Fire of War

Atlantis was wet- no shocker there. Jungles tended to be naturally wet with the high amounts of humidity and density located underneath the thick tree cover and trapped deep within the soil. A jungle beneath the surface of the ocean was even worse, if it even could be. The air was thick with moisture- anything left out for a period of time would be quick to develop drops of water across its side. Even the sun could not burn it away- because there was no sun. Just a fake mimicry that lied to all below.

So with all those factors combined, it was easy to see how fire was a non-threat to those in the dome. Everything was wet and damp- there was simply nothing to use a kindling. The place was as fireproof as a rock. And even if some miracle a flame was born, the endless mud would be quick to put it out. The foliage was too slippery to catch aflame, and the jungle too thick to burn.

To Ignis, this was an issue. The tapejara sulked as he traveled along his temporary companions, the Sons of the Sun. Solstice was sure of himself and snobby, and Hyperion was a violent maniac- but they were good company when it came to destroying. Together the three of them trashed whatever patrols that came across, destroying their cargo and scattering their forces. Still, the tapejara yearned for more- he yearned to feel the burn of flames against his feathers, to see their jungle go up in flames. So he searched and searched- and eventually found his solution down in one of the human ruins. Down a long abandoned hallway, through a shattered door window, into an untouched room, Ignis found it- a box of matches. The box was old and long decayed, but several of the matches inside were still unharmed. It was the break he had been looking for.

So here they were- traveling their way through the jungle as the fake dusk slowly inched its way down the horizon, distorted by the broken pixels of the broken skybox. Solstice scoffed. The sun outside never had such issues. Still, it was nothing less than the Atlanteans deserved, not knowing the warmth of the true sun on their backs. But tonight, they would finally give it to them- and much more.

Hyperion stayed silent as ever, scanning for any potential trouble they would run into. The trio skirted the front gates where a pair of rock shaped warriors stood guard- lazy, Hyperion thought to himself. The guards were gossiping idly in words that were too far away to catch. The cowards were too foolish to realize that it was even possible for a frontal attack to hit them- they would learn, soon.

The trio snuck around to one of the side entrances, rarely used on account of a broken gate that would usually lock behind those who used it. But the trio had no problem with it- Ignis simply flew around, using his beak to open it to allow the other two to slip inside. 

Solstice led the group as they slunk around the outskirts of the compound, a grin clear on his beaked face. Finally, it was time to show these cowards the might of the sun. Of course such cowards would be jealous, lacking the warmth and guidance of its warming rays. Solstice was all too glad to introduce them to it- punishment for going against the natural order. Maybe those who lived would fall into line…

Once they were in an isolated enough part of the compound, Solstice turned to Ignis. “So? Are you going to light the fires?” He demanded, tail flicking. “You need to give some to us too.”

Ignis snapped his beak back as a warning, but a glare from Hyperion told him this was no fight worth starting- not now at least. “Yes, yes.” He grumbled. “Gather dry materials. Now is the best time to start a fire- they won’t notice the haze in the air just yet.” Solstice looked like he was about to argue, but a nudge from Hyperion had him follow with a glare. The two styracosaurus soon returned with various materials they had scavenged from the area- fabrics, dry woods, even some bags that would soon hold seeds. 

Ignis grinned, before raising one of his wings. The matches had been tightly preened beneath his feathers, and he took a moment to remove one before carefully scraping it against a harder bit of wood. “Now, for the moment of honor.” Spark fell like stars from the sky, landing against the wood and softly fizzling. Ignis was quick to blow on them, the two styracosaurus watching in curiosity. Despite the name, they were not ones to use fire as a weapon- to see it being harnessed now as, admittedly, awe-inspiring.

Finally, the flame blossomed, starting out small at first, but rapidly devouring the sacrificed fuel. Ignis was quick to grab the branches he had prepared while the two styracosaurus were out gathering- wrapped in mud around the base, with the tip left clear. “Gold them in the fire until they catch- then go.” Ignis instructed. “Then drop them in their supplies, before coming back for more. Once the fire really gets going, we’ll leave- and let them deal with it.” 

Solstice eagerly took his stick, lighting it as quickly as he could before scrambling away. Hyperion had to resist the urge to chase after his mate- this plan would work best if they all split up, and Solstice could take care of himself. Hyperion ignored the nasty grin Ignis sent his way before trotting off towards the area he had gotten the fabric from. The stick was quickly growing uncomfortable against his beak, causing the styracosaurus to hiss in displeasure as he shifted it around.

Thankfully, the station he had picked out was not far away. A small open-air greenhouse, many plants growing in the soil. Hyperion hissed as one attempted to snap at him, poking at it with the flaming stick and watching it shriek with interest. He understood why Ignis was so found of it. Dropping the stick in a pile of nearby seeds, Hyperion laughed as he watched the fire quickly consume the bioweapon. “Maybe we can use some of this on the surface.” The styracosaurus muttered, before a screeching and an answering roar caught his attention. He sighed, before turning to run out. “In and out he said.” The styracosaurus muttered under his breath reproachfully. Well. Time to save his mate from whatever mess he had gotten himself into before their cover was blown higher than this place was about to be.