Chapter 10 – Masks
Well, well, well, aren't you chipper this morning! My guards tell me you managed to give one of the... denser apes quite the thrashing last night.
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Not in the mood for talking today? Fine, it'll just save me the trouble of having to forcibly rip the air from your lungs. Then again, I do like to see you struggle...
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Why do you persist? Do you really expect to get out of here any other way than what I'm offering you? Or do you still foolishly believe that your so-called friend will come back for you? Such a fanciful imagination you have...
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I have to go now, I'm sure you understand just how demanding my position can be at times. But before I go, allow me to indulge myself one last time...
One way or another, you're never getting out of here...
Kayla bolted upright, her eyes darting wildly around the alchemist's hut in blind panic. Her wings, sore and cramped from their prolonged confinement, sluggishly pushed against the iron brace. Her muscles moving on memory alone, the shadow dragoness struggled to rise, only for her injured right shoulder to scream in protest. With a strangled cry of pain, the dragoness tumbled out of the nest and onto her back, the hearty thud of her horns striking the floor and the ever mocking rattle of her chain echoing around the otherwise still cabin.
After asserting that her prison was wooden instead of the black stone from her dream, Kayla allowed her eyes to drift close as pain pulsed through her shoulder. Clenching her teeth, she carefully caressed her injured shoulder, gingerly prodding the now damp bandages with a gentle claw. Even with the healing factor of the red gems, there was still a startling amount of damage Frenzy had managed to inflict with just a single stab. At least the snake's bandages seemed to be holding up well enough. Thanks to the red gem, the worst of her injury had been alleviated and she should be back in action in roughly two weeks. As long as she made absolutely sure not to aggravate the wound further by engaging in any excessive use of the corresponding limb.
Looks like I'm already off to a stellar start in that regard. She thought to herself glumly. Groaning, she carefully rolled onto her uninjured side and squinted up at the offending early morning sunlight trickling in through the window. Craning her neck to inspect her injury, Kayla grimaced as she noticed the pure white bandages were already stained a dark crimson.
"Hey, botany bookworm, where you at? I need fresh rags pronto!" The thief called out, her breathing finally calming as the nightmares faded into obscurity. While last night had been a rare lapse in judgment, Kayla had no intention of letting up with whatever nicknames came to mind for the scrawny poison dragon. No matter how carefully he treated her injuries, all while lecturing her on the importance of good sanitation. Although, maybe she should cut back on flight related names, now that she had a chance to see what the hulking savage of an ape had done with-
"Good morning."
There was no scamper of long clawed feet, not nervous stutter in response to her summons. And that voice was much too deep to ever resemble Xavier's, even if he spontaneously morphed into a full grown adult overnight. Despite having just resolved to take it easy, Kayla leapt upright, her sight swimming before her as more spurts of blood leaked into her bandages. Aggressively pushing back against the darkness flickering at the edge of her vision, she awkwardly hopped around to face the storeroom, a growl already building at the back of her throat at the sight of who awaited her.
Seated on a low crate was the Warlord himself, one leg propped up against the other as his eyes methodically scanned the pages of a book he held in one hand. This time, Rakk was only lightly clothed, wearing pants and shirt made from a pale white pelt and strung together with strips of stiff leather. He was lacking the ape clan's signature hood, his shaggy mane of hair hanging unobstructed around his head and shifting placidly in response to the odd breeze that swept through the room. As she took in the ape's rather uncouth appearance, Kayla noted that occasional patches of his hair were unusually short or missing entirely, mementos of countless struggles and battles long passed. The thought that some of those injuries were invariably caused by her fellow dragons did little to set the shadow dragoness at ease, despite Rakk's obvious attempt at a more disarming presentation.
A cursory check of the room confirmed that Xavier was nowhere to be seen, nor were any additional guards posted by the door or window. Maintaining her defensive stance, Kayla scoffed at her captor. "What in the ancestor's name do you want? I'm not in the mood for any more of your pseudo-intellectual drivel today." Nothing about the ape's outward appearance screamed that he was here for retribution, but Kayla couldn't afford to let her guard down for even an instant. All it would take was another wound to seriously jeopardize her escape plans.
Rakk did not immediately reply, instead choosing to let her stew in the tense silence that followed. Even as the War Chief studiously analyzed his current page, a slightest twinge of apprehension crossed Kayla's thoughts. The gig was up, he knew what she took. Why else would he be here? As unpleasant as such a tool certainly was, Kayla had been hoping that its absence would not be noticed for a little while longer. But with the way her luck had been going, Rakk had probably woken up with a hunk of who knew what stuck up one of his nostrils and when he reached for his trusty nose-cleaner only to find it missing...
Relax, he's just a dumb ape. He doesn't hold all the cards, no matter how much he wants me to think he does. But the self-confidence boost dwindled the longer the two remained motionless, each lost in their own individual train of thought. Kayla's eyes briefly flicked to the simple wooden box tucked into an inconspicuous corner of the storeroom, both the hard-won metal trinket and partially full jars of acid were hidden away as best as Xavier could manage. It was a pity the items were too bulky and numerous to toss into the stink bomb stash as well, but the alchemist had guaranteed her that they would not be discovered unless the apes conducted a full audit of his gear. Rakk didn't appear to even notice the box, so enwrapped was he in his lengthy tome. Which meant that under no circumstances was she going to draw his attention towards it, the dragoness' eyes quickly returning back to her unexpected visitor, lest he catch her gaze.
Presently, Rakk uncrossed his legs and placed a flattened length of what might have once been a squirrel's tail into the book to mark his place. Snapping the volume shut, he set it down on the crate beside him before matching her gaze with a neutral expression. "I was hoping to finish our little discussion last night, namely the parts I didn't get to before Frenzy had his minor episode. And..." The ape bent forward a little, inclining his head towards the still wary dragoness. "I wanted to apologize for the treatment you have received thus far."
A snarl caught in Kayla's throat at the ape's unexpected words, the apology only serving to put her on edge even more. "Apologize? You want to just waltz in here while I'm still bleeding and chained up, expecting me to grovel at whatever piece-of-crap amends you're trying to dish out?" Had she not been in a considerable amount of pain, she might have found the Warlord's attempts to placate her laughable.
To her further annoyance, Rakk took in her rant amicably, nodded along in agreement to her words. "True, true, not even Voxus is quite that subservient. Nor do I plan to cut your chain or grant you the use of more red gems, so I imagine my words will only ring hollow in your ears."
"You're damn right about one thing at least." Kayla grumbled, her rage already dissipating. It would do her no good to rail against the War Chief for the time being. Not only was he immune to a Frenzy-like provocation, but they did appear to be well and truly alone. There was no one else, not even that spineless traitor, to break things up should Rakk start to get barbarous.
"Rest assured, I have a strong rationale for doing so." Rakk spoke gregariously as he leaned forward from the crate to peer closer at the caged dragoness. "A handful of individuals in the Viper's Fang despise your species with every fiber of their being. If they somehow got the impression that you and Voxus were being well cared for, they might take matters into their own hands. I'm sure you can picture the rest."
Kayla snorted. She had met a fair few silver-tongues throughout her travels, but not even the best among them could pedal the amount of bullshit Rakk was shoveling with any semblance of plausibility. "Right... And I'm sure that you, the ape the tracks his dragon kills by slicing his own hideous nose, is secretly my new best friend."
"Oh, these?" The War Chief paused to tap the numerous pale cuts dotting his muzzle. "That's quite an interesting story as fate would have it. While I have fought and killed your brethren on the bloodstained fields of war, I assure you it is far less than the tally you see before you."
Gritting her teeth, Kayla reluctantly took a seat as the ape began to regale her with his entire life story. "The first dragon I ever killed was during the conquest of Munitions Forge. He was a fire dragon, and very much in his element so to speak. I was a lowly sergeant then, and had just finished watching the dragon incinerate half of a neighboring squad. I don't know if you've ever smelt burning hair, but it's a scent that certain lingers in the mind."
"Oh, I've smelt it before." Kayla spat distastefully on the ground in between them. "This hasn't been the first time I've had to break out of an ape prison." The memory of the sulfurous stench drifting off the charred corpses nearly made her sick. Damn it, trust her nightmares to drag those memories back out of her subconscious.
"Is that so?" Rakk muttered disapprovingly. "Regardless, by the time the dragon finally reached me, he was tapped out of magic and sporting so many grievous wounds that I was amazed he could still stand. His fighting spirit never wavered, as he raked his claws across my then pristine nose even as I dug my knife into his heart. It was a warrior's death, which is the best thing I could have given my mortally-wounded adversary."
"And I bet all your despicable buddies were so impressed that you managed to down a dragon." Kayla tapped her foot, having already found the story increasingly mundane. "Let me guess, you cut off his wing too, but it just wouldn't fit into your measly little tent."
"I would appreciate it if you ceased making unfounded accusations against me." Rakk interjected, his pleasant expression briefly switching to one of irritation. "But yes, such wounds did earn me a promotion in the aftermath of the battle, despite my protests I might add. Alas, in order to impress and gain the undying loyalty of those under my new command, I have maintained the facade by adding a new tick or two every time I participated in a battle where I might have slain a dragon. To this day, I have only killed three of your kind, all of them proud warriors in the heat of battle. The thought of having to add either you or Voxus to my grim tally is honestly revolting to me."
"You keep talking like any of this should be radically changing my impression of you, but all I'm hearing is more of the same tough-guy bravado even the most pathetic of your race spews out at the first chance they get." Kayla shot back, earning her a slight frown from the ape. "And here's a free tip. Most people don't try to simultaneously pass themselves off as both this merciless killer and this poor misunderstood soul who balks at killing kids."
"The point I was trying to get across was that I was just a soldier." Rakk stood, taking a few impatient paces across the cramped room before shooting a glance back towards the shadow dragoness. "Do you honestly think I had the power to change anything back then? Maim Wind and I, we were both just following orders. There's not much else you can do in war other than keep your head down and pray it all ends soon."
"Oh, my mistake. Now that you finally got a position of power, I can plainly see you would much prefer to be a slave driver rather than a boring old soldier." Kayla replied scathingly. Rubbing her injured shoulder with her left forepaw, she glanced around to see if Xavier had left any spare bandages about. Sadly, there was no such luck, meaning that she would have to bear with the already soaked linens for a little while longer.
Rakk was silent for the span of several seconds, staring blankly at a nondescript wall before finally giving a slight shake of the head and resuming his pacing. "Do you know why I wanted you and Voxus at that meeting last night Black Wing?" He asked abruptly, still holding a contemplative expression.
Noting how quickly the ape changed the subject once he couldn't think of a way to spin her accusations in a more positive light, Kayla gave a dismissive shrug. "Not really, it just seemed like you wanted an excuse to gloat. In which case I would have to recommend a plan that doesn't sound like a hatchling's schoolyard fantasy."
"Wrong." The Warlord responded succinctly. "It's because I don't want this to seem like slavery. If anything, there is nothing more I would prefer than to be working with both of you on equal footing in this endeavor. But it causes me no shortage of pain to admit that with the way things are in this day in age, I can't expect such cooperation to be given freely."
The shadow dragoness narrowly suppressed a groan. "See, this is what I'm talking about. Because from what you're telling me, if it looks like slavery, sounds like slavery," Kayla briefly rattled the links of her ever-present chain together, "...and most importantly feels like slavery, then it's obviously just a poor misunderstood Warlord who only wants the whole world to just chill out and be friends with every dragon he comes across. Honestly, it's a mistake anyone could make, really."
The ape hummed, his fingers once more batting out a frantic tempo on the top of a nearby barrel. Noting the slight cracks in Rakk's facade, Kayla allowed herself to settle back and wait for him to tire of the charade. The only thing that remained to be seen was how long the Warlord would carry on before she vexed him into reverting to his original demeanor. But once that happened, she could only hope that Frenzy's dragon-hating antics were not learned from watching his idol.
The silence was abruptly punctuated by a scrape as Rakk grasped the original crate he had been perched upon and drew it closer to the prison bars. Sitting back down so that his knees were almost poking through the gaps, the War Chief clasped his hand and leaned forward. "Well Black Wing, how about-"
"And stop calling me that." The black dragoness snapped. "I don't know what the hell it means, but it's seriously pissing me off."
"As you wish Kayla." Caught off guard by the ease at which the ape adhered to her command, she was unable to respond before he resumed right where he had left off. "How about we make a deal? You help get me into the ruins of the southern dragon temple, and I will ensure that you are then promptly released and not pursued, regardless of the emphatic protests from individuals such as Captain Frenzy."
Still rattled from the ape's casual use of her name, Kayla had enough wherewithal to at least appear as if she was considering Rakk's proposition. When did he even learn my name anyways? Never mind, that's not important right now. What she should be focusing on was how much she stood to gain by pretending to accept the offer. In the long run, it could potentially lull Rakk into a false sense of security, especially if her current plan with Xavier went up in smoke. In addition, the two dragons might be able to weasel a few more red gems out of the Warlord's possession if any of his subordinates got out of hand. After all, she wouldn't be too useful breaking into an ancient dragon temple while she was leaking blood everywhere. But perhaps most importantly, a refusal could signal to Rakk she meant to wage a one-dragon war against the clan, an implication which would only be met with truly draconian discipline.
But there was no need to overplay her hand either. Maintaining an aloof poise, she lazily flicked her tail around to check the recently cleaned appendage for nonexistent scratches. "So in other words, if I play nice and act as a tour guide for your little expedition, I'll be free to go? Does the trip also include complimentary purple dragon sightseeing?"
Rakk held up an open palm as he gave another sigh. "You've made your opinion on the validity on my claims quite clear. It's apparent that the only way to settle the debate once and for all is when we arrive at the location itself. So if you could move on to more nuanced topics..."
"But you know I could be right." She quickly countered, not willing to let the subject go so easily. "If you've seen them with your own two eyes, maybe there's some legitimacy to these so-called purple dragons, but this temple of yours is just rumors and conjecture. As hilarious as it would be to watch you flounder upon not finding your supposed trump card, this deal sounds like I'll be hung out to dry so that you can save some face."
Rakk could only give a halfhearted shrug in response. "True, but if the temple is real, there is no logical reason to either kill or imprison you any longer. If anything, you would be my messenger back to Warfang, to let them know that we are not to be trifled with. All you need to do is find me the weapon. And believe me," the ape brought himself even closer, half of his scarred nose now poking clean through the bars. "If the temple still stands in some capacity, what I am searching for will be there. And it will be everything I've ever dreamed of and more."
Kayla kept her face unresponsive, but her mind was rapidly progressing the implications of the Warlord's words. Now that she thought about it, he had been almost naively unclear just what it was he was hoping to loot from the temple. At that time, she had chalked it up to him not even having the remotest idea himself, but the conviction in his voice bespoke of much deeper insight. Rakk did have quite a few very old books, and she had to admit that children's novels seemed to be a very small minority of his library. If he was able to have enough information to pinpoint the temple's location from such a vague initial clue, he must already know what awaited within. If such a temple even exists, I certainly can't remember ever hearing about a sanctuary devoted to us minority elements...
"And if you are correct in the end..." Rakk voiced roused Kayla from her contemplations and she quickly switched her wandering eyes back to the ape's face. "Well, then I suppose the only assurance I can give you is that I am an ape of my word. I will uphold my end of the bargain once we're confirmed beyond all reasonable doubt that my treasure is gone. So," Rakk paused, unthreading his hands and sticking one shaggy limb in between the two bars in outstretched handshake. "Do we have a deal?"
As if. It's a lopsided shitshow even if he's half the trustworthy saint he's attempting to pass himself off as. You'd have to have been hatched yesterday or be desperate beyond reason to ever consider any promises this buffoon gives. If that traitor doesn't come through with that acid, Sakk of Crap and his merry band of murderers will skin me alive when all's said and done.
"Sure, we have a deal. I guess I'm not used to an ape being so frank with me. But you better keep the black-furred wacko and any of his peanut-brained friends far away from me. I don't know how you apes live, but that sort of treatment is the fastest deal breaker in existence." Is what Kayla ended up saying, quietly stowing away her inner doubts. She was lying through her teeth, but she imagined it was pretty obvious to Rakk that any positive answer would be deceitful to some degree. It was going to turn into a game of cat and mouse, and only time would tell who was what. In the meantime, the dragoness needed to maintain the fragile status quo for however long as that backstabbing snake needed to kick off her liberation.
It wasn't until the War Chief gave an expectant shake of the outstretched arm accompanied with a set of raised eyebrows did Kayla realize he was demanding a bit more from her than some half hearted appeasement. Drawing her paws in closer to herself despite the biting pain from her injury, she met Rakk's gaze unflinchingly. "But I'm not going to shake your hand. Just because you hold yourself up as a courteous diplomat doesn't mean that you're still not just another dirty ape at the end of the day."
Rakk kept the hand offered for another few seconds before withdrawing it with a sigh. "That's... justified, considering our species' history. It's a shame too. Despite the warmongering front I put on for the clan, I really do admire dragons. Such majestic creatures, imbued with magnificent powers. Were it not for Malefor's machinations driving us to war all those centuries ago, I'd like to think I could have been an ambassador between our two races. Sadly, empty promises and thinly veiled hatred is all I foresee in our species' future." Scooping up his book in one hand, Rakk stood and stretched, sliding the crate back to its previous position in the alchemist's meticulously organized storeroom.
"Don't try and take the supposed moral high ground here." Kayla snarled, also rising to her feet in a three legged limp. "Ripping a kid's limb off and displaying it like some kind of trophy over your bed firmly places you in the realms of the utterly deranged. I'm only taking your deal because it works out for me, but we both know you'll be torn to shreds when Warfang learns about this. Mystical weapon or not."
"Utterly deranged? You mean you don't know?" Rakk paused on his way towards the door, turning back to give her a befuddled smile. Upon seeing Kayla's confusion, he nodded solemnly. "I see, Voxus hasn't told you that story yet. While I display those bones as a trophy to maintain my bloodthirsty reputation amongst the clan, how they got there is a rather fascinating fable you should ask him about."
Not quite sure what Rakk was getting at, Kayla maintained her stalwart outward front. "I'm sure having a wing forcibly ripped out by an insane ape Warlord is quite a traumatic experience that I have no trouble picturing myself. You think I'm actually sick enough to make him relive that?"
"Well no, I don't begrudge him for not wanting to delve into that particular aspect." Rakk replied. "But it's what came just before that may interest you. In truth, that amputation wasn't some depraved attack or ritualistic humiliation. It was the most humane punishment I could hope to give him, and the only way I could ensure his life was spared."
Stepping back towards the cell, Rakk tucked the book under one arm and meet the dragoness' revolted stare with his own impassive mask. "You see Kayla, he once yearned for freedom just as fiercely as you do. I took pity on him, helped for a time, and at one point I even considered assisting him directly in his valiant efforts. Until he showed his true colors that is. One dark and terrible night, during his final attempt, Voxus mercilessly slaughtered our previous War Chief. It wasn't a freak outcome to a pitched duel, or some other twist of fate. It was premeditated, performed in cold blood, and was completely unnecessary for him to escape. But he did so regardless, because all that pent up hatred had to go somewhere."
Kayla blinked, mulling over the revelation. Xavier, the bumbling, stuttering wimp, killing an ape warlord by himself? No way, there was absolutely no way they could be talking about the same dragon, it would be like saying a flea somehow took down a heavy armored buffalo beetle. But then again, he was a poison dragon. Conceivably, she supposed all it would take was one tiny prick while the victim was distracted or sleeping...
"The rest of the clan were all baying for his blood after that." Rakk continued on emotionlessly. "They were going to kill Voxus, the only real question was how. I don't have the stomach to describe their plans in depth, but it wouldn't have been quick or humane for the young dragon. I was the only one to advocate for keeping him alive. For allowing him to serve under us so that he could perhaps one day find a way to build some semblance of a life here. The amputation was a necessary compromise to ensure he would never receive an opportunity to avoid his just penitence."
"So consider that, Kayla." Rakk finished, standing up straight once more. "He may have you fooled with the whimpering coward act, but give it enough time and he'll slip up. And then maybe you'll reconsider just which of us is truely despicable."
He's lying. Kayla thought, not trusting herself to speak aloud lest she betray any of her inner deliberations. He's just trying to drive a wedge between us since he knows that if we actually work together, there's a chance that we can beat him. Despite shoring up her mental fortitude, Rakk's words still left a tiny itch of doubt in the back of her mind. She couldn't help but think back to that night they had met, the moment when Xavier decided to stab her in the back. There hadn't been a single moment of hesitation, not a flicker of remorse back then. Did she really buy that he was just trying to help her?
"And I imagine he'll spin quite a different tale if you press him about it." Rakk was at the door now, looking over his shoulder at the silent dragoness. "He's created quite the narrative as the years passed, about how much he despises making weapons and only ever wanted to be a doctor. Who knows?" Rakk gave a short bark of laughter. "He might even as gone so far to tell you he hates working with acids, despite the fact that it always has been his forte."
And with that, the War Chief was gone, leaving Kayla with nothing but unanswered questions and a newfound sense of trepidation.
Unfortunately, there wasn't anything else to do apart from dwelling on the new bits of information Rakk had graciously provided her, even as the rest of the villiage went into overdrive. As it turned out, the Warlord's expedition wasn't some far off goal that would take months of hard work and preparation. The supplies and materials were already set to go at a snap of the finger, the clan emptying their impressive stores with admirable efficiency. And with everyone bustling about to their assigned places, it certainly looked as though Rakk ran a finely tuned machine, both ape and dragon serving as nothing more than cogs in his grand design.
While such chaos and disorganization would have normally provided the thief a plethora of easy marks, it seemed as though Xavier's tree was secluded from a bulk of the goings on. Much like the previous day, Kayla spent most of her time staring out the window, futilely attempting to collect any additional useful information on a locale she quickly realized she would leave behind long before utilizing any of the gleaned knowledge.
She didn't even have anyone else to interact with throughout most of the day, although Kayla was torn as to whether this was a boon or a missed opportunity. Her prison seemed drastically understaffed, but the weighty lengths of iron still binding her to the cell bars prevented her from exploiting this weakness. Even Mourn seemed to be occupied elsewhere, despite the constant rumblings of the dragoness' stomach. Not even the flightless snake dared to show his sniveling face, something with only served to rake her ire even more due to her all but useless dirty bandages. Maybe she should throw the bloodstained rags back in his face when he did show up. It wouldn't really accomplish much, but it would make her feel better. Slightly.
So when Kayla pulled herself out of the plant-filled crate she had been fruitlessly rummaging through at the sound of someone entering the hut, she was expecting to be met either with food or an opportunity for some much needed catharsis. But her expectations quick soured as she noted the trio of apes sidling in. No familiar faces here, and the rather plain set of leather armor they all wore seemed to indicate they were just typical grunts. But if the predatory leers they were giving her were any indication, these apes weren't here out of any concern for Kayla's well being.
"Well lookie here boys, one overgrown lizard, chained up and all alone." The lead ape spoke, coming to a halt just a few feet from Kayla. A growl already building in the back of her throat, the shadow dragoness pushed off from the crate and dropped into a defensive crouch.
"Come another inch closer, I dare you!" She bristled, her tail whipping back and forth menacingly even as she attempted to keep weight off her injured limb. Kayla had known it was only a matter of time before some of the apes came by for some entertainment, but she hadn't planned on being in this vulnerable a state when the moment arrived.
Sure enough, her display did little to deter the primates. Poking his head around the first ape, another soldier with a stouter nose jeered at her. "Ohhh, such big talk from such a small crystal-sucker! I'm sure good 'ol Black Fur will sort you out in a jiffy if Rakk will let 'um."
The lead ape grunted in accession, his eyes falling to the crimson bandages around Kayla's shoulder. "Looks like he already has. Must not have been enough though." The ape grunted and took another step closer, his one-handed sword lightly swinging against his hip. "But I'm sure Frenzy wouldn't mind if I gave a few more suppli-.. suppla-.. follow-up lessons."
The other two apes gave a dark chuckle as Kayla felt her chest seize up. So these numbskulled primates were disciples of the despicable dickhead Frenzy, wasn't that a shocker. But for now, she had to figure out how to get out of this predicament while still in one piece. Running was out of the question, so that only left fighting. But three against one with barely any elemental power while being forcibly restrained were not tipping the odds in her favor. But she could still make this work, her best bet was to shadow phase past the first ape and immediately get the jump on the other two. That would buy her the advantage of surprise, but what was going to stop the first ape from just reaching down and grabbing her chain...
"Don't worry little one." The lead ape closed the remaining distance to her, cracking his knuckles noisily. "I'll be sure not to leave any noticeable marks on you..."
"Oh good, some help at last." The four occupants blinked in surprise as a new voice intruded upon the conversation. All heads simultaneously turned to the doorway, where the outline of a single dragon stood silhouetted against the brilliant daylight. Adorned with his usual satchels, Xavier stepped into the building, seemingly unconcerned with the simian intruders. Kayla maintained her ready stance, uncertain what to make of the poison dragon's reappearance.
The apes seemed similarly taken aback and could do little but stand idly by as Xavier carefully pushed his way past them until he reached Kayla. Giving her the slightest of nods, he unslung the bags next to the open crate before straightening back up and gesturing to the trio of interlopers. "You two," he spoke authoritatively, pointing at the two apes furthest away from the dragons. "I need to get these supplies moved. Start taking whatever you can carry and move them out to my wagon, it's out in the secondary staging zone. Don't worry about organizing anything, just leave it next to the wagon."
"Hold up-"
"And you," Xavier continued, successfully overriding the lead ape's complaint without so much as batting an eye. "I need someone to get me more jagweed. You know what that is, right? It's a low growing fern that you ought to find some wild batches of out in the eastern woods. I need more of the leaves, they're three pronged in a spade-like shape and quite prickly. Grab as much as you can manage and take it out to the wagon as well." Xavier explained, tracing the shape he was describing in the air with a single pointed claw.
"Now listen here." The ape snarled, lurching forward suddenly and wrapping his hands around both of the other dragon's zig-zagged horns. Kayla flinched, retreating a few paces away from the duo lest she get swept up into the mix. "You don't give orders here, you obey us and hope that we don't break you too badly in return. Got it scalie?"
Rather than struggling against the ape's manhandling, Xavier adopted a pensive expression as he studied the simian's face. "Wait, I know you. Blade Break, right?" The ape's momentarily confusion was all the confirmation the dragon needed. "I thought so. Your older sister got pretty badly burned from the fires the other day. If I hadn't administered my numbing salve, she'd be a world of pain right now."
Yanking Xavier closer so that they were nose to nose, Blade Break's lips parted to expose a set of sharp, yellowed teeth as he menaced the young dragon. "Are you trying to threaten me, scum-spitter? Because if you harm one hair on her, not even Rakk himself can stop me from turning your innards into outtards."
Giving a light chuckle at the almost painful attempt of clever wordplay, Xavier waved away the ape's threats with a free paw. "Oh ancestor's forbid I do anything like that. Does it look like I'm in any position to blackmail someone? What I was going to say is the jagweed is a pretty key component to that salve your sister uses, and I'm clean out. You can beat and cut me up as much as you like, but you can't force me to work with ingredients I don't have."
Blade Break seemed to hesitate, some of his confidence evaporating as he looked back towards his comrades for reassurance. Meanwhile, Kayla slowly began to relax, sensing that the other dragon had the situation well in hand. Diplomacy had never been one of her strong suits, so it wasn't an option the shadow dragoness typically considered when it came to solving her conflicts. Then again, she usually didn't bother to get to know her captors well enough to talk about their immediate family either.
Capitalizing on the ape's indecisiveness, Xavier adopted his most placating of tones. "Look, your sister and a lot of other apes need that salve. If you go get the leaves for me, I'll make sure she's the first one I check in with on my evening rounds. Alright?"
Having only received noncommittal shrugs from his companions, Blade Break turned back to Xavier, a scowl still etched on his face. After a few tense seconds of silence, the ape released the dragon's horns, allowing Xavier to stumble back to where his travel bags lay abandoned. Glowering at the alchemist, the miffed footape jabbed an accusing finger in the young dragon's face. "Fine. Just know that I'm doing this for her, never for you."
"Of course." Xavier replied evenly, with only Kayla noting how he let out a small breath in relief as Blade Break shoved his way to the exit. After regarding the dragons with their own expressions of animosity, the other two apes turned to leave as well, both of them halfheartedly snatching the lightest looking leather bags on their way out.
Finally alone, Xavier let out a massive sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. Unbuttoning his own satchel, the dragon quickly began to unload the contents for proper storage. "You know, there's a surprisingly number of ways to end a fight that don't actually involve fighting." He commented to the still wary Kayla, even as he pulled out a bundle of three-pronged prickly leaves that looked suspiciously like what he had just sent the ape to retrieve.
"They came looking for a fight, I was just defending myself. If you're looking for a thank you, you're not getting one." She shot back, watching him move the unpacked plant life with a calculating gaze. Unbidden, Rakk's words about Xavier merely pretending to be the caring doctor floated back to the forefront of her thoughts. It's certainly a tactic he was able to use quite effectively against those clowns just now. But if he is faking it, he's quite good at it, so I can't be sure just yet.
Noticing that she was still watching him, Xavier paused as he clutched the bundle of jagweed close to his chest. "So... Rakk wanted to talk you alone this morning. I'm relieved to see he didn't hurt you any further."
Kayla blew a thin stream of air out of the corner of her mouth. "No, but I might of almost preferred that to the saccharine bullshit he shoveling. About how he wished we could all work together, but he just can't because of war and stuff. Spoken like a true hypocrite of course."
Xavier gave an eager nod and let out a humorless laugh in response. "True, I was surprised he thought he could get through to you with that tired old act. It's almost like he thinks the rest of the world reveres him as much as Frenzy does."
Popping open the top of a barrel, the alchemist deposited the jagweed inside, where it landed with a slight rustle. Reaching a paw up to untie her bandages, Kayla's diatribe about the lack of suitable replacements died in her throat as she noticed his tail give a sudden twitch. Still standing on his hind legs and braced against the barrel, Xavier gave her a covert glance out of the corner of his eye. "Did... um, did he talk to you about anything else? You know, while he was here this morning."
The nervous edge encroaching on Xavier's voice gave Kayla pause, and she took the opportunity to scrutinize him. Maybe there was something he didn't want her to know about him. Something that Rakk might of told her, perhaps about the fate of the previous war chief?
There were a lot of things that still rubbed her the wrong way about the dragon. How he seemed to just cower and do whatever he was told. The almost friendly relationship he occasionally seemed to have with some members of the clan. The fact that she knew almost nothing of his past prior to his imprisonment. And perhaps most unsettling, how he seemed more limited by elemental power than knowledge or reluctance to work with material whenever he turned his attentions to the acid escape plan. He might have even gone so far as to say he hates working with acid…..
But at the same time, not trusting him wasn't a luxury she had right now. At the moment, the snake was her ticket out of here, and she couldn't allow the seeds of doubt sewed by Rakk to undermine their fragile relationship. But at the same time, Kayla realized that she had been placing too much of her hopes on the back of the mysterious dragon. As soon as they left this ancestor-forsaken village, she would have to redouble her efforts to find an escape route without his help.
Realizing that she had been silent for a suspicious amount of time, Kayla hid her inner debate with a quite hiss of pain as she peeled away the bandages from her wound. "Maybe, but I tuned out after it became clear he was just stroking his own ego." She lied, flicking the linen so that they slapped into the barrel besides Xavier. I'll ask him about the last war chief and his wing, but not now. If he is hiding something, I don't want to wind up chained up in the same cell as a deranged lunatic out for my blood.
Xavier however, didn't quite seem reassured by her deflection. Hopping back down off the barrel, he turned to her, his teal blue eyes gazing deep into her own. "Listen, Kayla, I know you're going to tell me that this is stupidly obvious, but it's worth repeating. You can't trust a single word that crosses that ape's lips. He likes to pretend he's this refined academic that's forced to put on this mask of a savage barbarian in order to maintain order in the clan. But it's the exact opposite. He doesn't even use a weapon when he fights, only his bare fists. And he still wins too, against both ape and dragon. But even though he can snap your neck like a twig, he'll still prefer to say whatever he needs to in order to lead you right into whatever trap he's dreamed up. You need to trust me on this." Ending his speech, Xavier settled back, apprehensively awaiting her response.
Kayla made sure not to disappoint. "Wow, more fabulous tidbits of incredible advice from our resident ape-ologist. Next you'll be telling me they have this thick, matted hair covering most of their bodies or that they've been at war with dragons for centuries. Now come on, let's just get this stab wound fixed before one of those stinking primates comes to play pick-the-scale-off-the-dragon again."
Her sarcasm seemed to ease Xavier out of his deathly serious mood, and the dragon eagerly nodded as his remaining wing gave a brief stretch. "Oh, yes, of course. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes. You didn't reopen the scab too much I hope?"
As Xavier tended to her wounds, Kayla took the opportunity to reflect on her current predicament. Here she was, leashed like some wild animal, in the middle of an ape stronghold with only a duplicitous poison dragon for company. On top of that, they were about to leave on a grand expedition across a war-torn world to a mythical lost dragon temple, all in the hopes of finding a magical artifact to defeat the even more magical numerous purple dragons roaming the land. And she supposed the story was going to end with Kayla believing in herself and her ever-dependent friends, somehow stumbling across her soul mate, and miraculously saving the world from total destruction.
You know, that kinda sounds like one of the stories I used to like as a kid. She thought, clamping her jaws tightly together to suppress a gasp of pain as Xavier sterilized the wound. Almost makes me want to go back in time and punch the little brat for being so cloyingly idealistic.
-*-End of Act I-*-