This just gets better and better. I love it. Keep it going featheblade!
Guess I better start the next one :biggrin.gif:
I have another 7 or so days where I can make updates daily. After that, I'm unsure.
It's alright, weekly or so updates are fine. As long as you don't update for like a month, you'll make all of the readers think it's dead, even if its not.
Anyway, I have to say this is better than most, if not all fantasy stories I have read because the world feels like it has so much more depth and uniqueness. Keep throwing in random bits of lore that we have not much info on, even if you're not intending to use the concept much, it makes it a lot more interesting and makes the world feel more interesting. :biggrin.gif:
Reading the message at the back of the busy tavern, waitresses avoiding his table, the Grey Knight contemplating what the rewards for such a mission to be. His armour was a dull iron, not as strong as the nightmarish black steel some Knights wore, but good enough for anything less than dragon claws.
Looking up from the letter, his vacant gaze scared the maids and the remaining pub folks who weren't already drunk. The chair creaked under his weight as he rocked slowly on the straining wooden legs, judging how risky the trip would be. He'd need to take a few colleagues for safety, but that meant sharing the reward, something equally not acceptable.
"Ale please, best you got."
Thinking of the equipment needed to raid the tree hugger city, he didn't even see the maid sneak a full mug onto his table. More patrons left for the night, emptying the inn quickly. With a quick inspection, he determined his own highly compressed sword was fully charged, the faint glowing purple aura iluminating the wooden table.
While compact, the sword was only a foot long excluding the handle, but after unlocking the pipe catch, steam flooded from his backpack furnace into the sword, blowing it up to it's metre length. The bartender on the other side of the room frowned, but didn't say anything.
"I think I'll need a Mech Unit for transport, an S-Mortar and A-Grade Flameblade for land defence, and two Mortar men for air defence... once over the mountain pass, we would be free to wreak havoc on the township with artillery fire."
"When they retreat, all the loot can be loaded onto the mech, and any dragon hides can be sold to the Karkun armoury... perfect!"
Drinking the sweet beverage, he crunched numbers for renting a Mech, hiring troops and food costs for the siege, twirling the sword in his hand. He knew that tree villages were rarely well defended for fire and explosives, so a three man party could work, providing the wildlife didn't help out.
The cost was high. His mediocre salary would be stretched, and he'd have to sell off his shares with the Train Depot, but it was within range. Not surprisingly, the food costs would probably be the highest, accounting for half the journey's cost.
Pure water for the trip would easily cost a third, while the remainder would be taken up by hard biscuits and bread. The King's influence made life hard for those living close to the great deserts, south and west of Karkun. Out east, civilians were rapidly killed by Vark and Ravengers, as the beasts occasionally wandered over the swamps. That prevented good farming and water sources to be founded.
Yes... The journey could go ahead. He could leave that night if he struck a contract with some of his band members, and receive a patrol exemption from the guard captain in town. Leaving the empty mug and a coin as payment on the table, he headed for the military outpost near the front gate.
The coal carts were now gone, the night having aged far enough. People on the street slept under corrugated iron, or in linen sleeping bags. The outpost was located by the city entrance, two siege towers looming on the wall with a huge oak gate between. The gateway itself was well worn, and was going to be replaced with iron as soon as funds were diverted away from the rail station.
Passing two huge boilers next to the great stone wall, ready to power each of the auto-firing twin Ballista on either tower, he walked into the outpost grounds. He headed straight to the Scribe's office, knowing recruits would take the longest to gather. The rough slate floor was built to hold the weight of Steam Soldiers, Iron desks to bear leaning swords and suits of armour.
Of the three desks, only one was manned by a night student. Hearing the clanking of the Knight's boots on the slate, he looked up from his leather manual.
"What can I do for..."
"Send a recruitment message to every available Mortar Knight. Also, send message to Lord Otto that I will be selling my ownership in the Karkun Depot Rails & supplys.."
"Certainly, Sir?.."
"Sir Balin. Now get to it."
Leaving the scribe to get to business, he went across to the armoury, with the rent facility nearby. Signing a Mech in his name, he walked through to the Machine Yard. A row of eight Mech Units were laid out, among other machines, each one a five metre tall walking furnace. They were essentially giant standing steam suits, but with room for three people: a pilot where the head would be, and two shoulder archers.
They had one limited motion right arm, designed specifically for lifting and swinging a sword, but little else. The left arm was just a turret mount, which could have a harpoon, steam cannon or flame thrower attached. By placing the furnace and boiler within the torso of the machine, the Iron backpack could be used instead for storage of food, drinking water and ammunition.
Pulling the starter lever on the underside of the first one, the coal rune inside the furnace began to heat the boiler. As part of the startup, the Mech Unit slowly crouched to the ground, the hydraulics unlocking from their extended position.
As the Unit heated up, the Knight went back into the rent room. In the armoury section, wide shelves held a vast array of weaponry. At the time, no one was around, but he would be in no position to explain the return of missing equipment after the raid if he stole anything.
On the far side, a large swinging iron door opened up to the yard. Hauling a one and a half metre long brass Steam Mortar, he used the exit to dump it by the now steaming Mech. Back in the rental, he selected a Three metre flame sword with it's own coal rune, the holes running down it's length allowing fire to spread out when activated.
Taking the second weapon outside, he hooked up the various connections the Mech. The heavy Mortar shined a dull brass, and could fire shells with steam released from the boiler once fitted fully to the rotating turret mount. Lifting the huge flame sword onto the mech with a few issues, it was attached to the right arm.
Wiping his hands off, the Knight signed his name on the rental papers provided. Knowing his pay would automatically be deducted, he returned to the main plaza area. Three Knights stood waiting outside the Scribe's office, all in grey iron armour. All had a permanent Mortar Attached to their right arm, but they had different daggers and swords on their side.
"Greetings, it seems you three have responded to my hire message."
They all murmured, not interested in a speech late at night. They looked nearly identical with their visor's down, the only difference being slight curvature changes in the helmet and dimensions of the suit.
"So, we will be taking about a day, perhaps less to march ourselves to the treeman city of Ya'ru, to pillage and plunder. It will be dangerous, as it is well known that the wildlife do not take kindly to our presence."
The leftward Mortar-man snorted, before raising his firearm, fisted balled under the gun muzzle.
"Those Vark might be big, but they are no match at a range! You can count me in."
Seeming brave enough, Balin nodded at the Knight, who went to gather ammunition for his cannon.
"So which of you two is willing enough to join? You must be accurate to hit the dragons, as they can fly and evade with ease..."
The rightmost knight seemed to want to speak, but the middle one interrupted angrily.
"My sister was killed by one of those abominations! Let me take vengeance on those scaly freaks, All of them!"
"Good, you're in! ...I'm sorry to you, but as we only have room for two extras, you'll have to leave."
The last Knight stomped in a spit, cracking the ground as he went back to his patrol route, due in a few minutes. While the selected Knights went and loaded their mortars, and gathered ammunition, Balin went back into the Scribe's office.
Looking up from his manual again, the student sat up properly in his chair again.
"What.."
"I need you to set up a connection to the present Guard Captain."
"Ah, he's asleep sir."
"Then ask around for a spare Knight willing to take my patrol routes for the next... three days lets say."
The student looked at the Knight sceptically. He wasn't going to go out of his way for nothing. Taking the hint, Balin pulled his cash bag from the rations compartment of his backpack, dumping half it's contents on the desk. Satisfied, the Student began sending messages via telekinesis, probably holding a fire stone under the desk.
Balin looked at the Scribe sceptically, not being able to physically see the messages leave. It was just another reason to be suspicious of mages.
"All appears to be going to plan then. Only need to grab some grub and we're out!"
Laughing from in the open air cockpit, Balin sprinted with the Mech Unit, hacking apart another swampland tree that got in his way, slaughtering a thin trail through Loam's Odour bog. Controlling the arm by joystick, he twisted, pushed and pulled it to maneuver the wrist and appendage. The Mortar men sat on the shoulder seats, raised up and behind the cockpit, watching the terrain rush past with their weapons loaded in case of an incident.
While the hired men could sit back and relax, perhaps even get bored, Balin was in a more upright position, the legs of his suit positioned next to various pressure pads. The controls were a bit more awkward than just being in a suit, having to run in a suit, inside armour, but it worked better than any other way.
The blackness of the night was only disturbed only by the intense glow of the furnace through air slats on the sides, and the wafting smoke out of a short fume pipe behind all three members. Sighing, one of the Mortar Men let their guard down.
A snarling growl alerted the watching Knight, in time to see the huge Boar charge at the right leg. Before he could warn Balin, the beast smashed into the limb, charging right past as the Mech unit stumbled.
"Blazing Hell, What was that!?"
"Vark, Leftside, FIRE!"
*ssssSH-Poogh*
*---ssssSH-Poogh*
As the Vark plummeted past the machine, under a sagging willow, two shells shot from the mortars, one from each. Seconds passing, the tree exploded into a furious cloud as the volatile contents of the grenades burst open. The Vark emerged unscathed, it's head lowered, tusks gleaming, ready to clash with left leg now.
Turning the Mech's body, the Marksmen reloaded as Balin activated the flame properties of the sword with a button press. The glowing sword leaked embers as he struck for the Vark, the massive beast about half as tall as the Mech itself.
It shrieked in pain as the sword burned it, although the angle wasn't good enough for cutting it's thick, hairy flesh. Carrying forward, it collided with the left leg, hooking it's tusks on the motor systems.
Screaming murder, Balin slapped it's face with the burning hot sword, forcing it to back away in pain. Unhooking it's tusks, it instead rammed the back of the Mech's Knee, nearly forcing it to the ground.
"Reloaded! Ready to fire! Get us away, so we can fire at a distance."
"Brace yourselves!"
Using the left joystick, Balin rotated the brass gun backwards, firing a shell at straight at the ground under the Mech. *Bagoom!* Loose peat flying, both Vark and Mech lost balance, the soil taken from under their feet. Taking a crawling leap forward, Balin pulled the machine out of the semi-soggy crater, the rocking disturbing the Mortar Men's aim.
The Hog rolled onto it's feet, burnt and injured by the close blast. The iron legs of the Mech could take far more explosive damage than raw flesh. It tried continuing, but the Hired Knight's aim was true.
The crater widened in the twin explosions, the broken carcass of the beast releasing it's life. Lying in a gory mess of mud and shattered hide, the Knight's cheered victoriously. The brass cannon reloaded itself from a store of four shells chained under the cannon, clicking into place with a puff of steam. Without regret, they re-asserted their travel, the sun beginning to rise over the tree line.
That chapter was brilliant, full of detail. However I noticed one mistake, during the mech's fight with the Vark.
"Turning the Mech's body, the Marksmen reloaded as Balin activated the flame properties of the sword with a button press. The glowing sword leaked embers as he struck for the Vark, the beast massive beast about half as tall as the Mech itself."
Grk, that happens when I redo sentences. I'll go fix that now.
EDIT: Fixed, and just a note:
---
Hunching at the computer, he contemplated the next part of his story, tapping the empty glass cup to his left. Over the media player running through his headphones, he heard his mother shout down the stairway into his study.
"You're coming to the mall with me to get some new leather shoes! There's a sale on and school is only a week away!"
Knocking the glass over in annoyance, the Writer groaned loudly, forgetting what he was writing at the time. Staring at the nautilus shell on the desk, he tried to remember what he was doing while the mother stomped down the stairs with haste.
"Get your socks, you're old shoes are losing the heel, so we need to go now!"
Saving his story, closing multiple open tabs of the forums and his minecraft client, he lastly stopped the media player. Forced to hear his mother grumble rubbish about how bad his shoes are, he opened the car door, not knowing he'll spend the next three hours in a farmers megastore...
---
In other words, I'll try my best to get an update out.
The shallow dawn began to spread it's light across the world, an ethereal grey glow as the sun rose itself behind the central tree of Ya'ru. Drained, physically and mentally, Kendra lowered her friend and messenger to the ground, the thin layer of snow remnants of the night's frosting. The campsite was still empty, Jharak and Schist still asleep.
Stroking Fauve's head, the dragon awoke from her uninterrupted sleep. For a few minutes, they lay on the ground, relishing the other's being. Eventually, the dragoness stood on her four paws, and shook herself down.
"I must go now Kendra, as Argyle will likely be teaching the Knight as the morning breaks. I'll bring news as I hear it, as always."
Giving her one last tickle under the chin, the dragon purred lightly.
"As always Fauve. Good wishes my sweet, may I see you soon."
They bowed graciously to each other, despite both being deprived of energy from last night's endeavour. With a few lift-off beats of her wings, she soared back through the valley, leaving the Mage to wait for her group to wake up.
---
With a shudder, Argyle woke, his cave very dimly lit with the grey light in the valley. A disturbance lay in the back of his mind... a few severed connections with beasts lay twirling in his head, trying to seek them out. It was unnerving, and was almost certainly the act of a Knight.
Moving past the pile of armour, sixteen sets of plate and chain, he looked out over his high spot in the cliffs, out over the valley. Feeling for the human, he could sense him easily under the snow, a layer too thick for him to have been awake at the dark hours of midnight.
Sighing with relief, at least this was not the Knight that inflicted damage. Few of the Steam King would ever sleep so soundly by their most formidable enemy, which enforces that this Knight might truly become their leader. The question of who killed a Vark and many older trees lay in his mind however.
He mentally contacted Kara, who was the closest to the mountain pass entrance. She felt pensive, but calm, so probably not seen nor heard word of a direct attack. The network of earthen minds could be seen easily by the pair of them, being at the top of the social hierarchy in the area. Many creatures freely spoke of nonsense, fear and happiness via the interconnected web of life.
Having done everything he needed, Argyle waited by the entrance, watching for when the Knight woke at the stroke of dawn, forming in his mind a training strategy.
---
As the sun rose, groups of Clay Dragons began their daily work, trading stones for bones, and bones for bits of metal shards. A few left, crawling over the cliff top and into the gravel covered ranges in search of mountain Sheep or the rare P'keth to hunt.
Families of Golem Wyverns landed on the gravel road leading to the valley, rolling their sticky hide on the rocks to create a dull red cobble armour over their bodies. The armour would protect them from the dry heat of the Tepid desert, where they hunted daily.
As the morning activity established itself as normal, the Knight awoke, his pets held warm in his hands. Waking the Wyverns, they looked up at him eagerly. They had been with him all night in his dream world, and seemed just as ready to play in the real one too. Steve couldn't help but smile at the buzzing children, a fuzzy feeling seeming to emanate from them.
"They really do trust me. I should probably give them proper names too, once I think of good ones..."
They crawled up onto his shoulders again, the striped one letting out a *Coraw!*. A few other Wyvern species crowed back, as if greeting one another. Shaking off the layer of snow on his armour, the Knight rose up, spotting the huge brass dragon in a cave high up on the cliffside. It's horns gleamed in the ever lightening day, staring right back at him.
"Yes, they have faith in you, as I do now. We must hurry though, as I can sense a danger coming to these cliffs. Head for the foothills below, we'll have space there."
The titanic beast then looked up behind it, at the edge of the cliff above it. Grabbing the ledge in his short claws, he began pulling himself over the ridge, his back legs pushing himself up from he flat cave entrance. Dust and rocks flew down from his scrabbling feet as he disappeared over the top, his lack of wings owing to his climbing ability.
Wondering what Argyle was doing, the Knight began walking down the pass, towards the huge, twisting ramp descending to the foothills. Standing on the top of the shear cliff, almost vertical in some places, the brass dragon positioned itself to pounce.
Watching in amazement, Steve couldn't believe as Argyle leapt straight off the cliff, plummeting to the tussock ground below. A low hum emitted as the air rushed past his body, until he thundered onto the ground. The mountain shock slightly under the shock wave, dislodging numerous boulders and a sheet of gravel. Landing on all fours, he waited for the Knight to follow.
Squawking in surprise, the Queen Wyvern was spooked from her nesting cave, loudly shrieking at Argyle with bedazzled anger. Shaking his head, Steve began his own trek down the slope, jogging alongside a treacherous fall as the dragon stared up from below.
---
Lifting himself off the mat, Schist felt as if he didn't even sleep. The voice haunted him... he remembered it's every word. The twinkling buds of light on the walls and soft, cushy floor seemed to do little for his mood, the energy they gave off reminding him of his dream of forests.. power...
It was getting too much for the kid to think about at the moment. Going outside, Jharak and the Mage were waiting by the empty pit, breathing the brisk mountain air. Standing up quickly, the mage smiled excitedly.
"Good Morning my Schist, we have a beautiful view to show you!"
Walking onto the short observation deck, the three of them looked out over the landscape. Jharak sighed, finally home again, while Schist looked upon the wonder he knew as Ya'ru.
What dominated the view was a huge forest, extending out into the distance. The broad leaf trees were certainly large, getting bigger as they got closer to one huge tree: Ya'ru. Around the base of it, a couple of white stone buildings were visible, but most of the residents lived in disguised housing within the forest itself.
Closer to the mountain itself, there was a bigger surprise. Huge terraces of volcanic springs took over the foothills, emptying into a small lake, fogging the air slightly with mist. Creeks from the lake flowed through some of the highest quality Grape fields on the continent, the volcanic, mineral rich water making the some of the best fruit for wine.
Strawberry, Doberry and Almond plantations also littered the hillside beyond the terraces, before merging into the natural trees. The speckled red and purple fruits could be just seen in the fields, shading the hills with vibrant colours. Aureolin Pear trees grew beside the terracotta tile pathway leading to the springs through the small plantations, creating a highly appealing avenue of nature.
The almost tropical colours were bright, and the only man made artifacts were the pathway itself, and the wooden racks holding up grape vines. The crops themselves were not separated by any fence, they were simply expanded and contracted as people demanded more or less of the different products.
Jharak gestured over the vivid farmlands, extending out to the massive tree on the horizon.
"These are the Ya'ru Springs, leading to Ya'ru itself. Most of our food is grown in the mountain water, but many of us do not eat much at all. What we make is shared around in festivities, or sold for more delights grown further east or up north."
"Ya'ru itself is not the biggest city, but it is the most learned. Botanists and Mages collect here due to the wild fauna and flora, while the Ya'ru Springs give deep thought and relaxation to philosophers. We'll head there now.
Looking near him, Schist couldn't see any way down off the mountain. It occurred to him that there was no path, only a fence around the open area and observation deck. The mage saw his worried gaze as he searched for their passage down.
"Oh Schist, you don't think we'd just have a road to our grandest city? We'll be flying down. We befriend and train water dragons, as they make excellent scouts, messengers and even translators for other dragons. I can send for some to pick us up."
"Oh. Wait, messengers? Dragons can talk?"
The Mage stared at Schist, realising yesterday was the first contact he'd ever made with any other intelligent animal before.
"Yes, if you and any other spirit share an element of nature, like fire, you can speak through your emotions. Often animals can't place words to feelings, but dragons can. You and Granite are the only two of fiery nature near Ya'ru, so you can probably talk to him. We can't, so his feelings are a mystery to us."
Schist recalled the Amaranth dragon, standing out from the rest in his memory. Of all the beasts, this one stuck with him, able to breath fire like himself, but also fly. Granite also bowed at Schist, rather than scowl or scream like Argyle or any other dragon. It was as if he understood something about him...
"Get back Schist, give them room to land!"
Looking up, Schist didn't realise how long he had been thinking for. Backing away towards a cabin, three sky blue streaks flew straight up past the balcony, a geyser of water under them spraying droplets everywhere. Their wings were warpped around themselves, turning them into aerodynamic bullets until they unravelled themselves.
A ring of water shook off as they spread their wings wide, revealing their pale yellow underside. Gliding now, one landed on the deck, the other two near the the fire pit. The trio were two legged, their short fore arms more for balancing than anything else. Spiny fins on their lower back and a short, flat, tail showed them to be adept swimmers.
They waited, flattened onto the ground. Laughing with glee, the Mage leapt onto one waiting by the pit, a swath of snow following after her. Jharak gestured the second one by the pit, and mounted the reptile on the balcony. The last dragon waited, watching as Schist teetered on his toes, never having touched a dragon before.
"Schist, there's no other way down. Besides, I'm sure you'll love flying. Get in front of me, and enjoy the view."
As Jharak pointed out, he didn't have much choice. Edging closer to the beast, it eyeing him back with curiosity at his slow advance. Putting a hand out, Schist stroked it's neck, the reptile getting annoyed by how slow the interaction was proceeding.
Seeing how both the Mage and Jharak had placed their legs behind the wings and grasped around the neck, he did the same. The slimy, wet scales was unexpected, but Schist did his best not to back off it. Finally on, the three beasts grunted at each other, before taking off heavily into the air.
Nausea rose in Schist's stomach as they flew over the guard rail, and out over the volcanic terraces. Looking away from the ground, he saw the top of a mountain peak to his left, conical in shape. He never remembered being sick in the last two dreams he had while flying, but neither was his life at risk then.
The mage flew up next to him, pulling the dragon's head to steer it roughly.
"Hahaha! Skydive!!"
Covering her dragon's eyes, it screeched furiously before falling out of the sky. A sinking feeling floated up in Schist's own bowels as his ride followed in a controlled dive after. For a few seconds, an intense whistling noise blocked all hearing as he plummeted down next to the Mage, Jharak following behind.
Straightening out, they were more than three quarters the way down, soaring low above the fields of strawberries and grapevines. Righting itself, Kendra only laughed while her mount snapped at her sharply. They slowly looped around, heading back towards the great pouring terraces of Ya'ru.
Likely will get two done yesterdaytommrow, I was sleepy.. It's not helping that I'm supposed to be 'Getting vitamin D' and sucking up totara leaves from outside the garage. I would release this part, but it's 1:40 Am and not quite done.
Awaking in his four-poster bed, the man in Suede stared at the roof, ornate caved arches in the ceiling briefly distracting him from the aching loss by his side. The white walls lay heavy with paintings, some of the sea, a few depicting Knights.
Facing him from across the room, a bust of his late father, accessorized with a monocle and top hat stood in front of the painting of his father's father, with a more modest bowler hat. Lastly, an engraving lay hidden under the pompous heritage, a blacksmith holding the great sword 'Azmaraldith', his great grandfather.
To this day, the Manor survived through the wars with the Nomadic southerners, and eastern Elves. Now residence to Lord Eryk himself, his Tri guard protector and Authoritarian Myan Hasar and his four house slaves: two maids, a cook and messenger.
The rich history of the Karkun House developed from the smith's wish for a warm, quiet environment to live in. Selling three, hand-crafted artifacts to collectors across the continent, he gained a small pile of wealth, with which the manor was constructed. It the first notable building in the rural forest land at the hamlet of Klairnoir, or Clear Nights. The study was used to hold documents as an improvised town hall, and was considered a marvel in the local region.
The hamlet eventually took it's name from the house it was built around, basic necessities like a wall and tavern popping up to form the town of Karkun. When the King rose as the national ruler of humans, anarchy took over the settlement, as the new dictator installed a previously unheard of contraption to the fledgling city: steam power.
The logging industry flourished for the next ten years under the new reign, and a great coal mine operated to strip the land afterwards. Lord Otto of Klinker, inventor of cement, went on to supply resources for a Rail Depot, and found himself as High Lord of North Karkun. The Blacksmith of Karkun passed away, installing his heir, Henryk of South Karkun in his place.
Henryk kept the house, while Otto created his own concrete tower over the existing town beacon, and expanded the walls by casting concrete out around the new city. Acid from the ever clogging sky ate at the wall, so the concrete structures were plated with stone slabs. The Anarchy subsided as the older inhabitants eventually died off, their earthen blood lost as the youth grew up in a world of fire and coal.
Henryk's life was short lived, dying in the wave of pneumonia with many others due to the dramatic change in the air quality. He successfully fathered one child, Jurek of South Karkun. Iron plating and siege weaponry was introduced shortly after, resulting in a military explosion. Jurek understood machinery well at a young age, and concocted many machines, including the Dragon spear, an anti-air flak cannon which accurately slaughtered the uprising dragons of the Western Ranges.
Jurek lived well off his patents, expanding into a workshop at Rahm city, and renovating the House of Karkun with hot water cylinders and new luxuries of the age. He became a respected engineer, designing the Auto-reloading system for Mortars, used by the Steam Knights: a Military Operation held by the King himself to hold back the uproar of Elves and Dragon-kind. By now, the great plains to the south turned to desert, and the last of the Nomads were erased from history.
By age twenty seven, Jurek's head succumbed to a stroke due to excessive smoke inhalation. His ten year old son was left with the riches his father made, and was soon Lord Eryk of South Karkun by age eighteen. His mother was tragically ruined by her husband's death, and withered away without so much more than a notion of her existence on record. Forty years into the Steam Kings rule, Eryk had succeeded at nothing, living off his father's royalties and risky stock manipulation for the next ten years, the King's half century of rule.
Now the loss of his Scythe penetrated his side like an infected knife, planting the bacteria that ate him from the inside out. The blade meant more to him than anything else, having lived a life of his father's doing. Boiling rage rose in him, at the Mage who had disguised as a King's adept, and stole his heart and soul. His traitor of a slave was likely still alive too, mixing with the enemy.
A knocking at his door alerted him of his messenger, who was waiting for him to get up. Not caring about still being in bed, Eryk flicked his ring finger, flinging the doors wide open. Nervously, the beaten messenger stood, shaking. Waiting for the slave to speak, Eryk enjoyed the ever increasing blood flow in his veins, rushing at the sight of such a pathetic teenager being unable to speak.
"S..Sir,.. a Knn... Knight stole your message -age, si..sir.."
The slave was one of the more submissive ones, so would not lie. Now it was likely that a rash band of soldiers would be committing suicide to the eastern swamps, probably with lots of expensive, valuable equipment. Holding his hand to his head, Eryk wiped off the patheticness of the situation.
"I guess I'll have to go meet the King himself, since none of you bloody slaves know how to work properly. Mr. Haser will see you be punished later today."
Ignoring the tears staining the lush red carpet from the innocent teenager, Eryk closed the door with his ring, and got out of the bed to change into his day garments.
"I will pour away every asset I have to get my Scythe and Slave if that means funding the entire demolition of the accursed tree man nation once and for all!"
---
Finally reaching the bottom of the ramp, he walked up to Argyle, the Queen finally calming down. The huge dragon stood proud, not a hint that he had just willingly fell off a hundred metre drop. Standing across each other, tilting slightly downhill due to the gradient, the earthen beast gave a hearty chuckle.
"There are three tasks which I will be giving you. Two of them may be fatal if you fail."
Instinctively, the Knight pulled out his sword. He could sense a fight in the air. The Wyvern Queen looked on from the side, wary of the tension being drawn between the pair.
"If you wish to leave now, my offer still applies. You will be free to live so long as you don't come back."
Blades of grass quivered in the gusting high winds, the Knight standing stock steady. The young pair on his shoulders felt the moment, and cawed in a soft voice. If he went home, he would no doubt have to give up the pair, lest they be taken and skinned by another Knight.
He looked at the reptile on his left, it's stripe of dominance matching it's dignified appearance, a sparkle of intelligence in it's eye. It stroked it's wings down with power, crowing in anticipation. He looked like a capable, male hunter.
"Zephyr,"
The Wyvern on his right jumped as he looked at it. A more timid, curious face looked back. Blinking, it moved away from his face as he watched, covering itself slightly with her wing. She looked less of a hunter, and more of a playful creature, loosing up during playtime.
"and Thyra."
"You have shown utmost certainty that I am something special, Kara as well. It's my turn to trust you back."
Argyle nodded, accepting the Knight's words as honest from the heart. Both Zephyr and Thyra cuddled against the cold iron helm, nearly making Steve wish it was not there, to feel their flesh and bone.
"Good. Then we can start our first trial. Serenity."
"Kara will assault you, but you must not fight back. Make her actions worthless without harming a soul."
Leaping in front of the dragon, the Queen understood Argyle's intentions. She stood with her feet together, wings raised behind her back in formal greeting. Following expectations, the Knight sheathed his sword, and stood, hands by side. Zephyr recognised the signs of the a battle, quickly alerting Thyra with a *Coorw!*, the pair landing on a boulder a safe distance away.
*CORRRAWW!*
In a sudden rush of air, the Wyvern swept forward, her shrill cry echoing across the hillside. Her curved claws aimed for his skull, determined as a predator catches it's prey. Ducking the grasping claw, Steve dodged the blow as she swooped around for a second try, wings beating up a fury over the blades of grass.
Not risking a second miss, she aimed lower, ready for any evasion. Even as she flew at him, Steve saw this in her eyes. She thought he was trapped, unable to evade. And he was.
But instead, the Knight grabbed the talons in his hands, each foot as big as his helmet. Not expecting the heavy burden of the whole Knight on her feet, the Queen fell short, dropping to the ground with a thud. Kicking back with a sharp claw, Steve lost vision as yellow-grey feet swept over his visor, causing him to let go.
Free again, the great devilish snake-bird whipped itself up and around, facing the Knight to screech painfully loud into his ears. Running along the ground, she slashed his armour with the claw tips on her wings, Steve only able to back away from the frontal assault. Losing ground, he pulled out his sword, and began to block attacks.
Sparks and fizzling flashes of fire spouted from the Dragoon Blade as the Wyvern hacked it with sideways attacks. Seeing how futile the wing-claws were, she grabbed the blade with her feet talons, pulling it down out of the way to expose the Knight's helm.
Releasing the blade, he left the lead weight on the Queen as he moved uphill, the heavy sword dragging her slightly downhill until she surrendered it. Now head to head, the height difference eliminated by the incline, the Knight looked for a weak point.
As she flustered up the hill, he saw her neck, long enough to be clutched easily. Even as she tried to claw his chest plate with heavy talons, capable of shredding the iron, he jumped down and grabbed her under the jaw. Screaming from the firm pressure around her neck, she tried to free herself once again. The uphill disadvantage prevented her talons from attacking the Knight, and her wings were not powerful enough to dislodge him from the hill.
Flapping uselessly over Steve's armour, the wings were doing no damage to him at all. For the next thirty seconds, the Queen writhed in the hold, snapping at the air and digging a ditch in front of the Knight's feet, with her powerful talons, but to no avail.
Waiting, the Queen stopped finally, relying on the Knight to release her. Unclasping her neck, she backed away from his hold hurriedly. Zephyr and Thyra cheered delightfully in various pitches as the Knight and Queen bowed. Retrieving his sword, the Knight then walked back to Argyle, who had observed the battle.
"You play fair Knight. Quelling the beast allows for greater potential to understand, avoids unnecessary bloodshed. It gives your opponent or friend time to think."
"Now for your second test. Mastery."
The Queen backed off the field, landing next to her young by a short rock offhand. Argyle stood back onto his rear legs, his bones creaking under the weight of his vertical body, holding his fore-paws one over the other. All those on the slanting field felt energy wafting towards him from the forest, and themselves.
"You cannot fight with iron and armour all the time. You must learn to use the magic of your ancestry!"
Again, another brilliant chapter. But I did find two errors.
Just after Argyle says "Good. Then we can start our first trial. Serenity" "Kara will assult (change to assault) you..]
And in the very last quote "You cannot fight with iron and armour all the time. Use(Was this intentional or did you mean 'You') must learn to use the magic of your ancestry!"
Anyho, can't wait for the next chapter! :biggrin.gif:
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Retired StaffGuess I better start the next one :biggrin.gif:
I have another 7 or so days where I can make updates daily. After that, I'm unsure.
A simple suggestion on geology here.
~~~
Slaves of the Coal Mine
An interesting Novel to pass the time.
It's alright, weekly or so updates are fine. As long as you don't update for like a month, you'll make all of the readers think it's dead, even if its not.
Anyway, I have to say this is better than most, if not all fantasy stories I have read because the world feels like it has so much more depth and uniqueness. Keep throwing in random bits of lore that we have not much info on, even if you're not intending to use the concept much, it makes it a lot more interesting and makes the world feel more interesting. :biggrin.gif:
A simple suggestion on geology here.
~~~
Slaves of the Coal Mine
An interesting Novel to pass the time.
Looking up from the letter, his vacant gaze scared the maids and the remaining pub folks who weren't already drunk. The chair creaked under his weight as he rocked slowly on the straining wooden legs, judging how risky the trip would be. He'd need to take a few colleagues for safety, but that meant sharing the reward, something equally not acceptable.
"Ale please, best you got."
Thinking of the equipment needed to raid the tree hugger city, he didn't even see the maid sneak a full mug onto his table. More patrons left for the night, emptying the inn quickly. With a quick inspection, he determined his own highly compressed sword was fully charged, the faint glowing purple aura iluminating the wooden table.
While compact, the sword was only a foot long excluding the handle, but after unlocking the pipe catch, steam flooded from his backpack furnace into the sword, blowing it up to it's metre length. The bartender on the other side of the room frowned, but didn't say anything.
"I think I'll need a Mech Unit for transport, an S-Mortar and A-Grade Flameblade for land defence, and two Mortar men for air defence... once over the mountain pass, we would be free to wreak havoc on the township with artillery fire."
"When they retreat, all the loot can be loaded onto the mech, and any dragon hides can be sold to the Karkun armoury... perfect!"
Drinking the sweet beverage, he crunched numbers for renting a Mech, hiring troops and food costs for the siege, twirling the sword in his hand. He knew that tree villages were rarely well defended for fire and explosives, so a three man party could work, providing the wildlife didn't help out.
The cost was high. His mediocre salary would be stretched, and he'd have to sell off his shares with the Train Depot, but it was within range. Not surprisingly, the food costs would probably be the highest, accounting for half the journey's cost.
Pure water for the trip would easily cost a third, while the remainder would be taken up by hard biscuits and bread. The King's influence made life hard for those living close to the great deserts, south and west of Karkun. Out east, civilians were rapidly killed by Vark and Ravengers, as the beasts occasionally wandered over the swamps. That prevented good farming and water sources to be founded.
Yes... The journey could go ahead. He could leave that night if he struck a contract with some of his band members, and receive a patrol exemption from the guard captain in town. Leaving the empty mug and a coin as payment on the table, he headed for the military outpost near the front gate.
The coal carts were now gone, the night having aged far enough. People on the street slept under corrugated iron, or in linen sleeping bags. The outpost was located by the city entrance, two siege towers looming on the wall with a huge oak gate between. The gateway itself was well worn, and was going to be replaced with iron as soon as funds were diverted away from the rail station.
Passing two huge boilers next to the great stone wall, ready to power each of the auto-firing twin Ballista on either tower, he walked into the outpost grounds. He headed straight to the Scribe's office, knowing recruits would take the longest to gather. The rough slate floor was built to hold the weight of Steam Soldiers, Iron desks to bear leaning swords and suits of armour.
Of the three desks, only one was manned by a night student. Hearing the clanking of the Knight's boots on the slate, he looked up from his leather manual.
"What can I do for..."
"Send a recruitment message to every available Mortar Knight. Also, send message to Lord Otto that I will be selling my ownership in the Karkun Depot Rails & supplys.."
"Certainly, Sir?.."
"Sir Balin. Now get to it."
Leaving the scribe to get to business, he went across to the armoury, with the rent facility nearby. Signing a Mech in his name, he walked through to the Machine Yard. A row of eight Mech Units were laid out, among other machines, each one a five metre tall walking furnace. They were essentially giant standing steam suits, but with room for three people: a pilot where the head would be, and two shoulder archers.
They had one limited motion right arm, designed specifically for lifting and swinging a sword, but little else. The left arm was just a turret mount, which could have a harpoon, steam cannon or flame thrower attached. By placing the furnace and boiler within the torso of the machine, the Iron backpack could be used instead for storage of food, drinking water and ammunition.
Pulling the starter lever on the underside of the first one, the coal rune inside the furnace began to heat the boiler. As part of the startup, the Mech Unit slowly crouched to the ground, the hydraulics unlocking from their extended position.
As the Unit heated up, the Knight went back into the rent room. In the armoury section, wide shelves held a vast array of weaponry. At the time, no one was around, but he would be in no position to explain the return of missing equipment after the raid if he stole anything.
On the far side, a large swinging iron door opened up to the yard. Hauling a one and a half metre long brass Steam Mortar, he used the exit to dump it by the now steaming Mech. Back in the rental, he selected a Three metre flame sword with it's own coal rune, the holes running down it's length allowing fire to spread out when activated.
Taking the second weapon outside, he hooked up the various connections the Mech. The heavy Mortar shined a dull brass, and could fire shells with steam released from the boiler once fitted fully to the rotating turret mount. Lifting the huge flame sword onto the mech with a few issues, it was attached to the right arm.
Wiping his hands off, the Knight signed his name on the rental papers provided. Knowing his pay would automatically be deducted, he returned to the main plaza area. Three Knights stood waiting outside the Scribe's office, all in grey iron armour. All had a permanent Mortar Attached to their right arm, but they had different daggers and swords on their side.
"Greetings, it seems you three have responded to my hire message."
They all murmured, not interested in a speech late at night. They looked nearly identical with their visor's down, the only difference being slight curvature changes in the helmet and dimensions of the suit.
"So, we will be taking about a day, perhaps less to march ourselves to the treeman city of Ya'ru, to pillage and plunder. It will be dangerous, as it is well known that the wildlife do not take kindly to our presence."
The leftward Mortar-man snorted, before raising his firearm, fisted balled under the gun muzzle.
"Those Vark might be big, but they are no match at a range! You can count me in."
Seeming brave enough, Balin nodded at the Knight, who went to gather ammunition for his cannon.
"So which of you two is willing enough to join? You must be accurate to hit the dragons, as they can fly and evade with ease..."
The rightmost knight seemed to want to speak, but the middle one interrupted angrily.
"My sister was killed by one of those abominations! Let me take vengeance on those scaly freaks, All of them!"
"Good, you're in! ...I'm sorry to you, but as we only have room for two extras, you'll have to leave."
The last Knight stomped in a spit, cracking the ground as he went back to his patrol route, due in a few minutes. While the selected Knights went and loaded their mortars, and gathered ammunition, Balin went back into the Scribe's office.
Looking up from his manual again, the student sat up properly in his chair again.
"What.."
"I need you to set up a connection to the present Guard Captain."
"Ah, he's asleep sir."
"Then ask around for a spare Knight willing to take my patrol routes for the next... three days lets say."
The student looked at the Knight sceptically. He wasn't going to go out of his way for nothing. Taking the hint, Balin pulled his cash bag from the rations compartment of his backpack, dumping half it's contents on the desk. Satisfied, the Student began sending messages via telekinesis, probably holding a fire stone under the desk.
Balin looked at the Scribe sceptically, not being able to physically see the messages leave. It was just another reason to be suspicious of mages.
"All appears to be going to plan then. Only need to grab some grub and we're out!"
---
*Wha-dopf, Wha-dopf, Wha-dopf, Wha-dopf, Wha-dopf, Wha-dopf....*
Laughing from in the open air cockpit, Balin sprinted with the Mech Unit, hacking apart another swampland tree that got in his way, slaughtering a thin trail through Loam's Odour bog. Controlling the arm by joystick, he twisted, pushed and pulled it to maneuver the wrist and appendage. The Mortar men sat on the shoulder seats, raised up and behind the cockpit, watching the terrain rush past with their weapons loaded in case of an incident.
While the hired men could sit back and relax, perhaps even get bored, Balin was in a more upright position, the legs of his suit positioned next to various pressure pads. The controls were a bit more awkward than just being in a suit, having to run in a suit, inside armour, but it worked better than any other way.
The blackness of the night was only disturbed only by the intense glow of the furnace through air slats on the sides, and the wafting smoke out of a short fume pipe behind all three members. Sighing, one of the Mortar Men let their guard down.
A snarling growl alerted the watching Knight, in time to see the huge Boar charge at the right leg. Before he could warn Balin, the beast smashed into the limb, charging right past as the Mech unit stumbled.
"Blazing Hell, What was that!?"
"Vark, Leftside, FIRE!"
*ssssSH-Poogh*
*---ssssSH-Poogh*
As the Vark plummeted past the machine, under a sagging willow, two shells shot from the mortars, one from each. Seconds passing, the tree exploded into a furious cloud as the volatile contents of the grenades burst open. The Vark emerged unscathed, it's head lowered, tusks gleaming, ready to clash with left leg now.
Turning the Mech's body, the Marksmen reloaded as Balin activated the flame properties of the sword with a button press. The glowing sword leaked embers as he struck for the Vark, the massive beast about half as tall as the Mech itself.
It shrieked in pain as the sword burned it, although the angle wasn't good enough for cutting it's thick, hairy flesh. Carrying forward, it collided with the left leg, hooking it's tusks on the motor systems.
Screaming murder, Balin slapped it's face with the burning hot sword, forcing it to back away in pain. Unhooking it's tusks, it instead rammed the back of the Mech's Knee, nearly forcing it to the ground.
"Reloaded! Ready to fire! Get us away, so we can fire at a distance."
"Brace yourselves!"
Using the left joystick, Balin rotated the brass gun backwards, firing a shell at straight at the ground under the Mech. *Bagoom!* Loose peat flying, both Vark and Mech lost balance, the soil taken from under their feet. Taking a crawling leap forward, Balin pulled the machine out of the semi-soggy crater, the rocking disturbing the Mortar Men's aim.
The Hog rolled onto it's feet, burnt and injured by the close blast. The iron legs of the Mech could take far more explosive damage than raw flesh. It tried continuing, but the Hired Knight's aim was true.
The crater widened in the twin explosions, the broken carcass of the beast releasing it's life. Lying in a gory mess of mud and shattered hide, the Knight's cheered victoriously. The brass cannon reloaded itself from a store of four shells chained under the cannon, clicking into place with a puff of steam. Without regret, they re-asserted their travel, the sun beginning to rise over the tree line.
---
Part 13!
A simple suggestion on geology here.
~~~
Slaves of the Coal Mine
An interesting Novel to pass the time.
"Turning the Mech's body, the Marksmen reloaded as Balin activated the flame properties of the sword with a button press. The glowing sword leaked embers as he struck for the Vark, the beast massive beast about half as tall as the Mech itself."
Otherwise great work, as usual.
I used to have toes
EDIT: Fixed, and just a note:
---
Hunching at the computer, he contemplated the next part of his story, tapping the empty glass cup to his left. Over the media player running through his headphones, he heard his mother shout down the stairway into his study.
"You're coming to the mall with me to get some new leather shoes! There's a sale on and school is only a week away!"
Knocking the glass over in annoyance, the Writer groaned loudly, forgetting what he was writing at the time. Staring at the nautilus shell on the desk, he tried to remember what he was doing while the mother stomped down the stairs with haste.
"Get your socks, you're old shoes are losing the heel, so we need to go now!"
Saving his story, closing multiple open tabs of the forums and his minecraft client, he lastly stopped the media player. Forced to hear his mother grumble rubbish about how bad his shoes are, he opened the car door, not knowing he'll spend the next three hours in a farmers megastore...
---
In other words, I'll try my best to get an update out.
A simple suggestion on geology here.
~~~
Slaves of the Coal Mine
An interesting Novel to pass the time.
I'll see about focusing tomorrow. Perhaps a double update.
A simple suggestion on geology here.
~~~
Slaves of the Coal Mine
An interesting Novel to pass the time.
Once again, another awesome chapter.
An nobody likes to be dragged into farmers with their mums....
Mothers.
I used to have toes
Stroking Fauve's head, the dragon awoke from her uninterrupted sleep. For a few minutes, they lay on the ground, relishing the other's being. Eventually, the dragoness stood on her four paws, and shook herself down.
"I must go now Kendra, as Argyle will likely be teaching the Knight as the morning breaks. I'll bring news as I hear it, as always."
Giving her one last tickle under the chin, the dragon purred lightly.
"As always Fauve. Good wishes my sweet, may I see you soon."
They bowed graciously to each other, despite both being deprived of energy from last night's endeavour. With a few lift-off beats of her wings, she soared back through the valley, leaving the Mage to wait for her group to wake up.
---
With a shudder, Argyle woke, his cave very dimly lit with the grey light in the valley. A disturbance lay in the back of his mind... a few severed connections with beasts lay twirling in his head, trying to seek them out. It was unnerving, and was almost certainly the act of a Knight.
Moving past the pile of armour, sixteen sets of plate and chain, he looked out over his high spot in the cliffs, out over the valley. Feeling for the human, he could sense him easily under the snow, a layer too thick for him to have been awake at the dark hours of midnight.
Sighing with relief, at least this was not the Knight that inflicted damage. Few of the Steam King would ever sleep so soundly by their most formidable enemy, which enforces that this Knight might truly become their leader. The question of who killed a Vark and many older trees lay in his mind however.
He mentally contacted Kara, who was the closest to the mountain pass entrance. She felt pensive, but calm, so probably not seen nor heard word of a direct attack. The network of earthen minds could be seen easily by the pair of them, being at the top of the social hierarchy in the area. Many creatures freely spoke of nonsense, fear and happiness via the interconnected web of life.
Having done everything he needed, Argyle waited by the entrance, watching for when the Knight woke at the stroke of dawn, forming in his mind a training strategy.
---
As the sun rose, groups of Clay Dragons began their daily work, trading stones for bones, and bones for bits of metal shards. A few left, crawling over the cliff top and into the gravel covered ranges in search of mountain Sheep or the rare P'keth to hunt.
Families of Golem Wyverns landed on the gravel road leading to the valley, rolling their sticky hide on the rocks to create a dull red cobble armour over their bodies. The armour would protect them from the dry heat of the Tepid desert, where they hunted daily.
As the morning activity established itself as normal, the Knight awoke, his pets held warm in his hands. Waking the Wyverns, they looked up at him eagerly. They had been with him all night in his dream world, and seemed just as ready to play in the real one too. Steve couldn't help but smile at the buzzing children, a fuzzy feeling seeming to emanate from them.
"They really do trust me. I should probably give them proper names too, once I think of good ones..."
They crawled up onto his shoulders again, the striped one letting out a *Coraw!*. A few other Wyvern species crowed back, as if greeting one another. Shaking off the layer of snow on his armour, the Knight rose up, spotting the huge brass dragon in a cave high up on the cliffside. It's horns gleamed in the ever lightening day, staring right back at him.
The titanic beast then looked up behind it, at the edge of the cliff above it. Grabbing the ledge in his short claws, he began pulling himself over the ridge, his back legs pushing himself up from he flat cave entrance. Dust and rocks flew down from his scrabbling feet as he disappeared over the top, his lack of wings owing to his climbing ability.
Wondering what Argyle was doing, the Knight began walking down the pass, towards the huge, twisting ramp descending to the foothills. Standing on the top of the shear cliff, almost vertical in some places, the brass dragon positioned itself to pounce.
Watching in amazement, Steve couldn't believe as Argyle leapt straight off the cliff, plummeting to the tussock ground below. A low hum emitted as the air rushed past his body, until he thundered onto the ground. The mountain shock slightly under the shock wave, dislodging numerous boulders and a sheet of gravel. Landing on all fours, he waited for the Knight to follow.
Squawking in surprise, the Queen Wyvern was spooked from her nesting cave, loudly shrieking at Argyle with bedazzled anger. Shaking his head, Steve began his own trek down the slope, jogging alongside a treacherous fall as the dragon stared up from below.
---
Lifting himself off the mat, Schist felt as if he didn't even sleep. The voice haunted him... he remembered it's every word. The twinkling buds of light on the walls and soft, cushy floor seemed to do little for his mood, the energy they gave off reminding him of his dream of forests.. power...
It was getting too much for the kid to think about at the moment. Going outside, Jharak and the Mage were waiting by the empty pit, breathing the brisk mountain air. Standing up quickly, the mage smiled excitedly.
"Good Morning my Schist, we have a beautiful view to show you!"
Walking onto the short observation deck, the three of them looked out over the landscape. Jharak sighed, finally home again, while Schist looked upon the wonder he knew as Ya'ru.
What dominated the view was a huge forest, extending out into the distance. The broad leaf trees were certainly large, getting bigger as they got closer to one huge tree: Ya'ru. Around the base of it, a couple of white stone buildings were visible, but most of the residents lived in disguised housing within the forest itself.
Closer to the mountain itself, there was a bigger surprise. Huge terraces of volcanic springs took over the foothills, emptying into a small lake, fogging the air slightly with mist. Creeks from the lake flowed through some of the highest quality Grape fields on the continent, the volcanic, mineral rich water making the some of the best fruit for wine.
Strawberry, Doberry and Almond plantations also littered the hillside beyond the terraces, before merging into the natural trees. The speckled red and purple fruits could be just seen in the fields, shading the hills with vibrant colours. Aureolin Pear trees grew beside the terracotta tile pathway leading to the springs through the small plantations, creating a highly appealing avenue of nature.
The almost tropical colours were bright, and the only man made artifacts were the pathway itself, and the wooden racks holding up grape vines. The crops themselves were not separated by any fence, they were simply expanded and contracted as people demanded more or less of the different products.
Jharak gestured over the vivid farmlands, extending out to the massive tree on the horizon.
"These are the Ya'ru Springs, leading to Ya'ru itself. Most of our food is grown in the mountain water, but many of us do not eat much at all. What we make is shared around in festivities, or sold for more delights grown further east or up north."
"Ya'ru itself is not the biggest city, but it is the most learned. Botanists and Mages collect here due to the wild fauna and flora, while the Ya'ru Springs give deep thought and relaxation to philosophers. We'll head there now.
Looking near him, Schist couldn't see any way down off the mountain. It occurred to him that there was no path, only a fence around the open area and observation deck. The mage saw his worried gaze as he searched for their passage down.
"Oh Schist, you don't think we'd just have a road to our grandest city? We'll be flying down. We befriend and train water dragons, as they make excellent scouts, messengers and even translators for other dragons. I can send for some to pick us up."
"Oh. Wait, messengers? Dragons can talk?"
The Mage stared at Schist, realising yesterday was the first contact he'd ever made with any other intelligent animal before.
"Yes, if you and any other spirit share an element of nature, like fire, you can speak through your emotions. Often animals can't place words to feelings, but dragons can. You and Granite are the only two of fiery nature near Ya'ru, so you can probably talk to him. We can't, so his feelings are a mystery to us."
Schist recalled the Amaranth dragon, standing out from the rest in his memory. Of all the beasts, this one stuck with him, able to breath fire like himself, but also fly. Granite also bowed at Schist, rather than scowl or scream like Argyle or any other dragon. It was as if he understood something about him...
"Get back Schist, give them room to land!"
Looking up, Schist didn't realise how long he had been thinking for. Backing away towards a cabin, three sky blue streaks flew straight up past the balcony, a geyser of water under them spraying droplets everywhere. Their wings were warpped around themselves, turning them into aerodynamic bullets until they unravelled themselves.
A ring of water shook off as they spread their wings wide, revealing their pale yellow underside. Gliding now, one landed on the deck, the other two near the the fire pit. The trio were two legged, their short fore arms more for balancing than anything else. Spiny fins on their lower back and a short, flat, tail showed them to be adept swimmers.
They waited, flattened onto the ground. Laughing with glee, the Mage leapt onto one waiting by the pit, a swath of snow following after her. Jharak gestured the second one by the pit, and mounted the reptile on the balcony. The last dragon waited, watching as Schist teetered on his toes, never having touched a dragon before.
"Schist, there's no other way down. Besides, I'm sure you'll love flying. Get in front of me, and enjoy the view."
As Jharak pointed out, he didn't have much choice. Edging closer to the beast, it eyeing him back with curiosity at his slow advance. Putting a hand out, Schist stroked it's neck, the reptile getting annoyed by how slow the interaction was proceeding.
Seeing how both the Mage and Jharak had placed their legs behind the wings and grasped around the neck, he did the same. The slimy, wet scales was unexpected, but Schist did his best not to back off it. Finally on, the three beasts grunted at each other, before taking off heavily into the air.
Nausea rose in Schist's stomach as they flew over the guard rail, and out over the volcanic terraces. Looking away from the ground, he saw the top of a mountain peak to his left, conical in shape. He never remembered being sick in the last two dreams he had while flying, but neither was his life at risk then.
The mage flew up next to him, pulling the dragon's head to steer it roughly.
"Hahaha! Skydive!!"
Covering her dragon's eyes, it screeched furiously before falling out of the sky. A sinking feeling floated up in Schist's own bowels as his ride followed in a controlled dive after. For a few seconds, an intense whistling noise blocked all hearing as he plummeted down next to the Mage, Jharak following behind.
Straightening out, they were more than three quarters the way down, soaring low above the fields of strawberries and grapevines. Righting itself, Kendra only laughed while her mount snapped at her sharply. They slowly looped around, heading back towards the great pouring terraces of Ya'ru.
---
Part 14!
A simple suggestion on geology here.
~~~
Slaves of the Coal Mine
An interesting Novel to pass the time.
Likely will get two done
yesterdaytommrow, I was sleepy.. It's not helping that I'm supposed to be 'Getting vitamin D' and sucking up totara leaves from outside the garage. I would release this part, but it's 1:40 Am and not quite done.A simple suggestion on geology here.
~~~
Slaves of the Coal Mine
An interesting Novel to pass the time.
Facing him from across the room, a bust of his late father, accessorized with a monocle and top hat stood in front of the painting of his father's father, with a more modest bowler hat. Lastly, an engraving lay hidden under the pompous heritage, a blacksmith holding the great sword 'Azmaraldith', his great grandfather.
To this day, the Manor survived through the wars with the Nomadic southerners, and eastern Elves. Now residence to Lord Eryk himself, his Tri guard protector and Authoritarian Myan Hasar and his four house slaves: two maids, a cook and messenger.
The rich history of the Karkun House developed from the smith's wish for a warm, quiet environment to live in. Selling three, hand-crafted artifacts to collectors across the continent, he gained a small pile of wealth, with which the manor was constructed. It the first notable building in the rural forest land at the hamlet of Klairnoir, or Clear Nights. The study was used to hold documents as an improvised town hall, and was considered a marvel in the local region.
The hamlet eventually took it's name from the house it was built around, basic necessities like a wall and tavern popping up to form the town of Karkun. When the King rose as the national ruler of humans, anarchy took over the settlement, as the new dictator installed a previously unheard of contraption to the fledgling city: steam power.
The logging industry flourished for the next ten years under the new reign, and a great coal mine operated to strip the land afterwards. Lord Otto of Klinker, inventor of cement, went on to supply resources for a Rail Depot, and found himself as High Lord of North Karkun. The Blacksmith of Karkun passed away, installing his heir, Henryk of South Karkun in his place.
Henryk kept the house, while Otto created his own concrete tower over the existing town beacon, and expanded the walls by casting concrete out around the new city. Acid from the ever clogging sky ate at the wall, so the concrete structures were plated with stone slabs. The Anarchy subsided as the older inhabitants eventually died off, their earthen blood lost as the youth grew up in a world of fire and coal.
Henryk's life was short lived, dying in the wave of pneumonia with many others due to the dramatic change in the air quality. He successfully fathered one child, Jurek of South Karkun. Iron plating and siege weaponry was introduced shortly after, resulting in a military explosion. Jurek understood machinery well at a young age, and concocted many machines, including the Dragon spear, an anti-air flak cannon which accurately slaughtered the uprising dragons of the Western Ranges.
Jurek lived well off his patents, expanding into a workshop at Rahm city, and renovating the House of Karkun with hot water cylinders and new luxuries of the age. He became a respected engineer, designing the Auto-reloading system for Mortars, used by the Steam Knights: a Military Operation held by the King himself to hold back the uproar of Elves and Dragon-kind. By now, the great plains to the south turned to desert, and the last of the Nomads were erased from history.
By age twenty seven, Jurek's head succumbed to a stroke due to excessive smoke inhalation. His ten year old son was left with the riches his father made, and was soon Lord Eryk of South Karkun by age eighteen. His mother was tragically ruined by her husband's death, and withered away without so much more than a notion of her existence on record. Forty years into the Steam Kings rule, Eryk had succeeded at nothing, living off his father's royalties and risky stock manipulation for the next ten years, the King's half century of rule.
Now the loss of his Scythe penetrated his side like an infected knife, planting the bacteria that ate him from the inside out. The blade meant more to him than anything else, having lived a life of his father's doing. Boiling rage rose in him, at the Mage who had disguised as a King's adept, and stole his heart and soul. His traitor of a slave was likely still alive too, mixing with the enemy.
A knocking at his door alerted him of his messenger, who was waiting for him to get up. Not caring about still being in bed, Eryk flicked his ring finger, flinging the doors wide open. Nervously, the beaten messenger stood, shaking. Waiting for the slave to speak, Eryk enjoyed the ever increasing blood flow in his veins, rushing at the sight of such a pathetic teenager being unable to speak.
"S..Sir,.. a Knn... Knight stole your message -age, si..sir.."
The slave was one of the more submissive ones, so would not lie. Now it was likely that a rash band of soldiers would be committing suicide to the eastern swamps, probably with lots of expensive, valuable equipment. Holding his hand to his head, Eryk wiped off the patheticness of the situation.
"I guess I'll have to go meet the King himself, since none of you bloody slaves know how to work properly. Mr. Haser will see you be punished later today."
Ignoring the tears staining the lush red carpet from the innocent teenager, Eryk closed the door with his ring, and got out of the bed to change into his day garments.
"I will pour away every asset I have to get my Scythe and Slave if that means funding the entire demolition of the accursed tree man nation once and for all!"
---
Finally reaching the bottom of the ramp, he walked up to Argyle, the Queen finally calming down. The huge dragon stood proud, not a hint that he had just willingly fell off a hundred metre drop. Standing across each other, tilting slightly downhill due to the gradient, the earthen beast gave a hearty chuckle.
"There are three tasks which I will be giving you. Two of them may be fatal if you fail."
Instinctively, the Knight pulled out his sword. He could sense a fight in the air. The Wyvern Queen looked on from the side, wary of the tension being drawn between the pair.
"If you wish to leave now, my offer still applies. You will be free to live so long as you don't come back."
Blades of grass quivered in the gusting high winds, the Knight standing stock steady. The young pair on his shoulders felt the moment, and cawed in a soft voice. If he went home, he would no doubt have to give up the pair, lest they be taken and skinned by another Knight.
He looked at the reptile on his left, it's stripe of dominance matching it's dignified appearance, a sparkle of intelligence in it's eye. It stroked it's wings down with power, crowing in anticipation. He looked like a capable, male hunter.
"Zephyr,"
The Wyvern on his right jumped as he looked at it. A more timid, curious face looked back. Blinking, it moved away from his face as he watched, covering itself slightly with her wing. She looked less of a hunter, and more of a playful creature, loosing up during playtime.
"and Thyra."
"You have shown utmost certainty that I am something special, Kara as well. It's my turn to trust you back."
Argyle nodded, accepting the Knight's words as honest from the heart. Both Zephyr and Thyra cuddled against the cold iron helm, nearly making Steve wish it was not there, to feel their flesh and bone.
"Good. Then we can start our first trial. Serenity."
"Kara will assault you, but you must not fight back. Make her actions worthless without harming a soul."
Leaping in front of the dragon, the Queen understood Argyle's intentions. She stood with her feet together, wings raised behind her back in formal greeting. Following expectations, the Knight sheathed his sword, and stood, hands by side. Zephyr recognised the signs of the a battle, quickly alerting Thyra with a *Coorw!*, the pair landing on a boulder a safe distance away.
In a sudden rush of air, the Wyvern swept forward, her shrill cry echoing across the hillside. Her curved claws aimed for his skull, determined as a predator catches it's prey. Ducking the grasping claw, Steve dodged the blow as she swooped around for a second try, wings beating up a fury over the blades of grass.
Not risking a second miss, she aimed lower, ready for any evasion. Even as she flew at him, Steve saw this in her eyes. She thought he was trapped, unable to evade. And he was.
But instead, the Knight grabbed the talons in his hands, each foot as big as his helmet. Not expecting the heavy burden of the whole Knight on her feet, the Queen fell short, dropping to the ground with a thud. Kicking back with a sharp claw, Steve lost vision as yellow-grey feet swept over his visor, causing him to let go.
Free again, the great devilish snake-bird whipped itself up and around, facing the Knight to screech painfully loud into his ears. Running along the ground, she slashed his armour with the claw tips on her wings, Steve only able to back away from the frontal assault. Losing ground, he pulled out his sword, and began to block attacks.
Sparks and fizzling flashes of fire spouted from the Dragoon Blade as the Wyvern hacked it with sideways attacks. Seeing how futile the wing-claws were, she grabbed the blade with her feet talons, pulling it down out of the way to expose the Knight's helm.
Releasing the blade, he left the lead weight on the Queen as he moved uphill, the heavy sword dragging her slightly downhill until she surrendered it. Now head to head, the height difference eliminated by the incline, the Knight looked for a weak point.
As she flustered up the hill, he saw her neck, long enough to be clutched easily. Even as she tried to claw his chest plate with heavy talons, capable of shredding the iron, he jumped down and grabbed her under the jaw. Screaming from the firm pressure around her neck, she tried to free herself once again. The uphill disadvantage prevented her talons from attacking the Knight, and her wings were not powerful enough to dislodge him from the hill.
Flapping uselessly over Steve's armour, the wings were doing no damage to him at all. For the next thirty seconds, the Queen writhed in the hold, snapping at the air and digging a ditch in front of the Knight's feet, with her powerful talons, but to no avail.
Waiting, the Queen stopped finally, relying on the Knight to release her. Unclasping her neck, she backed away from his hold hurriedly. Zephyr and Thyra cheered delightfully in various pitches as the Knight and Queen bowed. Retrieving his sword, the Knight then walked back to Argyle, who had observed the battle.
The Queen backed off the field, landing next to her young by a short rock offhand. Argyle stood back onto his rear legs, his bones creaking under the weight of his vertical body, holding his fore-paws one over the other. All those on the slanting field felt energy wafting towards him from the forest, and themselves.
---
Part 15!
A simple suggestion on geology here.
~~~
Slaves of the Coal Mine
An interesting Novel to pass the time.
So awesome....
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Retired StaffJust after Argyle says "Good. Then we can start our first trial. Serenity" "Kara will assult (change to assault) you..]
And in the very last quote "You cannot fight with iron and armour all the time. Use(Was this intentional or did you mean 'You') must learn to use the magic of your ancestry!"
Anyho, can't wait for the next chapter! :biggrin.gif:
I used to have toes
A simple suggestion on geology here.
~~~
Slaves of the Coal Mine
An interesting Novel to pass the time.