Chain the Infamous Chainmaid 10

“You’re starting to make less and less sense Chainmaid. Perhaps I need to nourish you back to health before you make any again. It seems your time in the Stormroots and treatment by Highroot and her peoples has been anything but kind.”

“I appreciate the hospitality but believe it or not I’m fine. Well besides my temper. Ever here of Black Mast?”

Chain looked back at the Bandit King over her shoulder with a sweet smile. The loss of Roc’s own toothy grin told her that he had indeed heard of Black Mast. To make sure that Chain understood how well he knew of Black Mast the giant spoke with a deliberate coldness.

“Aye Chainmaid. I’ve heard of Black Mast, an attempt by my brethren in the Southern and Headland Kingdoms to make a land of their own.”

“By stealing it from the Rattama who already had established and built the colony, calling it home for a number of generations.”

“Yet it was you who removed it and all of the land around it for leagues from the map. I hear even today nothing but flat glass like land remains where once a nation could have stood.”

Looking away from the Bandit King, Chain closed her eyes and rested the spear she held on her shoulders.

“Yeah, I lost my temper and a whole lot of people paid the price. But you know, I got back what I was after.”

“It sounds to me Chainmaid like you’re offering me an ultimatum.”

“No, I’m asking for your help Bandit King. My partner has been taken from me just like back then and I promised her I would never unleash the power of my Relic in that way again. But the thing is Bandit King, I don’t know where she is and I could very easily raze all of the Stormroots to find her.”

“If I didn’t know of Black Mast Chainmaid I would say you were bluffing. Even few Heroes possess the destructive power that you claim to be able to wield.”

“You have it wrong Bandit King; I can’t control it and that’s the problem. If I lose it now of all times I can guarantee you that you’ll be witness to a repeat of Black Mast on a much greater scale. I would leave a scar separating the Central and Northern Kingdoms that makes the wastes of the Western Kingdoms look like paradise in comparison.”

“HRM, HRM, HRM, HRM, HRM. SUCH DESTRUCTION OF MY OLD JAIL WOULD I BE GLAD TO BEAR WITNESS TO. TELL ME HATCHLING, HOW MIGHT SUCH ANGER AND WRATH BE PULLED FREE OF YOUR MINISCULE FORM.”

The dragon’s voice thundered out over the city of Highroot and a moment later the dread beast descended from the storm above like a droplet of hell to flood the world in darkness. Spreading its mighty black wings the green horned and eyed dragon with chainlike scales took perch upon the great arches of the bridge where the tribute was meant to paid to the Bandit King. Looking up at the tremendous beast even Roc could not hide his surprise as nearly everyone on the bridge and in the parade panicked at the sight.

“Thurlix?! How can you possibly be here? Your prison was supposed to be inescapable. And what of the seal?”

“YOUR ANSWERS ARE COMING BANDIT KING, YOU NEED BUT BE PATIENT FOR THEIR ARRIVAL. I HOWEVER HAVE LITTLE USE FOR SUCH PATIENCE WHEN THE ANSWERS TO MY QUESTIONS ARE WRAPPED IN A VESSEL SO SMALL.”

Leaning down Thurlix lowered its heads and gazed upon Chain, its breath blowing the maid’s hair and cape about in the ever worsening rain. None of that seemed to matter to Chain who simply stared at the dragon dumbstruck. Her loss of words and composure did not come from her surprise that the voice that had spoken into her mind had indeed belonged to a dragon as was claimed, but to the nature of the dragon and her reflection in its rain slicked chainlike scales. Chainmail skin and eyes of green with a black cape that flowed out from where her pectorals ended at the shoulder looked back at the maid from the chains of the dragon’s own hide.

“Hatchling huh? What the hell?”

Chain’s words were rife with a horror the maid herself had not known since the day her chainmail, her Relic, had consumed her form in a cocoon of chains some five springs past and had become a part of her. It seemed in that moment that her anger was washed clean before the possibility that was presented to her but the voice of Highperch pulled it back and she remembered what it was she was trying to accomplish.

“Your majesty we don’t have time! The horses are panicked so we’ll use the steam truck, but we need to get out of here now!”

Looking in the direction of Highperch’s voice Chain witnessed the aged adventurer getting into the steam truck that had brought her to the bridge and dragging King Stormflock VI with him. As the king was father to the princess who worked with the man who bested her in an instant in the Stormroot Mountains he was Chain’s only current lead to the whereabouts of Melody. Her desire to find Melody overriding everything else Chain dropped the spear from her shoulders and chased after the truck as it spun about on squealing tires.

“Crap! Why did you have to choose now of all times to reveal yourself you stupid dragon!”

Gritting her teeth Chain recognized that though in short spurts she could easily out distance the steam truck in the long run the vehicle would easily lose her and as it already had a good lead on her she likely could not catch it on foot. Scanning the bridge Chain spotted the horses of the four horse team of the royal carriage had knocked themselves over in their panic at the arrival of the dragon and were tangled in their harness. Acting with all due haste and hoping to reach the horses before they injured themselves Chain bolted over to their location. With a series of powerful swings of the spear she wielded Chain freed the horses of their harness allowing them to recover and flee the bridge. Demonstrating spectacular acrobatic ability and agility Chain managed to mount one of the horses as it rose. Steering the beast with her legs Chain set it after the steam truck that held King Stormflock and Highperch.

“Hm, hm, hm, hm, hmmmm. Looks like I’m not the only one left waiting for answers after all Thurlix. Though if you’re free then I don’t have time to wait.”

“IT WOULD SEEM YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BANDIT KING.”

“Hm?”

Letting the dragon distract him from his intended departure Roc looked up at it as Thurlix raised its head towards the heavens. Following that gaze the Bandit King could only frown as Bright Rift airships descended from the clouds and three meter tall clockwork humanoids with shoulder mounted cannons leapt from the vessels. Directly above him however it was an eight meter tall armored, steel biped with IO Finch Misthead riding the left shoulder that descended from the clouds.

“I couldn’t have asked for more! The dragon and the Bandit King in the same place! Today I’ll kill you both and pave the way for mine and Misthead’s future!”

Looking up Roc saw the blue glowing eyes of the biped and heard the Builders sing of Finch.

♪~ Child framed with red cherry locks ~♪
♪~ Azure eyes and resolute hands ~♪
♪~ From above the storm astride metal doll ~♪
♪~ Crafted by genius and forged by hope ~♪
♪~ With pearly gun and fiery ally ~♪
♪~ An unyielding aim for a future dreamt ~♪
♪~ Ever straight the pretender ~♪

A toothy grin spread across the Bandit King’s face and he welcomed Finch’s approach by taking up the giant spiked iron ball and chain he wore at his waist and drawing the massive hand cannon at its other end with his left hand.

“So, you must be the imitation Hero that I’ve heard about.”

Taking aim at the mechanical biped Roc began to spin the iron ball and barked out orders to the army of bandits he had led into Highroot.

“Forget the dragon and remember the plan! We were waiting for this chaos now let’s take advantage of it! Let’s steal Highroot right out from under Stormflock’s nose! And while we’re at it, bring me my tribute! I’d hate to see the Chainmaid get away after she was offered to me and asked for my help! Hm, hm, hm, hm, hmmm.”

With a war cry unsuited to bandits Roc’s army flooded into the city from bridge and riverbank alike. As battle broke out in the streets Roc’s toothy grin grew ever wider as he welcomed Finch’s approach and Chain chased after Highperch and King Stormflock VI on horseback.

Copyright © 2018 Joshua D Tarwater