Downright terrifying couldn't begin to describe it. How they'd got in without making a single sound was incredible. But they had, and now Hardtoignite and the rest of his followers stood facing them, wondering just what to do.
Having found their way up a plush stairwell and onto the next floor after leaving the basement proper, there were few beings about, with the exception of two solitary nagas patrolling the corridors in their human forms. In all honesty, they never really stood a chance, each overwhelmed by a considerable number of different species, each dying in a totally different way, neither able to send a warning to any of their brethren. Leading the way, the ra-hoon had arrived just in time to spot the dragon group gaining access to the council chamber, and had watched for a few minutes, before being lured by the promise of supernatural power radiating from the room, enticing them ever forward. Had they wanted to ignore it, they couldn't, the pull and seduction of the magic was just too much. Having taken in the situation, the ra-hoon gave the order. They would go in as one, quietly, without the dragons knowing. Only when they were all lined up, would they be ready to fight, and reap the magical rewards that lay somewhere in that room. Silently they moved into position.
In all of his nearly two hundred years, he'd never seen anything like it. An array of magical creatures, some of which could only come from legend, he thought. He just had to be dreaming, that was the only possibility. He just had to be. But he wasn't. An angry snarl from the lead asena snapped him away from thoughts of legends and fame, its blue mane rippling as it did so. And then it hit him. An attack force sent by the king to take back the building. If that was the case, then it was a masterstroke, that of a genius. On some level he was correct. While the king now had no control over what the magical escapees did, he was at least hopeful that their release would result in the maximum amount of chaos possible. If only he knew.
Now that the dragons knew they were there, suppressing the noise was no longer necessary. Vile looking brown lizards scuttled back and forth, their forked tongues constantly whipping in and out, accompanied by crackling green bolts of lightning that lit up the air in front of them. A squadron of dark yellow gnats weaved in and out of the hovering pixiu, spraying tiny cones of fire out in front of them, making sure to avoid injuring their flying lion allies. One of the scaled apes beat his chest, with just two arms instead of the usual four. The rest of his kind followed. As the terrifying sound thundered around the room, causing the shelves with all the magical items on to shake, nifoloa buzzed, two headed eagles squawked, snakes hissed, the scorpion men's pincers clacked together, while all the time the leaders, the ra-hoon, looked on, waiting for the dragons' next move.
Dragon pee could peel the paint off a car in but a split second. It took all of the small group's concentration not to start redecorating the council chamber. Little choice about their next move was afforded.
18
Flash In The Pan
Snow and ice hung in the air, making it all but impossible to see more than a few feet in any direction as the walls of the cavern shook from the explosion that he'd unleashed only moments earlier. Head ringing, having been thrown back into a formation of stalactites, the ex-Crimson Guard knew he had to contain the fear and pain that threatened to engulf his false form of a body. Everything depended on it. And so, as he'd done many times before, he compartmentalised everything within him, tossing it all down the darkest, bottomless chasm lying deep within his mind and stoked all the rage he possessed, knowing that now was not the time to hesitate or show even the merest hint of mercy. Now was the time to do what had to be done. Not just for his survival, but for the others in this icy hellhole, and ultimately... the planet itself.
Bounding to his feet, he bumped straight into a disoriented naga trying to get its bearings. Without hesitation, he added some magic to a punch, carefully aiming at the gills on the side of the beast's head. With a sickening 'THWUMP', his hand pierced the glistening scales of his foe, right up to his wrist, eliciting a wet gurgle and a garbled cry for help. Knowing that he had no time to celebrate taking one of the enemy out, particularly as he'd just noticed the damage done to his supposedly camouflaged suit, he reverted back to his age old battle mantra... NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, KEEP ON THE MOVE AT ALL COSTS!
Throughout the cave, well... prison actually, debris settled, senses returned, anger presided. Above it all, the high pitched jingle of chains rattling bounced across the walls, as both long term detainees, Fredric and the naga king, desperately tried to enter the fray, with very little success.
Furious nagas rolled and wriggled in an effort to free themselves from the ice and snow into which they'd been tossed, needing to be upright to unleash the supernatural power at their disposal, but before some had a chance, invisible assailants rained down innovative, brilliant, bright magic, choking some, piercing others, crushing yet more unseen. It went some way to evening up the odds, but with each encounter the imaginative camouflage suits were damaged, revealing different members of the impromptu rescue effort, almost literally painting a target on each and every one of their backs.
Aware that now was not the time to hold back, Yoyo, using all the belief and willpower he possessed, launched a devastating concussive wave of energy at a pair of murderous looking nagas attempting to sneak up behind Hillier, who'd just garrotted one of their kind with pioneering new magic. Had he the time, Yoyo would have gushed with pride. However, his attention was needed elsewhere.
True to his battle beliefs, Flash hadn't stopped moving, a virtual twister, only a few parts of his body visible, slashing and kicking, punching and blocking, decimating the naga fighting force almost singlehandedly. Abruptly the blur that he was found himself caught unaware by a heavy metal chain around his legs. Momentum stifled, he crashed clumsily into one of the slithering serpent-like beasts intent on doing his friends harm. Without a thought, vicious chain lightning rocketed from his fingertips, deep into the eye sockets of his foe, instantly boiling the naga's eyeballs, effectively rendering him out of the fight. Before he had a chance to ascertain the threat that had brought him to a halt, roaring pain erupted across the base of his back, forcing him down to his knees, causing his head to spin. Grinning inanely, the jailer, Joshim, looked on, the massive barbed metal chain he'd just raked across Flash's back hanging limply by his side.
Everything, that's how much he gave. In all the decades he'd been incarcerated, he'd never wanted to break free quite as much as he did now, wanting to join in, fight, give his life for those who had clearly come to rescue him. But it was all in vain, as the chains didn't budge, not even an inch, still disappearing off into the wall of ice that effectively rendered him useless, when his skills were much needed.
Almost alien in comparison to Fredric's mind, the naga king's thoughts were much the same as those of his caged compatriot... wanting out, wanting to join in, wanting revenge. But he too couldn't move, the taut chain restraining most of his magic, only able to look on in horror at the scene unfolding before him.