Call of the Ancestors
Chapter 10: The Vale
Several hours later and halfway through a long flight, Sethelis felt her wings aching slightly. Miarko and her had only stayed briefly at the tower and soon enough left to fly north. The two dragons and their unit of troops that had been given to them had flown under complete silence. The dragoness had once or twice glanced down onto the ground swooshing past below them. Forrests, plains. It only appeared to get gloomier and foggier the further north they got. As well as much colder.
She tried not to shudder too badly once they finally landed, as it was getting too dark to see up in the skies. For Miarko's eyes at least. Sethelis didn't have any problems with the darkness, but she'd much rather land than have her fellow Captain or any of their flying soldiers crash into a tall treetop.
Luckily, there was just enough light left for the Fire captain to be able to descend safely to the ground and landing carefully on all four legs, intact. Sethelis signaled back at the small force that they had brought with them, which included a few members of each platoon and Lieutenant Terron along for the ride. She descended herself and walked up to Miarko.
The Fire dragon nodded, regarding her, "The winds out of the north side were a little rougher than I would have liked. Probably set us back by at least half an hour."
The Shadow dragoness agreed, showing it by an annoyed tone of her voice. "If not only stalling, but cold. I am hating to admit that my armor is not adequate in keeping me warm, but I presume it is time to set up camp. The trees should give us enough shelter, and with some aid I'll be able to suspend a field of shadows around the camp so we won't get spotted by prying eyes." She briefly explained, before seemingly melting into the darkness surrounding them, leaving Miarko to order about their troops to establish camp, erecting tents and lighting a campfire.
Sethelis in turn focused her elemental energies, after requesting aid from fellow Shadow Dragons. This leads to a bubble of shadow slowly shutting itself around the camp, sealing it off from the rest of the world. Even the sounds of the local wildlife got slightly quieted down and muffled if it passed through.
With a sigh, Sethelis then proceeded to return back to the heart of the camp, helping wherever she was needed.
Miarko approached her, having helped set up a few of the items around the camp, and used his element to set up the campfire in the middle of it. It was larger than Sethelis expected, a testament to the Fire dragon's stamina and skill with the Fire.
"Everything's set up for the night. How are you feeling?" he asked, seemingly concerned.
The Shadow Captain looked about the camp, noticing how people was getting into their tents, and those assigned to guard was taking their posts as she spoke; "Tired, cold as The Ice King's breath and overall contempt with how good it feels to be out in the field again." she said, taking a seat upon her haunches on the ground next to the fire, glancing over to Miarko with her one eye, it's yellow iris gleaming in the light.
"You haven't done much field work before this crisis, I assume?" asked the Fire dragon, sitting down next to her, "That's been most of my career. I fought in the Civil War for a time, then was assigned to peacekeeping roles as we reconstructed the City. It's been an interesting last ten years, needless to say."
Sethelis merely listened attentively, seemingly thinking how to best explain her story. "I've done my fair share of missions, but nothing too travel-based. If anyone needed to go far beyond the city walls I tend to send a Shadow to do the work, as I take the act of the more central hub. In-city affairs, DOW matters and such." She explained, once more vague with details in her own characteristic way.
Before deciding to comment on the whole ordeal with the Civil War. "And… I knew you'd done service around that time, but didn't know you had actively fought in the conflict. Any bigger battles?" She asked.
"Oh, you haven't seen my service record then," replied Miarko, nodding, "I served during the Siege of Warfang and the Battle against the Destroyer. I was there when Spyro and Cynder saved the City by protecting the gate and that artillery battery. Served nearby them the entire time, even though I didn't fight with them directly. After that, most of the fighting force was lead through the Warfang Ruins to help fight the Destroyer, I met both of them during that trip. You could say that we became friends after Spyro...reformed the world. Partially. So I've known them for about ten years now. After the War, I was mostly relegated to peacekeeping roles. Cleaning up the remnants of Malefor's army, guarding workers and caravans from opportunistic bandits. Joined the DOW somewhere along the way. You've probably heard of the Raid of 11'. I was there, got promoted to this position after that. I've been the Captain of this 17th for two years now. That's the simplified version. Any questions?"
Sethelis looked up at the fiery male, apparently interested, judging by how her demeanor had gone from huddled together to keep warmth to nearly neglecting her whole complaint about being cold, attentively listening.
"No, not for now at least. Maybe later, though. I truly wish I could share more of my own work and past, but yeah. Rules are rules." She explained with yet another roll of her eye. The fire crackled slightly and the Shadow dragoness looked over her shoulder…. To no avail, ending up turning around entirely just to see that hers and Miarko's tent was finally up. "They finally got that done. Let's get inside and out of this blasted cold…"
The two entered their tent. Inside was rather spacious. With a set of cushions and a blanket each. The biggest central pole which was keeping the tent up had in turn a lantern lighting the place up. And indeed, it was surprisingly comfortable inside, compared to the relatively chilly outdoors.
"... So. What do you think we'll be up against once we face the enemy?" She asked, turning to her red scaled companion.
"Powerful element and magic users that know combat. These chaos loving types always seem to appreciate strength in combat. Some of them think that it's chaos expressed in its purest form, demonstrating strength. It's completely hogwash, but that doesn't mean that they're not incredibly impressiveonceit comes to breaking bones and removing limbs."
Sethelis seemed pleased with that assessment. "Yes, I can see the reasoning." She stated, as she was correcting her lay down pose, placing her darkly scaled head down against a pillow. Yawning."But as important as planning ahead is, we'll do that once we reach our base in The Vale. Now we need some sleep. Good night, Miarko."
"Good night, Seth," Miarko replied, before laying down himself on a side, his back to the still dimly lit lantern, his black wings tightly tucked against his body.
Soon enough they were both soundly asleep.
The early next morning Sethelis arose early like she always does. Well. Most of the time. She quietly made her way out of hers and Miarko's tent, the fire Captain had been snoring audibly, sleeping on his back with a open maw.
The shadow captain looked out, the shadows she had assembled around their base had disappeared some time during the night, and the other soldiers of camp slowly awoke, with an exception of the ones posted to take the morning watch a few hours earlier.
Slowly the sounds of a fire was going, followed with the sounds of clinking metal as armor was once more put back on by the traveling band, Sethelis had ordered someone to prepare a brief meal for the camp before they'd set out. Wooden bowls were handed out, along with food which was being prepared over open campfire.
And… Miarko still hadn't woken.
Sethelis poked her head in through the opening of their tent, glancing over to the Fire captain. If he'd oversleep breakfast, she'd have none of his complaints. So she decided to wake him up.
So Sethelis tried by nudging Miarko with a paw, sitting down on her haunches next to his sleeping form. "Wake up, Miarko. Go on, get up. We'll be moving out soon..." She said, a little louder than she'd usually speak, awaiting a reaction.
Miarko awoke suddenly, breathing deeply and looking around. His eyes settled on Sethelis and he quickly regained composure, his deep breathing fading into more calm gasps. He rose quickly and turned away from her.
"Sorry. Sorry. Didn't mean to worry you," he said, shaking his head.
Sethelis had leaned backwards slightly, admittedly she was almost expecting a outlash from the seemingly startled-to-wake male. "Worry? You looked like you'd wanted to tear at me with your claws for a second there." The Shadow dragoness stated, rising and taking a step back.
"If you're having nightmares, you can tell me over breakfast. We'll be heading out as soon as possible, and we cannot spare much sunlight." She then addressed, before turning around towards the tent doorway.
"Affirmative, Captain," came Miarko's voice from behind her as she walked out of the tent and back into the rising daylight.
A short time later, as she was having her breakfast, some salted meat along with what appeared to be a kind of bread with slices of fruit baked into it. Sweet, yet nutritious. She looked up from her meal, seeing a all-too-familiar face, Terron.
"Captain. Good to see you again," Terron said, sitting down with his own food, "I hope you're doing well."
Sethelis gave a little smile. Almost forced.
Almost.
"Same to you, Lieutenant Terron. So if my information is correct, you're native to these lands. If so, then how far do we have to travel until we reach the Vale?"
"Not too much longer," he responded, "I expected us to be able to reach it there within one day's flight but the winds that Captain Miarko reported on as we came out of the City put our timetable back by a day. Now we'll be there with another two hours I would say." These news weren't bad. But nor were they good, as Sethelis usually likes everything running on a tight schedule, and a setback like this is never a good one in her book.
"Hmm, good. If we are lucky, the winds will calm during the day so that we may reach The Vale faster than anticipated. Our informants and the garrison stationed there will need all the aid they can get. These aren't your average bandits or Skav raiders." She said, before chowing down on the last of her meat;
Glancing up at Miarko, who had finally strode out of the tent and was approaching, with her one healthy eye, she said, "So… You had some nightmare going on, Miarko?"
"Uh. Yeah. Sorry," Miarko responded, seemingly no longer bothered by it, "Don't worry about it. So, are we getting moving soon?"
"Yes, I told you when you woke up that we are moving out once everyone is ready post breakfast." Sethelis repeated, pushing a wooden bowl over to Miarko, it contained a few slices of salted meat, joined by some of that fruit-bread. Standard DOW soldier's ration.
A few hours later Miarko and the others were starting to close in on the city merely known as The Vale, hoping it's stone walls could keep the cold out. The air was much cooler than down south, and Miarko had to admit that even he was shuddering lightly. The group of soldiers and the two captains landed and decided to approach by paws the last few hundred meters. Wouldn't want the guard at the town's impressive armaments to assume they were hostiles.
The areas around the town was mostly open plain, fields. Pine forests in the distance. No one could even think about sneaking up on this town, he'd bet not even Sethelis' best.
A slight silhouette of a mountain range in the far north. If Miarko got his geography correct, that mountain range follows the coast and if one were to pass there, they'd soon fly over Dante's Freezer.
Luckily this place had never suffered the same kind of Flash Freeze.
But its inhabitants and everyone living around in the region called Shattered Vale is just as hardy and stubborn as their environment. Something that they'll need to take note of when dealing with the locals.
The big oak gates slowly opened with a loud creak. Miarko stood back with the rest of the men, letting Sethelis approach the cheetah by the gate. They held a hushed discussion that lasted for a few minutes. Miarko couldn't tell a word, but he assumed it was important, as they were seemingly allowed to pass through with no further questions and into the cobbled streets of The Vale.
The Fire Captain looked about. Cheetahs, a few dragons and moles all lived together, a bit like Warfang. Just… Less dragons. Except the inhabitants were all wearing thicker clothing, usually in darker colors and furs to keep them warm. Even the dragons of the city wore cloaks over their backs and wings to keep the cold out.
He noticed how the sky had been covered in a sheet of gray clouds, blocking out the sun's warming rays. The Fire dragon then proceeded to hurry up to walk next to Sethelis; "I'm guessing that we're about to get to meet the ones we are aiding?" He asked, and Sethelis replied with a nod. "Yes," She started. Glancing up on the big keep which was at the very center of the town. "Our informants has told me that there is an active branch of the 'Noints in this town, and we'll be helping the leading military Commander, the man seated at the fort over there…" Sethelis stated, using a paw to point at the big central military facility. A flag of Warfang flowing in the wind at the top of the keep's roof.
"... Grizzled war veteran from way back before Malefor's short three year rule. A bit...Too old-school in his methods for my taste, but I hope he will be willing to accept our aid." The Shadow dragoness muttered, before taking to a side street, leading Miarko along. To the Fire dragon's surprise, they didn't go for the big tall oak doors leading into the fort, but rather leading their small unit in through what appeared to be some form of Guard barracks.
"Why the hushed entrance?" He asked after a few minutes of silence, now making their way towards the courtyard, the grey skies looming above them as they crossed the cobblestone belaid courtyard. Miarko noted the flags of the Shattered Vale He looked over at Sethelis who rolled her eye; "The 'Noints could have eyes anywhere. At least we try to be discreet as to not arouse suspicion."
And so they waited.
Them and their group of "reinforcements". The wind howled lightly, as the dragons awaited the commander to make their appearance.
This is the reason to why formality sometimes are a waste of time, in Miarko's opinion. They could have been inside the warm keep, having a proper meal rather than standing and freezing their scaly behinds off in the cold. In fact, the fire dragon was surprised it hadn't started snowing yet.
And so, after a few very long minutes, the reinforced doors of the fort's Citadel opened, letting the DOW soldiers into the very heart of the city itself.
The Citadel was impressive, sitting in the heart of the city. Which in turn was resting on one lone hill surrounded by some flatland. The Vale wasn't a huge settlement, not like the Dragon City was, but it boasted a large enough population to serve as an important trading post and military fortress that it had finally caught the eye of Warfang's government after the end of the war. The delegation had been engaged in diplomacy to the city for the first five years afterwards, and then annexation negotiations after that. The Vale's small governing body had been resistant to Warfang's attempts at obtaining the territory for quite some time, but the dangers of the post-Malefor world had scared them enough into accepting Warfang's rule and protection. The annexation had just recently been finalized and put into effect, the Vale finally, completely, falling under the Guardians' banner.
The city was mostly built out of locally mined dark stone, as anything lighter like wood would not be able to stand the cool and windy climate that was native to these areas south of the mountain range. It looked cold, dark grays and whites blanketed the city, a dull color palette as Miarko had seen.
The small contingent of DOW soldiers approached the steps leading up to the gate of the main building of the fortress itself, the Vale's Citadel. The soldiers here were relaxed, clearly not expecting any combat for the foreseeable future, despite the arrival of the DOW's contingent.
The soldiers stepped inside, one by one. Once inside of the great keep, the dragons could feel a wave of heat from a torchlit room with at least four big bronze braziers, each resting in one of four corners, housing a sparking lively flame to keep the inside of the fort warm. Something Miarko, as a dragon of Fire, appreciated greatly.
The two captains were told by a low ranking officer that their troops were to be escorted to their quarters within the castle as the Commandant wished to speak with them and them alone.
They saw the Commandant, a older dragon with scales colored as dull a gray as the skies above his city, two great stag-like horns resting upon his head. He wore a black cloak like most draconic Valians, with the exception of a few medals decorating it by the hem of the neck, adding color to his otherwise dark color palette. He was standing at a longtable on the opposite side of the hall, surrounded by what looked like advisors and several other senior officers. Miarko and Sethelis started the short walk through the long hall. The walls were decorated with frescoes depicting every siege the military-minded city had endured during the years prior to and following the Dark Master's defeat. Battle, combat, was very clearly important to the Valians.
The elderly dragon looked up from a map of the town itself, which was resting upon the table he was standing by.
Seeing the two DOW Captains approach, he gruffly uttered a "Dismissed." in a gravelly voice to his peers. The other officers and advisors slowly dispersed, leaving the three dragons alone in the long hall.
Miarko regarded the aging Commandant, the de facto leader of the settlement. The Commandant spoke then,"So, the Defenders of Warfang arrive at the Veil, here to deal with any issues you may have found. Welcome to the Vale, Captains."
Sethelis gave a nod. Showing what respect she could muster, from how Miarko was seeing it, "Yes, we have gotten news of something bad stirring within your walls, Commandant." She told him, her voice echoing through the room.
The Commandant raised a scaly ridge upon hearing this, his stern facial expression not changing. His silvery scales gleamed in the light of the braziers fires that danced over the walls. "Is that so?" He replied, looking over to Miarko as if expecting an answer to come from the Fire Captain.
"Indeed, Commandant," replied the Fire Captain, stepping forward slightly, approaching the long table that separated the three of them. As he did, Sethelis sat down upon her haunches.
"Then what kind of trouble may that be? I won't be able to get to the root of the problem if I am held in the dark." the elder then asked, his gravelly voice gaining a slightly concerned tone.
"Have you been briefed on the...Congeria Situation," responded Miarko, searching for the formal term that had been decided upon by the DOW leadership, "that's currently engulfing our fair Capital, Commandant?"
The Commandant's eyes widened slightly upon hearing the name of the Ancestor, "Her ilk, here? In my city?" He growled, his tone raised ever so slightly. The elderly dragon snorted slightly as he continued, "I have a hard time believing such, there have been no signs of a cult here. The occasional civil unrest maybe, but…"
That was when the sole dragoness in the room interrupted, "I am sorry to interrupt, but what kind of unrest, Commandant? This is important."
The Commandant studied the map, raising a paw and gestured in a sweeping motion across a few buildings whom were marked on the map. "Several break-ins. A mysterious disappearance as well as someone attempting a break-in at the armory. They didn't get away with anything this time..."
Miarko glanced over to Sethelis once they had received this information, He then watched as Sethelis spoke up, tilting her head in a inquiring manner. "So, did you capture this thief? And do you assume he or she was guilty of all the different crimes? Any clues besides the fact that you caught them…?"
The commandant seemingly thought on something before replying, furrowing ridges as he spoke; "We only managed to get out of her that she wasn't operating alone. Something you confirmed with your claims of Congeria's agents."
Miarko then asked the Commandant, "Was she bearing any significant markings or tattoos?" getting the elder's attention. The caped dragon behind the longtable put his right front paw on his chin, murmuring something before speaking up.
"Yes, she bore a strange mark on her wrist, a circle at the center of eight arrows pointing in different directions. You suspect it to be-"
"Congeria's mark." The Shadow Captain chimed in, nodding affirmingly before rising up and walking over, rounding the table and standing next to the entitled older dragon. "So where do you suspect we should start looking? Any potential hideouts marked? I could hear with my contacts otherwise..."
A few hours later, Sethelis was hurrying down a cobbled street, a few minutes away from the keep. She and Miarko had gotten some useful information from the Commandant, individuals they assumed to be Anointed Ones had been targeting key people and locations. They suspected that the 'Noints were planning on taking the town from within.
She had taken her trademark armor off, and purchased herself one of those dragon-designed capes as to blend in more with the local populace filling the streets.
'This place is so different from Warfang. The scents, the tone… Atmosphere and even people. At least this cape keeps me warm compared to my armor.' She thought to herself, turning off from the main street which she had followed from the castle courtyard. Sethelis was going to see her contacts after all, and sadly she didn't even trust to take Miarko with her. The fewer who knew of the location the better.
Once she had walked into a shady and slightly isolated winding side alley Sethelis counted the doors she passed. Three from the main street and then turn right. Knock five times and then wait.
Once by the iron door, which had a tiny hatch in it as to let whoever was inside peek out at whoever was outside, she raised her paw and knocked lightly.
There was silence for at least two minutes before she could hear steps on the other side. Light and swift, whoever was behind the dark pine door must either be rather small or have claws. The hatch opened, and a piercing blue eye peered out and down upon the Shadow dragoness.
Without a word the door opened outwards, forcing Sethelis to take a few steps backwards, and there stood a Mole on a tall stool. "Good." He simply stated, before jumping off the tall ordinance and pushed it to the side: "In, quick."
Seth wasn't late to follow as she made her way inside, the door shut audibly behind her. It was a small room with a low roof, forcing the dragoness to slightly lower her neck as to not bump her head into the ceiling. The sparsely furnished room was housing little more than a iron chandelier hanging from the roof, it's fickle candle flames lighting up a table with a few items resting on it's smooth wooden surface, a few chairs and nothing more. The Shadows residing here probably lived on the second floor.
Sethelis turned her one eye upon the mole, who was clad like any common Valian, thick fabrics and furs. He peered back at her with his blue eyes; "So Captain, you wanted information on the cell we detected here. And everything we've got is on that table." He explained, before he waddled over and climbed up upon one of the four chairs around the table.
The items on the table were a letter, it's wax seal being broken indicating that someone had read the contents, a stick of dynamite as well as a empty locket bearing Congeria's symbol. The shadow dragoness studied each of the items as her mole comrade began speaking in his shrill piping voice.
"As you can see, at least one of these items are directly related to Congeria," He started, pointing at the locket, "... It was found around the neck of the individual who was caught trying to break into the armory. And they just so happened to be a member of the town military force. Those news were toned down of course, poor sod was fully under Her influence."
This raised suspicions in Sethelis' mind. Why hadn't the Commandant pointed that out when he knew they were there to help him? And why did he act as if he'd not known that Congeria had people within his walls? Those questions were to be answered soon, she hoped. The Captain of the 18th then looked upon the stick of dynamite. And her informant explained: "This is one of few explosive pieces they had left. I'll make sure to return it once we're done investigating. It appears as well that this was only the latest in a series of many thefts in the armory, as pieces of armor, weaponry and even barrels filled with gems for the draconic soldiers went missing over time. This was the only time anyone left any kinds of trace."
Sethelis nodded. Thoughts and theories running through her head. So many possibilities and so many indications. None of them good…
"This is bad… I pray that you guys have prepared a escape for civilians in case a Ancestors be damned battle occurs?"
The mole saluted and started with a firm tone; "Aye, Captain. We'd have the town empty within 40 minutes or less, if there is no complications." He stated, obviously taking pride in his work. Sethelis expected as much, giving of a small smile. Rather a indication of one. She felt a rush of pride almost, seeing her agents out in the field like this...
But she had no time to stroke her ego, as she turned to the letter, pointing at it with her tail. "And this…?" She asked, her mole companion reaching over and opening the envelope, handing her the letter which laid inside. And Seth had to admit, she can write and read coded messages, but this is incomprehensible mumbo-jumbo to her eye. Her ridge furrows slightly as she mutters; "Is this supposed to be words…?"
And indeed, the letters were scrambled all over the document, some were mirrored or even upside down, yet they were signed by two names. One being "Silas", which essentially was the draconian John Doe, and the other simply being Silas with scrambled letters.
"You guys been trying to piece it together?" She asked, looking over at the mole who replied, pointing at himself with his thumb. "I am our cryptologist, and well.. I think I am about to crack it. Maybe. Give me another 6 hours, estimated…?" His beaming self esteem seemingly slowly dropping as he goes back to mumbling something in thought.
Sethelis cleared her throat as to once more get the Mole's attention, before asking "Is there anything else?" The Shadow shook his head vigorously before retrieving the letter from his Captain; "I will notify you or Miarko when I've deciphered this. The problem with The Anointed Ones is that each time their means of communication alters the codes or techniques. Sometimes it is not even code…" He complains, The Captain turning and walking back out the door onto the cold streets, leaving him to his work…
Sethelis had told Miarko she'd go see her "contacts". This made Miarko ask himself the question whether that dragoness had units like this in every city controlled by Warfang and under DOW jurisdiction. Or if they even operate out on foreign soil. She might just hold more power than he'd dare suggest.
His pondering however was cut short, as the Fire Captain was alerted by a familiar voice walking over.
"So, what do you think of my hometown, Captain?" Lieutenant Terron asked, sitting down opposed to the younger red dragon. "I sure hope we can rid it of Congeria's agents soon, I still have family ties to this place, and after having seen how they just seem to make people… Disappear is just unsettling." The Earth Lieutenant admitted, his wings twitching slightly in that way they do when the dragon is nervous.
Miarko didn't want his men to be unable to remain focused on the mission at hand due to fear of the enemy, as he remembered his training from back at the Academy telling him that keeping a leveled head is usually key between life and death. "Don't worry, Lieutenant. We will be heading home with The Vale safe again in less than a few days, I bet." The Captain of the 18th reassured, looking about in the keep mess hall, in which they were sat. As he glanced quickly over the big collection of seats and tables he couldn't let it go unnoted how there were more guards than what he'd assume to be normal.
And most were heavily armed too. A bit unusual, but he paid it no mind ever since they alerted the Commandant of the reasons behind his populace suddenly turning relatively unruly.
"But, what do you say Terron? Let's go find Sethelis and get this over with. I bet she probably has the cell here figured out already." Miarko suggested, to which Terron nodded, the two once more stood up, turning to walk to the closest of four exits. That's when the doors shut. One by one.
Voices got raised into a confused murmur coming from the DOW soldiers. The fire Captain called up for quiet; "Quiet! Commandant? What is the meaning of this!?" He exclaimed, turning and looking upwards towards the second level, overlooking the dining hall itself. That's when he noticed the crossbows and guns being pointed down towards them.
The voice of the Commandant rose over the sudden silence, cutting through the air like a dragon's claw. Miarko couldn't see the elderly dragon anywhere. He assumed that he had hid somewhere on the upper level.
"Your meddling in our affairs has been a particular thorn in our side, Miarko. And Congeria wishes to reward you and Sethelis for your progress. But I am sad to say, Captains, your men and you are hereby relieved from your duties."
Miarko thought fast, calling out. "Duck!" before he dove down under a nearby table, taking Terron with him to avoid the first stream of projectiles.
The low thumping of arrows and bullets hitting the wood above them made Miarko simply press his wings harder against his back, the screams and groans of DOW soldiers as they either died or engaged combat with the guards on duty at their level echoed through the hall as the sounds of battle started. Miarko wasn't going to just idly hide whilst his soldiers were killed off. He rose, using his powerful wing muscles to send the table off of its legs and tumbling over to the side. He struck a combat pose and blasted some flames in the directions of a assailant.
He needed to get himself and his soldiers out of this mess, and fast. The Captain dashed past some fighting Defenders, making sure that Terron was following tightly behind. It wasn't far to the closest door, but...they had blocked it from the other side.
Miarko knew that they'd need something a bit stronger than a wooden door to keep a Fire dragon locked up, however. After taking a deep breath, he let a hot stream of flame scorch and burn the wood barring his way, before pouncing with his full weight against it, sending pieces of wood and cinders flying.
"This way!" he roared over his shoulder. Getting the attention of the few DOW whom had survived the initial attack. He heard the voice of the Commandant over the sounds of battle;
"Hunt them down. None of the DOW shall leave this keep alive!"
AN: Sorry about the delay on this one! Time zones suck. Hawk and I tend to write on Sundays alone, but we've had trouble lining up our schedules.
As always, we appreciate any and all feedback! Reviews are always read and responded to when we can get to them.
See you next time!
-Mike & Hawk