2017-05-20: On Wings of Darkness
- Cutscene: On Wings of Darkness
- Cast: Riesenlied
- Where: Old Petra, Adlehyde
- Date: 20th May 2017
- Summary: Riesenlied briefs the troops, no matter how little they listen to her... and steels herself of what she must become.
-Old Petra, Badlands-
The time had come.
Riesenlied stood before several organised phalanxes of Metal Demon soldiers, their formations interspersed with the younger of the Metal Dragons away from the Ebon Roost. Unlike the crude representation of the metal demon foot soldier that had been on display in the Adlehyde Ancient Culture Exhibition, these soldiers were of true stock -- birthed within the Photosphere, indoctrinated to worship Mother and serve the Quarter Knights, and most dangerous and imperative of all: Thirsting for their first measure of real combat outside of Elru.
Many of them were young and inexperienced, having preconceived and sometimes conceited notions of humans. A greater number of them yet had only participated in Arctica. They needed guidance, and to rein their pride in, lest it become hubris.
"Listen, and listen well!"
The commander of the Ebony Wings' voice cuts through the silence and the dust of the broken village, as she rises to address them.
"For a number of you, this assault shall serve as your first trial of combat. There are no more drills, no more instructions from this point out. You may be nervous. You may be confident. You may think you know what to expect."
She sweeps her hand. "But I shall personally tell you that you must not be complacent. Do not under any circumstance underestimate them merely because they are humans. Do not underestimate them because they are flesh, bone and blood. Do not think that they are clumsy and inexperienced, and that your training has made you invincible."
She grasps at empty air, and announces, "Your discipline has brought you this far, to be selected as part of the assault team. But keep that pride in check, lest it become hubris, and your undoing! Take great caution of the Drifters that roam the city, and take heed of the techniques and Sorcery that they wield, not to mention the ARMs that they themselves can synchronise with!"
Riesenlied can see it. A number of them do not pay too much attention to her; a number yet look skeptical, and she knows why -- they think her Tainted, they think her weak. They think that she is cowardly, and fear those that shouldn't be feared. Humans, a lesser creation inferior to that of the Hyadean.
And this isn't new to her. Over the years -- decades, even -- she's lectured this point over and over again... and there's only so much she can do. Some of them will learn the tenacity of humanity firsthand. Some of them won't live to learn from those mistakes.
And that hurts Riesenlied, deep within... for the future of Hyades and its survivors hinges on overcoming that preconceived notion of superiority.
-Adlehyde Skies-
The skies darken.
The Ebony Wings ride as an echelon formation, in the midst of several other accompanying fleets of Dragons carrying footsoldiers and other Metal Beasts. Riesenlied and her metallic canine companion Cetiri sit at the front, atop the large rotund onion dragon known to most Tainted as Muni-Muni.
She watches the advance troops make the first strike, slamming Adlehyde Castle's battlements with streams of flame. Already, the battle is joined -- the vanguard descend, swarms of soldiers and beasts scrambling into the city proper in the most textbook definition of an ambush.
Adlehyde is not alone. Already, the Yggdrasil surfaces from the earth and tears through with an impressive power that defies the very limits of known vehicles. Several of the battalions split apart under the fierce anti-air batteries of the sand cruiser, and Riese watches as one of the Bart Missiles strikes Midgard squad's flank, felling the metal dragon ferrying the footsoldiers with them. It careens downwards, and crashes into the city perimeters in a horrific crater.
"Enemy anti-air fire -- switch to Box Formation," Riese exclaims as she presses down on her throat microphone. "Midgard, you are to hold position until Eir and Ilmr squads arrive at their designated dropzones. Stay low to the ground and do not cluster up!"
Her heart seizes when they pull up, as she watches the familiar sights of Adlehyde disappear into the growing mass of metal and violence, flames catching upon wood and paper where they can. People scream and flee in scattered formations, collapsing where fear overtakes their instinct of flight.
That red balloon cascades up... and floats by her. Her eyes widen slowly. It drifts on by, unwilling to wait for her.
"You are yet troubled," Cetiri murmurs. "You mustn't. You cannot, at this point in time."
The winged woman is quiet still as the round dragon makes a turn, and the echelon of Ebony Wings make a strafing glide and head towards the Fairgrounds to the east of the castle. Their task was not in the city proper, nor in the assault of the castle. It was in the retrieval of the Golems.
A large, heavyset man pulls up on his crimson, bird-like dragon beside the two. Jedan, the heavy of the Ebony Wings, and Salamandra. "We're with you, Riese. We remember who we are. What we set out to do."
Riese's eyes open as she gazes towards the flank, where the rest of the Ebony Wings are -- the smaller demon in aquatic armor and mermaid-like fins, Dva; the combat instructor and drill sergeant, Sedam, and... the newest intern better suited to databases and powerpoints, Devet.
"Commence the plan, Ebony Wings," she announces. Her eyes narrow into focus as she gazes upon the wicked armaments of war from an age that predates them. The sins of their ancestors. The Golems: Barbados, Lolithia, Diablo.
Weapons of war, the likes of which should never be evoked once more...
"Operation: Gungnir commences now!"