Dragon Alliance Dark Storm : Dark Storm (72 page)

To the evil dragons’ surprise, the red dragons’ fire barely scorched the icy side of the pykrete ship, and the fiery acid streams from the black and green dragons fizzled and flowed into the sea, only melting a couple of inches from the ivory-colored surface. The lightning bolts from the blue dragons made a two- to three-foot-diameter hole that burrowed the same distance into the ship’s eight- to ten-foot-thick hull. The icy beams of the white dragons caused almost no damage. The pass of a whole squadron of chromatics basically had little effect on the ship besides slight surface damage and a few ballistae and one catapult being damaged or destroyed. Havocfire made the mistake of leading his dragons over the other two ships, and they were pummeled with ballistae spears and arrows. While a good percentage of the arrows and bolts bounced off the chromatics’ thick hides, several dozen did penetrate. Almost half of the powerful ballistae spears or larger projectiles pierced the tough dragon hide, and they actually brought down four of the twelve chromatic dragons. A white, two blacks, and a green dragon, riddled with the immense spears and arrows, stuttered in flight and then crashed into the sea.

By this time, the avengers had engaged the lead Talon dragon squadron and in the initial blast of their sonic disruption breath weapons sent five of the clumsy chromatic hybrids plummeting to the sea. They then moved in, and a vicious talon and fang fight ensued as the much greater physical strength and speed of the avengers proved deadly to the heavily armored and clawed Talon dragons. Darkenth and his fellow avengers knew not to become too decisively engaged or the greater number of Talon dragons would descend on them like a school of piranha. They would blast one Talon dragon with their powerful breath weapon, grapple and rend another with their larger claws and fangs, and then quickly move on. Their speed and the Talon dragons’ lack of a breath weapon also aided their cause.

As the Draden Weir group closed on the blue dragon wing, Gallanth fired a sunburst beam that hit a blue in the middle of their pack with full force and then shot a plasma fireball at the one beside it. The impact on that chromatic’s shield was so solid that it pushed the blue dragon out of formation, its magic barrier barely intact. Mkel fired three mithril-tipped exploding bolts at the first indigo chromatic that Gallanth hit, which broke its magic shield and then struck it in the lower back exploding just above its right rear leg. Gallanth stretched out his two front claws and cast a fireball barrage spell at the chromatic wing. Six fiery projectiles scattered forth and hit six other blue dragons. Jodem cast the same spell hitting the others not yet touched and was followed up by multiple dragonstone-powered arrows from Dekeen that shattered the remaining shield strength of two more blues.

Caraeyeth cast her disruption spell at the trail blue. The glowing green ball of energy struck the blue dragon’s shield and enveloped it with a pale green light that shattered the invisible magic bubble. While this spell only did moderate physical damage to a living creature, it was devastating to rock and stone and could take down a magic shield of any dragon or sorcerer save a bronze, silver, or gold. This allowed them to use their limited fiery acid breath weapons more effectively.

Lupek’s javelin and Ordin’s hammer both streaked through the air and found their respective targets. The two blue dragons struck winced at the impacts but were only partially affected by them because of their resistance to electrical attacks. Alvanch dove down on the trail blue dragon, whose shield Caraeyeth had just taken down, and as they streaked by the dragon’s tail, Toderan’s glowing holy avenger sword cut deeply into the indigo hide. The powerful sword also transferred its energy into the creature, leaving a long and nasty wound. The blue dragon’s head shot up at the painful strike, but as it turned to fire a lightning bolt at its attacker, the winged horse was already in a full dive down and away from the blue. The nimble Alvanch performed a half twist to angle away from the indigo dragon. The chromatic’s lightning breath weapon barely glanced off of the paladin’s magic shield before they were out of range.

Gallanth and Caraeyeth moved in among the blues and unleashed another torrent of sunburst beams, exploding bolts, and breath weapons, which sent two of the chromatics in a death descent, smoldering the whole way to the ground. The remainder of the blue dragon squadron scattered, being taken by surprise at the speed and strength of the two metallic dragons and their companions. The rest of the Draden Weir group weaved in and hit whatever blue dragon presented itself as a target, while trying to avoid the return lightning bolts. Gallanth had gotten lucky and slain the lead blue dragon first, which temporarily disorganized the chromatic squadron. They were capitalizing on that confusion by keeping them split apart and knocking them down one at a time.

Dreadstone and Doomshadow were taken aback by the strength and ferocity of the new metallic dragons as they watched them overpower their Talon dragons in a very systematic way. This enraged Dreadstone so much that he fired a lightning bolt at a nearby hippogriff fighting a manticore; he killed them both, not caring about taking out one of their own. “We must do something to keep the initiative and the odds in our favor, Doomshadow. If we can’t take their weir before they consolidate strength, then this attack will fail,” Dreadstone exclaimed to the Usurper black dragon.

“We’ll leave the Talon dragons to deal with those new metallics; we should engage that lone gold dragon and his cohorts. That is the dragon that twice defeated Ashram’s squadrons at the Alliance city of Battle Point and was at the last fight in the Fire Mountains that led to Marlok’s defeat. Look how he and his weir are tearing apart that wing of blue dragons. We must stop him, so our dragons can defeat the Capital Wing,” Doomshadow spoke out loud.

“I agree, Doomshadow. Paergot, follow us and Doomshadow’s escort dragons, and we will take down that gold bastard and his weirmates,” Dreadstone ordered his apprentice, a lesser but still powerful Talon sorcerer. His assistant quickly agreed and directed his nightmare steed to fly next to the Usurper black dragon. Doomshadow moved toward Gallanth and the Draden Weir group at his top speed with his two demon black dragon guards on his flanks and the Talon sorcerer’s nightmare right behind them. As Gallanth and Mkel slew a blue dragon, which started to plummet to the ground, Doomshadow opened his craggy, black jaws and unleashed a blast of the dark energy beam breath weapon that all demon dragons possessed. The dark-purplish lightning like blast streaked out toward the gold dragon, and he immediately dove just before the powerful beam hit his magic shield, taking a partial blow.

Even with just a glancing strike, the beam hit was enough to rock Mkel and Dorin in their flying saddles. “Gallanth, what was that?” Mkel asked his dragon as they recovered from the dive and angled back up to face their attacker. The gold dragon looked over to see the three black dragons bearing down on them. “That is Doomshadow, my rider, a demon dragon and member of Tiamat’s Usurper court,” Gallanth answered Mkel.

“Well, thank the Creator that your power of foresight is still working. I’d hate to take a full-blown hit from that. It was as powerful as your sunburst beam,” Mkel added.

“It looks like he is actually calling us out to fight. That is strange for a chromatic.” Gallanth was surprised at that, but then the arrogance of the chromatics and especially a Usurper dragon led to unusual behavior.

“Caraeyeth, you need to keep those other two black dragons busy while we deal with the big black in the middle,” Gallanth quickly ordered the copper dragon. “Lupek, Dekeen, help her with them. Toderan, there is a death knight on a Wyvern moving with them; he is yours. Jodem, a Talon apprentice is on the Usurper’s other flank,” Mkel quickly added to the battle plan that Gallanth had started to formulate.

“I will remove that Talon sorcerer from the sky and then come to aid you two, for if that is Dreadstone mounted on top of that Usurper dragon, you will need my help,” Jodem spoke through his seeing crystal. They all then started to form back up to face the powerful threat coming their way. “Mkel, Gallanth, do not take this foe lightly. He is not a normal black dragon, nor even a demon dragon, but something far worse. We only can speculate what additional powers a Usurper dragon has, and as for that sorcerer, that is Dreadstone. I recognize him now by his staff, which is in the shape of a black-iron and dark-crystal halberd. His power and cruelty are only matched by Stalenjh himself; for he is so respected by the chromatics, that he is one of the few they allow to mount them when going into battle.

“He singlehandedly brought down a copper dragon during the Great War and severely wounded a bronze. The evil son of a jackal also massacred an entire village in the unsettled lands because they were aiding the Alliance. Many a metallic would like to see him dead, but a silver dragon would be cautious in engaging him. I have a personal score to settle with the evil pogasch, but not before I see his apprentice pay for his lessons in dark magic and make him understand the price of selling your soul to Tiamat for dark crystal and power,” Jodem warned them.

Gallanth and Mkel nodded and wasted no time in bringing the fight back to their powerful adversaries. The gold dragon then fired a sunburst beam at Doomshadow at his maximum range. The two beams of powerful light hit the black demon dragon’s shield with full force and violently rocked him and his sorcerer rider.

“Mkel, aim at the top of the Usurper dragon to hit his shield at its apex,” Gallanth said to his rider, and Mkel put the crosshair of his crossbow just over the large black dragon and fired. The bolt screamed out at blinding speed and hit Doomshadow’s magic shield with a sizable explosion, its mithril point doing a good amount of damage to the invisible force field. Gallanth then unleashed a plasma fireball that streaked from his gaping jaws and sped toward the Usurper dragon.

As Doomshadow was forced to dip slightly down because of the explosion of Mkel’s bolt, he didn’t have enough time to swerve again and was hit by the full force of the powerful blast. Gallanth’s most potent weapon caused the Usurper dragon to veer off course. He then called over to his wingman, Caraeyeth, “Hit them with all you have on this pass, for they are too powerful to toy with.”

With that, Caraeyeth focused on her strongest spell and from her outstretched talons, a lightning storm burst out with twenty white searing-hot bolts rapid firing at the two subordinate black demon dragons. She bracketed the two dark chromatics with ten bolts each. The barrage of deadly electrical beams destroyed both their shields and pummeled their midnight-colored hides. Reeling in pain, the two black demon dragons spewed out their enhanced dark-energy breath weapons aimed at Gallanth and Caraeyeth. Both metallic dragons dodged the one, but the other struck the copper on her shield with almost full force.

As they closed to almost one hundred yards, Dreadstone cast a bursting fireball spell, and the flaming projectile darted from his dark-crystal axe like staff, and just before it reached Gallanth, it separated into six smaller projectiles. This was harder for the group to dodge in spite of Gallanth’s power of foresight and two struck his shield. One hit Caraeyeth, and the other three passed very close to Jodem and Dekeen. Gallanth had twisted in a corkscrew flight maneuver to avoid the majority of the fiery spheres, and as he angled up, he deftly swiped Doomshadow’s left rear flank and leg with his claws as the two groups passed each other. The Usurper dragon roared in pain and anger at the exchange.

Jodem had cast a long-range lightning bolt that hit Dreadstone’s apprentice directly, moving the nightmare steed slightly off its flight path. The sorcerer retaliated with a focused disintegration beam that Jodem’s giant eagle barely dodged. Dekeen fired two arrows at the left black demon dragon that hit the beast in the shoulder and rear haunch, exploding and delivering the bow’s dragonstone-empowered arrows’ energy into it. Lupek threw his javelin at the other demon dragon and pierced its left front leg, transferring its searing electrical energy into the chromatic. The mithril javelin dislodged itself and darted back to Lupek’s waiting hand as Razorclaw passed by the black dragon. Just as Gallanth and Doomshadow flew past each other, Ordin threw his hammer, which smashed against the Usurper dragon’s shield with a thunderous clap and then twirled back to the dwarf’s waiting hand.

Jodem’s giant eagle Vatara swung around to reengage Dreadstone’s apprentice, who had managed to quickly cast a lightning bolt at the master wizard. Jodem countered with a reflection spell and directed the deadly bolt back at its originator. This eliminated the last of the sorcerer’s magic shield, and Jodem then took a quick but careful aim and cast a single fireball at the sorcerer. The wizard’s eye was good, and the fiery projectile struck the nightmare on the right hindquarter and partially burned the sorcerer. Vatara took advantage of their opponent being put off balance by the spell strike and swooped in, sinking his large talons into the black steed’s tough hide at its flank and then digging his large beak into the demon horse’s neck.

As the sorcerer’s evil steed tried to struggle to get away, flailing its fiery hooves, Jodem parried a swing from the magic user’s staff with his own. Vatara then was able to get a firmer grasp on the demon horse’s neck with his sharp curved beak, and with a quick jerk of his head, he snapped the nightmare’s vertebrae. The warbird then let the demon steed go as Jodem fired a quick magic missile that hit the sorcerer on the shoulder to prevent him from casting another spell as he and his nightmare started to plummet to the ground.

Reigngrim had angled around and was diving toward Jodem, his lance aiming at the wizard’s back as Vatara was releasing the nightmare. Just as he was about to pierce the wizard’s back, Alvanch swept in and the death knight’s lance was deflected by Toderan’s shield. The winged horse kicked the wyvern on the side of its pseudo dragon head, which caused it to veer away from the weir wizard. Jodem looked over to the paladin as he flew by and mouthed a sincere thanks.