Day 82.
The walls were made of concrete. The soldiers wore brigandine. The wolves were patrolling.
But Rian wasn't satisfied. He stood on the highest tower of the fort, looking up at the gray clouds.
"The Orcs will come with numbers," Rian murmured. "They will bring siege towers. They will bring ladders. If we stay on the ground, we are just waiting to be crushed."
"We need eyes in the sky," Varg said, leaning on the parapet. "And maybe... something that can drop your 'Thunder Pots' on their heads."
Rian nodded. He waited for the chime.
[Ding! Daily Intelligence Report - Day 82]
[1. Aerial Entity Detection: The Argent-Wings]
Species: Titan-Hawks (Ancient Ancestors of Eagles).
Size: Wingspan of 8-10 meters. Can carry a fully armored man.
Location: "The Spire of Wind" (The highest peak of the Jagged Mountains, 4 miles West).
Status: A colony of 5 adults and 3 fledglings is currently pinned down.
Threat: A Frost Wyvern (Apex Predator) is hunting them. It has cornered the Matriarch.
Opportunity: If you save the Matriarch from the Wyvern, the flock will owe you a life debt.
Warning: The Wyvern is immune to normal steel. Requires Explosives.
Rian's eyes lit up. "Wyverns and Titan-Hawks. A war in the sky."
He turned to Grom.
"Grom! I need a weapon. Big. Portable."
Rian drew a quick sketch on the stone floor.
"A Scorpion Ballista. But instead of a spear, it shoots a weighted steel net. And I need Explosive Harpoons."
The Spire of Wind
Day 83.
The climb was brutal. Rian, Kagan, Varg, Caelum, and a team of porters carrying the disassembled Ballista parts struggled up the frozen cliff face.
They used Crampons (spiked shoe attachments Rian invented) to grip the ice.
As they reached the plateau near the summit, a screech pierced the air.
SCREEEE!
It was a sound of pure terror.
Above them, on a massive stone nest, a giant bird—the Titan-Hawk Matriarch—was bleeding. Her feathers were silver, but stained red. She was flapping her massive wings to protect three chicks behind her.
Hovering above her was a nightmare.
The Frost Wyvern.
It was a lizard of blue scales and ice, forty feet long. It opened its maw, and a blast of freezing frost breath hit the Hawk's wing, freezing the feathers instantly.
"It's toying with her," Varg whispered, terrified. "That thing is a monster."
"Set up the Scorpion!" Rian ordered. "Kagan, you are the bait."
The Sky Battle
The team assembled the wooden ballista in record time. Grom tightened the torsion springs (made of twisted animal sinew).
Rian loaded a Harpoon tipped with a bundle of Gunpowder Grenades.
"Kagan! Now!"
Kagan stepped out from behind the rock. He banged his World-Breaker Axe against his shield.
"HEY! OVERGROWN LIZARD!"
The Wyvern turned its reptilian eyes toward the tiny human. A snack.
It roared and dived.
The speed was terrifying. It was coming straight for Kagan.
"Hold..." Rian aligned the sights of the Ballista.
The Wyvern opened its mouth to freeze Kagan.
"FIRE!"
THWACK!
The Scorpion released the harpoon. It flew faster than an arrow.
It didn't hit the Wyvern's chest (which was armored). It hit the Open Mouth.
BOOM!
The grenades detonated inside the Wyvern's maw.
Black smoke and fire erupted from its throat. The beast choked, its frost breath backfiring. It shrieked in agony, crashing into the snow, thrashing wildly.
"The Net!" Rian screamed. "Reload! Net!"
Grom loaded the Steel Net canister.
Rian fired again.
The net expanded in the air, wrapping around the stunned Wyvern's wings, pinning it to the ground.
"Kagan! Finish it!"
Kagan charged. He didn't aim for the scales. He aimed for the neck, where the scales were thinnest.
He swung the World-Breaker.
CRUNCH.
Blue blood sprayed across the snow. The Wyvern twitched once, then went still.
The Pact of the Sky
Silence returned to the mountain peak.
Rian stood breathing heavily. They had killed a Dragon-kin.
The Titan-Hawk Matriarch limped forward. She was huge—her beak was the size of Rian's head. She looked at the dead Wyvern, then at the humans.
She didn't attack. Animals know who saved them.
Caelum stepped forward, his hands glowing with green light.
"She is grateful," Caelum whispered, tears in his eyes. "She says the sky is yours."
The Matriarch lowered her head, allowing Rian to touch her silver feathers. They were as hard as steel but warm to the touch.
[Ding! Unit Acquired: Titan-Hawk Flock]
1 Matriarch (Alpha - Mount for Rian)
4 Adults (Bombers)
3 Fledglings (Future Scouts)
Capabilities: Can carry 150kg payload. High altitude flight.
Rian looked at the giant bird.
"Varg rides the Wolf," Rian smiled, stroking the beak. "I will ride the Storm."
The Descent
They didn't climb down.
Rian strapped himself onto the Matriarch's back using ropes.
"Fly," he commanded.
The giant bird spread her 10-meter wings. With a powerful flap, they lifted off the ground.
Rian's stomach dropped. The wind rushed past his face.
Below him, the world shrank. He saw the Fort. He saw the River. He saw the Orc lands in the distance.
"This is it," Rian laughed, the wind tearing at his voice. "This is the view of an Emperor."
He looked down at his fort. From up here, he could see everything.
He could see a massive dark shape moving in the distant forest. The Orc Army. They were gathering.
"Let them come," Rian whispered. "I have the High Ground."
End of Chapter 38