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Fall, 1424
Of the three-dozen troops sent with Jayna, fifteen were now dead and nine wounded. But they had held long enough to seize the Twin Sisters and neutralize the defenses on the Devon and Green Towers. With reinforcements charging the city walls with scaling ladders and dragon systematically burning out resistance with each succeeding arrow slit atop the Red Tower, the defenses of Alba were slowly being cleared. Just as important, the cheering in Alba and the Arcadian flag hanging over City Hall showed the success of Chagraff’s mission as well.
There was just one last thing.
***
Strategos Gongsun poured over the reports with increasing incredulity.
The commander of the Alba Garrison was an old veteran of the wars against the Sabines and the Miscabbards. In more than 30 years of service to the empire, he had dealt with rebels, fanatics, bandits, even the Wood Folk in their final stands in the Ironwood Forest, but he had never faced a situation like this. Alba was semi-retirement; after all, the fortress was said to be impossible to storm. And through the years, there were little more than pinpricks of civil unrest and raiders to take care of. Now what had started out as a joke-the battered remnants of the Arcadians daring to confront the Empire in one of its great strongholds- had become some sort of nightmare.
The bulk of the 5000-strong Imperial Garrison of Alba had been residing within the main barracks near the city center. As soon as the news came of the attacks, the colonel had sent some detachments to shore up positions under the threat of attack. The rebels had some nerve, Gongsun had thought, attacking the strongest location in Nalbin, more defensible than the Imperial capital itself. And as expected, most of the attacks were little more than reconnaissance probes testing the defenses, and the reinforcements were more exhausted shuffling from position to position than from any actual fighting. There was not much to be concerned about, and the commander hoped that he could get a good night's sleep before the rebels retreated in the morning.
At least, that had been his hope until the Devon Tower exploded into a million pieces.
Breaking discipline, soldiers of all ranks had run out of their barracks, staring in shock at the gigantic- formerly believed to be invincible- tower disappeared into a tumble of stone and dust and bodies.
Then came the news that chilled any Imperial soldier to the bone.
The Wallace Tower had fallen! The rebels had successfully stormed the impregnable fortress!
The Devon Tower had been destroyed and the Green Tower had been forced to surrender!
How had any of this been possible? There were reports of a monster flying in the night to attack the Wallace Tower, but Colonel Gongsan had immediately dismissed it. There had been rumors of dragons and unicorns and mythical creatures fighting the Miscabbards as well when he was younger, just like the reports of the dragons and gryphons fighting for the Arcadians now, and he had no place for fairy tales in war. What did seem to be true was that the linchpin of Alba had been taken, a fact supported by dozens of reports of fighting around and inside the Wallace Tower, and of course the crumbling remnants of the Devon Tower. He needed to try to address it. The colonel got up, was dressed in his suit of armor and with his halberd in hand, sent the call out.
There had to be an attempt to retake the Wallace Tower.
Every member of the garrison not currently engaged in fighting was ordered to assemble and attack the Wallace Tower. There could not be that many rebels in the Red Tower. Gongsun could lose half of his strength, but if he could quickly retake the position, it would be justified.
With mechanical precision, Imperial Garrison filed out of their barracks, nearly 4000 soldiers, filing down the moon-lit streets in tight ranks. Steel men in munition armor, footmen with pikes, archers and crossbowmen, men-at-arms for the brutal hand-to-hand fighting that must ensue within the confines of the tower. Alba was in chaos: the rebels had infiltrated the streets of the city, but facing the strength of the garrison's columns, they melted back into the shadows. Gongsun ignored them. They could be dealt with when the Wallace Tower was retaken. Strangely the tower itself was also silent, brooding red with smoke and flames, despite the colonel's troops being obviously exposed to its line of fire.
That gave the commander hope. Perhaps the enemy was out of ammunition. Perhaps there really weren't that many infiltrators inside, and they were just blind to his counterattack.
He could only hope.
The Imperials assembled in the empty plaza in front of the Wallace Tower without a single shot being fired in opposition. As the troops fanned out, the ranged troops began positioning themselves, and the colonel raised the Imperial Banner and moved ahead, the gate of the tower opened and a single warrior marched out.
The warrior was a woman, despite being clad in a knight's armor, her feminine features and long hair apparent despite the open helm.
As she approached, the Imperial footmen readied their polearms and the archers trained their arrows, but Colonel Gongsan waved them down. The rebel warrior was meant to parley, and being fired upon would likely mean that the Wallace Tower begins to fire at his men.
The woman warrior walked only within shouting distance, before drawing her sword and pointing it at the colonel. Her sharp eyes blazed with fury and righteousness.
“I am Jayna Durham of the Arcadians and I command you to surrender to the revolution!”
The Imperials looked at the woman-at-arms incredulously.
However that command was supported a minute later when a massive angry dragon, completely decked in plate armor, crawled over from behind the tower like a lizard and roared at the stunned Imperial troops, drawing flames within its breath.
A dragon.
The rumors were true.
The legendary Stanton Dragon.
And armored for a fight.
Colonel Gongsan completely froze in shock. His men were less indecisive. With only another minute for this to sink in, the vaunted discipline of the Jamersonian Imperial army broke with a massive cry of despair.
There was no way to face a dragon defending the most powerful position in Nalbin.
"This was a trap!"
“Run!”
Within a few minutes, the entire garrison had scattered, fleeing to safety wherever they could. Chagraff's part of the plan had already accounted for this, his Arcadian forces seizing the barracks while the bulk of the garrison confronted the tower, then setting up defensive positions throughout the city to trap the fleeing troops in the streets and encourage them to surrender. The colonel himself looked at his now- empty ranks and threw down his pike and banner, raising his hands.
"I surrender to the revolution." Was all the colonel said.
Jayna nodded.
“Sometimes you have a flair for the dramatic, Jayna Durham.” Mera said as he crawled down, watching the Imperials flee towards Chagraff’s positions and other Arcadians lead to the Imperial commander away.
“I know you love it.” Jayna replied.
Mera grinned.
Franz Ferdinand - This Fire
Beautiful work from
TITO EREZ! Go give her a watch!
Original: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/37502177/
Of the three-dozen troops sent with Jayna, fifteen were now dead and nine wounded. But they had held long enough to seize the Twin Sisters and neutralize the defenses on the Devon and Green Towers. With reinforcements charging the city walls with scaling ladders and dragon systematically burning out resistance with each succeeding arrow slit atop the Red Tower, the defenses of Alba were slowly being cleared. Just as important, the cheering in Alba and the Arcadian flag hanging over City Hall showed the success of Chagraff’s mission as well.
There was just one last thing.
***
Strategos Gongsun poured over the reports with increasing incredulity.
The commander of the Alba Garrison was an old veteran of the wars against the Sabines and the Miscabbards. In more than 30 years of service to the empire, he had dealt with rebels, fanatics, bandits, even the Wood Folk in their final stands in the Ironwood Forest, but he had never faced a situation like this. Alba was semi-retirement; after all, the fortress was said to be impossible to storm. And through the years, there were little more than pinpricks of civil unrest and raiders to take care of. Now what had started out as a joke-the battered remnants of the Arcadians daring to confront the Empire in one of its great strongholds- had become some sort of nightmare.
The bulk of the 5000-strong Imperial Garrison of Alba had been residing within the main barracks near the city center. As soon as the news came of the attacks, the colonel had sent some detachments to shore up positions under the threat of attack. The rebels had some nerve, Gongsun had thought, attacking the strongest location in Nalbin, more defensible than the Imperial capital itself. And as expected, most of the attacks were little more than reconnaissance probes testing the defenses, and the reinforcements were more exhausted shuffling from position to position than from any actual fighting. There was not much to be concerned about, and the commander hoped that he could get a good night's sleep before the rebels retreated in the morning.
At least, that had been his hope until the Devon Tower exploded into a million pieces.
Breaking discipline, soldiers of all ranks had run out of their barracks, staring in shock at the gigantic- formerly believed to be invincible- tower disappeared into a tumble of stone and dust and bodies.
Then came the news that chilled any Imperial soldier to the bone.
The Wallace Tower had fallen! The rebels had successfully stormed the impregnable fortress!
The Devon Tower had been destroyed and the Green Tower had been forced to surrender!
How had any of this been possible? There were reports of a monster flying in the night to attack the Wallace Tower, but Colonel Gongsan had immediately dismissed it. There had been rumors of dragons and unicorns and mythical creatures fighting the Miscabbards as well when he was younger, just like the reports of the dragons and gryphons fighting for the Arcadians now, and he had no place for fairy tales in war. What did seem to be true was that the linchpin of Alba had been taken, a fact supported by dozens of reports of fighting around and inside the Wallace Tower, and of course the crumbling remnants of the Devon Tower. He needed to try to address it. The colonel got up, was dressed in his suit of armor and with his halberd in hand, sent the call out.
There had to be an attempt to retake the Wallace Tower.
Every member of the garrison not currently engaged in fighting was ordered to assemble and attack the Wallace Tower. There could not be that many rebels in the Red Tower. Gongsun could lose half of his strength, but if he could quickly retake the position, it would be justified.
With mechanical precision, Imperial Garrison filed out of their barracks, nearly 4000 soldiers, filing down the moon-lit streets in tight ranks. Steel men in munition armor, footmen with pikes, archers and crossbowmen, men-at-arms for the brutal hand-to-hand fighting that must ensue within the confines of the tower. Alba was in chaos: the rebels had infiltrated the streets of the city, but facing the strength of the garrison's columns, they melted back into the shadows. Gongsun ignored them. They could be dealt with when the Wallace Tower was retaken. Strangely the tower itself was also silent, brooding red with smoke and flames, despite the colonel's troops being obviously exposed to its line of fire.
That gave the commander hope. Perhaps the enemy was out of ammunition. Perhaps there really weren't that many infiltrators inside, and they were just blind to his counterattack.
He could only hope.
The Imperials assembled in the empty plaza in front of the Wallace Tower without a single shot being fired in opposition. As the troops fanned out, the ranged troops began positioning themselves, and the colonel raised the Imperial Banner and moved ahead, the gate of the tower opened and a single warrior marched out.
The warrior was a woman, despite being clad in a knight's armor, her feminine features and long hair apparent despite the open helm.
As she approached, the Imperial footmen readied their polearms and the archers trained their arrows, but Colonel Gongsan waved them down. The rebel warrior was meant to parley, and being fired upon would likely mean that the Wallace Tower begins to fire at his men.
The woman warrior walked only within shouting distance, before drawing her sword and pointing it at the colonel. Her sharp eyes blazed with fury and righteousness.
“I am Jayna Durham of the Arcadians and I command you to surrender to the revolution!”
The Imperials looked at the woman-at-arms incredulously.
However that command was supported a minute later when a massive angry dragon, completely decked in plate armor, crawled over from behind the tower like a lizard and roared at the stunned Imperial troops, drawing flames within its breath.
A dragon.
The rumors were true.
The legendary Stanton Dragon.
And armored for a fight.
Colonel Gongsan completely froze in shock. His men were less indecisive. With only another minute for this to sink in, the vaunted discipline of the Jamersonian Imperial army broke with a massive cry of despair.
There was no way to face a dragon defending the most powerful position in Nalbin.
"This was a trap!"
“Run!”
Within a few minutes, the entire garrison had scattered, fleeing to safety wherever they could. Chagraff's part of the plan had already accounted for this, his Arcadian forces seizing the barracks while the bulk of the garrison confronted the tower, then setting up defensive positions throughout the city to trap the fleeing troops in the streets and encourage them to surrender. The colonel himself looked at his now- empty ranks and threw down his pike and banner, raising his hands.
"I surrender to the revolution." Was all the colonel said.
Jayna nodded.
“Sometimes you have a flair for the dramatic, Jayna Durham.” Mera said as he crawled down, watching the Imperials flee towards Chagraff’s positions and other Arcadians lead to the Imperial commander away.
“I know you love it.” Jayna replied.
Mera grinned.
Franz Ferdinand - This Fire
Beautiful work from
TITO EREZ! Go give her a watch!Original: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/37502177/
Category Artwork (Digital) / Fantasy
Species Western Dragon
Size 1280 x 621px
File Size 133.8 kB
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