Wrath of the dragon 6, p.25
Wrath of the Dragon 6, page 25
I drained the last of my cup before I got to my feet and felt that adrenaline pump through my veins. My angels stood up and looked at each other with adoration.
It was time to ready our soldiers.
“Okay,” I said. “Lumi, I need you to get word out to the Ice Lands and fill them in on our plans. Everyone else will take their own land aside to go through the rundown. I’ll speak with everyone together once they’ve all been briefed by their respective angels.”
“Got it,” Fianna said with a fierce nod. “But there was something else I was thinking about: Should we try out our new powers to see what we can do? We’ve probably got new skills now that we’re Elite.”
“That’s a great idea,” I said. “I fucking love having warrior angels. After you’ve spoken with your people, meet me to go through your skills. I’ll work on mastering my newest dragon forms at the same time.”
We all looked at each other for a moment to take in what was about to happen to us. Brooke grabbed Jet’s hand, and we quickly formed a circle around the table. I squeezed Lumi and Fianna’s fingers before we all got to our feet.
“Let’s go,” I said gently. “You’ve fucking got this.”
We strode out of the room and made our way up the tunnel to the bright light of morning. I was glad to see the sky was calm with no snowfall as white clouds drifted past lazily. The sound of mass crowds hung in the air, and we looked down to see that the various lands were spilling out of their caves onto the tundra.
“Clearly everyone’s ready to get going,” I said. “Let’s do this.”
“Time to lead our people,” Cyra said as she spread her wings.
The angels flew off to find their realms as I looked down at the constant stream of creatures that emerged from the mountains. Some of them gathered down in the valleys while others stood on ledges taking in the view.
I walked around to the ledge at the front of the mountain and found Jack with his trusty notebook in one hand, and a cup of tea in the other. He muttered to himself as he sipped his drink and scanned his pages quickly.
“Morning!” I called as I walked over to join him. “Looks like everyone got up bright and early today.”
“Indeed,” Jack chuckled. “I found it rather hard to sleep late! Is there anything I can do for you this morning, my lord?”
“I’ll need my weapons taken out of storage,” I said. “We’ll be handing them out just before we leave. Lumi’s spreading word for your people to head here, and the angels are filling everyone in on the battle plan.”
I could see the purple man’s eyes dart from side to side as he nodded, and I had a feeling he was nervous about the day ahead.
“Hey,” I said. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m really not much of a fighter,” Jack admitted. “I desperately want to help, but I fear I might be a hindrance out on the battlefield. But I don’t want you to think of me as a coward! I’ll take a sword and march with my people if that’s what’s needed.”
I looked at his skinny frame and pictured him trying to wield a sword against a walrus demon. It was not a reassuring image.
“Not everyone has to fight,” I said. “You have so many useful skills, and I think you’ll be more help away from the action. Do you have any medical knowledge?”
“Of course.” Jack nodded seriously. “Nothing too complicated, but I can deal with infected wounds or broken bones. Every mayor has to learn the basics to care for his people.”
“Then we’ll set you up inside the warren,” I said firmly. “There are a few witches we’ll be sending there, too. Helping any wounded soldiers will be your role.”
The purple man let out a grateful sigh that fogged up his glasses. I knew that being a leader didn’t always mean finding the soldier in everyone. Sometimes it was just as important to work out the other skills of those who were not born fighters.
“I’ll make sure I pack all the essentials,” Jack said. “Bandages, dressings, water, everything! Oh, and I’ll take every healing ointment we can get our hands on!”
The purple man hurried away muttering to himself, and it felt good to know I was able to lead all kinds of people. I watched orcs and elves spill out of the cavern and heard the rumble of giants moving about nearby.
“Ryan!” a sprite called from above, and I stood back to give him room to land.
“Hey,” I said. “Are you okay?”
“Ready for war,” the creature said with a sly grin. “I have word from Udor, the turtle. He told me to let you know he has burrowed deep under the demons’ lair under the most western mountain.”
“That’s great,” I said. “Does he know if he is underneath their lair?”
“Oh, yes,” the sprite chuckled. “He said he was heading right underneath one of their widest tunnels. His senses will pick up the vibrations of your voice when you call on him! He’ll be ready to hear your call whenever you decide the time is right.”
“Awesome.” I grinned. “Thanks for that.”
The sprite bowed before he flew down to join his peers, and I pictured the giant turtle that waited underground to help us. Watching him break through the demons’ secret lair would be fucking awesome, and he would surely slaughter several demons as he went.
Then I focused on my hunter dragon form and felt each scale ripple over my body. My huge wings broke out of my back as I shot into the air and enjoyed the cool wind against my massive frame.
I looked down to see a mass of people milling around the valleys, and I could spot my beautiful angels down amongst their various realms.
Then a flock of birds flew toward us over the tundra, and I could spot the sharp beaks of the snipers a mile off. Dogs barked in the distance as sleds were pulled along the ice toward our headquarters. The army was almost complete.
I went over every detail of the queen’s lair in my head as I hovered against the wind. We knew she was deep underground with a number of other rulers, and she had probably bound with one of them.
Even with the help of our massive turtle friend from below, she probably wouldn’t come out until we had slaughtered a huge amount of her people, but that wasn’t going to be an issue. Maybe the grenades would come in useful when the biggest fuckers of all emerged from the ground. By then, so many underlings would be dead that I could surely let my people fall back in case of an avalanche?
I knew that the amount of planning I had to do should have rationally stressed me out, but it just made me feel alive. There was a reason I was Dracoria’s dragon god.
I swooped down to the right and into one of the empty valleys a few mountains over to try out my newest forms. Every move I made had to be perfect if I was going to bring down the demonic queen, and there was zero room for error.
My body shifted into my sand dragon form with barely even a thought. I had become so in tune with each body that I was able to change instantly.
The orange scales glimmered around me as my talons lengthened, and I felt the gritty heat of sand build in my throat. I wanted to see just how powerful I could make my tornadoes as I aimed out toward the vast stretch of tundra behind the mountains.
I harnessed the strength that lay deep in my throat and spat it out with as much power as I could manage. The force that came out of me was unlike anything I had ever seen before. A towering whirlwind of sand shot along the ground and tore through the thick snow like a wild animal. Two massive boulders that lay on the hillside were sucked up inside it and spun around violently.
“Hoooly fuck,” I hissed as I raced forward.
Then I swung my wings around the tornado to stifle it, and I felt the sand fall down to the ground. The boulders tumbled onto the snow below with loud thuds as I looked down at the pile of orange sand.
It seemed like I could absolutely cause deadly chaos with my sand dragon form, and that was only using my jaw. The spiked tail that swayed behind me was its very own weapon. I would be able to rip demons into pieces with it, and my claws were sharper than any sword I had held.
It was becoming clear why the prophecy said I needed eight dragons to succeed. Each one was so uniquely deadly in its own right. Then I realized that there had been one dragon that hadn’t been needed much in the Ice Lands.
My water form surely wouldn’t be necessary in the queen’s lair? I hadn’t seen any kind of lake within the bounds of her territory, but I decided not to rule anything out. The prophecy wasn’t exactly something I would argue with.
I focused on my storm dragon form next and felt the huge wingspan grow behind me as my scales turned green. I tested out different ways to move in the air without creating too much wind power. There were so many of my people who could easily get blown away, and I had to be in complete control.
It started to become second nature to adjust the speed at which I flapped my wings as I moved over the fluffy snow.
My next task was to see just how far my lightning could strike, so I focused on a distant boulder that sat far off on the flat ground. The sharpness in my throat grew as I concentrated on my abilities and channeled my strength into one deep roar. Then I shot a huge bolt of silver lightning out and watched it reach right over to the distant boulder.
The rock split in two with a loud crack before a cloud of smoke rose from it.
“Fuck yeah,” I hissed as I spun around in the air.
These new dragon forms were just as awesome as the ones I had already claimed. I kept practicing with my lightning and became more and more confident with long-distance shots.
“Ryan!” Cyra called, and I turned to see my angels arriving with huge grins on their faces.
The sun had properly started to rise behind them, and it cast an ethereal glow over their wings. Each of their Elite items glowed on their skin like warpaint, and I felt a rush of pride.
“Hey!” I grinned. “I was just trying out some of my new moves. It’s safe to say that these forms are going to destroy shitloads of demons.”
“Awesome,” Fianna chuckled. “Let’s see what we’re capable of!”
“How do we unleash our new powers?” Zabrina asked as the angels hovered in a circle beside me. “Is there something we need to chant? Or perhaps a ritual to summon them?”
“They will come to you naturally,” Ruby said. “You just need to focus on the strength that you can feel within yourself.”
“That’s very cryptic,” Jet said with a raised eyebrow.
“That’s kind of Ruby’s thing,” Cyra chuckled. “But she’s right. Try using the powers you already have, and you should feel something else rise inside you.”
“Okay,” Zabrina muttered as she shook out her hands. “I can do this… New powers… Focus on new powers…”
The beautiful blonde stretched out like she was warming up for a marathon before she flew toward the mountain slope on our left. Then she swung her hand out and produced a wave of orange sand that shot out like water. The jet crashed into the snow and blasted it apart as if she had just fired a fucking cannonball into it.
“Whoa!” I called. “Nice!”
“That’s new,” Zabrina said as she stared at her palms in shock. “Oh, my goodness! Being Elite really is exciting!”
Brooke stepped up next and scrunched her pretty face in concentration as she raised her hands. The water angel was already capable of serious power, so I had no idea what to expect from her new form.
Then my jaw fucking dropped as she quickly summoned a wall of water from the snow that glowed a bright sapphire color. Brooke kept raising her hands, too, and I watched in stunned silence as the wall kept climbing. She rose higher and higher until she was holding a fucking tidal wave like a puppet that went right up to the peak of the mountain.
“What the hell?” I muttered as we stared up at her.
“That could drown a hundred demons if she threw it,” Fianna breathed.
“Easily,” Cyra agreed. “Or she could combine with Lumi and make the most deadly blanket of ice imaginable.”
“This is sooo fun!” Brooke yelled. “Um, I hope I can get rid of it without hurting anyone? Oh, dear…”
“You’ve got this,” I said. “Just focus on pressing it back into the snow.”
I had no idea if that tactic would work, but I had a feeling the water angel would be able to keep control of her element.
Luckily, Brooke slowly hovered back down and brought her new weapon with her. The sapphire liquid melted back into the snow and became frozen once more.
“That was unbelievable,” I said. “Brooke, that’s going to help us so much in battle.”
“I knew I would have an amazing new skill,” the water angel said excitedly.
She spun around happily as I took a moment to stare at the mountain and picture her wave crashing right over it. Maybe we could flood the queen out?
“My turn,” Jet said as she flew forward and cracked her knuckles. “Okay, I was already able to throw out little bits of lightning. Let’s see what I’ve got now.”
The storm angel stared at the side of the hill before she flung her sculpted arms around like a karate chop. A dark cloud shot from one palm as a blue bolt of lightning came out of the other.
Her cloud exploded with green light and let out a deafening rumble that caused a mini avalanche from halfway up the mountain. Snow tumbled down as her bolt of lightning crackled into the ground and delivered a smaller version of my attack. Her weapon fizzled as the ground melted, and a burned hole was left in its place.
“That’s amazing!” I yelled as the ringing faded in my ears. “Holy shit!”
“Sorry for the noise,” Jet said, and her black bob swung around her sharp cheekbones as she turned to face us. “I had no idea that would happen!”
“That’s okay,” I chuckled. “Now we have another way of bringing snow down onto our enemies!”
My mind was going a million miles an hour as I thought up ways to slaughter huge crowds of demons. The angels had so many new skills that would work for large groups, and that was exactly what we needed.
Fianna flew up next and flexed her sculpted shoulders. She had her spear gripped in her hand, but she suddenly passed it to Nisha.
“I feel like I don’t need this,” the huntress said. “There’s something inside me that’s even more deadly.”
Fianna was a fucking ninja with her blade, so I couldn’t wait to see what could be more powerful than that. The huntress focused her hazel eyes on the hillside and took a deep breath before she flew upward. She moved so quickly that she was just a blur of chestnut and green.
Then she suddenly halted in the air and flicked her wrist down with a snarl.
My jaw dropped as small hunting darts flew out of her palm and into the snow. She threw them from each palm so quickly that it was hard to see them until they landed.
Fianna had become the ultimate huntress, and I was bursting with pride.
“Ryan,” she breathed as she flew back down. “Did you see that? I can shoot my own blades!”
“You looked unbelievable,” I said. “Not to mention the fact you were faster than you’ve ever been before…”
“That was sooo great!” Brooke sang as she grabbed Fianna’s hand. “We are officially the most amazing versions of ourselves! Go, us!”
“I’ll say,” I chuckled. “I think we’re officially ready for war.”
The angels’ faces glowed as they looked at each other, and I knew it was time to move out. Our people had been briefed on the plan, and we had all the weapons we could possibly dream of.
“Lumi!” a green elf called as he jogged over to our group with an unlit lantern in hand.
“Thank you,” the frost angel said as the elf stopped beside us. “Ryan, it’s time to light our first lantern.”
My fire dragon took over as my scales turned golden, and I felt the raging power build in my throat. Lumi carefully opened one of the lanterns and held it up in front of my snout.
“Be careful!” Zabrina gasped. “Don’t burn her!”
“I won’t,” I assured her. “I’ve got this.”
Then I breathed the most gentle version of my fire that I had ever produced. The thinnest golden flame trickled from my mouth and danced inside the lantern. Lumi grinned as the wick of the candle caught alight and glowed beautifully against the glass. She shut the door and handed the lantern back to the elf.
“Here,” she said. “Make sure every group has several of these.”
“I’ll get them lit right away,” the elf said, and he hurried off with the lantern cradled tightly.
“I want to speak with everyone together,” I said as I turned back to the angels. “Can you all gather your people under the central mountain?”
“Of course.” Ruby nodded. “We’ll get to it right now.”
“Let’s do this!” Fianna cheered, and the angels flew off to rally the troops.
I looked down at the damage they had caused on the side of the mountain, and I knew we had everything we needed to succeed. Each of my celestial beauties was stronger than ever before.
The steady march of footsteps filled the air as the crowd started to gather, and I took a deep breath. My army needed to know just how much I appreciated them before we moved out. I was leading them into the deadliest situation they would ever have to face, and they would need all the encouragement they could get.
“Time to be a god,” I breathed as I spun through the air and flew around to the central mountain.
Then my eyes bulged out of my head as I turned along the curve of the hill to see the army that had started to gather. I had seen the groups all separately, but it was mind-blowing to see them all moving as one. It was as if an entire world had shown up for me, and I reminded myself that this was basically true.
Creatures of all shapes and sizes hurried to the bottom of the mountain as I landed on the central ledge and looked down. The giants stood at the back like unbelievable statues, and I waited patiently until my angels flew over to join me.
“That’s all of them,” Nisha said. “Ryan, I can’t believe what I’m looking at here.”
“Neither can I,” Jet said in awe. “Dracoria is one.”
The angels stood beside me as I stared down at my people and gathered my thoughts.
