Wings of Honor: Tales of Pyrrhia

Chapter 17: Baptism By Firescales

The world seemed to slow down for that one... single... moment. I did feel like it was my duty to thank the dragons for their hospitality, but I didn't realize that might result in the end of me.
When I tripped and realized what I was about to fall on, Moon's worlds echoed in my mind.
That's Peril. Be careful, she can burn anything that she touches.
But I had already passed the point of no return. I could do nothing as bright orange scales, hissing with heat and steam, came up to meet me. I felt my hands touch her scales, a horrible sizzling began to sound. The wicked warmth and the weird, almost boiling sensation of my skin.
But my training kicked in, and I pushed myself away. Stumbling back, I hit the ground again. It took a moment to realize.

I wasn't dead

"What?" I only heard Moon say.
"'I'm... fine?" I checked my hands. My palms looked charred, they were warm, but I still had feeling. The burnt was already giving way to newly tanned skin before my eyes. I just held my hands to Moon, my mouth dropping.
"A-am I fine?"
Everyone stood eerily still, I could hear all their breathing. I checked myself over, not realizing one of my free straps brushed against Peril again. I saw the rope burst into flames.
"Oh sh-"
I licked my palm, regretting it instantly, before extinguishing the charred rope end. Stepping away from Peril, I checked everything over.
"I'm fine. I'm not fine-how is any of this fine?"
"You have fire resistance." Peril whispered. "Like Clay."
Clay was as wide-eyed as me, but he took a few steps towards me and picked up my hand with his talon. The singed layer of my hand was already nearly gone, my hand just looked like I had dug through ashes.
"What's going on?" Starflight asked.
"M-Marvin has future sight, mind reading, and Fire resistant scales." Sunny gasped.
"Three Moons. And he's a scavenger?" He asked.
"H-Human." Moon corrected him.
"Human... oh my, this is... this is a lot."
Fatespeaker, Starflight's friend, rushed over to help him.
"W-what should we do?" She asked.
"What can we do? This scavenger is probably the most powerful one on all Pyrrhia."
I shuddered when Tsunami said that.
"No. I'm just a soldier. Just like everyone else. And a damn good one at that." I shook my head.
"Marvin, wait-" Moon started, but I already was up and walking.
"My men need me. I need them. I need to go home. I'm going home. Thank you all, but I need to go."
I rushed away, out into the corridor. Everyone's minds were blaring, including mine. It felt like the world was bearing down on me, crushing me. It was hard to breathe. When two dragons approached me, I drew my pistol, issuing a sharp command.
"Step away."
They did, their minds whirled.
The world seemed to spin, and my legs felt like they were to give out any minute. I leaned against the wall, trying to brace myself. I made it outside, the sudden bright sun dazzled me. I nearly fell, but I made it downhill into the forest. I keep walking, but the world would not stop spinning. My mind was foggy, I couldn't think good.
I was tired, I was hurt. I was in a place I didn't know, a dangerous place. A place where everything looked the same, but everything was different. Felt different.
"I could've stopped this. I could've stopped all of this! If I hadn't listened to Campana, we could've stayed in Europe! We would be okay, we would be safe! The war was over, we could've gone home."
But no. Could I have gone home?
I thought back to my civilian life. It consisted of me basically sitting at a desk for hours on end, listening to the radio as I did my schoolwork for college. Everything, everything! Was to prepare me for college. Afterwards, maybe become a scientist, a pyrotechnician. Mechanical engineering looked promising. Maybe after I got a career, I could get a part-time job on the railroads. That was what I wanted so much.
But then I saw my dreams and wishes crumble to dust at my very hands. My life had changed on a dime, on a single day, on a single decision. December 7th, 1941.
I remember that day fondly. I remember sitting at my desk, the radio blaring some song. At least, until a man cut on, and relayed the news. Within a matter of seconds, all six of us had gathered 'round. I felt my soul sink, an awful feeling welling in my chest.
Yet, at the same time, I was emboldened, angry, ready to exact revenge against the people who dared drag us into another one of their damn wars. For putting fear onto the faces of my family. For shaking up my perfectly good life, going to church, going to school, and studying my ass off every single day. I swore in my mind right then and there that I would enlist as soon as I got the chance. But someone beat me to the punch, I was selected by the draft that day.
That one day, was when I fell so far. That one day of infamy... started this awful chain of events.
I steeled myself to survive, I was the youngest person in the barracks, but I kept my lip shut and my movements exact. I was assigned as a squad leader, and I excelled in all my duties. They shipped me out to Europe as a member of the Infantry, where I racked up three kills on my first combat mission. I never lost sleep over the men I killed, and that genuinely scared me. I was the one who woke up to grown men crying, they couldn't sleep. And yet, even as the squad leader, I was there keeling with them, comforting them.
I earned more stripes and rockers before they selected me to go to the Airborne in 1943. There, I learned the way of the plane and the parachute. I learned how to pack for the drop, I learned to count to four thousand. I was retrained to fight a new type of war. But what war was I fighting now? My parents kept in touch while I was away, sending me words of wisdom, experience, and even a few candies they managed to sneak by the censor. I wrote up long letters back to them, telling them how I was, where I was, and how my men were. I gave the censor such a splitting headache whenever I hand-delivered him my letters. They congratulated me when I got my field commission, I was an officer now. I had led before, but I couldn't handle more than a Platoon on my own. I would probably never make Captain.
My eyes had cleared in the meantime. I found the small pocket that held the small pieces of cold silver.
At least, I thought I'd never make Captain. But yet, here I was. A squad without an army, a soldier without a squad, an Eagle without wings. But it was my duty to keep fighting, whether I was disarmed behind enemy lines, or as a prisoner of war. Even though I was lost, even though I was abandoned, my job was to keep on fighting in all respects.
Taking a deep breath, wiping my tears away with a now wet uniform collar, I forced myself back up to walk back. As I did, I heard voices. Both mental and audible. I was out of position, uncamouflaged, and with only a pistol. There were Japs ahead of me. I managed to find a small depression I could squeeze into, covering myself with leaves and nearby brambles.
This was not the first time I had to do this, but it was my most unprepared time. I called out to Moon, just to be safe.
Don't come for me, Moon. There's Japs. Don't engage. I repeat, don't engage.
They walked on, a little ways past me. I closed my eyes to listen more closely. They still talked in an indecipherable language, but I mainly listened for the shifts in tone if they discovered a threat. They kept walking, nearly out of my range, but then they stopped. A whisper commotion started. I remembered what direction I had come from.
No. There was no way. How did they get up here? It's at least a three-day walk from shore. Unless... Unless there's more camps. Where? How?
Of course, I knew how, but how did they find Jade Mountain? Well, I mean, a few dozens of dragons, most of young ages, weren't exactly the definition of concealing. I dared to turn myself and look around the tree that provided some concealment, not cover. If they spotted me, I was duck soup.
Cover stops bullets, concealment only hides you from view.
They were all lying prone, letting their green uniforms and bushes break up their silhouettes. I wished I had prepared as they had. But this meant they were obviously a recon unit, gathering intel about Jade Mountain. They were gaining information I couldn't let them leave with, not if my vision was to be avoided. But one man with a pistol versus eleven Japs, one LMG, two SMGs, and the rest with rifles. I was hit with a sheet of ice when I saw a man pull out something from his pack. It looked like a telephone, a radio.
Shoot. A handy talky.
He started talking into it, when I grabbed a rock. I closed my eyes for half a second, committing myself to a controversial decision for the second day in a row. I tossed it as hard as I could at the radioman. It plinged off his helmet. He turned around, stunned. The forest went silent. Suddenly, another shout pierced the trees.
"Amerikan!"
Everything seemed to shatter all around me. I booked it, drawing my pistol. I fired blindly at them, again keeping my eyes forward as I drove hard again through the brush. Rounds cracked past me, devilish spurts of dust lept up all around me.
Don't fall. Keep running.
I limped as fast as I could, my bad leg felt like it was alit. On fire, burning alive. But I wouldn't let myself stop just because they stopped shooting at me.
I kept going, not sure where I was anymore. Once I felt like I was far enough away from the enemy, I dug in, covering myself. I tried to reach out for Moon, mentally trying to grapple anyone who could hear me.
Moon. Moon! I need help! Where are you?
I heard something back, but it was faint. She was just inside our "range" if that's what you could call it.
Moon, I'm gonna keep talking! Come find me!
I kept my mind busy, describing everything in as much detail as I could. The dark green leaves, except for a few that looked more yellow than green. A few fallen logs, one of which held an animal afraid of me.
I remembered to reload my pistol. I described a deep history of my piece, and how it served in both world wars. The effective range, ballistics, the purpose, anything I could say in my mind. I felt her rapidly getting closer, but her calls were still far away. I tried to mentally shout, if I even could. I went on about how I got this pistol, a gift from Campana for gaining my third chevron. It was beautifully stamped on the slide, Spirit of America. He said it was a gift from his father, and he wanted it to keep on fighting. Although he said he'd want it back. Another reason to get back home, to give Campana his trophy.
Moon's voice was becoming prominent now, rapidly increasing in volume.
Marvin! I'm here! Keep talking to me!
Okay! I was promoted to Corporal and Sergeant in Tunisia, Staff Sergeant in Italy. I was promoted one last time to Tech Sergeant shortly before we left for Normandy. I got commissioned personally by Major General Tayler to Second Lieutenant after Bastogne. I saw him again before Market Garden, and I was promoted to where I am now. I think he's still alive, although it's been a while. Nah, he's a survivor, and educated. He'll make it through this damn war, in his heated tent and comfy chair.
And with that, I heard wingbeats. I got up, making my way to the clearing to flag them down.
"Moon! Qibli!"
They touched down just before me. I rushed to Moon, she engulfed me with her wings. I could tell she was crying.
"Marvin! You're okay!"
"So are you!"
I couldn't reach around her, just trying to though. She knew. She knew. I sensed Qibli had taken a look around, taking in the situation.
"You found some more enemies did you?"
Moon let me go, and I missed her warm embrace once again. I freshened myself, getting any poky sticks and leaves off me.
"Yeah. They know where Jade Mountain is now." I turned to Moon, she knew what I was thinking.
Your vision.
Yeah. "I engaged them-"
"Wait! You did? You didn't even have a weapon, how did you survive?"
"I don't know." I shrugged. "Sometimes I just get lucky."
"Uncanny." Qibli exclaimed.
I tried to hush a chuckle. "So yeah, I made their day. But they had something that might be a world of trouble for us. I need to go back where I saw them."
"Are you crazy?" Qibli stated quickly.
"Qibli, I'm a first Lieutenant who drops from planes for a living, attacked a base with only 12 men, talks to dragons, and can read minds. I think I thoroughly classify as crazy."
Qibli stuck his tongue out, pondering over what he was about to say, then closed his mouth.
"Okay." I tried to walk, but the moment I took a step, a sharp pain rocketed up my leg.
"Ahh!" I went down, grabbing into Moon to cushion my fall.
"Marvin!"
"His leg." Qibli pointed.
"It's dislocated, tell me something I don't know Qibli."
I looked down, trying to readjust it, but it only made my foot hurt more. I hissed as the wood and metal dug into me.
"Ah. I can't fix it. I need a medic. I need Jimmy." I wish I could go back to him now. I wish they hadn't banished me. I wish Goldman hadn't riled everyone up! I punched the earth and soft leaves.
"Here, let me carry you."
Moon helped me back up, grabbing me with her claw. She carefully lifted me up onto her back once more. She let me drag myself up, but my right foot swung awkwardly, making me suck in air.
"Where are we going?" Qibli asked.
"I know," Moon said.
Lifting off. The cold air helped dampen the pain some, but it was still prominent. A throbbing, stinging pain. I gritted my teeth so hard, I swore I heard a crack or a pop. My entire world consisted of a single, giant, stinging pain. But sadly, I could tell by Moon's hesitant wingbeats that some of it was transferring through our link. Maybe because I'm a selfish little bastard, I steeled myself. I didn't pray, but I retreated further into myself, focusing on my empty mind. It pushed the pain away, although I had to remain hyper-focused. I had no reason to do it much, but in times of great pain, I would do this. Moon seemed to shiver once I closed my eyes, focusing into myself.
Whatever you're doing. Stop it.
Her sharp voice startled me right out. I obliged, both of us having to contend with my pain. It took a few eternities of pain, fire, and suffering before we came across the place even remotely close to Jade Mountain.
Dang. I ran far.
And you wonder why it took us so long to get to you.
I chuckled, but as Moon landed, it sent a sheet of white up from my foot.
"Ahh ha." I whimpered.
"Don't get down," Qibli told me. "We'll need to get him to a doctor right after this."
Where are we going? Moon inquired. I pointed weakly past my little hidey-hole I so desperately took cover in just a few minutes before. Beyond that, there were a few rifles strayed across the ground.
"Three moons Marvin. What did you do?"
"Right smack nothing. Scared the hell out of them though-" I stopped as soon as I spotted a small grey brick, partly concealed by a bush it had fallen in. Qibli noticed as quickly as I did, moving over to inspect it. Carefully trying to pick it up, he still put a few scratches into its heavy-duty outside. He turned it over, a nice hole was pierced into it. Its insides likely turned to scraps.
"It was a radio. A handy-talky. We can talk through it, and someone with another can hear us and talk back."
"Wow. That's amazing. Better than the slabs Turtle gave me."
I gave him a confused look.
Slabs? What?
They were... enchanted pieces of slate, so if you wrote something on one, they would appear on the other. But it wasn't the other way around.
"Oh. Well, that isn't really helpful."
"Well, it did warn me about Darkstalker, and really helped me out to rescue Turtle."
"Speak of the Devil."
I spotted the SeaWing, crouched amongst some trees a fair bit away. I knew an eavesdropper when I saw one, and he did look pretty guilty.
"H-How did you know I was here?" Turtle emerged.
"I've been through three countries, I can spot things that are camouflaged pretty easily. And plus, you aren't necessarily the best shape or color to be hiding in the woods."
Qibli and Moon looked at one another, like they didn't see him at all this whole time.
"So I heard you needed to be rescued? Was that it?" I asked him.
"Y-Yeah. I guess that did technically happen." Turtle mumbled.
"Not the whole truth, but yeah. We rescued him." Qibli said.
I nodded, then quickly stopped as another pain rocketed up my leg. My vision spilled into red.
"Okay, we need to get him to a doctor." Moon stated.
"Maybe my rock could help?"
I didn't notice that Turtle had a small pouch, slightly smaller than me. He dug around for a little bit, then pulled out a smooth river rock.
"I don't know, you said it can't heal internal wounds." Qibli mentioned.
"Oh, right." Turtle shrunk, mumbling to himself. "I wish I enchanted it better."
All the hairs on my body stood up at once.
"Wait, Turtle... you're an animus."
Turtle leaned away at the thought.
"Yeah, but-"
"But all animus magic was taken away by Jerboa." Qibli clarified with a somber tone.
"Oh." A cold front hit me, I felt like I had said the exact wrong thing.
"It's okay." Turtle quickly mentioned. "At least, I'm not any worse than any other dragon out there. Exceptions being Moon and Peril."
I nodded. "At least you think positive."
He laughed, we laughed. But the pain began to settle in again, and I felt it wafting up towards my stomach. I could taste growing pools of blood in my stomach, I was liable to throw up if I didn't get help.
"Okay, we need to go now."
Moon lifted off again, Qibli and Turtle trailing. I tried to calm myself, taking deep breaths of the crisp air. Letting the feeling and taste of sickness escape with my breaths. I focused on my heartbeat, slowing it down like I had trained myself to do before a long-range shot. I forced myself to calm down, closing my eyes.
You're going to be okay.
I know.
I would've said something more diplomatic, but it was true. I trusted Moon, and I knew she would, and has, taken care of me.
We landed back at Jade Mountain, assuming because all the voices started up again. I just let them pierce through, not offering any resistance or attention. Their mind-aches flew right past me. I opened my eyes, and I saw what looked to be a field hospital in a cave. An anatomy chart of a dragon hung on the far end. A dragon that looked a lot like Clay. Clay himself was waiting there.
"How is he?"
"He's hanging in there," Moon said for me.
"He got a little banged up after he left, I'll tell you after," Qibli stated.
"Okay. Marvin, I'm going to have to put you to sleep with a tranquilizer dart okay?"
"You got it Doc," I mumbled as Moon rolled me onto a large, fluffy bed, obviously made for dragons and not humans. I felt a sharp prick enter my arm, but the pain quickly dulled away
I'll be right here. Moon said.
Thank-
And I was out.