Polymath Redux Annex
Chapter 50 - Red Assassins
Several dozen wooden carriages tore across the desolate barren and rocky lands of Darkenholdt and entered into the luscious forests of Xagontetian territory. The stampede of horse driven carriages, left behind a destructive dust as they moved, however it was this that gave their locations away- not that a large group of conspicuous carriages were hard to find. It only made it faster for their pursuers to find them.
A bestial roar echoed through the skies and valleys as though they were a domed cavern. This kind of feral screech was distinct, not something that left much in the way of imagination. All the hearer had to do was think up of a large flying beast and they would be almost correct. From the centremost carriage, two prominent figures had been on board. “Tch, those crimson bastards have already started to go on the offensive,” spoke the first occupant of the carriage, the Dragon King: ‘Surendra Sinclar’. He shook his head as he gazed out the side.
“I did not think that they would disregard territorial borders and come on the offensive so quickly,” commented the second occupant, the First Prince of Xagontetia: ‘Leon Mil Avis Chrom’. “I have to commend their single minded dedication to seeking revenge.”
“Those whelps aren’t stupid, Prince. They already know that an alliance between Darkenholdt and Xagontetia has been established. That starting a war with us means that Xagontetia would be involved. There’s no need to be considerate when it’s an inevitability that we’ll be enemies. They’ve just skipped several steps before declaring it is all.”
“It is unfortunate. I had hoped that they would at least stay their blade for a little while longer,” the prince shook his head.
“Heh, at this point I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the crimson bastards themselves that killed off the hostage to instigate this war.”
“Please don’t say it like that. It would be horrifying to fight a war against a powerful group so ardently focused on creating destruction.”
“That’s just the reality of it,” the Dragon King turned to face the First Prince. “What will you do, Prince? If you disassociate yourselves from us now, it might be possible to salvage a somewhat understanding truce with the Crimson Dragon clan.”
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The prince did not even have to think for more than a few seconds before he let out a small snicker. “If our choices are between two equally powerful Dragon clans, then I’d rather side with the one I’ve already established an alliance with. It’d be cause for much less trouble that way. Being seen as a backstabber is detrimental to my image after all.”
“Is that so?” the Dragon King asked as he opened the doors to the carriage while still moving at high speeds. The Red Dragon pursuers could now be seen as three small silhouettes in the distance. “Then you better pray to your Goddess that you’ve made the ‘right’ decision.”
Though a rhetorical statement, the prince answered regardless with a confident smile, “I’ve only ever made ‘right’ decisions. I am the ‘peacemaker’ after all.”
It was one of very rare circumstances that the Dragon King smiled. “You are an interesting one. Very well then, we shall walk the path to hell together.”
With that exchange the Dragon King leapt out of the carriage. His cape fluttered in the wind to reveal a set of aureate armour, beaming back the light of the sun in a most holy fashion. He raised his hands as though he were praying to a god. Lightning suddenly struck around him several times. When the ashes were cleared a set of heavensent Golden Spears surrounded him. With a grin he picked one of them up.
The three Red Dragons were gaining distance very quickly. In just a matter of minutes they would swoop down onto their position.
“Lord Sinclair, I shall take care of the assassins.” One of his Draconian soldiers flew down from the sky on a set of golden wings. A female warrior had offered her service but the Dragon King stopped her.
“No, I’ll do it,” with a slightly melancholic expression he continued, “whether it was their ploy or not, that Red Dragon brat was still my responsibility. Because I had been too lax, both he and my son is dead.” He gripped tightly around the handle of the spear and stretched out left leg as he winded up an attack. The sight of the Red Dragons were now closer. “You just go inform the Prince that we should forgo breaks and continue riding even after nightfall. The sooner we get to the Xagontetian Capital the better. Even those warmongering Crimson Dragons don’t have so much spare fighting force to assault the capital of a foreign nation so wantonly.”
Without delay, without hesitation, the Dragon King placed all the strength he could muster into this one attack. The spear started to spark with lightning and with terrifying force he propelled it towards the enemy. The mere pressure and shockwave of the throw was enough to flatten the nearby trees and crater the ground around him.
The spear flew at dreadful speeds, almost imperceptible to mortals. It struck with literal deadly precision that it sunk through one of the Red Dragon’s heart and burst out through the other side. The Red Dragon howled in pain as it lost altitude and fell to the forest floor. The grounds quaked when its massive frame tumbled down. “Then… one down, two more to go.”