Dragon Army [https://static.wixstatic.com/media/eca78e_d7f5f75ee8134e2cb8dfcf2365ced070~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_600,h_781,al_c,q_85/Hephaestus.webp]
https://www.sunrisegamestudio.com/armies/Dragon-Army
Note to Readers: Apologies for taking so long with an update. Wasn't feeling so well this week.
Walking back together through the crowds of these fearsome mountain warriors, Drakas could sense everyone’s fear, and growing trepidation. It was one thing for Drakas to call them allies. But an army of orcs, goblins, ogrekans, and giants had descended upon their hidden camp, and now they had no idea what to think. The stink of sweat, piss, and shit that soiled the crisp fresh air made him want to tell them again that they had nothing to fear for them, when Ulgak lumbered back up to his feet. His face streaked with fresh blood and a purple bruise on his cheek as he bellowed through cracked teeth “traitor! You would deceive us with your lies! And bring the foul enemy upon us! Look upon his so-called allies!”
Suddenly rushing forward, he moved quickly for a warrior his size, and tore back the hood that cloaked Kirgin’s figure. The goblin’s mutated green skin, the scars he had covered, and the tiny abnormal horn, caused a gasp of disgust to erupt from the people around them as more than a few drew their weapons and called out to the Lightbearer to shield them from evil.
Yellow eyes full of terror, Kirgin looked one way than the other and tried to run away, when a booted foot hit him hard in the belly, curling him up in the snow. Drakas mounting rage, a cauldron of fury as he shoved Ulgak back, and shoved himself in front of Kirgin’s attacker, ready to murder the anyone else who dared to touch him. Rayela’s plea echoed in the air around them as she pushed herself in between. “Please, enough of this. I know Drakas, he would never harm us.”
Drakas however could already see the concern and hatred filter in among his own people. Their most hated enemies the goblinoids brought into their sanctuary. Hands moved to seize weapons, and before he even knew it, warriors were advancing upon them from all sides, dozens of his own brothers and sisters surrounding him. All because of one puke drinking worm.
His gaze locked together with Ulgak’s in a death stare, he quickly pushed his friends behind him, a part of him horrified that he would be forced to kill his own people, and saw a dark smirk begin to form on Ulgak’s broken bloodied lips. “What did I tell you? He is in league with forces of darkness. Look how he protects these monsters. They are no longer our brothers and sisters. They are beasts enslaved to the will of the dark hearts.” His voice ringing out with such conviction, even Drakas had to admit there was was some truth to Ulgak’s word. He had shown up here, a captured prisoner of the dark mages, and the very next day an army appeared, and he being the fool that he was, he called them his allies.
Meeting the eyes of Wudon and his son Tershan he could see their confusion and their fear, he also recognized the faces of Vakreed, a warrior that had taken Drakas out hunting as a child, his mother’s friend Zorel, and in the far back. Much to his amazement, his granbaloon Folkspeer. The big grizzled warrior, it seems, had not aged a day since his training on the ice, and yet he did nothing to help them, but instead watched him from the crowd.
It was then that Drakas knew he had to say something, otherwise he would be forced to hurt his own people. But what could he possibly say to convince them that everything that they assumed about their enemy was wrong. That the goblins were as much a pawn in the dark ones games as they were. That he was no longer a slave, but free. Although even he had trouble reconciling with the fact that he had sworn himself to another demon.
Head shaking from side to side as he met each of their gazes, he could feel Shureen quivering behind him, and for that he felt shame well up within him. It should never have been like this. Their return should have been celebrated. It should have been a moment of joy. Not this mistrust, and yet that too was taken away from them.
Rage fuelling his veins, he let the mace fall limply from his hands, heard the dull thud in the snow beside him, and looked all around. “So is this what we have become?” he asked, his fury barely concealed as he glared at them. “Cowards, too afraid of their own shadows? Where are the fearless ogrekans who would to take back that which is theirs?” His voice, almost bitter as he saw more than a few look away from him in shame.
“The Drakkarl claims that we once descended from a great nation, a proud people, called the grelkanis. That we built wonders never seen before seen in this world. And yet look at what we have become. The dark ones have taken everything away from us. Our trust, our courage, and our loved ones. Where is your anger, grelkanis?! Where is your rage at that?! Or is it only reserved for those closest to you?”
Feet planted to either side of him, he lay open his arms, tore off his clothes, and stood before them proud and naked. “Here is my blood if you want it? But I say now that we are not enemies!”
With all eyes set upon him. He could feel their guilt, anger, and shame. This once proud warrior race, finally reduced to nothing. They could see what the dark ones had made of them. And in that dark moment of realization, their feet began to shift uncomfortably with many looking away. Whereas Folkspeer smiled with pride, his sky blue eyes filled with tears as he thrust his way through the crowd of warriors. “Welcome home, youngling!”
But not all were so quick to turn the other cheek as Ulgak stormed off, followed close by Rayela who looked at Drakas as though seeing him for the very first time. Shureen, her lips curled in a wry smile, whispering, “I think you can put your clothes back on.”
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His cheeks blushing red as he suddenly realized what he had done, he quickly slipped his torn tunic back on. The wolf whistles from the women, turned into swift laugher as bluff faced warriors joked with another, their grim visages somehow lightened. And for that at least, Drakas was grateful.
~*~
Hours later when he was standing back in the cavern with Shureen and Kirgin at his side, Drakas met the dragon’s golden slitted eyes, it’s hot red scales burning within inner fires as it smiled down at him. “And so your army grows, grelkanis.”
His head bowed low at the thought of troubles that lay ahead of him, he replied, “these are my friends Shureen and Kirgin.” The pair of them visibly shaken at the mere presence of the mighty dragon Drakkarl, especially Kirgin who kept eyeing the opening behind them. But to his credit, the goblin let not a whimper, or a cry, but stood defiant, and tall.
More than a little proud to see the both of them again, he returned his gaze back to Drakkarl, and continued, “you said you wished to see them.”
His heavy claw raised up in the air, Drakkarl released a hearty chuckle, it’s sound reverberating throughout the chamber, and caused the stalagmites to release trickles of dust in the air. “Please, grelkanis, pleasantries first. Or have your kind forgotten that too.” Golden eyes locked upon his friends, he asked, “you know who I am?”
Heads nodded in swift reply, the dragon shot them a wide toothy grin. “Good, you do not know it now, but you will need them. The goblin heartsear to see through the hearts of monsters, and the lightbearer’s chosen to break the chains of darkness. This, I foresee.”
Too stunned to speak, Drakas had always wondered if a dragon could foretell the future? And yet what did this one mean? How could a goblin see through the hearts of monsters? And Shureen, what chains did he mean? But even as he thought to speak, Sezarath spoke to him, “he will not know the meaning, only time grants answers. Even to me.”
More than a little surprised that a demon as powerful as this one could not understand it’s meaning, he exchanged meaningful looks with Shureen, and thought he saw pain within her. Her usually bright and cheery self, somehow dampened by the dragon’s presence. Worried more for her than his own sake, he asked, “Are we done here, dragon?”
And saw the dragon’s left claw gesture them away as he slumped back down on the rocky surface. Drakas’ thoughts, now on Ulgak who would continue to remain a problem for him. The great bear of a warrior had not taken the slight to his honour easily. He also still believed that Drakas was in league with the enemy, and that Drakas had brought this army to destroy them. It was also why his host had been forced to camp several miles away from camp, while the council of elders still deliberated over allowing their brothers and sisters to return home. A council in which Drakas had not been invited to.
Snarling wordlessly at the thorns he had ensnared himself with, he searched around the dark opening of the cave for Rayela. She had said she would wait for him there. But then she had also said that she would be his betrothed. A thought unworthy of him. And yet it still irked him that she had chosen Ulgak over him. But he pushed all thoughts of that aside as they walked back towards the cavern’s entrance, and turned his attention to Shureen. “What is it that worries you so?”
Honey brown eyes turned to look at him, he could almost feel her tremble as she whispered, “Ever since that day we battled Barkan together, I have felt the Lightbearer’s presence grow weaker in the world. I can barely sense him anymore. And without him…without him, what use am I to you? You have all that you need here.” Her gaze strayed to the cavern’s opening where Rayela stood alone, light streaming in to bathe her body as she waited for him, looking as beautiful as the day he had left her.
Heart quickening at the sight of her, he paused, and looked back down at Kirgin as well. The usually contemplative goblin, even more silent than usual, his fury over what had happened back in camp, twisted into a sullen silence, his anguish and pain easily written upon his craggy green features, and gaunt cheeks. “I need you both to be with me. You heard the lizard, I can not do this without you. Nor do I care to. Besides, who else can pick a lock as fast as you can? Or take care of my wounds?” His light-hearted tone, meant to ease the tension that filled the air, when Kirgin began to walk away.
The goblin, back in his hooded brown robes, suddenly turned around and threw the hood of his cloak off to reveal his scars and misshapen horn on the left side of his face. “I thank you for your offer, Drakas, but I cannot stay here. I have no place to call home. The dark ones have made sure of that. But I can at least free some of my people from their cruelty. There are camps where my kind is being held, and I mean make sure they do not have my fate.”
Her hand half raised up to comfort him, Kirgin visibly pulled away, his lips tightening into a smile that was almost bitter. “You have been good to me, Shuri, and I hope to see you again. But this is what is best. I can do nothing here.”
Drakas however had another idea in mind, and with a grim smile, he said, “Very well, but you will not go alone.”
And so while the council of elders still deliberated over his fate, Drakas gathered his host of warriors, and marched away. The near seamless ranks of black armored orc warriors, bolstered by hundreds of his fellow ogrekan brothers and sisters in fur clad armor, a host of goblins that continued to breed and multiply, and much to his surprise, giants under the command of Wargrim. The huge lumbering warrior that had always been against him, half bowing his shaggy head to Drakas in a rare show of respect as he passed him by in the great column.
His mind now on the enormity of the task ahead of him. So far as he could tell there were three main targets that had to be wiped out in order to secure his homeland. The internment camps where the dark ones bred goblins to fill up their ranks and held their prisoners, the heavily fortified and guarded black towers that dotted his homeland, and the cracks in the world where the demonspawn emerged. The first and second were simple enough in theory, bring enough of his forces to bear, and hammer away at them. Whereas the third, the third he had no clue how he would close these black gates. Hopefully the demon would enlighten him with an answer by the time he needed to face them.
The first step however was to wage war upon the internment camps, free those captured, and build their army, and then find a way to put an end to the dark one’s ambitions here in Kahloon. Which sadly meant leaving Rayela behind again.
…Her hands in his, he gazed deep into those ruby coloured eyes that he had missed for so long, and let go of that piece of him. The both of them somehow understood that this was the end. “Till we meet again…”
He had left her then, a part of still wondering why after all this time he would abandon her. But the truth was, she no longer needed him, and he did not need her. She had moved on, and so had he.
In either case, she was safer where was under the protection of Drakkarl. The dragon, giving Drakas one last parting gift.
His gaze lifted up into the cloudless skies, he watched an army of wyverns dart through the air above him, and felt his heart simmer with hope. For the glory of Kahloon! For the Glory of his Ancestors! For the Glory of Krulmar! He would take back what was lost.