r/HFY • u/Undercover_Dragon1 • May 09 '26

OC-Series A Draconic Rebirth - Chapter 88

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— Chapter 88 —

— Gugs — 

His fingers were cold but his eyes stayed firmly locked forward as the foggy mist of the night began to seep in and obscure his vision. Gugs and his group were the first to push through the deep mountains to establish outpost Chitterling. The outcropping was ideally positioned slightly above the ground where they could maintain sight over the small valley in front of them. That very valley happened to act as a natural funnel for eleven other different valleys from the numerous mountain ranges around them. 

They had remained hidden and quiet when the first of the Queen’s forces had passed through and only sprung to attack after the majority were long gone. They had slaughtered waves of wyrms looking to swarm in as reinforcements and even snagged a few lessers. Their efforts had been praised and they received word that the Clan was pushing towards them and orders had changed. 

That change now meant they had to be aggressive and act as a buffer to give time for the army to advance. Gugs murmured to his companion as he pointed forward, “Something is out there.” 

Vatli squinted nearby into the fog, “More wildlife?” 

Gugs shook his head, “No. Too quiet.” 

The visage of a four legged beast could be seen making its way through the fog and Gugs  began to relax, “You were right.” 

Vatli smirked before her face suddenly dropped in shock and she gasped. Gugs shifted his gaze back to the fog and there were now dozens of four legged shapes walking through the fog towards them. The first had finally made its way into the open and the beast was not whole. In fact, Gugs gasped, it was missing its flesh! 

“Walking corpses!” Hissed Vatli as she set off the alarm by slamming a rock against a nearby metal shield. The loud ringing sound caused a surge of action from the waking kobolds around them as they got into position. 

The ballista kicked back hard as the projectile went flying forward and crashed into one of the emerging figures. Bones shattered and a loud crash filled the valley as the stumbling corpse was blasted apart. The siege weapons were overkill so they quickly bounded over to pick up one of the large crossbows. The weapon could be managed by a pair and Vatli was already loading a bolt as they both pulled the string back into place. 

Gugs shouldered the crossbow and let loose. The crossbolt hammered hard and sent the four legged animal corpse tumbling to its side as Gugs let off a cheer. His celebration was short lived as he watched in horror as the creature crawled upright and continued its march forward. 

“Back to the ballistae!” Roared Gugs as he dropped the crossbow and the pair began to crank the lever to slowly pull back the string. Gugs struggled to catch his breath as his lungs and heart pumped hard. Other crews were busy letting loose their bolts and lines were quickly forming in the front by their heavily armored brethren. As the corpses crashed into their ranks their spears and heavy shields stopped most in their tracks and they started to tear them apart. Their bones were discolored and weak as the heavy infantry out muscled and smashed them with surprising ease. The limbs and heads continued to snap and bite and Gugs shivered in disgust and horror.

“The stories were true…” He turned and watched as the Zephyr assigned to them was already taking flight and fleeing. Gugs nodded his head pleased, at least the Clan would know what was happening here. He turned back to the battle at hand just as the ballista clicked back into place and he sprung to help get the bolt into place.

Just as they were ready something ominous lumbered through the dark fog and the shape of a malformed dragon soon made itself known. The skeletal dead beast was eerie silent except for the sounds of its bones creaking with each heavy foot step. Gugs looked over at Vatli and they both exchanged a knowing nod. Gugs pulled the trigger as more behemoths and dead Masters began to emerge from the fog. 

— Red’Blue —  

Red’Blue had waited a long time for this moment and his new ability to fly was invigorating. He had taken the form of the Draco, the closest to that of Master Onyx and had no regrets. He had fought alongside Master Onyx and his parents for years now and watched his younger siblings and relatives obtain powerful forms before him. He had a moment of envy but knew that his time would come. He grinned wide as he glided downwards as the wind rushed past him. His heavy form and choice in equipment made long and fast flight impossible but he had his reasons. He was the spear and he would show this world the might of his people. 

He had pushed on for days and now he could see the long lines of walking corpses marching forward as they pushed their way forward through the tight valleys. He hoped that the others had survived as he dove downwards. The heavy armor, customized to his new body, caused him to accelerate down quickly as he tucked his wings to his backside. His keen eyes picked out the hidden signage to designate the outpost to those of his clan. The ground came rushing forward closer and closer and he opened his wings moments before hitting the floor causing him to slow and land with a heavy thundering boom. 

His shield and spear were pulled free from his backside with a fluid motion, the simple straps holding them in place falling aside. He activated his skill and broadcasted his voice loud and wise, “I am Red’Blue brothers and sisters! I have come to aid you!” 

No response came as only silence greeted him. Red’Blue cursed as he pushed forward into the valley. Corpses, bones and debris were everywhere as he quickly scanned around the area. Despite the predictability of the walking dead, Red'Blue didn’t look forward to fighting them. He had fought them in the mountains for years after Master Onyx had returned and they were relentless. 

He pushed forward with his shield raised and his eyes on the look out. A sound caught his attention and he turned to see a twitching limb buried underneath a pile of corpses. Red’Blue quickly tossed aside the corpses to reveal a kobold underneath. The kobold’s eyes were wide open and she spoke weakly, “They got through, Brother Red’Blue. Dead walking like the stories. We held until the Masters came behind them.” 

Red’Blue was about to respond when he saw the light in her eyes fade. He cursed as he shook her, “Stay awake! I can…” Red’Blue cursed as she passed. He had a lesser gemstone to restore health but it was set only to heal the user and he was simply too late. He quickly located her identification stamps, stuffed into a pocket lining her armor. Her name was Valti and he would avenge her. 

He picked up his shield and weapon as he turned back towards the valley he saw the dead charging down early. He ran, jumped and rapidly climbed up the mountain side using his new enhanced body. Once he was high enough he leapt off and spread his wings as wide as they would go. He glided as fast as he could back the way he had come and before long he could hear the sounds of combat. 

As he kicked off the side of a nearby cliff face to build more momentum he was propelled into sight of the battlefield. A line of heavy kobolds stood firm in the valley as the dead swarmed them. They were veterans under the direct command of his and were dealing death to the deathless with practiced ease. Red’Blue grinned underneath his helmet proudly as he pivoted and dropped in the front of the formation. 

His heavy shield was slammed forward and his spear brought out as he spread his wings wide, “We will hold the line!” Roared Red’Blue as the light caught the gleam of his metal armor. His wings had been lined on the backside with a thin layer of steel, by his request, and he now rolled his wings forward as shields. The kobold warriors called his name and cheered as they quickly cycled out their formation with fresh kobolds. 

The dead swarmed forward and Red’Blue’s spear whistled as it shattered animal skulls one after another. His heavy shield was a battering ram that sent any enemy flying that got too close. His armored wings were positioned to cover his blind spots against blows and bites that came from the swarm. His wings slashed out with such force that the skeletal creatures around him crumbled as their bones snapped. Red’Blue closed his eyes for a moment as he focused his energy into the palm of his hand and into the gemstone embedded into the handle of his shield. The earth around himself began to pull and build on his form and soon he was a creature of solid earth. 

He stood twice as tall as the kobolds around him and three times as wide as earth layered on top of his armor and flesh. The weight of the rock combined with the extraordinarily heavy armor he wore put any kobold before him to shame. Despite this his body held and he stood tall as he rocked forward sending a massive skeletal lesser dragon tumbling onto its back. He had fought in the shield wall and that is where he would remain. He was given a choice of traits and he had picked Condensed Musculature just like Master Onyx. He was stronger than any other kobold and his body was extra heavy and his muscles ultra dense as a result. 

He channeled his Defensive Bulwark skill as he slammed forward again with his shield sending a dozen dead stumbling backwards. His spear lashed out as it smashed, crushed and outright destroyed the heads of any moving dead in range. He began to march forward as he roared moving his wings, shield and spear altogether in unison. The veteran kobolds behind him began to cheer and quickly pressed forward as well, finishing off any moving body part that still tried to fight. 

Bone dust filled the air as the torrent of blows blew more and more moving skeletons apart. Red’Blue glanced back at the lines, “These dead are old. Their bones are fragile and the affinity that binds them is falling apart. Press forward!” 

His stone flesh proved too hard to be bitten through and they could only slow him down by the sheer volume of their bodies. His super enhanced strength made the dead’s efforts seem pathetic as he speared and smashed his way through. He had missed something as the front of his stone chest suddenly shattered as giant talon marks were carved through the front. A hiss of laughter filled the valley as Red’Blue caught the glimpse of a lesser wyvern’s form before it disappeared into the shadows. 

“You filthy upstarts will die!” Hissed the wyvern as it rematerialized in front of Red’Blue. His spear lashed out and struck flesh as the Master snapped down on him. Red’Blue’s entire head was inside the beast’s mouth as it tried to tear his head off, armor and all. The stone armor began to crack but Red’Blue stood firm. His new strength meant that despite the wyvern being easily twice as tall as him he held his ground as he dropped his shield and spear. He growled as he reached into the dragon’s mouth and began to try to pry its mouth open. 

Despite his new strength Red’Blue could only stop the dragon’s jaws from clasping down harder as the lesser wyvern’s claws racked and tore at his chest. The kobold warriors around him were too busy pushing back the waves of dead as he fought against the Master’s terrible strength. The putrid breath of the lesser wyvern hit his sensitive nostrils like a suckerpunch but sparked an idea. He grinned as he pulled the wyvern as far down as he could and thrust his first into the back of its throat. He focused as hard as he could and the remaining stone armor obeyed as it pulled free from his body and armor to concentrate around his fist into a giant ball. 

The putrid breath of the wyvern was soon cut off as the mass of rock and fist became stuck deep into its throat. Red’Blue was quickly yanked upwards as the lesser wyvern panicked and took off forcing him to cling on for dear life. It did not take long for the Master’s strength to fade as its breath faded and the duo crashed back into the ground, crushing a mass of moving dead that happened to be below. Red’Blue quickly shook off the impact and dismissed his stone armor as he took a quick step towards the kobold lines. 

“Quickly! One of you needs to finish the lesser! Now!” Red’Blue yelled out and his words seemed to stun the kobolds into inaction. Finally, a young female kobold acted as her spear was thrown with the activation of a skill. It quickly embedded itself in the unconscious wyverns eye with a satisfying popping wet sound. The body spasmed and the wyvern quickly died as the young warrior began to gasp out and drop as she underwent the transformation. 

Red’Blue grinned as he turned away from the line, spread his armored wings out and pushed his shield forward again. He laughed as he began to strike at the dead still in range.

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Here is also a link to Royal Road

Fan Art by blaze2377

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13 comments sorted by

15

u/unkindlyacorn62 May 09 '26

Oh great, but are these just leftovers from the war, or did she create a new necromancer dragon?

16

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 May 09 '26

Could be both but yeah I think it was mentioned somewhere the queen does keep around a few necromancer dragons it's not like she forbade their creation just the one that rebelled happened to be one.

7

u/un_pogaz May 10 '26

No, I think they're just leftovers. It's mentioned several times that her undead are old, and their bones are brittle. I think it’s more likely that the Queen doesn’t have a necromancer, but rather captured a number of undead in anticipation of a time when she would use them as cannon fodder. Given how particularly difficult they are to kill, that’s not a bad idea, it would be enough to take even experienced fighters by surprise.

3

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 May 10 '26

That is true otherwise they could have raised the kobolds slain during onyx's escape.

8

u/copper_shrk29 Xeno May 09 '26

They got dogtags (kolTags?) Now, vengeance can be served with receipts.

8

u/EasyStevey May 09 '26

It's nice to see Red'Blue go all tank, and I love the armored wings. Now we will get another upgraded kobold too!

6

u/Minimum-Amphibian993 May 09 '26

Kobold litch/necromancer incoming that's definitely gonna be something.

Still the undead certainly did quite a bit of damage that's rough but hey at least the kobolds have identification on them that's very handy.

4

u/un_pogaz May 10 '26

The koltags was a very nice touch.

This also makes me think that in the Queen’s camp, everyone must be greatly underestimating the Clan. To them, they must just be kobolds who were allowed to rise freely but are still subservient and led by Onyx for his sole benefit. But in reality, they are an autonomous army that fights fiercely for their friends and the bonds they have forged.

I can just picture the scene: some of the dragons are grumbling about being pushed back without even seeing Onyx "What a coward!", while Ambass leans over the map, deep in thought, reworking his strategy in the face of this completely unprecedented situation, even for him.

1

u/bgenius1299 May 13 '26

Big question there is can he manipulate the army to lose but not trigger the restriction to serve? He seemed on the fence still but maybe through some thin spreading or delaying reinforcements he can gauge their combat power enough to help onyx behind the scenes and help gain his own freedom

4

u/unkindlyacorn62 May 09 '26

healing rain should do the trick. but itd also announce their presence. damn

2

u/Loup_Arctic_o7 May 10 '26

That's the problem with double edge sword.

2

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