"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?", the armored dragon asked as all eyes in the room were now on me. Well, I'm certainly in a pickle now, huh? Currently, I was staring down four very concerned, possibly very pissed off, dragons with Anastasia and Ender behind me. They both seemed to be extremely worried about what was about to happen, but whether that was in response to what the dragons would do or what I would do is entirely unknown.
I'll be honest, I'm not liking my chances. At all. Just from what I've heard and read, I have very little chance of beating a dragon in one-on-one combat. I could maybe kill one if I had the element of surprise and extremely heavy ordnance, but against four? Absolutely not. It wouldn't even be a fight. I need to be VERY careful here, and attempt diplomacy. If I fuck this up, then it's curtains for us.
"...I'd like to say, for the record, that I have nothing against monsters.", I started, before I could continue, though, the dragon with silver hair that had been silently glaring at me since I entered interrupted me.
"You think that just makes everything okay?", she snapped in an angry tone. "I may not be particularly fond of Druella, but you are a murderer!" This bitch...
"I'm a survivor. I didn't want to kill anyone, but was left with no choice.", I responded, trying my best to remain calm. "Did you expect me to just let myself get raped?"
"I expect you to-", the bitchy dragon tried to respond again, but was stopped by the armored one holding up a hand.
"That's enough, you two. This bickering is pointless.", she responded before turning to address me. "I don't doubt your claims, Red Eyes Six. I've learned to take everything I hear from the Demon Lord's Armies with a pinch of salt, and it's clear you do not have a grudge against mamono. Otherwise, I suspect we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place." This one is sharp. I'll have to watch what I say in case she tries to cross-examine me.
"Not to mention, I've heard rumors that the Order don't really like him, either, so I don't think he's working with them.", the calm dragon added before continuing. "Plus, he did heal some of our soldiers, and is offering medicine."
"By the way, could you perhaps explain what else you brought him in for?", the armored dragon asked the dragon who brought us in, who seemed to still be in a stupor. She was staring at me with wide eyes, as if I had just grown a third arm. "Lyra?"
"O-Oh, sorry, Commander. I'm still just kind of in shock.", Lyra responded, turning to me to ask me a question. "Are you REALLY him? The man who was able to beat the Fourth Born herself?"
"Well, I wouldn't really call it 'beating her'.", I said, trying to find a better way to put it. "More like...hit and ran."
"But you did injure her pretty bad, did you not?", she asked again, to which I slowly nodded. In response, her eyes adopted a glow like she was a kid who just ate her first bowl of Sugar Bombs. She looked ready to start bouncing off the walls in excitement, but before she could, the armored dragon stopped.
"Lyra, focus. You'll have plenty of time to do this later, but for now, I need you to tell me the situation involving Red Eyes Six.", the armored dragon commanded in a surprisingly calm, yet forward tone. Honestly, I was kinda stoked about this, though. I mean, holy shit! The dragon I was just getting excited about was now getting excited about me! Sure, she may not be EXACTLY like the ones in Grognak the Barbarian, but it's still pretty fucking cool!
"Oh, right! Yes sir!", she quickly rebounded before she began relaying, "In the infirmary, he used an unknown type of medicine to heal our soldiers. He has agreed to give us the formula and tell us how to use it in exchange for three favors." At that, all the dragons began to think on what she had said.
"This seems way too one-sided for just some measly medicine.", the bitchy dragon said before adding. "Especially medicine from a murderer."
"Depends. What was this medicine exactly?", the armored dragon asked.
"Stimpak.", I answered for her, materializing and taking one out of my duster to show them. "It is a medicine that stimulates somatic cell division and promotes-"
"Quit with the jargon and explain it in a way we can understand!", the bitchy dragon interrupted me. If she wasn't a dragon, I would have knocked a few teeth out by now.
"It heals people.", I said simply. To which they looked confused.
"It's a medicine. We gathered that much.", the armored dragon said, slightly annoyed.
"No, no, he means that literally.", Lyra jumped back in to explain for me. "When he used it on the injured soldiers after getting rid of the Dragon Rot, their wounds stitched themselves back together and closed before our very eyes with no pain or side effects!" That got their attention, but isn't entirely true. There IS a side effect, and that's the fact that stimpaks make you hungry.
"Amazing! It completely eliminates the need for stitches or undue pain from healing magic.", the calm dragon responded. Oh yeah, that's something I forgot about, though for good reason. I read up a bit on healing magic while in Magicor to see if itwas something I could use, but learned quickly that it is rather limited and can't really be used to fix severe wounds instantly. Not only that, but it can't really be used on yourself unless you have EXTREMELY high pain tolerance.
See, when healing magic is used on an injured patient, it causes EVERYTHING to heal back to the way it once was. This, astoundingly, includes nerve cells, which flare up immediately upon growing back, causing intense pain for the patient. If done fast enough on a severe wound, it can even end up being far more painful than the original wound itself and cause the patient to faint or even die from shock. Worst of all, painkillers and the like don't work since the nerve cells flare before the blood can properly distribute the painkillers, not to mention the volume that would be leaked out from the wound itself. Obviously, since healing magic induces pain in the one being healed, it becomes nearly impossible to focus on the spell if you are healing yourself.
I say painkillers, but alchemists in this world simply call them "Potions of Nulling". They essentially do the same thing, though. Anyway, the reason my stimpaks don't cause intense pain is because it only greatly stimulates the bodies natural process for cell reproduction, and since nerve cells can't reproduce and grow back naturally, there are no new nerve endings to grow back and flare up.
"Meaning many injured girls that are still recovering could be brought right back into service in the blink of an eye…", the armored one speculated before speaking up again. "Tell me, what were these favors he wanted?" Lyra turned to me in response, seemingly wanting me to answer.
"We already got permission for the first one, but I want to be able to use the microscope in the Infirmary whenever I want.", I answered before continuing, "The other two are pretty similar to each other. Basically, we want one-on-three audiences with Igni and Queen Deonora." Yet again, they adopted looks of surprise, though they also seemed to be much more nervous. Also, I only noticed it out of the corner of my eye, but Anastasia and Ender seemed to light up when I said one-on-three. Guess they are happy I'm including them, but really, why wouldn't I? We're in the same boat now, after all.
"Hmm, those will be a problem…", the calm dragon responded, looking to the other dragons present.
"I suspect I know why I can't really meet with the Queen right now, given that she's sick, but what's the issue with Igni?" I asked. They all looked kind of nervous when I mentioned the Queen, and quickly tried to answer my question.
"The Primordial One...isn't in the best mood right now.", the calm dragon answered vaguely yet again.
"What do you mean?", Anastasia asked for me.
"She means that the Divine Elemental is pissed that we've set up our base in her mountain.", the bitchy dragon responded before adding. "She refuses to speak to anyone right now until we, and I quote, 'Get the fuck out of my mountain so I can sleep in fucking peace.'" Great, she sure sounds easy to work with. Too bad I don't really have a choice.
"Yes, and as you have already stated, our Queen is unfortunately very ill at the moment.", the armored dragon confirmed before adding. "Also, before you ask, no. We won't entrust the health of our Queen to an outsider known for killing mamono, even if he has come in peace." That's what I thought. Damn, I'll have to rethink this.
"So then, it seems the main thing keeping me from meeting them is this damn civil war, right?", I asked, to which the armored one nodded.
"That's correct.", she answered before adding. "And am I correct in thinking you want to help us end this war?"
"Yep, that's what I'm thinking.", I confirmed back. "Don't really got a choice, do I?"
"I wouldn't really say that, as there is always a choice.", the armored dragon responded before adding. "However, we can always use more help…"
"Commander, you can't seriously be considering letting him join our ranks!", the bitchy dragon spoke up.
"I am. Is there a problem, Leia?", the armored dragon asked, almost challenging the bitchy dragon who was now known as Leia. I think I'm starting to like this commander, at least a little bit.
"Is there a problem!?", Leia reiterated before calming down and explaining. "With all due respect, commander, letting him help us could easily backfire. For one, he's a murderer known for killing mamono, and secondly, he's just a human."
"We already cleared him of any deep-seated hatred for mamono, and his medicine could easily bolster our dwindling numbers. More of our soldiers could be saved and more could be brought back into action quicker."
"Besides, this isn't just any old human, Leia.", Lyra spoke out in defense, still excited like she had just met a real life super hero. "This is the human that beat Druella, of all mamono. Even if he is a human, he's got to have the skills and equipment to back himself up." With all this arguing, Ender, Anastasia and I were constantly sending awkward looks to each other as the three dragons continued to bicker.
"You both don't know what you're-", Leia tried to argue further, and the other two were ready to join her yet again, but they were all interrupted by the armored dragon.
"ENOUGH!", the armored dragon roared with power and conviction. Easily able to stop even the most out-of-line rebel and keep them in check. "We are at war, girls! Now is not the time to be arguing like this. We are Dragons! The most powerful mamono in this mountain right behind the Elemental and Queen herself. We are meant to stand as role models for our troops, and yet here you are yelling at each other and acting like a bunch of newborn whelps! In front of a human, no less! Cease at once!" With that, they all adopted looks of extreme embarrassment. It's a good thing I was wearing my Gas Mask, because the smug, shit-eating grin I was wearing in response to seeing the bitchy dragon get told off would have likely gotten me roasted alive.
"Now, back to the matter at hand.", the armored dragon started over, turning towards me. "Leia may not know it, but we need your help, Red Eyes Six. Thus, I propose a counter offer."
"I'm all ears, though I would prefer it if you dropped the title and just called me Six.", I told her, causing her to nod and continue.
"Very well, Six.", the armored dragon said before explaining her proposal. "If you join us, give us that medicine, and help us win this war of ours, then I will personally see to it that you and your companions are given an audience with both the Primordial One and my Queen."
"I accept.", I said simply, to which all of them, minus Leia, smiled.
"Wait, companions?", Lyra asked before adding. "Are they not his wives?" No, stop coming to that conclusion!
"No, we're not...unfortunately.", Anastasia said with a sigh, causing the dragons to look confused.
"They are just traveling with me.", I explained calmly. "We help each other out, but I'm not ready for anything like that."
"So...you're single?", Lyra asked after, causing Ender and Anastasia to adopt looks of Jealousy as they both latched onto each of my arms, as if to keep me from her. Okay, this is a bit too far. I think you're cool, lady, but I don't exactly wanna fuck the dragons from Grognak. That'd be weird.
"Lyra, what did I say about holding off on this? We've got a job to do.", the armored one stopped her before she could go any further. "That being said, welcome aboard, you three. We know your names already, but we haven't introduced ourselves yet." At that, all the girls looked to us as the armored one introduced us.
"I am Alto-Eris, Commander of the Order of the Dragon Knights and head of our little war effort here.", she introduced herself before moving on to the calm, sweater wearing dragon. "That is Udephilis, Chief Advisor to Her Majesty, and now, to me as I act in her stead."
"It's nice to meet you three.", Udephilis smiled and bowed, clearly one of the more polite mamono I've seen.
"That's Leia, one of the oldest Dragon Knights in service to Her Majesty.", she motioned towards Leia, though Leia did not respond. Instead, she merely scoffed and turned her head away from us. "Please forgive her rudeness, she has been rather stressed as of late." Doesn't excuse the fact that she's a massive cunt.
"And, of course, you've already met Lyra.", she pointed to Lyra, who gave an enthusiastic wave. "She's by far one of our greatest warriors, and is typically the one who goes out on excursions the most."
"Nice to meet you all, and thank you for having us.", Anastasia responded with a curtsy as Ender and I both nodded.
"Hmm, you are a Phantom, are you not?", Alto-Eris asked, to which Anastasia nodded. "Fascinating. I have not seen one of your kind before. I suppose that means you are rather good with illusions then, right?"
"Yes, we are rather rare, unfortunately.", Anastasia responded.
"I see, well, let's get down to business and get you three up to speed.", Alto-Eris said, motioning for us to approach the table and look at a map of the region with them.
The map showed Mount Malak, where we were currently, on the Westmost side while Dragonia was on the Northeastern-most corner on a cliff overlooking the Kolei Ocean. In between these two landmarks were a series of barren plains, canyons and ridges where two differernt types of flags had been erected all across the region. One flag, representing our forces, were red and emblazoned with a large, white crystal shaped like a tear drop surrounded by fire. I recognized it as Dragonia's original flag. The other, however, looked to be a recreation of the Demon Realm's flag, only replace the back wings on the eyeball sword with more fire.
From what it looked like, a number of battles had taken place, represented by different color X's on the map, and from the looks of things, our side had lost a majority of them. Most of the locations marked by flags were with that of the new Demon Realm-looking ones. We only had three strongholds remaining, it seemed. Mount Malak, a bunker rather far east of us behind enemy lines and a fort just northeast of us. The enemy, however, had well over ten strongholds under their control, including Dragonia. Even Lily, my old Super Mutant companion, could see just how badly things were going for Alto-Eris' crew.
"Not pretty, is it?", Lyra asked as we beheld the map. Ender and Anastasia started looking very worried. Not surprising, since they had been on the winner's side of a war until recently.
"Okay, I'll bite. What's going on?", I asked, to which they gave expressions warranting elaboration. "Y'all are Dragons, right? Not only that, but some of the most powerful ones, so just what the Hell is our enemy if they can do...all this?"
"To explain that, we'll need to start from the beginning.", Alto-Eris explained before adding. "For most of this, context is needed if you want to know exactly why this is all happening in the first place." I nodded and Udephilis began to explain in a serious tone.
"It all started about a month ago. Right around the time that Lescatie was invaded.", She began before continuing. "Leading up to that event, many people in Dragonia were beginning to hold doubts about what the Demon Lord's daughter was doing. People started to see her less as a general defending her homeland, and more of a conqueror out to take more land." That makes sense. After all, the Demon Lord's armies, Druella included, were originally very defensive, as they naively thought the Order would just give up if they kept pushing them back. Of course, the Order isn't like that, and eventually, Druella reluctantly made the choice to go on the attack for once. It just spiraled out of control from there.
"Fucking warmonger…", Leia cursed under her breath. Seems like she REALLY wasn't a fan.
"Not to mention, with the Demon Lord herself constantly cooped up in her castle trying to get enough magic to let us have male children, she has become completely out of touch with the world outside, and likely doesn't know or care about what her daughters are doing now." Alto-Eris added, to which Udephilis nodded and continued.
"So with many people, including Deonora, beginning to have doubts about supporting Druella's campaign still, we began to seek an ending of relations between us and the Demon Realm.", Udephilis explained. "The vast majority of us simply no longer wanted any part in what the extremist faction was doing, though there were a small minority that did."
"Let me guess, they're the ones we're fighting?", I asked, to which Alto-Eris responded.
"Yes and no, but we'll get to that in a moment.", she said before looking us dead in the eyes and adopting a very serious tone. "I need you three to swear that everything you hear going forward stays in this room. If I so much as catch wind of a leak, or that you are working against us in any capacity, I will personally see to it that you are drawn and quartered high above the mountain for all to see." Ender and Anastasia became rather stiff at her threat, and nodded vigorously, while I did so calmly. This isn't my first death threat, and I have no plans on leaking, so I have nothing to worry about.
"I need your word.", she clarified.
"I swear.", we all said in unison, to which she nodded satisfactorily, and motioned Udephilis to continue.
"Right, now onto what started all of this.", Udephilis started again before explaining. "One of the most powerful mamono who did not want to end our support to Druella's campaign was none other than Her Majesty's own sister, Dracolinde. She, along with the help of a Demon Realm representative, a Lich named Gretel, were able to stage a coup in the castle just before a hearing was to begin on the proposed ending of relations. During dinner, on the night after Lescatie's invasion, Dracolinde...poisoned her own sister." Oh shit.
"So...Her Majesty isn't sick, she's…", Anastasia asked as we all reeled at the revelation.
"That's right. Deonora is in currently in a coma due to an unknown poison we are still working to identify, and unfortunately, we don't know if she'll ever recover.", Alto-Eris explained with a low, sorrowful voice. Looking around, all the dragons had sad looks on their faces except for Leia, who looked fucking livid. She looked like she was going to kill the next person that looked at her funny.
"It was chaos in the castle, and that gave Gretel all the time she needed to lead her army of undead and Demon Realm radicals into the city streets, capturing and converting any she and her forces could find with very little in the way of resistance.", Udephilis explained.
"So, Dracolinde attempts sororicide and Gretel leads a coup and takes over the city. Is that when you fled here?", I asked, to which they nodded.
"Yes, we've been working out of this Mountain ever since, and while we initially had some success in the South, that quickly changed when many of our own defected and gave the Lich some much needed intel and troops.", Alto-Eris explained, gesturing to a few locations on the map.
"Now, with Dracolinde usurping the throne and the Lich leading her new armies of the living and the dead, we've been having a tougher and tougher time getting a hold on the situation.", Udephilis finished before asking. "Questions?"
"Yeah, just what the Hell kind of undead can stand up against a dragon?", I asked, almost in disbelief that mere zombies could do all this. Sure, they can grow numbers easily with that Lich running the show, but a dragon or wyvern should be able to mop the floor with them.
"Zombie Dragons.", Leia said angrily, still in a foul mood.
What?
...Shit, I completely forgot about those.
"Don't tell me you thought we were getting our butt's kicked by regular old zombies.", Lyra said in a slightly joking manner.
"...Not gonna lie, I completely forgot those were a thing. Though, that makes a lot more sense now.", I responded. Zombie Dragons are what happens when a dead Dragon is either brought back to life by something like a lich, or naturally when a Dragon never had a mate in life. This lingering regret from not having a mate can naturally bring them back as a Zombie Dragon.
Contrary to ghouls and fictional zombies from my world, zombies in this world don't rot in the traditional sense. Sure, their body technically "dies", but their bodies don't rot and decay like they should. Rather, it's their mind that rots and decays, leaving behind a being driven only by instinct dictated by the Demonic Energy keeping them alive. Which, of course, means they become mindless sex drones, and Zombie Dragons are no exception. Zombie Dragon's don't retain their intelligence or agility that they had in life, but their strength is still very much out of this world.
That also explains what that necrosis on the wyverns from earlier was. It wouldn't have outright killed them, like I thought, but would instead bring them back as undead wyverns under the command of the Lich. Jesus, this situation really is fucked.
"Now you understand why our situation is so dire.", Alto-Eris explained, "One Zombie Dragon is bad enough, but an army…" She trailed off, but we all knew what she meant. We're up shit creek without a paddle.
"B-But, now that you're here, Six, maybe you can use some of those weird weapons of yours to help us out!", Lyra said, getting excited yet again. "You know, from the rumors?"
"I can give you my medicine, but I refuse to lend you my weapons.", I said bluntly before explaining before they get mad. "I already tried lending my knowledge about my weapons to others in the past, and it almost ended up in Druella's hands. I won't be making that mistake again. However...I have a couple weapons that may be able to take something like that out."
"...By all means, let's see them.", Alto-Eris responded, to which I gave her a look. Did this woman seriously not here a thing I just said? "If I'm going to be making any sort of strategy with you in combat, I need to know your abilities."
"...Fine.", I relented, materializing my Anti-Material Rifle, along with a .50 BMG round. "If I can get the element of surprise, this baby is my go to for big monsters. One pull of the trigger, and it'll send this massive bullet flying faster than sound and straight into the zombie's head at 2000 yards, popping it like a balloon." They all seemed somewhat intrigued, even Leia, as they beheld the weapon.
"Fascinating, so this one of those firearms from the rumors…", Lyra said to herself as she inspected the barrel.
"Indeed, that is a very formidable weapon, and terrifying from a distance.", Alto-Eris said to herself before asking another question. "Although, what do you have in the event you don't have the element of surprise?" Silently, I digitized my rifle and round, and replaced them with something that made everyone present go bug-eyed.
Sitting on the table was now my favorite Missile Launcher, Annabelle, along with a missile that was about the size of my forearm. I like Red Glare, but prefer Annabelle as it has the better stopping power overall and does better against armored targets, which is usually what I use weapons like this on in the first place.
"Six...What is that?", Anastasia asked.
"This is Annabelle. It's a missile launcher.", I answered before explaining it. "It shoots a somewhat slow, guided missile at the target and explodes on impact. Think of it like a...really powerful fireball spell that explodes."
"Why have we never seen it before now?", Anastasia asked yet again.
"Because the explosion is so large that, when used in close proximity, it becomes very easy to kill yourself with it.", I answered, causing her and a few of the other occupants to pale.
"And you think it will be enough to stop a Zombie Dragon?", Alto-Eris asked curiously, seemingly unfazed.
"...I don't know. If I may be so bold, I honestly think the three of us would be much better suited for a Stealth or reconnaissance role.", I responded to her, digitizing Annabelle and the missile while doing so.
"I certainly see the appeal for such an option when it comes to your companions, but you don't seem all that well suited for it yourself.", Alto-Eris responded. Did she just talk down my stealth game?
"You'd be surprised, ma'am. Six is very sneaky.", Anastasia stood up for me, though Ender seemed to be skeptical of her claims as well. "Besides, can't you turn invisible, Six?" That got their attention, though I just got more annoyed since I wasn't really planning on revealing that to them.
"I'm sorry, he can what?", Leia asked, clearly surprised like everyone else.
"W-Well, it's just that I remember that...well…", Anastasia trailed off, finally realizing maybe she shouldn't have been running her mouth. "Six, you know what I'm talking about, right?" Well, guess the cat's already out of the bag. Better make sure they don't get any more suspicious of us.
"What, you mean this?", I asked as I stood still and activated my [Stealth Nanobot Implant], vanishing from sight. Immediately, everyone in the room were shocked into silence yet again, immediately surveying the room only to realize there was still a faint shimmer of light where I was, indicating that I had not moved.
"H-How are you-!?", Ender asked, trying to understand just what I was doing and how.
"Stealth Field.", I said as I deactivated the implant and became fully visible again. "Hard to explain, but I can basically reflect the light hitting me to make it seem like I'm not really there. It doesn't work as well in light, as you all saw, but in the dark…"
"You are completely invisible.", Udephilis finished for me.
"Yahtzee.", I responded, causing a couple looks of confusion. "Couple that with night vision in my gas mask, and you've got one very effective stealth operative."
"Hmm, then that will most likely be what we do. We don't really have a proper spy network set up, so it could definitely help." Alto-Eris responded, causing the other dragons to look mildly upset. "I feel the same way, girls, but with how things are going, we don't have a choice."
"Alright, then what's up first on the to-do list?", I asked as I looked over the map for potentially good targets.
"For now, I want you three to go and get some rest in the barracks. Leia can show you the way.", Alto-Eris responded, to which Leia began to whine.
"What? Why me?", she complained, not wanting to be around me. Trust me, woman, the feeling is mutual.
"Because I said so. Now quit whining and do it, that's an order.", Alto-Eris responded back, slightly irritated, before turning back towards us. "Once you've gotten some rest, I want you to report to Malinda in the Infirmary to get working on developing that medicine. The sooner we have that in the hands of our field medics, the better."
"What about us?", Anastasia asked, gesturing to herself and Ender.
"Depends. Anything you can offer to help around the base?", Alto-Eris asked.
"Well, I used to be a communications officer under Druella, so I can help give information on tactics the Lich may be employing, given that she is with the Demon Realms.", Anastasia relayed to them before adding. "I'm not sure if all of what I have to say will be helpful, but there's a good chance she has modeled her tactics off of Druella since she is the most successful mamono General around."
"Mhmm, and you?", Alto-Eris turned to address Ender now.
"I can help in the workshop with maintaining gear and crafting different gadgets for your troops.", Ender answered.
"What kind of gadgets?", Leia asked in her trademarked bitchy tone.
"Smoke bombs, flash bombs, rope traps, throwing knives, things like that.", she supplied, to which the dragons seemed pleased.
"Very well.", Alto-Eris said before continuing, "Anastasia, you will report here to give us any information you can spare and maybe even help us decrypt a couple messages. Ender, you will report to Barbara in the workshop to help get gear repaired and craft useful tools for our soldiers. Dismissed."
With that, Leia begrudgingly walked over to us and led us out of the room from where we entered, not even bothering to look at us, as Udephilis and Lyra waved us goodbye.
"Well, that was pretty productive.", Anastasia spoke up, clearly proud of herself.
"I wasn't expecting to get pulled into the war, though.", Ender added her thoughts before addressing me. "I got the impression you wanted nothing to do with it."
"Believe me, I don't, especially not with how outmatched we are, but I don't really have a choice for obvious reasons.", I responded, being careful about what I said in public. Leia was still leading us, though still as silent as ever.
"Hey, Leia, can I ask you a question?", Anastasia asked, initially getting no response from the grumpy dragon.
"...What?", she grumbled, as expected.
"I know why you don't like Six, but if you don't mind me asking, why do you hate Druella so much?", Anastasia asked her question. At first, Leia didn't respond, but I got the feeling she was even angrier than before.
"Because I just fucking do, okay? Drop it.", she lashed out, causing Anastasia to be slightly shocked and for Ender to narrow her eyes under her scarf. Before she could speak up in her Lord's defense, however, we had reached our destination.
"Here, this is the mamono barracks." she said, turning to face Ender and Anastasia. "You two will sleep here."
"What?", Anastasia nearly yelled, clearly upset. "You mean we can't sleep with Six?"
"No, I thought you said you weren't his wives?", Leia asked, now confused and angry.
"Well, yeah, but…", Anastasia trailed, realizing there wasn't much point in arguing this in the first place. It wasn't like we could even do anything like that together. "Fine. Come on, Ender."
"My Lord, you're just going to accept this?", Ender asked Anastasia before adding, "You're just going to let them separate us from the man we love?"
"Jesus, you make it sound like we're never going to see each other again.", I joined in, trying to get Ender to give it up. "It's just for the night, we'll meet back up tomorrow once our tasks are done."
"Six is right." Anastasia concurred before adding, "We've got a job to do, now, so we should focus on getting rested up. Besides, we'll still have each other."
"...Understood, my Lord.", Ender relented, sending me one final look with Anastasia before heading into the barracks.
"Finally, took 'em long enough.", Leia huffed as she began to walk away, wordlessly getting me to follow her. We walked through the mountain tunnels for a bit in silence before I spoke up to ask a question. This bitch had been, well, bitchy to me for the past hour, and I wanna make sure this won't become a problem in the future.
"Hey, I wanna talk to you.", I said bluntly. I need to be cautious, but I also need to put this girl in line. I won't be bossed around by someone I should be working alongside.
"About what, murderer?", she responded just as bluntly, not giving up her shtick so far.
"I want to talk about your attitude.", I told her before continuing, "You maybe wanna chill ou-"
Before I could finish, I was interrupted by Leia whipping around and shoving me against the wall hard, my helmet saving the back of my head from impacting against the wall as her scaly right arm pushed against my chest, keeping me in place. She was pinning me against the wall!
"You listen to me, murderer, and you listen good.", she growled out, keeping me in place with arms so strong it made my cybernetically enhanced ones seem like rolls of wet paper towels in comparison. "You may be able to fool the commander, but that's only because we're desperate. I'm onto you. I know you are scheming." As she said this, her arm pushed harder and harder. Talk about being a paranoid bitch!
"Know that I've got my eyes on you, and the second you try anything out of line, I will throw you into the fucking volcano, got it!?", she threatened, heat and wisps of fire now coming from her mouth. I'd almost think it was cool if, you know, I wasn't the one being threatened.
"Duly noted.", I choked out, causing her to wait a couple seconds, glaring at me, before finally releasing me, causing me to almost fall to my knees, though, I was able to stabilize myself on the wall before I did. "I'll be on my best behavior, just as soon as you drop that shitty attitude of yours." This was risky, I know, but I was angry, what do you want from me?
"You can't tell me to do shit, murderer.", she responded angrily, holding herself back from doing anything rash, before turning and walking back the way we came. "Now shut the fuck up, and go get some sleep."
"You didn't even tell me where the goddamn human barracks are!", I yelled back, getting real sick of her shit.
"It's just further down, first door on the right.", she yelled back before adding, "It's small and pathetic, just like you." With that, she was gone. Now, almost as pissed as she was, I began to make my own way to the human barracks.
That fucking cunt! Who the fuck does she think she is? I swear to God, if she wasn't a dragon, I would've have taken a couple fingers. That's the worst part, too, she's a dragon. Not only can I not really do much about her, but she's ruining dragons for me. I was so fucking excited to see dragons, and then I was secretly getting all giddy when one found me cool in return, but then this bitch had to come in and fuck it all up.
Christ, I need a drink...well, maybe not now. I don't want a repeat of Magicor, thank you very much.
After a bit more searching, I found the human barracks, or should I say, the human bedroom. Yeah, you heard me. Bedroom, as in singular, as in it was literally just a small bedroom with, like, four beds and a desk.
"Geez, the dragon cunt wasn't kidding. This place is small.", I said to myself. I mean, I get that there weren't really any human warriors here since we are fighting dragons, but I thought there would at least be a few. Maybe they are already hitched, and just sleeping with their wives? I don't know. All I know is that it has been a Hell of a day, and I wanna take a break. I haven't slept in a bit compared to how I got to sleep consistently in Magicor, so I was going to take full advantage of a soft bed while I could. With that, I took my boots off, walked over to the closest bed, and fell in, already feeling sleep taking hold.
Hmm, not as comfy as back in Magicor, but who gives a shit?