The Coming of the Beast
Dragon Kingdom
The Dragon Kingdom was one of the human nations formed after the fall of the Evil deities. It's founder , the Brightness Dragon Lord , intermarried with a human noble family and thus created the royal line of the Dragon Kingdom.
This Kingdom was the home to more than three million humans , and it was located at the borders of Humanity realm with that of the Beastmen nations.
For centuries , since the founder of The Dragon Kingdom disappeared , the beastmen tribes had occasionally raided the lands of this human nation for food and livestock.
The Dragon Kingdom lacked the necessary resources to raise a permanent army of professional soldiers large enough to combat the beastmen , who were several times stronger than an average human.
The difference in ability between the beastmen and humans was just too great to overcome.
If both human and beastman were of the same species, then a beastman would have ten times the strength of a human.
Using the adventurer's rating system, if a human was rated at 3, then a beastman would be rated at 30. The only saving grace for humanity was that exceptional beastmen were surprisingly rare, possibly because the beastmen themselves were already very powerful and generally balanced to begin with.
The only reason that the Dragon Kingdom was not destroyed yet was because the other human nations bordering it , the Baharuth empire and the Slane Theocracy , would send their military support to the Dragon Kingdom to help them repel the beastmen invasions. This wasn't done out of charity. In fact , the existence of the Dragon Kingdom was the only thing keeping the beastmen massive hordes from attacking and destroying the human nations located at the western side of the continent.
The beastmen themselves didn't bother with a full scale invasion either. They saw the Dragon Kingdom as food source that would replenish itself even when left alone. So they saw this human kingdom as a farm field to be harvested.
And so , life continued this way at the Dragon Kingdom , that was hardy breathing at the doorstep of the beastmen nations. But a recent turn of events had changed the natural course of things , and set a turmoil over the entire Dragon Kingdom.
A border village / 100 miles away from the capital / before noon
Life at the village of Hardhouse was going on as normal. The farmers had returned from the fields , while the ranchers were yet to come back from herding their sheep and goats.
The children were running around freely , playing hide and seek with each other. While their mothers , who were tending the chickens or making butter and cheese were yelling at them to be careful.
One of those children , a ten year old boy called little Sam , was running around in the village , playing hide and seek with his friends.
" careful little Sam! Don't run around so fast. You might hit the ground with your face."
His mother , Sara , shouted out of concern. But he rebuffed her with his carefree attitude,
" Don't worry about it mom! I will be careful."
Little Sam said so , but he continued to run after his friends.
He looked around to find them. But most of them were already hidden.
" now , where did you go?"
He kept looking around , while walking slowly so that they wouldn't notice his presence.
Suddenly , he saw the small feet of someone beneath a cart. He slowly approached , and with a swift movement , grabbed his leg.
" Gotcha jones!"
He grabbed his friend leg and pulled him from beneath the cart.
" oh come on!" jones couldn't help but start whinging.
" come out everyone. Jones is the wolf now."
In response to his cry , several of his friend came out of their hideouts , and gathered around him. It was a surprise that so many people could hide themselves from sight so good.
Or not.
Because of the threat of beastmen , everyone in the Dragon Kingdom would receive basic combat training when they reached 17 years of age. While children who had not yet reached that age would learn how to hide from sight. They would learn this at a young age from their parents.
Always fear the beastmen and be ready for their return.
Little Sam looked at his friends , and was about to signal them run and hide when suddenly ,,,
" now what have we here?!"
Someone grabbed him from behind and lifted him from the ground.
" Daddy!" he said so happily.
It was indeed his Sam's father , Guymoon. He had returned early. His father was one of the village hunters. He would usually pickup his bow and arrows and go to hunt from morning until nightfall. But today , he had returned home early.
On his belt , he was carrying six rabbits that he had hunted.
" How are you son? I see you are playing as usual instead of helping your mother in her work."
He looked at direction of his wife , who was working on meat of the animal he had hunted yesterday.
Winter was coming , so in order to preserve stored foods like meat that would rot after a while , she had to dehumidify it.
Little Sam looked at his father with a carefree attitude.
" but I did help mother. I helped her to skin all the animals and remove their guts. Afterwards , she told me she didn't need my help to dry them , and allowed me to come out to play with my friends ,,,"
He wanted to continue , but his father gently patted him on the back.
" I know son. You don't need to tell me." he grabbed his hand , and they both started to walk toward their home.
" Come now , it's almost noon. I am sure your mother is making a fine stew! But what type of meat is she going to cook?"
" Ah , let me guess!" they looked at each other , and the same time said : Rabbit!
They both laughed at each other.
" you are right. No one can make a better rabbit stew like your mother. But has she got all the,,,"
His words were cut in half , as suddenly there was a ' whoosh' sound in the air. But before he could react , an arrow pierce his throat.
Little Sam watched in horror as his father body collapsed to the ground. He looked around at the direction where that arrow came from and ,,,
He saw a Snakeman holding a bow standing 50 meters away.
" Beastmen!" the villager shouted in panic , and several people started to ran away.
From behind the Snakeman , several other demi-humans appeared. There were not only Snakemen amongst their ranks , but also Nagas , Tigermen , Orcs , Ogres and several others. More than 200 Beastmen stormed the little village.
" Guymoon!"
Sam's mother who had heard the shouts and saw her husband body pierced by an arrow and fall to the ground , ran toward them.
She knelt before him , but realized in a moment that he was dead.
" Hide son! HIDE!"
Sam hesitated for a moment , but when he saw the beastmen running toward them with axes and swords and claws , he ran away.
A Tigerman appeared from behind , and before Sara could react , slashed her with his Axe.
Little Sam kept running through the village , while trying to avoid the fight and slaughter, and as he ran , he saw the villagers were being slaughtered like lambs.
" Ahhhh!" " Help!"
" NO!NO!NO!"
" PLEASE DON'T!"
But the beastmen were uncaring about humans and their pleads , and kept on killing everyone on their patch.
There were some men who gathered their courage and tired to fight back against the Beastmen with whatever weapon they had , pitches and fork and farm scythes. But the beastmen were far stronger than human beings , and much better warriors , so they crushed their meaningless resistance instantly.
Little Sam hide himself beneath a cart. The same cart than jones was hiding in a few minutes ago.
Just then , as he was observing the surroundings , he saw jones was caught by the same Snakeman who killed his father , who then cut his throat.
" No,,,"
His fear got the better of him , and tears started to fall from his eyes.
There was almost no one left alive. The few survivors were being rounded up together by ropes , but it was obvious that they were going to be alive for a long time.
The beastmen preyed on the humans. They saw human beings as little more than food. It was common knowledge in this world. So the only reason they would take some of the humans captive , would be to eat them at a later time while they were still fresh.
" Ahhhh!"
Suddenly , a furry and clawed hand grabbed his leg and pulled him from under the cart.
The one who pulled him out was a Tigerman.
The Tigerman teeth were wet with blood , and his gaze was like that of a predator looking at it's prey.
" Do you know your way to the capital?" the tigerman said in cold , high pitched voice.
" Yes ,,, Yes." sam answered fearfully , while keeping his eyes closed so that he wouldn't have to look at the tigerman terrible gaze.
The tigerman grabbed him by his right hand and put him down near his parent's corpses.
" Those are your parents?"
There were two other beastmen siting above them. They drew out their blades and started cutting off their limbs. Sam closed his eyes again to avoid seeing the horrible scene before him.
" OPEN YOUR EYES!" the tigerman shouted while placing his bloodied claws at sam's throat, causing him to fearfully open his tear stained eyes.
" I am going to eat your dead mama , and I am going to eat your dead papa ,,, go tell that so called dragon queen. Tell your people , we are coming for them next."
He released his grip , and sam began to run away as fast as he could. His destination was the nearest fortress to his village , Located several miles away.
The Royal Palace of the Dragon Kingdom
In a small but luxurious room, a young girl sat on a throne. She spoke in a voice that was very innocent and cute, and which was quite fitting for her age.
" ~is this true? did the beastmen advanced again?"
" I am afraid so your highness. We have witnesses saying that beastmen from different races have attacked the nearby villages and small towns. The closest of them was just 70 miles from here."
A man , who appeared to be a knight , answered so with a heavy voice.
His name was Cerabrate , with the title of " Fierce Flash". He was part of the Crystal Tear , this kingdom only adamantite-ranked adventure team. He was a member of the " Holy Class" and was famous for using the Shining sword technique.
" well , what can we do now? If they continue their advance like this , they will be at the gates of the capital before soon."
" Don't worry your grace. We will find a way to get through this , as we always have."
Even after hearing the minister hoping , yet cold , words. She didn't feel like that this war would end with their survival. Her innocent and girlish looking face became visibly saddened.
" Please don't worry. I swear it by all the gods , that we will defeat the beastmen horde. I shall take my team and head to the frontlines. We will stop their advance."
The girl spirit seemed to lift up. She smiled innocently , and charmingly , at the Knight who declared his noble intention so sincerely.
" thank you Cerabrate san. Then I will count on you."
" Yes your highness! I won't fail you."
He rose from where he was kneeling elegantly and left the room.
After the door had been closed for a while, the girl then asked the minister at her side.
Is it okay now?
Yes, he was the last person, so it's fine.
After hearing the minister's cold words, the girl's innocent expression suddenly crumbled.
Perhaps it was because of fatigue, but her eyes clouded over and narrowed, while her mouth formed a ^ shape and her shoulders drooped.
So tiring.
Her attitude and tone was that of a 40year old woman, but her voice still sounded young and cute, which was at odds with her appearance.
"You've worked hard."
"Yes, I have, so can I stop putting on this appearance now?"
The girl pulled up her skirt while saying this. I could do without this skirt that shows off the full length of my legs as well.
"I have told you many times before, but you can t, your Highness."
The girl was the queen of the Draconic Kingdom, Black Scale Dragon Lord Draudiron Oriucrus.
Even though she was called a Dragon Lord, her fighting ability was no greater than that of a normal person. However the Slane Theocracy still considered her to be a Dragon Lord because of the unique ability she was born with, the extremely rare ability which was the difference between a true Dragon Lord and an impostor.
She could use Wild Magic, the proof of power which distinguished a true Dragon Lord from a false one.
"As long as your appearance can evoke the desire in others to protect you, they will work harder."
"Are all humans lolicons? I would feel more comfortable if certain parts of me were bigger."
Draudiron put both of her hands on her flat chest and squeezed.
"Yes, if it was that form..."
"Don't speak of it like a form! That is my real appearance!"
"I apologize for my disrespectful words, your Highness."
"Oi, that hardly sounds like an apology."
"That is not so."
After staring at the minister's cold smile for a while, Draudiron realized that she would not be able to break down that expression of his, and she turned away in displeasure.
"Back to the topic, that form may be popular with men, but not so much with women. Instead, your present form appeals to men and women of all ages. So if you want to change back to that form, you will have to wait until the country is stable again. Or do you have any other plans to propose?"
"Don't speak of it as a form..."
"However, if the situation continues like this, whatever form you take will not matter anymore."
A heavy silence fell for a while as they contemplated the current situation of the Draconic Kingdom.
" have you found out why they are attacking our country in full force?"
" Unfortunately no. "
" then , did you receive any message from the Theocracy? Will they send any help for us?"
The fact that the Slane Theocracy was supporting the Draconic Kingdom was not publicized because she herself was the highest authority of this country.
" They didn't send the Sunlight Scripture , instead they have sent some the retired members of the Black Scripture. They arrived recently , and I took the liberty of assigning them to their duties."
" hah?! The old and retired members? We are giving them a huge sum of money every year , and they only send their overdue forces to our aid? What the hell!"
" please calm down. I asked similar questions from the men they had send to our aid. They said the Slane Theocracy can't sent their armies here because they are still engaged at war with elves. The Sunlight Scripture is rumored to have been wiped out , since no one has seen them for the past year. And the Black Scripture is either undermanned or assigned to another matters. So we can't rely much on the Slane Theocracy aid."
" hah,,," she sighed quietly.
" Relying on other countries for military support is the cause of all this. This is just depressing."
" do you think I wanted to rely on other countries? You know that military expense was crippling our finances. If we kept increasing it our country would have been bankrupted by now. Besides , it's not like we could have made an army out of thin air by just expending money!"
The country had been spending a lot against the beastmen every year for a long time now, and yet the situation had still ended up like this. However, it could also be said that the amount spent was what had kept the situation under control.
" have you received any word from the empire? Will they come to our aid as before? After all , if we are destroyed , the Empire would be the next nation to fall."
The minister bite his lips.
" I have received a Pronouncement from the empire. It contained disturbing news."
" what news?"
" The Baharuth Empire has officially declared itself as a Vassal state of the Sorcerous Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown. We can't expect any help from them either. Not without the Sorcerer King approval."
" Eh~ . So that boy emperor Jircniv has finally submitted to the will of that undead being?"
Less than a year ago , the Baharuth empire had officially sided with the Sorcerous Kingdom that was led by an undead king , and because of the terrible massacre that had befallen the people of Re-Estize Kingdom , they were branded as traitors to humanity by the rest of Human nations.
The only reason that Dragon Kingdom was still in communication with them was because of their need of military support to repel the beastmen invasions.
" well , what do we do now? If both the empire and the theocracy are out of question , where else can we look for aid?"
" I have been thinking about that for a while. I believe at this point , where we exist between the threshold of life and death , we can only look at the Sorcerous Kingdom for any hope of salvation."
" What are you saying?! Isn't the Sorcerous Kingdom an Undead nation ruled by an undead king? Why would an undead being with it's hatred for life comes to our aid?"
Her blunt objection was understandable. The undead were the enemy of all living beings. Even though she had heard that no massacre had taken place in E-Rantel , nobody could trust a dangerous being like an undead.
" It is true that the Sorcerous Kingdom is an undead nation , but it is also a fact that it possess enormous military strength. Their military power is far superior to that of any other nation. If we could use the Sorcerer King power , who managed to crush more than 200,000 enemy soldiers with a single spell , there is a high chance that we can even overcome the beastmen and their threat."
" Even so , don't you think there is another way?"
Well, your Highness brought up the topic first ,,, how about using your Highness magic?
The queen waved her finger to deflect the minister's suggestion. So this was all he knew about magic. Draudiron could only smile bitterly.
Wild Magic... in this case, it s usable by a human being because 1/8th of the blood in me belongs to a dragon. In the worst case scenario, it will only delay the destruction of the country. So it will be our last resort.
Wild Magic was different from typical magic because it was powered by souls, rather than mana. Therefore, it required the sacrifice of a lot of people, and the released souls would allow the casting of a powerful spell. According to her grandfather, magic like this could create an explosion that could rival the Platinum Dragon Lord s ultimate attack.
However, for a person far weaker than a Dragon Lord like her, the sacrifice to initiate that sort of spell would be huge, estimated to be in the millions.
" I hope it doesn't come to that. Then , with your permission , I shall send envoys to E-Rantel. See if we can gain any support from the Sorcerous Kingdom."
" ~ it seems we have ran out of options. Then please do so. I will also write a letter for our envoy to give to the Sorcerer King. I hope that will help."
The minister glared coldly at Draudiron, as she replied in her adorable little girl s voice.
The City of Heramdon
There were several figures sitting beside each other in a circle. Almost none of them were from the same race.
They were Naga Raja , Uruk , Orc , Ogre , Zoastia , Magilos , Snakeman , Beastmen and etc.
All of them were the tribal leaders of their kin , and they were gathered together to discuss their war plans.
" So we managed to take yet another city. At this rate , it will only take us a year before we conquer the whole Dragon Kingdom."
A powerful build demi-human , the leader of Zoastia tribes , declared so with pride. Many nodded their head in satisfaction , but there were some who didn't.
" We don't have a year. The enemy is moving. We must take the Dragon Kingdom before winter comes , or we will end up worse than dead!"
The one who spoke was Rhagon son of Drogon who was the leader of Naga raja tribe , the most powerful demi-human tribe of the Beastmen Nations.
Mara , The leader of Snakemen tribes , nodded her head in agreement.
" Winter is coming. Since the pervious winter ended , the undead army had stopped their attacks against our people. But since the weather started to turn and become cold again , our scouts began to send report that they had resumed their movements and activities. They are planning to do something. It's not hard to imagine what that thing might be , yes?"
" Yes. Winter is when things die. Unlike us the living who would face problems such as cold and lack of food for most part of winter , the undead won't be bothered in the slightest. If we don't take the Dragon Kingdom fortress cities by the time winter has come , it might be too late."
The leader of the Magilos tribe , Nisara Malan , stated her opinion with clear confidence.
If she , who was renowned for her wisdom and knowledge about magic , stated so , then there won't be any room for objection.
" We need to speed up the process then. The Dragon Kingdom lack the manpower to fight us on several fronts. They are hardly capable of holding us back in a straight fight. I suggest we muster up our full strength , the whole 100,000 army , and march on the capital of the Dragon Kingdom. The city would fall in a day , and the humans won't be able to hold us back anymore."
While his plan was sound , Drogon didn't agree with the leader of Uruk tribe.
" We didn't come here to conquer or gain glory . We are here to hide behind the walls of the Dragon Kingdom , because if we don't do so by the time winter comes , we will all end up worse than dead. The Capital is protected by high walls and several thousand soldiers. While I am sure that we can overcome their defenses with our numbers , an open battle will lead to many casualties."
" then what do you suggest?"
" I say we divide our army in three parts , and send them to capture the remaining four cities of the Dragon Kingdom. If we attack the Capital now , they would call most of the soldiers from all other cities to help defend the capital. But while we pretend we are marching to the capital , we will divide our army and attack the garrison less cities. This way , we can chop away their strength , few at a time. When our armies have taken the cities and our people are safe behind their walls , we can march to the Capital and take the city."
Everybody looked at each other.
From the silent nods , it seemed that they agreed with Drogon plan.
" Good, then we will do that. At the same time however , we need to shore up or defenses. If the Reaper and it's army were to attack us from behind when we are marching inward the Dragon Kingdom territories , we will become like an anvil between a hammer and a rock."
" Of course. I will double my scouts. If they make any movement , we will know." Mara assured her fellow tribal leaders.
" Then let's get on with it. Time is of essence. So let us not waste it."
And so , the Beastmen tribes banded together and began to launch their invasion on a wider scale.
With their allies leaving them alone and faced with annihilation , the Dragon Kingdom turned it's attention to the most unlikely place for hope. The Sorcerous Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown.
Author note: Sorry about the long delay. I was focused on my other story , and I was still figuring out the storyline for this one. But form now on , I shall continue both of them together.
Next chapter : Emissary of the Dragon Queen