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High up on the battlements/ramparts of the City wall one grizzly soldier and a young private were hunched up round a brazier trying to keep warm as they watched the sun rise over a blood red dawn.
"Cor, sergeant, there must be more campfires out there than there are stars in the sky". The young private could be heard saying as he looked out over the battlements onto the enemy camped below.
"Boy they are nothing, we would defeat them when the dragon mages and warriors arrive". The battle hardened sergeant replied. The Sergeant, Robyn Proudlock had been in many battles both as a besieger and as a defender in the never ending battles of conquest of the Shiaron Empire. He had never been on the losing side, then again this was the first time in over two millennia that a foreign army lay encamped on the soil of the Shia homeland.
"But sergeant there is word in the streets that they have been destroyed by Prince Ramakans Armies" The young private replied, still staring goggled eyed private at the multitude of campfires below.
"Boy if you believe that, then you are not deserving of serving in this army, the dragon warriors are undefeated in over two millennia and you think a rag tag army of mercenaries would defeat us", the sergeant retorted in a gruff voice. "Not even the gods could defeat them when the dragon host challenged them."
The young private had just seen his seventeenth summer, he had joined the city's army in the hope of achieving the ultimate glory that any Shiaron could aspire to, that was to become a dracon warrior or mage.
A third man approached silently, dressed entirely in black with a chain mail hauberk. He called the sergeant over to him. The man towered over all, his height hinting at what he was. He was Dracon, a member of the Dragon Host.
"My Lord, when do we attack, even with just the acolytes and initiates we can push them back into the shit pile they crawled out from". The sergeant asked, walking up to meet him.
"Word has yet to come from the Emperor, he is closeted up with his advisors and commanders" The Dracon replied softly.
"They should be out here, not hiding away arguing" Robyn growled, clearly impatient. "The longer we stay out here watching them, the longer they have to prepare and build up their forces"
"The danger to the City is graver than it looks" The black clad man blew out his breath and rubbed his palms together. "We cannot afford to attack them, not yet anyway"
"Why is that, my Lord"
The black clad Lord stopped his pacing, turned and faced Robyn clapping him on the shoulder. "Robyn for tonight call me by the name you've known me by since we were kids, the boy is right, the dragon army is no more. We have only the regular army, the city guard and initiates"
"My Lord how?" Robyn asked, his voice filled with shock and foreboding for he had not believed the rumours that circulated the City, rumours that said the Dragon host had been destroyed.
"We don't know Robyn, the Emperor has his best mages working on it, all we know is they are no longer in our world" the Dracon said.