Yiggdrasil Highway Saga

everittdmickey (73)in #fiction • 7 years ago (edited)

Chapter 37: The Oath of the Thebans:
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‘Die together while Loving, or die together while fighting ’

"...Is the Oath Your Blood Oath is it not?” Sogath asked the twoThebans. Tardsostav was pale and still as a corpse. Vasrid was barely moving. Each one looked like warmed over death, yet they still stood. They were determined to fight to the end.

Their two lover sadly nodded acknowledgement.

"There are no other alternatives?" he mournfully asked.

They shook their heads.

"You're sure about that" he asked needlessly.

They each nodded.

"Then this is what I have in mind...help me here." Sogath drew closer to the two and in low tones explained his plan. The two were, if not enthusiastic, at least agreeable. There was a bit of discussion and argument...but not much. Not everyone got to plan their own glorious death and they were making the most of it.

Dragons can see almost as well at night as they can in the daylight, not so for Demons . These Demons were creatures of daylight only. Dragon Four was a recon flight and reconnaissance was what they did. When the night fell a dragon would launch and fly a large spiral pattern around their location, while another would retrieve water. Up until this night nothing had been spotted.

This night was different. A huge Demon contingent was spotted, far bigger than all the others combined. It would arrive at their location in several days. It was traveling slow because of the heavy weapons and wagons.

It was late at night and there was no moon. There was a slight breeze, just enough to mask sounds.

"Let's go" commanded Sogah.

He, Tarsrid , Phakva and Horsept assisted Tardjak and Tanto who had been wounded, in climbing. They continued climbing until the air was thin. Until finally, there before them , floated the carcass of the Spirit-Elder. It was ancient and huge. It was enormous. A knowledgeable earth human would swear it looked like a manta ray crossed with a whale only much, much, impossibly much larger.

After it's death the Leviathan had lost weight. All fluids and water had evaporated. Eventually all that was left was a mummified husk and various cybernetic structures and systems. At some point it had become light enough to drift away. It's weight was no longer enough to overcome the lift of it's embedded buoyancy nodules. At that point, as with all deceased elders, it had floated off into the sky. There had probably been an impressive ceremony.

"I wonder who this is" mused Phakva.

"I dunno" said Tarsid "really old fart though to be so big."

"Show some respect" said Tardjak "he saving our ass"

Tanto, Tarsid and Phakva all nodded agreement. The ancient elder certainly was saving them. Even after death it was assisting its kindred.

The small band of dragons boarded the huge windswept carcass and proceeded to the passenger bay. After a brief examination the commander told his two wounded subordinates.

" You two won't survive the flight home so you're staying here. No argument. Looks like you'll have all the comforts of home boys. You've rations left over from when the elder was last inhabited, there's power from skin photocells so water can be condensed from the air.”

"Before we leave though" continued the leader "we’re going to help out those idiot Thebans. We'll increase their already enormous honor guard to valhalla.”

Far below the dragon camp was surrounded. The Demons liked to attack and fight at high noon, less chance of being sun blinded. The sun was already past zenith when they arrived so they set up camp. They would attack on the morrow.

Deceased Elders were never stripped of their weapons. It was a religious thing. This one had been no exception. In fact it's supply of expendables had been replenished. There were many cross-bow bolts. The newly arrived dragons settled into battle stations and plugged into the still operable targeting system.

"Ok...tune in boys and let's do some Demon killing. Get the leaders first. Then get the heavy weapon crews. Take your time and make every bolt count" Sogah suited action to words and tuned his neural transceiver to that of his weapons station. Instantly everything was much, much, more clear.

Sogah was, literally, floating on top of the world. He was tuned into the sensors of the giant cybernetic carcass. Those sensors, and the weaponry, were powered by energy stored in supercapacitors and batteries that was collected from the huge expanse of photocells on the upper skin of the sky-manta. Sogah luxuriated in his god-like view of the world then zoomed in on the site of the new horde of invading Demons .

Far, far below the four dragons were still alive and prepared to meet the incoming horde. The horde apparently had no knowledge of how their predecessors had died and were advancing as a wall of infantry. The dragons were preparing to give them a lethal surprise.

"We're in the Elder boys" Sogath transmitted via combat data link to his troops on the ground. "Are you sure this is what you want to do? It's still barely possible that two of you can fly out."

"This is our choice" said all FOUR voices. By some miracle the two mortally wounded Thebans had dipped into primal reserves of strength and courage and had joined their lovers at the guns. Four guns at a time would face the oncoming horde rather than two.

"Well I'll be forever damned " sniffed Sogath. "May Odin be with you. Reap another legion of honor guards. Wait till they get close. We'll see what we can do to help. “

Sogath spoke to his crew aboard the Spirit-Elder “ Let em have it boys. I repeat, shoot the officers and heavy gunners first."

The Demon High Commander, the Spahbod was well pleased. He, like all good Demon commanders was leading from behind. His palanquin was far behind the battle so that he was safe. He could, however view the proceedings. His elite gunners had shot down the demonic dragons. It was only a matter of time before his troops would eliminate the survivors.

He smiled in great self satisfaction and stood up. An arrow slammed into his chest. It was quite a large arrow with a monstrous broad head. His spine was severed and he was pinned to the back of his portable throne. He wiggled for a few minutes before he died.

That was but the first of a storm of arrows. The steel tipped death sleeted in from far overhead. His officers, the several Payygan Salar's, the many Savaran Sardars and even the numerous Gond Salar's were equally afflicted. Almost without exception the entire command group was reduced to punctured reeking carrion.

The mysterious arrows then began to seek out other targets. Anything that even suggested 'officer' or 'NCO' or command authority of any sort drew them like a flies to dung. Members of crew served weapons of any sort drew special attention.

It was very unnerving to the common soldier.

At the battle line a veritable horde of Demons were being psyched into a frenzy. Their commanding officers were preparing yet more Demons to attack the fortified dragons. Their enthusiasm abated when arrows, as if by magic, thunked into the officers. The grunts had been primed to attack so they did. They attacked as a mob, though, rather than as a disciplined force. They had no officers to command them.

Not that it would have mattered.

The Thebans began to crank the guns. The captured Demon heavy weapons were similar in some ways to earth gatling guns of the civil war era. They threw about three hundred one ounce slugs of lead at about one thousand foot per second....per minute.

Four guns shooting at once. Over a thousand rounds a minute sleeted into the charging Demons at waist level. Each slug would rip thru many Demons before it's power was dissipated. The charging Demons were cheek to jowl. They were packed so close that there was no way the bullets could miss them. Within minutes of the start of the charge it was over and thousands of dead Demons lay on the ground.

The Demons tried again. If a frontal assault didn't work then come in from the right flank.

The guns were arranged in a circle. There were more guns than gunners. The gunners, however, could move to the appropriate guns. Guns full of ammo. There were four guns covering the right flank. Demons tried and died. More thousands of dead Demons .

Left flank?

Nope.

Circle around and attack from the rear?

Nope.

There were thousands and thousands of dead Demons stacked several deep surrounding the gatling gun emplacement. Any time a Demon showed signs of initiative and displayed command activity, it was taken out by a large arrow. The Demons were a rabble, but there still many thousands of them.

Eventually the Gatling gun emplacement ran out of ammunition. From now on it was cold steel.

That was Ok too. The Dragons had cold steel.

During a momentary lull Kajiro was sharpening the already razor sharp blade of his stabbing spear. Dohor looked past the bodies of their two dead lovers, each of whom were slumped in the saddle of a heavy gun. Each had died fighting as was their right.

Kajiro casually stated, as if remarking on the weather.

"You know...you're not such a bad guy for being an asshole."

Dohor was also stropping his blade, he paused for just and instant then replied "why thank you Kajrio. I believe that's the nicest thing you ever said to me"

"Yeah...well don't let it go to your head" replied Kajrio, setting himself as he watched the oncoming horde of Demons . "When we get out of here, how bout a nice dinner at the Nirgahamish. After that I'll take you to my apartment and screw your brains out."

"Threaten ME with a good time" replied Dohor. "but you think too highly of yourself. Who is going to screw WHO's brains out?"

The horde reached them then. The attacking Demons had to scramble over untold hundreds of their own dead comrades and had to climb a literal wall of bodies. Then the fun started. A dragon's Assegai is a fearsome weapon. It's blade is double edged, and sharp as a razor. It's leaf shaped and a third the length of the weapon. It's butt is weighted. A skilled user, and dragons are by definition skilled, were veritable killing machines with the fearsome weapons.

They would slice and stab with the blade while crushing and shattering with the return stroke of the butt, all the time protecting themselves and deflecting their opponents strokes with their wings. A dragon's wing was much better than a shield. The tips of the weapons moved at extreme speed. The two dragons were back to back. The assegai were mowing down the advancing horde like grass before a scythe, the spiked wingtips and tails did their part also. Yes, mustn't forget the tails. The lethal tip of the tail could appear from any direction. If the unfortunate Demon even saw it , it would be the Last thing he did see.

Tens and then hundreds of Demons committed suicide by getting inside the radius of those two killer dragons. Dead Demon fell upon dead Demon in piles of increasing heights. The footing became unstable which gave further advantage to the dragons who could and did hover if need be.

But there were thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of Demons . They were all committed to bringing down the two warriors.

Eventually they did.

Eventually it was over. Overwhelming odds are called that for a reason, they overwhelm.

High overhead in the carcass of the elder other dragons grieved. Their fellows had died honorably and well. They had taken several cohorts of honor guards with them.

Each.

After a while it was time to leave. Horsept, Tarsid Phakva and their leader Sogath bid farewell to Tardjak and Tanto. The four uninjured dragons departed the spirit-elder and began the long flight back to the Ark.

Monnor wiggled and squirmed trying to get comfortable….not likely. Such was the story they had heard about the unfortunate Recon Team. He recalled what had happened next.

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