Summer, 1331

Colonel Nathan Cutler was on the verge of pulling his hair out.

After Hunter’s Point, King’s Mountain and finally Chaplin Hills, the battered Vaumarcian Brigade had been sent to garrison Anisa on the Ba River when Dodge withdrew the New Army from the Rapidan River Line. It was supposed to be a quiet position, guarding the approaches to the River Triangle and Pometia, allowing the decimated unit some time to recover.

Unfortunately that was not to be the case.

The isolated brigade soon came under heavy pressure from the reconstituted Fourth Corps that was attempting to open a direct route between Anhake’s forces and those of Bremmer’s Auxiliaries army raiding Pometia by fording the river. Nathan’s defenders desperately tried to prevent that outcome, but after pitched fighting that destroyed most of the city they had been driven out from the Northern bank of the Ba. Still, the Vaumarcian Brigade stubbornly held onto the Southern bank, repulsing a half dozen assaults over the past week. Artillery of both sides continued to fling heavy projectiles across the river, the ground reverberating from large boulders striking what was left of the city, as Culter sat in quiet frustration scanning his battle map filled with the red scribbles of attacks and defensive positions. The commander felt like a duelist, dancing as he repeatedly lashed out and then parried blows, but he was exhausted and the enemy had a much longer reach. The Tassurian attacks had gradually been shifting East, trying to find a way around the right flank of his defending forces and lodge itself across the river. Sooner or later they would send a force far enough to do so and then roll up his position, or else they would throw a heavy enough force to smash through his lines in a frontal assault. The colonel had prepared for the eventuality of retreat: Mitha had already developed the plans for the withdrawal, creating a rearguard position at the Black Citadel while the rest of the brigade fell back to Coleto as soon as Anisa became untenable. Until that point in time however, Cutler could do nothing but sit with his reserves and await the next Tassurian attack.

The signs of an attack this late afternoon came soon enough, indeed only ten minutes later: a scream, yells, and the commotion of people running-all of which lay uncomfortably close to his dugout headquarters.

Cutler was stunned. How had they gotten so close? Did Gremenal send his Hunter-Killers here? He immediately threw on his helm, drew his broadsword, and charged out of his hidden bunker.

“Rally to -!”

Cutler stopped, his sword still raised over his head.

There were no signs of attack, no deaths or wounded or damage, just his troops milling around in confusion, their weapons also drawn, but not raised for battle.

Instead the commander found Mitha standing to one side of the clearing, talking to seven well-armed and armored visitors in front of a large wagon. His adjutant was obviously uncomfortable with the newcomers, though not in a way that saw them as an immediate threat. Colonel Nathan Cutler headed over.

“What is going on, Mitha?”

A familiar face looked past his aide.

“Nathan!” Logan exclaimed in surprise.

“Hi.” Glib added from beside the Colonel of the Stanton Brigade.

Cutler stared at his fellow militia commander in confusion. “You again? What the hell are you guys doing here?”

“We’re trying to cross the river.”

“And who are all these people that-”

The Vaumarcian Colonel suddenly stopped, staring dumbfounded at the dragon sitting calming upon its haunches behind the group- Cutler had originally thought the large shadowy shape was an overloaded wagon, but now he knew better. He had seen the Great Wyrms in the distance, at Hunter’s Point and at a dozen raids. Those giant reptiles meant death, and now one was right in front of him. Everything in Nathan wanted to scream and flee from the danger immediately. Instead he just stood there rooted in shock.

Mera gave the garrison commander an awkward wave.

“There’s a dragon with you.” Nathan finally stated.

Logan made an uncomfortable chuckle. “Yes, he’s an old friend of mine who sought my help to end the war.”

“So…the rumors of the Stanton Incident are true then.”

“That’s not important right now.” The Forester quickly changed the subject. “What is important is that we have an opportunity to turn this war around.”

Nathan finally shook his head as he looked over the rest of the group. “What kind of strange party is this? Five humans, a Sabine, a Duergar and a dragon? These are odd times indeed.”

“We are on a special mission, and everyone in our group is needed. If we can succeed in our task, we may be able to have a way to decisively defeat the Tassurian Empire. ”

“By crossing enemy lines with a dragon?” Vaumarcian frowned. “Do you really trust it that much?”

Logan paused. “Yes.” The Stanton Forester finally said.

There was another long pause, before the Vaumarcian finally sighed. “Fine. What do you plan on doing?”

“Our party needs to reach Niles Canyon from the Anisa Waterways.”

“Are you crazy? The Northerners are assaulting Anisa from all sides!” The garrison commander waved at the other bank of the ruined city. “We’re barely holding on to the Ba! There’s no way through the North Bank unless you cut through the invading armies!”

Everyone abruptly shut up as a stone from a trebuchet slammed violently into a building nearby, shattering it to pieces and spraying the company in dust and debris.

“We’re meeting up with some guerillas in the mountains.” Liza offered.

“Fine place to choose.”

“Well it certainly wasn’t my idea to have Lane’s Pometians pulled off from Dogger’s Bank and expose Anisa to attack.” Lord de Trobliand interrupted.

Nathan shot the Normad a look, then stopped when he recognized one of the king’s advisors. He threw up his hands in frustration.

“Very well, I assume you have authorization.”

“This comes straight from the King and Field Marshal.” Lord De Trobliand responded, holding up a parchment. Nathan barely bothered to read it.

“Fine.” The Vaumarcian turned and headed back to his dugout. “Come inside and I’ll show you the best place to attempt to ford.”

“Thanks Nathan.”

***

As twilight fell, Logan’s people and the dragon prepared for their river crossing in a sheltered pocket landing hidden behind several gutted buildings, gathering atop a large transport flatboat provided by the garrison.

Colonel Cutler saw the group off.

“Remember, don’t move until about a hundred beats after you hear Mitha blow his horn of attack. We want time for the Other Men to respond to our demonstration.”

Logan nodded. “Sounds fair.”

“Head left, then aim for the two towers with the circular dome. There’s another landing below the right one; the old religious center of the city. It’s close to this side of the river, too exposed to our fire for large enemy formations to stay, and some of the largest canals snake through the area, so it should fit your bill.”

The garrison leader went down and shook hands with every member of the questing party, except Mera, whom he just uneasily nodded at.

“Whatever this quest is, it'd better be important. Those are my troops that will die to support your efforts. The heavens give you luck and victory.”

With that, the Vaumarcian waved the group on and left.

The party waited quietly atop the wooden flat bottomed vessel still tied to the landing as night began to fall and stars began to appear, the fires in front of and behind them gradually taking on a demonic hue in the ensuing darkness.

Then came the sounds of heavy timber and rope swinging in the air, and suddenly heavy projectiles soared along the river in the distance like shooting stars, crashing into the masonry on the other side. Distant calls, yells, and heavy stones came flying back in response.

After several minutes of this artillery exchanged fire the horn blast came, clear as thunder cracking, echoing across both sides of the river. It was quickly followed by the low din of clashing steel and singing projectiles.

A hundred beats after the horn sounded, Logan removed the mooring ropes and nodded at the dragon, who stuck his leg out onto the landing and shoved the raft into the river current. Then Logan, Lord de Trobliand, Glib, Dr. Moller, Liza, Sufjan and Karlen pulled out their oars and started slowly paddling, while Mera draped his tail in the waters behind the raft, using it to push forward as both oar and rudder.

It quickly became abundantly clear that the dragon was providing most of the propulsion and steering and soon the others gave up on their efforts, instead looking towards the nightmarish scene of the war-torn city ahead of them dimly lit under moonlight. When the twin rounded towers abruptly appeared among the ravaged cityscape Logan quietly directed Mera to head towards them.

Slowly the dragon and seven humanoids floated across the river, the glow of the moon casting long shadows upon them as well as the ruins of this once grand city. In a short distance off to the right the dull glow of burning fires appeared where faint sounds of the clash of arms and yells and screams of battle echoed uncomfortably over to the riverine craft.

Karlen quietly counted between the volleys of dueling siege engines: “One, two, three, four-go.” Before another trebuchet stone hurled through the sky, loudly splashing into the water uncomfortably close to them.

The passage felt incredibly exposed and naked: at any moment Logan and the others expected a call of alarm and the zip of arrows cutting them down in their exposed raft, or else a direct hit from a boulder blowing everyone to smithereens.

But there was only silence and darkness ahead of them.

After perhaps fifteen minutes, but a breath-holding eternity, the opposite shore began coming up, the towers looming larger and larger.

Logan gestured to a small platform on the other side, with large and grandiose formal steps leading up from it below the domed tower on the right.

Mera nodded, turned his body, and forcefully pushed his tail to the left to turn the raft. The remainder of Logan’s party began picking up their weapons, watching for signs of the enemy.

With a final vigorous stroke, the dragon propelled the raft forward, then laid flat on the raft to limit his profile. Ten feet from the landing, Sufjan gracefully leaped off, swung up the stairway and plunged into the darkness, while Mera slipped his tail straight down back into the waters to slow the raft before it hit the pier.

The raft bumped gently against the landing, and immediately Logan and Liza disembarked and quickly scaled the upper level before fanning out. Meanwhile Glib skillfully threw a rope around a piling and held the raft in place, after which Lord De Trobliand, Dr. Moller and finally Karlen got off. The rest of Logan’s party found Sufjan at the edge of a half-demolished wall, scanning the ruins, the body of two fallen Other Men sentries at her feet. The Sabine simply nodded to the others. Confirming that the surrounding area was secured, Logan went back to the landing and gestured for Mera to follow.

The dragon nodded, crossing from raft to landing, then kicked the raft so that the rope snapped and the currents carried the abandoned flatboat downriver.

They were now stuck behind enemy lines.

---

Michael Kamen - Swamp

Courtesty of  TheDinosaurMann!

Original: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/48408656/