RPG The Dragon Campeign

[skedy]

[COLOR=teal][size=1] Talen flew low and fast. Hugging the low, uneven rubble of the sky fortress as he made his way back through the city, carefully avoiding another encounter. The winglie rally point was located a little less than six miles from the city?s edge, tunnelled below the fold of two mountains.

Talen passed out of the area covered by the fallen monstrosity and into the war touched city. Ranthier was a large city, built by man and turned into a slave colony by the winglies, now much of it lay ruined from the long battles waged there. Talen quickened his pace as he came to the open streets of the city, he could see the occasional skirmish drawing to its end down the winding networks of streets below.

Half an hour after he had first met with Vincent Talen passed over the city?s border, continuing towards the towering range that bordered the surrounding plains. As he flew to his command the ghosts of Talen?s past played across his mind, images of his defection and slaughter of thousands of dragoon warriors began to sink his heart. Sighing he wished the war would just end, that both sides would leave their pride and settle things peacefully. His moment of weakness passed as Talen was forced to confront what he had just done. He alone had caused the deaths of close to a thousand slaves, innocent men, women and children drawn into the war effort through no fault of their own.

The sheer and low-cut walls of the valley rose from the horizon, the winglie hold was just ahead. Whenever a city is taken by winglie forces a secure and usually secret hold is created close by. These holds vary in their size and location; some are small and located under the cities while others are hidden away amongst the terrain surrounding the doomed peoples.

Talen flew high, pausing there for several minutes in search of would be followers and spies, luckily none had followed him and he continued, low again, into the valley. Several miles down the deep, narrowing trench Talen came to a small ridge running three quarters the way up the northerly cliff face.

It was on this ridge that the winglies had tunnelled the northern entrance to their underground network, where a small rocky outcrop gave way to the ledge. Since it?s construction dense foliage had been allowed to grow around the tunnel entrance and now concealed it from view as it did much of the cliff face. Talen landed on the ledge before continuing swiftly into the passage.

The air inside the small roughly hewn passage was warm, issuing from the vents deep inside the network. Standing a little way along the entry passage Talen encountered the first pair of the hundreds of winglie guards in the stronghold, they new better than to question the infamous general and did little more than slam their hands upon their breastplates as he passed.

As Talen moved deeper into to the winding passageways of the network his comfort levels began to drop. The air deep inside the tunnels was heavy with moisture and yet hot and sickly stale. Talen knew that there was no way to avoid this air, the massive power generators utilizing both the thermal vents readily available at this depth and the cool underground springs that flowed freely through the country could give no better.

Talen sighed and continued down another passage, this one was wider and contained several dozen guards, it ended in the heavy metal doors of the command chamber. Talen hurried down the passage and walked unopposed into the chamber that housed all those responsible for the local winglie forces.

?Sir, we are in desperate need of your counsel.? A winglie commander hurried to the general?s side as he entered the room. ?The sky fortress has fallen and has been some time since we heard from first line, I fear our defences have been lost.?

?What of the second line?? Talen glanced coolly at the screens and men scattered around the room as he responded to the somewhat nervous commander. ?Are they prepared for battle??

?Yes sir, they are ready to fly into the city at once. Is that your order?? Commander Tiers continued, his shoulders relaxing slightly at the general?s response.

?Yes, send the first five waves of the second line, keep the rest here in defence of the network and prepare the third and fourth lines. Once the second line has grown weak send both of these into the city and retreat all those left in the network to Trynill.?

?What of the fifth line sir?? The commander stopped walking and turned to Talen.

?I must take leave; the sky fortress to the south has sent word of a suspected siege. The fifth line is to be summoned to the southern exit, they will come with me and reinforce fortress? defence.? Talen gazed around the room, thinking carefully about his following decision.

?Yes sir, I will have it done at once.? With that Commander Tiers stood silently, waiting for his general?s next command.

?You are now the most senior officer here commander,? he paused and fixed the nervous winglie with a gaze. ?I expect you to keep this post until my return.?

?Yes sir, I will sir.? The commander saluted Talen; the general did not bother returning the pointless gesture and left he room in search of refreshment and a smith to repair his armour.
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By the time Talen arrived at the southern exit, his armour repaired and his stomach full, the five hundred winglie soldiers of the fifth line stood awaiting their general, all were trained elites and ready for battle, each individual ready to give his life in aid of a comrade.

Talen walked slowly onto a small raised platform at one end of the high, domed cavern, the echoing chatter of the army before him silenced as they saw him approach. The general paused, weary from lack of rest and worn from the past?s ghosts that had haunted his last battles, the sun was shinning strongly through the gap in the centre of the ceiling, not yet effected by the billowing smoke issuing from Ranthier. Raising his sword he turned his attentions back to the soldiers before him.

?I fly for Mildurath, city of the sky. I fly fast and I fly light, our arrival will be to that of war, we will have no time to rest. I give you this last chance to turn away and bolster the defence of Ranthier.? He paused and looked around the faces below, none took the option presented. Summoning his voice Talen continued. ?Now I fly, who is with me!? The general bellowed across the chamber, receiving the roars of five hundred men as he led the way through the gap in the cavern?s peak. The fifth line followed, flying as fast as they could to the sky fortress Mildurath?[/size][/COLOR]