As Azier and Ivis flew through the orange sunset skies of Rayhaven, Azier yelled out, "You need a better grip than that when flying on dragons, don’t want to fall off now, do we?"
"Yeah, I get it. How hard can flying one of these dumb reptiles be?" retorted Ivis.
"Hey, dragons are brilliant animals; they're not dumb! Look at him; he definitely understood that." Shouted Azier as Ivis looked down to see his dragon's head tilted, looking at him with an irritated scowl. "And they can pull off some amazing aerobatic maneuvers; it can actually be pretty hard to stay on."
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Scoffed Ivis. Azier moved in closer.
"Don't be so mean to them; they’re amazing creatures!" As they slowly barreled over Ivis, Azier added, "And you might want to hold on. I see he's got a look in his eye."
Thornfire smirked as Ivis leaned forward and tightened his grip on the saddle. Then, all of a sudden, Thornfire rolled sharply to the right and drove straight down for a bit before pulling a left corkscrew maneuver. Ivis screamed the whole time as Thornfire performed extreme aerobatic maneuvers. As they came in for a landing, Thornfire stopped short, sending Ivis flying over his head and crashing into the ground. Azier and Vailstrym let out a chuckle.
"Did you see him?! Look at him! He's just as rude as I was!" Yelled Ivis. "Oh, I've got a word with you, reptile!" Ivis ran over to berate Thornfire, who had a dismissive look.
As the two were yelling at each other, an explosion at a building nearby startled the two guardians, and the district erupted in a frenzy. When Azier looked up, she saw Vexx Corvance attacking the locals. After a few seconds, Ivis and Thornfire stopped arguing and noticed Vexx and his henchmen while smoke billowed from a building.
Azier quickly got back onto Vailstrym and yelled out to Ivis, “I’ll deal with Vexx; you deal with those assholes on the ground!” She then bolted into the air like a firework.
Vailstrym shot a plasma blast at Vexx’s wyvern, Ignistra; however, he saw the brightly glowing ball of plasma head towards him at the last moment and dodged it. Vexx turned his head to see the guardian facing him down and another on the ground fighting off his men.
As Vailstrym lunged at Vexx, Ignistra twisted backward, grabbed her, and pierced a hollow dragon quill into her.
Vailstrym then let out a roar, and Azier looked down to see the quill jutting out from the side of her chest. Thornfire and Ivis stopped and looked up. Vailstrym could no longer stay in the air; the quill was embedded too deeply, causing excessive blood loss.
As they came in for a landing, Azier hopped off just before Vailstrym crashed into the ground, then ran over to assess the injury. She could not do anything without the medical equipment from the Rayhaven Dragonguard Academy. She kneeled beside Vailstrym, lying on the ground with labored breathing. Azier wasn't sure if her dragon was going to make it. Ivis and Thornfire sprinted over to assist.
“Go to the Academy and tell the Lieutenant Commander! And bring back a trauma kit!” yelled Azier. Ivis agreed and, with Thronfire, took off and headed back to the campus. Azier looked back at the destruction caused by Vexx.
With the Rayhaven Dragonguard angered even more, Vexx decided to call off the distracting attack before the backup came. After all, he got what he came for; there was no need to overstay his welcome.
They retreated into the dense Forgotten Forest before any locals knew what had happened to them.
Vexx knew he just pissed off the Dragonguard more than he wanted to. He did not intend to take out a dragon that day, but despite the risk, he still counted it as a positive outcome. Vexx was not expecting anyone from the Dragonguard to be right in the spot he wanted to attack.
***
Thornfire and Ivis came into Rayhaven at breakneck speeds, almost slamming into the ground. A few fellow guardians noticed his urgency and asked what was going on.
"Vexx attacked the city's edge, at the [DISTRICT] district! Vailstrym and Azier confronted him, but she got impaled with an Ire quill." Ivis explained as some of the guardians gasped. "I don’t think Vailstrym can't fly; they had to land. It looked like she was losing a lot of blood."
One guardian stepped forward and said, "Here, let me take the kit over. I'll get there faster than you will."
“Thanks, Sören,” Ivis replied as the guardian grabbed the trauma kit and took flight. A sergeant overheard the conversation and relayed the information to the Lieutenant Commander, who came outside.
“What happened out there?” Inquired the Commander.
Ivis elaborated, “Vailstrym’s been hit and is bleeding out; Sören just left to get a trauma kit over to her—”
“Yes, the sergeant told me; what was the initial contact?” Interrupted the Commander.
Ivis elaborated in detail on the events that had just transpired moments before.
“I’m gettin’ real fuckin’ tired of this asshole. How many quills stuck them?”
“Just Vailstrym, I think only one, but it was in the side of her chest. They’re in the district plaza.” Explained Ivis, visibly worried.
The Commander sighed. “Well, great, what a day to end the week with. Get some medics on standby to take them in.” He paused. “With an injury like that, she probably can’t fly. We’ll need to bring her in with the Dragonknights’ drakes.” He turned around to the other guardians who were standing around.
“1st Squadron, mount up; I need you to extract Vailstrym and Azier. 3rd Squadron, I need you to do surveillance overhead while they extract them.” Ordered the Lieutenant Commander. He turned back to Ivis and asked, “Where did Vexx go?”
“I think he and his men went into the Forgotten Forest. It looks like they got what they needed and got the hell out of there.”
“Fucking great, it’ll be too difficult to find him in there at night. We’ll deal with him in the morning,” said Lieutenant Commander Blackthorn. “I need you all to stay overnight, assist the locals as needed, and provide additional security if Vexx returns. I’ll meet up in the morning with more units, and we’ll hunt that fucker down.”
The guardians sounded off with motivation and prepared for their mission, creating a commotion reminiscent of a bustling small town.
“Larkspur, go with the others for surveillance,” Blackthorn ordered in a firm tone. Ivis snapped a quick salute before swiftly joining the squadron as they prepared to move out.
A handful of wingless dragon-like creatures, known as drakes, departed with an escort of a few other guardians. Some rode on flying dragonkin, while others rode drakes used for ground support. Their mission appeared to be the extraction of Vailstrym and Azier, indicating a cautious approach to the operation.
In the moments that followed, the remaining squadrons proceeded to the city's edge. Ivis and Thornfire ascended into the air, both their eyes scanned the horizon for potential dangers. The other guardians followed closely behind, prepared to confront any threats.
Ivis was one of the first to arrive at the district. He looked down and saw a team of medics heading back to the base. Azier noticed the group in the sky and could only assume Ivis was with them. She gave a salute, knowing he would see it.
“Fly high, Guardian,” She murmured to herself while stroking Vailstrym’s head to comfort her. Ivis saw her gesture and returned the salute in solidarity.
Throughout the night, some members of the Dragonguard tirelessly patrolled the streets and stood guard at the city’s borders. Others offered their support and assistance to citizens in need. They helped those in the buildings damaged in the attack with shelter and provided medical aid to the injured, ensuring everyone felt safe amidst the aftermath of the chaos. The Dragonguard’s unwavering dedication and vigilance were crucial in maintaining order and peace.
No sightings of Vexx occurred during the night, leaving everyone on edge. The darkness stretched on, filled with whispers and anxious glances. With each uneventful hour dragging on, the guardians’ tensions only intensified.
As the first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the leaves, a warm glow spread across the forest floor and illuminated the streets. The soft, golden light melted everyone’s angst, knowing there would be no chance of a stealth attack from Vexx.
A reveille bugle call pierced the still morning air, startling many guardians and their companions. Within seconds, the woods outside the city exploded in a flurry of activity. Those on the last night shift were finally relieved of their duties, while the rest jumped into their assigned responsibilities. In no time, they were ready, awaiting the Commander’s orders upon his arrival.
Ivis rose from his cot, feeling the pleasant sensation as he stretched his arms high above his head. Meanwhile, Thronfire, with a graceful elegance, unfurled his legs, extending his sharp claws, mimicking a feline stretch. He followed this by arching his back and extending his hind limbs in a series of fluid motions.
As they stood there, the bright morning sky was painted a perfect blue with no speck of white cloud to be found anywhere. In the distance, just cresting over the horizon, was the figure of the Commander on his wyvern, Quicksilver, gliding confidently through the sky. His formidable escort surrounded him, a group of seasoned warriors ready for any challenge. Behind them, a few more squadrons trailed in formation, their movements synchronized like it was choreographed.
Another bugle call echoed across the district, slicing through the guardians' murmurs as it signaled the approach of an officer. Instantly, a wave of urgency swept through the crowd, the guardians hastily clearing the district square with practiced precision. The Commander, astride his daunting dragon, descended with a dramatic flourish. The sheer force of the creature’s puissant wings stirred up a gust of wind that left hair in disarray.
With a graceful swoop, Quicksilver’s massive feet landed on the concrete with a resonant thud. Blackthorn fluently dismounted; his armor rustled with a quick racket. His piercing eyes surveyed over the assembled crowd awaiting his orders. His furrowed brow and cold, sharp glare could be felt in the soul. The air was thick with tension, perceptible enough that anyone in a hundred-mile radius could sense his simmering anger. It radiated from him like an electric charge, semblable to a [ELECTRIC DRAGONKIN SPECIES].
