There had been reports of strange happenings around the Diamond Spray Delta Region. And Jasper as the King wanted to be sure that those things were not a danger to his subjects and Kingdom.
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It had been reported by the outlook, the Skywing had told them.
He had only reported it about an hour or an hour and a half ago.
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As soon as he heard about it he was sure to go and check it out. He needed to see this as it worried him. The Skywing looked quite startled and dazed. He gathered some escorts and guards to help out if anything might go wrong.
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Little did he know…
So little did they know…
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Jasper was sure to tell Ruby that he was heading out to go take a look. She also knew about the reports from the area. Disturbances if you will. He only took what amount of escort would be needed. No overkill, he only took five with him.
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Only some trusted dragons.
He was sure he could count on them.
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He did not tell Cliff as he did not want to worry his little one. It would be better just to tell him later about these things. Or to maybe not tell his dragonet at all.
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Jasper and the group set out first thing in the morning after he had told his mate what exactly his plans were. She let him go without a second thought.
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That was a mistake.
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The sun was still behind the mountains.
So the light was dim and it was a bit hard to see.
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But the lights in the distance led their way.
Many lights in the distance.
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It was humans and he knew it.
A large group of people down there were doing something.
He didn't know what though.
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The river spray coated their wings in a light glaze of water.
It made them all wet and cold.
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The valley was just down below.
And the lights were growing brighter and stronger.
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And all their anxious minds were starting to fret.
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From the looks of it they were all coming from the indestructible city.
It was quite strange, no doubt about that.
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It was not a group but an entire army of humans.
What they were here for they did not know.
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He ordered them to start flying closer to the trees so they did not draw any unwanted attention to themself. The rest of the group quickly obliged. They were so close now that you could practically start grabbing branches.
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They flew quietly as they skimmed over the trees.
It was difficult to see anything as they were just so far away.
The trees blocking their vision did not help either in the least.
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From what he could tell they were doing a river crossing.
And they were doing it bit by bit, man by man.
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They hastily had made makeshift bridges and crossings.
What they were having trouble with was getting some…strange machines across.
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Jasper could not quite tell that they were but there were a couple of different types.
He was starting to get a bit worried about all of this.
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He then felt an arm grab him.
They pulled him back into the trees and out of his thought process.
It startled him so bad he almost yelped.
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He had almost gone over the trees and into the open where they were sure to be seen.
Jasper knew he could count on them to keep him out of trouble.
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They dove into the trees before they were seen.
But the moving leaves had not gone unnoticed.
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They hugged the ground and crawled.
That was a close one.
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They winded through the trees and bushes until they came up to the crest of the hill.
He peeked through the grass to get a better look at it all.
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It was not just an army of humans but a massive one.
They wore armor and had weapons of all kinds.
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He was starting to suspect the worst.
And he should be, this group did not look friendly in the least.
He was getting anxious again, and a little scared too.
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He felt a nudge on his shoulder.
One of the escorts pointed out that the machines were that of war.
The worse had come to be.
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Then something they did not expect happened.
He only saw it for a second, a machine down below turned.
It fired at them. They had no time to react.
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A large bolt of wood fired from it piercing the trees and bushes.
It flew through the air and grazed one of them, tearing another's wing before hitting the side of a tree.
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It landed in the most unlikely place.
Right into Jasper's body.
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He roared in pain.
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He felt a sharp pain in his side and wing. His blood now leaving his body. He looked down to see a large pole sticking out of his torso. The impact also left a hole in is left flapper.
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They had shot him.
With a ballista no less.
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He toppled over onto the ground.
Jasper could not think, it hurt. Everything hurt!
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He felt talons grab onto him, " Sir?! Are You Ok?!" the voice yelled.
Jasper could not speak, that also hurt.
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" Come On Jasper! Please Get Up!" Another dragon called.
But their attempts were futile.
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He was struggling to stay awake from lack of blood pressure.
The Skywing was losing consciousness.
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" J…Just Leave Me!" He managed to get out .He was sure that he would just slow them down in this state. The escorts refused. They were loyal to him and they would not change that anytime soon.
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This was no time for heroic moments.
They had to get him and the rest of the group back, alive.
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The humans were now coming up the hill to see all the commotion.
They had weapons of all kinds with them. And they were not here to make peace.
They had to get him out of here.
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Despite losing his life right before his eyes he tried to get up.
He was supported by the escorts.
The others limped on as well just behind.
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He was far too weak to fly so they carried him and the other two the best they could.
They ran into the mountains and away from the danger.
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But not the danger of dying on those mountains.
We would be lucky to see the next morning.
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And he knew it.