Chaos had already begun to fill the air.

An increasingly frazzled attendant had begun announcing to the people in this passenger car, “Please everyone! Stay in your seats! Hide beneath your chairs. I’m sure the soldiers on board will take care of the threat. In the meantime please stay calm!”

Naturally that didn’t help much. Humanoids were inclined to hysteria, to varying degrees.

Saezz solved that problem by letting out a roar that filled the interior of the vessel. Instantly everyone quieted down, scared out of their minds. “Saezz believes you should listen and stay calm. Do any of you have weapons? If so, prepare to fight. Otherwise, stay out of our way.”

Nobody wanted to refute the seven foot tall lizard. Ulgrin saw several folks drawing daggers, sideswords, and tools.

“Boss, we’re not gonna be able to fight very well in here,” Alyss spoke, dropping cylindrical clay pots into her belt. “There’s too many people, too little room. If one of them gets in here, it’s gonna rip through the crowd and we won’t be able to attack it.”

That was an issue. The dwarf grumbled about it for a moment before considering. “The roof? We’ll be exposed, but I might be able to solve that issue.” The fact that he would have to devote most of his attention to it would be a problem, but he wasn’t alone. He had allies.

Raelza spun the windlass mechanism on her crossbow, reaching back to deposit a serrated bolt inside. “Whatever you pick, we gotta choose fast!”

Nodding, Ulgrin went for the window and peered out. The edge of the mountainside loomed precariously below them. One mistake and they would fall to their death. A painful one, at that. Taking in a deep breath he gathered his courage and clambered up the window and out onto the roof.

His short stature made that difficult, but he managed to grab hold of the upper lip and pull himself up. “Come up, you all! Let’s get this over with!”

The rest of his crew followed. Awkwardly in the case of Alyss and her unathletic demeanor. Saezz practically didn’t even need to exert himself, being almost as tall as the roof was. Soon they were all on the roof. The wind whipped at his hair and beard. Fast. Quite a unique experience, he had to admit.

Reaching into his own pouch, Ulgrin withdrew a stick of chalk and threw himself against the floor. Trying to create a shield would be pointless. There would be too many, and his mana reserves would be drained almost instantly.

But deflecting, obfuscating their flight? Wind magic would be perfect for that. Creating a localized gale was a challenge, but more manageable in terms of drain. If his plan worked, none of the creatures would be able to approach from the air. That meant none of them would be able to pick him or Alyss up and drop them elsewhere.

The magic circle quickly came into shape, but the shadows above grew closer.

“Quickly, dwarf!” Raelza called, her crossbow twanging as she fired. A screeching cry filled the air as one of the pteranodons plummeted to the earth with a sickening crunch.

“Almost…” He replied, hand flashing as he wrote as fast as possible without making mistakes. “There!” The wind picked up as the circular sigils created a contained miniature tornado. Not very fast or strong, but even a minor gust would screw up the flight capabilities of a creature that relied on their natural wings.

Indeed, he looked up to see one of the big bastards flying towards them. The creature squealed as the spinning wind caught its wings and sent it into a corkscrew.

Then it crashed into the rocks and left behind a red splotch.

Ulgrin breathed calmly, forcing himself to draw the local aether to himself. It was working. Not bad for a half-cocked plan! “Saezz?”

“Yes?” The lizard asked, licking his lips.

“Ring the dinner bell! Draw them here!” Ulgrin said, grinning.

“With pleasure!” The lizardfolk replied, drawing in a deep inhalation. If his previous roar had been loud, this one was deafening. A primal sensation of dread fell over him as he noticed the man’s innate magic begin to swell.

It was a roar of challenge.

One of the innate rules of the wilds was that only the strongest survived. His magic was directly calling to them, forcing them to either submit or face him. Ulgrin watched in horror as a good chunk of the swarm veered off and started flying directly towards them. By this point they had gotten close enough for the others to swarm the train.

“Incoming!” Ulgrin said, somewhat pointlessly. He focused on keeping the circle charged and readied himself for a clash.

Alyss pulled free a sling from her bag and tossed a grenade into it, “Eat this you flying rat fucks!” She called, spinning the cord and launching it towards them.

The clay pot made contact with one of the leading fliers. It had a moment of annoyance before the dangerously reactive powder ignited and a boom filled the air. Light and heat filled the world as shards of porcelain and metal scraps cut wings to shreds. Half a dozen of them were hit, falling to the ground twitching and unable to fly properly.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Another crossbow shot took down another before the bulk of them hit Ulgrin’s shield.

He grunted in pain, coppery taste filling his mouth as he bit his tongue to focus. Thirty creatures colliding with his ward was a stretch, and his mana levels plummeted.

Still, it sent them all over the place. Smashing into one another, falling to the train’s roof, and back away from his shield.

One of the creatures had managed to land fairly close, but it was stunned by the impact. It weakly flapped, confused and dazed. Ulgrin watched as the giant form of Saezz darted forwards.

A sickening crack filled the air as he broke its neck.

One more wave of fliers came back around, recovering from their clash with his shield. Alyss threw another grenade but missed, cursing up a storm. He held once again, relying on all of his focus to keep the wind going. Already he was feeling a disgusting sensation creeping up his throat.

Aetheric sickness. Foreign mana was already tainting his channels.

“Keep them out of the bubble,” he choked out, sucking in breaths. “Looks like they’ve wisened up.”

“Understood,” Saezz replied, taking up a stance. “Can you handle the other side? Saezz has this one.” He asked Raelza, one hand gesturing to the south edge of the roof.

“Wanna make a bet on who can kill the most?” She replied, letting off one final shot before sheathing the weapon and drawing another. She wielded a glaive, the weapon sporting a broad cutting head for slicing with. Ulgrin preferred halberds, but he had to admit the crescent-shaped blade would be deadly effective.

“Saezz knows he will win, but will allow this competitive sport.” The lizard replied. “But he believes Alyss already has the record spot?”

“Damn straight!” She replied, spinning up another grenade toss. “Bombs are the best! Who needs sharp sticks when you can blow them up?! Ahahaha!” Ulgrin felt somewhat worried about the rapid change in his companion, but was too busy trying not to vomit up his stew.

Pteranodons landed upon this section of the train. He could see they’d been making skirmishing passes further up, the larger wing having been fended off by some powerful looking magic. Great flashes of light and heat had seared them by the dozens.

Ulgrin watched as the creatures charged, their strides awkward but still fairly fast.

Alyss’ mad laughter filled the air and the northern clutch went up with a firestorm that rocked the train. Behind him, Saezz darted out from the barrier and was upon them.

His claws tore and gouged wings, physically throwing the lightweight creatures. His machete-dagger stabbed deep. Ulgrin could see he was not invincible, though. For every one that he smashed into paste, another darted in with their beak and stabbed. Thankfully, the lizardfolk’s scales seemed to be up to the challenge.

Raelza kept her smaller force at bay, cursing the alchemist’s intervention. Long, sweeping cuts was her bread and butter. She seemed to flow from one swing to the next, in her element. Where Saezz was a one-lizard force of nature, Raelza was a storm of slashes.

The sudden violence shocked the wing of pterosaurs, causing many of them to pull back and away. Blood stained the roof of the train, large patches turning slippery.

“Pull back,” Ulgrin called, panting. His companions complied. “Something’s coming.” He could sense a great deal of mana in the air, coming form the center of the flock. Hidden to the naked eye by dozens of the creatures, but lighting up like a forge to his arcane eyes.

The hairs on the ends of his arms stood up.

Eyes widening, he called out, “Scatter!” The wind shield gave up as he stopped concentrating and focused on throwing himself away from the center.

CRAK-THOOM!

Lightning filled the air, momentarily blinding them all. The harsh crack of thunder followed, violating their ear drums. Ulgrin felt the energy momentarily pass through him painfully before grounding itself into the train’s metal surface.

He twitched, unable to move and hurting quite a bit.

Groans echoed from his fellow companions. “Saezz felt that. A beast of the land has acquired power beyond its ken.” He mused, pushing himself to his feet.

Alyss whined, “And of course I’m the only one who falls right into a pile of guts! And not even the useful kind! Gross.” At least he knew one of them was in decent condition.

“Ulgrin, are you alright?” Raelza asked, concern filling her voice as she darted to his side. He grunted in response, wincing at the fresh burns covering his body from where lances of lightning had made contact with his rather conductive metal armor. Still, it wasn’t fatal.

“Get ready,” he panted out, struggling to his feet. “Their patriarch is coming.”

Indeed, the wings had parted for a larger shape to emerge from the center. Wisely, it avoided the front of the car where the most dangerous spellcasters were. It seemed to notice them, likely having been attracted by his magic. The creature sported a wingspan that dwarfed its lessers. The crest at the top of its head took on a gray, metallic color. Electricity could be seen sparking off of the horn, visibly filling the air.

Turning, the patriarch spun to the side as a ray of immense chromatic energy filled the air. Just barely dodged the beam coming from the north-most train car. Another was launched, but the creature was already flying towards them and made the angle impossible to work. Whatever powerful spellcaster waiting there had failed. They weren’t receiving any more help.

“Help me to the circle,” Ulgrin grumbled, finding it rather difficult to stand. Raelza furrowed her brow but complied.

The lightning strike had done a number on his chalk circle, turning most of it black. He didn’t have time to draw it again. Already another lightning bolt was charging as the creature flew towards them.

Wait, metal was conductive. That was why he had been hit, the energy veering towards him. He gave a glance to the weapon at his side.

If this works, I thank you Ancestors. Your gift means much.

Drawing the warhammer, he took a deep breath. “It’s going to hit us with another bolt and then land.” Around him, his companions eyed him worriedly. “I’ll conduct the strike into my weapon and you counterattack. Make sure to make it count. I’ll be fine. Probably.” He hoped.

Saezz nodded, crouching slightly as he prepared to charge. “The moment it attacks we go. Saezz shall bring it down to the roof.”

Each of his fellows took up positions, warily watching the patriarch approach. By this time, the magical energy surging within its brow had reached a climax. Bright light filled the air as it pointed the crest towards them.

Ulgrin slammed the butt of his weapon into the roof of the train, punching into the metal. He willed it to expand as far as the weapon would extend before letting go and leaping away. Another deafening blast filled the air. No pain met him as he rolled to a stop, turning to watch.

Their lizardfolk friend had charged forwards. Speed filled his limbs as he moved, magical energy allowing him to go beyond his limits. With one herculean leap, Saezz jumped into the air. A squawk came from the patriarch as it saw this giant of a lizard reaching it. The two collided.

Immediately, the patriarch pteranodon plummeted to the roof with a banging crash.

Alyss’ sling whipped through the air and sent another pot towards the creature. This time, rather than an explosive, a spray of sticky-looking liquid covered the beast. Instantly the stuff hardened, sticking it to the floor.

Darting after him, Raelza dashed in and raised her glaive. The pterosaur’s scales were cut and flayed as she tore its wings to shreds.

Even despite all that, the creature was still fighting. Saezz grappled with the pteranodon, just barely avoiding its massive beak. A shredded wing batted the drow away, and sudden orbs of lightning forced Alyss to dodge.

A bang filled the air, metal being shorn. Ulgrin looked back and saw something emerge from the rear cars.

Wreath had managed to bust down the metal cage keeping him locked in and let out a war-cry, leaping up and onto the roof with agility no horse could match. Snorting angrily, the creature locked eyes with the pteranodon patriarch. Then it charged.

Ulgrin barely managed to roll to the side as wind buffeted him. Wreath’s head lowered as the thornshield ran towards their foe. It began frantically flapping, trying to escape. Glue began to tear. There would be no escape for this one. Saezz leapt for the wings, pinning them in place and preventing its ascent.

A catastrophic crunch filled the air as Wreath made contact, headbutt instantly shattering the pteranodon’s chest. It slumped backwards, falling. Above them, the wing of pterosaurs let out panicked screeches, flying away in the face of their leader’s death.

The battle was won. Ulgrin let out a sigh and collapsed.

Halfway through the Writathon and still going strong. I like Pterosaurs. They're such a cool looking species. When you think about it, they'd definitely have an affinity towards lightning due to the way most have large, long horns. Perfect lightning rods! Animals in this world can just spontaneously generate magical abilities, generally through living near aetherically active zones or consuming things that possess large amounts of mana.

No obvious words for the Lexicon today.