Sins of Harmony
Volume 1.5: Untold Tales
Chapter 6: Smoulder, Hephaestus History part 2 of 2
33 years ago
4th September, 972 ANM
Evening
Sri Draka, approximately 120 miles from Indo-Burmese Confederacy of Nations south east coast.
Old Baragh clan, mountain refuge.
"Please sister, you mustn't resist this time. He'll do much worse than he did last time." Smoulder pleaded fiercely. The dark red female Drake was shrugged off by her elder, light brown scaled sister. La'rei said darkly: "Like he did to mother? And others over the past 5 years? I'll only resist in ways to torment him as he has his way."
La'rei slowly walked up to the cave, where Di'raka had summoned her and another female tonight.
Smoulder meanwhile, had been relegated to guard duty along with one of the runts of the clan. He was small, yellow scaled, but assigned to guard these outsiders because even one as small as him could do it.
Memories flooded back as La'rei disappeared into Di'raka's cave up overhead, as memories of their mother 3 years ago bearing growing shame, and eventually being found dead on the distant beach, having drowned herself.
Di'raka had started as a protector, coming when the 967 ANM dragon hunting spree began, and their leaders were killed in an ambush. He and his sons took charge, taking them to this more isolated colony, and it stayed better defended.
But hunting and fishing was far more difficult, and trade means were cut off for 'safety'. Things began to revert back to a more primal clan format, and their 'Protector' became a dominator, in more ways than one. He still believed he was right, but had grown to like his position of power, and the benefits he could exploit because of it. Di'raka was blind to his own folly.
But what could Smoulder do? She was but one Fire Drake, and most others feared Di'raka because of his size and power.
Sighing as her sister resigned to 'pleasure' their leader, as she herself sometimes did, she paced down into the smaller cave.
Old Baragh Clan, prison cave.
Kenein looked up with a small smile as Smoulder padded down the cave mouth. She was always kind to him, and frankly the other runts and perceived 'weaklings'. Though, in the past, even during Di'raka's first few months of leadership, things had been better.
"How have the prisoners been?" She asked.
"Quiet, not like others we've had. I think having their companion being eaten shook them a bit." Kenein gestured with his head, as a small cavern, about the size of a fire drake, held the two near the edge, quietly sat together, heads low.
They were still clad in their dirty military uniforms, weapons still on them, for what miniscule good it would do.
One way in, one way out. As long as a guard was in place, there was no way they could escape.
Smoulder was suspicious, as she saw them talking a bit too quickly to be mourning.
"Alright, I'm going to see what they're talking about." Smoulder padded past, before Kenein asked:
"Its your sister tonight, she's up with Di'raka isn't she?"
"..Yes."
"I'm-"
"Save it Kenein, she'll be fine as long as she submits to him." Smoulder said. The Wyvern's head raised ever so slightly at this, and he nodded to Faral before turning to face the incoming Fire Drake female.
"What do you want?" He asked flatly.
"You seem to be awfully composed, considering your fates tomorrow morning." Smoulder jabbed, suspicious.
"You seem awfully collected while your sister's off being part of your tyrant's harem." Faral jabbed back.
Smoulder's growl was very low, but she withheld her fire. Annoying, she knew the Komodo female was right. But she had to keep calm, for both their sakes.
"That brings me to a few questions I have, if you'll grant them to a prisoner before his death." The Wyvern asked.
Raising an eye ridge in interest, Smoulder asked: "Ask carefully. I'll oblige only because I want to take my mind off other matters."
"Unfortunately, some questions I have concern the cause of such problems. Namely, your leader." The Wyvern said.
Smoulder didn't say anything, but Varkan asked:
"How is he your leader? Why do you go along with such leadership when there's obviously opposition to it, including you? And I'm sure Kenein there doesn't like him either, judging by how he tried to show sympathy about your sister."
Kenein's response came quickly: "No eavesdropping!"
"Its a damn cave, echoes are guaranteed!" Varkan retorted.
Smoulder thought for a moment, and said: "Why should I tell you anything?"
"No one will know it was you, and we'll be taking the secrets to our graves anyway." Faral said, irritated by the Fire Drake's doubts.
Realizing she had a disposable confession, and could trust Kenein, she began to tell them.
The history of Di'raka's supposed 'protector' start, in wake of their old leader being killed in the 967 ANM dragon hunting, and how it gradually devolved into an isolationist clan method. By now, the self imposed isolation had caused difficulties in getting food, and even some population decline as a result. Punishments for clan disobedience became harsher, and outsiders were dealt with more and more swiftly. Even worse, Di'raka became so abusive with his power to the point of exploiting his own clan members, for extra food, sex, entertainment via fights, and as with Kenein, maltreating weaker but still useful members.
Smoulder held nothing back, using the prisoners as a confessional of sorts. Her mother's suicide by shame and drowning, her sister and her as part of Di'raka's harem, and worse.
"He sired an egg to you?" Varkan said, somewhat surprised. Faral had sat up, showing some sympathy now.
"He forced an egg to me, like with others. It was in a time of food shortage however, and, it never hatched. That was just over a year ago." Smoulder spat.
"He's still convinced he's right?" Faral wondered aloud.
"Yes, and what can we do to stop him? He won't listen to reason, and quickly silences those who would say against his will." Smoulder said.
"Perhaps not from previous outsiders, but maybe, maybe I can get through the message." Varkan suggested, thinking now.
"He'll silence you quickly if you try." Smoulder said.
"Maybe. But I think I can get him to hear me out, or at least, force him to hear me out." Varkan said.
"But, and listen here Smoulder, and Kenein, if you see an opportunity to make a change, one that won't backfire, seize it like you would food after starving." Varkan suggested.
He wandered to the back of the cave, where the allocated sleeping area was. Faral gave Smoulder a knowing look, saying: "I think you can leave us for the night. We'll be just fine tomorrow."
The Komodo female walked over the to male Wyvern, and immediately began quietly talking with him.
Walking out of the smaller cave section, Kenein said: "So, you think they'll last long tomorrow?"
"If anything, even shorter now." Smoulder admitted. She felt a little better, venting her frustrations to somebody, and even better considering they'll never spill her secrets ever.
She'd seen prisoners die before, and she'd not feel bad for these ones.
5th September, 972 ANM
Morning, Sunrise
Sri Draka, approximately 120 miles from Indo-Burmese Confederacy of Nations south east coast.
Old Baragh clan, mountain refuge.
Earning a laugh from his would be executioners, and Di'raka himself, the Wyvern, Varkan, had actually volunteered to go first.
Now, he stood in the centre of the cliff alcove, Fire Drakes watching all around at each level, mixed looks on their faces. An execution was always worth watching, especially if it was an outsider, no loss to them.
On the ground, Di'raka sat perched on his usual rocky outcropping, while his sentries, including his youngest, brown scaled son, surrounded Varkan in a wide circle. 3 of them, with Di'raka at the head on his perch, in a square formation around him.
"Humour me, are you going to ask me how you wish to die?" Di'raka asked. A few laughs sounded from his sentries, but none from the hundred or so Drakes gathered around the cliffs.
"No, I want to say some things to your clan as a whole. I'm going to be executed, and what harm can words do? I've been a cooperative prisoner so far." Varkan asked.
"..Very well. This should be amusing." Di'raka nodded his head, as his sentries stood back, ready to laugh.
Feigning gratitude, Varkan began: "Baragh clan. When we came here to Sri Draka, we had no intention of harming your clan, but to contact you. I will confess, we did fire at your fishing patrol, but only to get their attention. They were flat our ignoring us before we did so, leaving us no choice in getting their attention. They were looking for a fight, for an execution. Unfortunately, we had to oblige."
One of the sentries, the youngest son of Diraka, was looked at briefly, while he argued: "We had fish to get back, and we had no time for them! We would have approached if we'd had time. And they're outsiders, they deserve to die!"
"Why? Other than us being outsiders, why do we deserve to die. You say because we wish to betray you, hurt you, and that ideology would have been right up until 3 years ago." Varkan argued. He circled as he spoke, addressing the clan as a whole.
Di'raka was alert on his throne, but did nothing for now.
"Think about it. I am a Wyvern, and as your leader rightly pointed out, only a few dozen of my kind, possibly less given how many I've met so far, remain. And yet, why do I and others cooperate with other races, when my kind was perhaps most hard hit among the Draconic races!?"
His words echoed as other Drakes among the cliffs thought over this. Why indeed, when the few dozen or less Wyverns were cooperating, safely, did their hundred strong clan forcibly suffer under the guise of safety. A single Drake had less to fear than a Wyvern, and they outnumbered them with just this clan, let alone all the others.
Di'raka saw this muttering in the cliffs, and yelled: "Enough of these lies!"
"Really? Lies? The words of a drake that can't refute my claims. As my colleague Kai'lan unfortunately said yesterday, you lack knowledge of what the world is actually like now, let alone this large island. From what I've heard, you haven't left this clan and its immediate surrounding forest and beach for 4 years of your 6 year rule. Your outdated ideas of the world's state concerning dragons and other races has forced your clan to starve, shrink in size, and fall prey to your imposed tyrant style of leadership!"
"You may have started as a protector, but your time is done. Under you, this clan will stay cut off, never prosper, and eventually suffer and die under your rule! And the same goes for any successors you've forcibly had with your harems, provided any hatch under the food shortages their mothers have to endure, while you and your inner circle eat more easily than the rest of the clan!"
"I'm more at risk, and yet I go out and cooperate, and I'm unharmed. What's your clan waiting for, other than for you to change your act!?"
The cliff alcove was silent, as Di'raka eyed Varkan with an intense outrage. His sentries were mixed, some thinking of their slight gult and looking between the Wyvern and Di'raka, while his son remained loyal to his father, glaring at Varkan with the intent to pounce.
Up in the cliffs, glares sprouted after thoughts of realisation. And most of the drakes wore those openly, drowning out he loyal minority.
Di'raka leapt down from his perch, shouting: "ENOUGH!"
He charged, a stream of fire erupting towards the Wyvern. Shooting upwards, Varkan shouted aloud: "Oh now you do things yourself!?"
Flying upwards, a first time thing that a prisoner had done, Varkan flew in a few circles above, as the Drakes watched from the cliffs:
"I see those looks! If more support the leader than oppose, its treachery! More of you oppose him, so what is it to be!?"
Smoulder heard him, and shouted: "REVOLUTION!"
A few shouts rose, while a few streams of fire shot from the alcove, Di'raka and his sentries trying to restore order: "ENOUGH OF THIS! KILL HIM AND THE FEMALE!"
Di'raka's son turned to Faral, who was cornered in the side of the alcove. He charged his fire, before he felt something slam on top of his head, something with claws.
Turning as the shouting and roars started, Di'raka saw his son restrained by some Drakes, having leapt from the cliffs to intervene. 2 of his other sentries fought, but quickly saw their number odds
Of the hundred or so crowds of dragons, the dozen or so loyal to Di'raka were being quickly overwhelmed, and restrained. On the ground, Di'raka's remaining sentry looked at him desperately, as he yelled:
"KILL THE WYVERN!"
A hard look crossed his face, as his last sentry started towards him: "No."
Outraged, Di'raka decided to use his superior mass for once. He charged, shaking off the 2 Drakes that pounced on him, ducking under his sentry's bite as he weaved his neck underneath.
He rose, jaws clamping around the sentry drake's neck with crushing force. Extending his wings, Di'raka flew with his sentry in his jaws, struggling as they rose.
Crushing the sentry's neck with a swift squeeze of his jaws, Di'raka threw his head sideways, sending the Drake's corpse ground wards, landing atop 2 other, rebellious drakes.
Flapping his immense wings, his size the biggest among the clan, Di'raka felt something slightly cut his upper neck, like a stinging cut. Turning his head, he saw a black wyvern, a knife extended, flying away.
Furious, he turned to let the Wyvern join his comrade in his digestive tract. He beat his wings to give chase.
He bellowed in agony as something sharp clamped onto his right foot, and he looked down to see a Dark red Fire Drake female sinking her teeth into his foot. He kicked her with his other foot, but she held on desperately.
Suddenly, just as he was ready to blast her midair, a male clamped his jaws around his left ankle, teeth sinking further this time.
Di'raka began to descend, even faster when a few Drakes began to bite down and drag him by whatever body parts they could.
Like a swarm of ants dragging a larger insect, Di'raka disappeared under the growing swell of Fire Drake forms assaulting him.
In his last seconds, Di'raka saw the starvation the rest of his clan went through under his oppressive, isolationist rule. His body would satiate their hunger.
Off to the side, a black Wyvern landed beside the female Komodo, as he looked on at the revolution he'd caused in just a few minutes.
The one he was helping catalyse in Dingolia had been in development for a few years before he, Tul'rok and Sa'ral had arrived on the scene. It was nice to get the feeling of satisfaction from a successful revolt now, a taster of accomplishments to come.
It still pained Varkan that he was helping other races in their needs, and not his own. He would help them, but he'd never truly belong. At least, he wouldn't feel it.
But here, with perhaps his closest species relatives, closer than the Komodos slightly, he could blend in. After all, it was a joke that Wyverns were simply a smaller, less fierce Fire Drake offshoot, which they were technically.
All the while, Faral stood by him, as the frenzy died down. She asked: "1 day, and you overthrew a government. You think you can top that?"
"I doubt it. This was like a powder keg, we just lit the fuse."
"We? You did all the talking." Faral wondered.
"Kai'lan's last outburst showed the seeds of rebellion were already there. Your defiance of him showed he could be resisted, I just exploited the seeds. That, and Smoulder yesterday was very revealing in her information."
As Varkan finished, he saw the Dark red Fire drake leaving the frenzy, she herself having backed away when it got more messy. Her sister wandered over, hugging her in relief. All around, feelings of relief were spreading already, though there was already a degree of uncertainty. Questions of what to do next.
Smoulder decided to take charge, and said:
"Everyone! We should leave this place for one with more to sustain us! We can better build our future in more plentiful lands!"
It was about a week later, when the very sparse drake colony had started a new colony in some jungle hills, digging into the nearby stone for some small caves, that they saw their visitors had to leave.
Smoulder had gained a role of leadership, during the interim when they settled in a better location. She grew close to Varkan and Faral, hearing and discussing recommendations for the clan's future with resource locations, possible trading with outsiders as other clans were doing, and developments in other parts of the world.
About 2 months after Varkan and Faral had to leave, they returned, along with 2 other Wyverns, Tul'rok and Sa'ral, and with them came the Hephaetus Research Company idea.
Smoulder agreed, as did the appointed leaders, but they said they had to hold off on becoming full partners until they were better recovered. It was mutually agreed to wait a few years, as they had a long term operation already underway across Dingolia.
Smoulder had stated they had no interest in helping with another race's revolution, but would support the new government, given the status of the current one. In 5 years, they'd join the Hephaestus Company's contracts, when the clan was growing and secured in future.
Those 5 years would pass, with some visits here and now growing their allegiance and friendship in some cases.
On their agreement, Varkan had changed greatly, though Faral was as loyal as ever to him. Despite his newer coldness and distance, he valued the friendship he'd built with the clan and others, particularly Smoulder.
Just 2 years later, he'd introduce her to a roaming Dragon he'd met, Cal'vel, who had been looking for a place to retreat to when he didn't wander. The Baragh clan would become a place of refuge for many of the Hephaestus's distinguished members, particularly the draconic members.
Even the later ones of unnatural birth would be welcomed, especially as their renowned Smoulder birthed one or more of them with Cal'vel's help.
Present Day
August 15th, 1005 ANM
Sri Draka, approximately 120 miles from Indo-Burmese Confederacy of Nations south east coast.
Baragh clan colony, main plaza.
The small truck had arrived, carrying not just the usual trade supplies to the colony's market. It was always jarring to see the size difference between the outsider traders, usually cattle, the occasional Elephant or Tiger or Python, or some other exotic species, and the Fire Drakes.
Unlike Smoulder and a few other, Hephaestus member Drakes, they had no size control collars.
Out of one of the two trucks, riding with some medicine in exchange for processed metals, some guests welcomed by the Baragh clan disembarked.
Razak, at 24, disembarked, himself shrunken right now. Alongside him, his clone companions Kynok and Lucius also got out. Unlike Razak, they couldn't size change, but they had been here, and been welcomed before.
Smoulder laughed as some Drake children, about twice the height of Kynok and Razak right now, swarmed Lucius, excitedly asking when he'd help them find some crystals in the caves like he often did with them.
Kynok was disinterested, but as Razak grew to his unrestricted size, he couldn't help but be a little jealous.
"Hey mom, everything alright here!?"
Razak ran up to Smoulder, his full size about 2/3 the size of her. He hugged her, pulling back as she smiled and remarked: "Fine. Your Aunt's here by the way."
"La'rei?" Razak asked.
The light brown Fire Drake stomped over, as other fire drakes gathered to see the newcomers and usual merchants.
"Good to see you Razak. You're much bigger than last time." La'rei hugged him tightly.
"Heh, you should see my brother when he'd full size."
A few shouts rose, as Smoulder saw Cal'vel, full sized, landing nearby on all four feet. Then, out of the truck, Varkan and Faral disembarked, earning more commotion.
All of them were welcomed here in the clan, and often came here on a getaway.
Smoulder saw the look on Varkan's face, knowing this time of year, every two years, he visited his homeland. She didn't know what he did there, but she didn't pry.
He seemed happier, as much as he could be, after each visit return. And given his state, he needed support.
She would be sure to see though how he and Kynok interacted, for she had her reservations about their relationship still.
Part 2 of this larger story is done.
As usual, review/critique as one would, but in detail reviews more than welcome.
And again, proposals for this story are welcome.
Starting tomorrow, I shall be making a stab at:
Sins of Harmomy: Volume 2: Enemies Unbound.
So these 1.5 stories, set before, in-between, and in future after volumes, may be delayed at times, as I'll place priority over them for the main Volumes.
If you get suggestions to me sooner for 1.5, I can file them away for later use if they're good ideas, so that when I do them during a less main volume concerned time, they'll be fully fleshed out and ready to get out fast.