The cannons were still recharging, but the ballistae were faster to fire, and launched their lightning bolts at the first dragon to attack the Will of Winter. I joined their attack with one of my own, striking the gold dragon in the chest, and bouncing the blast to the only other target within my range. A cheer rose on the Will of Winter as the first dragon fell from the sky, dead.
As we continued to circle around, the gunner on the chase cannon at the bow saw an opportunity, and took it. A bolt of magical energy streaked out and hit one of the other dragons square in the chest! It didn’t do a great deal of damage, but it would serve to put the dragons on notice. One had fallen, and the others weren’t above our notice!
The Kobold’s Guile now had its broadside presented to the dragons, and fired with its collection of guns. It had fewer weapons than the Will of Winter, but they were no less powerful, as the brass dragon soon found out. Then, a flurry of glowing arrows launched from the little ship, as Fartooth himself joined the fight, and another dragon fell from the sky, dead.
Lightning bolts flew up from the sisters’ island, along with spectral arrows. The massive dragon ignored them all. A blade of utter blackness formed in the air, and cut at the dragon, but it barely noticed the change. And then, something happened. I was too far away to see just what, but the dragon’s roar of pain was heard even over the wind! One of the sisters must have struck a heavy blow!
The massive red dragon cast some sort of spell, likely an answer to whatever had hurt it. I was too far away to see the outcome, but I hoped for the best. While the dragon’s magic was no doubt powerful, I knew my friends had powerful protections of their own.
The gold dragons, suddenly not so sure of their victory, circled the Will of Winter. Instead of using their breath, which had not done any noticeable damage, or venturing into melee (which would only open them up to the attacks of the crew), they focused on me. A flurry of magic missile spells pelted me as the dragons probed my defenses. But not one of them made it past my magical protections.
The brass dragons, too, seemed wary of the sudden turn in their fortunes. And why not? Dragons, after all, were intelligent creatures. They had come after us with what ought to be overwhelming firepower, but already two of their number were dead, and the greatest of them was roaring as if they were mortally struck. Only a berserker in the throes of the battlefrenzy would not feel a second’s fear in such a situation.
The dragons flew about the Will of Winter, but that only meant that we could bring more of our guns to bear! Lighting and magic missiles flew from the ship in all directions, striking the dragons. I joined that assault with my own magical strike, icy blue power causing the dragons to howl in pain. I laughed, and cried out to the crew of my ship, “They’re weakening! Now we break their resolve!”
The Kobold’s Guile, too, seemed to understand that the tide was turning. Their guns fired as well, raking one of the brass dragons, while Fartooth’s arrows peppered another, causing the creature to howl in rage. But I could see that the ship was maneuvering to try and get an angle on the big dragon. Or at least to get Fartooth close enough that he could shoot without worrying too much about the wind and snow.
Whatever had happened to the big dragon, clearly the sisters no longer considered it a threat. Why else would all their weapons and archers turn on the other two dragons closest to them? And the dragons paid for that, dearly, as lightning and arrows tore through them. Which just showed how tough that one dragon was.
The big dragon clearly did not like being ignored, and half-landed, half-crashed upon the walls of the sisters’ castle. With a roar, he unleashed a beam of power exactly like the one that came from the main gun of Fartooth’s ship. He was trying to disintegrate one of the sisters! However, his howl of rage clearly indicated that it was not a success.
That failure, combined with the renewed attacks, forced the dragons to make a decision. Two dragons who had survived for hundreds of years were dead within seconds of starting this battle. Another, who was even older, had been struck, and was unable to score a kill, even with magic. As one, the dragons turned, and fled the field, stopping only to deposit something, or someone, upon the ground. But they wanted no more of this fight.
We had won the first battle. But a black dome appearing on the snow below us indicated that our work was not yet done. The Tiny Hut spell was a challenge, clearly. The archons were trying to drag us out of the blizzard, so that they could fight on terms more closely suited to their own strengths.
I swiped the message away, and looked to the Captain. “Captain, swing us by the island so that we can pick up the sisters, and then get us as close to land as you’re able without damaging the ship. The archons have given us a challenge, and I’ll not let them claim we ran from it.”
“Very good, your Majesty.”
Frozen Soul -
Tales of the Void Traveler -
Memoirs of a Supervillain -
Volume 1 -
Omnibus 1 -
Complete 1-20 -
Book I - Game Start
Omnibus I - Books 1-4
Issue I - Origin Stories
Complete Edition - Omnibus
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4
Book 1 -
Book 1 -
Book 1 -
Book 1 -
Book 1 -
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