The Dragon King’s Substitute Bride
Chapter 114

MIDAS

The dragon army rides out as one.

A mass of rolling thunder and pounding hooves.

At the base of dragon's mount, two straight lines appear within the sea of dark amour and like a practiced song and a choregraphed anthem, the army divides into three and rides off in seperate directions. Further down the road, each of the troops will divide once more.

Each company to be led by a Captain of the third highest rank.

Each headed towards where Midas had felt a portal opening.

The largest of the first divisions remains with the king.

Headed straight towards the portal Midas had felt the strongest.

The one in the center of the Elder forest.

"Halt!"

The dragon army stills.

The only sound is that of the breeze rustling through the trees but even that stops soon enough.

Midas senses them before they appear.

As with most things, no one remembers when the path of lost memories was found bit everyone seems to agree that it's initial intent was not malicious.

But as is the way with creations, it's use was soon corrupted.

With it's discovery came a way to access the chaos or shadow realm without necessarily getting trapped within it's depth.

There is no doubt in Midas' mind that it was through this path that Hermani, filled with jealousy, had first made contact with the darkness.

Those who went into the realm of chaos of their own free will, as long as they remained on the path, could make their way out again.

But those locked within it's darkness are unable to replace this path and thus could not make their way out.

To use the path for an escape, The Shades would first have to replace it and to replace it, they would need not just to be led by someone, they would also need light. Midas raises his left hand, fist clenched and all heads, Ryders and soilders turn towards it.

Many had tried to bring The Shades back.

Hermani herself included.

But only one source of light could burn in the land of chaos.

The light from the dragon crystals that grew under the castle.

Deep within the bowels of dragon's mount.

If somehow Hermani had managed to get some of his Ryders on her side then she might has well have convinced them to replace the crystals, to walk the path of memories. To replace them who lay wait in darkness and show them the way to the path.

To open portals and bring The Shades back to the surface realms once again.

He barely catches the first shadow as it darts behind a gnarled trunk.

A darkness different from the shade of the tall trees of the Elder forest.

A darkness that breathes and moves and gives off an aura of evil so strong it makes the hair at the back of his neck stand on end.

The dragon king closes his eyes and slows his heart rate.

Er'gan if you will awaken then you better do so now.

He waits but all he gets is silence....and then a flicker of heat.

His dragon maybe asleep but it was by no means gone.

His right hand clenches and releases...once...twice...

"Now!"

Midas' fist slices through the air and his army moves without warning.

Like lightning.

But the enemy, full of rage at being locked up for almost an eternity is faster..

They swarm out of the forest like a mass of locusts.

.

A dark, shrieking cloud made up of snarling jaws hanging impossibly wide open and disproportionately long limbs ending in razor sharp claws.

The shadows dart between the horses, sending them into a fray of confusion.

Knocking the large animals to their knees and toppling their riders.

But the dragonkin soilders recover quickly.

Finding out that the enemy though fast and filled with dark magic, was not immune to the steel edge of a dragon sword.

And soon enough the battle begins in earnest.

Shades and dragonkin falling in almost equal numbers.

Midas' swords swing through the air like extensions of his arms as he ducks and weaves and parries.

The air is filled with the smell of dirt and blood and a stench that rank of evil hangs over the battle field like a blanket.

Each time a Shade is struck, they let out a blood curdling scream as the swords sizzles and tears through their shadow cloaked flesh.

But no sooner would one shadow fall, that another two would take its place

And soon enough, the sounds of the Shades falling becomes few and far between and dragonkin blood begins to flow and cover the forest ground. Midas slides underneath the outstretched claws of a snarling shade. Swinging his sword at the same time and cutting the offensive being in half. "Take to the sky!"

The smaller of the dragons fly high in the sky, spotting enemy shadows and incinerating them to the ground

But the minute he utters the command, another set of Shades, these ones possessing dark, shadowy wings take to the sky as well.

They screech as they attack.

Horrid sounds that manage to both be deep and high pitched all at once.

They strike the dragons mid air, clawing and tearing at their wings.

Sending the big, roaring animals crashing to the ground in clouds of dust and blood.

The shadows are far too many and far too fast such that the Ryders risked burning to death some of their own.

Midas feels claws sink into his arms, and into his thighs.

Because his dragon is weakened, the wounds do not close up like they normally would and for the first time in along time the king feels blood trickle down his skin. The dragon army is outnumbered.

Severely so.

At this rate, not only would they lose...they will all die.

The soilders and Ryder's stand with their back to each other, swords out stretched even as the shades circle them, herding them in.

Suddenly they stop.

They might be smiling but with how distended their jaw are it is hard to tell.

Yet even without that it is obvious that they are gloating.

One of them steps forward, towards Midas.

"I...wwe.....are... disappointed"

Its voice is coarse...the angle of their large mouth creaking open like a door that has not been opened in a long long time.

"We expected more of the... dragon...king. Not this small, measly army that bores us to death!"

The Shades shriek and cackle and it takes Midas almost a full mement to realize that they are laughing.

Midas jaw clenches, his grip on his swords tightening. "Do you what the problem is with you creatures that have been locked up for too long?"

The shade c***s it's angular head and spreads out its long long hands. "We are bored. Entertain us."

Midas' eyes narrow into golden slits and he takes one step forward.

"You waste too much time by talking too long."

The shade screeches its laugh once more.

"Silence mortal. Do not....cover up your failure with ineffective...meaningless words. You are weak and we shall take... your... realm and all the others as well. Perhaps then...the Gods shall take that as a lesson to know that...." The Shade falls to the ground with a loud cry.

His companions startle and begin to attack but before they can even lift off the ground fire rains down on them from above.

All around, all at once.

Incinerating almost the entire army of dark creatures.

The dragon king rolls his shoulders and advances on the talking shade who somehow managed to survive the burns.

The thing shrieks up at him.

"How dare you!! We shall tear your limbs apa..."

His sword swings in one clean arc.

"It is like I said, You talk too much."

Midas had indeed felt all the other portals open.

But he had also sensed that they were weaker somehow.

That nothing came through.

That they were nothing but distractions.

So while he had indeed split his company, he had not done so to simply fling them out to various corners of the realm.

Like fools chasing ghosts.

Instead he had deliberately come with a disproportionately small army in order to lure the enemy into a false sense of security...

And while they had gloated and goaded, the rest of his army had been surrounding the forest.

The enemy barely even saw the swords that killed them.

Lead by their king the dragon army runs forward from all sides.

Attacking and winning.

Filling the air with the sound of the inhuman screams of dying evil. "Midas."

A whisper in all the chaos.

"Midas..."

The dragon king stops. His head spinning from side to side.

He knows that voice.

The voice he heard in his head.

He swings his sword at an oncoming shade without even looking,

That should not be possible. He had not even opened his mind.

But the relief rushing through his veins is so strong that he does not immediately question it.

"Leo..Thank the gods...where in Hades..."

"Come to the temple Midas."

The dragon king stops.

"What do you mean? Why did you not answer when I called?"

"Come to the dragon temple..."

"Leo..."

"Come to the dragon temple now...or she dies."