All we have to do is make the model we are using believable. I agree totally with the premise that the Bat's flight isn't based on any earthly physics model but at the same time the most believable descriptions are those that don't fly (!) in the face of common sense.
Ok, so we've got this terrifying monstrosity that's a 2km wingspan red bat....
(stifles a laugh - seen Father Ted? "dis is smaalll, dat is far awayy")
... and we've got to come up with a description of its movement in flight that not only encourages the readers desire to suspend disbelief but that flows correctly and allows the storyteller to move her game piece along it's preordained path.
Sounds difficult, given that even the least physics-minded of us immediately can tell that something that large shouldn't be able to make sudden changes in any kind of movement. I just don't buy the whole "it's magic so it just does!" explanation; that was one of the reasons I dropped D&D (before the A was concatentated to the beginning).
I must admit to having a mental image of this huge demi-god chaos demon bat screaming in at an oblique angle and scooping up all the ground under many many foes, the ground shuddering and ruckling up as the gargantuan wings beat great ruts into it; catapulting the delicate wee thing back into the air and leaving devastation in its wake. Here and gone inside of 10 seconds.
I just can't see it doing much in the way of acro*bat*ics (!).
Now I come to its fight with the dragon and their joint defeat (or victory). I see the dragon either swooping on the bat and them tumbling through the air biting and clawing, giving off great gouts of magic and scaring the living shyte out of everything for miles around, crashing into the ground still fighting (causing some serious damage to a lot of somethings) or some sort of chase scene that takes them high, almost to the heavens, where they can have some room to manoevure and where the narrative can show off the power and majesty of both creatures.
Still can't allow myself to write "the bat flapped it's wings in complicated movements, executing a full turn as it arced up away from its frighteningly steep descent towards the quivering city of Whitewall."; I can, however, concede to it having some ability at gliding.
Oliver's masterful description of part of the battle (put me very much in mind of Helm's Deep - extremely well done Oliver, to return the compliment) keeps the fiend's descent until it's demise. A very good idea; I agree with Chris about the body disposal too - the reason for the sea waters' rise, Oliver?
Unless there is some thought given to whatever apparent reason for it's ability to stay aloft.
A thought comes to mind:
The air keeps the sky and the earth apart from each other. Chaos is an afront to all three; air daimones from miles around flock to repel the hideous creature and it uses their attempts at repulsion by sort of slithering over the top of them. Irony then because this is the only reason it can fly at all. I was about to give explanation as to how it works in Lunar lands but, then, they don't let it go there, do they?
The alternative is to keep it away from such descriptions as would require any crimson acro*bat*ics (just love that pun - irony and pun in the same phrase, hmmmm).
Ok, talked too much now.
Over.
(maybe they just put it in a giant *bat*apult and lob it at Sartar!!! :)
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