@splinterlore has come up with a great contest. A story has been started and all that needs to be done is to complete it. It was not an easy job but I did want to give it a try. Hope you all like it.
The sky was bleeding moonlight when I saw the shadows of Lightning Dragons on the horizon. There were dozens of them. I shut my family safely inside the hut, extinguished every lantern and I was off.
I thought I could hear the beating of their wings over Federoch’s steady gallop (the old boy was riding harder tonight than he had in years). Turns out it was just the crazed pounding of my heart.
The Dragons were heading straight toward Lyveria as the majestic city slept. The walls would prove futile to these invaders, who would take no prisoners and leave nothing unburned.
As I crested the final hill that overlooked the city, the Lightning Dragons soared over my head. They were causing far less noise than the typical wild ruckus for which Lightning Dragons are known, which brought me to a chilling realization.
The great peace is broken. I was not able to warn the guard in time, and now the Lightning Dragons were careening silently into the walled Kingdom. I loosed a single flaming arrow toward the wall outpost nearest to me, hoping it would rouse the attention of the night watch. By a stroke of luck, the passing of my arrow illuminated one of the Dragons, and the siren began to sound.
One by one, lights appeared throughout Lyveria as I watched from the hillside, but not before I heard the screams. It was too late.
Standing atop the hill I watched the lightning strikes falling onto the city buildings followed by the thunderous sound. Fire had already started engulfing the city and the cries of the citizens echoed throughout the dancing flames of death.
I stood there helpless, my mind gone blank as I witnessed the destruction that ensued. And then I heard a scream unlike any other. A deafening cry of a lightning dragon. I tried to focus in the direction from where the sound came from and saw a dragon crash into a watch tower. I knew it in an instant what had happened and I gave a nudge to Federoch who started galloping downhill towards the city gates. Lyveria was fighting back.
Seeing their fellow dragon fall, the rest of those flying majestic beasts gave out a maddening scream and a whole new level of destruction befell the city.
But even amidst the various shouts, screams and thunder, I could hear the swooshing sound of those arrows whose existence had been forgotten with time. The weapon of the past used before the great peace, the dragon slayer, BLACK STAR.
Created by the Elven mages, Black Star was a weapon feared by all dragon races. It was said to be invisible to dragon eyes and the arrows it shot were created by the weapon itself whenever dragons were in the vicinity.
I had decided what I had to do. I needed to find one of the Black Stars and man it. As I neared the South gate of the city I noticed that it was closed. It wasn't surprising considering that the lighting dragons had come from the South. I figured that the citizens must be trying to evacuate from the North gate while the guards were busy fighting back all the while helping the citizens evacuate the city.
Pulling the reins left I directed Federoch towards the West gate. "Faster my friend, Lyveria needs all the manpower it can get" I said to Federoch. We raced towards the West entrance the sounds drenched with fear could be heard coming from the other side of the city wall making Federoch run faster than ever.
The forest line was visible now. That is where the West gate was. The forest near the West entrance acted as a natural barrier to fend off large armies attacking from that direction. It was strange that the citizens were not evacuating into the forest through this gate.
The gates opened as I neared the West entrance. To my surprise, a whole platoon marched out of the gate. No citizens in sight. They were guarding a cart pulled by 4 horses which carried only a single object covered by a blanket.
They were rushing towards the forest cover. Two Black Stars constantly firing in the night sky which were being pulled by 8 oxen each. The sight of those mythical weapons was something to behold. But strangely enough my eyes wouldn't stop staring at the object under the cover. Sparks were flying out from it. Bright light could be seen coming from under the blanket. "No witnesses!!" came a shout from one of the officers as I neared the platoon. And before I could react two arrows pierced through my shoulder and stomach. I fell off Federoch’s and went into oblivion.
A cold and wet lick from Federoch brought me back into consciousness. There was an arrow sticking in my shoulder which was painful as hell. But thankfully the other arrow had just scraped the side of my stomach and not pierced it. Holding Federoch’s rein I lifted myself up into a sitting position.
The city had been destroyed. Smoke came from the other side of the walls. The burning smell engulfed the surrounding. Nothing was left of Lyveria. What had happened? What was the platoon trying to guard instead of fighting the lightening dragons? Why did the soldiers attack me? Are we responsible for breaking the great peace?
....
....
The Sack of Lyveria marked the beginning of another great war. And I witnessed something that might be the actual reason behind lightening dragons' attack. A bloody future lies ahead. I need to find out what was on that cart. I need to put an end to the war.
