Magnus: Eye of the Dragon
To face death is to know freedom
Snuggling Kitties!
Jayne and Shitpancake snuggling like they love each other or something
Heads up to new readers:
This story is part of a series. Luckily, you can read the whole Magnus series for free!
…Time for this week’s story…
Magnus: Eye of the Dragon
On the other side of the great mountain range, Magnus and his Marauders explored the new terrain. According to their stolen map, the enemy held a fort on either side of the mountains. Once they found it, they circled the mountain to stay out of sight. The reports from their scouts proved more dire this time. Lesser demons guarded this fort, alongside the humans they had been tracking. Most troublesome, chained in the middle of a quad was a young blue drake.
“Finally, we’re getting close!” Magnus gleefully strode into the command tent with the report. “Demons? A drake? We’re getting close, I know it!”
“Calm yourself, Prince,” Farko said. “We seem to be closing in, which means the challenges ahead will become all the more dangerous. We’re lucky to have lost so few men so far, but demons and drakes are no trivial affair.”
“Well, they’re lesser demons. They’re weaker, and thusly, shouldn’t be a problem,” Magnus replied.
“Which means there could be a greater demon somewhere in the fort or even further ahead. Demons do not excite me.”
“But, a drake?” Magnus pointed at the report with a grin. “It looks like it’s just chained up without much space to roam. Poor thing.”
“You start feeling bad for it now, you’ll let your guard down, and it’ll bite your head off,” Eranor warned.
“But, if they have it chained up, that means it doesn’t want to be there.”
“Magnus, a drake is just a young dragon. Please, don’t try to make it your pet. It won’t want to come with us, I promise you,” Farko pleaded.
“Alright then, let’s focus on our attack. Could we try the same trick as last time?” Magnus proposed.
“Not with a demon at the front gate,” Eranor said. “They don’t appear to have a schedule, and come and go as they please. They’d sniff out that spell before our caravan got close.”
“They’d sniff out you mages, too, wouldn’t they? So we can’t sneak in, either,” Nastor added. “Prince Magnus, even you’d have to stay outside with the mages. I don’t see you going for that plan.”
“You’re right. I wouldn’t want to put you all in such a vulnerable position,” Magnus said begrudgingly.
“This might sound insane, but we could storm the front gate,” said Garley. “With that drake, there isn’t much room for their troops to gather besides outside their wall. We could use siege equipment to blow the front apart and create an even greater bottleneck.”
“I’d rather attack from the rear. We’d have the high ground, and we wouldn’t be charging headfirst into a blasted dragon.” Nastor argued.
“The dragon that is chained in place?” Garley asked.
“It’s big enough to breathe fire,” Nastor countered.
“A frontal attack would actually work to our advantage,” Garley insisted.
“We wouldn’t need to waste any energy with siege equipment if we attack from behind,” Eranor pointed out.
“No, but we would waste the energy of your mages before the battle begins. I’m sure you’d rather have that for fighting the demons,” Garley said sternly.
“That’s… a good point. Sorry, Nastor.” Eranor switched sides, to Nastor’s spirited dismay.
“We could do both.” Magnus proposed. The others stared at Magnus wide-eyed. “You’re all looking at me like I’ve said something daft.”
“Prince Magnus,” Farko began, “we don’t have the personnel to launch a two-sided attack on such a well-defended fort.”
“We could attack with a limited force from the front and cast illusion spells to make it seem as if we’re all there. The rest of our forces attack from behind once they’ve concentrated their defenses on the front.”
“Which team would you lead?” Farko pried.
“I would lead the team attacking the front. Surely, that’s where Jafret will go once he hears of the attack,” Magnus said. “Farko, you’ll be with me. Garley’s got to lead the other attack. Nastor and Eranor need to be there as well.”
After some discussion, the room agreed, and preparations began. Combining magic with craftsmanship, they constructed catapults. Then, mages shrunk them down to the size of an apple for transport. Mages and rogues teamed up to scour the canyon and mountains for boulders to shrink for ammunition.
Before they knew it a fortnight had passed, and they were on the eve of battle. Unlike previous battles, there was an undercurrent of fear. They had faced humans and cyclops, but never demons or a drake, much less both at the same time. Feeling the mood, Magnus led the Marauders in singing the song of their kingdom, and anything else he could think of to rouse their spirits. In that moment, Magnus recognized the value of a bard, which he had not thought to bring along.
They awoke well before sunrise the next morning. Soon, they parted ways to take their respective positions. Red and Blue magical birds accompanied Magnus and Eranor. When Magnus’s team was ready, he dismissed his red bird, and Eranor’s red bird disappeared. Once Eranor was ready, he dismissed his blue bird, and Magnus’s blue bird vanished.
“It’s time,” Magnus said.
“Indeed.” Farko sat up onto one knee.
“Is that illusion still going?” Magnus asked the nearest mage.
“Yes, sir.”
Magnus and Farko stepped out from behind some rocks into the wide stretch of road leading to the fort. They laid down the catapults with boulders and stepped back.
“Alright, men, into positions. Get ready to switch the illusion,” Magnus ordered. Two royal guards, two clerics, and four mages joined them at a safe distance away from the catapults. “Enlarge.” On Magnus’s order, the mages returned the catapults to their original sizes. “Fire and switch!”
The catapults sent boulders hurling through the air as the mages switched their illusion from invisibility to the full force of the Marauders in formation and ready for a fight. The guards looking out over the rocky, empty terrain were bewildered to see an army appear within striking distance.
Boulders exploded against the ramparts, splintering one of their towers. Magnus’s team fired repeatedly, shattering the fort’s front entrance. Within the fort, bells rung and horns blew. Magnus looked through his spyglass until he found his mark. Indeed, Jafret was there, pointing accusingly at Magnus and his illusory army. After exhausting their boulders, Magnus’s team shrank the catapults for later use and began their march toward the fort.
Humans climbed through the front gate’s rubble. Although the bottleneck for the human armies was successful, the lesser demons weren’t slowed. Eight red-skinned beasts with horns, wings, and lizard tails climbed over the sizable walls, growling and hissing, wielding spears, swords and tridents. None carried shields or armor. Their bodies were an eerie blend of gangly and hulking, looking both healthy and rotten at once.
The barrage of boulders echoed off the mountainsides. The guards cleared out from the rear of the fort. Garley’s team could feel the enemy moving far away, and when the time was right, Garley ordered the attack. Mages blasted open the rear wall, and Magnus’s Marauders flooded inside, cutting through every enemy they encountered. Knowing nothing of this, the lesser demons charged forward into Magnus’s illusion army.
“Do you think the ten of us can kill eight demons?” Farko asked Magnus as they marched headlong into the demons, who could easily crush a force triple their size.
“I’ll admit, a chill ran up my spine when I saw them, and that chill endures, but I remind myself that these bastards kidnapped my sister, and they deserve absolute, boundless retribution. So, let our spells and weapons fly with righteous might, blessed by the gods, so they may smite these abominations!” Magnus roared, his voice rising as he spoke. In motivating himself, he motivated his squad.
“Wait!” Magnus abruptly halted the advance of his team, then pointed to a mage. “Catapullt! Launch me into the fort.” On Magnus’s order, a mage set down and enlarged a catapult. Magnus then recited some incantations and cast boosting spells on himself in preparation for his plan.
“Magnus, are you mad? This is a terrible idea. Don’t get in that catapult!” Farko protested. “Stop it!”
“Launch me a little past the wall.” The mages shared Farko’s concerns, but did as Magnus asked. They adjusted the position of the catapult and flung Magnus into the sky.
Magnus squinted so he could see through the harsh wind assailing his eyes. The demons stopped to watch him sail overhead. Once he passed, they shrugged it off and continued their walk toward his team. Using his manatu to adjust his descent, Magnus found his target. He closed in on a man on the second level at the front of the open quad with the drake.
Slowing his fall at the last second, Magnus landed with a thud. The guards around him were stunned by his sudden appearance, and he cut down three of them before they could draw their weapons. The man he was after used a long lightning rod to keep Magnus at bay, but Magnus was too swift. He batted it away with his sheathe and closed the distance in the blink of an eye, running his sword through the man’s gut.
The drake watched curiously as Magnus made short work of his enemies. Magnus grabbed the lightning rod, then walked out onto a platform that extended into the quad. The drake snarled at Magnus. Then, Magnus held out the rod and dropped it in the quad. The drake snarled no more, examining the rod and Magnus. Magnus then pointed his manatu at the drake’s bindings. One by one, they unlocked and fell to the floor in a heap of clanking metal.
The drake examined his chains and free wrists. He locked eyes with Magnus and stepped closer, then eyed the guards in the quad with him. They panicked too late, and the drake thrashed about, smashing them against the walls with his tail and claws. The men flooding out the front gates began to scream and panic as well. The drake burned the archers on the ramparts, then ducked beneath the platform Magnus was on and breathed fire into the halls, roasting the fleeing army.
“Come on, Magnus. He’ll be fine with it,” Magnus said to himself, looking down at the drake. Mustering the courage, he jumped, landing at the base of its long neck. The drake backed up and turned to see Magnus smiling then pointed upward. The drake looked at Magnus incredulously, then huffed and looked to the sky. Like a cat, it readied itself and leapt into the air, massive wings creating a hurricane beneath it.
Before the drake could get far, Magnus aimed his manatu and shot some fireballs at the demons. When the drake realized the demons were there, it snarled, then dove. Magnus hung on for dear life.
The fireballs smashed against the demons just before the drake landed on one, digging its claws into its body. The drake breathed fire on another, then soared back into the sky clutching a demon. It circled and thrust the demon at its comrades. The demon smashed into the ground, its body exploding. The drake breathed fire on the demons as it passed, then stopped to hover in place.
When the dragon hovered, Magnus jumped off, relieved to be back on the ground. The demons were flanking the dragon, so Magnus drew his sword. Farko and the rest of the team joined the battle, and they fought the demons alongside the drake, who seemed bitter about his time in captivity.
The illusion had vanished, but enemy forces still fled in panic. The Marauders attacking from the rear had an even easier time than they anticipated, and found the front of the fort in chaos and rubble.
Magnus claimed this method of attack was much more fun than infiltration. He named the drake, Wrathburn, and offered it to join them on their adventure. The drake, unsurprisingly, did not seem interested and licked his face, then flew away.