War On Montis

War on Montis

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. The mountains around Montis were tightly packed, so the Valley wasn’t exactly a popular living area. So when word reached the city guard that a dragon had been spotted entering the Valley it sparked worry, but it wasn’t anything to cause a fuss. But, when a second sighting was brought to their attention within only three days, it had become an item of concern as the people of Montis became anxious. The 4 lords that presided over different branches of the militia: Survey, Battalion, Defense, and Research, advised the city lord to address the people and the threat. He, Lord Daniel, assured the people that the matter would be looked into and taken care of. Three teams were made to investigate the threat from the Survey Corps and The Battalion: Primer, Orien, and Flank teams. It should only take them about three hours to get to the rim of the Valley from the top, and once they get there, they need to be sure they are all in position.

The air down by the Valley was much thicker, and the area was not very large. The strip’s length was roughly 8 miles long and 3 miles wide with a vaguely ovular shape, and there wasn’t much there. Just some old ruins on the north end from the only town to try to live down there, but everyone knows they were wiped out by some plague that developed in the town. They say it started with the miners and spread quickly through their wives and children. The story had been passed down for over 20 years after being heard by one young boy who escaped. He didn’t stay in Montis long as he wanted to get as far away from that place as possible.

Everyone had their superstitions about the Valley. That it was cursed and no one could live down there or else die, and some even think entering the valley was evil, and that the people’s greed from the things they mined and sold was what really killed them. They claim anything that had to do with making money would lead to the same fate, that all business in The White Range was cursed after that incident. Luckily none of them are on the city guard, they wouldn’t have even considered investigating this threat.

Two hours had passed and Flank team was almost to their destination. Barnus, Elisa, and Jacks had made good time. Barnus wasn’t the type to waste time: “Faster done, faster to rest” he’d say. Between his father and the academy, he’d been taught that finishing his work quickly meant he had more time for slacking off until one day he couldn’t remember what he wanted to do with his free time. Did he draw? Write? Make music? He couldn’t remember. Eventually he took up reading, and that became his new motivation to finish whatever job he was on. 2 hours and 15 minutes and they were finally there, before anyone else got into position no doubt. They promptly sat and set up a resting spot. No fire to avoid attention. Barnus pulled out his book and began to read. Jacks was stretching to make sure he stayed warm in case anything came up. Elisa had been working with some fabric along the way, trimming it down and making a hole in it. Normally this would have upset Barnus but it wasn’t slowing them down so he didn’t say anything, or ask for that matter. After a few minutes of sitting she said, “finally done!” in a light proud voice. “Here you go, Sammy,” she said to the homunculus, “it’s probably going to rain soon and I don’t want you getting sick,” she finished with a smile. “I’m not sure that’s how it works Elisa…” Jacks said to himself. He looked over at Barnus reading while he was stretching and said, “so you’ve taken up a new hobby? And here I thought you only knew how to work.”

Barnus smirked still looking at his book, “Well, I guess it just takes less effort for me to stay ‘warmed up’ Jacks”

Without looking up, Barnus catches a stone flung at him with a smirk, “see?”

Barnus and Jacks hadn’t been on the same assignment in seven years; back when they had been fresh out of the academy, but that mission felt like a million years ago now. They had spent much of the time when getting ready for the hike catching up and talking about other assignments they’d gone on. Barnus had spent much more time hunting down creatures that had been killing livestock, small militia forces that had been hired to take some of the land surrounding Montis, and escorting diplomats to other cities on The White Range. Jacks had done much more surveying missions watching the other towns’ forces, and the land close to the bottom of the mountain range. As of late, the neighboring countries to the North seemed to be on the edge of war with one another, while the South seemed disinterested in those affairs. It wasn’t promising but at least it seemed that no one was trying to make their way through The White Range to the other side.

“Give me three minutes to finish this chapter and we can have a short spar since we have extra time,” he told Jacks.

“Elisa you should get warmed up too.”

Elisa had worked with Jacks before on assignments but never on such a small team, really they barely knew each other. They had been sent in a team of thirty to check on the neighboring cities but were then split up into separate teams of 4 or 5.

She got up, dusted off her clothes and said, “I’m ready whenever you are Jacks,” in a snark tone. Barnus cocked an eyebrow in amusement and surprise. He closed his book, finishing the chapter of course, and rested his back against the tree saying, “well this I’d like to see.”

Each stood about five feet away from each other in a ready stance with their hand out in front of their heads, one foot in front of the other, and light squat. Barnus held the stone that Jacks had thrown at him. He tossed it into the air and as soon as it hit the ground, they were off. Jacks struck first, dashing forward and throwing a tight right hook close to the body. Elisa stepped back, thrusted her knee up, and pushed her heel straight to his chest. Jacks quickly caught her foot and held tightly as she jumped and spun her back leg towards his head. He dropped her foot and ducked. Just after hitting the ground, she tried to kick his knee and he backed off. She stood back up and got back into a ready stance. Trying to keep her off balance, Jacks dashed forward again, this time fainting a left hook at her head and dropping into a right hook into her ribs. The next left to the other, but she blocked and grabbed onto the nape of his neck, pulling him in tight and kneeing him in the stomach. She tried for a second one and he blocked it. He pushed himself into her ducking his head under her right shoulder by pushing her right arm up. She threw her elbow at him and he dodged back. She continued striking towards him giving him no room as he weaved through her punches. As he weaved, he waited for his opening and countered another hook into her stomach as her left hook went wide. Air escaped her lungs rapidly and he took his chance, lightly tapping her in the stomach with his right hand as the third blow.

He panted lightly and finally said, “wow… we should spar more often.”

As this happened another homunculus flew down to them and said, “Orien in position.”

“already?” replied jacks.

“guess we’re not the only ones making good time,” replied Elisa.

Barnus stood up and grabbed his bag, “let’s go, Primer team is supposed to meet us from the north a little later, let’s hope they pick up the pace.”

“On the move,” he told the homunculus. The homunculus then flew away.

Elisa and Jacks bumped fists and went to grab their things.

They traveled east towards the center of the Valley for 40 minutes, making a light curve towards the south end from the west. For the next 15 minutes they walked north towards the true center. Along the way the homunculus appeared again. “tracks found on North end” it said. They sent it back and hastily followed north until they hit tracks as well. Large, heavy, deep tracks. Definitely like a dragon. “They seem to lead to the ruins,” said Elisa. “ok Sammy, Primer, Flank team, heading to ruins, bye buddy,” she said in a light tone. Barnus and Jacks didn’t pay any mind to how she addressed the homunculus. “She has an odd way with animals,” they had thought, but their homunculus did seem to be fond of her.

Another 10 minutes passed following the tracks towards the ruins when they began to hear heavy voices in the distance. They spread out and crept over quietly about 40 paces away from each other in case one needed help from the others. As they approached, Barnus saw not two dragons, but six dragons standing together and talking with one another. Five sat in a circle around something he couldn’t see, and one paced back and forth impatiently. He was still about 100 yards away from where they stood so he could only make out a few words here and there as they spoke. “Why have we not just killed him,” the impatient one asked in an aggressive tone.

There were two dragons of dark red scales, the impatient one being one of them. One of white who was larger than the rest, one was black with a single horn in the right side of his head and the other was only a stump. The latter resembles the coin of a northern country, “is he important to them somehow,” Jacks thought. One was a shade similar to that of rust, he seemed intrigued by whatever they were looking at, and last one of blue and gold scales. In the light his scales glimmered like a glorious great sword, his face was ferocious, and Barnus could sense a deep, strong magic within him. “This one has intrigued me,” he said, “not to mention it seems we cannot kill him even if we tried.”

The entire squad together may have been able to take down one dragon by itself, two dragons would have been a stretch, but they might have managed it. But six dragons at once was a death sentence to even their entire battalion. As more of them group together, their combine strength in sorcery is amplified. This mission was a 12-man guillotine…

Primer had the most members, 4 battalion 1 survey; Orien, 3 battalion 1 survey, and Flank, 2 survey 1 battalion. Barnus felt they needed to know what was being talked about but he knew the time they spent here would only increase the chances that they all parish.

The white scaled dragon, who had been blocking Barnus’ view of the center, moved her head as though she heard something in the trees to the West. Flank team had been on the South, Orien was on the East, so that only left Primer out to the Northwest. They may have gotten into position before receiving the message and are now coming straight towards the ruins from the west. This was bad.

“I think there may be some company on the way,” she said.

The impatient one let out a deep growl that would send even the strongest willed warriors to shutter, “I’m done with this!” he yelled. “I don’t care about the amulet, or your plan. I want to have some fun,” he said heading west away from the ruins. The white dragon then turned her whole body, revealing what seemed like a man in a dark red cloak watching the impatient one leave.

The white one took in a deep sniff. She opened her eyes which glowed a burning gold. She made a wide, toothy grin as she stared into the woods.

“Oh. There may be more than just one company among us…”