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kors -> RE: =DF= DragonRider War Stories (1/18/2015 18:52:32)
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Flying Solo
Part I: Youthful Arrogance
It was so much easier not having to worry about anyone in a frantic battlefield. Keeping track of only his, and his enemy’s, status left Chronus in a slightly better position than his brethren, who all had to keep their partners out of harms way as much as possible. Really humans were careless when it came to fighting, even when heavily armored they still managed to get killed so easily.
As he surveyed the army flying a ways ahead, Chronus noted that he was not the physically youngest dragon flying to fight. Several hatchling dragons flew not too far below the much larger dragons in service of the Rose. The humans riding on nearby dragons all showed the same reluctance to fight the still very cute dragons. Rumbling growls echoed through the air to assure their riders that they would avoid killing the hatchlings as much as possible. The small hint of envy was clear to him, but went unnoticed by their partnered humans.
Chronus chirped at his elders, “You’re just jealous of us younglings! Not only am I even cuter than you, I am also just as good at fighting!” He blew a puff of smoke, eager to show them that even without his partner, even without the amulet that made their bond all the more powerful, he was just as capable as them.
Several gave a quick glare directed at him before turning back to the oncoming horde. In only a few moments the battle would begin, giving him a chance to prove himself to both the older dragons around him and Kor. “Do not push yourself too hard, Chronus,” the human riding the black and purple dragon, Ogdne, stated, “Kor would not like to see you hurt when he returns from Espina Rosa. You know that. Besides, I coul...”
The first attacks came suddenly, bursts of light and fire and lightning shot through the ranks as dragons and riders took evasive maneuvers to avoid falling at the onset of the battle. A large ball of fire separated him from Ogdne and Mritha. Chronus dove down towards the ravine like several others on either side. “Great time to rest my wings a bit! I have to admit flying would have been easier if I was full sized,” he thought to himself as he rammed a golden yellow scaled dragon.
He was the world destroyer, so what was an army to him? This was going to be easy.
Part II: Fangs
Claws swiped angrily at him, as the larger dragon roared incoherently. The dragon’s eyes briefly flashed as it’s claws struck rock. It huffed in annoyance as it readied to strike again, but Chronos countered with his magical flames.
Water poured from his mouth at surprisingly high pressure, tearing the scales off of his opponent's chest. With a surprised grunt, his first enemy fell unconscious. The young dragon flared out his wings out triumphantly, “Yeah! Take that you big meanie! Who’s next?” Chronus turned towards the mountain that housed the Rose’s draconic forces.
Chronus wished he had had the time to head to the priestess before. While water did not seem like a poor choice at the moment, he was not used to it as much as he would like for fighting a war. Once he had gained the same power for water, fire and earth that he had over the other elements Kor had drilled him almost constantly when they had time off. “We have to be ready for anything, so that means we need to know what you’re capable of,” his partner would say whenever he would start complaining, “If we had been ready, heck even if we were not quite ready, and fought the SMUDD before he nearly covered the world in darkness, we never would have had nearly as many problems as we have now. Now, give me another 20 fireballs and we’ll call it a day.”
That was a lie. Both of them had seen other timelines where others who took roles so minutely different from them but their differences did not lead to a radically different world. No doubt that in another world, a dragon that had slain SMUDD hours before him and Kor did was off fighting alone in a war against his own kind that sided with the Rose. That was just how it was.
***
Running was always slower than flying, especially when you were still so small. Perhaps he should have had Kor change him to his rideable form before his partner left for that detestable prison. Many of the still hatchling dragons that were with the Rose were running around like him, but it was relatively easy to subdue them. They almost seemed afraid of him. Flashing his fangs was enough to make them tense up, and a single ponce made them squeal in surrender.
If it was a more peaceful time and place, both sides would have enjoyed this game. The company of other dragons near his age was not a luxury he had often in the six years that had passed since he hatched. Perhaps once the Vind took this place and these hatchlings from the Rose they could be put under the protection of the Dragonlords instead of as prisoners of war.
Chronus felt his fangs scrape against the still soft scales around a baby dragon’s neck and stopped, waiting for the hatchling to surrender to him and the Vind. Pitiful whimpers escaped the little one, “Good enough. As long as they stop fighting us and get out of here, Mritha won’t care. Right?” He loosened his grip, and the young dragon immediately began to squirm free before running deeper into the canyon.
That was the wrong way. That was back towards the Rose. “The Rose will just patch you back up and send you out again, why don’t you realize how wrong this is!” Chronus roared. It was bad enough fighting them once, but twice or more? He chased after the scared dragon, the mane-like row of horns and bright yellow coloration separating him from several of the other baby dragons he had seen, not wanting to lose a chance at a decisive victory.
Overhead the roars of dragons echoed and distorted, becoming a constant, deep rumbling that seemed to shake the very foundation of the walls around him. The closer he got to the Rose’s base, the louder it grew. The louder it got, the easier it was to scare off the hatchlings who tried to fight him. Chasing after his prey seemed easier than before as the hatchlings started thinning out more and more.
His expectations were shattered as he felt an icy sharpness tear into the delicate flesh around his neck, and his target drew further and further away.
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