Wings of Honor: Tales of Pyrrhia

Chapter 29: The Siege of Jade Mountain

A familiar SkyWing was wreaking havoc. Moon was there, trying to stop her. She had a dragon flame cactus. I knew that only meant one thing. She slashed Moon across the face, and she fell limp on the floor.
"No!" I screamed. Suddenly thrust back into the trenches.

I grabbed every weapon I could carry.
Moon, don't engage. Don't engage until I get there.
It's Peraguine! She's possessed by Goldman or something. She has a dragonflame, she's going to kill Sunny!
Moon! Calm down!
But her mind was closed off. She was scared, a streak of anger blocked me from reaching her.
Moon? Moon! "Shit."
I raced down the trenches, running back into the Academy. I vaulted over the sandbags, cutting around the underground lake. I noticed a trail of water. The dragonflame cactus we stopped from blowing up the Academy were stored at the bottom of the lake. Someone took one.
I followed the trail, back into the teacher's lounge.
"Peraguine, please! Don't do this!"
"I don't have a choice!"
"Everyone has a choice!"
"Not me. Goldman will kill me. He'll kill my mother!"
I rushed around the corner, spotting Moon staring down Peraguine. She held a dragonflame up to her mouth. Clay was covering the rest of the Academy with his wings, Sunny was stepping over him to try and talk her down.
"Guys, we can all calm down here."
I slung away my weapons.
"Marvin! I knew you could talk! You lied to me, Moon!"
She drew herself back as if to hiss. I knew that could also mean she was prepared to breathe fire.
"Hey!" I startled her out of her attack. Before I realized what an idiot I was trying to stop her myself.
"Hey. Peragine. I know things are a little scary right now. I know you might have been told to do something or the other. But ask yourself: is this the right thing to do?"
She stopped. But then she immediately started going in circles.
No. Goldman will kill me, he'll kill my mother. She won't be safe. I won't be safe. I have to do this. I must do this.
The way she's thinking. She must be enchanted.
That made something in my mind click. I started inching my way forward.
"Hey, Peragine. This isn't the only way. It's never the only way. Let's think about this for a moment."
I was so close, only a short stone's toss away. But a sheet of anger suddenly engulfed her.
"No. This is the only way."
She drew her head back and hissed
"No!"
Moon tacked her, throwing the cactus out of her hand and sending it rolling across the floor, away from the plumes of flame that reverse mushroomed on the roof. The entire cave was lit up with an orange hue. Moon pinned her down, she squirmed and screamed.
She's enchanted. She has to be restrained, we need an animus to free her. Wait. An animus object.
I fiddled with my collar, unpinning one of my old gold bars. I swallowed.
"I'm sorry Peraguine!"
I leaped onto her, driving the golden pin into her. She screamed with an ear-splitting shriek. But her mind changed from rage to panic.
What's going on? What's happening? I nearly killed my friends! It wasn't me! I swear! "Moon get off me!"
She did, but just as quickly growled.
"Stay down."
I kept pressing the pin into her, I didn't know if the spell might break if it stopped touching her.
"What should-" I started, until Qibli tore around the corner.
"Moon! Where-"
We both shouted at the same time.
"Qibli! Lift Goldman's spell!"
He slid to a stop, shaking his head, but then Peraguine stopped having that electrical feeling to her. She was free.
"Oh thank God. I'm sorry Peraguine, it's the only thing I knew how."
The pin was slightly bloody, but the injury was small, it would clot quickly. I didn't even need these anyway anymore.
"Marvin! The line's folding!" Qibli exclaimed to me.
"Aww shit! I need to get back, now!"
Moon grabbed me and put me on her back. As we began to run off, I shouted back to the dragons.
"Prepare to evacuate!"
"We will!" Clay cried out.
Qibli followed Moon as we tore down the empty corridors. Explosions rocked the caves, sending ominous sounds through the empty halls. At least until we arrived back outside.
Sounds of gunfire, zips of rounds flying past, and the glow of the exchange of tracers lit up the night. Qibli ran to his ditch, while Moon allowed me to slide down into the main trench. I could see in the dying flames, men, more tanks, all charging up the hill. I spotted them donning white bands, with various shapes of red on them. That only meant one thing. McManis caught me while I stumbled into the trenches.
"Heavy tanks Marvin! And Goldman has been spotted as a Nightwing!"
"Okay! Fall back to the second line. Fall back! Fall back!"
I repeated into the radio. I dragged Travers away from his position, just in time to see a shell rip into his foxhole and engulf it in flames. Travers' ammo started cooking off like firecrackers, sending tracers haphazardly into the sky. Not long after, another tank overtook the first trench. Only to be promptly hit with an M18 shell, and then gammoned just to be sure. The dragons were in breathing range of the first trench, and so, lit it up as soon as we left.
Screams. So many screams.
Ammo cooked off in bunches.
But they pushed on, tanks following in their wake. We were being pressed hard, harder than I imagined. I sprayed into the fire, trying to see them out through their minds. So much terror was felt by the enemy, but it was as if they had no choice. They were being forced to charge, against their own will.
It's a spell. Goldman ordered a kamikaze charge on Jade Mountain. They won't stop until they get to the egg.
I ducked when a grenade found Its resting place not far ahead of my new foxhole.
So what can we do?
My eyes were wide.
Goldman won't stop until he gets that egg. The enchantment is probably In their bandanas. We can't save that many, no matter how many animus wielders we have.
That left one single decision. I felt Moon's eyes widen.
Bake them. All out. Burn out the tanks, kill all the soldiers. There is no other choice. Burn them.
Moon hesitated but came to a similar realization. There would be no compromise here. Only either total victory... or slaughter.
I felt her take to the skies, as well as the humming of the other dragons protected by Skyfire. The battlefield was illuminated once more by dragons. Plumes of fire emanated from Qibli and Moon, while Winter pitched in to craft walls of ice.
Moon still did not kill, instead controlled her fire to lead the enemies into our fields of fire. Half looking through the scope, half aiming by instinct, I brought down man after man after boy who dared try to storm our trench. I saw tanks being engulfed in flames, stopping, then their burning crew crawling out and still charging before they finally fell. It was an all-out assault.
But even with our terrifying effectiveness, tanks still broke through Winter's walls of ice, through our moats of fire, and rolled over the first trench. I had already passed my gammons to other soldiers, and I made out Reed's words that ran a shiver down my spine.
"I'm out of HEAT!"
We ducked inside our trench. I saw Gossling look back at me. He was scared shitless. His helmet was crooked, he only gripped the sling, he crawled up in a fetal position. He had a distant stare with a shell-shocked expression.
I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home.
"Momma!" I heard someone cry, bringing tears to my eyes. "MOMMA!"
"You won't win Marvin."
I heard Goldman, but he was everywhere and nowhere. I could not discern his direction, but I could hear him loud and clear.
"It was impossible. It was a lost cause the moment you took that egg, Marvin. You may be able to hold out for a little while, but I will have my way. I am inevitable Marvin. Unstoppable. I do admire the defense you put up though. An intricate design."
An explosion rocked the trench. A rumble. A tank drove clear over.
"I never wanted to hurt you or your friends, but... they got in my way. I can't have that."
I spat on the ground.
"It's over Marvin. You can't win. You won't win. I won't let you."
Maybe he was right? He has the ability to force an endless war.
My sight drifted back over to Gosling. The poor kid. He never wanted to be here in the first place. Nobody asked to be here. Nobody deserved to be here. Well... everyone except me.
A resounding peace came over me, a realization. I was it. I was the outlier here. Whether for my abilities and skill... or for the consequences I must face.
"Maybe Goldman. Maybe it is hopeless. But... if it's one thing I've learned in my time here, it's that there is no such thing as hopelessness. Not until the last card has been played."
I got up to my knees, gritting my teeth.
When you're in a hard place and the world bears down on you...
I stood up in the trench.
And it feels like all hope is lost...
I grasped the grab rails and stepped up.
When it feels like you can't hang on a minute longer...
I planted my feet firmly into the steps.
Don't give up. Because that is the time and place when the tide will turn.
I raised myself above the trench. The sharp wind took my breath away.
I felt a round impact me, knocking the wind out of me. But I didn't fall back, I stayed upright.
The tank traversed away from me, bringing its rear gun to bear. It started chugging away while I walked up to it.
Ratatatatatatata!
The rounds plinged harmlessly off me, embedding themselves into the ground. I pressed forward. I climbed onto the tank, up to its hatch. I bashed open the lock, forcing it open. The poor tank commander looked up at me in shock and horror. I unclipped a grenade, letting the spoon pling away.
"There's always a final say."
I dropped it in. The man looked down, then up at me again, but I was already gone. A dull, wet explosion, and the tank was out of action.
I regained my footing, beginning to run. I ran to Turtle's trench. I found the dark green Seawing cowering in his trench.
"Turtle!" I called over the gunfire. He looked up in horror. "Turtle!" I yelled, sliding down.
"Marvin." He only made out.
"Turtle. I know you're scared. I know you want to go and hide. Believe me, I want to too. But I need you to go and protect your friends. My men."
He looked up at me. I stared deep into his dark green eyes. Fear and uncertainty were reflected in the firelight. "Turtle. I need you to save them. You're invincible, the enemy can't hurt you."
"But I-"
"I know. It's scary, and they're terrible people. But Turtle, I need you to save your friends. Save them again Turtle. Save them!"
With that, I ran up from the trench. Fearless in the face of facts, carving an example. Rounds crackled past me. My radio was long banged up, so I had to run. A round skipped, catching my foot. I tumbled into the trench.
"Ah hargh!"
"Captain!" Came the voice of Kish.
"It's over! Fall back! Fall back to the Academy!"
I saw the fear in his face, but he nodded and grabbed his radio to relay my order. I grabbed the two spare gammons behind Kish, jumping up again.
I ran across the prados, taking as much fire as I could. Each shell felt like a sledgehammer impacting me, but with no pain.
I ran breathless, but I could not stop. The cold air, discipline, and determination powered me through.
I motioned to each one of my men, they began falling back through the covered comms trenches. We fell back from sandbag to sandbag. From trench to trench.
I was the last man.
I singlehandedly charged a tank that emerged through the open left flank. A gammon to the engine bay engulfed it in flame. I fired my MKB so much the barrel began to glow dimly. The hand guard burned me, but that did not stop me. I held them back as my men retreated. A hot retreat. A single thought looped in my head.
Protect them. Protect my friends. Protect my family.
I stood at the exit of the trench, before Jade Mountain. I stood alone, but I saw Turtle covering the retreat with his wings.
Marvin!
I made out Moon's voice, but I brushed it aside. My friends were safe. I smiled. That was all that mattered.
I collapsed under machine guns bearing into me. They brought me to my knees, but could not pierce my armor. Nothing could. Another laid into me from another direction, then another. I was on all fours, but still being pushed back.
"Arrrrrrrrgghhhhhhh!" I yelled. But I was not giving up.
Not until my last breath!

Images of my first day here. Meeting Moon, meeting her friends. Truly getting to know my squad. Travers, McManis, Kish.
If I had to endure this for eternity, it would have been worth it. They could not burn away my smile.
A peaceful smile.

I exhaled for the last time.

Suddenly, the fire stopped. I looked up. The land was beginning to be lit by a warm orange. Only a moment later, hundreds of dragons swooped down from the sky. The Japanese were engulfed in fire and talons. I watched as the enemy was routed, the cheers of dragons. I realized the sun was rising over my shoulder, casting the land in a golden hue. The flags of the rising sun flew in retreat. In their wake, fire and teeth and claws awaited for them.
"We won."
I breathed hard, collapsing forward from exhaustion. My lungs burned, and everything felt tingly.
"Marvin!"
"Captain!"
Moon bounded up to me, and McManis slid down from her.
"Come on, don't die on me, Marvin."
I didn't realize how blurry things were when they laid me down on the floor. My squad ran up to me.
"You're okay Marvin. You're okay."
I coughed a wet cough. I knew from the look on McManis's and Kish's faces that I was coughing up blood.
"Marvin?" I heard the concerned voice of Travers. I faintly felt hands on me.
He's invincible. How could he have been hurt?
It only protects him from the outside. One or two rounds would be okay, but the amount he took.
"He's bleeding internally. His chest cavity is filling with fluid."
Jimmy forced off my jacket, unbuttoning my uniform.
"Marvin?"
"Moon." I coughed.
She leaned over me, but I could still make out her beautiful white scale behind her eye.
"I need space. Marvin's dying."
"Well fix him!" Kish yelled.
"I'm doing what I can."
I heard a pistol click.
"Fix him," McManis ordered, pressing his revolver against Jimmy's head.
"Don't." I made out. "I'm... okay."
A tear formed in my eye. I began to wheeze. It didn't hurt, but it was getting more and more difficult to breathe. I swallowed, the familiar taste of blood.
"Marvin." Moon whimpered.
I only made out a smile.
You did good Moon. You did great. You deserve a medal.
"No. You did better. You saved us. You saved them."
I rolled my head. There were Sunny, Clay, Tsunami, Starflight, and even Glory standing with the Academy dragonetts. They were safe. I sighed with a smile.
"Nuh huh, Marvin! Don't you give up on me now." McManis grabbed me by my shoulders. "You've done too much to give it up now!"
"Mc...McManis..."
He froze, looking at me.
"I... promote... you... rank... 1st... Lieutenant."
I unclipped my second bar, thrusting it into his shaking hand. McManis looked down at it.
"No." He shook his head, tears running down his grimy face. "I'm not taking this. It's your bars, your rank! Marvin! Stay with me! Marvin! MARVIN!"
But the world was fading away. I couldn't fight my eyelids falling.
Everything seemed to have a heavy blanket thrown over it.
All sounds, senses, and minds were muffled and fell away.
I was surrounded by a resounding quiet, devoid of even my ringing tinnitus.
It was as if I had completed my last goal. It was as if it was my turn to lay down my arms... and enjoy a moment of peace.
True peace.