Thunder of Thanasis The Battle of the Tsukiren Plains

[Vhagor]

"They say, in those continents across the Seas, that there are lands they call Plains too. Except, their grass is green and flecked with daisies."

Vhagor glanced across at the Battle Queen of the Na'zarak who was surprisingly silent for a woman with six legs to contend with. On foot as he was he had to tilt his head up slightly to meet her fully black eyes. They seemed darker with the red paint she had smeared around them in twirling patterns that were echoed on her cheeks and chin, then across all four of her muscular arms. As was tradition for the Na'zarak's her upper half was entire bare to the elements, whilst her crustation lower half required nothing. The hard casing of her legs and back were better than most armour a human could forge.

Unless they had dragon flame.

"Then it must be a land of the weak," Vhagor snorted at the very idea. What type of creatures lived there if their earth did not bear the scars of thousands of years of war? What soft folk currently sailed for Malakath? One colony had already popped up from the land of Aniria, leagues away from Thanasis. He only knew of it as an excited cadet had reported on stumbling upon them and had claimed they held the gifts of dragons in their own hands. It always paid to keep an eye on folk, yet he struggled to imagine those same people walking through fields of flowers. Vhagor preferred the dirt and hardy yellow grass of the Tsukiren Plains. There was less to trip a man out here and the soil soaked up blood like a thirsty lamb sucking on its mothers teat. He couldn't imagine how hard it would be to clear a field of flowers of bodies. Perhaps they were monstrous flowers that fed on blood, like the Gardens of Soothkah to the South. He doubted it though from the tone of the Queen. It was almost... wistful.

The battle Queen flashed him a smile that showed off every filed point of her teeth.

"Then it is good you were born on Malakath soil and are strong. You and your riders will win us this day," her Honour Guard shook their wooden shields in agreement. The teeth of their enemies they adorned them with rattled, reminding Vhagor of the windchimes his mother had once hung outside their home to warn of when a dragon was passing. He repressed the shudder at the unhappy similarity.

"As it please Your Majesty," Vhagor intoned, and kept his face neutral as he turned his eyes once more to the army lining up opposite them on the plains.

The Na'zarak had been at war with the Za'raken for a millennia. More, if the scribes of Thanasis were to be believed. Usually their fued was kept to small skirmishes as different tribes attacked one another over the scarce resources the Plain had to offer. But Queen Eikusz had done what many of her forefathers had failed to do; she had united the clans. Rather, she had killed the opposing Clan Heads, and their families, and added their crest to her own. She had spent the last ten years ensuring her superiority and it seemed now she had turned her attentions to spreading that strength. Starting with an age old enemy. They would have had very little need of the Thunder, Vhagor was sure, if it wasn't for the beasts that the Za'raken bred for war: the Scythons.

They were as large as a young adolescent dragon with vicious talons and four insect like wings. Vhagor had never confirmed if the creatures could actually see out of any of the six eyes that beaded its head, but their scent of smell more than made up for it. It was said they rivelled even that of the Ichemon the Jarlax used to hunt for dragon eggs deep beneath the ground.

"It would please me greatly to mount every single Za'raken head upon one of my spears by the end of this day," the Queen mused, drawing Vhagor's eyes away from his observations of their prime target. "It is, after all, why I have bled my people dry to pay for you. Prove your cost is worth it." He gave a courteous bow, sensing a dismissal when he heard one, and wandered back to where Nyx and the other Riders assigned to this mission sat waiting.

Drums began to beat from the opposing army.

"Remember what I told you all - stay away from those creatures mouths," he called to the others who were already mounted whilst he clambered onto Nyx's back. "Their spit is poisonous - to you and our dragons. If your dragon is hit you have ten minutes tops before it starts to corrode the scales of your dragon. Disengage and get into that lake," he pointed to the one just behind them. "Wash it off then rejoin. Understood?"

 

[Trask]

At last, a proper battle.
Trask felt good that he had been chosen to go but he was aware of the opportunity more so.
"We must show them Balor, they will know your worth at the end of this."

The great Wyvern gave a throaty grumble as it shook it's fins out and clicked it's beak.
Trask could not help but notice their employer. An exotic beauty no mistake.
A bit of him he would die before admitting existed wanted to be extra impressive today. To distinguish himself but he quashed it. Pride got good soldiers killed.
He checked his quiver and his Lance. All was ready.
Bow in hand he mushed Balor into the sky above the dry plains and towards the screeching horde of Za'raken.

 

[Virdan]

For a moment it looked as if Virdan floated above the dry, brown plains. She, too, was cloaked like the aged earth. In swaths of browns like dust and sand. And Andor, her moon dragon, appeared suddenly beneath her. When staring at her and him, one would find it hard to see them as if they shifted in and out of existence. Their outline perhaps visible for a moment at the right angle and glint of sun.

Virdan was visible long enough to nod to Vhagor, Andor a healthy distance away from Nyx knowing the other dragon's dislike of surprises. The Shadow Master turned to her partner as Andor's wings flapped and took them airborn.

"Stay on my six," a quiet command as her body shifted. Andor would make sure their flightmate would be able to see and keep up. And if they had to go incognito, they would never be too far ahead or behind. Unless necessary. Virdan frowned as she looked around. The newly ascended were so young and inexperienced. She doubted they would all survive the day.

 

[Nadya]

Kalyss was itching for a fight, so much so that he ground his sharp teeth together. Nadya's bonded was a large dragon, perhaps born from a clutch from the gods they all worshipped, but he had seen plenty of skirmishes and battles in his centuries of existing.

Nadya had been in small fights with him, but nothing to this calibre.

But the rumbles coming from her dragon were enough to get her excited. All these years training would come into play today. She waited for the command of a higher up, but it was noted that her bonded drake was certainly an advantage out here.

 

[Vhagor]

The drums stopped and an eerie quiet floated across the fields of yellow grass.

"Are you ready girl?" Vhagor murmured to the great dragon beneath him. Nyxondra answered by unfolding from where she had been laying whilst waiting for the order. Drawing to her full height she uncurled her tail, stretched her wings, and lifted her head to her sky then roared. The sound shook the very earth around them and the Na'zark responded with their own cry, apparently spurred into joining Nyx's battle cry. Without waiting for another pointless word from her rider, the blue dragon launched herself with a running start into the air.

It was only years of riding her that he knew her low sweep over their own army was a deliberate manoeuvre from the great dragon. She liked to remind those that hired them that even if they were allies this day, dragons were still superior. Not that the Queen seemed to mind. When Vhagor glanced down she looked on in glee as the dragons took to the skies.

No sooner than they had did the aerial force of the opposition rise up to meet them. Nyx bellowed again and the two forces below them suddenly launched into action. But it was the forces of the air that clashed with one another in a whirl of talons and teeth first.

 

[Trask]

He had struck out first, going ahead.
The swarm was vast, made up of focks of flying mouths.
Malacath held many horrors and on the Wall Trask had seen his share but he would be damned if these hideous monsters and their cacophonous shrieks would deter him or Balor.

His strategy was simple but dangerous and required utmost confidence to perform.

Balor knew well what to do, to flank and hary as much as possible. Strike, poison, cripple and leave. In and out of the flock from any free angle they could find.
They struck as soon as the main Wing hit the flock. Balor's lack of fore-arms marked him as aberrant but it allowed him greater maneuver ability in the air. The Wyvern could bank at much sharper angles than almost any so called "True Dragon" and his stinger was an adept weapon even against larger foes.

It was nothing flashy to notice him work but he went about it methodically. Dive, grapple, sting and drop but the gift of the strategy was not in how many he felled, in fact comparatively Trask and Balor tended to kill much less than those who engaged directly but again the lack of fore-arms meant that head on Balor was less formidable than other Dragons. Every gift came with limitations so they used what they had.
No the part that leant this strategy it's true credence was in how it disrupted arial forces. The monstrous creatures learned quickly to avoid Balor's dives and for every one that he snatched and poisoned another six to twelve flew panicked into the jaws, talons and lances of his allies.

An army needed coordination to fight, even an army of monsters and Trask used Balor to rob them if it.as much as he could.

 

[Virdan]

The buzz of the Scythons wings filled the air so loudly that Virdan couldn't hear the flap of the dragon's wings she rode. Small mouth pressed thin as she and Andor gained height and speed. A quick look back and behind at Drovia. She and the other Shadow maintained a tight formation.

"Let's get behind them," she urged Andor as she and her moon dragon would momentarily disappear in the skies as if the bright hot sun had swallowed them up followed by Drovia and her dragon.

Trask and his wyvern were a good distraction as was the massive size of Nyx.

There was another shimmer along the sky and then a burst of dragon mass and rider as the four re-appeared to flank the enemy and began ripping them apart.

 

[Nadya]

Experience had been carved into every muscle of Kalyss' being, and the years of his existence had been decorated in the history books. He knew how to strike, ho to fly to evade attacks, and Nadya could feel the familiar muscles move beneath her as her bonded took to the skies. A famed Dragon of Storm darkened the skies in shadow as he and rider soared higher and quickly.

Kalyss and Nadya did not make a move to strike as of yet. They were hunters, ready to stalk their prey, or in their case, waiting for formations to break apart from the large host and take them out should they feel as if they had a chance.

 

[Vhagor]

The Scythons were no mindless, untrained beasts as the dragon riders soon found out.

As the aerial army rose to meet the riders, they fragmented into clear squadrons not unlike their own Wings. Groups of six split off to engage smaller clumps of dragons hoping to overrun them and move on to the next. The dragons that worked alone or in groups less than three were those that seemed to struggle most, keeping away from six stingers whilst trying to tear out throats and protect their riders. The riders of the Scythons seemed to care less about themselves, their tactics speaking of a people who knew that this battle would decide their peoples fate for centuries to come.

They were ruthless.

"Group to your wings!" Vhagor bellowed as Nyx turned in mid air to let out a jet of deadly green flame, sending one Scython and its rider screaming into the battle below. "Protect one another's backs! Formation fighting only!"

 

[Trask]

It was time to change tactics, though vastly more comfortable in the flanking role of skirmisher Trask understood that cohesion would win this day and little else.
Pulling Balor into a swift dive he hung tight as the Wyvern made a sleek dart of its form to gather speed and a full seven of the monsters and their riders followed. The death drop was arguably one of the more reckless maneuvers a rider could employ but not as risky for Balor as others. His body enabled him to take advantage of his light weight and large wings and so when he did unfurl and bank sharply to a parralel course along the top of the ground the Scythons had difficulty following him.

A lesser rider might think it a waste, the Scythons were not crashing into the earth as one might expect, after all they were not riders of little skill but they did need to slow down and take the turn carefully to keep their own flight patterns from getting careless and in that moment of slowness as they followed his transition Trask pushed Balor into a hard climb to regroup with the others.
Maybe if he had turned and fired he could have ended one, perhaps even two if he was very lucky but that would be reckless and cost him the distance he had gained on them. No, regroup, stay together and strike as one. Vhagor had the right of it, they had tested the enemy with shock tactics and they did not break. Now they had to be crushed, with fang and claw.

Nyx was attracting a lot of attention as well she should being so formidable in size and ferocity.
Vhagor needed no help as his own Wing was with him.

Trask found himself in Virdan's Wing with lance in hand. He had to work hard with it to compensate for Balor's lack of forearms.
"REPORTING IN CAPTAIN!"
He called to her as the clash began. Steel and tooth bet armour and hide and the ludicrous ferocity of the melee began. So visceral was this battle in the skies that below them the ground was stained with the blood of both Dragon and Scython. As if the heaven sent a cursed rain onto the earth.

Virdan

 

[Virdan]

Trask. While wyvern weren't her favorite creatures to work with she knew its vengeful and aggressive rider would only serve them well in this fight. Especially as they took a risk by fighting so far away from the builk of the Thanasis forces.

"Keep your attacks light and fast. If they start to swarm us make a run back to our mainlines." And while her voice wasn't overly loud there was an underlying steel of command that went beyond volume.

The shadows above were the only warning Virdan got as two scython riders dropped onto Andor's back and came swinging for Virdan.

 

[Nadya]

Nadya relayed the order to her dragon, but the old beast simply grumbled along with the cloud cover. It darkened the skies, brewing a storm that made her hair stand on end. She did not need to tell her bonded that there were attacks coming for them, for they were struck from the skies and fell in electric fits down onto the horde down below. She was still not in command of his lightning, but with gritted teeth, she willed her dragon to regroup.

And Kalyss only did so at his expense.

Usually the Wing Leader would call out her commands, but in this battle, it was quicker to be unheard and silent. She did not wish to alert the opposing side they were about to do something, and her dragon proved just how effective they could be.

But the Storm drake and his rider fell into place, taking up a formation that Vhagor and Nyx had begun. Nowhere near the size of the feisty blue, but still considered formidable, Kalyss heeded the call to tighten their ranks.

She could feel his subdued choice through their bond, and Nadya sent an assuring thought between them.

Let us exercise our might for a bigger hit to their forces.

 

[Vhagor]

Vhagor held his breath and awaited the blue demoness to express her displeasure at having a dragon so close to her, as she did with the majority of others. But the snap of teeth and lash of flame did not come. Instead, Nyx merely swung her head in the storm dragons direction and... ignored him. An insult to most others, but it might as well have been a croon of welcome from his mount. The High Ascendant subtly let out a breath; storm dragons were rare and he had not wanted to return to Thanasis with Kalyss' carcass and a half hearted excuse as to why Nyx had smoked one of her own this time.

Unfortunately, the two large dragons drew the majority of the other aerial cavalry's forces.

Ten of the Scythons broke off to meet the pair, splitting at the last moment to launch a coordinated attack and hit them from beneath and both sides.

 

[Trask]

The Scython was the tempting target, the big one but the Rider was the prize.
He spotted one coming at him head on and leveled his lance.
"Now Balor!"
He instructed with the three pats on the Wyvern's flank that told him to begin his glare.
Wyvern's were ambush predators and while they had no innate magical power as dragons did they possessed a semi hypnotic gaze, not enough to control but more than enough to distract prey for the lethal attack.
The enemy rider started having trouble as the Scython underneath began to get lulled by Balor's ability and Trask struck them hard and ruthlessly. Unseating them fully with a lunge as the Scython fell into Balor's jaws and tail.

The ruined monster followed its rider to the blood soaked earth and the clash continued.
A spear bounced off his helmet and nearly sent him spinning but he gave as good as he got on the next that came.

The end of the clash was approaching they would need to circle back and form up.

That was the hard part, regrouping quickly. The one who could do it first dictated the speed of the clashes so it was imperative that the Wing stay together.

Thankfully Virdan knew what she was doing. He appreciated that about her despite their differences.

Virdan

 

[Virdan]

Virdan had a dagger buried into one of the rider's necks in a second. Then another and another. Andor roared and tucked his wings and immediately dropped, going into a death spiral - sensing his rider's danger. Virdan caught the fast work Trask was doing to the enemy around them before plummeting.

The worn, leather straps of her saddle the only thing keeping her on the Moon Dragon's back as they dropped to the earth like a hurtling comet. Virdan sensed Andor's shudder and she looked backwards, black hair whipping across her scarred face.

One of the Scython's riders had managed to hang onto her dragon's back, its dagger buried between two moon dragon scales. A few things happened at once. Andor leveled out with a grand opening of his wings several meters from the ground. Virdan unlatched herself from the saddle and with two daggers in her hand launched herself at the Scython rider. Two more enemy riders from above dropped onto Andor's back.

"Roll!" Virdan yelled and her dragon followed orders as she tumbled with the rest of the enemy into a free fall.

 

[Nadya]

Kalyss let out a booming roar.

It was like thunder, a rumble heard for miles and could easily be felt by all; allies and enemies alike. It filled Nadya's being and only prepared her for what was to come, her gloved hand clinging to the reins to keep herself upright. She watched as Nyx made to attack the Scythons coming at their right flank, and willed her dragon to take the left. His maw opened and a crackle could be heard before flames were thrown over the small number that came after the Storm Dragon.

But then they were met with the Scython force coming from behind. Two of them coordinated an attack to wound his shoulder, and Nadya's breath caught in her throat for a brief moment before she reached for the crossbow kept strapped to the saddle bags. Loading it, getting it nocked and ready, she loosed the bolt through the skull of one Scython and watched as it became unresponsive and began to fall away from the dark grey and purple scaled dragon.

"Little fucker..." She growled through gritted teeth, hand already reaching for a new bolt to fend off the remaining Scython clinging to her bonded dragon.