Around The Crown

CHAPTER 3.

Deep withing the desert, where water is considered as blessing from the heavens, a nation was build from the pure sand and mud. „Sa'adria, the Middle East land of the Sun", perceired almost exclusively under the lens of wars, religion-based conflicts and periodical crisis escalations in international politics. Thus , a wall was build, taller then any hill withing those empty deserts, to protect every treasure which was held inside those walls. People don't seem to mind being captivated inside those walls since they fear everything that is out of this world, everything that is not human.

Therefore, as the nation was being overpowered by many unnatural beings, the king decided to use some of the abnormal creatures, against their forces. Capturing sky monsters, who were called „Quetzalcoatlus", a huge flying reptiles whose appariance and wild nature changed over the past few decades, by the king's orders they were used as a sky machines, being ridden by the best people who are willing to risk their physical condition to reach the expectations of those gigantic stubborn monsters. Another captured monsters were gigantic manta rays, who were also envolved over a few decades ago, staying the same size thought their appariance drastically changed due for Mother Nature giving the world more then needed life. Manta rays became one of the fastest, wildest and most cockiest sea monster there is. Forcing them into something means instant death, thus for them to be loyal to you, it's better for them to decide that whatever to choose you or not. Those were sky and ocean forces where soliders have to learn to hold their breath long enough if their oxygen masks accidentaly broke apart or have some dysfunction, as for people higher ranks they get to ride pegasus.

Beautiful winged horse being born in the land of Graecia, only ridden by those of a royal blood and who knows of Graecia's language, otherwise a pegasus will not listen or stay still with you infront of it.

Looking up where the golden palace is placed, a bit further from it, where the huge wall stands, there seems to be build a huge platform called an aircraft runway, serving for sky riders to land with their reptiles, without creating any commotion with the people. As some of the young soliders were preparing their reptiles for scouting making sure everything's alright, however, one solider is just sitting on one of the boxes with supplies, smoking. A young green haired solider, with the purple eyes like violets, with an average body build for a teenage boy, whose wearing a white bisht, a Sa'aria's cloak only worn by man, which appear to be shorter then it should be, being tucked in white baggy pants followed by dark brown boots, his weist wraped around with red fabric, held by a belt which is connected to a vest carrying some of the gear, first aid kit, and a capsule of oxygen that appears to be just a small bag, placed at the end of a spine. His helmet being layered with white fabrics, and his dark brown gloves resting beside him as he smoked. –„ Enjoying yourself, aren't ya boy?"- said one of the riders as he patted his reptile, trying to keep it in place.-„ Well, I got nothing better to do, so...yeah, you could say I'm enjoying my free time."- said the young rider, with a sarcastic voice as he looked up at his eldely. The rider chuckeled at his response, then threathing, but a calm tone told him to put down his cigarette, and prepare for the flight because he's not going to be responsible for his laziness when the lieutenant comes. Looking the boy directly into the eyes, the boy took one last smoke, got up while exhaling the smoke, stepped closer to his eldely and said in a serious, but concerning tone.

-„Are you sure you can fly, sir? I mean with the eyesight like yours without noticing my baby being couple of feets behind me, all prapared...sigh...Honestly, I'm kind of scared you might shoot me, instead of the enemy. Better go to the doctor before going up in the air. Alright, old man ?"- as he finished his sentance he placed his hand on the mans shoulder, giving him a cocky smile followed by flapping noises and growls from his raptile as a sign of amusment. Hearing this, the man bursted into rage, making other riders held him still, as he cursed and insulted the boy who goes by the name Idris. The little bastard was considered the best, althought the cockiest, shitiest rider around the people. However, what makes him the best rider is the fact that he treats his raptile diffrently from other soliders, those two work as one, not as rider and a machine, but as two creatures cooperating.

Following their fight as it goes on, a young man, over twenty years old, wearing the same clothes as every sky rider with couple of golden paterns on, although the difference with him, his white turban had a jewerly closer to his forehead on the side, a golden sun. Jewerly big as a man's thumb, representing a higher title in an army,thus all soliders greeted this man in fear, as he is their lieutenant. Hardly looking into his ash-grey eyes, whose seen more then a man should have, lieutenant Bertrand, as they called him, told his man in a deep, calm, but threathing voice,

-„ So, as soon as we all came back you want to start another war, before even finishing this one?"- as he finished, looking them into eyes waiting for their response, whose only appeares to be excuse after the excuse. Those excuses did no one good, expecially not to those soliders. They went on and on, however that was enough then needed for Bertrand to hear, thus he kicked one of the boxes with supplies in it, creating a huge sound, which made all soliders and reptiles flinch. –„ What are you? Bunch of kids? Well, let me tell you something... you're a sky riders, a part of Sa'adria's army, a grown people! For some of you, I'm considered as a brat, for some an old geezer, it's all written on your damn faces. But, have you ever stopped and asked yourself, of how I view you? You're all cowards. Instead of confronting your enemy whose killing your companions, you're arguing because somebody called you names?!"- he yelled, looking at his man with a disappointment written on his face, making all his man feel uncomfortable and ashamed. Bertrand then said,

-„ The war will never be over. Maybe this one will, however the one inside your head...will never be satisfied. If at least you want to feel good about yourself, then wake up and get moving!!!"- as he yelled on top of his lungs, his man rise as they yelled back –„ Sir, yes sir!!!"- making a run to their reptiles, climbing from behind them on what seem to be a fishing net connected to a reptiles saddle, for riders to climb faster and safer. Making their way as the aircraft runaway became shorter, the reptiles made a loud sound as they spread their wings, with every movement, they blowed away couple of hats from the other sky stuff standing there. Watching his man heard him out, then instantly made their way to the battlefield, putted a short smile on Bertrand's face, making him whistle as a call for his reptile to land down, a take him where his man are about to make a history out of themselfes. 

Further away from the deserted land, flying through a thick black clouds filled with ashes, barely seeing the ground, whose they wished they never have seen. Nothing, but a hill of corpses burning with their swords and golden arrows being part of them, many with missing parts of their bodies, many being squashed down with an enemies carriages or even their animal body weight. Too much bloodshed happened here to even distinguish whose blood was more spilled. 

Such a horrifying sight would never had a pleasant smell, as some of the sky riders nearly puked or passed out as they flew closer to the ground, soon enough they have been awoken by the enemies catapults, firing at them. Those catapults had a strength of putting down those reptiles together with the rider, squashing and burning them at once if hit. The soliders with machine guns being tighted up to their reptiles, started shooting as they make their way down closer to their enemy. Behind the shooters, flew the riders who were going to risk the most. The tactic is for a shooter to attack first as it occupies the enemy, while the ones from behind are used to crash on the ground attacking the enemy up close destroying everything. Idris is a part of this, as his shooter would came closer to the ground, he would quickly made a turn, which would made Idris as a supprise who crashes into the enemy's land, making his reptile to tear, eat and destroy everything, whatever it is with her beak, wings or tail. Keeping his reptile secured Idris used every weapon on him...a shotgun, a blade, granates...whatever to keep his reptile safe and end this nightmare. Of course, Idris was not the only one preforming that tactic, there were in total ten, losing three of them, as for shooters there were twelve, whose are now only seven still fighting for victory. Slowly, but rightfully, Sa'adria's soliders barely won as they teared and wiped out every last catapults, killing the enemy and saving some of their wounded man who were almost being taken to Hwt-ptah, as slaves. Bertrand then contacted back to Sa'adria through this laryngphone, informing the generals about the situation before him. 

-„ The enemy has been taken down, I repeat he's down!"- said Bertrand as he heard from the other side from one of his generals asking a question.

-„ Did we won lieutenant Bertrand, over?"- hearing this question, Bertrand paused for a moment, looking around and then responded.

-„ With this kind of view, I'm going to answer as negative sir."- ending the call, he continued to fly away even further, for his man to not see his weak side.