War of the Scaleborn (World of Warcraft by Courtney Alameda

Author:Courtney Alameda [Alameda, Courtney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Published: 2023-10-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

After centuries of operating in secret, Neltharion could finally put his flight’s true genius on display before the other Aspects. He had kept his work a secret to avoid raising the ire of the Dragon Queen, but who could object to his foresight? Now, the other Aspects would hail the black Aspect and his flight as heroes.

“Over the last two centuries,” the Earth-Warder said, stepping into one of Neltharus’s darkened storerooms, “my flight has endeavored to build a comprehensive armory to serve in times of great need.”

The other Aspects filed in, one by one. Even Ysera attended in the scales, having left the Dream to lead her flight through the oncoming conflict.

Neltharion paused in the middle of the room, waving a forefoot to bring up the lights. The clawed braziers around him blazed, illuminating the massive cavern. Behind him, the other Aspects gasped.

Neltharion’s scalesmiths had filled the vault with armor for dragons, elder drakes, drakonid, and mortals alike. The light glinted off rows of gleaming breastplates designed to add a layer of protection to a dragon’s throat and chest. Vambraces were stacked in shoulder-high pyramids. Thousands of helms hung on the room’s enormous, square-sided pillars. The smiths of the black dragonflight had designed tail armor that ended in a wicked, razor-sharp fin; talon sheaths that provided additional power to puncture scales; and studded pauldrons that would prevent wing muscles from being lacerated while in flight.

“Neltharion, what…” Alexstrasza said as her gaze roved across the room. She blinked, then turned back to him. “How long have you been working on this…this war room?”

The Earth-Warder dipped his head in a half bow. “My flight set to the forges the day after we empowered our Oathstone.”

“What?” Alexstrasza and Ysera cried in unison.

“That was almost three hundred years ago,” Nozdormu said with a frown.

“And even then, I knew Iridikron’s hunger would only ever be satiated by war,” the black Aspect replied.

“Yes, yes, you are very smart and wise, oh great Earth-Warder,” Malygos said drily, crossing the room to stand beside Neltharion. The blue Aspect gave him a cheeky grin. “Are these all your designs?”

Neltharion snorted, taking a cuff from a nearby shelf. “Not all. My scalesmiths developed new forms of blacksteel and elementium, both of which provide lightweight protection in the air,” he said. “These cuffs, for example, will clip around a dragon’s outer wing-finger to give a layer of protection. Our aim was to increase a dragon’s defense without limiting mobility.”

“May I?” Malygos asked, extending his talons.

“But of course.” Neltharion handed the cuff to the blue Aspect.

“We could easily imbue each piece of armor with wards for additional protection,” Malygos said, turning to face the group. He levitated the cuff over his talons; then, with his other forefoot, he cast a spell over the armor. The metal shimmered with an azure hue. “Not only would our armor provide protection from physical attacks, but we could also give it the ability to absorb or reflect elemental ones, too.”

“That would be a boon in the skies,” Alexstrasza said, stepping forward to examine the cuff.

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