The sun beamed down brightly and the day was in full swing by the time the riders woke up. Virgil and Forde rose up first and decided to get a fire going for breakfast. Thyra and Sten were next to wake up before Rune and Vyra finally joined.
"Look who finally decided to wake up. Even after navigating through a storm last night you still went ahead to tackle another one" Sten teased, raising both his eyebrows at Rune with his hidden joke.
Rune rolled his eyes as Sten chuckled.
"What's for breakfast?" Vyra hurriedly asked.
She wasn't going to give Sten room to have another go at them.
"You do know they slept in separate tents right?" Forde pointed out.
"And? Come on man, you gotta get that it was a joke"
"We have fresh trout and some salmon on a stick" Thyra said.
"Any crabs?" Rune asked. He hoped he could get some for Sandstorm.
"I don't think we got any. Sorry Rune" said Virgil.
"Welp, I hope the two I packed are more than enough to reward Sandstorm. He could get grumpy that I just gave him two" he sighed.
"I'm pretty sure we can head for the island in a few hours" Forde said.
The whole group gathered around the fire with their breakfast in hand as they had a little discussion about their impending mission.
"We just have to check on our dragons. Ensure that they're in tip top shape" Vyra said.
"Aye, they fought hard against the elements and prevailed" Thyra said with fire in her voice.
"It was a real test for us, and we survived it" Sten added.
"Agreed" they chorused.
"Once we're done here, let's see how they're all doing and we can determine what time we leave. Let's take this time to gear up and be ready to roll out" he advised.
They responded with a nod as they went back to enjoying their meal.
Rune returned to his tent and Sandstorm was finally awake. Rune was impressed by his endurance and the courage to fly in such winds. He felt so much endeared to his dragon after last night; the faith and the trust that they showed in each other last night and strengthened their bond.
Rune held Sandstorm's head in his arms as his dragon rubbed his head against his abdomen. That was one of their ways of showing affection. Sandstorm barreling into Rune while he held his head and scratched his jaw.
"Who's a good boy, who's a good boy…" Rune said as Sandstorm mumbled while rubbing his head against him.
Rune giggled as Sandstorm tickled him on his belly causing him to get weak in the knees. The boy dropped to the ground as his dragon didn't relent. Rune laughed loud and hard before Sandstorm finally let up and dropped his head on his stomach, laying down entirely on the ground.
"Oh, such a handsome boy" he said scratching the top of his head.
Sandstorm cooed lovingly at his rider as he rested on him. Rune placed his hands on his head as the two laid there and enjoyed the moment. With all that was going on, they didn't get to do this enough, this was a very rare occasion and they took advantage of it.
"Ahhhhhhh" he said tapping the top of his head.
Sandstorm got up his head eagerly from his rider as Rune propped to his feet.
"Combat time, boy. Fast and hard - ready?" he spoke.
Sandstorm gargled with joy, ready to prove his worth on the battlefield yet again. Rune stepped into his tent and got a little pouch with crabs in them. Sandstorm sniffed the air and couldn't help but drool as his tail began to wag a little.
"Easy boy" Rune said as Sandstorm nudged him to give him his crabs.
He fed him the two crabs as his dragon didn't hesitate to crush them with his powerful jaws. With the treats shared and their fun had, it was time to get down to business. Both their moods became serious and focused as they geared up for battle.
Virgil and Forde set the map of the island down on a large flat rock. The team and their dragons surrounded the rock as they ran through the final plans of their mission. Everyone was in their full battle regalia, armed with all their essential weapons and their dragons looked ready for combat. There was no room for error; they had to be precise with their moves and take out their enemies swiftly.
"Okay team. It's go time" Rune said.
"The island is surrounded by a cloud of fog no matter the time and the weather. That gives us an element of surprise going in" he stated.
"Our enemies wouldn't know we're here until we hit them. We use the fog to get in as close as possible and spy out their base. It's in an open space, no trees around so they can see assailants coming from a distance"
"But their outpost is also by the water side with a working port. With the fog as cover, we can come in through the fog and begin our assault. Or would you like us to go through the tree-line and cut in?" he asked.
"Well,…" Sten said before coughing. "No matter which attack strategy we use, they are going to see us coming eventually. Making it to the island requires stealth but the position of their outpost and where it's located takes stealth of the table"
"I agree" Vyra chimed in.
"A firefight looks unavoidable at this point" Forde added.
"Then we go in fast and hit them with everything we got" Thyra said, smacking her fist into her palm.
"Full on chaos. But let's not forget, freeing the dragons and destroying our priority is our main goal" said Virgil.
"We are going to use this raid to send a message to the warlords. We will not allow them have their way. Every step of the way, we will stop them"
"I like the sound of that!"
"All right team. Let's fly"
They took to the skies on dragon back, Rune and Sandstorm leading the way as they journeyed to Goregutter Island.
Out on the island, the trappers available had no idea what was about to happen to them. They carried on, business as usual. Their outpost had tall metal walls of scavenged metal pieces welded together; to keep what was going inside away from the naked eye. Guards manned watchtowers at each corner. Large drag marks led to the gates in front. Dragon cries rang through the place, the sound of saws cutting through horn as dragons cried out for help. Massive cages kept the Crimson Goregutters at their mercy as ships docked, ready for a fresh batch of horns and dragons.
The commander of the outpost resided in a building at the center of their encampment. Dragon skulls were placed on the walls of his office, the cover of his chair was made out of Zippleback skin. He sat down there with a map in front of him. Small wooden ship models were placed on the map as he examined the route to the den of Warlords. As small journal was at his side, he kept record of all the ships that had left with cargo and how much they were making.
The man had scratch across his left eye rendering him blind there. He was clad in black armor; silver outlined the edged as he wore two large spikes on his shoulder pad. He had a skirt of black dragon skin wrapped around his waist, the front was open but the back was covered by skin. Baggy brown pants and black fur boots completed his attire. He hummed a sailor's tune as he looked upon the work in front of him.
One of his men with a hunched back walked into his office, he bowed with his arm across his chest before speaking.
"What's the report Grom?" the man asked.
"All shipments have been on time Ulrik. All shipments have arrived safe and sound sir" he reported.
Good he said not even sparing him a glance.
"Except for one sir"
His words raised an eyebrow. Ulrik took his gaze off his journal and looked at Grom.
"What do you mean except for one?" he asked with an intimidating tone.
"C-C-Captain Soren's ship never made it to the p-p-port sir" he said full of fear and fright.
Ulrik stroked his chin; there was only one group capable of stopping a fleet of ships of that size.
"Dragon riders" he said with a chilly voice.
"You r-r-really think so sir?"
"I know sir. No other group of people can take down such a massive fleet. Instruct all ships to change course immediately. We cannot afford those measly riders destroy our empire!" he barked, banging his fist on the table.
"Y-Y-Yes sir" Gorm said jumping up as his helmet fell down.
He quickly picked it up and scurried out of his office.
"I hope we are not too late" he added as he stared out of his window to his right, gazing at the large metal wall, and the scenery behind it.
The riders flew through the fog anticipating where their enemy would be. Since the Outpost was in the South, the decided to fly in through the North. They would engage the Outpost first before taking down the ships. They could be tracked down and destroyed, but their stronghold had to fall first.
Sandstorm led the dragons, his eyes focused, his senses in tune to his environment as he sliced through the air. Just like his rider, the two flew as one leading the team to the outpost.
"Let's take them down gang"
"HURRAH!" Thyra roared.
It didn't take long for the guards on the watchtower to spot the six approaching dragons and their riders.
"Dragon Riders!!" a guard cried.
"Sound the alarm!" shouted another.
The bell set inside one of the towers began to ring, alerting every one of the impending danger.
"Dragon riders" Ulrik gasped. "How could they be on to us so fast?" he questioned.
And then it hit him, Soren must've snitched on them.
"I swear, when I get my hands on that man ill make him regret the day he was born"
Before he could proceed further with his monologue, an explosion went off. One of their buildings had been blown to splinters and men were sent flying into the air.
"Shoot them out of the sky!" Ulrik commanded as he charged out of his office.
As soon as one of their ballistas took aim at Thyra, Eruptor burned it to ash with a powerful blast.
"Don't hold back! Give them everything you've got!" Rune charged.
Chaos ensued as the parts of the outpost were engulfed in flames. Thick black smoke rose meters into the air, giving off their location to the wildlife on the island. Screams and explosions filled the air; the riders weren't pulling their punches this time. Cutting of the horns of dragons was a low blow that wouldn't be tolerated.
Sandstorm rose above the smoke as Rune pulled on his saddle, taking the duo into a dive. With blistering speed, the duo cut through the air and blasted their armory to bits. The two rose up in a spiral as Virgil blasted two more huts down with Hothead's plasma blast. Eruptor flew over a row of buildings, setting them ablaze with a stream of his lava-like flame. Thyra landed by the horn cutters shed, to her, this was very personal. She and Rampage took to the ground to erase their enemies.
"You fellas picked the wrong line of occupation" she said as she pulled her hammer and mace of rampage and slid of his saddle.
"Aren't you foolish? Taking on seven men on your own?" one of the men said.
"I don't think you guys understand. I'm not stuck down here with you. You're stuck down here with me!!"
Thyra and Rampage charged at the men head on stunning the men with fear. Such courage and bravery made them rethink their choice for a second, but that was too late.
Ulrik looked around in anger and disbelief. Their industry, their empire, their means of livelihood, all burnt to the ground in mere moments. He clenched his fists in anger, his fingernails digging into his palms. He grit his teeth, foam almost forming at the sides of his mouth as he heaved heavily. The riders must pay. He took hold of one of their ballistas and fired with the aim to kill. He fired around in a circle trying to hit any dragon or rider in the vicinity.
Ballista arrows flew around into the air, causing the riders to hit evasive maneuvers.
"That guy is a problem" Rune said. Sandstorm agreed with a grunt.
As Ulrik continued to fire, a loud, thunderous roar reverberated around him. Every cell in his body felt the vibrations of the roar; primal fear locked within him emerged as he turned around slowly. While the group focus on carnage, Forde had been setting dragons free from their cages. Now a massive Crimson Goregutter stared down at Ulrik with his left horn cut off. Steam was ejected from the dragon's nose as he breathed down on the dragon trapper.
The anger and rage within him had been blown out like the flame of a candle. The mighty dragon took one step forward; Ulrik didn't know when a whimper escaped his lips as the ground vibrated under the size of the dragon. The throat of the dragon began to glow as flashes of fire escaped the corner of its mouth. The commander took steps backward as the dragon approached, his fight or flight response had been triggered and he looked for an exit but found none.
Finally spotting some cover, Ulrick dashed towards it with the hopes of escaping. A low rumble escaped from the dragon as blazing red flames flew from his jaws and incinerated the man, leaving nothing left. With a mighty roar from the titanic Crimson Goregutter, other Goregutters from the forest began flying towards their locations and those who were already at the Outpost replied with roars of their own as they joined the riders in burning the place to cinders.
Men ran to the Outpost, hopping on to boats to try and escape but the Goregutters didn't let them. With shrieks of fear and horror, the boats were set ablaze with men facing their blazing demise. The walls that once stood, guarding this place from attacks had been torn and melted down. Within two hours, the Outpost was nothing left but a large bonfire. The Crimson Goregutters flew back to their homes, free from the oppression of the trappers.
"I think that should get their attention" Rune said with a serious tone. "We did good work today team. Real fine work" he said as his expression softened.
His friends cheered and shared high fives before leaving the island.