Hello Scrolls and chapter coming in my fanfic The One Who Came Back.
Caspond speaks to the city, and danger emerges from the shadows.
With you
The One Who Came Back
Chapter 82: Ambush
The morning after the declaration of war, Néia stood atop the Black Tower, observing the city. The cold wind was relentless, but the blizzard had already passed. It was a dangerous time, with an imminent sense that something would happen. Because of this, the Blue Roses left early to reinforce the gates.
"Caspond is going to make a speech."
"Is this a good time, Néia?"
"I think so, Rali'ah. At any moment, the southern army will advance. We'll need everyone's strength if we want to survive."
"Aren't the adventurers strong? I've heard some of them could destroy a city."
"I've heard that too, but I think Remédios hasn't shown all her cards. She has strong people on her side."
"Hmm, that's a problem. Where is the Holy King going to speak?"
"At the cathedral. If we look that way, we can see him there on the main balcony."
Both were looking in the same direction, following an avenue that ran through almost half the city, leading straight to the front of the Cathedral of the Four, the usual place for public speeches.
"It looks like it's starting."
"Shhh, Rali'ah! I need to concentrate to listen."
The crowd waited in front of the grand church. Rarely had the Holy King been seen since his coronation. Now, he would make this rare appearance at a crucial moment for the entire kingdom.
The official messenger approached on a lower balcony.
"Everyone, kneel before His Majesty, the Holy King Caspond Bessarez."
All prostrated themselves, and when the king appeared, they stood up to hear his words.
"My subjects! Today, we stand at a crossroads. Winding paths have brought us here, and at this moment, we must make a decision, one that may cost us our own lives and even our souls."
The crowd erupted in whispers.
"An army knocks at our doors, not an army of enemies, but an army of brothers, brothers who are lost and confused, who come to our home with the intent to harm us. Their desire is to take the little we have: our homes, our families, and our lives. But something they will not have is our soul!"
"NO! THEY WON'T HAVE IT! NO ONE WILL TAKE MY HOUSE! THEY WON'T HARM MY FAMILY!" shouted the crowd in the square in front of the church.
"They will take nothing from us, for our cause is just, and we will not fall before the terror that knocks at our doo—" Caspond choked, as did the entire crowd.
From the Holy King's chest protruded the tip of a sword.
"NOOO!" Néia screamed.
A paladin was behind the king, holding the sword. With a single movement, he pulled out the blade, and the body of the Holy King fell like a puppet whose strings were cut. His blood ran down the balcony and began to drip onto the stairs below.
The assassin looked at the body, then at the crowd, and then at the Black Tower. He then removed his helmet, revealing who he was.
"THE FALSE KING IS DEAD! YOU'RE NEXT, SQUIRE!" shouted Remédios Custódio with a big smile.
"DAMN YOU!" Néia shouted, jumping onto Rali'ah's back. The dragon launched herself from the tower, flying down the avenue straight toward the cathedral. However, as they approached the square, something struck Rali'ah, forcing her to change direction.
"AHHRRGH!"
"WHAT HAPPENED?!"
"I DON'T KNOW! IT FEELS LIKE MAGIC ARROWS, BUT THERE ARE SO MANY… AND THEY BURN!"
The dragon performed various acrobatics, with many turns and spins to avoid those projectiles. The first ones that hit her only marked her white scales, but on her wings, where the skin was soft, they made some holes that burned as if they had caused burns.
To escape, she ascended in a wide curve, and when she was upside down, she saw on the top of a nearby tower a figure wearing a cloak so large it looked like a tent. From there, countless shiny things were emerging at an incredible speed.
Rali'ah descended in a breathtaking dive, making evasions and spins, heading straight for the aggressor. And when she was within range, she unleashed her icy breath.
A dragon's breath is a physiological part of the creature and varies with each species. As the dragon grows and becomes older, mana is infused into this attack, strengthening its effect. Over the centuries, its breath becomes increasingly magical, and finally, after millennia, a Dragon Lord is capable of using its breath made purely of Wild Magic, pure primordial magic, something only they can manipulate.
Rali'ah was not a Dragon Lord. In fact, she was only a few centuries old. Even so, the effect of her breath was spectacular.
The entire top of the tower froze into icicles projecting backward. The aggressor was hit directly by this blast, thus ceasing the attack.
Néia looked at the tower as she circled in a smooth flight. It was almost a miracle she hadn't been knocked down after so many maneuvers her dragon had done, but something glowed inside the ice, and from there emerged a beam of light that almost hit her. She could feel the heat it produced.
All the ice on the top collapsed. The attacker was standing, and his clothes had been torn and ripped off, revealing a huge red armor. He was holding a strange weapon.
"What is that? A golem?" asked Rali'ah.
"No, it's armor, an adventurer. He's famous, but what's he doing here? And why is he attacking us?"
The adventurer, known as RED, wielded his weapon and fired again.
"DODGE! DODGE!" Néia shouted, seeing the danger.
"By the supreme bones, what was that?" complained the dragon, dodging another light shot.
"It's a weapon, a magical weapon that shoots concentrated and hot light. CZ has a similar one, but smaller. We can't let him hit us."
"The light thing is fast, but it takes time to fire. So, I think I can avoid it if I keep my distance."
As if that was the cue, a blast erupted from the tower, and the adventurer flew towards Rali'ah. His weapon disappeared, and in its place emerged something unknown in this world: a large futuristic machine gun. Again, the rain of shots threatened to bring Néia and her dragon down from the sky.
"RUN! WE NEED TO GET AWAY!"
Rali'ah took off in a fast, erratic flight, zigzagging in the air to avoid being hit. However, the adventurer was fast and had much more mobility. With each turn made, he got closer. The buildings weren't very tall but served as good cover, cutting off the pursuer's view.
"COME ON! SPEED UP! THERE! TURN THERE!" Néia shouted.
The dragon couldn't make that turn in such a narrow street, but she extended one of her paws, grabbing the nearest window on the corner, causing her body to make a forced turn.
The adventurer who was coming right behind simply made the sharp turn at a ninety-degree angle with incredible ease. Due to his speed, it was only after he had covered more than fifty meters that he realized his prey had vanished. Inside the armor, red lights and alerts were triggered as it detected an attacker coming from behind.
Rali'ah, when she made the turn, did not let go of the wall, holding on like a large bat. And when the pursuer passed by, it was her turn to become the hunter.
When RED turned to face his attacker, it was already too late. Powerful claws grabbed him, and they plunged together to the ground. His armor was dragged along the stone street. Rali'ah didn't stop flying and, with the momentum, continued to carve out a large trench using the adventurer's robust body.
When they finally stopped, the dragon began to strike with her claws, trying to tear off a piece. But the metal from which the armor was made was unknown and very resistant. It could barely be scratched, but in return, it had many places to grip onto.
Rali'ah's nails found these indentations and, with overwhelming strength, pulled the adventurer's limbs in opposite directions. It seemed like he would be torn apart, but a light shone from his chest and fired, hitting the dragon squarely.
"AAAARRRGHH!" she cried as she retreated as far as she could, taking flight. Her chest was burned, her white scales had blackened, but they held up.
In her attempt to dodge, they lost sight of the adventurer. As they flew over the city, shots came from the sky and tore through Rali'ah's wings.
"DODGE! DOWN!" Neia shouted, indicating for them to dive.
RED was right behind. He wouldn't give the dragon any more room, but to his surprise, the archer mounted on the dragon turned and shot arrows at him.
Fourth-level spells wouldn't cause direct damage. So, when he was hit by the two acid arrows, the metal of his armor merely discolored. But the explosion was enough to create a small cloud, blocking his vision for a fraction of a second, just long enough for Rali'ah to turn, spread her wings, and stop her fall.
The adventurer's armor collided with the dragon's scales, and they both fell in a deadly embrace. When they hit the top of a building, RED was underneath, taking the brunt of the impact. They ended up crashing through the roof and all the floors before separating.
When RED recovered and stood up, there was no sign of the creature until he heard the command.
"NOW!" Neia shouted from above, hitting RED with a fourth-level electric arrow. At that moment, Rali'ah, who had also snuck up to the floor above, unleashed all her strength and mana in her most powerful breath.
The entire floor was frozen. Common metal would become as brittle as glass at such a temperature. If this didn't defeat him, it might at least stop him from moving for a few seconds—precious seconds they needed to distance themselves and use a red potion.
But as soon as they took flight, the building exploded. The armor jumped out of the flames, flying straight at Rali'ah. His body was ablaze, and his touch burned the dragon. With this blow, both were thrown onto the top of the Black Tower.
Neia fell from her companion's back when they hit the roof. Her body had several wounds and burns, but nothing compared to Rali'ah's condition. She had broken wings, torn membranes, ripped and burned scales. Her white blood flowed onto the ground.
While this fight was happening, each of the Blue Roses reached the gate they were supposed to protect, only to find the locations already under attack.
...
Author's Note
As imagined, Rali'ah's breath increased Néia's capabilities, her vision is good, but now she could see AND hear someone half a city away, about 5 miles.
I hope the description of the fight was good, it is extremely difficult to narrate a scene that you only see in your head.