The Legend of Rift: Collapse
Written by Dakoda Houseman
Content Warning: Blood, Violence, Death, Vulgar Language
Time Period: 120 BHI, 120 Years after Downfall
Length: 4,530 Words
"Miles! Fall in!"
A strong bash against his chest shot awoke the young man. New to the ranks, the 23 year old barely scrambled to his feet before the black steel armor of his superior snarled at him.
"You've done well in your training, but that is nothing. Report to the hall for the briefing."
The young man bowed, turning to his own steel laying beside his bed, with it, a crossbow. He didn't have to be here, his father was a king. But to him, he needed to serve his father in the best way possible, by fighting on the front lines. So what if everyone hated him for his royal line, he was going to earn his place.
The massive hall was crowded, everyone shoulder to shoulder, steel clashing against steel. The stage in front stood the black knight. He watched as Miles entered, and cleared his throat. All voices hushed.
"Fifty! That's the number of years since we've discovered Erland, or as those scaly bastards call it; the Dragon Realms." The men booed at that. "We've spent that time in a false alliance with them, learning their strengths, weaknesses, and their way of life. "
Miles gulped nervously, hoping that the rumors were false, that he'd be spared from those horrid boats.
"They underestimate us! See us as hairless apes." The knight looked at his men. "The king has weighed the alliance against their lands. Per his order, I announce that they will learn that WE are the dominant species!"
The crowd cheered, the young man paling at their chant.
"DIE LIZARDS DIE!"
The City of Warfang had grown massively over the last hundred years. Many of the old run-down homes had been replaced with large complexes to house many dragons. The palace that once housed a mad queen was reduced to nothing, a large marketplace sitting in its once grand footprint.
One place that remained the same was the temple. The meeting place held the Guardians when discussing important matters, one of the few structures remaining from the war.
*Slam!*
"Master Neala, Master Neala!" A small drake yelled as he ran in from the entrance, closing in on the inner council room. "Master Neala!"
"Sir Hammond, if you could take your men to Windig and help deal with the panther attacks, our moles can get the materials to the port for your king." Deep blue eyes looked at the human in black armor. Her bright white scales faintly reflected off his helmet, while her black belly scutes matched his plating. "They've got food and water, they just need the manpower."
"It will be done Guardian." He held a metal gauntlet over his heart, before turning to walk out. A gold youngling darted past him, yelling for the dragon he'd just taken orders from. As he stepped out the door, one of his soldiers stood at the right. He looked at him, the pair exchanging nods before he moved on.
"Are you sure that's what you saw, Fissure?" The Plasma Guardian's hurt eyes looked down at the little fire drake, those same eyes looking back. "I know they've been demanding more materials lately, but surely, they wouldn't be doing something like that."
"Please Master, that message came from Kardia. They can't be trusted." The messenger stomped his paw. "Messenger Nimitz says she's dead!"
Neala gasped, not expecting that particular bit of news. "Aunt Kardia… Ancestors, please no…" She clenched her eyes and reached up, a pair of goggles moved from her forehead to her face. She hoped the green tint would mask her tears. "Fissure, I need to speak with your father and the other Guardians. Fly straight home. Do not stop for anything."
"But Mast-"
"To hell with proper lingo, I am your mother!" She couldn't hold back her trembling, her Aunt was one of the most powerful Guardians. "Now do as I say and fly home!"
"Yes mom…" Fissure gave her a quick hug, sprinting out in search of a spot to take off. He didn't notice the human tailing him, cocking his crossbow.
"Okay, relax, he'll be okay…" Neala removed the goggles, taking a moment to grieve.
"Emergency session, all Guardians please respond…" Pulling up a white crystal, she shivered. The Plasma Guardian thankfully didn't have to wait long. Her companions appeared, matching white crystals summoning them before her, all stared at her in confusion, except for one.
"Rose is tending to Silvus. He's not coping well." Water Guardian River sighed, noting all but Neala were giving questioning looks. "She was meeting me about a new infrastructure project in WaterMount when someone fired a crossbow at me. Kardia dove in front to protect me, but it was instant. The bolt couldn't have pierced scale on its own, we found the wound had the scales blown off. Only humans have made such a device. How it works is beyond me"
"I've noticed something off here as well." Solar, Guardian of Fire, set down a tiny pickaxe. "The moles at Boyzitbig are acting nervous, but they won't say anything. One did mumble something about demons, but that's not enough on my end to conclude it's humans. What about you Skoros?"
The Earth Guardian padded over to Neala and gave her a sympathetic kiss. "I think we need to have a talk with King Walter, see what his intentions truly are."
Walking to another chamber, the Guardians nodded to Neala to lead. She put a paw on a grand statue, one depicting the late heroes, Spyro and Cynder, before their battle with Malefor. It shook, before slowly twisting down into the floor, replaced by a large pool of water.
"I want them surrounded. Set a battalion at the front to lure them in, and then set the rest to attack on all sides. That should make for an easy victory." King Walter sat lazily upon his throne, watching the black knight bow in understanding, before the figure returned back into the pool. "They were fools to give us these vision pools."
The pool flashed, followed by the appearance of nearly all of the dragon guardians.
"Ah, my esteemed allies. What brings you to my Pool of Visions? I'd offer you a drink, but that'd be difficult given the distance." He smirked gently, having made that same joke at every meeting with the winged beasts.
"King Walter, we are having growing reports of humans attacking dragons and moles. We've tried to reason it to just some extremists, but the loss of one of our greats in a failed assassination plot has made us question this alliance." Neala explained, watching the king thoughtfully stroking his beard. "Fifty years is a long time to your species, but to us, it's only a chapter. We need to meet in person and discuss these attacks, or we will send your men back to your land."
"...Is that so?" The king sighed, standing up, and stepping down to the pool. He glared at the guardians, disgust on his face. They held eye contact for several tense moments. A slight smirk formed, and then a deep laugh from the human. "No need to worry, friends. I'll be on a boat and head to Erland. It should only take a week, and I shall meet you in the Ohio Plains Neutral Zone."
"That sounds like a plan." An explosion could be heard from the dragon temple. "I'll be right back." Neala dashed out the door.
Solar took over, bowing politely.
"Just one last thing." Walter smiled. "Thank you all for your help. Your technology has advanced ours by generations."
He heard a distant scream, and the vision cut out. His smile shifted to a frown. "And it will be your end."
"What in the Ancestors is going on!" The Plasma Guardian flung the temple doors open, padding down the steps as she noticed a crowd of dragons and moles circling something. Not another attack…
The closer she got, the more nervous she felt. Her body felt heavy, as if telling her to go, not to look.
Fissure's body lay lifeless, a single crossbow bolt in his chest.
"Fi- no, no, Ancestors, No!" She sprinted to her child's corpse, shaking it. There was no response, no pulse. She screamed at the top of her lungs, sobbing as she held her son tight, begging him to wake up.
The other Guardians demanded the crowd to disperse, as Skoros joined Neala in her pain, hearts shattered at the death of their youngling.
"I'm going to kill him, Skoros." The female snarled. "Walter, Hammond, all of them!"
"None of that right now, Neala." The Earth Guardian held her with a shaky breath. "My son…"
Solar looked to her other companions. "We're going to war. Please assemble the armies of your respective cities, we'll hit them hard for this." She turned away. "I need to see about this scale-killer compound."
"Hmph, it appears they got our message." Sir Hammond held up a bolt. "How did the little runt go out, anyway? Did he cry for his mother?"
"N-no sir… it was pretty much instant." Miles' face was pale, guilt tearing at his heart. "Sir, was it honestly necessary to kill a child? He couldn't even breathe fire yet."
"That's exactly why you did so. Imagine the trouble he would cause if he was allowed to grow. Best to get him out of the way now." The black knight lifted his tankard, taking a heavy swig. "Did you grab his crystal?"
The soldier nodded, lifting up the white object. It sparkled with an unnatural glow. "Isn't this what summons the guardians? Won't this be dangerous to us?"
"Bah! Don't be absurd, pansy!" Hammond spat at him. He grabbed the crystal, admiring it. "Our sorcerer believes that with this, I could live forever. Imagine, 200 years from now, when the last dragon fails to run any longer, it will be my blade that takes it's disgusting existence."
Miles stood, holding back his tongue as he stared at his superior. He couldn't understand how this knight could have so much disdain for a species that has done nothing but help. He turned away and headed for the door.
"Soldier!" Hammond smirked as the man looked back. "When the battle wears them down, I expect you to reunite that family."
Miles looked at him with horror. He was a monster.
The night was still. The lake stood silent, not even a ripple. Neala just stared. The wooden cross marking her child was the only thing on her mind. They were supposed to be the ones. The family that lived without tragedy. But that wouldn't happen, not anymore. She was plenty young enough, along with her mate, to try again. But this? She doubted she could ever feel safe with another child.
Skoros sat a distance behind, barely able to see her from the path that parted the tall grass. He still remembered when it was short and lush, the perfect landscape, along with a cave that now lay as rubble under his hind. He sighed. "What do I even do? Her mind is either grieving, or lusting for revenge."
"Hold her. That's what would've helped me." An orange drake sat beside him, the moonlight reflecting off his silver belly. "That would've saved my chest at least. Losing everything you hold dear, I've lived that too many times. Self-sacrifice, apes, the plague…" The drake tensed at that, removing a white and black scale from his shoulder. He set them on the rubble.
"I'm sorry it happened again, Rift. You tried so hard to get us ready to be guardians, and we let you down." The Earth drake looked out to her mate. "I let her down."
"You didn't." Rift snapped, catching him by surprise. "You both experienced the Civil War. What it did to me, what it did to everyone, you both understood the risks that came with guardianship. Now believe me, it's shit luck, and I've buried just about everyone I knew at this point, but family is easy prey."
Skoros nodded somberly. "Y-you're right… It just hurts. How do you get over it?"
The orange drake shook his head. "You don't. You can only do one of two things; Take what has happened, and learn from it so it doesn't happen again, or…" He looked at his daughter. "Repeat the same mistakes your ancestors made. She has her mother's tenacity, her father's brains, and unfortunately, my heart."
"Trust me Master, I know that fully well." He looked at Rift's face, the scar over his eye to mark his final battle. "Are you sure you can't fight? You're still in your prime."
Rift scoffed. "My prime? Skoros, you don't voluntarily give up your guardianship without consequences. I have no fire, none. I can't even spark a light. The most I can do is beg you to cut your losses and run."
Skoros stared at him. Rift was always firm in the past on standing your ground and fighting. The drake's eyes were unmoving. "The humans have killed your grandson, and all you have to say is run?"
"Exactly." The once fire dragon took a deep breath. "I told you all from the start not to form that alliance, that they were dangerous. I watched one human mow down entire armies!"
Rift glared at the younger male. "These humans may not have the technology that one did, but they strive for nothing but to conquer everything in their path. And we've helped them grow. They used to have wooden arrows, and now they have bolts that can cut us down. You can't win."
"Then what would you have us do? Hide here till they inevitably find us?" Skoros shook himself, speaking more the words of his mate than his own.
"There's another option; The New World."
The Earth Guardian stared at him in disbelief. That's just a myth…
"It's real, and dragons and moles have been establishing colonies there since before humans arrived." Rift reached up at his forehead, touching a pair of goggles. "Sithris managed to get a portal built to get to it, before he got sick…"
"Look, dad, I can't promise anything. The others are just as on board for this war as Neala is. I'll bring that up as an option." Skoros placed a paw on Rift's shoulder. "I'm with you on the humans."
"Smart kid, she picked well." Rift stretched, wings flaring out. "When you're ready, I'll be at Dragon's Claw. Still a few people living there." He took flight, giving the guardian a nod of respect.
"There must be something we're missing!" Parchment flew off a stone table as a teal dragoness slumped over in defeat. She stared at an unused bolt, having captured it during the attempted, and in a way, successful assassination. "How does this thing work?"
River couldn't process the last several days, her mentor dying for her, a child killed, everything felt as if it were falling apart. They'd already won against the apes, Malefor, the Civil War, but these humans were different; maliciously smart.
For her city's sake, they'd have to go on without her until this matter was solved. WaterMount needed resolution, so here she was, in the Warfang temple staring at the bolt in hopes it would just tell her how it worked
"If I could just get this solved, we could get something made up at Munitions Forge…"
"Master, they've been hit!" Nimitz, her messenger sprinted in. "Solar escaped, but everyone else there is gone!"
"Already?" River stared in disbelief. "How are they hitting so much at once? Have they grown in numbers that much?" She trembled. "It's hopeless, we can't beat them."
The messenger grabbed the bolt, examining it. An idea formed in his head. "Ridiculous, I think I figured it out!"
The guardian looked up as he continued.
"There's an extra point at the end compared to your normal bolt, and then where the arrow tip starts, there's where the explosive compound sits." He grinned in pride. "Master, the long point hits the compound upon impact, shredding scales so the actual bolt can pierce. We can set these off with our elements before it does any damage!"
River jumped up and gave the young drake a kiss on the cheek. "You ingenious little messenger! I'll contact the others about this!"
She dashed out of her study, making it to the middle of the temple before she skidded to a halt. The floor was wet. She sniffed, the scent widening her eyes. She sprinted back to her messenger.
"Nimitz!"
Outside, dragons screamed in fear as the ground began to shake violently. Explosions and fire tore holes into the temple ceilings, before it caved into itself. Another explosion followed under a bakery, another under a doctor's office. The city erupted into a pile of burning rubble.
"T-no, even they wouldn't be that sick…"
"They are, and they fucking did, dad! You expect me to just abandon my duties like you did and run away?" Neala smashed a pot with her tail, glaring into Rift's eyes. "Fissure, Aunt Kardia, River, every ancestors-damn creature in Warfang! I have to stop this, I have to kill them all!"
"Honey, please, don't make the same mistakes I did. They want this, take out the guardians, and there's nothing left." Rift scowled, seeing his own past pain in his daughter's eyes. "The best option is to relocate, learn from this whole thing, and rebuild stronger."
The Plasma Guardian snarled. "And abandon our home?!" Her scales shimmered. "I will not let them barge in and take our land! There's been enough people suffering, it needs to end!"
"The only thing that will end is your life…" The fire drake mumbled. "If you have to, then I will too."
"And do what? Ask them to run along?" The white dragoness rolled her eyes. "You're no fire dragon anymore, you made that clear when you gave up your guardianship."
"I wanted you all to have a fresh start." Rift tried to keep his temper down, looking to Skoros for support. "A chance at a better future."
"All you've done is make things worse. Mom and Dad would be rolling in their graves at what you've become." Neala felt tears building, her father's lack of encouragement building into one of her paws.
"Sithris and Kara would be proud of my rational thinking, and would ask you to do the sa-"
Skoros watched the orange drake fly across the room, into a wall. His mate screamed, her paw having collided with Rift's chest. "Neala, there was no need for that!"
"Quiet!" She growled. "I'm going. Come or stay, I don't care." She swung her way out the door, roaring as she took flight.
The Earth Guardian rushed to the older drake, helping him back to his paws. "I tried Master, she won't listen to reason."
"Then you need to have her back." Rift panted, body screaming in pain. "Just do me a favor, protect her with your life, and tell her I love her."
Skoros nodded, making sure the drake was standing, and took off.
The morning air was cold, stinging the lungs of the Earth Guardian. The flight was long, and the hundreds of dragons behind him and his companions were lagging.
"I shouldn't have hit him…" His eyes swung to his mate, guilt in her eyes. "Right in the scar too, that could've been fatal."
"He'll be fine." He placed a paw on Neala's shoulder. "Even without an element, he's got the strength and experience to walk it off. We just need to make sure to come back to him."
They landed, their troops following suit.
"Just in case, I love you Skoros." The dragoness pulled him into a deep kiss, reassuring him of their bond. Soldiers cheered, making them both blush.
"This is sweet an' all, but we have a continent to defend." Solar butted in. She gazed down at the ruby inlayed into her chest armor. Maybe this wasn't a good idea…
"Dragons!" Neala shouted. "We allied with the humans many decades ago in hopes of peace. As it turns out, our existence isn't part of their peace!"
Roars sounded off as she continued.
"We've been deceived. They've killed our friends and family, destroyed our cities, developed weapons specifically to kill us. No more! We are going to send them back to their land, warning future generations not to mess with dragons. Who's with us?!"
Cheers filled the air. Eleven of the fourteen remaining Guardians were present, most of them were only seeing their first real combat today. Neala cleared her throat, chanting a quote that the others joined along to.
"Once more into the fray!
Into the last good fight I'll ever know!
Live and die on this day!
Live and die on this day!"
They trudged on foot for an hour, observing the lush green grass under their paws, and large hills beside them. In the distance, they could see the dark blue silhouettes of the Grand Mounds coastal range. Standing still, a battalion of humans stood, led by a knight in black armor.
"Dragons! How nice of you to join us! King Walter unfortunately, will not be joining us for this discussion, as he's got important matters to tend to. I will take his place. Please direct your eyes, Master Neala."
The guardian turned to a younger male that nervously looked around.
"This is my hand, Miles. He may look unassuming, pitiful even." He smirked. "But this man is a cold-blooded killer, much like yourselves. He has the distinct honor of firing the bolt that killed your son."
"Charge!" Skoros beat his fuming wife to the punch, the words bringing him torrents of pain.
Immediately, the Guardians of Time and Psion fell, bolts having ripped through the side of their skulls. The rest of the human army appeared at the top of the hills, two ballistae having hit their intended targets. Dragons split up, attacking with all of their ferocity. Neala charged at the knight and Miles.
She didn't notice the two stepping aside as another ballista fired right at her. The impact never arrived, the red form of Solar having jumped in the way, her armor providing no defense to the high velocity bolt. Neala and Skoros skidded to a halt, grabbing the deceased Fire Guardian as their fellow dragons continued the charge. She couldn't fathom how quick it was, three Guardians gone before a single use of elements. Her father's hand-picked successor was now just a limp body of scales.
The battle raged for hours, the flanking tactics of the humans slowly encircling the quickly dropping number of dragons. All that remained was Neala, Skoros, and the guardians of ice, wind, and electricity.
The humans directly facing them were holding up shields, large enough to cover themselves, and those behind them. The current tactic was to block any attacks, before moving to the side just long enough for lances to jab forward.
Neala side-stepped, managing to get a ball of plasma past an opening, and hitting one of the hairless apes. It didn't make a difference, another man quickly replacing him. She growled, trying to think of an effective plan. A flap caught her attention, the Wind Guardian suddenly jumping into the air in an attempt to flee.
A crossbow bolt quickly made impact, exploding, and sending her to the ground. The Ice Guardian rushed forward to catch her, only to get pinned down and ensnared, getting pulled behind the defensive shield.
The remaining three looked at each other and nodded silently, Neala and Skoros lashing out with strength and power as Vronti, the Guardian of Electricity, began building up energy. As it grew, the more he curled around himself, floating with a visible vibration.
"NOW!"
Skoros grabbed his mate and shaped an earth dome around them as Vronti flung his appendages outward, electricity frying a massive area of humans to nothing. Maybe only a hundred remained, survivors from the rear of the army.
The gold drake panted in exhaustion, too worn to react I'm time before the black armor of Sir Hammond plunged his greatsword through the jaw of the once guardian.
The Draconic couple shouted in heartache at the loss of another companion. They moved to charge, but Sir Hammond was ready.
"Open fire!"
Neala and Skoros were forced to dodge an onslaught of crossbow bolts, narrowly avoiding them as they exploded against the ground. They were struggling to keep up, resorting to cutting them down with their spaded tails.
"Neala!" Skoros shouted with a grunt, occasional bolts side-swiping his scales. "You need to go, I'll hold them!"
"What? You can't be serious?" The Plasma dragoness grabbed a human by the arm and swung them into a group, knocking them down. "I am not leaving you behind!"
"Look, you know I love you. And you know I wouldn't make this choice lightly, but are out of options. We're not both walking away from this." The Earth drake's attention was on his partner, too distracted to notice Miles loading a ballista. "You've been my best friend since we were whelps, and I've had the privilege to call you my mate, and raise a family. Please, get out of h-"
"Hold!"
The humans stopped, watching the Earth Guardian stagger back, ballista bolt having torn through his neck. He coughed, blood seeping through his wound. His eyes widened in realization, looking at his mate before flopping over.
The humans all covered their ears at the scream emitted from the Plasma dragoness. She trembled, tears falling freely as she gritted her teeth in a manic snarl. Everyone was gone, she was alone. Her eyes drifted from her partner, to the culprit, the one who ended the lives of her son, and her husband.
Miles yelled in fear as the dragoness charged him. He reached down to grab his crossbow, unable to aim before it was swiped away, and he was pinned to the ground. Heavy paws held his head down, the pressure becoming unbearable. He begged for mercy, to be spared.
Neala had no mercy left to give. This horrid creature destroyed her life, and she was going to make him feel every bit of pain she felt. She charged the biggest blast of Plasma she'd ever built, and opened her maw.
*SCHHINK!*
The plasma was never released. Neala breathed shallowly. Her eyes were bloodshot, her chest ached. She looked down, a long blade exiting her body, and into the human below. A slow turn of her neck revealed Sir Hammond on her back, his sword plunged between her wings.
She held herself up for several minutes, staring back at the body of her mate. Her vision blurred. She felt cold and shaky.
Sir Hammond pulled his sword out, coated in crimson. He hopped down from the dragon, no remorse for killing his own solder.
"We're done here, men. Let's go tell the King of our victory."
Neala shook her head, before slowly hobbling over to Skoros. She tried to speak, nothing but blood escaping her maw. She placed her head against Skoros. With a thump, she gave in, falling limp against her husband, dead.
To be continued in The Legend of Rift Book IV: Extinction