Chapter 2 – Mission Briefing
Bowser soon got himself acquainted with Draco and Darky's new friends, who all have reverted back to their normal forms. He listened attentively as they all told him about their adventures and what happened to him.
"So Queen Vildouleur has inflicted a mind control spell on me which caused me to attack you as if I have went back to my old bad self again," he said, feeling suddenly disgusted. "I'm never going to forgive her for that, and I sure would like to put an end to her evil plans!"
"She is getting more desperate with trying to take over the world," said Draco. "And the Pyre Squad has been causing a lot of trouble for us."
"Oh, yes, those jokers," said Bowser. "Wait till they get a taste of my Koopa Klaw!"
Torden was about to say something, when suddenly, there was a strange whirring sound, which sounded like that of a jet plane. Everyone turned around and looked ahead at the clearing, and there they saw the Tornado landing down. Draco, Darky and Bowser had this feeling that Tails must have something important for them yet again.
Tails leapt off the Tornado and hurried to meet up with his friends.
"Welcome back, Tails," said Torden.
"I knew I would find you guys here," said Tails. "So what just happened here? It looks like a big battle took place."
"Yeah, it has," replied Jakkin. "Bowser tried to finish us off, but thankfully, Torden and Percival managed to free him from the Dark Queen's spell."
Tails smiled at Torden and Percival. "A fine piece of work, you two," he said. "And as for you, Bowser, we're glad to have you with us again."
Bowser said nothing but smile modestly, relieved that he was no longer a slave to Queen Vildouleur.
"Anyway," continued Tails. "I have come because I need you guys back in the Anthro League, and that includes you, Draco."
"What's going on, Tails?" asked Draco.
"I'll explain it to you once we get to Kyoto," replied Tails. "Come on, everyone! There's no time to waste!"
Soon afterwards, Tails and the dragons arrived at the Anthro League in Kyoto. They could see that it has become more crowded than before. Bowser had never been to the Anthro League before, and he felt a bit uneasy at the thought of entering due to remembering how he once was in the past.
Tails and Bowser got off the Tornado after landing near the Anthro League while the dragons circled around the jet.
"Right," said Tails. "Is everyone present?"
"Yes, we're all here," answered the dragons.
"Good," smiled Tails. "Now then, let's get inside."
Inside the Anthro League building, they could see much more anthropomorphic animals chattering away. Apparently, a mission briefing hosted by Empress Celeste was about to take place, where they have found the location of the Obsidian Tower thanks to the information provided by Hero and Jimmy Lionheart.
Draco scanned the building, hoping to find Cynder within the crowd, but to his dismay, she was nowhere in sight.
"Um, Tails?" asked Draco. "Where is Cynder? Surely, she should be here waiting for us to come back from the national park."
"Draco, Cynder has left the building a while back," said Tails. "She had to fly off with Blaze."
"Where are they heading off to?"
"They're going to infiltrate the Obsidian Tower," replied Tails.
"What?!" exclaimed Draco, feeling the sudden urge to head out. "They're going without us? We need to catch up with them!"
"Hold on a second, Draco!" warned Tails, stopping Draco from acting hastily. "We can't head out just yet. First, we need to attend the mission briefing, and then, you need to see the empress before we can catch up with Cynder and Blaze."
"Just please tell me what is going on!" said Draco, impatiently.
"Relax, Draco," soothed Tails. "Cynder will be alright with Blaze, and besides, they just left after I went to pick you guys up, so they haven't reached the Obsidian Tower just yet. It will take quite some time for them to get there."
Draco still felt worried for Cynder and Blaze, but he knew Tails was right. All the same, he was aware that Cynder is a strong, independent dragon, so she would be able to manage without him and the others for the time being until they can catch up with her.
"Come on, Draco, let's keep moving" said Bowser. "We don't want to be late for the mission briefing, as we're going to need all what they're going to tell us in order to bring down the Obsidian Devourers."
The dragons followed Tails into the grand arena where they saw more anthropomorphic animals gathering around. Everyone was waiting anxiously for Empress Celeste to begin the briefing.
Just then, Jimmy Lionheart arrived and saw the dragons.
"There you are!" he exclaimed as he took his seat next to them. "You're those amazing dragons who helped out Hero! I'm so pleased to see you here again! Thanks to you and Hero, we'll be able to have a fighting chance against the Obsidian Devourers!"
"Hello again, Jimmy," smiled Draco.
Jimmy took notice of Bowser sitting next to the Charizard. "Is he a newcomer, or what?" he asked Draco.
"Oh yes, of course!" said Draco quickly. "This is Bowser, King of the Koopas."
Jimmy was stunned. "You mean he's the same dragon who staged a play with Princess Peach years ago?"
"Yes, that's him," replied Draco.
"I think it will be wise not to go too deeply about my past," said Bowser. "I used to be bad, but thanks to Draco here, I have changed my ways and started fresh, new happy life." He didn't want to be reminded of his misdeeds, let alone anyone mentioning the name of his old archenemy Mario.
"It's time to quiet down, you guys," hushed Jakkin. "Empress Celeste is about to start the briefing."
So Draco, Bowser and Jimmy stopped chatting as everyone else focused their attention on Empress Celeste, who stepped to the podium in the centre of the arena. Standing next to her was Hero and several other officials. A few spectators cleared their throats, but that didn't disrupt the mission briefing from going underway.
"Ladies and gentlemen," began Empress Celeste. "I am pleased to announce that the time for our attack on the Obsidian Devourers has come. Thanks to the former agent Hero, we were able to find out that the Obsidian Tower is located on an island within the Atlantic Sea, not far from the northeast regions of the United States."
The arena lights have dimmed, and a large image of the Obsidian Tower was projected in the centre. Everyone focused on the tower. It looked very intimidating with the certainty that it is a heavily guarded fortification.
"The Dark Queen had made the Obsidian Tower one of the most hostile establishments to be ever conceived," continued Empress Celeste. "It earned its reputation as being very dangerous, complete with surveillance cameras, armed turrets, fighter jets, and some of the most highly trained foot soldiers to ensure that it will be protected from intruders. Nevertheless, Hero has managed to pinpoint a certain location in which we could be able to infiltrate the Obsidian Tower, destroy it, and eliminate the Dark Queen. It had been a very dangerous mission for many of our fighters when they brought us this information, but in the end, we hope that we will overthrow the enemy."
Jimmy smiled modestly as he remembered his exploits with Hero. All the other spectators listened attentively and could tell that they were in for a very dangerous and potentially suicidal mission.
Empress Celeste beckoned Hero to step on the platform. "Hero, will you please share with us what you know about the Obsidian Tower?" she asked.
"Thank you, Empress Celeste," said Hero as he took over the position. He cleared his throat. "As you can see, the Obsidian Tower is a brilliantly designed fortification situated on the island near the northeast coast of the United States. The faction which I once served saw to it that it will be designed to neutralise any intruder that comes nearby. A strong land and aerial defence system protects the Obsidian Tower and the probabilities of being able to bypass them are astronomical. Fortunately, since I had served the Obsidian Devourers for years, I knew all the inner workings of the Obsidian Tower. Therefore, I have a strategy that could ensure a victory for the Anthro League – if we attack at the front, it might be possible for a selected few to enter the Obsidian Tower from behind and attack from within while the forces are distracted."
With that, the projected image disappeared as the arena lit up again.
"I will like to list the following names as volunteers for the stealth attack," continued Hero. "The names are Draco, Jakkin, Lily, Torden and Percival."
Bowser looked at the five dragons. "That's you guys," he said.
"You should consider this a golden opportunity to be able to help out for restoring peace and balance to the world," smiled Jimmy.
Jakkin, Lily, Torden and Percival felt very honoured that they've been chosen for a very big mission, but Draco was feeling nervous, especially when he witnessed just how scary and dangerous Queen Vildouleur is. Nevertheless, he agreed to go along with his friends to take on the perilous mission.
"We and the rest of anthrokind wish you all the best of luck," said Empress Celeste as she returned to the podium. "The five names mentioned shall come down here after the briefing. The union of anthrokind shall remain strong!"
Everyone roared with applause as they readied themselves to begin their attack on the Obsidian Devourers, but among all the cheering, a suspicious-looking dragon was looking down on her phone and after writing a secret message, she pushed several buttons to send it to her client.
In the Obsidian Tower throne, Queen Vildouleur was waiting impatiently for a message from a spy she dispatched to Japan. Soon afterwards, she heard a beeping sound accompanied by a flashing light. As she responded, she found that it was a message by the spy, and she read it out loud.
"My Queen, the Anthro League is preparing to launch their attack on the Obsidian Tower. Apparently, they're sending five fighters to sneak into the headquarters, possibly to aid that one dragon and cat that was sent out earlier."
Queen Vildouleur gently clapped her claws against each other, anticipating that the Anthro League was going to strike.
"So they're sending five special warriors to help Cynder and Blaze," she said. "I have no doubt that they must be Cynder's friends, and that traitor Bowser must be accompanying them too. Well, I think it's about time I give them a little surprise."
"What's our next move, my Queen?" asked Sardius.
"It's time for the final push," said Queen Vildouleur as she got off her throne and made her way to the. "Send out our best armada and ground forces to deal with the rebels. You will be the one to command them, Sardius."
"How about us?" the Pyre Squad asked.
Queen Vildouleur glared at the three dragons. "You have been a disappointment with your constant failings," she said, sternly. "As punishment, you will have to lead the lower rank troops for the final push."
The Pyre Squad groaned. They did not like the assigned task at all.
Soon, Queen Vildouleur, Sardius, and the Pyre Squad reached the royal box of the great hall, where thousands of Obsidian Devourer grunts were waiting for the Dark Queen's special announcement she was about to deliver. They cheered when they saw her on the box and she responded by raising her claw up to calm them all down.
"My loyal followers!" she yelled. "Our enemies are preparing to strike the very hideout we stand on! It is time for decisive action! I will assign each and every squadron to certain positions where you will wait until called for! Soon, we will crush the Anthro League and make the Shadow Dragon groups join our cause! Then, the world will be ours as we will rewrite history and reinstate the Golden Era of Dragonkind to its former and true glory!"
"Long live Queen Vildouleur!" chanted the Obsidian Devourers.
Queen Vildouleur bathed herself in all the praise she was being given by her followers. She may have gone through a few setbacks, but now she was certain she finally has the upcoming war in her favour. Despite being aware that Cynder's group now possess all of their respected Elemental Brooches, she does not consider them a threat since Draco has yet to achieve his powered form. All the same, she had one more ace up her sleeve which she won't hesitate to make use of in order to finish them and the Anthro League off once and for all.
Author's Note: Things are starting to get more intense than ever before! More is yet to come in the next chapter!