Part CXV: Escalation
Date: Kapton 21st, 114 A.U.
“Your role is crucial to our survival—do you realize that?” Lord Freglak asked as they quickly walked down the hall.
“Yes, sir—our survival dependent upon my role is, my lord,” Flindle replied. “The Elder Dragon is our ace in the hole, it is!”
“But it is an untrustworthy ace,” Lord Freglak snapped. “Listen, Flindle. The past couple battles you have continued to lose control of the Elder Dragon. If it continues to break free from your control, we’re finished.” He turned to stare at Flindle. “Are you positive that you’ll be able to control it this time? I don’t know why you were able to control it so well at first and why now you seem unable to control it, but we can only use it if you can assure me that you will be able to keep it under bonds.”
Flindle shuffled his feet. “Promises, I cannot make sir—the promise I can’t make!” he said mournfully. “If only I could then I would, but my would does not make the could possible! I don’t know why he is continually able to escape me! It’s like some new spirit enters into him and he becomes altogether too violent and devious to thwart my wishes! I can’t promise anything anymore.”
Lord Freglak sighed as he stopped to lean against a window. “The whole thing’s crashing in,” he murmured. “Jaine’s troops are being bested, but he is far too resilient. He has been preparing for this for longer than I have and has built an excellent defensive structure around and with the Mothertree. We need more time to be able to crack his defense open—and we don’t have time. We have virtually no real defenses against the elves—and the elves are seizing upon that opportunity like a dog does with a bone. We need to crack open Jaine’s position now in order to turn around quickly enough to stop the advance of the elves. A stalemate with Jaine means checkmate for the elves.”
“What are you saying, sir?”
Freglak sighed again. “I’m saying…” he pursed his lips. “We can’t continue with the status quo any longer. We’re going to have to throw it all in this time. Our next attack on his defenses is at noon today. You’re going to lead the troops into battle on the Elder Dragon. Our scientists have supplied a vial of liquid that will be enough to knock out the Elder Dragon and will give it to you in a needle. If the Elder Dragon breaks free of your control, use it to knock him out. We cannot let it turn against our own troops. Everything is crucial at this point, Flindle. One little mistake will doom us to the elves, while one breakthrough will decimate Jaine. Do you understand?”
Flindle shifted his weight uncomfortably, realizing how much weight now rested on his position. “Yes, sir.”
The Elder Dragon is moving from his cage. The warriors of Lord Freglak prepare for another assault…
“I will prepare my own defenses,” High-Priest Jaine mumbled as his whispers were snatched away into the darkness. “Will the Elder Dragon prevail?”
The Elder Dragon will prevail over the ones who now hold it captive. Today, I will make it clear to the armies of Lord Freglak who truly holds the reins of the Elder Dragon and show them the power that I will unleash upon their forces. The Elder Dragon will turn against them once and for all this day. And I will make sure that they are crippled from ever assaulting us likewise again.
Flindle came down fast, holding onto the Elder Dragon for dear life as he controlled him, moving to the side to avoid a barrage of bullets before the Elder Dragon spat fire upon the sacred bark of the Mothertree, burning a goblin in the process, before cycling up to come down once more upon the tree, trying to create a large enough diversion to let the troops break in on the eastern side where they now attempted to swing up onto the Mothertree and so establish a foothold.
“Quicker,” Flindle whispered as they came down once more, Flindle ducking as bullets sailed past, loosening his grip on the Elder Dragon’s reins for just one moment. And in the same moment, the Elder Dragon moved. Straining past the chains, the Elder Dragon flung itself to the side, rolling, as Flindle looked up just in time to see the brown branch of the tree flying toward him.
Pain smacked Flindle’s face as the reins were wrenched from his control, his tongue tasting the cool moss, as his body wrapped around the branch before falling, stumbling and rolling, before jumping up as bullets whizzed past him. The Elder Dragon was loose. And it had finally broken free.
He had to stop it.
Ducking and moving forward, Flindle unsheathed his corsha blade, using it to help him stop the bullets as he moved closer to the Elder Dragon who was now flying upwards, away from the tangled branches of the Mothertree. Just a bit closer—if he could just catch up in time to inject the chemicals that he’d been given-
Flindle lurched forward as something grabbed at his foot. Flindle spun around to see the branch of the Mothertree morphing, smaller branches shooting out of it as it wrapped onto his knees and wrists. Flindle gave a cry but it was too late as he saw the Elder Dragon cycling down, fire bursting out of its mouth. And Flindle’s vision was filled with a fiery explosion.
“We’re finished.” Major Erklen slammed the papers on the table bitterly as he shook its head. “It’s done. We’re doomed.”
Freglak slowly closed his eyes. “I…” he said quietly, and he shook his head, wiping his eyes. “I had come… I had come to bond with Flindle…”
“Blast it,” Major Erklen snapped and cursed. “To be so close… what happened?”
“I don’t know,” Freglak said quietly. “But it’s cut off our last reasonable attempt to stop Jaine.”
“Reasonable attempt?” Major Erklen said, looking up.
“We only have one more chance,” Freglak said quietly as his gaze met Erklen’s. “One last-ditch attempt to smoke Jaine out of his hole before the elves break in.”
“You don’t mean-”
“We have no other choice. Bring out the bombers.”
The bombs began dropping as the sun set. Explosions that tore goblins asunder, breaking bones, and scattering dirt. A turmoil of fire rained down on the Mothertree as the deluge of destruction was dropped upon the Mothertree, completely surprising Jaine’s forces. For fifteen minutes before Jaine’s forces could bring enough anti-aircraft missiles to the fight, the goblins bombed the Mothertree, covering it in a field of smoke. Slowly, the smoke began to dissipate as all goblins eyes were turned toward the Mothertree, to see if their hero, their god, had withstood the final solution of their goblin lord.
Slowly, the smoke lifted. The tree was torn in many places. The moss was ripped off, and lingering embers still cooled in the Mothertree. But the Mothertree still stood. Suspending all belief, the bombs only dealt minor flesh wounds to the tree, failing to break in to the root belief.
And at that moment, fear clenched Lord Freglak’s heart. And Freglak finally believed in the Mothertree.
Date: Kapton 21st, 114 A.U.
“Your role is crucial to our survival—do you realize that?” Lord Freglak asked as they quickly walked down the hall.
“Yes, sir—our survival dependent upon my role is, my lord,” Flindle replied. “The Elder Dragon is our ace in the hole, it is!”
“But it is an untrustworthy ace,” Lord Freglak snapped. “Listen, Flindle. The past couple battles you have continued to lose control of the Elder Dragon. If it continues to break free from your control, we’re finished.” He turned to stare at Flindle. “Are you positive that you’ll be able to control it this time? I don’t know why you were able to control it so well at first and why now you seem unable to control it, but we can only use it if you can assure me that you will be able to keep it under bonds.”
Flindle shuffled his feet. “Promises, I cannot make sir—the promise I can’t make!” he said mournfully. “If only I could then I would, but my would does not make the could possible! I don’t know why he is continually able to escape me! It’s like some new spirit enters into him and he becomes altogether too violent and devious to thwart my wishes! I can’t promise anything anymore.”
Lord Freglak sighed as he stopped to lean against a window. “The whole thing’s crashing in,” he murmured. “Jaine’s troops are being bested, but he is far too resilient. He has been preparing for this for longer than I have and has built an excellent defensive structure around and with the Mothertree. We need more time to be able to crack his defense open—and we don’t have time. We have virtually no real defenses against the elves—and the elves are seizing upon that opportunity like a dog does with a bone. We need to crack open Jaine’s position now in order to turn around quickly enough to stop the advance of the elves. A stalemate with Jaine means checkmate for the elves.”
“What are you saying, sir?”
Freglak sighed again. “I’m saying…” he pursed his lips. “We can’t continue with the status quo any longer. We’re going to have to throw it all in this time. Our next attack on his defenses is at noon today. You’re going to lead the troops into battle on the Elder Dragon. Our scientists have supplied a vial of liquid that will be enough to knock out the Elder Dragon and will give it to you in a needle. If the Elder Dragon breaks free of your control, use it to knock him out. We cannot let it turn against our own troops. Everything is crucial at this point, Flindle. One little mistake will doom us to the elves, while one breakthrough will decimate Jaine. Do you understand?”
Flindle shifted his weight uncomfortably, realizing how much weight now rested on his position. “Yes, sir.”
The Elder Dragon is moving from his cage. The warriors of Lord Freglak prepare for another assault…
“I will prepare my own defenses,” High-Priest Jaine mumbled as his whispers were snatched away into the darkness. “Will the Elder Dragon prevail?”
The Elder Dragon will prevail over the ones who now hold it captive. Today, I will make it clear to the armies of Lord Freglak who truly holds the reins of the Elder Dragon and show them the power that I will unleash upon their forces. The Elder Dragon will turn against them once and for all this day. And I will make sure that they are crippled from ever assaulting us likewise again.
Flindle came down fast, holding onto the Elder Dragon for dear life as he controlled him, moving to the side to avoid a barrage of bullets before the Elder Dragon spat fire upon the sacred bark of the Mothertree, burning a goblin in the process, before cycling up to come down once more upon the tree, trying to create a large enough diversion to let the troops break in on the eastern side where they now attempted to swing up onto the Mothertree and so establish a foothold.
“Quicker,” Flindle whispered as they came down once more, Flindle ducking as bullets sailed past, loosening his grip on the Elder Dragon’s reins for just one moment. And in the same moment, the Elder Dragon moved. Straining past the chains, the Elder Dragon flung itself to the side, rolling, as Flindle looked up just in time to see the brown branch of the tree flying toward him.
Pain smacked Flindle’s face as the reins were wrenched from his control, his tongue tasting the cool moss, as his body wrapped around the branch before falling, stumbling and rolling, before jumping up as bullets whizzed past him. The Elder Dragon was loose. And it had finally broken free.
He had to stop it.
Ducking and moving forward, Flindle unsheathed his corsha blade, using it to help him stop the bullets as he moved closer to the Elder Dragon who was now flying upwards, away from the tangled branches of the Mothertree. Just a bit closer—if he could just catch up in time to inject the chemicals that he’d been given-
Flindle lurched forward as something grabbed at his foot. Flindle spun around to see the branch of the Mothertree morphing, smaller branches shooting out of it as it wrapped onto his knees and wrists. Flindle gave a cry but it was too late as he saw the Elder Dragon cycling down, fire bursting out of its mouth. And Flindle’s vision was filled with a fiery explosion.
“We’re finished.” Major Erklen slammed the papers on the table bitterly as he shook its head. “It’s done. We’re doomed.”
Freglak slowly closed his eyes. “I…” he said quietly, and he shook his head, wiping his eyes. “I had come… I had come to bond with Flindle…”
“Blast it,” Major Erklen snapped and cursed. “To be so close… what happened?”
“I don’t know,” Freglak said quietly. “But it’s cut off our last reasonable attempt to stop Jaine.”
“Reasonable attempt?” Major Erklen said, looking up.
“We only have one more chance,” Freglak said quietly as his gaze met Erklen’s. “One last-ditch attempt to smoke Jaine out of his hole before the elves break in.”
“You don’t mean-”
“We have no other choice. Bring out the bombers.”
The bombs began dropping as the sun set. Explosions that tore goblins asunder, breaking bones, and scattering dirt. A turmoil of fire rained down on the Mothertree as the deluge of destruction was dropped upon the Mothertree, completely surprising Jaine’s forces. For fifteen minutes before Jaine’s forces could bring enough anti-aircraft missiles to the fight, the goblins bombed the Mothertree, covering it in a field of smoke. Slowly, the smoke began to dissipate as all goblins eyes were turned toward the Mothertree, to see if their hero, their god, had withstood the final solution of their goblin lord.
Slowly, the smoke lifted. The tree was torn in many places. The moss was ripped off, and lingering embers still cooled in the Mothertree. But the Mothertree still stood. Suspending all belief, the bombs only dealt minor flesh wounds to the tree, failing to break in to the root belief.
And at that moment, fear clenched Lord Freglak’s heart. And Freglak finally believed in the Mothertree.
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