Valkyrie's Shadow

Empire in Chains: Act 4, Chapter 30

Empire in Chains: Act 4, Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Coins and gems tumbled over one another as Rerix’ixthrious devoured a Gnoll who had conveniently entered her lair. After days of rest and recovery, she woke up famished and the terrified yelp of the Hyena Beastman as she snapped it up from the cavern floor made for a fine spice. One large chunk at a time, flesh, hide and bones all disappeared into her ravenous maw.

She settled back onto her hoard – one of several hidden around the jungle – gingerly testing her injured wing. The cuts and scrapes she had sustained from the Undead were a trivial matter, but the sight of her torn and discoloured wing after the Frost Dragon attack unsettled her more than she cared to admit. While she healed, she brooded over the Undead ambush and the appearance of the Frost Dragon that had wounded her so.

Rerix’ixthrious could not puzzle out any reason why a Frost Dragon would ally with the Undead, but Whites were weak and notoriously stupid as far as Dragons went. The Undead had reportedly come from the west, so it was possible that a Night Lich or some other powerful Undead being had subjugated the Frost Dragon population in the Azerlisia Mountains.

This was an unprecedented development, yet it seemed the one that made the most sense with what she now understood. A powerful Undead being had slain the White Dragon Lord of the Azerlisia Mountains, resulting in the disappearance of his domain. Then the remaining Frost Dragons were enslaved…perhaps their Frost Giant rivals, as well. After hearing of her magnificent wealth, thieves and assassins had then been sent to steal her treasure and slay her in the process…

A low growl echoed from the walls of the cavern. The Undead she had encountered were not a true threat; she could deal with them at her leisure. The Frost Dragon, however, was a matter of utmost concern. Most annoyingly, Rerix’ixthrious could not tell how strong she was from their brief encounter.

By her size alone, she was an Adult. But an Adult Frost Dragon should have been far weaker than the Undead that had stolen her tribute and participated in the failed ambush. The fact that she could do such grievous harm only meant one thing.

A deviant…

Rerix’ixthrious’ tail lashed against her hoard, sending a wave of treasure to wash up against the nearby cavern wall. Deviants were mostly considered fools amongst Dragonkind, pursuing limited paths that only lesser beings deigned to tread. Rarely, however, there were those who succeeded in harnessing true power far beyond what their age might suggest.

In Draconic culture, those who grew to become Ancients, wielded exotic magics or achieved great strength through outstanding powers were recognized as Lords. It was entirely possible that the laughably small Frost Dragon who had attacked her was in reality a Dragon Lord or at least an existence approaching one.

Rerix’ixthrious’ mind worked to devise a solution for her most pressing problem. Generally speaking, White Dragons were simpletons who presented no threat to Green Dragons. As if to counterbalance this deficiency, they were ludicrously stealthy, agile and possessed minds that worked with increasing efficiency the more familiar their situation and environment became. This made them the greatest hunters amongst dragonkind, but they were limited by their relative weakness, limited intellect and poor spellcasting ability.

But what if one was a deviant who had stumbled upon great power? Exceeding their natural limits, the perfect hunter could become the perfect assassin: one who had been sent after her. The longer this Frost Dragon was allowed to loiter about, the more effective she would become. Dispatching her was Rerix’ixthrious’ number one priority.

She would kill the Frost Dragon and then destroy the remaining Undead. After putting away her tribute, she would learn what she could about the unseen mastermind who had orchestrated the raid on her domain. Eventually, she would enact her vengeance upon them.

A gale whirled down the cavern as Rerix’ixthrious beat her wings. The injured one hadn’t fully recovered but it was enough to get around. She made her way out the long tunnel to the lair’s entrance and poked her head out from behind the waterfall concealing it. Several minutes passed as she examined her surroundings.

The Troglodytes dwelling along the escarpment appeared undisturbed by any intrusion. As far as she could see, no one was flying overhead. When nothing appeared to attack her, she made her way out, annoyed over the notion that her caution might be seen as cowering.

Rerix’ixthrious strode between the colossal trees, staying sharp for any sign of movement below or above. Before she had eaten her, the Gnoll said something about the jungle being invaded. The Empire, if it was to be believed. That they were reportedly working with the Undead made the claim even less credible than it already was. Something like an Undead being becoming the new overlord of the Human nation would have some rather obvious effects, none of which had been noted.

They might have been hired – mercenaries of some sort – in an effort to sow confusion. Maybe they thought Rerix’ixthrious could be made a fool out of by tricking her into attacking her tributaries. The idea had a certain tasteful intelligence to it; great acts of treachery and deceit were to be admired and boasted about, after all. She would not be deceived by such a shallow ploy, however: with a single flyover, she would recognise the invaders for what they were.

The odour of char drew her to the remains of a small Gnoll camp. Jungle scavengers had dragged most of the corpses away and nothing of value had been left behind. Mixed in with the scents of the ransacked camp was the faint trace of steel, Humans and Hippogriffs.

She looked at the boughs overhead, peering through the gaps in the canopy. Was it possible that the Empire had indeed invaded the jungle? What were the chances that the mercenaries brought in to pose as Imperial Knights also happened to have Hippogriffs? No, it was probable that they were trying to lead her along that line of thinking. The premeditated nature of the raid on the treasure convoy meant that they had plenty of time to prepare the right actors.

After coming across four more destroyed Gnoll camps, Rerix’ixthrious’ impatience grew. Not only were Gnoll camps being raided, but those of every other Demihuman race in the jungle, as well. It appeared that the isolated tribes were being picked off. She would have to visit the larger tribes to collect information and demand healing.

Finding a suitably wide gap in the canopy, she launched herself into the air. A rush of cool winter wind swirled around her as she skimmed over the treetops. On her way to the lake near her main lair, she noticed a multitude of smoke trails rising out of the trees a dozen kilometres to her south.

Should I investigate right away or…

What was she thinking? After a single minor skirmish, was the Viridian Dragon Lord afraid of soaring in her own domain?

Rerix’ixthrious banked southwards. Over the hill from where the smoke arose, she discovered thousands of abandoned tents and fires. Making a wide circle over the area, a guttural growl rose from her throat.

Shouts and screams drifted up from below. Thousands of Humans scattered from their hiding places as she winged over them. Her mirth over their reaction was cut short when she confirmed what they were. Unless the invaders had somehow secured or fabricated thousands of sets of equipment to maintain their guise, the teeming Humans below were indeed Imperial Knights.

Cold fury rose within Rerix’ixthrious. The Empire…had betrayed her? After she had so graciously allowed them to exist in her domain?

This wouldn’t do. An example would need to be made. She ascended, leaving the Imperial Army behind. They would probably take days to make it out of the jungle. In that time, she would pillage their cities and raze them to the ground. These prideful invaders would return to the ruins of their Empire. After that, the Humans would never consider turning on her again.

Ludmila found Ilyshn’ish awaiting her at the base of the hill. The Frost Dragon cast a glowing turquoise eye in her direction as she approached. Her companion’s anxiety could be felt clearly through their bond, lending to her a detached sense of draconic worry. A part of Ludmila wanted to reassure her, but, at the same time, she could offer no guarantees of success or safety.

?Did she come from where you said she was lairing??

?A few kilometres from there. Considering the most recent thing that happened to her, it must have felt much safer to walk.?

?…then why did she suddenly decide to fly??

?I have no idea. Perhaps she will be so kind as to answer you if you ask.?

Ilyshn’ish’s sarcastic response brought a smile to Ludmila’s lips. She was scared, but there was still plenty of fight in her.

?Oh, by the way…?

Ludmila reached into an Infinite Haversack. Ilyshn’ish’s tail twitched.

?Is that a saddle?!?

?At some point, I realised the tack on the Soul Eater that Lord Cocytus lent me was a magic item. I went over to the fortress to pick it up after our fight with that Dragon Lord.?

She had never seen the Frost Dragon give her a dirty look before, but there was a first time for everything.

?It should help you manoeuvre, shouldn’t it? You’ve been restricting your movements when we’re together. I don’t want you to get hurt because we haven’t been using the proper equipment.?

Ilyshn’ish thoroughly scowled at the saddle before letting out a frosty sigh. It didn’t sit well on her at all, at least until the magic item adjusted itself.

?Are you experiencing any discomfort??

?My father would have some very choice words for me if he had lived to see this.?

Ludmila vaulted onto the saddle, placing her feet in the stirrups. At least for her, it was immeasurably easier to stay securely seated. Ilyshn’ish shifted her shoulders experimentally before walking over to scale a nearby tree. Ludmila leaned forward to balance herself.

?The legends never portrayed Dragons climbing trees.?

?Though there is no notable mention of them in your legends, I think Humans underestimate how huge trees can be. I must have found two dozen Green Dragons perched in the branches around the jungle.?

?Where have you been keeping all these dead Dragons??

?I haven’t. Norford is just over the mountains so I just drop them off at Zu Chiru’s stand when my bags get full.?

?What does he do with them??

?After having the local industries process them into materials, he holds onto everything but the fleshy bits since we can’t keep them fresh. He said something about it being better to bring the rest back to the Sorcerous Kingdom.?

She didn’t know whether Zu Chiru’s claim was true or not, but Ilyshn’ish appeared to fully trust the Quagoa on matters of trade. Considering what went into earning a Frost Dragon’s trust, she couldn’t imagine what had gone on between them. Perhaps it was because the Quagoa had long been tributaries of the Frost Dragons and their races were accustomed to one another.

They entered the canopy layer, where Ilyshn’ish continued making her way up until she could cautiously poke her head out from between the highest branches.

?Oh, she’s already here. Conceal yourself so we can sneak into the air unnoticed.?

?Can we intercept her before she attacks the Imperial Army??

?I’m not certain. Losses are unavoidable unless we preemptively attack her, which would cause us to lose our current advantage. If she attacks the army, immediate obliteration is unlikely – she’d probably kill a few hundred before stopping to gloat over the rest until she’s satisfied.?

?…is that a Green Dragon thing??

?It’s more of a general Dragon thing. Dealing with every little mortal that crosses us would be absurd – establishing dominance through a few highly visible acts is more efficient. I’m sure you’ve already come to realise this but most races around here fall in line with little fuss once insurmountable gaps in power are made clear. Humans are for some reason slow to wake up when reality comes calling, so more elaborate displays are required to get one’s point across.?

Ilyshn’ish rose on silent wings as they ascended to a position a few hundred metres above the Viridian Dragon Lord. Cries of panic rose from the jungle floor as the Imperial Army shattered under the effects of dragonfear. Ludmila watched worriedly as Ilyshn’ish manoeuvred to line herself up for an attack against the Ancient Green Dragon, expecting the imminent death of thousands of Imperial Knights.

They followed her through another turn and, just as Ilyshn’ish settled overhead, the Dragon Lord ascended and veered to the southwest.

?…was she supposed to do that??

?N-no? She didn’t even make any dramatic declarations!?

Ilyshn’ish picked up her pace as their target sped along with no sign of altering her course. She maintained her distance as Ludmila tried to figure out what was going on.

?Why didn’t she attack the Imperial Army? Is she trying to destroy the supplies we left at the previous camps??

?It’s possible. Green Dragons prefer employing manipulation and coercion to make things go their way and they generally enjoy the sense of superiority gained when they feel that they’re in control. Terror, anxiety and desperation are flavours that they prefer.?

?I can only wonder how Frost Dragons differ.?

?You should already have some idea of it. We prefer to ambush our prey; this also goes for our adversaries. For lack of a better description, we ‘pounce’. On the ground, at any rate. I guess it’s ‘swooping’ when we’re in the air and we’ll also pop up under or near our targets when attacking from below. Reactions of shock and sudden terror are things that we naturally have an appreciation for – a confirmation of success if you will.?

?But that at least makes sense. Green Dragon behaviour is a mystery to me.?

?This is because we are similar, yes? We’re both hunters and so we see many things the same way. If there’s a Human who malevolently plots and schemes an unhealthy amount I’m sure they’ll appreciate many of the same things that Green Dragons do.?

Their stealthy pursuit continued and the Viridian Dragon Lord did not stop to destroy the Imperial Army depots left behind for their two-day sweep. Nor did she change her course. As time passed and they crossed the mountains rising along the southern edge of the jungle, Ludmila realised that her worst fears were coming to pass.

The Viridian Dragon Lord was attacking the Empire.