The day before.
Fivilia pushes open a flapping door, entering the tent and looking at the two knights standing over a large table in the centre. One is a middle aged man with a carefully groomed mustache and combed hair. The other is a young man with a chiselled jaw and a cocky smirk.
"Commander Mourne." She salutes the middle aged man.
"Vice-Commander Fivilia," Mourne salutes back, "anything to report?"
"Nothing of importance, sir."
"Good. Now, join Vice-Commander Veran and I to go over the plan once more."
Fivilia approaches the table and stands next to the young man.
"Fivilia," he greets her, his tone is confident with a hint of familiarity.
"Vice-Commander Veran," She greets him back.
Opposite them, Mourne presses a button on the table and a hologram manifests over it.
"We enter through the road here," Mourne points at a wide opening in the jungle that leads through to a large plateau in the centre, "Following along the road, we'll make it to this open area, which-" he presses a button on the table and a dragon appears, "-is where the dragon is."
He looks up at the Vice-Commanders and they nod.
"At this point, we split into three groups," Mourne continues, turning his attention back to the hologram before pressing another button on the table, "I will be staying at the entrance with the tank. Veran, you will be splitting off round here to the right, Fivilia, you will be going left."
Small flags appear on the hologram, marking each of them, before moving to their respective positions.
"We will, then, lure out the dragon using the tank before-"
"Sir-," Fivilia interrupts, they both turn to her before she continues her question, "what if the dragon is already out of its cave?"
"Well, that'd be great! Saves us the time," Mourne answers.
"But-"
"Then I will begin firing…" Mourne ignores her and continues explaining the plan.
While Mourne drones on, Veran nudges Fivilia and she looks over to see him sneering. She ignores him and looks back at the table.
"...and that final blow should finish off the dragon. Did you get all that?" Mourne ends his explanation.
"Yes, sir!" They confirm as they stand at attention.
■■■
Fivilia stands atop the tank, looking through binoculars, as the convoy of almost a dozen vehicles hums through the jungle.
A series of clicking sounds can be heard as she adjusts the binoculars, followed by an irritated "Tsk" from Fivilia's mouth.
"What's got you so annoyed?" Veran asks as he coasts in a car alongside the tank.
"These damn binoculars don't work!" she exclaims in frustration.
"Are you sure you're using them correctly? They can be quite technical, those new ones."
"Ugh…" she turns to him with a disgusted expression, "here, you try!...prick…"
She throws the binoculars at Veran.
"Woah…!" They stumble around in his hands as he barely catches them.
Veran then tries the binoculars with a smug expression, but that quickly changes as they still don't work.
"Shoddy technology," he complains before turning to a different knight, "Leonard! You must complain to the manufacturer when we get back!"
"Yes, sir!" Leonard is handed the binoculars.
Fivilia looks onward, "This does not feel right, I doubt it is as simple as faulty equipment," she says apprehensively.
"Nonsense! You're just being paranoid… or are you scared?" Veran mocks.
"I'm not scared! It's just… my instincts, they're screaming at me, and when they do that, something is usually wrong."
"Instincts? How archaic. Why rely on instincts when we have technology?"
"The technology isn't working!"
"Bah! A technicality."
She rolls her eyes.
As the convoy gets closer, the clearing comes into view.
"There it is! The dragon!" Veran points out excitedly as the convoy comes to a stop and he jumps down.
"It's out of the cave," Fivilia points out.
"Indeed it is," Mourne's car pulls out beside them.
"Commander!" Veran and Fivilia both salute him as he exits his car.
"Now, let's begin."
■■■
"Vice-Commander," a knight calls for Fivilia, "The dragon appears to be moving."
She hears her subordinate and turns to look past the treeline into the plateau. She holds up her hand and their trek through the jungle comes to a halt.
"Is it moving toward Vice-Commander Veran?" Fivilia asks.
"Most likely, ma'am," the knight confirms.
A sharp tingling strikes her.
"Oh… Don't do it, Veran," she mutters to herself. She then takes a deep breath before turning around and announcing, "Listen up, platoon! We will keep heading to our position, but ready your weapons in case we have to make an impromptu strike, understood?"
"Understood!" her squad confirms.
She turns back, nods, and they continue onwards.
Clutching the sword sheathe on her right side tensely, Fivilia navigates over the uneven terrain. Tiny amounts of sweat drip down her forehead as she constantly glances at the dragon.
"Almost there…" she checks her map, "we're so close, come on Veran, don't do it," she keeps muttering as the tingling continues.
Mrr-ruarhhh!
She flinches as the dragon lets out a bellowing roar. The platoon looks over to see it being bombarded with explosions.
"Tch! Damn…!" Fivilia curses under her breath as she pulls out her sword. "Platoon! Charge!" she commands.
The platoon emerges from the forest, weapons drawn, with Fivilia running alongside them. She checks the infantry beside her, then shield bearers in front of her, and the riflemen behind her, before glancing at the tank, which looks to be preparing to fire.
Just out of the dragon's range, she gives her orders, "Platoon, halt! Make a shield wall, encircle formation!"
The shield bearers take the shields off their backs and spread out along an inward bend, shields facing the dragon. They then imbue their mana and the shields connect with a translucent blue wall.
"We're not where I'd prefer to be, but we'll have to make do," she complains before turning to the troops behind her, "Ready your guns then fire on my signal!" She turns back, hand raised, "Vanguard! Forward march!"
The shield bearers, followed by the infantry, start moving slowly towards the dragon.
Fivilia watches the dragon's mouth carefully. When it begins glowing brighter, she clenches her raised hand into a fist, giving the signal to fire.
The riflemen release a barrage of lasers that collide with the dragon creating a cloud of smoke. Through the smoke, Fivilia notices the glowing dissipate and the dragon turning to them.
She squints her eyes, "The dragon's breath reset, but it looks unharmed. Keep firing!"
As the dragon emerges from the smoke, they continue attacking, raining lasers down on it.
"Are we doing any damage?" Fivilia asks, exasperated, before giving a new order, "Vanguard! Halt!"
The shield bearers stop moving while the riflemen keep firing over them. The dragon continues toward them, barely being slowed down by the constant barrages.
"Vice-Commander?!" a nervous knight calls to Fivilia from the vanguard.
"Hold your positions!" she shouts with a hint of apprehensiveness.
The dragon continues getting closer, causing anxiety to spread, until it suddenly stops.
Her eyes widen, "If it's stopped, it must be going to fire!"
Sure enough, the glow in its mouth appears again.
Fivilia bites her lip as she nervously glances behind the dragon. "Come on Veran, your turn…"
The glowing gets brighter but still no attack comes from behind.
"Vice-Commander?!" a knight calls out again
"Keep holding!"
Fivilia glances at the tank in the distance, "Commander?"
"Vice-Commander, please!" They keep crying out to her.
Blood gushes out of her lip as she bites too hard. While her eyes dart everywhere, holding out hope of any kind of support, more cries of desperation hit her ears before finally,
"Separate!" she yells, "Get outta the way!" The formation breaks immediately.
Frruooaahhh!
A massive burst of fire spits out of the dragon's mouth.
Fivilia watches in despair as her knights desperately clamber to get away, their comrades getting consumed in the flaming storm behind them.
Spotting one of them trip up, Fivilia breaks out of her trance and rushes to help the knight. Hauling them onto her back, she runs alongside everyone else. Just as the flames are about to reach them, the dragon runs out of breath and the flames start to die down.
Resting the knight by a rock, she turns around to see her platoon is in ruins. With almost half her troops dead, Fivilia falls to her knees. Her body sinks and her face contorts in anguish.
"UuaaarrRRAAAAHHHH!!!!"
Her scream echoes across the burning battlefield as her rage overflows and she slams her fist into the ground.
Then her eyes, full of fire, turn to the dragon.