Groaning, and rolling my eyes behind closed lids, I watch as a mighty Sand lands in front of me, a yellowish dragon of adult, nearing ancient stage. Sighing quietly to myself, I gnaw on my bottom lip, wondering if I should go straight for the kill. Then again, they are at least cooperating with the humans and kobold refugees. I think. Unless—.
Yeah, I spoke to soon, mentally anyway. The dragon announces, “I Driezyln demand to know what you’re doing in the lands of She Who Burns.”
Trying not to be too snarky, I ask, “Is that your title then? Are you She Who Burns? Or are you a page, messenger, stooge, or something along those lines?”
Driezyln balks at my complete disregard of, or fear of, their dragon-ness. They wear a slight sneer before responding, “She Who Burns is the title of the ruler of this land, because if I spoke her true name to you in our tongue, your mind could scarce comprehend it, and would likely burst from its mere utterance.”
Unable to help myself, I begin giggling. Enough with this farce. This’ll let them know I already deal with dragons plenty, and that the draconic tongue is nothing new to me. Sighing, rolling my eyes, I announce, “Please announce to your supposed ruler that I, Reggie Shellcracker, a Hero of the Order of the Onyx Dawn, an archmage Aliased Schism, the Void Dragon Honoris Causa, would like to have a chat regarding the safety of the Aasimovian refugees. Oh, sorry, you can stop pissing yourself, I’ll rescind my Honoris Causa.”
I can’t be fully certain if Driezyln actually pissed themselves, but they were quivering when my Honoris Causa activated. Feeling only slightly chagrined at having caused someone else to possibly wet themselves, I make note to try to find a way to be better. I would like to act like less of a bully, but what can ya do when people are trying to intimidate you when you’re on a time crunch?
Surprisingly, Driezyln alters shape, shrinking down to that of an androgynous, yellow-robed monk-like human. The being hurries towards me, shuffling my way, but does not look to be dashing as if in an attempt to attack. Rather, their hurried shuffle looks like one of urgency and secrecy. Raising my brow, the skin of my forehead to scalp region tightens around my horns, an unfamiliar feeling, reminding me that those will take some getting used-to.
After approaching me, Driezyln leans towards me to whisper conspiratorially, “The Onyx Dawn is on the move? A Hero of the Onyx Dawn is out and about? You seem to rival ancients. Could you depose one that threatens the safety of the refugees you’re curious about?”
Fighting my smirk, I nod as I answer, “If She Who Burns threatens the lives of those I love, I’ll end her as soon as possible. Just point the way. By the sounds of it, you’re not so fond of your ruler. What do you know about the Onyx Dawn, and what we represent?”
There’s a conspiratorial side-eye as Driezyln glances about, seemingly worried for the security of this conversation as they admit, “The Onyx Dawn detests Terrorzin’s rule. Lady Kinzul is infamous, and could have been king. She didn’t want the title, but we’ve all assumed she would rebel one day. She’s always taken in anyone, absolutely anyone, that didn’t want to scrape-scale and bow to Terrorzin’s every whim. I’d guess life is precious to her. It is not as precious to She Who Burns. You might be able to guess by the state of the surrounding countryside.”
Seeming abashed, Driezyln adds, “Auntie, erm, She Who Burns, has slain even her own direct descendants, or, at least her clutches, rather than hand them over to Terrorzin, but still—. If the lives of these softskins, and kobolds, are precious to you, I beg you to slay my aunt. She can be found roosting in her hoard, at the base of Mount Pyrepeak, the dormant volcano.”
Struggling to keep myself from facepalming, I call back, “Lil, Lu, Lucky, you guys hear all that? Looks like we have a local overlord to depose before we can rendezvous with my friends.”
The whuff, and dual replies of, “Sure thing,” let me know all I need to. I’m not entirely certain what to do about Trixxie. Shrugging, I decide to request a favor, “Driezyln? Would you mind looking after a prisoner for us? Protect her, treat her kindly, keep her safe, and the like. We really, really shouldn’t be long. We just got done destroying one of Terrorzin’s fortresses, Vorzog’s Keep, and, well, I tried to spare as many lives as I could, but, well, you know how things go.”
Chuckling that I accidentally implied I was only able to spare one life, I hold up a hand as Driezyln appears aghast. Gnawing on my lip, I ask, “Also, is there any chance that you’d be willing to take a portable hole, containing wounded, to a man named Tiago, possibly referred to as Santiago or San Tiago, or a Fae goblin woman named Tiktik? If, glp, if they have survived their journey. I don’t recommend freeing Shlendtikuar from the portable hole, just retrieving the wounded and ill from it. Err, yes, I can see the question, I guess technically we took out two fortresses today.”
There’s the tiniest fear creeping up my spine that Driezyln’s eyes will pop out of their sockets. Thankfully though, Driezyln is willing to accommodate as they offer, “Those two names are fairly well known amongst the enforcers. They’re, well, not exactly troublesome, but they’re well known. You may face two enforcers, as well as two of She Who Burns’, erm,” he pauses to blush heatedly before hesitantly finishing by hazarding a guess as to the term, “consorts? I believe I can sway the rest who patrol the softskins, if you can handle those five.”
Nodding, I sense Lil shapeshifting, and Lucky as well, since we’re no longer worried about stealth. Trixxie eyes Driezyln warily, but accepts a hand out of the carriage regardless. This is a fight that Lil and I will excel in. Unless She Who Burns means chemical burns like acid. It didn’t sound like that though from Driezyln’s comment about making note of the surrounding countryside. I mount Lil as Lu mounts Lucky, and we ride hastily away, not caring about the temporary carriage or ghostly horses any longer. Hell, I can probably dismiss both of them if I cared enough. I might as well, as a tiny show of power. There. With a snap of my fingers, the ghostly steeds are gone, and the carriage quickly begins to dissolve.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
The four of us make haste to the nearby mountains, seeking out the one that looks to be most obviously volcanic in nature. Of course, that means we’ve got to traverse over hill and over dale, figuratively. We cross several foothills, and dodge through several narrow valleys by skirting the Worldstorm as Lil and Lucky are able to virtually race horizontally along cliff’s faces. Lucky is able to literally do so with his new boot-coverings. It’s weird to see him armor up over a minute or so as he resumes his normal shape, but he’s incredibly adept at wielding the magic in the scarf in order to dig out and equip various bits of armor and magical trinkets.
Feeling like we’re in the early afternoon, I’m guessing it’s between one and four pm right now. I could check my phone, but I don’t want to pull it out while I’m racing headlong into battle. I guess I can check in on—. My eyes stare wide at the note in the security center. It feels as if my breathing stops. There’s only one word, and that word is siege. I made us go the opposite direction from Solace. I engaged in a promise to help remove a different threat, to a different group of people, and my new family are forced to suffer for my choice, without me to aid them against—. Snap out of it Reggie. You put plans and contingencies into place for exactly this situation.
Plans and contingencies may be in place, but Revvy and Greggy and Shaylon aren’t. They haven’t returned back from the ‘Neath yet, but that doesn’t mean that Solace is defenseless though either. Though, the Dormir and the Vivant are still out with Teuila, the Triple L Squad are with me, and I have a feeling Kinzul didn’t stay at Solace today, with everything going on. She’s been secretive, about something that needs to be done, something that needs to happen, that keeps requiring her attention. Crap, uh, okay, Pawn, and the Queens are there, for sure. The strategists-eight must have abandoned the security center in order to aid them in defending Solace from the siege. Of the Spellknight twins, Yui might be back at Solace, or she might have simply used her messenger-bird spell to tell a scout that Kagired was injured, or she may have stopped by in person to deliver the message, but returned to the task of watching Induul with Yuri.
Honestly, I’m worried that Ixey might choose to fight, and if she does, that Zayzi might choose to fight to defend Solace with their sibling. I’m almost certain that Shiz will put up a good fight in defense of the new home for his sister and her kinsmen, and her soon-to-be new children. Plus Atter would go full mama-bear mode on anyone that made it far enough to disturb her and Boetah. Atter and Boetah, whew, they’d decimate anything that made it that far, though I’m hoping nothing does make it that far. Okay, okay, it’s a war, you have to expect that there will be injuries, and, and—. I gulp, not wanting to admit the next word. Injuries, and fatalities. We may lose lives in defense of Solace. Any of us that returns, Kinzul, Teuila with the Dormir and the Vivant, or me and the Triple L Squad, will drive back the siege quite a ways. Just hang in there guys.
Hm, there’s a new volunteer that I don’t recognize starting to operate the security center. As they patch me in, I’m almost too worried to ask for a sitrep about the siege. Sighing, trying not to sniffle, and trying to keep my eyes from wetting despite the high-velocity winds flowing up my cheeks beneath my goggles, I blink repeatedly while awaiting the connection.
The volunteer begins, “Schism? Can you hear me? Oh, the visual is nodding, okay. There’s a lot of noise from your end, like high winds. I’m guessing with that motion on the back of Sun, that I caught you at a bad time. The Eight send their apologies for the hasty note. Defenses being mounted are successful so far, no casualties. Do you expect you’ll return soon? Oh, that’s unfortunate. Well, we are prepared for siege after all. It simply means you’ll have to fight your way in, one way or another, depending on whether you come in from above or below. The assault is heavier from below, obviously. I’m uncertain about protocols for this sort of thing, I’m just filling in. Pawn suggested I let you know that Tenith, the Dormir, and the Vivant are all fine, so, I’m doing that. They are. Good luck out there Schism. Get home safely.”
Trying not to chuckle, as mixed feelings swarm about within me, I’m grateful when the volunteer pulls the audio jack on his headphones out of my scrying sensor’s soundproof box, returning me to the silence of my own mind. Well, not that my mind is ever really silent. Lil could hear what was said, because the goggles aren’t exactly the quietest thing around, but Lucky and Lu would probably have had to have been filled in by Lil psychically, due to the high winds and distance between us. Gnawing on my lip, I’m starting to worry. Do I really bring anything to this next series of fights? Five dragons who are ancient, or at least darn near, and any attendants or underlings they have, when I’m slowly regenerating from a beatdown that I received at the hands of Vorzogil.
What resources do I have? I’ve got the psychic empowerment rune on Whisper, I’ve got five more charges on the Cosmic Roundsheathe, and—. Hm. I’ve got a few charges, or SP worth of actions still in the staff, but not many. I could possibly call FFS again today, maybe, if they were able to rush this far this fast. I’ve got two more charges of raven-porting, but that’s defenses. Well, I could sort of use it offensively comically if I get several attackers to engage me via a crossfire. I, hm, I do have those strange “elemental” crossbow bolts. I mean, the icons are pretty wicked, almost silly. I do technically have sixty nine percent of my dragonforce left. My Honoris Causa is fairly powerful, though not quite on par with ancient dragons just yet. Maybe after another Caliber, possibly two. Genre senses are saying that it’s going to take three more actual ancients, that Rahjmeztus didn’t count. The little glow in my head seems to indicate pretty much the same thing.
Sighing and rolling my eyes, I’m guessing that only She Who Burns, if any of them, will count as a full ancient for the purposes of my Honoris Causa and my cure. If I’m truly lucky, all five would count, but I won’t be that lucky. If I’ve got a fair stroke of luck, I might get three here. I assume She Who Burns would only take ancients as consorts. It strikes me as odd that she has consorts if she doesn’t want younglings, torching her own eggs and such. I guess she just enjoys—. Please don’t think about that brain. I really don’t want to know about the proclivities of people I’m fighting. Hell, I don’t even want to know that about most of the people that I *like.*