Dragon Breeding For Dummies by Kigaeno Moondancer 10 Sept 2007

kootdwagon@fastmail.fm (mail for commissions, no limit on content)
Place: Burmecia
Date: 1 June 1800 (A few weeks after Dali was destroyed by the Cleyrans)
Rating: M for disturbing violence, no sex despite the odd name :)
Characters:
Fratley Irontail, General
Beatrix, General
various Burmecian and Alexandrian soldiers

"This is getting us nowhere." Fratley alone stood on the Alexandrian side of the North Gate. Before him stood Beatrix, both fully armed but neither weapon drawn. No doubt, both were ready to do so at a moment's notice.

"I already told you General." Beatrix spoke evenly, if firmly, "We are not here to attack Burmecia, but we absolutely must have information on Cleyra. And be allowed access to retaliate."

Fratley shook his head and said, "More excuses to traverse our border. Certainly a mad priest may have taken out Dali, but we haven't even seen him in weeks. We haven't seen any of the Cleyrans except Kildea's group arriving from Daguerreo. From all appearances the Cleyrans as a group had nothing to do with this."

"If it were just the one attack, we might be willing to negotiate more formally but.." Beatrix continued her firm speech only to be cut off again.

"Please." Fratley dismissed the statement, "You expect me to believe, General, that Cleyrans have been appearing 'out of nowhere' and attacking within your city? I am quite certain only Alexandria has displayed any kind of teleportation ability in the past. How do I know you aren't stacking the deck? Looking for a reason to attack?"

"And why would we do that?" Beatrix was angry, "Do you really think we want to afford another war?"

Fratley returned, "If you wish to defend and prove your honor. You are welcome to." He took a step back. He looked as if he was ready to leave.

"I already told you." Beatrix returned, somewhat more calmly, "I will not duel with you. The Queen has forbidden it and I am not here to fight you."

Fratley replied, "Very well. How about this." He turned his head slightly, "I have a messenger coming to inform me of the status of the investigation into the High Priests actions. Unfortunately I am unable to lend much military force to help him as well.. you know why. Either way I will send him to you with a statement after he has arrived. It will not be long."

Beatrix frowned. "I cannot wait forever."

"Oh I assure you. You will not be waiting forever." Fratley took another step back. With a leap into the air, he landed upon the top of the defenses at North gate.

Fratley did a good job of seeming the honorable type, even if Kigaeno never quite bought it. All the same, Kigaeno had seen a chance here with the forces gathered as one. He watched them from a distance, speaking to a black-outfitted female burmecian next to him, "Their presence so close to Burmecia is a problem, Valenoa, that is why I need you to do this, to bring this over there. You know." He grinned in a way that was sure to make most question what was left of his sanity.

"'It' is ready." She drew up a large container that was sealed in a heavy metal casing, "Whatever it is?" She seemed a little off-key, like the fact that he had a plan she didn't know about was slightly annoying.

Fratley sat down, "I'm counting on your ability with stealth Valenoa, all I need you to do is pour that out over the far end of the Alexandrian camp. Make sure to get some on the airships on the ground. And don't... get caught with it... or get it on you. Bring the container back with you, closed, and we will burn it before leaving."

"I would not question such orders. But I am.. baffled." A mercenary like her never questioned their orders... when being paid well. She picked it up, and carried it off to do as he bid her to. Kigaeno had to have this way with things, only giving information to those that needed it. There was no reason to alert anyone. He wanted to defend the gate without drawing fire onto the Burmecians there, and this would do that. And if she was caught doing it, it would seem weird... but she didn't know enough to be a leak.

"I'm putting my faith in you." Kigaeno said to himself as he sat down and relaxed only for a moment. He shook his head, feeling a little weird about his strategy. The fluid, oddly enough, was dragon urine, taken from a female grand dragon in heat. As very strange as this was, it was certain to attract at least one male grand dragons to the Alexandrian camp wishing to find who they thought they smelled. A dragon attack would distract them, without drawing blame on the burmecian forces.

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"Where is that messenger... and what the hell is that smell?" Beatrix sat in her command tent, gripping the table in front of her as she looked down at the plans, "What are they thinking? Surely they remember last time, they can't possibly hope to hold out if we're forced to fight them."

Her quiet pondering was broken by a loud panic outside, the sound of soldiers rushing to arms? "It can't be... they wouldn't..." She turned, drawing her sword, wielding it in both hands as she exited, coming face to face with... a dragon?

Taken off guard, the general barely dodged a gold of electric charge splayed off the dragon to strike a soldier directly next to her. She watched as the rookie soldier screamed and flailed, falling back against the tent and smoldering dead in their armor.

"I do not have time for this!" Beatrix drew her sword and lept into the air, striking downward against the edge of the dragon's neck, slicing into it. It did not particularly seem odd to her that a dragon would be here, but that one would attack a large group of people... it would have to be mad.

Blood sprayed from the vital portion of his neck as he flailed his head about. Beatrix found herself nearly blinded by the amount of dragon blood that was produced, and the flailing landed his head directly into her command tent. She lept back again as the dying dragon flailed about.

She panted, expecting a calm to follow, but then turned around to spot more panic. Another dragon... no two? But they were fighting each other instead of her soldiers. She watched as one of them barreled into the other, sending it crashing into her command ship, wood splintering as it collapsed beneath the weight, and soldiers rushing to combat them.

There was a deafening roar behind her... just how many of these were there? She was met as she turned by the flailing thrown body of another soldiers, so torn that they literally broke in two as they deflected off the General's raised sword. Her eyes wide in disbelief of the situation, she charged into the creature.

Her mind flooded with confusion even as she concentrated directly on the battle at hand. How? Had the Burmecians, traditionally enemies of the dragonos, enlisted their aid? Or learned to control them? Then why were some of them arriving here only to fight one another.

A roar as the dragon sent a jolt of electricity through her, only to find the General nearly unfazed by his attack, literally running right through it as he got a very close look at her sword being crammed into one of his eye sockets. The dragon ripped its head back and screamed, mental capacities blurring as it thrashed about on his back. Beatrix rushed up to run up the tail and sank her sword between the soft scales of his belly.

Turning again, she saw the two other fighting dragons had been managed, only with a clear loss of numbers on their part due to their surprise. Her command ship was beyond repair, and another nearby ship was damaged. Raising her eyes to the heavens, the shadow of a fifth dragon flying towards them could be seen. What the hell was going on?

"Muster up! We are on full alert!" Beatrix commanded, as if the command even needed to be given. It was going to be a long day.

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"What?..." Fratley asked in disbelieve as the soldier repeated, "The Alexandrian camp is under attack by dragons... should we... aid them?"

Fratley blinked again, rising up and beginning to walk out of his quarters and up towards the ballista atop the wall. The soldier followed him quietly, and sure enough as they looked over.. there was a dragon in the Alexandrian camp, and it looked like others had attacked and been fended off.

"That many? that couldn't be a coincidence..." Fratley mumbled to himself, then turned to the soldier, "We can't help them. My orders are to hold the gate without engaging the Alexandrians. I received no orders to help them if a third enemy attacks."

The soldier nodded respectfully, "Yes sir."

Fratley added, "Full alert, however, in case one of them turns this way, or in case Alexandria blames us and tries something extreme.." He gritted his teeth a little, knowing that even with their losses they outnumbered him. He had always believed they couldn't have penetrated their defenses without their black mages, but he didn't particularly look forward to putting that opinion to the test so soon.

Looking into the distance again, it appeared that the Alexandrians were moving came, many of them boarding their airships. Either to retreat or surge forward, he didn't know. "Ready the ballistas." Such a long day it was, and the messenger hadn't even shown up.

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"This did... not go well.." Garnet looked over the report, and Beatrix nodded slowly.

"The militant branch of the Cleyrans claim responsibility... they 'claim' to be able to control the dragons.. " Beatrix replied.

"You aren't so sure?" Garnet sounded curious.

Beatrix shook her head, "Some of the dragons were fighting each other, and it was not a concentrated attack of intent. After we withdrew another dragon landed where the camp was and was sniffing around. We suspect something in the camp was attracting them to that point."

Garnet sighed. She had to admit he was resourceful, "He is trying to prove that he doesn't need an army to cause us pain, and he is doing a good job of it. We have to try to get him to the table again, even if it means me going to Burmecia myself."

"I would not suggest.." Beatrix started, though she was quickly cut off.

"The Burmecians need to know we aren't the enemy. Send a request for them to set up a meeting between us and the Cleyrans, maybe this will build the trust between us and Burmecia while allowing us a chance to speak with this... priest... there has to be another way... a way to do this without fighting."

Beatrix gave an obedient nod. She knew what she would suggest, it would be using the summonings that Garnet possessed to put the rats in their place, and to show the 'rogue' Cleyran that his actions could result in more harm to his kind. But she would not listen to this. She was young, idealistic, not unlike the Cleyrans they fought in some ways.