[Preemptively rated M for the possibility of gore and mindless slaughter.]
In the great atrium of the Aerie, a massive man in black armor stood before a great throne, nearly ten feet tall with a great black beard and wild hair. A black crown, seemingly of the same material as his armor, adorned his head, a wicked looking thing wrapped in platinum wire. A great onyx stone served as it's centerpiece.
Bright, burning red eyes surveyed the five men before him, stopping to stare at one in particular.
This man standing over others was Baalroth Trin, the Blackfire King of the Aerie Dragon clan, a Firstscale descended directly from Tiamat herself. A once savage beast, he was turned gentle upon the defeat of the Dread Bitch, the dragon queen's influence rendered null upon her imprisonment.
These five men, Dragons all and esteemed members of the Flameguard, had been gathered here for two purposes.
"Urra'vin, First of the Flameguard. Step forth."
Holding a massive bearded axe, one with a haft longer than the rather impressive structure the male dragon held in his human form, a blade that was longer than his arm, Urra'vin stepped forward, as asked. He stood tall and mighty in his massive black and red plate armour, holding his axe next to him. Hand raising in salute. "Blackfire King," he stated, indicating he was at attention.
He glanced to the other Flameguards momentarily. The men he commanded as their first. This was the official briefing for a mission, as he had been informed from before. He'd have to break down everything his liege stated, however, to his men and translate it all in a proper tactics to organise a proper taskforce. The nature of the mission was still unknown to him, however.
Baalroth acknowledged Urra'vin's attention with a nod, and stepped off of the round dais that the two thrones rested upon. The mountainous man walked straight up to the Flameguard, and stood an arms length away.
"As you are no doubt aware, we are in the midst of a budding conflict with the Tenkou clan once again. Queen Ryuujinn has allied herself with deep-dwarves - more specifically, the Ironside clan, here in the Thunderblacks."
The deep bass voice echoed throughout the massive chamber as he spoke, heavy booted feet stepping noisily upon the stone as he walked to and fro in front of the five warriors, speaking loudly enough for all to hear.
"The blasted duergar themselves have orcs alongside them. We've learned that recently their tunnel network nearly connects to ours...in times of peace, this would make no difference, but I dare not give Ryuujinn an open door into the Aerie."
He then stopped in front of Urra'vin, and leveled a heavy look at the smaller dragon. "I am tasking you five - and one other - to seek out the Black Gate, nearly forty miles Northeast of here. Legend says it's impenetrable."
He leaned in closer to Urra'vin, and gave a prideful smile.
"I want you to tear it asunder. And, I regret to say so, but the Ironsides are not to survive this conflict, nor their allies. Exterminate them, by any means necessary."
He then straightened, then, and walked back to stand in front of his throne. "Also, another will join you, as I stated. He is well trained, but inexperienced in combat. My son, prince Marakai, will accompany you. Treat him as a fellow man at arms, and not as sovereign. Marakai!"
At the summons, a young dragon, perhaps Urra'vin's age or a bit younger, descended from the inclining ramp, garbed in thick, full-bodied black leather armor. At almost six-and-a-half feet, he clearly wasn't done growing yet. Red eyes observed those below him as he answered the summons, keen and sharp. He glanced at his father, and then nodded to Urra'vin.
Baalroth looked to Urra'vin as well. "He is not your superior during this mission....however."
He walked up to the younger Dragon, and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"My friend...take care of my son."
Urra'vin nodded to his explanation. "I am aware, my liege," he answered with a nod, leveling his gaze with Baalroth's. "An action we cannot take lightly," he agreed, inclining his head again. With a soft rustle of steel chainmail that protected the crooks of his armour, he rested his hands behind his back.
He nodded as the Blackfire King explained his wish, nodding slowly. "I'll make sure the Black Gate will be stained red with their blood," he growled softly.
As Baalroth called on his son, Marakai appearing, Urra'vin inclined his head. "It'd be my pleasure to fight alongside you, Prince Marakai," he stated before looking up again.
Baalroth took up position infront of him again, clasping a hand on his armoured shoulder. The first Flameguard nodded. "I will, like any of my men, none shall perish."
The Blackfire King nodded. "Be sure of it." He then turned to look towards the ramp, just as marakais feet touched the atrium floor.
"Marakai. To our enemies this day, you are representative of the royal family. And so, you will bring the Blackfire's Fang as your weapon." The King of the Aerie turned back to his throne - in its back was a slot, and protruding from it was an ornate hilt shaped as a Dragons mouth. He wrapped one massive hand around this hilt, abd lifted upward - with a sound like grating stone, a massive great sword appearing to be made of glass was revealed, the six-foot blade protruding from the dragons crystal maw.
Marakai was in awe - only once had he seen this blade, and never before had it been tested in battle since his father came to power. Despite its great age - even then, it was over one-thousand years old - it looked as if it had been forged yesterday.
"Father....I am honored. I wield this blade in your name." The young prince made a fist and thumped it over his heart with a bow. Baalroth moved to him.
"Stand straight, Marakai. Take up this sword. Yourself, Urra'vin, and the other Flameguard know your duty. Crosis walk with you."
"And you, as well, Father." Marakai straightened, and took the massive blade from his father's grasp. Its weight was oddly comfortable, as if he had been meant to bear it.
Little did he know....
The young prince turned from his father, and moved to stand before Urra'vin, a wry grin upon his face. "Well, now that the pomp and circumstance is done with, let's be off, shall we?"
[Sorry for occasional typos. Not my keyboard.]
"Not yet," Urra'vin answered. "The ceremonials are not over yet, friend," he said with a soft grin. "Flameguard! Attention!" The other Flameguard jumped into formation, the sound of gauntlets smacking against steel plating in unison echoed throughout the hallways.
"Your will shall be done, Blackfire King," Urra'vin concluded, before bowing. The other Flameguard followed his exemple. "At the central plaza in five," he commanded, before glancing towards Marakai. "Accompany me."
At that, Urra'vin turned around and left the room, shouldering the massive bearded ax.
With a motion that would become familiar to many in the coming years, Marakai hefted his Father's blade to rest on his shoulder, it's flat edge against the hard leather pauldron. He turned and offered a short bow and a nod to his father, and the king returned it with a smile.
His ears still ringing from the Flameguards clatter of steel not far from his ears, he turned to follow Urra'vin, being sure to walk on the side opposite the massive axe on his friends shoulder. Within a few deep strides, he walked abreast the other.
"Well, Urra'vin. You're my acting commander. I know the mission, but have you any idea how we'll proceed?"
"I will dispatch some of our lighter armoured Flameguards in for scouting, make several small pinpricks to test their defenses," he answered with a soft sigh. "We make sure their defenses are in slight disarray before we move in the main force. We'll realize this by several strikes to sabotage some of their important buildings."
He smirked softly. "We're a small force. But one to be reckoned with. That's the plan with our current knowledge. It will surely change."
"Indeed. I almost feel sorry for the little bastards. A small force, indeed...six dragons ought to be enough to send them into disarray. More, and we'll crush them. What numbers do we move with?"
Though he hadn't been 'officially' tested in battle, the young dragon had killed before. It was simplicity itself to get outside and 'surprise' one of their patrols with a royal escort. He knew more about combat than his father should ever know.
They were nearing the ground entrance to the Aerie, the massive gate left open to see the round plaza beyond. Just then, Marakai looked up to the last of the stone guardians, smirking a bit. "Even if he's not here just now, I feel like his statue watches me still. Seeing me off."
"As any good king, he watches over his warriors and trusts a safe return," Urra'vin answered with a soft breath, before letting out a chuckle.
Urra'vin, as he reached the plaza, lowered the axe to the ground, folding his arms and waiting for the other Flameguard to make their final preparations. "Any moment now," he jested with a morbid grin.
Several on-lookers and civillians of the aerie approached, in awe of Marakai and Urra'vin. A legendary warrior and the prince both in the same place. And soon, other Flameguard joined them. "These'll be your people, Marakai," Urra'vin snarled with the same grin, slapping his shoulder. "Smile for 'em."
"My friend, I shall do far more than smile." He grinned, and bumped Urra'vin's breastplate with a fist, before stepping forward to address the crowd.
"People of the Aerie! My friends, hear me now, not as your prince, but as a clansman like yourselves!" His voice echoed loudly in the valley, and all other general chatter suddenly hushed to listen to their prince.
"We are at war with the Tenkou! And even now, they seek to undermine us by allying themselves with our neighbors! Look now, as Urra'vin and his Flameguard lead us to stamp out their treachery! Cheer for him! Cheer for us!"
Marakai heaved the Blackfire's Fang into the air, holding it aloft so all could see the legendary weapon of their King in plain view.
The entire plaza erupted in cheers and applause, and he lowered the sword with a grin. He turned to Urra'vin, and smiled. "It is not enough to merely smile for your people. You must also make them smile for you. A lesson from my mother."
Urra'vin glanced at Marakai, arching an eyebrow and smirking. This should be good.
Yet, the First of the Flameguard had no idea just what Marakai was planning. He, as a notable warrior for the Aerie was rather shy and preferred to stay out of the spotlight, he could handle the looks he was given and the awestruck clansmembers when he and the Flameguard gathered.
But when Marakai drew the attention to them like that, he couldn't help but feel flustered. He said nothing, merely stood there to be admired.
He glanced back at the prince, nodding softly. "Fair enough."
The prince nodded with a smile. "Sorry to draw the fanfare to you, but, you are in charge of this mission." He adjusted the weight of the blade leaning against his shoulder, rolling his shoulder blades as he did so.
"Well, Urra'vin. Lead away. I shall follow."
Urra'vin shook his head. "It's nothing," he answered, letting out a soft, wry chuckle.
"Indeed," he answered as the other five Flameguard had also gathered, ready to depart.
He nodded at his fellow soldiers, before turning around and descending the massive flight of stairs, making his way out of the Aerie.
Marakai followed directly behind Urra'vin, minding the bearded axe in front of him. He wondered if the Flameguard considered anyone walking behind him, and grinned. He kept his mouth shut, though, not willing to possibly undercut him with his men about.
He walked tall, though, his blade resting behind his neck and pointed sideways so as not to bother anyone behind him.
The soldiers fell in line, trailing behind him. Each had their own kind of weapon. They didn't seem like a coherent military unit, more reminiscent to a mercenary unit or a taskforce.
But they were nothing but coherent. Each Flameguard knew eachothers flaws and strengths, making for a seriously impressive efficiency. Urra'vin would gladly sacrifice his life for any of these men.
And so, the unit traveled the mountains, before their target came in sight from a distance. "Set up camp, cast wards and seals," Urra'vin barked the orders, his men complying and getting to setting up their temporary base. "We make the first strike at night."
Marakai came to stand a bit behind Urra'vin, listening while he gave orders to set camp and ward the area.
When he finished, he stepped beside him. "I don't know about wards and seals, but is there anything I can do to help?"
"Scout out the terrain, see where we can hide, what caves are around," Urra'vin answered, glancing at Marakai. "And take care not to get seen."
Marakai nodded, and offered a salute, his fist thudding into his armored chest. "And if the caves are occupied? They are dwarves - they'll likely have many holes with troops stationed."
"Disengage, let it collapse on them if you need. I'd rather have less of a surprise attack than losing men on scouting missions," he glanced at Marakai. "I do not doubt your expertise, do not be mistaken. But they could call for reinforcements."
He glanced at the armour and smirked. "Also, your highness," he started. "Get some tar, cover up the crest. We do not want our foes to know who is attacking them yet." At that, the first Flameguard chuckled softly.
Marakai gave a grin. "Of course, Urra'vin. But - it comes off when we press the attack. This is a message to the Tenkou, also."
He chuckled a bit, and then stopped. "Wait...I can't bring this. They'll recognize it, too." He gestured to the Blackfire's Fang. "I'll need a different weapon. Preferably one that won't be so easily seen. Like, not your oversized meat cleaver you're so fond of."
"Such I implied with 'yet'," he answered with a grin and a courtsy, raising the skirt of an imaginated dress. "When we make the decisive strike, we'll make sure they know it's none other than us," he let out a thundering laughter, cslamming Marakai's shoulder with a brutal amount of force.
"Meat cleaver is a pretty good name, is it not? Cleaving meat is exaclty what it does," Urra'vin smirked as he pulled a 'small, it was more of a shortsword, dagger from his back, holding it out. "Here, because youI insist."
Marakai gave the 'dagger' an experimental twirl, and smirked. "Thanks. If I come across any dwarves, I'll ask if they want a shave before I kill them." He rolled his eyes a bit, and shoved his great sword into the earth. "Make sure nothing happens to that, or my father will have both our heads." He offered another salute, and then turned on his heel to exit the camp.
"Mind yourself, it makes for a very accurate razor," Urra'vin answered with a chuckle. "More accurate than my axe, at least."
Urra'vin answered the salute with a soft nod. "It'll be neatly resting in my tent by the time you get back, friend."
As Urra'vin answered, Marakai simply raised a hand in a half-hearted wave, as he was already heading out.
When he left the camp, idly twirling the sword in his hand, he wondered what to expect. This area was littered with caves - hell, they'd passed a couple of them on their way to make camp. He kept his eyes peeled and his footsteps quiet, skirting the side of the valley to ask in his stealth.
It wasn't very long as all before he found the first cave. However, it appeared abandoned, and recently - there were torches, barely burnt and now extinguished, a weapon rack completely emptied, and a table covered in parchment with writing he couldn't understand. He grabbed those - perhaps Urra'vin could decipher the dwarven script.
He left this cave, and continued on his way, searching along the cliff face. He eventually found two more caves of similar appearance to the first - hastily emptied and abandoned.
With a derisive grunt, he left the third cave, and set to scaling the mountain for a clearer view of his environs. When he reached the first ledge, he could see it - the Black Gate. Large and imposing, made of solid adamantium, this was their first legendary obstacle. Marakai grinned.
Unbreachable, they said. And they were supposed to tear it down. This should be good.
He saw only two guards posted before the entrance, looking down on them from high above. The gate ktseld blocked a massive cave entrance - there was no way in, other than through the gate itself. But despite the mere two guards, his other senses took in so much more -
The sound of ringing metal, accompanied by the smell of hot steel.
Pounding feet, rhythmic like military drilling.
Barked orders, in a language he couldn't understand.
They were either making for war, or preparing for a siege. Either way, Urra'vin had to know.
[I'm not sure what you planned for the other Flameguard, so I decided to make them as vague as possible ^^']
Urra'vin didn't sit around idly, as soon as the command tent was pitched, a table with a paper map sprawled across inside, the Blackfire Fang resting against the table. The map was quite detailed thanks to some of their mages ho managed to control animals, birds was the most practical use, to scout out the region without having the risk of being discovered. It was a tactical disadvantage none such mages were here.
But this sufficed at least. They weren't walking in blindly, at least. While Marakai was out scouting, several others of the Flameguards otherwise occupied, Urra'vin was busy scheming with one of his advisors in the Flameguard. A cunning and shrewd woman, her prowess in combat was commendable, but her tactical mind surpassed his.
"We make coördinated strikes on their holdings," Urra'vin started, glancing at the woman, who nodded in return. "We can make some of their mines collapse with their own mining tools, soldiers will be in disarray to free any surviving miners."
It was at that moment that Marakai burst into the tent, his breathing heavy. "Urra'vin. Here." He tossed the team of parchments on the table. "I don't know what these mean, but every cave I came across showed signs of occupation, and hasty abandonment. I moved as close to the gate as I could....I think they know we're here, or they're going to break through the tunnels faster than we thought."
He stopped to take a breath, and gave his friends advisor a sidelong glance. "The Aerie will survive - my father has been flooding those tunnels with troops. But I don't see us catching them by surprise - they're more than likely waiting on us."
He glanced down at the scrolls, opening them and examining, before passing them over to the woman, who no doubt could interpret them, with a soft hum.
"Then all our strategies up to now are useless," he took the dagger from Marakai again and sheathed it on his back, gesturing at the Blackfire Fang. "Right there, waiting for you," he stated with a soft grin. "I'll round up the men," he glanced at the woman. "Translate those," he commanded, pulling his axe up and walking out.
Marakai gladly handed the sword back to Urra'vin, before taking up his own and following the other outside of the tent, offering a passing nod at the woman as he left.
He fell into step beside Urra'vin. "So... we attack now then?"
"Yes, I will dispatch one of our Flameguard to the Aerie, tell our king to make the troops move into the cave," he answered, glancing around, Flameguard gathering. "At the same time, we move behind them and make a pincer attack, so they have nowhere to run."
Marakai nodded, and grinned. "Let's go test down that thrice-damned gate, then." He gave his sword a little shake. "I've been wanting to use this ever since father handed it to me."
"Yes," he answered. "Let us."
The Flameguard all stood at attention, weapons brandished. Urra'vin smirked slowly and clasped his hands behind his back. "My friends! These undersized sacks of shit know we're here. So there is no use in trying to distract them. They will see through our rouse. But!" He grinned softly. "They do not expect an attack from both sides! Be sure to thank them, because they just shortened a week of deployment to one day."
Urra'vin thrust his axe in the air. "My brethren, today, we send a very clear message to the Tenkou! Spare none! Make sure the Tenkou dispatch trips over their corpses and retch at the very sight of the slaughter! If it breathes, it dies. Am I clear?!"
And he was met with a loud uproar and cheering.
Marakai smirked, and spoke to Urra'vin just loud enough to be heard.
"Seems you have a flair for speech, as well. Good work - now they'll know for sure we're coming, with that uproar."
He clapped his friend on the shoulder with a grin. "And if they're not pissing themselves behind their pretty little gate, I'll be surprised."
"Good, send 'em a message," Urra'vin answered. He turned to one of the Flameguards. "Dragon form. Return to the Aerie and explain that he needs our troops to charge. By the time you get there, we've broken through the gate."
The male nodded and turned around, taking a running start. He jumped down the cliff, before a massive dragon roared and flew off.
"Good. We move now!" He called, turning around, resting the axe on his shoulders as he moved on. Determined to meet his enemies.
Marakai shouldered the Blackfire Fang, following after his brother-in-arms, a constant grin on his face. This was going to be fun - he wondered why dwarves and orcs would think they could stand against a kingdom of dragons? There'd been no sightings of actual Tenkou, not since the last skirmish with them almost a month before.
They met no resistance on their way to the Black Gate, and only the two guards from before still stood before it. As the group of Flameguard, accompanied by their commander and their Prince, rounded the bend one of the dwarves slipped inside the gate. Steam hissed outward from some unknown mechanism, and a lot metallic grating sound signalled it's locking.
Marakai glanced to Urra'vin, and smirked. "So...who getd first swing at their front door?"
"Hmm," Urra'vin took a deep breath. "Go for it by all means," he said with a soft smirk.
That smirk on Marakai's face widened into a huge grin, and the Prince nodded. "Suits me fine. I'll take out the guard, first. Just keep an eye out for any surprises." He slapped his fist on his chest as a salute, and bounded off.
The dwarves guard, standing so regally in his golden armor like he had some kind of status, jammed the butt of his large axe onto the ground as Marakai strode up to him.
"Ye're not gettin' inta here, dragon! Ya know th' laws we got, now turn around!"
Marakai gave a laugh. "Laws? We have laws too, involving tresspassers. And my father has heard word that your clan, allied with orcs, is tunneling into the Aerie, even as we speak."
"An' who be your da', dragon? Some daft old-"
Suddenly this posh dwarf was pinned against the mountain side, the tip of the great sword pressing against that golden breastplate, a sizable dent already formed. "My father has a name I'm sure you'll recognize, you furry little mole. My father is my king, Baalroth Trin."
That massive black blade slid a couple inches further, and Marakai leaned in as close as he could, eyes narrowed and glowing a vibrant red.
"And you and your furry friends are marked for death by that same King."
Marakai's free hand suddenly shot forward, grasping the dwarf by his ridiculous beard, and pulled. With a screech of metal, the dwarf was pulled into the sword, and impaled. That shining gold breastplate quickly colored red with blood.
Marakai suddenly slashed his sword to the side, flinging the golden clad corpse over a hundred feet towards Urra'vin and the rest of the Flameguard, landing with a clatter and rolling to a stop at Urra'vin's feet.
Still seething, the Prince stepped up to the massive gate, pulled his sword back, and swung as hard as he could into the adamantiun surface.
The black metal dented only a little, and Marakai gaped. He swung again, and it only gave slightly more. A stab, powered with all of the strength the Prince could muster, sank almost a foot into the metal, but failed to penetrate completely.
"By Crosis, that is one thick fucking door....Urra'vin!! Need a bigger weapon!!"
He stepped back and sighed. "This is so embarrassing..."
Urra'vin and the other Flameguard made his way down the hill as Marakai dealt with the dwarf rather effectively. As the corpse flew past, Urra'vin huffed softly and shook his head, ignoring it. There was no time to waste.
As Marakai went to work on the door, Urra'vin barked commands for his men to form up, before turning to the prince again. And his words caused Urra'vin to bellow a thundering laughter. No doubt would they have heard it back in the Aerie or through the black gate.
Urra'vin stepped forward, raising his axe and starting to hack into it like a madman. The sound of metal bending and creaking under the violent assault of Urra'vin.
One last slam made his axe into the gate made it stuck. Urra'vin grunted softly and turned the axe in the hole, before wrenching it back and pulling the gate literally from it's hinges.
Marakai huffed, and shouldered his weapon. "...well, since you won the dick measuring contest, maybe I can propose another." He poked Urra'vin on the chest, and grinned. "Whoever gets the most kills gets the last laugh."
With that, he offered only a smirk, and leapt into the darkness beyond the gate, his eyes flaring brightly.
Urra'vin arched an eyebrow at Marakai and scratched the side of his head. "What was that? I couldn't hear it due to the cries of agony from your hurt pride," he shook, his head with a soft chuckle. According to himself, he was very funny.
"But, in all seriousness, we are walking in an enemy stronghold," Urra'vin answered as he made his way through the remnant of the gate, following the prince closely. "If you can count, you can pour in more effort to kill. This is not a competition, Marakai. This is a mission."
"Oh, come on, Urra'vin. They're short. They're fat. And they come equipped with furry handles on their faces to throw them by. How much concentration do I need?" He have a dark chuckle, shaking his head.
"No, my friend...we might as well be mowing the grass."
"Regardless if it's but a trivial task. The sooner we're done, the better," he answered with a soft snort.
The dwarf that had slipped in returned with friends, pointing large crossbows at the dragons and opening fire. Several bolts slammed into Urra'vin, through the normal metal armour he wore. But that didn't stop him at all.
All it did was anger him. With a loud roar, he charged forward, axe raised. And soon enough, the firing squad was nothing but a heap of gore and severed limbs.
Behind him, Marakai heard a loud clanging noise as a ballista above them was loaded. He whipped around to look for the source of the sound.
These guys weren't taking any chances. He saw the massive, grounded crossbow, and readied his sword. Time to see if this thing could be a shield, too.
The massive sound of steel striking harshly against unbreaking crystal, as well as the two feet be slid backwards, told him it could. He grinned and let down his sword to grab up the ballista bolt, and heaved it up, towards the ledge the massive weapon sat upon.
Like a great spear, it flew through the air to stick deep into the stone, and quickly Marakai ran to it, leaping with considerable strength to grab it in one hand, and swing himself higher.
He landed with a downward slash of his great sword, cleaving their mounted weapon in two. The twk dwarven engineers who operated it followed shortly after.
The Prince stepped to the edge of the cliff, to yell down at Urra'vin. "Is that all the defense they've got? Do we know anything about this place, at all?"
"We know nothing!" Urra'vin answered as he slammed his axe inside a dwarf, the massive blade easily punching through the armour, almost splitting him in two.
Another one followed suit, charging the dragon with a hammer, slamming it into his stomach. "Big mistake, shortstack," he answered with a sickening grin. The axe dropped the floor and Urra'vin grabbed the warrior's head, before slamming him down, face landing on the sharp blade. He stomped on the back of his head, cleaving through his head cleanly, before pulling the weaponry out again.
"But they know we're a threat know! Be on your guard!"
"Right..." he grunted to himself. Bloody thrice-damned dwarves and their thrice-damned innovations.
Looking down the tunnel, he could see a whole bloody platoon of armored dwarves heading their way, four of them carrying... What were those?
Before they got much closer, the Prince leapt from the high ledge, and hit the ground running.
Clickclickclickclick
A sound reminiscent of a rattling chain reached his ears as those four dwarves, two on with side of a group of sixteen, cranked large handles on their contraptions.
Then he felt blinding pain, and stumbled backward several steps. Looking down through pain-narrowed eyes, he saw no less than seven crossbow bolts protruding from his chest, midsection, and legs.
He narrowed his eyes further, and grit his teeth as his eyes burned with brilliant light. Anger overtook him at the audacity of these fucking dwarves who had just turned him into a Gods damned porcupine.
He took a step forward. Another step. Each one sundered the rock below him as his famous rage, tempered by pain and his wounded pride, flared forth.
Quite simply, he lost control. His form slipped, and it felt spectacular as hot scales emerged from otherwise human flesh. He could feel his teeth lengthen into fangs, pressing into his lips. A brief pain in his head flared up as a single long spike suddenly protruded from the side of his head.
His sword was held in a hand that was no longer human, fingers thickened and clawed, his whole arm nearly twice as large as normal - this was a considerable change, seeing as how, in size, he took after his father.
The following shout was more of a roar, shaking the very stones of the cavern.
"I. HATE. YOU. FUCKING....DWARVES!!!"
One thing set the Flameguard aside from any other military units the Aerie had to offer. If even one of them got hurt.
Gods be on the side of the one hurting them. As Marakai raged on, several of the Flameguard followed suit with loud roars. Some became completely covered in scales, others even sprouted their wings or breathed fire, melting the the golden armour around their foes like a kind of metal cast.
Urra'vin couldn't help but let out a thundering laughter, it wasn't one of the irony of it all. Nor was it a way of coping.
The first Flameguard was having more than fun. Indicated by the sickening, blood thirsty grin that decorated his face. Along with actual blood and pieces of gore.
And without a thought, he charged forward. Right into the hail of crossbow bolts ripping at his armour and flesh. But he didn't stop. He threw himself in the platoon of dwarves like a madman that had a passionate deathwish.
Hearing the battle cries behind him, the berserk Prince let loose a blood curdling roar, a small plume of jet black flame issuing forth from his fang-filled maw.
He leapt forward with a speed to match his bloodlust, not running but literallyjumping ahead in leaps and bounds. When he finally met the dwarven platoon, he came down with a one handed, overhead strike with the flat of his blade.
His strength was great enough that one dwarf wielding his mechanical repeating crossbow flattened literally like a pancake. Showered with ruptured organs and a massive splash of blood, he grinned manically. Too given into his rage, he couldn't speak.
He instead roared again, turning toward a dwarf wielding a massive (for a dwarf - Urra'vin's made it look like a child's toy) axe. He exhales a wide jet of pitch black flame, immolating him - the smell of burning flesh and disintegrating hair filled the environs.
This dwarv dealt with, he swung his gore covered blade about, and suddenly halted as he recognized Urra'vin beside him.
He offered a gorey smile, and suddenly charged off farther into the tunnel.
Several spears, shortswords and axes stuck from bloody wounds on Urra'vin's physique. But yet he grinned through the pain manically.
He caught the blackfire Fang and glanced at Urra'vin. Answering the grin with one of his own, before following suit behind Marakai while heaving his massive axe.
And then the reported orcs made an appearance. Large, heavily armored, green skinned creatures carrying a myriad of various weapons. These were the living war machines, the siege breakers, the creatures any Lord would hire to break apart any force.
A proper challenge for a berserk dragon Prince. His roaring laughter echoed throughout the caverns as he leapt high into the air, blade lifted over his head to prepare an overhead slash.
He landed with his boots on the chest of one creature, knocking him go the ground. The Blackfire Fang arched downwards into the orc standing behind him, shattering the iron helm he wore and slicing cleanly into his armor, spilling hot blood on Marakai's arms. He changed the angle of his swing mid arch, gutted orc hanging from the blade, and crashed sword and corpse into the ranks beside him.
"It's a blood symphony, Urra'vin! Come and sing with me!" His roaring voice shook the cave, and the gathered orc soldiers took several steps back in fear.
"Your singing sounds like a yowling cat! Less words!" Urra'vin answered with a thundering laughter of his own. It waswas true. These orcish were tremendous foes,. Yet even they found their morale damaged when faced with a dragon that had arrows, spears and axes sticking everywhere and not letting up. Instead fighting with renewed vigour.
It was only insult to injury that he was currently loudly as he lopped limbs off, crushed heads with his bare hands or ripped out bones m, even the ocassional spine, with his teeth. The dragon carried an axeand. Which was but a tool. Every part of his body could be used as a weapon. And it was more than obvious that Urra'vin was proficient at this.