"We have our orders from on high. This is going to be a pain but we need to convince this ogre to guard the pass for the city." Tea told her friends while rubbing her head.
"Great, how are we going to do that. What do ogres want as trade anyway?" Smithy asked.
"He is a beast tamer right, lets see if he would trade hydra meat for it. Who knows, maybe we could even set him up as a trading partner in the future for our high value hunts." Drassisa said while drinking some wine.
"I just want to point out that if we can pull this off we may gain the favor of a Dragonlord." Tea added that last bit.
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Everyone perked up at this news. To gain the favor of one so old was no small feat. He had served under countless kings and emperors. He had watched their lands turn to dust and their people scatter to the four corners of the world. He was the end of the road for those that thought that 'Might Makes Right.'
Ten thousand armies had been broken at seige against his city. Ten thousand Kings had fallen to his claws. Ten thousand kingdoms had met there end under his flaming maw. He was a horror that had refused to die. He had killed gods when they came for him and faught the passage of time to a bloody stand still.
He stood on top of the entire world and ruled it with a tyrants wrath. There was no one in the entire world that would dare think killing him would be easy, just everyone that wanted to do it for the vast collection of artifacts they would get. If only they could slay the old beast. If only they could do what all of the gods and monsters of the old world couldn't. Many had tried and all had failed.
Empires were broken in the attempts on his life. Kings and Queens died by the thousands to lay a single wound on his scaled body. His great power comes from his hord and it is endless in its opulence.
To gain the favor of the Lord of All That Glitters has made beggers into Kings. Turned heroes into gods. Made Lords and Masters of all that truly caught his eye.
And he had turned his gaze on them. They would come out of this with wealth beyond imaging or all of them would die to Dragon's Fire.
The only question would be what else they would have to do. After all there is a good reason that people were not throwing themselves at his feet.
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They were on the march. The pass would be a three day journey from home. It would go through the old trade roads that were seldom used because there was better, safer options out there. They would need to go stocked up to kill both just in case. It would not be easy to pull off. It would not be fun if it came down to it. It would be necessary, that was the worst part. That it would be necessary.
They were taking the wagon filled with bones for Teamasa to animate. They had Killed the horses that pulled it and it was now being pulled by Teamasa aproved dragur horses. They would never wane, never break bones, and never sleep. They would always keep moving onwards following the comands given to them. They could sprint over the three day distance in less then one. All they needed was for someone to guide them onwards.
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It was for this reason that they were sleeping in shifts. It would not be long now untill the meeting was apon them whether they were ready or not. It was coming.
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Ride. Ride over this ground. Feeding my chimera the giant goats that lived in the mountain pass I called home was a good idea. My friend could now fly across the rocky ground even better then before. She could not be stopped by anything short of a shear cliff face and soon that would only be able to slow her down.
She had even grown a new head. A goats head to go along with her mountain lion head and the snake head on her tail. She would have adapted on her own of course but he could make it happen faster, with far more control. He could make sure that she only got the best blueprints to adapt to. He could make sure that she got the experience of bringing them down as well.
To know how strong they were. To better know what she would be capable of in the future.
This hunt would be for a giant snake that lives in a lake. The snake is not Venomous but does have strong, thick muscles. Her snakes head was becoming unbalanced with her increase in size. Even dispite that the fact that she would be able to add to her overall muscle mass was a boon all its own. She would be stronger for this hunt, make no mistake.
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They were getting close, close enough for Sasha to send a message through the will of her god.
Close enough to just whisper in the ear of this ogre.
Close enough to ask if they could bargin.
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He had heard a voice in his ear. The faintest of whispers had graced his ear and he could just barley make out what was said.
'We would like to bargin.'
Not wanting to make to much noise he whispered back, 'if you can help me kill a 300 meter snake we shall talk.'
The odd voice whispered back, 'agreed, we meet at dawn.'
That was all that was said and such he began to set up a base camp away form anything that could harm him. He had long sense taught his mount to dig into the stone and make small caves. Caves like the one that he was born into. Caves that would shelter him in the long nights and now they would be the place were he would meet those he would bargin with.
Something was telling him to talk. He did not know what but at this point in his life and after everything that he had lived through, he was going to listen.
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"So you are the ogre that has everyone in a titse." Embrda said when they pulled up to the freashly dug cave.
He looked around not liking the feeling he was getting. Things would not go their way if this became ugly. They would need to act fast and move faster. Change the ground as fast as possibe to take away their preys edge.
"Yes my name is Albcsarie. I am the last of the clan that came here years ago for war." The ogre told them with pride in his voice.
He was proud that his people had fallen to the Great Dragon. Who else could best them but the Dragon himself. He had been forced to do something he hadn't in centries. He had taken flight and brought ruin to them from his own maw.
"You will help me to kill the snake that lives in that lake. It block my pass on occasion and ruins the best drinking spot for two hundred leagues." He added. "Then we shall bargin farther. This is the one I will stike now."
"Would you be willing to make a deal with me to ensure boths sides cooperation. In exchange we would be willing to give you meat of a hydra we killed." Sasha asked the gentel giant.
"I will accept on behalf of your clan to mine. We shall make merry this morning and kill the snake at the sunset. If we come from the west then the snake will be blind." He told the little people who knew how to give proper gifts.
One did not give gold as a gift as it was saying that you could be bought. If they had offered he would be insulted on behalf of his clan. They were all dead and he would not allow them to be disrespected like that.
This might just turn out all right after all.
Though neither had anyway of knowing it they were both thinking the same thing.