| The Butch Lesbian War of the Four Legions Chapter 9: The Truth Revealed |
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| Riot Rinse Repeat. Bringing the nifty since 2002 |
| TM |
| Ters stared at the horizon of the dawn with misty eyes and a quivering lip. He was not moved by the landscape, beautiful as it was. Nor did he fear the massive army that stood ready to launch what would surely be the last assault on his home. His eyes shed a single tear of remiss that his life would end without seeing his wife and infant daughter one last time. And just as the droplet landed on the stone battlements that Ters Pentacross stood atop, the army from the northern lands began its march to the walls of the city. The archers along the walls twitched anxiously as they waited for their targets to come within range. The fear that threatened to overwhelm them was counteracted by the reassuring presence of Shimmer. The great copper dragon circled slowly overhead, lifting the hearts of the defenders. They knew as long as she still flew high in the sky, the city would not fall. But they knew that even Shimmer could not stem the battle in their favor. Bane and Nightfire, the attacking forces two black dragons, hovered similarly over the approaching army, challenging the great copper to leave the protection of the defenders' archers. As the first volley of arrows flew at the attacking soldiers, they broke into a full run. The arrows stippled the mass of flesh and metal, felling numerous men, but the charge continued. The siege machines that the army dragged with them were used as shields, but only offered slight protection to the arsenal that the archers fired as men pushing the great towers fell and were replaced. Shimmer dropped down and torched the lead tower with a blast of electricity. But just as she turned upward from her swoop, Bane struck. The black drove his talons deep into Shimmer's thick neck, causing the copper to roar in pain and thrash so violently that Bane's grip was loosed. But just as she was free, Nightfire slammed her full frame into the copper's side and the force of the collision caused both dragons to lose control and plummet. Almost simultaneously, the two dragons regained their flight. But using the advantage of numbers, Bane dropped directly onto Shimmer. With all his weight, he drove the great copper straight down onto the squirming mass of the attacking force. The soldiers below were crushed by the two dragons' weight and those too close were tossed in all directions. Just as his fall was stopped by Shimmers body, Bane leaped up and took to flight again. The hundreds of eyes perched at the top of the defenders' battlements widened and stared at their fallen champion. As the last shred of hope seemed to evaporate, Shimmer thrashed and flailed wildly launching the enemy in waves into the air. She regained her feet and took flight with one powerful leap. She searched the sky for her foes and spotted Bane crossing over the city walls and spewing his vile acid down onto the awaiting defenders. But before she could move to intercept her foe, Nightfire struck again. A quick slash and release sent Shimmer into a brief tail spin. As she regained control Nightfire, struck full force into the copper. The force of the blow sent both great dragons towards the defenders city. Ters watched in horror as both Nightfire and Shimmer slammed straight through the stone wall he stood upon. The two great beasts tumbled into the interior of the city, sending chunks of stone onto the mass of soldiers waiting inside. For a few brief moments, the advance of the enemy slowed as well as the volley of arrows from the defenders. All eyes stared in anticipation at the two giant creatures that lay still in the courtyard. All eyes except those belonging to the archers on the wall that the two dragons had plowed through. Ters watched as his comrades either jumped or clung tightly to the stone as it toppled below them. The wall gave way and Ters found himself spinning downward for what seemed like forever. He fully expected to be broken on the stone below him, but instead his fall was halted. He felt himself rebound upward slightly and realized he had not landed on stone, but instead on the black leathery wing of Nightfire. Unable to find anything to grasp, he slid off the leathery wing and landed flat on his stomach. When he recovered himself and sat up, he realized that he now straddled the neck of the great evil dragon. He could feel the breath whooshing through its throat below him. Before he could decide to climb down he saw the dragon's eye blink open and stare at him. Shocked beyond fear, Ters drew his sword and drove it down into the dragon's neck with all the strength he had. The blade found hold and sunk into the flesh deeply. Nightfire sprung to her feet, flinging Ters like a rock from a catapult. Roaring with rage the great black dragon stammered as she searched for her attacker. Her life seeped out through the wound and she collapsed heavily, releasing a last deafening roar before falling silent. The defenders that had sought safety during the dragon's death throes, now let out a cheer of victory as the fearsome beast remained still. They rushed to Ters' side congratulating him on his bravery. Their elation only lasted a moment as they realized their greatest champion, Shimmer, had not moved since her fall. They saw her chest heaving and knew she still lived, but she was unconscious. They felt the wave of fear before they even heard the thump of Bane's landing. The defenders turned and looked up at the beast. Bane was staring intently at the corpse of his sister, Nightfire. Slowly he turned towards Ters and the seething anger was evident in his burning eyes. The other soldiers fell back, retreating to safety, and left Ters standing petrified and alone before the dragon. "It is not often a mortal hears the voice of a dragon," the words seemed to rumble from Bane's throat and Ters could barely even breathe through his fear. Bane glanced down at the sword in Ters' hand, still bearing the black, acrid blood of Nightfire. It looked like no more than a splinter to his eyes. "But it is also not often that a mortal kills a dragon. For that you are blessed, for I will slaughter you and everyone you care about. And that copper will be torn apart piece by piece. No one in this pitiful city will be spared." Bane stood back on his hind legs, casting a deadly shadow over Ters, and inhaled deeply. Having no hope of survival, in desperation he hurled his sword at the great beast. As it rotated towards the beast, the blade turned just in time to be effective and found its mark just between two great scales on the beast's chest. The air Bane had just inhaled was released back out harmlessly and he dropped back to his forelegs. He stared down at the puny human that had struck him and as he struggled for his last breaths he whispered a great curse. In an effort to at least slay the copper, he cast a curse on the human and all those of his blood. Rushing to finish before his life ran out, he did not realize the repercussions of the curse. He failed to specify what dragons would cause the curse to trigger. So it would affect dragons of good and of evil. The curse granted brief but incredible power whenever this human or his kin were in the presence of a dragon. The human would lose control and the only way to regain it would be after the dragon's death. The spell took the remnants of life out of Bane and the force of the evil magic knocked Ters unconscious. The attacking army fled in fear as their greatest weapons were defeated. The defenders praised Ters as the savior of the city and waited anxiously for him to recover so they could reward him properly. Two days after the battle, a ceremony was held in the same courtyard where Ters had slain the two black dragons. Shimmer had also recovered enough from her injuries to be present at the ceremony to thank Ters for his bravery. But as Ters was escorted to the stage that had been set up, the curse took its effect. He stood before the crowd of soldiers and civilians alike and stared silently at Shimmer. The curse was overcoming him and yet no one was noticing the change in his manner, except for Shimmer. She sensed the evil that was present in Ters, but did not understand why. She only realized it after the intense wave of pain struck her. It only took one blast of the Dragon's Bane spell to finish the damage that had already been inflicted upon Shimmer's body. The crowd watched in stunned silence as their hero killed their champion. Ters regained control just as the soldiers nearby gripped him by the arms. The elders of the city held long arguments over the fate of Ters. Many wished for his immediate execution. But to honor his heroism in saving their home, he was banished from the city. With his family, he roamed from place to place. And for generations after after Ters death, the Pentacross family still remained nomadic. As time passed, the name of the city and where the attackers came from were lost. The story passed into rumor and then to legend. The legend of the Pentacross curse. * * * They saw the smoke billowing into the sky long before they finally escaped the mountain pass, but only after they came out onto the rocky foothills did they realize the damage. Velara had been rushing them for two days, though she feared they were far too late. She was correct. The city of Kalenta, the stronghold of Jandt, had been razed to the ground. In the distance, they could not see even one building still standing. Whatever the armies had missed, the fires had turned to ash. "Maybe they got away," Jass suggested. "Maybe Jandt led some of his people safety." "Jandt wouldn't have left," Velara answered stoically. "And if anyone fled, the dragons would have overtaken them." "Well, now what do we do?" Geren asked, with a hint of anger. "I must go to my superiors. I was to aid Jandt in his efforts. Now that he has been defeated, I must return." "That's it? You're leaving us?" "Good," Kirtan said, seizing on the opportunity. "Maybe now we can go find some real work." "Shut up," Disa countered. "What should we do Velara? Do you think you'll be sent back to help us?" "I can request it. But without Jandt and his supporters, there isn't much we can do." "Maybe you can convince them that they should finally confront Tungsta. They have to realize they're the only ones left that can stand against him." "It won't be enough. His legions are just too strong. We could counter the Black and Steel Legions. But the dragons and Yezdin would overrun us." "What if the dwarves helped?" Ferro's jovial voice surprised his companions. "And how would we convince them to come out of their holes?" the contempt was obvious in Velara's voice. "Our father was on the council of elders before he met our mother." "Shut up!" Geren hissed. "Why? He was." "You think he can convince them to help us?" Jass asked. "Probably. They don't like that he married a human, but they still respect him." "Shut up you twit!" Geren glared at his brother. "Why, Geren?" Jass asked. "Why don't you want your father to help?" "Because even if we could convince him to help us, there's no way the dwarven council will agree to stand against Tungsta. They're all happy and fat in their caves." "Well we're going to ask him to anyway," Jass said. "I will go alone to ask for the support of my people." Velara said. "The rest of you should try to ask the dwarves for help. Do not worry about meeting with me again. If you succeed or fail, I will find you. Farewell." Stunned at the brevity of her decision, the group watched as Velara quickly disappeared into the trees. After a few moments silence the companions sat for rest. Kirtan confronted Disa with his displeasure, but was rebuffed. Jass watched as her companions prepared for rest. She decided to practice with Semel, the sword she had taken from her first adventure with Fierron. She had named it Semel, meaning first, because it signified many firsts in her life. She had realized that practicing with Semel calmed her and helped her think clearer. And of course she benefited from the practice itself as well. On this day her thoughts were preoccupied by the revelation of her family's history. Every thrust and swipe in the air was an attack on the people that had harmed her ancestors. She could remember every time the curse had taken hold of her blood. From Ters' first experience to her own most recent. Every time the curse had affected her family tree was clear in her memory. She knew why she had been placed into the care of the mage tower of Maritus. She knew why she had never known her last name. Why her parents had abandoned her. It was all to protect her from the curse. Or at least to protect her from hate and fear the name created in people. But now she knew the truth. And now she would never let anyone forget who she was or what she was capable of. |
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