurses trying to calm down those who were still in shock or frantic. A hand on his shoulder got his attention as he turned to see a doctor leaning over him and beginning to examine his eyes, throat, nose, and lastly his ears. He was stoic about the whole thing but inside he felt empty. The doctor made no effort to speak but instead handed him a clip board with a sheet of paper on it. George's eyes went wide as he read it.
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AFTER ACTION REPORT, OPERATION 'AVALANCHE'
MAJ. GEORGE NICHOLAS DE LAUNCES, E29 CO
COL. SERGEI L. KOROVITCH, TUA, ASSISTING
After engine trouble forced them to abandon their tank, Major de Launces and surviving crew linked up with TUA forces under command of one Colonel Sergei Leonidus Korovitch, CO of the 3rd Heavy Assault Brigade. In an effort to stop enemy reinforcements from arriving, Major de Launces had one of his crew, Corporal Ambrose Dexter, rig an improvised explosive device using the tanks various cannon ammunition, pyrotechnic wiring, and a thirty second acid pen trigger and together they carried it up the mountain overlooking the rail bridge in the area.
Once there, they were ambushed by soldiers of the Rotarian 23rd Mountain Corps and were forced to arm the bomb earlier than planned. Through sheer tanacity and bravery, Corporal Dexter, despite being wounded by gunfire, managed to arm the bomb and then grab a hold of Major de Launces dragon form just as he leapt to avoid the explosion.
Despite being armed prematurely, the bomb did its job, exploding and sending and estimated two-hundred and sixty seven tons of snow, ice, rock down the mountainside and destroying the rail bridge. The train carrying the railgun, unable to stop in time, derailed and fell into the ravine where the ammunition car for the railgun exploded.
The shockwave of the massive explosion impacted Major de Launces, forcing him to crash land in a field where he was found by Tellanian civilians and he and Corporal Dexter were carried to the local town where the 156th Medical Corps is stationed. Later, Colonel Korovitch arrived and the other members of Major de Launces crew were checked, listed as fit for duty, and await assignment to a new tank.
Corporal Ambrose Dexter suffered a gunshot wound to the right lower leg which was compounded by the crash landing of Major de Launces. This meant that amputation of Corporal Dexter's right leg, below the knee, was required.
Major George de Launces' injuries however, were minor with the exception that the pressure wave from the explosion ripped apart his ear drums which, according to earlier medical reports, were damaged but not beyond possibility of healing. The ear drums have been severely damaged and permanent deafness is expected.
For their gallant and heroic actions, both Corporal Dexter and Major de Launces have been recommended by Major General John Rigger of the 412th Armored Corps for the Syllian Cross. Corporal Dexter is to be promoted to Master Sergeant and given a Class 12M discharge (Honorable Medical). Major de Launces is to be promoted to the rank of Colonel and is likewise hereby issued a Class 12M discharge.
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George's eyes teared up as he read the report. This was it, the war was over for him. His hearing had finally been lost, rendering him useless to the military. His mind wandered idly to his music and he wondered how in the world could he compose, but then he recalled the story of a grand master composer who, like him, had lost his hearing at an early age but continued to stun and captivate audiences with his music long after his hearing had left him.
Plus, with him deaf, he would likely no longer be considered the crown prince, Syllia needed a future King who could hear their issues and needs. That made Joshua the Crown Prince. Him? He could return to composing, with Angela by his side, and together, he determined, they would make some of the most beautiful compositions the Kingdom of Syllia had ever heard.
His part in the war was over, but his life still lay ahead of him.