This supply station was built within the hollows of massive trees, their trunks naturally curved and stretched into the perfectly formed tree cavities.
"Excuse me, I heard the forest tribes live in harmony, even with the trees. Doesn't hollowing out the large trees to make dwellings cause them pain?" Arnold asked hesitantly as they approached.
The male elf Kala paused for a moment, giving a wry smile before responding, "Fel must have told you that, didn't she? Yes, it was indeed that way over 600 years ago. But now, Aslan's protective power is waning and the dragons' corruptive magic is spreading."
"This area used to be a sunny forest glade where small animals frolicked together and the great trees shared their excess fruit. However, the dragons have corrupted this place. Those trees began acting as spies, constantly relaying information to betray their former companions. Faced with this dire situation, our hunting parties had no choice but to kill them - hollowing out their trunks, sawing off branches, and binding their roots with iron tools."
"How dreadful..." Arnold feigned a look of horror.
Nana lightly covered her face, for her mother was a green dragon, and she knew well their methods of territorial expansion.
"Come inside."
They arrived at a tree hollow and Kala opened the door, letting everyone enter before taking out a fire striker to light the central fire pit.
Arnold silently observed everything. The tree cavity was sparsely furnished, containing only a crudely shaped wooden bed and piles of dried beans and arrows - there wasn't even a table.
In the center, a roughhewn pot hung over the fire pit, likely used for cooking soup or boiling water.
"Without light, the elves untouched by filth have fallen into mundanity," the golden dragon thought, watching Kala, Fel and Meldor sit cross-legged one by one. In the flickering dim firelight, their faces looked pale and lacked the sacred aura they normally had in the sunlight and forest. He knew this was a manifestation of their backwards energy situation.
"Let me get straight to the point, friends who have traveled far. I hope you can join our fight and contribute your strength to Leonardo's just cause," Kala said solemnly to Arnold as soon as he sat down.
"I'm sorry, but I'm just a scholar. Violence is not my forte," the golden dragon shook his head without hesitation.
"But you were able to intimidate the raptor in single combat, and use unimaginable power to heal Fel's wounds," Kala pointed to the shadowy figure of Meldor.
"She is the strongest warrior at this supply station. She once single-handedly hunted seventeen lure drakes. But ten years ago, she unfortunately encountered a raptor and barely escaped with her life, though her face was forever scarred as a mark of her defeat."
Arnold recalled the five claw marks scarring the elf woman's face, clearly left by a raptor's wing talons during a high-speed gliding attack.
"I used magical power, which doesn't give me any decisive advantage - it's just more intimidating," Arnold still disagreed. "Don't you also command a special power - that little bear?"
He looked towards the young elf Fel.
"Fel, did Susa receive Aslan's blessing?" Kala turned to her in surprise.
"Ah! Sorry, I was so eager to introduce you all to Mr. Arna that I forgot to tell you," Fel scratched her head awkwardly.
Kala gave the girl an exasperated glare before explaining:
"Mr. Arna, that was not some renewable power. When the forest tribes cry out to Aslan in times of peril, they sometimes receive aid from the forces of nature. But it is limited, usually only usable two or three times before disappearing."
"What strange power is this? Haven't you tried to preserve it?" Arnold frowned.
"We have, but found that it is usually the elders who can obtain more natural power, even extending its uses."
"What's the secret?"
"They have a sincere, devoted worship of Aslan in their hearts. Every day when drinking from the spring, sleeping, or reflecting, they silently recite its name. But those born after Aslan's disappearance tend to only believe what they can see. Though they claim reverence, doubt remains in their hearts."
Arnold gave Kala an odd look, and the latter pointed humorously at himself, "Correct, like me for instance."
"In any case, we truly need your strength. Dragon incursions are becoming more frequent. Can you bear to see this pristine refuge become an evil dragon's paradise?" Kala half-bowed in entreaty.
"Yes, please help us!" Fel went so far as to prostrate herself on the floor.
Nana quickly reached out to help her up, but the young elf remained steadfastly on the ground.
"I can't possibly risk myself over a few words..." Arnold averted his gaze, feigning difficulty.
"You wish to learn about Aslan's trail, don't you? If I take you to witness its sacred relic at the shrine, would you then help us?" Fel revealed her innermost desire.
"This..." The golden dragon hid his eagerness well, rhythmically tapping the floor with his left hand to show his conflicted state.
"No, Fel, get up..." Nana couldn't bear it, knowing what Arnold would do once he encountered the so-called "relic". She tried to dissuade the naive girl.
"Nana, we must have that key thing for our graduation..." A draconic voice resonated in her mind as Arnold used telepathy to tell her not to ruin things.
"Alas..." She recalled Augustus and Yuranda being killed by Raphael, unclear why benefits had to be built upon others' suffering, but eventually relented.
Kala also looked up, "I can lead the way for you, as long as you lend your aid."
"...Alright..." After what seemed an arduous internal struggle, Arnold reluctantly agreed to the request.
"Then we'll set out tomorrow morning. Fel, take our two friends to rest," Kala said in relief, instructing the young elf.
Soon only he and Meldor remained in the hut, and the elf captain's expression also turned cold.
"You really just handed over your trust like that?" The previously silent Meldor spoke up.
"No, but I know those two must be after something. To easily fend off a raptor and cross the Dragon Domain, that's a power this little station cannot resist," Kala replied.
Meldor pondered, "You're afraid they might suddenly turn violent and destroy this place, so you're deliberately luring them in."
"Correct," Kala took out a dagger and began sharpening it. "Whether it's lies or truth, that golden-haired one exudes a presence far above ours. Rather than vigilantly defending with no way out, it's better to lure them to the shrine, where powerful high priests reside who can handle any disruption, no matter how strong he is."
"And what do you think they are?"
"I don't know, but definitely not human - humans only arrive by sea, never overland. To cross the Dragon Domain...only that naive girl Fel would believe such nonsense. Only dragons can traverse that deadly region."
Meldor was stunned, "They're both dragons?"
"Unlikely, probably dragon-kin or something similar," Kala raised his hand to inspect the dagger's edge. "If they really were two dragons, that would be an incredible stroke of luck."
He then glanced at Meldor, "Go investigate the specific origins of those five elves. Though they do match the missing persons list from over a decade ago, there must be deception involved."
"Yes."
......
Deep into the night, Nana was already sound asleep wrapped in a brown blanket, but Arnold sat cross-legged beside the extinguished fire pit, fiddling with a crystal orb in his hands.
"Insulation space."
His left hand, now transformed into a dragon's claw, released a rippling wave, preventing any outside eavesdropping or spying.
Then with his right claw, he wielded magic to weave a special sigil and infuse it into the crystal orb. The azure crystal surface quickly turned a searching grey-white hue as it used void force to connect to the distant Crimson Dragon.
"My dear friend, how have you been these past few days?" A familiar voice came through, and Arnold smiled.
He then proceeded to recount the events and his plans.
"That's the situation. I intend to follow them to that shrine and examine this 'god's' sacred relic. If it's related to the metamorphic species you want, I'll just take it directly."
"Hmm...I'm actually more interested in this Aslan," Raphael replied.
"What's so intriguing about an imaginary god?" Arnold scoffed. To him, this Aslan was likely just an exceptionally powerful being with a kind heart that the ignorant forest dwellers had mythologized - things like the spring, primal quintessence, and 'natural powers' were probably just stories passed down.
But Raphael responded calmly, "It has a faithful limit on uses based on belief. If that's true, I'd like to thoroughly study that power."
He recalled the old treeman Paladin, who claimed his restorative abilities were miracles bestowed by the gods, despite sounding rather fictitious. Yet he had indeed repaired Raphael's broken horn.
"Sure, I'll capture some high priests for you on the way back," Arnold casually replied.
"Also, I wonder if we could push them to the brink and see if this 'god' appears in extreme danger," Raphael suddenly added. He remained fixated on the trail of divine power they had uncovered, having suffered setbacks before. Hearing Arnold mention Aslan blessing this area's peace and harmony piqued his interest.
"But those people said the god disappeared 600 years ago. I reckon that was when Prulis Faction started gaining influence and promoting soft outward expansion. With the immense draconic power, they simply couldn't maintain the millennia-old lies anymore and had to mobilize resistance against outside enemies."
Arnold didn't believe in such a force existing. Otherwise, why wouldn't Leonardo have tried venturing out? It was likely just the forest elven upper class controlling things.
Yet Raphael remained keenly interested, "Regardless, it's worth a try. I'm currently staying in Edgeworth's son's territory while he's busy plotting to annex part of the Leonardo Forest. If you provide some intelligence to embolden him, we have nothing to lose!"
Arnold shook his head, "The energy utilization efficiency here is extremely low. Heat is generated through primitive manual labor, weaponry and transport lack proper tools. We dragons have magic, humans have minerals - these people are even worse off than the demi-humans of Strife Plain. How could they be so backward if they had a 'god'?"
"I see. So where does their resistance truly lie?" Raphael persisted, ignoring the advice.
The golden dragon had no choice but to scratch a map he had visualized onto a piece of parchment.
"They said there are thousands more places like this. Destroying one accomplishes nothing."
"Hah! Thousands? Even tens of thousands would be useless!" Raphael cruelly laughed, cutting off the communication.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"He didn't even ask about Nana's situation," Arnold sighed helplessly, wondering whether his friend had forgotten or completely trusted him to protect her.
...
"Yutushir!"
Raphael suddenly took flight, startling the green dragon who was studying plant growth magic.
"Calamity Demon, what do you want now?" Yutushir averted his head in disgust, as if a filthy, repulsive fat rat was scurrying about his newly cleaned home with no way to drive it out.
"Want to expand your territory and become a regional overlord with rich fertile lands?" Raphael opened with words extremely tempting to dragons.
"You have a way to deal with those scale-less ones?" Yutushir's voice immediately softened as he forced out a slight smile and softly inquired.
He knew this dragon had successfully carved out a foothold in human lands, though the area was small, already over ten times larger than his current territory. This demonic dragon may be vile, but his subjugation methods and strength were reliable for Prulis Faction's plans, vouched for by Yutushir's father and the Draconic Sages.
"I now know the location of one of their supply depots," Raphael said mysteriously, though he did not expect Yutushir's disdainful eye-roll in response.
"Bah! One measly supply depot? I thought you had found their main logistics hub!" scoffed the green dragon, turning away to resume his magical experiments. "My powerful elite kin can find dozens of such supply stations in a year, but hundreds more spring up within months after they are destroyed. They have several major hubs rotating immense quantities of resources and personnel. Taking down one outpost is useless if you don't uproot the main thing."
"What do you green dragon kin know of strategy? Your skirmishes are mere child's play," Raphael scoffed, looking down on such "bush warfare" after battling humans.
"You...very well, I concede you bested the humans," Yutushir glared. "But this is the deep forest, not your open plains. Combat here is like turning fields to ocean - a war of patience and slow attrition, not settled in days or months."
"But that depot must receive resupplies sometime. Have you never thought to ambush their staff of transportation?" Crimson Dragon's dark golden eyes glinted as he advanced menacingly.
This posture made Yutushir's heart skip a beat, and his tone softened considerably. "Of course I've thought of it, but that's an unfamiliar forest area. My kin are not familiar with the terrain and could easily get lost and picked off one-by-one along the way."
"What if I lent my strength?"
The green dragon's eyes widened. "You would violate the pact?"
"We cannot go out in dragon form. The Dragon Council will punish us!" Yutushir warned.
He was not worried about Crimson Dragon, but feared implicating himself.
"But I've always been operating outside the borders. No one can do anything to me," Raphael said fearlessly.
"That's a special case. I cannot act recklessly, otherwise even my father cannot protect me. The Conservative Faction old fogeys will seize this chance to retaliate and strike!"
Yutushir refused to comply.
"I'm very curious how those doomed old dragons from Holt plan to punish you? A warning at most?" Raphael mocked endlessly. He felt Prulis Faction dragons were higher than the heavens yet more fragile than paper - a bunch of fortune-seekers clinging desperately to their wealth, unwilling to go all in.
"In the past they did intervene directly...but things have changed over the past two thousand years. I don't know the specifics, but both my father and Draconic Sage are tight-lipped about it. What I do know is that your father - the Sword of Fire, that ambitious red dragon - was subdued by this method and has retreated into his territory, no longer involving himself in worldly conflicts."
"My father?" Raphael was stunned.
"Come to think of it, he was already one and a half thousand years old when I was born. My mother was only nine hundred then. I know nothing of the thousand years before that..."
"You don't know anything? I thought the conquest of the human kingdoms and cooperation with Prulis Faction were all orchestrated by him behind the scenes," Yutushir said, unable to believe Raphael's dumbfounded look.
"What do you know?" Raphael asked, raising his head.
The green dragon shook his head. "How old am I? Not that much older than you. I only know that the rise of Prulis Faction cannot be separated from your father. And from what I know - six hundred years ago, the humans' occupation of Pillar Mountain also had the shadow of dragons behind it."
Raphael quickly sank into a daze. As his power and status rose, the mists of history also enshrouded him, leaving him unable to make sense of it all.
"In any case, it doesn't matter if you're not afraid, but I absolutely cannot join the attack myself. If you take action, I cannot dispatch my kin to help you either, as that would leave evidence. In the past, there were many eloquent and devious sin dragons who deceived and instigated their more rigid-minded brethren to leave the Dragon Domain privately. But they could not escape being labeled sin dragons themselves. I do not wish to be implicated by association."
Yutushir took the ancient rules very seriously and was determined not to violate them.
"Fine, I'll go myself!"
Raphael threw down these words, carrying heavy doubts as he flapped his wings and soared high, disappearing in a shroud of invisibility smoke.
"What? You're serious!"
Yutushir stared open-mouthed in the forest.
He had thought the Calamity Demon was just using his strength to achieve some goal, so he casually refused with an excuse.
He never expected Raphael to actually go eliminate the Leonardo tribes himself, doing his work for free.
"Assemble the lure drake legions and raptor elites!" he promptly ordered his guards. "Infiltrate along the planned routes into Leonardo. When that red dragon appears, do not act rashly. Wait for him to clear the path, then move in to mop up the stragglers!"
It was not that the green dragon did not want to exterminate the forest tribes and consume the vast ancient forest with dragon secretions. But cooperating with Crimson Dragon was tantamount to colluding with an evil dragon, making it easy to be used and framed.
Now that the other party was taking independent action, he could certainly strike as well.
......
"Through these underground passages, we can quickly reach the sanctuary of Narnia," the male elf Kala said, leading the group along a narrow, winding mine tunnel with dragon oil lamps said to burn for a thousand years lining the stone walls.
"This doesn't seem like technology mastered by the forest denizens," Arnold remarked, running his hand along the sharply angled rock walls, the sheer engineering and craft involved clearly exceeding that of these primitive natives.
"Legend has it that in the age before the dragons appeared, the Leonardo Forest was tormented by an evil witch and her minions of dwarves, mad orcs, and pointed-ear goblins. These ancient tunnels were dug out by those evil minions back then," Kala explained.
"An age before the dragons? Those bastards were arrogant indeed," Arnold thought, having a bit of pro-dragon bias and disliking any implication of belittling dragons.
Nana meanwhile examined the illuminating dragon oil lamps. "Is this oil really from dragons?"
"No, it's extracted from the dragon kin that invaded and were killed in recent years. My parents' generation never used these tunnels. The ancient high priests sealed these evil paths with huge stone blocks, fearing those dark minions might return through them. But the pressures of reality became too great, forcing us to reopen these areas to secretly transport supplies."
Kala answered candidly, but Arnold felt he was still being cautious with them, as they had been walking for hours without seeing any third parties, meaning the real transport routes must be elsewhere.
"He's probing us. No wonder they've been able to hold out against overwhelmingly powerful dragon kin for so long."
It was clear the male elf had never fully trusted them. But this could not blame him - after all, he was in the midst of a war of mutual annihilation, a mode that demanded ruthless cunning, exploiting and guarding against anything and everything.
The five elves walked behind, weighed down by their thoughts, with Meldor bringing up the rear.
Last night, this seasoned female elf had secretly communicated with them again, repeatedly hinting through her words that the forest tribes were in extreme danger, urging them to put aside personal interests and reveal where those two strangers had really come from and what their goals were.
But the terror brought by Crimson Dragon was their worst nightmare. Even far away from him, the elves still feared defying any of his orders deep in their hearts.
The human expedition team that had initially gotten along well with them was almost completely wiped out. Raphael's intimidation had been deeply etched into their souls from that time.
So Meldor gained nothing, forcing Kala to resort to other measures.
A point of light flickered ahead, and Kala spoke, "We've arrived. Hopefully after observing Narnia, you two will consider joining us."
Arnold smiled wryly. "Captain Kala will accompany us throughout the tour, I presume? Miss Meldor likely won't be coming along."
"Of course," a bead of cold sweat dripped down Kala's brow. "Meldor is leading five others to search for their families. As the guide, I should be up to the task."
Fel did not come - Kala did not want the naive girl involved in this scheme.
Arnold did not care about these little tricks. He only wanted to see the holy relic to confirm if it was the target, then directly seize it and fly away with Nana.
The light grew increasingly dazzling. After climbing a flight of stairs, they finally emerged from the long underground passage onto the surface.
The scene before them was like a fairy tale. Gorgeous elves, animals and birds lived in harmony. Stone was the main building material, but only served basic sheltering purposes. Many elves and wild animals simply slept under trees or on the grass.
Most importantly, the area had excellent natural lighting. A single sun hung high in the vast sky, its rays bathing the entire area in a sacred golden glow.
In their daily lives, the elves only wore thin, light, billowing silk robes. Kala said these were gifts from the magic silkworms, as elves otherwise did not wear clothes.
"It's so beautiful!" Nana said, entranced by the idyllic scene of nature and life fused in perfect harmony.
A azure blue bird curiously landed in her icy blue hair. Nana gently cupped it in her hands, gazing into the pure, innocent eyes of the songbird.
Witnessing this scene, Kala was slightly moved, but was quickly pulled back to reality by Arnold's calm, scrutinizing gaze.
"Well? Mr. Arna? This is Narnia. We elves see no difference between ourselves and squirrels or birds. Aslan simply granted us wisdom and dexterous hands to protect the forest. Hence we wear clothes, build wonders of stone, forge tools, and spin linen to record our history. We're in the outskirts now. The holy relic is enshrined in the central grounds."
He asked softly, "Would you like to take a look around first?"
"No need," Arnold immediately refused. "Let's just go see the relic. This fairytale beauty is already deeply etched in my mind - words and writing could never capture its essence."
"Very well." Doubt grew in Kala's heart as he led the two deeper into the heart of Narnia.
Along the way, the young elves and animals played without a care, drinking from the ubiquitous springs to instantly regain their vitality.
The elder forest denizens strolled in groups or sat discussing philosophy. Arnold had studied the ancient forest tongue and heard them debating: If the subjective world is merely an impression pieced together in each individual's mind, then what is the true objective reality like if all life ceased to exist and there were no conscious minds to perceive it?
"Excuse me for asking," Arnold suddenly questioned Kala, unable to hold back. "With a great enemy at the gates, why don't you mobilize for total war?"
"What do you mean?" Kala asked, bewildered.
"Rationally allocating all available manpower and resources for the war effort," the golden dragon explained, recalling the words of the human Alvis. "Deploying everything you can - people and supplies - fully into combat operations."
"You want children and the elderly on the battlefield?" Kala shook his head in disbelief. "That's impossible!"
"They could make weapons or treat the wounded," Arnold pointed out.
"No, no, no!" Kala waved his hands. "Fighting is for us able-bodied adults. Children and elders should enjoy peace."
The golden dragon fell silent, recalling the elderly humans sweeping at Erl's universities and alchemical plants, the stark contrast now clear. No wonder even a backwater green dragon's underling could so freely violate this place.
Nana, oblivious to such fundamental issues, was attracting animals left and right with her outstanding affability, the playful frolicking bringing the blue dragon a rare smile.
"Are you two really students together?" Kala asked again, unable to reconcile their vastly different demeanors.
"Of course we're classmates," Arnold hadn't lied.
"But the gap is so wide..." the male elf captain muttered to himself, never able to get a read on what Arnold was thinking while Nana was an open book.
They pressed onwards, the buildings becoming more ornate and numerous, statues of Aslan appearing along the path.
"This is Aslan, the son of the celestial deity, the patron of nature - a god worthy of reverence and worship," Kala expounded as they passed the serene lion sculptures.
"I notice it doesn't have any roaring depictions though. Don't lions ever get angry?" Arnold asked after circling one.
"Aslan is all-loving and never angered. It understands all and has compassion for every living being, even the witch and her dwarf and orc minions - that's proof they still exist today," Kala explained.
"Hmm...is the evil witch still alive then?"
"Unknown. After the final battle, Aslan relinquished its physical form to enter the primal quintessence and redeem all races from the witch's curse. Its spirit has appeared in Leonardo since to guide the lost, but the witch's whereabouts are a mystery - probably dead."
Arnold made a mental note of all this to report back to Raphael later.
"We're here - this is the place," Kala announced as a five-sided pyramidal tower came into view, its ziggurat levels rising until the top was sculpted to conceal the interior from outside view.
For some inexplicable reason, Arnold felt a weight pressing down from his very core, something he had never experienced before. He tensed cautiously, signaling for Nana to stay back in a safe position as he ascended the five-sided pyramid step-by-step.
There were no other stone structures around, just wild shrubbery and undergrowth obstructing all paths. Arnold did not hesitate to use his flight abilities to glide over, the golden glow from behind making Kala's pupils contract.
"What are those carvings on the exterior?" He asked upon entering, noticing the depictions of the final battle.
The evil witch was sculpted as a bestial, humanoid monster commanding savage orcs with jagged teeth and grotesque, uncouth dwarves. Above loomed a sinister crescent moon as the vile minions cowered with hands shielding their eyes from the radiant, sun-headed god at the center.
The sculptor had rendered the divine power through swirling clouds, sunbursts and windstreams. Four-winged angels wielding immense hammer-spears followed in its wake while goblin corpses littered the foreground. The trees and animals were shown being shielded in the rear.
Arnold hastily took it all in before flying up to inspect the holy relic - but it was not fur or artifact, instead a pool of multicolored, vitreous liquid.
"This is...!" he gasped, suddenly recalling something and unable to fathom how it had ended up here.
"So it was you lot! Surrender now, foreigners, before we're forced to restrain you!" Angry shouts rang out from below as a group of elves in ornate ceremonial robes congregated, Meldor standing impassively in the rear.
"Mr. Arna, I could never fully trust you, so I had to resort to this ploy. Please cooperate with our investigation. Once we've cleared your innocence, you'll have your freedom back," Kala said coldly, dropping all pretenses as he addressed the golden dragon above.
...
"Is this the place?"
Raphael flew invisibly to the location marked by Arnold on the map. The dense rain clouds churned and regathered, an unusual natural phenomenon heralding the imminent arrival of disaster.
"Susa, what's going on with those clouds?" Fel, who had reorganized her equipment and set out on reconnaissance, suddenly noticed the swirling clouds high above continually dispersing and regathering, as if they were breathing with life.
Susa froze for a moment, carefully extending its nose to sniff the turbulent air, instantly stimulated by a familiar special scent!
"Aroo! Aroo! Aroo!"
It stood upright, baring its fangs and waving its paws, its expression one of unprecedented fear and excitement.
Fel had never seen Susa like this before. Realizing something, she trembled her lips and looked up.
Only to see white smoke beginning to emerge from the rain clouds, an eerie golden-red color slithering and flickering like a snake, ominous alarms ringing incessantly.
"Run! Quick, run! Notify everyone in Narnia!"
Fel hastily called out to Susa and turned to run towards the secret passage, but after just a few steps, a dragon's roar and overwhelming pressure from above blasted her away!
Raphael charged in, his breath like a torrent of raging flames burning everything in its path!