pertwk Page 193
Page 193
"Then Tamarand will take over command," Casalos replied calmly. "Article 7 of the emergency plan already states this."
Taigu Jinlong nodded without saying anything more.
"最后复核一次作战计划。"卡萨洛兹开始快速报出一连串的数字，"a-7进入点：北纬71度32分18秒，西经42度18分27秒。b-3敌军集结点..."
All participants were taking notes rapidly. This device, which was completely different from what the dragons had previously known, made the dragons feel an unprecedented atmosphere of tension, yet also an immense sense of security.
"All units to assemble at 3:45 AM tomorrow. The dragons will take off at 2:00 AM sharp." Casalos scanned the entire area again. "Any further questions?"
The dragons fell silent.
"Then, the battle plan is finalized." Iron Dragon clicked its beak. "Dismissed."
The dragons gradually left the command center to prepare for battle, but Fiona stayed behind.
"Is Qislindo really that dangerous?" Miss Tungsten Dragon looked at the still-operating sand table with concern.
Casalos stared at the deep purple mark: "It once destroyed an entire mountain range with a single spell, and, while severely wounded, dismembered an ancient crystal dragon..."
"Then what are your chances of winning...?"
Iron Dragon shook his head and wrapped his tail around Tungsten Dragon's waist. "I sent Kara to Sentia because I didn't want her emotions to affect my performance. How come you've become so indecisive now?"
Fiona paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you need me to come with you?"
"No," Casalos shook his head. "Your task is to lead the other allethridids. Don't forget, we're not as numerous as the precious metal dragons and chromatic dragons. Keep an eye on them, and don't overextend yourself."
"I understand." Tungsten Dragon sighed. "Be careful yourself too."
Casalos turned off the sand table projection, plunging the entire command center into darkness.
66. Takeoff from Wuhu
The skillful attacker moves from the highest heavens—the highest heavens are those that cannot be seen.
At three in the morning, the sky over Damara, near the polar region, was still bathed in the glow of dawn—in this season, the night in this frigid land lasts only two or three hours. And the further north one goes, the longer the dawn light becomes.
The sound of metal scales scraping against each other echoed across the dragon roosts. Over a hundred dragons had completed their final preparations, and the paladins, assisted by their squires, were inspecting the heavy riding gear and various magical items. They then climbed onto the dragons' backs, connecting the safety buckles of their armor, waists, legs, and backs to the saddles, locking themselves to the dragons, and waving their hands to pull down the glass visors on their helmets.
Casalos stood on the takeoff platform, his indigo vertical pupils scanning the steel jungle, his nostrils twitching slightly as he sensed the tense atmosphere in the air. "You Lin, you have time, you Lin are here, are you not here..."
What follows, under its guidance, will be the first truly strategic long-range dragon swarm strike in Faerûn's history.
"Roar!" The Iron Dragon's voice, amplified by pre-set magic, resounded throughout Hyriogabalus. "Now, immediately, we will take off, soaring straight into the clouds, reaching the cloudless, frigid Crosswinds, flying over two thousand kilometers in one go, traversing the entire Great Glacier, and heading towards the far north, the kingdom of Sosar!"
Whispers arose from the dragon horde. Even for the silver dragons, who were most adept at riding the wind, such a long distance at high altitude was a tremendous challenge.
"Many of you dragons have never flown this high before meeting me, nor have you ever endured such a long and arduous flight..." Casalos spread his wings, the silvery-white metallic scales jingling. "But that's alright, we will fly in large formation. I will fly at the very front of the formation, acting as a wind-cutting blade, cleaving through the storm for you, creating a tail current to support you, guiding your ascent and direction; my fellow Claws of Justice will also be scattered at various points to regulate the airflow, wind direction, and weather—just like in every training session, only this time we will fly higher and farther! All you have to do is spread your wings and communicate with the wind, maintain good formation, and stay in your correct positions!"
Hevilan immediately responded: "The Claws of Justice have been assigned. I will be responsible for the left flank facing the wind, Azak for the right flank, and Sephira will quell the turbulent areas in the center of the formation."
"The golden dragons are constantly monitoring changes in fortune," Tamarand added. "Any unusual changes in air currents, weather, or celestial phenomena will be reported immediately."
"And what about us?" Chaturio muttered to himself. "The copper dragons are worst at this kind of orderly flight... What if we fall behind?"
"Stay in the middle of the group and don't move around." Fiona answered the question the copper dragons were concerned about, on behalf of Casalos. During training, they often fell behind due to erratic movements, losing their lead dragon's wind-breaking ability, lowering their altitude and speed, and making it impossible for them to catch up. "This isn't the time for stunts. If anyone can't resist flying around and falls behind in the first third of the journey, then go back to Damara. As for the second two-thirds, if the copper dragons still can't control their urge to fly around… I hope you remember and can find those hiding spots."
Casalos didn't bother with these idiots any longer and connected with Fanglong: "Fang, what's the situation on your end?"
"Gailos and his group have reached the intersection of the Damarane Magic Network and the Astral Plane," Archmage Fanglong replied immediately. "The magic ship will jump to the vicinity of the Norfralon Mountains in half an hour. Elminster has also calculated the teleportation path, so we won't need the large ship."
"Very good." Casalos shut down the communication, glanced at the dragon horde one last time, raised his head and let out a long dragon roar, spread his wings and leaped into the air, whipping up a strong gale and rapidly climbing to a height of 300 meters. Then, he maintained a stable angle, direction and speed, flying slowly so that the dragon horde behind him could keep up and gradually adjust their posture to form a formation.
Hevilan followed closely behind, the silver dragon's elegant form tracing a smooth path in the radiance. The other members of the Claws of Justice quickly dispersed and took their designated positions.
"Third position on the left wing, in position."
"Right-wing drainage point in place."
"Tail control area in place."
Through the communication crystal, the silver dragons continuously reported their positions and manipulated the wind to guide the other metal dragons into their positions. Soon, a huge inverted V-shaped formation took shape in the sky above Damara.
The golden dragons occupied the core of the formation. Tamarand's massive body followed steadily five body lengths to Casalos's right, while the uniquely positioned and powerful Vera Marandes occupied the left flank; her mountain crown might prove a lifeline for the entire dragon horde in a critical moment. The other golden dragons were arranged in order of age and status, with the bronze dragons following closely behind.
The brass and copper dragons were positioned in the safest and most effortless spots, at the two apexes of the inverted V. Even the most unruly Chaturio temporarily suppressed his nature and obediently maintained formation.
"Prepare to ascend." Casalos cried out again, summoning high-level wind elemental energy to merge with itself, spreading its wind wings, which had a wingspan of hundreds of meters, making the wings of all the dragons at the rear of the formation feel lighter. Then it slowly adjusted its angle, causing the entire formation to tilt upwards as a whole.
At an altitude of one thousand meters, Casalos slowed his ascent, gradually accelerating as he controlled his wind wings to sweep backward. The resulting wake caused the gold and silver dragons to adjust accordingly, and in conjunction with the bronze dragons, the V-shaped opening of their formation was reduced. This allowed the dragons to alleviate the stiffness in their wings that had begun during the continuous ascent, and to accelerate forward in level flight. After flying more than five thousand meters, Casalos swept his wind wings backward again, leading the dragons to gradually accelerate and resume their ascent.
The process repeated itself at an altitude of 3,000 meters, with the dragon swarm flying at speeds exceeding 300 km/h, then at 6,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and so on...
"The temperature has dropped to minus fifty degrees Celsius," a young silver dragon reported through the communication crystal.
"No problem," Salomes replied loudly. "My flames will keep me perfectly warm!"
"Shut up, save your energy." Hevilan sternly silenced the brass dragon's incessant chatter. "We've reached above the clouds; wind resistance is much lower than at lower altitudes. The long journey has only just begun."
Indeed, as altitude increases, air density and drag decrease, making flight increasingly difficult... Dragons need to breathe, drag is lift, and the low pressure and low temperature at high altitudes can cause the dragon's muscles to twitch and its magic to boil uncontrollably.
"Adjust the air mass." Casalos adjusted the formation's sweep and upward angles to position all the dragons in the optimal position to utilize their tails.
The silver dragons began to cast spells in unison, and the wind elements became docile under their control, smoothing out the already smooth upper-level laminar flow into a shape more suitable for flight. In the outermost area, an invisible "wind" formed around the formation, creating a high-pressure zone for it.
"I feel much better." Uriel breathed a sigh of relief, shaking off the feeling of suffocation.
But a new problem soon arose. A young brass dragon fell behind first. It unconsciously flapped its wings, causing its lift and speed to drop sharply. It instantly left the wake turbulence ahead of the formation and was about to be sucked into the clouds below and fall behind completely.
"I can't hold on any longer..." the brass dragon gasped, "It's too high..."
"Salomes, give it a hand," Fiona, who was nearby, immediately commanded.
Although they often bickered, Salomes did not hesitate when it mattered. It slightly deviated from the formation, using its body and wings to clear the airflow for its kin, allowing the huge tail currents at the front of the formation to flow back over the young brass dragon's wings.
"Th-thank you..."
"Stop talking nonsense and focus on flying!" Salomes was still verbally abusive, but his actions were very careful.
15,000 meters.
This altitude places them in the stratosphere. Most dragons never reach this altitude in their lifetime. The extreme cold and thin air cause even dragons in the high-pressure air mass to experience difficulty breathing and constant shivering. Fortunately, the paladins' healing and aura of courage dispel the persistent negative effects of the environment on the dragons, especially the fire-type dragons.
"Abnormal airflow ahead!" Draco suddenly warned.
Sure enough, five minutes later, a sudden, unexplained gust of wind abruptly blocked the path in front of the formation. If they were to collide with it directly, the entire formation would be scattered by this unexpected crosswind.
"Azak, you and Moonwing are responsible for breaking open a wind tunnel."
The silver dragons, having received the warning from the golden dragon, were already prepared. Under Hevilan's command, the two silver dragons facing the current left the group first and moved forward, their magic power converging to push open a gap in the horizontal airflow.
The crosswind then swirled into a vortex-like storm, creating an opening that allowed the formation to pass smoothly.
"The cyclone won't last long, get through quickly!"
The right flank of the formation narrowly missed the edge of the storm as it passed through the gap. Casalos could sense the exhaustion of the two silver dragons. Such extensive wind control was a considerable burden even for a powerful silver dragon like Azak. There was something Casalos had always found very strange: as the most social and gregarious subspecies of dragons in Faerûn, there were surprisingly few ancient dragons in the entire continent.
Lord and lieutenant of the Claws of Justice are the two most powerful silver dragons in Faerûn, one an Ancient Dragon and the other an Ancient Dragon. Further down the line, Miremu became an Ancient Dragon because he was bound to Candlekeep in ghost form, and even with Casalos's help, he has not been able to escape. The other two known Ancient Silver Dragons have no connection to the Claws of Justice, and their states are also extremely strange.
Misbarazka, "King Misbarak," "The One Without Kin," this male ancient silver dragon, a dwarf, rules the Mithril Kingdom of the deep underworld of Shanata with justice and wisdom. He sits on his throne in Ikasha City, protected by a Mithril shield, in a slumber that lasts every hundred years, awakening only after 25 years of slumber, as if forever imprisoned on that throne. When the male "Black Steel Dragons," the Darjantem Iron Star Clan, discovered him, he was already in this slumber. The Iron Star Clan established the Iron Star Kingdom and maintained its rule for over three thousand years, yet they never saw this silver dragon awaken. More than a thousand years have passed since the Iron Star Kingdom's destruction, and no rumors of him have ever circulated on the continent of Faerûn… Could someone be targeting these silver dragons that no one can truly hate?
Look at the Golden Dragon clan next door. Which of the eight Dragon Lords of the Royal Court isn't thriving with dragons? Which family can easily field more than a dozen Golden Dragons of mature age? There are also quite a few Dragon Lords like Dracol who don't belong to the Golden Dragon Royal Court, and each of them occupies a large territory and lives a leisurely life. And then there's the Dragon Queen like Vera Marandes, who inexplicably inherited the Red Dragon territory...
Casalos couldn't help but glance back at Tamaland, who was right behind him on the right, and the latter gave him a questioning look.
Okay, even if it was the Golden Dragon who did it, it wouldn't be this stubborn guy who's been fooled by Bahamut and whose mind is only filled with upholding justice and reverence for the Platinum Dragon God. At least, in the current timeline, it doesn't have to bear the name of regicide and exile itself anymore. Having such a single-minded and powerful ally is a good thing for Casalos no matter what.
67. Conspiracy theories
At a relative altitude of tens of thousands of meters, the ever-expanding glacier stretches across the land like an endless white scar, and the Norfralon Mountains are the keloid scar at the very center of this scar, ferocious and terrifying—similar to the Supreme Glacier that also invaded the continent of Faerûn to the south, the Great Glacier is also not a naturally formed glacier.
Originating from the Yellow Sea, a mysterious warm current flows westward along the Hanmen region, crossing the Kalatu continent and creating a strange, narrow, tropical rainforest climate zone called the Amma Basin in the polar region. Then, at the boundary between the Kalatu and Faerûn continents, it merges with the cold current flowing south from the Endless Ice Sea, forming several polar peaks that melt the polar ice caps, creating a large ice sea area that cuts off the northern part of the continent. This creates warm, habitable areas within the Arctic Circle, such as Sossal, Leatherman, the Endless Wilderness, and the northeastern part of the Tukan Plain.
The region covered by the Great Glacier was mostly warm and humid until the fall of an ancient evil god who ruled over ice and snow, leaving behind a divine eye... Legend has it that the Great Glacier was created by the magic of Palotanser, the former glorious ruler of the Golden Dragon Court, the King of Ice. This account may not be entirely accurate, but the Great Glacier is indeed inextricably linked to the King of Ice. This ancient golden dragon, who embodies the secrets and wisdom of a long-lost era, resides in the Great Glacier with the true purpose of suppressing the evil god's eye and diligently cleansing the glacier of evil creatures corrupted by the god's aura.
The extent of the Great Glacier has always been under Palotanser's control.
A fire-attribute dragon suppressing an ice-attribute Eye of the God... Hmm, although there's no concrete evidence, Casalos feels something's off, especially since this Eye of the God was turned into an artifact by Palotanser at some point in the future or past. It also reminds him of the Farron Silver Dragon subspecies, which, at some point in the future, was transformed from wind-attribute to ice-attribute under the influence of some force, completely losing its advantage over gold dragons...
Casalos released his gaze from Tamarand, glanced back at Hevilan on the left flank who was busy manipulating the wind currents, and then looked down at the Nofra Dragon Mountains passing below the dragon horde. The lair—or rather, the empire—of "The Ice King" Palotanser was located at the heart of the Nofra Dragon Mountains. Casalos hadn't come to visit the Ice King, and Palotanser was a close friend of Lares and the Nexus, having already accepted their plan to slumber through the dragon frenzy; he was currently probably fast asleep in some cave somewhere.
Iron Dragon's internal "accusations" against the Ice King for persecuting the Silver Dragon were baseless speculations, devoid of any concrete evidence. All it could do was stay as far away from and be wary of the Ice King as possible. Compared to Lares or Tamarand, Palotanser was far more terrifying!
Leaving aside these complex racial political struggles, Casalos led the dragons across the Yarros Mountains, which blocked the erosion of the great glacier, and the dragons entered the territory of Sosar. Casalos slowly retracted his wind wings, slowing the dragons to normal flight speed, and turned to scan the entire formation with his indigo vertical pupils.
"Report the number." It issued the command through the communication crystal.
"Two of the 43 dragons of the Claw of Justice are missing," Hevilan said calmly. "Cercia Lilith and Ottalikaan returned to base while assisting those who had fallen behind."
"The entire Golden Dragon Royal Court is present." Tamarand paused for a moment. "The little ones from the Dracol family are all here as well."
"The entire Bronze Dragonflight is present." Uriel's voice was weary. The Bronze Dragon Knights from Impu on Vorasega's side had also all arrived.
"Red Copper Dragon... uh..." Chaturio's voice trembled with obvious guilt. "We're four short."
"We're missing one of the brass dragons," Salomes added, his usual chatterbox-like chatter gone.
Casalos shook his head. A total of eleven bronze dragons and five brass dragons had fallen behind along the way. Although the silver dragons had tried their best to pull most of them back, five dragons still couldn't make it. Two silver dragons exhausted themselves rescuing their teammates and had to leave the group early to rest in the clouds before returning on their own.
"Better than expected," it commented. The mischievous nature of the bronze dragons made them always want to do some fancy things, while the brass dragons... at least the chatterboxes were more reliable than the mischievous imps on long flights where they needed to conserve their energy.
"Dismissed for a rest." Casalos adjusted his posture and began to descend slowly.
This disbandment, of course, didn't mean letting the dragons descend to Sosar's territory and wreak havoc. The silver dragons immediately acted according to the plan. Under the leadership of Hevilan and Azak, the members of the Claw of Righteousness began to cast spells in unison, condensing wind elements under their control. The originally thin high-altitude water vapor was forcibly gathered, compressed, and condensed.
Just ten minutes later, a thick cloud formed at the top of the troposphere at an altitude of 12,000 meters. This dragon-made cloud spanned nearly five kilometers and was over three hundred meters thick, enough for the entire dragon horde to move freely above.
"Prepare Cloudwalking." Hevilan commanded, and silver magical light spread from her body.
More than forty cloud-walking spells were cast almost simultaneously, enveloping each dragon in a pale blue magical aura. The dragons, who could only move through the clouds before, could now stand on the clouds as if they were on solid ground.
Casalos gripped the cloud firmly with its claws, savoring the peculiar sensation, like stepping on soft yet firm snow. It shook its neck, fluttering the frost off its scales.
The other dragons descended one after another. The gold dragons maintained their majestic posture, showing no sign of exhaustion. The bronze dragons, however, were much more practical; they immediately lay down upon landing, closing their eyes and panting heavily, raising their scales to dissipate heat. As for the copper and brass dragons…
"My wings are going to break!" Chaturio groaned dramatically as he lay upside down on the cloud.
"Shut up," Salomes kicked it. "Look at those paladins, they're way more professional than you."
Indeed, the paladins of Bahamut had already begun their work. They rolled off the dragon's back and began a collective prayer. Golden, divine light rose from them, transforming into spells of healing and restoration.
Holy Healing, Dispel, Restoration... one divine spell after another was unleashed. The Dragonborn Paladins displayed astonishing efficiency; they seemed to have an innate understanding of how to make divine spells work best against dragons.
Shortly after, Gallos's voice came through the communication crystal: "The second cluster has reached its designated position and is establishing a forward base. They encountered a small patrol, which has been eliminated and replaced by a camouflage team for infiltration."
"Roger that," Casalos responded, then turned to the other dragons. "Twenty-minute break. Azak, organize reconnaissance."
The Silver Dragon Paladin nodded and selected six dragons in their best condition: "Valdra, Moonwing, Morningstar, you're in charge of the northeast. Sephira, Silverclaw, Northwind, northwest. Maintain an altitude above 15,000 meters, observe only with optical telescopes, and do not use any detection magic."
The dragons that were called upon immediately sprang into action. The paladins accompanying them equipped them with specially made head-mounted optical telescopes, and then set up fixed monocular telescopes on their hips and shoulders. After securing themselves in place, they patted their scales to indicate that they were ready to go.
"Record their location, but don't disturb them." Casalos's tail traced a circle on the cloud. "The dragons need rest. The best time for us to attack is when they are most exhausted after their battle with Sosar's army." (The last line appears to be a nonsensical string of characters and is omitted from the translation.)
The scout dragon took to the air and departed. The remaining dragons continued to rest, their fatigue quickly easing thanks to the paladins' divine healing spells.
Fiona leaned closer to Casalos: "Is Qislindo really going to show up?"
"Of course." Casalos looked north. "Samast hopes it will hold us back here. But what it wants is to break free from Samast's control and seize control of the Dragon's Frenzy Lock—Samast tricked it into thinking the core of the Dragon's Frenzy Lock is here. That's why it's so eager."
"A demigod lich..." Fiona chewed on the word, "It sounds troublesome."
"It is indeed troublesome," Casalos admitted, "but not insurmountable."
Two hours passed quickly. The reconnaissance dragons continued to transmit intelligence.
"A white dragon swarm has been spotted forty-seven kilometers to the northeast," Valdra reported. "Approximately eighty in number, including twenty-three confirmed dragon liches. They have just finished a battle and are resting in the valley."
"Any casualties?"
"At least ten white dragon corpses are visible. The resistance from the Sossar is fiercer than expected. Some other white dragons and dragon liches have been sent out on patrol and may return at any time."
Safilas added, "No large herds of dragons were found in the northwest, but there were scattered patrols. They were groups of three to five, all ordinary white dragons."
Eighty white dragons and twenty-three dragon liches—this number undoubtedly represents the main force of Qislindor. The transformation into demigod dragon liches has freed Qislindor from judging dragon strength solely by size; when hidden among the white dragon liches, they are virtually impossible to spot from a distance. But given the white dragon's temperament, it will never allow its main force to escape its control. Wherever the main force is, that's where it will be!
"Prepare for battle," Casalos uttered a short, gruff voice, issuing the battle command.
Upon hearing the inquiry, the golden dragons immediately rose and began casting spells, dividing into several groups led by Tamarand, the three dragon lords, Dracol, and Vera Marandes. Dozens of divination spells intertwined to form a temporary barrier that enveloped the entire dragon horde. This barrier, composed of chance and divination, could block almost all detection and divination spells.
"Release the cold-resistant shield for the dragons that lack cold immunity," Dracol warned. "This is a world of ice and snow; the icy breath attacks from the white dragons and dragon liches are no joke!"
Group protective spells were cast in quick succession. The Bear's Resilience, the Cat's Grace, the Eagle's Majesty... Under the coordination of the Ancient Dragon, all status spells were stacked to their maximum. The paladins were not idle either, collectively casting Heroism and Blessing.
"Check the communication crystals," Casalos confirmed one last time. "Final pre-battle briefing: After the initial dive-bombing barrage, immediately pull up and disperse. Don't linger. Use the speed advantage from the dive to lure them to mid-to-high altitudes for close-quarters combat and eliminate them."