Chapter 172:
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Verona asked Anton.
“Absolutely not.” Anton chuckled. “But what better place to scout out our lands than from the air?”
Anton knew that his plan was more than a little dangerous, potentially life-threatening if things went wrong. As the afternoon light cascaded over Atros, it was exceedingly difficult to keep track of time in the depths, Anton decided to test out one last thing before retiring for the day. Before them stood the Chirok’s. The large bat dogs had ample time to get used to Atros and their new environment, the pups certainly enjoyed their home, more the abundance of food over their lodgings, and it was time to use them as the flying mounts to scout the lands surrounding Atros.
“Won’t you just fall off?” Rasha asked.
Ulyaa, resting an arm on the wooden fence, shook her head. “We’ve worked on this for days, using all the silk I could…make. We’ve tested it and it won’t break or shift.”
Ulyaa pointed to the male adult Chirok. “But that means we’ve only got one.”
The adult Chirok tried to scratch at the harness on its back, just behind its wings. The caretakers gently swatted at his forearms and it relented, though it was clearly still irritated by its presence.
“But is it safe?” Rasha asked, gripping her halberd tight. “I don’t want to see Anton, or anyone, fall from the sky.”
“Me neither.” Anton jumped over the wooden fence. The Chirok pups leapt towards him and smothered him in licks and paws for attention. He quickly returned a few ruffles and approached the adult Chirok. “But I want to see Atros from above.”
“Definitely make sure you’re properly strapped in.” Kal squeezed Anton’s hand. “If you’re going to do this. I’m sure…I’m sure that we could get someone who can draw a map to go instead.”
Anton gently kissed Kal. “True. But I really, really want to see Atros from above. And there’s a few other things I want to try out.”
Kal sighed as Verona moved beside her.
“Okay.” Kal shook her head. “Looks like our husband wants to fly like the birds. Just don’t fall off, okay?”
“I won’t.”
“Is this a thing like your project?” Verona asked, cutely tilting her head.
“Well, you know the Goblins and Ghlotsm love to infest our old cities and towns…” Anton smiled. “I say they’re ours, but you know what I mean, right?”
Kal nodded. “I passed many ruins filled with them.” Kal pointed to the northeast. “But your White Ghlotsm are in that direction.”
“They’re still tearing through the Goblins, the horde is still growing. Doesn’t seem to be a limit yet but I’ll be throwing them against Surdon one day.” Anton coughed. “Anyway. My small Fireballs have some range before they lose form and just explode. So my plan is to just fly over those cities and throw those down.”
“Ah.” Verona sniggered. “That sounds awesome.”
“Or I take some of Kal’s arrows and use those…Or my fire or lightning rings.”
“You can use those in the sky?” Cetina asked, quickly raising her hand. “I know the lightning ones you can, I remember fighting against those Qaiviel mages…”
“I can do that for the fire, but I don’t use it often. Normally it’s easier just to release them on the ground…” Anton held his chin. “Then again, if I did rotate them then I could take out even more enemies.”
“Isn’t that just cheating?” Verona smiled. “They’d need a Dragon or a Griffon to even reach you. Especially if you flew right up into the clouds.”
“Well.” Anton held her shoulder. “There are things that I have planned that could do even more than that. Something I’ll tell you all tonight.”
Cetina shuffled, moving her backside as she rested against the wooden fence. Anton didn’t think many knew about their relationship, though, as with Kal, they probably wouldn’t raise any objections. He hadn’t heard anything about a bet after their last departure but there was certainly one running behind his back.
“So let’s see how you handle me.” Anton gently scratched the Chirok’s neck. “I’m not that heavy.”
The Chirok’s eye followed Anton as he jumped onto the beast. It grunted as Anton shifted his weight and found a place where he was relatively comfortable, his legs were splayed either side as the Chirok’s chest was exceptionally wide.
“Seems like it was designed for Rasha.” Anton mused, searching for the safety straps. “Or maybe Ulyaa.”
“It would be pretty easy for me.” Ulyaa smiled as their attention fell upon her. “My body’s…Probably the largest in Atros, well, wide at least.”
Cetina and Rasha assisted him in fastening the last of the safety straps, made from a mixture of Ulyaa’s silk and thick metal clips. After a quick tug he was certain they wouldn’t break and, so long as the Chirok didn’t try to roll during flight, he would be fine. A part of him was incredibly nervous to entrust his life with a beast he didn’t truly know but also excited to see the lands from the sky.
“Right.” Anton held the reins. “Now…How do we get you moving?”
He tugged on the harness, attached to the Chirok’s neck but the beast merely looked back to him with a slight frown and light pant.
“Fliodher said you would be better disposed to listen to me.” Anton leant forward to scratch underneath its bat wings, something the Chirok greatly appreciated. “But we need to get into the sky. You still know how to do that, right?”
Anton pulled the rein again, the Chirok rose but didn’t take flight. Those present laughed as Anton impotently whipped the reins much to the bemusement of the female Chirok. Anton changed his tactic and gently tapped its side while pointing to the sky. It didn’t take the attack kindly, turning its massive head towards him as it questioned his actions. Anton pointed again and finally, with a tiny bark from his mate, the Chirok lunged into the air. It massive bat wings flapped hard for it to giant flight, Anton’s body rocked back and forth under the strain but he was confident the thick Arachnid silk straps would hold. With just a few flaps he was already high in the air. He glanced back, both hands desperately holding onto the Chirok’s reins, the girls looked on extremely worried. He wasn’t about to wave and potentially fall off, even with the thick straps. The Chirok began to steady his flight, his mate beside him, and gently glided through the sky. The pups tried to follow but were not strong or old enough to and had to be wrangled back by the carers. Once food was offered they almost forgot why they were so eager to fly and merrily trotted around while fighting over large chunks of meat.
He had no idea how high they were now but Atros looked very, very small. A tiny blip of civilisation in a vast open grassland. People looked like little coloured pins slowly moving throughout the city, disappearing when they moved behind the many trails of smoke. Most had stopped, curious as to what was casting shadows over their city.
It looks so small from up here, she’s come a long way since I’ve arrived.
From their height it was easy to see the differentiation between the older sections of Atros and the newer, more ordered areas; several concentric rings inside of a rapidly expanding grid. The Dark Elf quarters looked the worst, but their tents were disappearing to be replaced with multi-story buildings.
“Okay little fella.” Anton scratched just behind his wings. “Let’s go for a little spin.”
“Can you hear me?” Anton asked through the ring.
“Is it safe to use that ring while you’re flying?” Kal asked, her voice shaking ever so slightly.
“I’ve still got both hands on the reins.” Anton smiled, not that the emotion was conveyed through the ring. “You should really see it from up here. It’s so beautiful. The wind wiping against my face is annoying.”
“So are you coming down now?” Kal asked.
“Soon. I can see something to the south. Some sort of light. A fire? I’m not sure…I don’t think Nithroel’s going to try and attack us again, not after the whole thing in Qaiviel. Hopefully, it’s just a Goblin encampment. I’ll go check it out and come back.”
Anton tapped a bag on his hip. “I’ve got a portal set with me. Just in case.”
“I’ve got most of my mana back.” Verona laughed. “Though I don’t know how I feel about slaughtering a few thousand Goblins after that whole thing with the Insects.”
“I can deal with them from the sky.” Anton smiled. “Create a few Lightning Rings and go from there. Just like a bomber.”
“A what?”
“Another thing I need to explain.” Anton turned the Chirok towards the faint light. “I’ll talk to you all soon.”
“Don’t fall!” Verona laughed.
He heard two women groan through the ring.
Anton found Amsore Quarry beneath him as the Chirok’s began a leisurely turn. The quarry looked almost depleted, the stones above the ground had long been completely harvested and great mounds of dirt grew along the perimeter, unintentionally forming a cheap defensive work. Even though it was nearly dark work continued, illuminated underneath a hundred burning torches as the workers chased the stones deeper into the ground.
The distant lake, with the giant Earth Towers jutting out of the water, looked extremely calm. Anton directed the Chirok’s higher and soared above them. While there were small stone connections between the towers they weren’t actually bridges; no doors or entrances existed anywhere around it. No one had an answer to what they were other than their status as a curiosity and a source of useful materials. A tremendous splash at the base of the tower startled Anton. A large chunk of the hard brown slate-like stone jutted out of the water before collapsing beneath the rippling water. Given the rate of its collapse, it would only last for a few years before nothing but stumps would remain.
To the north Anton spied the small forest, Kal’s temporary hide-out. He was too high to see if anything was inhabiting it and didn’t want to stop just yet. Beyond that, the small hill was still and devoid of life. The grass was slowly recovering but the Goblins had not returned. Or perhaps they had. There was every chance they were still inside the mountain, rebuilding their numbers for revenge, but he couldn’t spot any Goblins guarding the small entrance nor had any works been performed on the breaches down the burnt mountain slope.
Probably a good secondary base for the Dragon Guard Dwarves. Another entrance to the hold, it should be empty but one can never be too sure.
As they soared over the small mountain Anton saw the ruined village along the old Kar Kingdom road. These ruins had once harboured a large number of Black Goblins and did so once again. Though there were no fires he could see the little black forms moving against the green grass and through the decrepit wooden remains. They were stunned by the presence of something so large flying over their heads.
“Go lower. I want to hit them, give them a scare.”
The Chirok couldn’t understand his words but managed to understand his intent. The Black Goblins screamed and ran for cover, some attempted to throw spears or sling stones at them. Anton worried about their wings, unlike birds the thin membranes of the Chirok’s looked very fragile. None of their attacks could reach as they soared over the ruined village again. Anton readied and released a Lightning Ring over the village, pointing down and quickly left. As they circled around the Lightning Ring burst into life, the Black Goblins stared dumbstruck by the sudden burst of light right before the bolts of lightning rained down. Anton watched with glee as the lightning struck the Goblins and ruptured their bodies. As the lightning ring faded away Anton couldn’t see any Goblins still standing. He took another pass, dropping another Lightning Ring just to make sure.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“You didn’t get scared at all.” Anton rubbed the Chirok again, the beast let out a pleasing growl. “Must have witnessed a few storms in your lifetime. I don’t know how much longer you can fly, I don’t think we’re too heavy, but we won’t be going for much longer.”
The Chirok didn’t seem tired in any way and the pair continued to fly happily through the sky. As they flew close to Atros, towards the faint light in the distance, the female looked longingly to the city. Even without his enchanted vision, he could still see the girls waiting near the Chirok pen alongside the pups.
“Not too much longer,” Anton said, knowing she couldn’t hear over the rustling wind.
He directed the Chirok to rise again. The Accursed Forest appeared to extend without limit, on the very limit of his natural sight he could see a faint twinkle of light. Maxill.
“It’s not actually that far, just that forest’s so difficult to traverse.” Anton mused. “I’m so glad they decided that this land was too much trouble. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have Kal…And that would be a shame. Come on, let’s have a look at the south.”
The faint southern fires were now a bright pin-prick in the darkness. And there was more than one.
Could it be settlers from Qaiviel? I don’t want to kill them but they can’t know what we’re doing. If they do I’m certain our alliance with Qaiviel will end. Perhaps not. Leo agreed that there wouldn't be any attempt at settling in our lands. If they are we'll just tell him they were illegal and were removed, won't leave much room for recourse.
As they approached Anton felt relief, the weight over his heart lifted, to see the camp only comprised of Goblins.
“About two or three thousand.” Anton mused.
The camp looked nearly identical to the Goblin encampments in The Shadow Isles, though more shambolic and pathetic. With a brief eye enchantment he could see more than just the Yellows and Greens. Alongside the Blacks were several Orange’s and even some Purples. Thankfully no sign of Reds or Blues. Or the Mottleds.
“Far too close for my liking.” Anton shook his head. “Probably already on the move toward Atros. But I want to get them in one go...See if these are being controlled by the same people from The Shadow Isles. And that’ll be tricky if the place is in flames. And if they are and they shoot me down from up here...”
Anton directed the Chirok’s to circle around the encampment and land to the north, far from their sight.
“Perhaps this will be a good opportunity to see how well the other Dragon-Guard Dwarves fight.”
---[]---
"That was a little..."
"Underwhelming." Anton finished Verona's sentence.
Four hundred Dwarves and Dark Elves stood before them, Cetina and Rasha beside him for protection. The Goblin camp lay in ruin. The little creatures only required the faintest lure to bring them out. None reached their lines, all peppered with a hailstorm of arrows and bolts. The ferocity of the fight, albeit one-sided, had shaken some of the new Dragon Guard Dwarves; though they had suffered greatly, emotionally and economically, it would rarely end in violence, or violence to this degree. Some Dark Elves smirked at the Dwarves obvious nervousness and jitters but, as ever, kept their thoughts to themselves. Especially after a few harsh looks from their commanders and Anton. He doubted they were perfectly stoic and brave during their first real fight.
“The Chiroks wanted to get into the fray.” Calo nodded behind them.
Both Chirok’s rested silently nearby, wings pulled close to their bodies, and eyed off the Goblin corpses. When the fighting began they tried to attack but Anton managed to calm them and keep them from being hit accidentally. Now they eyed off the Goblin corpses with slathering mouths and pleading eyes.
“Alright.” Anton nodded towards the Goblin corpses. “But only the closest ones. You can bring some back to your pups. But only your mate. I don't want to walk back through these grasslands in the dead of night. Okay?”
The Chirok’s wandered around the lines, everyone gave them a wide berth and a keen eye, and ripped into the first corpse. The arrows and bolts proved only a minor inconvenience before the female picked several into her mouths and flew back to Atros. The male Chirok whimpered once before returning to Anton's side to pout, curling itself into a ball and hiding its face with a wing.
“Looks like you just ruined his date.” Umikgruid chuckled. “Will he let you ride him again?”
“Of course he will.” Anton gently pried the wing free, the Chirok wasn't happy but after a few good scratches along the ridge of his nose his mood improved dramatically. “He'll get to play with her the moment we get back. Besides, wild beasts really don’t have a tendency to do what they’re told. Don't want to send them both back and they just forget about us.”
The Chirok growled, pulled itself up and licked the back of Anton's helmet. As he gently pushed him away Kal caught his attention. Specifically the light frown on her face, the way her fingers plucked idly on her bowstring.
“Something bothering you, Kal?”
“The Goblins.” Kal nodded to the red piles of slaughtered flesh. “Half of them didn’t even fight that hard. Like they were half-asleep.”
“Have you ever seen them do that before?” Anton asked.
“During the winter they tend to slow down.” Kal pointed to the east. “At least that's how they behaved in Graterious. People there love the winter since they go dormant and hide in caves.”
Anton smiled. “Not so good for you then.”
Kal returned the smile. “No. Not so much for me. But, that being said, the larger encampments will be much, much easier to deal with. Easy...Easy being subjective.”
Something glinted through the darkness, picking up the faint torchlight as it descended. Verona held out her hand and caught the tiny white blob. A snowflake, nothing like the beautifully patterned crystal but undoubtedly a piece of snow.
“Cold,” Verona smirked. “Looks like I got the first one of winter. If it's anything like the past winters the snow will be coming down pretty hard soon.”
“If what Kal said is true,” Rasha began, holding her halberd tight while waving the other. “Not that I doubt her, but shouldn't you try and take out as many of the Goblins as you can? If they're not going to fight back couldn't you...What's the right word?” Rasha waved her hands before her. “Make some space?”
“If the Beast-kin and Dark Elves started arriving in the Spring or Summer, absolutely.” Anton folded his arms and nodded. “But we're going to be spending most of our energy and money on simply building up Atros. Perhaps next winter, when my project should be complete. Besides, the bound Lightning Crows will keep us safe. At the very minimum alert us to an assault.”
“Must just be on their limit,” Kal said softly, inspecting the melting snowflake in Verona's hand.
Calo and Sheso coughed loudly, simultaneously, to gather their attention.
“Since we still have to make it back home,” Calo began. “Do you want us to search the camp?”
The camp tents weren't on fire, at least not yet, but Anton couldn't see any movement. However, it didn't mean the creatures were gone. He wondered how many had died thinking an area was safe only to catch one of the little Greens lunging from the darkness brandishing a stone-tipped spear.
“We'd better had.” Anton created three Small Lightning Crows. “But never check any tent on your own. And never go without someone with a loaded crossbow or arrow. These things...You all remember The Shadow Isles.”
The Dark Elf twins nodded glumly. The loss of the majority of their clan was something they would never forget.
Anton relayed the order to Umikgruid and the other Dwarven commanders, really those with slightly more age and experience underneath their beards, apparently it was a Dwarven saying, and broke them into small groups. Anton followed close behind with the Small Lightning Crows circling overhead just waiting for the tiniest sign of a living Goblin. As they began searching Anton created several small bright fireballs to illuminate the camp better there was no reason for anyone to be skulking around in the dark.
The search revealed little of note, nothing too unusual for a Goblin camp. Everything was made from animal furs, stone tools and straight branches broken to a rough length to form their tents and weapons.
“Something's bothering you,” Verona said softly. “I can tell, something in your eyes. You think something's not quite right.”
“The Shadow Isles...Those Goblins used what they stole from the Dark Elves. Alongside the normal furs, probably from rabbits or some other poor little creature.”
“Right?”
“So where did they get these big sheets of fur from?”
Anton motioned to one of the larger tents, covered by a large light brown piece of fur. It had already been thoroughly searched, nothing of note lay within, but the exterior lay completely untouched, by their hands at least.
“Oh. I see what you mean.” Verona pointed to the top of the tent. “I can see where it's sewn together. Nothing like mine...Although I did get a lot of help from the Dark Elves. So-”
“Kobolds,” Kal said softly.
She, alongside Cetina and Rasha, was inspecting a smaller tent for potential supplies, not that Atros truly needed them.
“That's where they got the fur from. Hundreds of them. Entire tribes…”
“I thought the Goblins wouldn't fare so well against them.” Anton looked around the camp. “But if there were this many, and they descended upon a small tribe, I can see why they would be defeated.”
“Is that what it was?” Rasha idly spoke as they returned. “I smelt something a little odd. But I thought it was the Goblins...What is a Kobold, anyway? Seocuria didn't teach us a lot of things outside of how to work. And have babies.”
“Think of them as a giant dog and rat creatures,” Anton explained. “But they're pretty strong, all things considered. So one of their tribes was close enough for these little runts...”
“Do you think Nithroel's finally broken her agreement?” Verona asked, dramatically rolling her eyes. “I mean, she already has once so why not a second time?”
Kal shook her head as she approached a large section of the Kobold fur on the large hut. “No. Not this time.”
She drew her dagger and gently prodded at the fur, lifting the hairs until she found what she was looking for.
“Female,” Kal said softly. “This Kobold was a female.”
“Can Goblins reproduce with them?” Verona asked. “Seems a bit of a waste to just kill and make tents out of them.”
Before Anton could reply, not that he knew the answer, Kal grumbled again.
“So is this one. And this one.” Kal ran around the entire tent, prodding the fur the same distance from the seam connecting each slightly differently coloured patch. “They all are.”
“Maybe it's softer?” Anton suggested. “This might have housed the higher ranked Goblins. They could easily get the better equipment, bully is probably the right word.”
“Just very strange.” Kal mused. She stopped at a joint and pulled the fur apart. “Verona? Do you remember those humans from The Shadow Isles?”
“How could I forget?” Verona raised a brow at Anton.
“Do you think a Goblin is capable of making this?”
Kal held open the fur. The stitch work was very good, far better than anything he'd seen the Goblins cobble together, even from the more advanced breeds.
“They came from the south.” Anton mused. “Well, the south-east. Actually. And we know there's a big nest of these things that way.”
“The old capital.” Verona sighed. “Surdon. Imagine if those people are living there? They'd have...”
Verona groaned, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. “You don't think they're actually there, do you?”
“It's where those wooden armoured Goblins came from,” Cetina replied.
“The what?” Rasha asked, though no one answered.
“And these.” Cetina pointed to a dead Orange Goblin. “All of these are coming from that direction.”
“I'll swing the White Ghlotsm horde down there once it's finished its task in the north.” Anton sighed. “If they are...We're in a lot of trouble. Again. No word from Ferula. And no way to node the Earth Mana or more Strohierite stones.”
Anton's eyes caught another falling snowflake. “Just in time then.”
“So?” Rasha asked softly. “What now?”
Anton whistled loudly. “Time to go back home. No point in just wandering around here all night. I'll burn the camp just before we leave.”
“Speaking of winter,” Verona smirked as the Dwarves and Dark Elves began a hasty retreat to the hill upon which the lightly dozing Chirok continued to rest without a care. “I've actually completed one of my pieces. Not the colourful one, the one using the Chirok feathers.”
Verona laughed as she held his hand. “I don't need to worry about which feather goes where, I just need to make sure they're all the same size.”
Anton kissed Verona's forehead before squeezing her tight and against his side. “Who's the lucky person it’s made for?”
Verona tapped his waist. “No wonder Rasha thought that was weird. Well, it's made for someone very special to me, so that'll have to be the best clue you're given.”
“Could be a whole bunch of people then.”
Anton dogged a light kick.
“Meanie.” Verona pouted.
“I'm sorry to interrupt.” Calo, Sheso right behind, approached as the last of the Dark Elves raced past to the small hill. “But are there winter clothes in Atros? The Shadow Isles doesn't get cold during the winter.”
“I didn't think it did,” Anton smirked. “If it did there's no way the women would have dresses with slits reaching their hips.”
“I thought that was how everyone else dressed. At least when you’re not readying for war.” Calo shrugged lightly. “Turns out we were wrong.”
“Ceccitol's children didn't wear them,” Verona said softly. “Does wearing it means you've become an adult or something like that?”
The twins nodded.
“Well, there you go,” Verona smirked, her eyes trailing over the twins. “I wonder if Atros will take on something like that, since there's going to be so many Dark Elves here. You two are going to have to show us the right height though. Some of those we saw were really, really high. Like right up here, they might as well have been naked-”
“Stop it.” Anton held Verona's helmet. “You're putting them off.”
The Twins were slightly embarrassed from Verona's words but calmed quickly the moment she stopped, much to her delight.
“It's alright.” Sheso smiled. “They're not so bad. Actually, I think they're really pretty. Shows off our best features. At least that's what mother used to say.”
That they did. Just about every female Dark Elf I've seen has the body that allows that style of dress to work. The amount of fat that you carry is essentially zero, especially the Green Moon...You two would easily turn heads if you wore them, even in a room of Dark Elves, especially if they were matching or mirrored...
“I'm not going to force you, or anyone, to wear something just because that's what you're supposed to wear.” Anton waved them forward, pushing his previous thoughts to one side. “But on a more serious note, we'll buy some appropriate winter gear from Bebbezzar. Since we don't want to give Seocuria any more money than is absolutely necessary. Speaking of, tomorrow night I have something very special planned for them. Something that I know is going to make two of you very happy.”
Kal and Rasha shared a glance, obvious as to who he was addressing but not immediately what for. A mere second passed before they understood. The raids of Seocuria were about to commence.