Vegenrage: Dragon Reclaim (21 page)

A mile south of Kertinkpice is Bailseize, and his Breath of Broam is not what he is looking for in this instance. When Bailseize was flying through Hunoria and the Hunorian Forest, he actively sought out the rain clouds and flew through them, creating a lot of static electricity that he has magically captured and holds within his scales. He did this on purpose, knowing he was going to use a very destructive spell that he is using now. This is his Dancing Lightning spell, and it is amazing. He flaps his wings with power and then glides, saying the magical words, and lightning starts to shoot from beneath his wings. This is so cool-looking. The lightning seems to flow along the underside of his wings and then shoots many different bolts at a time at the earth beneath him. They create lines of super electrical cords from his wings to the soil, exploding, cutting, and destroying all the trees and anything else within their path. This is serious destruction.

A mile south of Bailseize is Browgage, the brown and yellow-ringed dragon. His breath attack is well used in this situation. His breath attack is both brilliant and terribly destructive. Browgage is a young dragon, but this attack is already ferocious. When he breathes his Breath of Ringslice, it looks like dozens of Hula-Hoops are being breathed from his mouth, kind of like a smoker blowing smoke rings. The rings flow brown then yellow, and their effect is not known until they hit something. The brown ring flies very fast, growing larger, followed by the yellow ring, and once the brown ring hits something, it stops, and the yellow ring runs into it. The rings hit each other and then form as one and begin to spin perpendicular to each other, very fast, and roll on like a ball, but they are two rings spinning connected together. They spin opposite of each other in one ball, making them as beautiful as they are deadly. They spin and cut anything in their path like razors. The brown and yellow rings spin and roll, causing destruction, slicing, cutting, and chopping down the forest and anything else in their path. These rings are magical and roll on for about ten yards before losing their magical potency and fading away.

One mile south of Browgage is Limbrone, and his breath attack is useful here as well. His Breath of Limcicle is most unusual but very deadly. Limbrone has a beautiful lime green color just like a lime. When he uses his breath attack, his body shines a beautiful lime color, giving away his intent to use his breath attack, but you better make sure you are not in its path. He breathes what looks like lime-colored icicles, only they are five-pound icicles and about four feet long. They shoot many hundreds in each breath and fly fast and true, sticking into their target in this case trees. Once the lime-colored darts hit their target, they start to melt, and they are a very strong acid, disintegrating the target. The forest slowly falls as Limbrone flies over and away, leaving his destructive acidic darts melting and destroying the land behind him.

One mile south of Limbrone is Barquoke. Barquoke is one of the youngest dragons here, and his breath attack has a lot of maturing to do. His black color makes him very weary of Blethstole. Two dragons of the same color, especially two male dragons, almost always lead to conflict. Barquoke is definitely a courageous dragon, but he has kept very far away from Blethstole and keeps his head down, never making eye contact with Blethstole. This is the most thrilling time of Barquoke’s life, to be around so many dominant dragons, but he has let them all know he is subservient to them and just wants to be a part of this great adventure. His breath attack is all about death, not something that would do much harm to the trees of a forest, but he could surely kill all the animals in the trees and on the ground, but he decides to show off his magical ability and casts Wingblades. This is a strong spell. He flies high in the air and then glides down with his wings wide and swings his right wing forward to his head that releases a form just like his wing that spins very fast and sharp, cutting all the trees in half until it reaches the ground and slices into it. Then he follows with his left wing, throwing another blade. He does this over and over, slicing the forest in front of him, cutting down all the trees, and scarring the earth. He only has to say the magical words once, and as long as he keeps following through with his wing throws, the Wingblades spell will continue, so he can continue this spell all the way to the end of the forest.

One mile south of Barquoke is Nawlewn. Nawlewn is a deep navy blue dragon, just beautiful-looking with his solid sails that run from the bottom of his tail up to his backbone and down to his neck to the start of his wings. Nawlewn has a very nasty breath attack. When he breathes his Breath of Brame, it looks like flames flying from his mouth but a beautiful deep blue color, and they are so cold, nearly forty below zero, that instantly, anything caught in the attack is frozen solid and becomes brittle. He swoops down on the forest and freezes everything with his breath attack, and then he flies up and around in a circle, coming back down where he begins his breath attack again. Nawlewn is a tough dragon, and physical contact is something he loves. He flies back through the frozen forest with his wings spread as wide as he can, cutting, breaking, and splintering all the frozen and brittle trees. He flies through the forest, dropping everything in his wake.

One mile to the south of Nawlewn is Flaren. Flaren is thought to be the strongest of the younger dragons. He is brilliant, flame red, and has the obvious breath attack of fire that he can do magnificent things with. He can concentrate a funnel of superhot fire, and he can shot flames in the form of arrows or darts or blades or just about anything. In this case, he uses his Breath of Flame in a simple and potent way. He simply flies over the trees, releasing his flames, setting the forest on fire. He flies over, and behind him, the forest rages in fire.

One mile to the south of Flaren is Icerock. Icerock with his beautiful icy blue and white color. The long whiskers that grow from his wings, back, and head give him added sense, and he monitors the south edge for the dragons. His whiskers flow and sway as he flies, and he is beautiful to watch. He is the only dragon with a beard of long white and blue hair growing from under his jaw. He looks clear at times until he shifts and maneuvers, making him sheen crystal blue and white. He is particularly graceful, rarely flapping his wings, using the air to rise with its warm air and shifting his body for fast dives and graceful upward rises. He is not using his breath attack nor is he casting any magic. He looks like he is playfully flying through the air without a worry, but in fact, he is using his remarkable sensory to hunt and/or wait for prey to make its presence known. His entire body with its superior whiskers can detect an elf running on the ground within a mile of him. He can detect a rabbit running on the ground within a mile. He is letting the other dragons destroy the forest, and he is searching for any fleeing the destruction. The dragons are devastating the Ugorian Forest for almost a ten-mile line all the way from just south of Gosebek Lake to the edge of Hunoria, and this destruction takes them almost an hour, but they make it to the end of the forest, and no signs of elf have been made. The Chestwerns have made it to the forest edge, and the dragons land. The Mountain Flats have followed, and they land with the dragons as well.

Pryenthious walks dominant and confident. “Chestwerns, you have come good. Mountain Flats, you have come good. I can sense we have help from beneath the ground, and the Salcendreepes will rise when we call to them good. Chestwerns, we have cleared the forest for miles. The woods are yours. Anything you find is yours. We have not seen the elves yet, but they are there. Hunt them down.” The Chestwerns head off into the woods and follow the path of destruction left by the dragons. There are about three hundred Chestwerns, and they charge into the cleared forest. The forest is not all nice and smooth. There is a lot of debris and still lots of tree stumps and half-sized trees still remaining, and the wings of the Chestwerns come in very handy, as they can run and glide over the parts of the forest still very tough for walking or running over. The Chestwerns are well adapted to travel and move through the forest, so this clearing is very nice for them to move quickly.

The elves will not be able to hide from the charging Chestwerns should the Chestwerns approach them, and the dragons are going to use this to their advantage to swoop down on the elves should the Chestwerns flush them out.

“Mountain Flats, the woods are yours as well. Seek out anything you like and feast. Take to the skies above the forest and sniff out those elves, and should you find any other delicacies, they are yours for the taking. Go, cause fear, and draw out the elves.” The Mountain Flats take to the wing, and there are about five hundred of them darkening the sky as they head off in all different directions.

“Sallllsss ceeennn Ourisennnoooorrr! Sallllsss kran sreeennn Smoldsss! Sallllsss come hittthhh!” The dragons all know Pryenthious has just summoned the Salcendreepes. They wait for minutes, and almost twenty go by when the ground starts to shake, and the earth rolls as the Salcendreepes rise from the dirt.

“We have come to the call of our masters, the dragons. I am Slanceender, and I lead one hundred strong to bring the elves to a tasty end.”

“The Salcendreepes have come to the aid of the dragons, and you shall be rewarded. The forest is yours. Draw out the elves and any that dare fight with them. Feast on their flesh along with us, the Mountain Flats and the Chestwerns. Today is the day of the dragons and the lesser dragons. Go to the forest and free rein is yours.”

“Thank you, master.” Slanceender bows to Pryenthious, and he and the Salcendreepes head into the earth and are gone.

“The lesser dragons have begun their search now. We hunt the elves, seek them out, eat them, and find all the magic-using beings and devour them.” The dragons take to the wing and head off over the forest for their next meal. The dragons have great sense of magical presence, and they quickly let their senses take them to the elves. Pryenthious heads northward, and a lot of the Flats follow his lead, and some of the Chestwerns follow on the ground. Browgage and Limbrone follow as well. Kertinkpice heads due west with some Mountain Flats, along with Barquoke and Nawlewn who follow him. Bailseize heads to the south part of Ugoria, followed by some of the Flats and some of the Chestwerns, along with Flaren and Icerock.

Pryenthious flies seventy miles northeast of Gosebek Lake, and here, his senses go wild. He knows the elves are below, but they are well camouflaged. He hovers and looks at those following, and they all know. The Chestwerns are far behind, but the Mountain Flats descend into the trees. The dragons look at one another with a flutter in their hearts. The confrontation is beginning. The Flats descend into the trees, looking to make a direct attack, and draw out the elves. The elves do not disappoint them. The elves in the trees start launching arrows, slicing right through the wings of the Mountain Flats, and many fall to the ground where there are a lot of warriors ready with swords to hack them up. Some of the elves in the trees are found, and the Flats fly in and land right on them. They bite with their wickedly sharp teeth, and some of the elves are wounded and fall to their deaths. Most of the elves are very capable and fight off the Mountain Flats using their arrows like swords, cutting through the wings of the Mountain Flats. There are vicious battles in the trees. The Mountain Flats gang up on the single elves in the trees, and this advantage kills a lot of bowelves. The Mountain Flats that fall to the ground are quickly overpowered by the warriors. The Chestwerns are moving very fast through the woods. They are very used to wooded terrain and are to the battle surprisingly fast. The Chestwerns are much more formidable on the ground than the Mountain Flats are, and this draws out the elves riding the Landgangers. The Chestwerns come into view of the elves hacking through the Mountain Flats on the ground, and their attention is drawn to the Chestwerns as they approach. There are a lot of elves in the trees everywhere, and they are so mobile, so quick, and launch dozens and dozens of arrows at the Chestwerns. Limbrone and Browgage are using the lesser dragons, perfectly soaring through the air and waiting for the elves in the trees to be seen, and they swoop in through the trees and snatch the elves right off the trees with their powerful jaws and fly back up in the air, devouring their catch. Pryenthious is really waiting for the most opportune times, putting himself in as little danger as possible. The elves are graceful, fast, and move with ease through the forest, but the dragons are magnificent fliers. They can turn on a dime, do somersaults in the air, and explode with great bursts of speed. Pryenthious sees an elf leaping from one tree to another and, in no time, dives and snatches the elf right out of the air and enjoys a snack. The Mountain Flats are really no match for the elves. They are killing some elves, but for the most part, they are being torn apart by arrow, dagger, and sword. The Chestwerns have arrived and make full-on charges at the elves they see. The elven warriors are very fast, strong, and fantastic with their swords. They spin and dodge like bullfighters, slashing and stabbing the Chestwerns with their swords. Suddenly, from nowhere, many Landgangers and their riders burst onto the scene, and the Landgangers let their wild side out. One second, they are not there and then jump into the scene with claws and teeth and elves shooting arrows from their backs. The trees are thick, and all the combatants are weaving and maneuvering through and around them. The Landgangers and the Chestwerns are really well matched. They both have powerful teeth, claws, and talons, and they fight the same. The Landgangers are clawing at the wings and sides of the Chestwerns and biting at the neck and shoulders, and the Chestwerns are, in turn, doing the same to the Landgangers. This is a ferocious battle, and arrows are flying, swords are swinging, and it is kill or be killed. Elves are thrown from the backs of the Landgangers and, for the most part, land with grace and move quickly to battle with another foe. The Mountain Flats are seeing some advantages swooping down onto the backs of elves that are engaged, and this is their strong predatory style. Once on the back of an elf, they wrap around them, engulf them in their wings, and dig in with the claws on their hands and make lethal bites to the necks of the elves, severing the arteries in their neck and breaking their spine. This is almost always a kill for the Mountain Flats. The elves are masterful, and although they are dying in large numbers, they and the Landgangers are eliminating the Mountain Flats and the Chestwerns. The Chestwerns are violent in their attacks, and many Landgangers lay with long deep wounds left by the sharp talons of the Chestwerns, slowly dying. Likewise, many Chestwerns lay dying from their wounds as well. The elves on the ground quickly end the suffering of their enemies with lethal sword stabs and swings. The dragons stay in the air and let the battle play out as they knew it would, waiting to make lethal flying attacks, snatching elves in their jaws, and flying in the air, devouring their catch. The elves are smart, fast, and strong and in their homeland with everything at stake. The dragons knew the elves would defeat the Mountain Flats and the Chestwerns, but that is okay. The elves have made their presence seen and lost a lot of life in the battle. The dragons wait purposefully, taking little risk to their own health, and make very targeted attacks, picking off elves here and there. It takes the elves only about an hour and a half to completely eliminate all the Mountain Flats and Chestwerns. The dragons have accomplished as much as they could have hoped for by having the lesser dragons attack first. The elves are now tired, a little demoralized, and as they look up, the dragons descend, taking no chances, as they all unleash their breath attack simultaneously. Browgage makes a wide circle around the battle zone, leveling the forest with his Breath of Ringslice, and Limbrone follows him with his Breath of Limcicle, melting away a large ring of forest around the elves. Pryenthious flies in the remaining wooded circle where the elves and Landgangers have some shelter and unleashes his Breath of Halgespace. Within minutes, the elves and Landgangers are hopelessly wondering, looking at their hands and feet with spaced-out eyes, and the three dragons feast on the remaining elves and Landgangers with no retaliation. This scene is one of the saddest moments in Ugorian history. The elves and Landgangers fought hundreds of Mountain Flats and Chestwerns, valiantly losing maybe one hundred total, and now they are reduced to walking around aimlessly as the dragons walk through them, biting off heads. Squishing them under their legs. Slamming them into the ground with their tails and just being killed in terrible ways, while the dragons play with their helpless prey. The dragons have noticed but don’t much care at this point that there are no magic users among the elves here. They just fatten up and kill all the Landgangers and elves, just east of the Pinitrill gate. The dragons gorged themselves until they could not eat anymore and left a lot of the elves dead in pieces, along with the Landgangers that fought with them. Pryenthious, Limbrone, and Browgage feel satisfied, and a long rest is in store for them now. They take to the air, and all head to their lair for a long sleep.