"Chop you peasants, cut down those logs!" ordered Tessa with her imperious voice. The goblins were marching lock step now, and would be upon them any moment. All that stood between the horde and crushing all of Daggerhall were the two log bridges, and the inability of the defenders to remove them.
"What do you think we're doing?" grumbled Inga as she hefted an axe blow towards the two logs bridging the moat. Though she was an old woman, she managed a good swing and took a chunk out of the tree. Unfortunately everywhere she hit a green glow enveloped the damaged wood and vines and tendrils grew out of it.
Gerald wasn't sure if it was some lingering magic from Greeneyes or perhaps another goblin shaman was responsible, but the logs stubbornly refused to be damaged.
"LIFT!" shouted Ceto. While the villagers were still intimidated by the half orc, Gerald was intimidated too and he considered him a friend, they gathered around him as they attempted to toss or roll one of the logs into the water. They lifted as one and the great log was raised a foot off the ground. Just as they made progress, roots shot out of the log and dug into the ground, pulling it back into place.
Undeterred Ceto continued to match his strength against the log. It seemed hopeless, until Tig hopped out of his wicker basket and began pouring acid onto the newly formed roots. After some steam and some hissing, the log finally began to shift in the villager's favour. Even Mina helped, as she gripped the log on one end, and her mighty dwarven thews strained against it. While the log moved slightly under the power of Ceto and the villagers, with Mina's help it was making clear progress.
"It's working! " said Rolf as he strained to help. The villagers cheered as one log was rolled and chucked into the water, but the goblins were upon them. They were too late in their efforts to stop the horde as the goblins began to march in double time, picking up their pace before charging towards the remaining log.
Lady Tessa and Sir Ridley were ready with blade in hand, surrounded by a dozen guardsmen and knights. They would make their stand at the edge of the bridge, hoping to box up the attackers for as long as possible, as slingers, archers, crossbowmen began firing at the green tide. Despite dropping dozens the goblins pressed forward, their goal in sight. Even though Gerald was not a military man, he knew that once the goblins got a foothold on their side of the bridge, it would be over for the lot of them.
Without warning, Gerald drew his mace, and charged across the bridge, ducking past Tess and Ridley. "Follow me! Follow me to victory!"
All the villagers looked at him, but none followed. Gerald seemed oblivious to his lack of support and ran across the bridge to face the goblins all by himself. As he reached halfway across the bridge, Gerald's charge suddenly halted as he slammed into something blocking his path. The bard staggered back briefly before charging again, and once again he struck some sort of invisible barrier. He even placed his hands against it to feel the dimensions of the wall, but could not find a path through.
The goblins saw this and attempted to brake in time to avoid charging face first into the barrier. Unfortunately, the momentum of the charge crashed through the front ranks sending a dozen into the moat or the sharpened spikes lining it. Those that did not drop into the moat, fell on themselves, forming a green tangle of limbs, weapons, fur, and teeth as the ones behind them slammed into their now stationary front ranks.
Gerald snickered, he couldn't believe his master pantomiming skills had worked. Before he could celebrate though, he saw Mina lifting the log above her head and marching to the edge of the moat by herself. All the villagers and even Ceto watched her in awe. Gerald however scrambled back, jumping off the log , barely missing the sharpened stakes.
A great cheer came up from the fort, as the goblins fell back once again. While the villager's missiles were barely denting their numbers, none of the goblins wanted to mill about under fire with no way across.
"Back, you fiends!" shouted Sir Ridley. He was wearing a set of shiny plate like Gerald, except his was not covered in grime, gore, and dust and dirt. Besides Lady Tessa, he was the most visible person on the battlefield. "You will never take this Daggerhall, while I, it's Prince, protects it."
The goblins paid him no attention as they retreated out of missile range.
The dragon however was unamused as it swooped and hovered above the breach. Instead of engaging in hand to hand, a half dozen blue bolts shot out of its claws and struck Sir Ridley in the chest. The knight barely managed to withstand the attack before another volley of blue bolts struck him again. As Ridley began to fall, the dragon finally decided to engage and swooped down upon the defenders. Tessa managed to turn and flee, diving past the remnants of their barricades, but the injured Sir Ridley was too slow. The dragon's claw snatched him from behind, shaking him like a dog before soaring skywards.
"This fool isn't the Prince," screeched the dragon in its high annoying voice." I have the Prince in my tower. This is a fake to give you false hope. After I raze your miserable collection of hovels, I will emasculate the real Prince with my magic and make her into my bride. I will take what is owed to me!"
The villagers weren't sure what the dragon was threatening, or why their Prince was supposedly a fraud, but cringed at the tone of the threat. Then they screamed as the dragon released Sir Ridley and they watched in horror as he plummeted into the ground , landing at a fatal angle with a messy splat.
This time it was the villagers that fled, and Gerald couldn't blame them. Goblins, bugbears, and giants were one thing, but a dragon was another. Everyone either abandoned their posts and fled up to the motte, or took cover under what little fortifications were left. Gerald spotted Lady Tessa picking herself up from the dirt, just to be knocked down again by Inga's bulk as the squat old lady fled into the inner fort.
"Stand firm! Stand firm!" shouted the clear and ringing voice of the true Prince. The villagers paused and saw what looked like the Prince astride mighty Corsair charging through a bonfire and into the goblins from across the moat, behind him was an old man on a draft horse and a woman with a crossbow on a more traditional steed, barely keeping up. The two took the long route around the flames. A giant attempted to block their path, but the Prince easily evaded its clumsy blows and slashed a chunk out of its heel, slicing hide and bone easily with her fiercely glowing blade. The giant twisted to swing at the Prince again, but its foot couldn't support him any more as it tumbled and crashed heavily onto a mob of goblins.
After the Prince dispatched the giant with a quick thrust into its now very accessible ear, she sped towards the moat again and Corsair sailed across in one mighty leap, landing solidly on the other side.
Ed and Scarecrow attempted the same, but instead crashed unceremoniously into the water. "I'm alright, I'm alright," said the thrashing Teamster before Ceto extended him a jagged piece of wood and pulled him out. He then extended the branch to Scarecrow who seemed reluctant to take help from an orc, but eventually did so when Ceto kept jabbing the wood into her face. Their horses had a better time of it, swimming across and hopping on its ledge as if nothing happened.
"Zerd! I am here you traitor! You had me in your clutches but I escaped!" shouted Prince Aaron.
"Impossible!" screeched the Dragon."You were locked up, you were…" the dragon paused as it stared at Aaron. "Wait…did someone transform you without my presence? What is the meaning of this?'
The villagers that weren't hiding were murmuring among themselves.
"Is that the Prince? Is he a girl?"
"It kind of looks like the Prince...except you know, with boobs..."
"Did that dragon really transform him?"
"This is horrible, he was so handsome…"
"well...she's still kind of pretty..."
The dragon roared in anger as a ball of fire engulfed the Prince. Aaron, stood firm as the fires washed over her.
"Come down and fight you fraud of a wizard! Come down and reveal your true form!" challenged Aaron who appeared uninjured by the flames. Gerald was amazed, but then recalled the ring she was showing off earlier when Mina melted their shackles.
The dragon was having none of that, and let loose a bolt of lightning at the Prince. Aaron dived for cover, barely evading the bolt as the transformed wizard circled around for another magical attack.
"This wasn't supposed to happen this way, " sobbed Lady Tessa. Gerald couldn't see her, but she sounded like she was nearby, probably under some cover.
"Need to get dragon on the ground," grunted Ceto behind a smashed section of building.
"If it gets close enough, I might be able to throw a bomb in its mouth. That might take him out," suggested Tig, but from her tone Gerald thought she wasn't that confident in her aim or the likelihood of success. "We've never fought a dragon so big before. We can't do this with Armondo."
"I have Dragonsword, but I can't throw it at him," complained the Prince as she pressed herself up against the wall. Though the blade was glowing madly, Gerald wondered if the sword had extra slaying powers or whatever when dealing with a fake dragon. It definitely was detecting the wizard as a dragon, but would that extend once it tasted its blood? Did the sword even have a tongue?
Mina remained silent as she stared at the carnage around them. She and Gerald were the most exposed, hiding behind a big giant rock, but their choices for cover were slim. As they hid Gerald looked at Mina and saw the calm expression on her face save for her wide saucer eyes that were dilating from this scene. She was so terrified that she didn't even know how to properly show it. "Don't be afraid. We'll get out of this," assured Gerald.
"I'm not afraid. At least not for myself. It's just, it's so much to take in. I'm worried about you though. If I try to fly you out, the wizard might hit us with an area effect spell, and I won't be able to protect you from that." Her small fiery orb, hissed and crackled as it bobbed up and down in agreement.
Gerald shook his head. Poor girl. She was talking nonsense now. There was only one way to beat the dragon and that was to get him on the ground. The only way to do that was to taunt the beast. As a bard, he was better trained to do that than anyone.
Bolstered by the way he mimed a wall and stopped the goblins, Gerald stepped out from behind the rock and waved at the incoming dragon and shouted as loud as he could.
"There was once a wizard
Who could change into a lizard
He could become a dragon
As big as a wagon.
All feared this mage
But not due to his rage.
All fled from Zerd,
Because he smelled like a turd!"
The dragon initially looked puzzled and then roared in anger.
"You dare mock me! My vexation shall know no bounds!" it screeched.
Gerald was ready to jump in the water, as it dove in to rip him apart with claw and teeth, but instead the wizard launched a fireball directly at him.
Gerald gave off a high pitched scream when he was engulfed in flames. But his screams became laughter when he realized it didn't hurt.
He then extended his middle finger with the ornate fire resistant ring on it, and waved to the dragon. "You're going to have to do better than that!"
The wizard screeched again, before raining lightning down from the sky.
Gerald looked up and briefly wondered if his ring protected him from lightning as well, before his position was hammered into oblivion.