"If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character...Would you slow down? Or speed up?"
― Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters
"It seems like they're waiting for something."
Aangor ground a knuckle against the obsidian cage that separated them from the Ori armies. Troops beyond count, arrayed from the barriers edge, to the horizon. Thousands of figures stood between the main force and the entombed city, Semi-Divines all.
"Well, let's open the door and say hello!"
Joan sprinted forward, hammer raised. Thunder echoed across the heavens, the force of her blow enough to stagger the closest armies. She pulled the heavy, golden head back, away from the newly born hole.
"Indeed," Aangor set his shoulders, fists raised together. "I will wait no more!"
Twin mountains collapsed against the barrier, enough to spiderweb its entire surface. Fragments fell, broken glass that vanished on the wind. A heavy grunt came from behind the group, the sound of a dragon.
"Move aside, it's time for this King to protect his people."
The Dragon King soared toward the blockade. Behind him came a wave of dragons, carved from blue-white stone. Big and small, they filled the skies, an avalanche of fury that raised hope in Arthur's heart.
"Together now!"
The King raised his head, a white glow lit in his mouth. One hundred thousand dragons followed their lord and a night sky was born. It swelled, until each star became a sun. A maelstrom of novas, pressed against the fragmented walls.
Their obsidian cage exploded, a savage rain meant to cull the enemy force. Dragons soared between the shards, mouths wide for a second volley. The King extended his wings, body angled for the enemy line.
"Kill them all!"
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"Who wants to go?"
A well muscled man in a toga reclined against a farmers wall. His back was to the encircled city, the sounds of battle heavy in the air.
"I'll do it," A humanoid monkey stretched his back, gold-banded staff in hand. "It's been too long since I went wild… ever since I became a buddha, nothing fun has happened!"
"Fine, but I'll step in if you mess around too much," The man laid back, eyes shut against the chaos of battle. "Clean it up in ten minutes, or I'll finish your work… again."
"Look at me I'm Hercules, I kiss the boss's butt so I can act like a pampered twat!" Monkey backflipped into a standing pose, balanced on his staff. "Just sit back and rest your tender eyes, I'll show you the power of my fists!"
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"Ahhahaha!" The King tore a collar from the neck of a slave, alongside Semi-Divine's head. "DIE you miserable curs!"
Less than one-hundred defenders, backed by a legion of mineralized dragons, carved a path through the invaders. Each one stood at the peak of their tier, framed against ten times their number.
"We need to keep together," Joan carved a path through the humans like a farmer in her fields. "We've lost two to human waves already!"
Her hammer stole the body of a collared woman, tossed into the air as a spray of flesh. Even the stronger enemies held little resistance. If this continued, it would be a route. Feet dug into the corpse ridden earth, she brought her hammer down. A shockwave twisted limbs as it barreled through the humans around her.
"This can't be everything," The King bellowed to the skies, eyes red with blood. "Are you so arrogant to try and conquer the world with this!"
He crushed the skulls of several invaders in his claws. A space opened around him as his tail cleaved in a wide arc, enough for him to take a breath. The statues around copied once more and a rain of solar flame spewed in all directions. As it faded, few soldiers remained within a mile of the front.
"Send out the true warriors and let this farce be done!"
The King stamped his foot, twin jets of steam ejected from his nose. The stone dragons bellowed their support, a wave of sound that dominated the battlefield. No soldier stepped forward, a quiet moment that stretched too long.
"You're an impatient one, not that I can't talk!"
The voice came from above. A red-robed Monkey stood, staff laid over his shoulders. He spun so his head faced the ground and craned his neck to see the Dragon King.
"Why not enjoy the fights you can win?"
"I enjoy fighting the strong," The King squinted at the Monkey. "I think you'll do well enough."
"Bwahahahaha!" Monkey tumbled through the air, hands clutched to his sides. "I like you, let's see how deserved that confidence is!"
A pole sprang out, longer than the sky. It cleaved into the Dragon King's shoulder, stuck fast between the scaled joint. A shrug pushed the weapon away, a sigh on the King's lips.
"So weak… I thought perhaps you would be a challenge."
The Dragon King pounced forward, mouth opened wide. His eyes held a disinterested haze, his lust for a real fight unanswered. Monkey bounced back, nimble on his feet. He stayed a step ahead of the dragon's teeth, staff shrunken to a small club.
"Sorry, but I like to build up to the finish," Monkey thumbed his nose. "If I don't, everyone dies in one hit… where's the fun in that?"
The King scissored his claws, but Monkey ducked the blow. He shifted and dodged, no matter the King's pace. One hand pressed to his mouth, he held back a yawn.
"Enough!" Dissatisfied, the dragon opened its mouth. "Try and dodge this!"
The statues around them took aim as well, a ripple of fire that gleamed in Monkey's eyes. His staff spun in an easy arc, a windmill that shaped the air. A tide of flame spiralled into his grasp, redirected into the King's face.
"Ranged attacks are boring," Monkey loosened his shoulders. "I'll give you five percent…"
The staff in his hands expanded, thickened to wider than a big man's leg. It towered over Monkey's head, gold bound iron framed against the sun. Tipped back, the weapon extended further.
"But remember, you asked for it!"