Chapter 474: The Shade Wall Part 2
…The New Moon… Dusk Valley… Hollow Shade’s outskirts…
Caligo glanced to the back of his army, where giant wagons, each pulled by dozens of centaurs, carried massive cages covered in leather canopies. “The world has forgotten the dragonbane. The mortals have forgotten what fear truly is. It’s time we remind them.”
With but a single ancient word, he bade the children of Unildyr to awaken. The cages began to shake uncontrollably and the wagons broke underneath the weight. A deep grumble like an ancient deity’s roar echoed outwards. The centaurs tried to run in terror, but their chains held them in place.
Sharp black claws tore through one of the leather canopies and a large pale hand jutted out. With a powerful rumble, the dragonbane ripped through the metal cage and leather canopy like twigs snapping underneath its feet. The beast emerged from the shattered wagon and walked out on all fours.
Even hunched over the dragonbane stood thrice as tall as the centaurs. His leathery wings were folded against his wide back. His sleek hide was semi-translucent, revealing the grey muscles underneath, only to grow more opaque at the joints. A long tail swayed low to the ground, black spikes on the end dragging across the dirt.
Two sets of black horns protruded from his skull, one set far larger than the other. Rows of needle-like black teeth peeked out from his partly open mouth. His eyes were jet-black eyes orbs, there were no white sclera, pupils, nor irises, only darkness, and yet as he slowly turned his head, the soldiers had a disturbing feeling the creature was looking at them, peering into them, as if their vulnerable souls were laid bare in front of a hungry monsters.
The other wagons abruptly ripped open and over a dozen more dragonbanes emerged. The centaurs, free from the broken wagons’ shackles, ran for their lives. The dragonbanes’ tails lashed out like the crack of a whip and ripped them apart, their black spikes tearing through the soft flesh. In the blink of an eye, the ground was soaked with blood and viscera.
The soldiers stumbled backward and cried out in fear at the horrid sight. Caligo smiled warmly. His voice suddenly changed intonations and he spoke in an otherworldly language. The dragonbanes stopped their feeding and lumbered over, each heavy step shaking the ground underneath.
One dragonbane, almost twice as large as the rest, pushed forward and stopped in front of Caligo. Though the beast had never met its creator, it recognized Unildyr’s heir nonetheless. The dragonbane lowered its head in fealty.