Rally to my Call

As Fulcher returned to the Corvidrop soldiers he was met by Akaj.

“So? Did you win them over?” he asked with excitement. “If not, you may leave their fates to Akaj.” Fulcher eyes the Flame Prince over with skepticism.

“Yeah? You think you could take them out?” he asked.

“None can hurt Akaj,” the Flameweaver boasted. Fulcher laughed as he shook his head.

“We were able to strike a deal. They won’t participate in the battle, and in return we’ll make the kingdom friendlier to their profession,” he responded.

“Ah, I see,” Akaj said, with a sigh of disappointment.

“Hey, don’t feel bad. I’ve got the perfect job for you buddy,” Fulcher assured. Akaj looked up at him with a confused expression.

“We’re gonna need a siege weapon to get through the iron gate at the keep. I figured, that would be you,” Fulcher explained. Akaj laughed and patted the muscle of his forearm.

“Splendid! The gate will crumble to the might of the Flameweaver!” he said. Corvidrop eyed Akaj as the others joined them.

“This is it,” Schon said. “This is the day we change the kingdom for the better.”

“Indeed! This will be the day your legend is made, Sir!” Vardia said confidently, his visor slipping down to cover his eyes. Fulcher nodded as he looked at Benedict.

“I figure, once the battle is won in the field, we can storm the castle and capture Dilyniant ourselves. Would you join us?” he asked.

“Someone needs to remain outside to make sure the men don’t loot the town,” Corvidrop explained. “They may be our men, but they think of this city as a quick way to make a little money. I’ll stay outside to maintain order.”

Fulcher nodded, though his thoughts were interrupted by the blaring of a war horn. All eyes turned to the Capitol as the Huntmaster’s forces began their march towards the rebel force. Though strangely, the shining armored forms of the army remained still.

“Only one side is moving?” Corvidrop asked.

“The General and the Huntmaster seemed to be rivals. Maybe they aren’t as coordinated as they should be,” Fulcher responded.

“Still, that force equals our own. We cannot stand idly by as they approach,” Corvidrop said as he spurred his horse to move. He ran off to the lines of troops, and began to shout orders as Fulcher looked back at his party.

“Should we get separated, rally at the Cathedral of the Matron Mother by the castle. It’s the easiest building to spot, and should be covered enough to protect us from the archers,” he said. His friends nodded as they returned to the parasaur caravan. Vardia pulled a polearm from the side of the caravan, as Schon lifted a mace and gave it a practice swing. Akaj pulled his sickle from his belt, as the air around his body began to heat up. Fulcher reached down to the side of his saddle to pull the gauntlets up. He slipped Brittle Fracture on his hand next to Abyssal Black, then put Sea Gate and Glacial Core on his other. As he donned the gauntlets, the artifacts seemed to groan and shift to take in the ringcasters, each gem breaching the gauntlet as they bound themselves to Fulcher’s shape. He flexed his hands, the gauntlets feeling quite comfortable.

“Whoa,” he muttered.

“Fulcher!” Schon shouted, pointing towards the southern end of the field. A single dark-robed man stood with a gnarled staff, observing the advance of the Huntmaster’s forces and the preparation of Corvidrop’s.

“That’s The Chronomancer!” Fulcher said. He spurred Ravage forward, the raptor sprinting away from the lines of men to rush towards the caster. As the distance closed, Fulcher waved at the familiar face. The Chronomancer observed his approach and offered a warm smile.

“Well hello, Fulcher. I hope the parasaurs have treated your journey well?” he asked.

“Very well!” Fulcher said, his curiosity turning to scan the treeline behind The Chronomancer.

“But, where’s the King and the men?”

“Mm? Oh, they are here. In fact, you may want to step back,” The Chronomancer said with a playful glint in his eye. Ravage backed up slowly as the man raised his staff, his eyes flaring with an intense golden light. The grass around him stirred as sand seemed to summon itself into the field, swirling counter-clockwise upward into the air until it centered on the end of his staff. The spell continued to pull sand from the field around and behind The Chronomancer, creating a large cloud of dust in the air. It was as if a sandstorm had sprung out of the ground, the towering clouds of sand swirling against the blue sky as they began to hum with energy.

As if he was pushing back a tide, The Chronomancer wiped his staff from front to back. The sand in the air churned and heaved backwards, ripping away from the pair as it spiraled against the wind. As the sand peeled away from The Chronomancer, two horns poked into reality. More and more sand peeled away, revealing the rest of the beast, a tremendous triceratops with gold tipped horns and an armored frill. It rumbled as the sand stripped away, with King Mnguni saddled on its back, atop a golden throne. He laughed and stood, offering a wave down to the pair.

“Hello young Prince! Do give my regards to Mistress Schon for her wonderful idea!” The King bellowed as he laughed. As the sand continued to recede, it revealed lines of Ubuk soldiery, each one covered in green scale armor with gold trim. Most held spears and leather shields, made from dinosaur hides. Fulcher stared in awe as the sandstorm continued to push back, summoning the rest of the army from the depths of the past. A group of similarly cloaked casters as The Chronomancer, dozens of men saddled on gallimimus, and several more armored triceratops revealed themselves as the army was brought into the modern era. Then the sand shifted into the sky, revealing the tall heads of brontosauruses. Each bronto was armored from the knees to the chest, with small catapults build along their backs, pointing to the side. Finally the sand blew down to reveal additional troops flanking several lines of parasaurs, carrying supplies on their backs. Fulcher looked up at King Mnguni as the man turned back to his troops.

“Scales of Ubuk! Today, we fight to free the land of a Tyrant! Today, we tear down the walls of terror and use the rubble to build new bridges between out people! Today, we are the sword of justice!” he called. His soldiers began to chant, banging their shields rhythmically at the King as he rallied their attention. He turned back and pointed to the keep.

“Today, we send the Tyrant King to the Gods!” he called. He pulled a horn from the side of his throne, blowing into it. A shrill cry escaped the horn, echoing across the field and causing the assortment of gathered dinosaurs to answer its call.

With that, the warriors charged.