Chapter 35 – Siege of the ruined City (5)

There were people defending the front of the stronghold, they gathered and returned fire at the enemies while keeping the giant warships above them by using the cannons to launch spears to shoot holes on their balloons. In the center of the soldiers were the Lord Enforcer Shig and the Warlord Mia who completely abandoned her plate armor. She wore a velvet tunic along with a cape around her shoulders. She was grazed, her hair had blood on it, it made her look like a war goddess.

Archie, Cassia, and he arrived on the stronghold. Archie and Cassia told the Lord Enforcer and the Warlord about their plan. The Lord Enforcer listened, shouting it was brilliant. He threw his head back and laughed. He shouted, “They can be taken down! Now we just need a good pilot to take us to these air balloons!” he then looked at the man who was carrying odd canisters around his belt.

He looked at this lad who has a grayish black hair. He pointed at himself as Shig stares at him. He didn’t know much but seeing the Lord Enforcer pat the lad made him thought that he was going to be their driver.

“Will he really do?” Archie stated his concerned. He agreed with Archie. The lad seemed like he wasn’t up to the task. But the lad took a stepped forward, he put his foot down and said. “I can do it. In fact, if you want to go up there and stay alive then you’ll need me to reach that place,” he sounded confident as hell.

He didn’t know where he got this confidence. But the assistant of the Lord Enforcer chimed in. “Joshua might not look at it, but he’s good at dodging. Really good I daresay.”

Cassia frowned. “But can he fly these air balloons?”

Joshua replied, “I know that to fly those things we need to heat the air and make it less dense. And when it is less dense the balloon would become buoyant enough to fly. My only problem is how to steer the air balloon. I have no idea which the wind will take us. At best I can try to make use of the weights to tilt the air balloon and steer us to that giant warship there and crash it without survivors.”

Everyone looked at Joshua in surprised. They wanted to know how he knew all of this. Joshua could see the look on their faces so he answered. “I just thought about it. Imagine a leaf being pushed up when heat from a flame propels it up.”

The Warlord wasn’t convinced. But she didn’t have time to ask so she nodded. “It doesn’t matter how he knows all of this. All I know is that he is with us. Uncle Shig, I mean the Lord Enforcer and the Cattus trusts him. So about we trust this man and stop getting ideas? His identity can be assured by them. Or do you want to argue about this and let those damn warships hovering above us kill us all?”

No one could argue with that. Everyone kept silent as they agreed to let him steer the air balloons. The only problem right now was how to get one. He looked at the city’s outline. Black smoke rises above everywhere and there was a black mist forming around the city. All the smoke that the guns made and the bombs made the skyline of the city into this smoggy polluted mess.

Archie turned to the sky. He noticed something and said, “Looks like that motor carriage is still intact. Who owns that?”

Cassia leaned to see what’s up. “I don’t know, probably a noble.”

The Warlord of the City crossed her arms. “That’s a gift from some boot-licking noble. We can use that to drive to where any of these balloons are.”

The Lord Enforcer then exclaimed for everyone to hear. “Looks like you’ll be driving that too, Joshua,” said Shig smiling. The lad named Joshua grimaced as he nodded his head in understanding.

Everyone gathered, but of course, they were able to discuss because the enemies halted their attack for a brief moment to reload. The fighting continued on, the men and women staying on the fort kept the warships away while shooting at the enemy soldiers.

There were a group of soldiers that pulled the carriage up. Meanwhile, there were frilled-lizards near the Warlord along with the Lord Enforcer whose voice was slowly starting to dry with all of the orders he was giving. Archie, Cassia, the right hand of the Lord Enforcer, Leiko and the lad hid while preparing for whatever job they needed to do.

He himself volunteered to follow Archie, his captain. He was not the drunkard that cat-whistled tavern girls anymore. He was now a soldier who just wanted to support the back of the Captain he recognized. It was foolish; it was the bravado of the useless but so what? If he can make a difference then he’ll join him.

Then, as time goes on, and as the crew was ready. Everyone hopped in the motor carriage. The driver, the young lad started the car and drove through the ruined street. Along the way, soldiers that came from the sky attacked them. They shot back while getting the support of the Lord Enforcer who already transformed into a raging bull armed with hand cannons. Behind him were the soldiers of the city, rallied to protect the carriage. Cannon fire, rifle fire, and even strings being let go were heard.

The driver, the lad named Joshua was a good one. He was able to avoid danger, even the passing bullets seemed like he could dodge. The bombs from the sky, he was able to somehow steer clear. Everyone who rode the carriage, Archie, Cassia, and Leiko was impressed by the lad’s driving skills.

They doubt him, he too doubted him. But knowing that he can do it, he too gathered his courage, and together with Archie, shot their way through the army of men and went to the nearest balloon that was sighted. There were men surrounding the air balloons carrying cannons and ammunition.

It was impossible to take them all down so the lad named Joshua crashed into one of the stationed cannons that the enemies placed and shouted, “Jump!” as everyone abandoned the carriage. He felt that he was shaken up. But Archie pulled him up as he then hugs the flipped carriage, protecting Joshua who was fiddling the air balloon.

Their objective was to reach the skies and slay the dragon.