Chapter 1
Rinciquilde stood next to a carriage of an outgoing demihuman merchant in the city of Numina. Kotaro had paid the merchant handsomely so that they can travel with the green-scaled lizardman into the Zudvrii empire, but they're not due to leave for another few hours, as Zazal Tok-Iman, the lizardman they'll be traveling with, had to finalize a few more deals. Kotaro himself wanted to speak with King Manye about the contract he completed, in the hopes of squeezing some monetary payment as a bonus.
Rinciquilde tapped his foot impatiently, and sighed, before deciding to observe the other lizardmen. There were some of Zazal's bodyguards who lingered about, probably to ensure he didn't steal any merchandise. They were all large, rough-looking lizardmen, with a hint of red tinge on their otherwise dark-green scales underneath their gleaming, enchanted armor. They mostly remained quiet, and glared at any elf or demihuman that passed too closely by them. None of them were distinguishable from each other no matter how closely Rinciquilde looked, especially when Rinciquilde had never heard any of them talk. He could only recognize Zazal because that lizardman had a very distinctive light-green color, and his body was large and round, with naught a single muscle in his arms, unlike his bodyguards. Zazal also appeared to have a weakness for elvish fashion, as he wore the same clothing as Nutanae civilian clothing, albeit those of much higher quality than normal.
When Rinciquilde grew tired of trying to distinguish each guard, his gaze drifted towards the collection that Zazal had. There was a dazzling array of shiny, magic items that came from Zudvrii. No doubt they were immaculate items of great value, although most of them were oriented around the generation and destruction of water, which wasn't exactly a rare thing in the Nutanae forests. Their forests had ample rainfall each year, as well as clean, pristine rivers to draw their water supplies from, and any cleric worth their salt, Rinciquilde included, knew the magic to clean any impurities from drinking water. Some of the items appeared to be books, wands, scrolls, swords, vials, and other random assortment of magic items, which were too expensive to be used for the Nutanae army. It seemed that these items were geared towards selling to the visiting adventurers that occasionally visit the Nutanae forests, lured by the lucrative contracts on magic beast culling that is routinely required outside elven territory, or the occasional destruction of elvish bandit gangs.
After a long wait, which probably wasn't as long as Rinciquilde felt it was, Zazal appeared in the distance, with Kotaro walking besides him. They seemed to be deep in conversation.
"…Fascinating. You're sure that the Bright Dragon still lives?"
"The House of Worship assures that our god is alive and well, although His Learned Excellence's location is kept a secret for reasons I do not know."
"How much will it cost to obtain such information?"
Zazal croaked out something that sounded like chuckling.
"Kotaro, you are an interesting elf, with deeper pockets than even some Zudvrii merchant guild members I know, and a sharp eye for magical wares. But you have much to learn about our culture. Our priests are heavily religious, and even then, most of them probably don't know what you seek. No amount of gold will sway their faith."
This time, Kotaro chuckled.
"You say that, Zazal, but based on my own experience… there is no information money cannot buy. All it takes is some leverage and connections. Perhaps you can point me in the right direction?"
Zazal let out another sound, which could be interpreted as laughter.
"Kotaro, you truly are an elf to behold! You remind me of my grandfather!"
He shook his head, and lowered his voice, although Rinciquilde's sensitive ears could still hear him.
"There is only one publicly vain member of the House of Worship, and that is Her Imperial Majesty herself, Empress Il-Abhur, although you didn't hear that from me. To one who is from the House of Labor like me, no matter how wealthy we get, we cannot touch a station as high as hers."
Zazal got into his carriage, and beckoned for Rinciquilde and Kotaro to join him. Rinciquilde silently got in first, not wanting to miss the conversation, with Kotaro right behind him. Inside, the temperature was slightly warmer than the outside, which Rinciquilde assumed was the famous temperature-controlling magic that he's heard about.
"I respect you, Kotaro, I really, truly do. But for the sake of my life, I cannot help you."
"Then, perhaps you can point me to someone who can? I can keep the referral a secret."
Rinciquilde heard the stomping of lizardmen feet outside the carriage, as the guards slowly loaded into different parts of the carriage. A snap could be heard outside, and the strange, smelly, horse-like magic beasts with humps on their backs started to move. Rinciquilde could barely feel the carriage bounce or sway. The quality of the carriage was so much higher than he had expected.
"…May I ask why you care so much to see the Bright Dragon?"
Kotaro fell silent for a moment.
"I have a problem that only a god can solve."
"I hear that priests wield the power of the gods. Could they not help you? Surely you elves have priests!"
Kotaro shook his head.
"No mortal can help me."
"Is it a curse?"
"I'd rather not say. Instead, I will offer you an analogy. Imagine yourself stranded on a strange land, with no friends or family to guide you, and no way to return home. You discover that you're in a completely different island, surrounded by nothing but a vast ocean, and the only way back is to charter a ship to return home. But the concept of ships is foreign, as the people have always lived off their land, with no desire to travel the seas. Therefore, you must contact someone with the capabilities and intelligence to build a ship sturdy enough to travel home. That is my plight."
Zazal pursed his lips.
"I see. I believe I understand."
The green lizardman sighed.
"…I know of one priest, who is a good soul, and is more faithful to us than he is to his god, though I cannot guarantee that he will help you. I can recommend you to him."
Kotaro bowed low.
"All I needed was a single connection. You have done me a huge favor. Now, tell me about your country's rich history…"
—
The trip to the first border city Zazal was headed towards, Qun, took a little over a week, with the magic beasts traveling at shockingly (even to Kotaro's surprise) blistering speeds and with little to no rest, during which Rinciquilde heard more about Zudvrii history and culture than he cared to know about. Kotaro appeared to be utterly enraptured by the stories, however, and Zazal appeared to enjoy talking about his homeland to such an enthusiastic listener. They spoke at length about the beginning of the Empire, what came before, and what's happening now.
Apparently, the desert lands that Zudvrii now stand upon used to be one of the territories of the Eight Divine Gods, to whom the lizardmen used to be slaves to. After a violent uprising, and further political instability due to the civil war between the Gods, the lizardmen seized power under the guidance of the Bright Dragon, who had taken advantage of the weakening influence of the Divine Gods, and quickly established their Empire. There were also four castes: the House of Worship, Law, War, and Labor, but Rinciquilde didn't really care to listen to the boring lectures on their original meanings and whatnot. After all, he knew of Mothers who pre-dated their Empire by centuries, and he himself was as old as Zazal's deceased grandfather. Elves have literally lived through entire ages for some civilizations, and they have once lived with the gods themselves. Rinciquilde also didn't quite catch what happened to the Bright Dragon, nor did he care. The Dragon God's holy order in Nutanae doesn't recognize the divinity of any remaining dragon gods in the world other than the lost son of Aur, due to their failure to defend their Emperor during the Divine Betrayal. There was also the possibility that the Bright Dragon was one of the Dragon Gods who betrayed Aur. The only reason why the order doesn't say anything about the Bright Dragon was because, in all honesty, the Zudvrii Empire was a nation they wouldn't want to anger, and it had merchants like Zazal who bring in news and magic technology into Nutanae from the rest of the world.
Rinciquilde resumed paying attention when Zazal began recanting stories about ancient Zudvrii emperors, starting with the most famous Emperor, who came from nothing. The second Emperor, Zokhiim'Tok Fan-Zar, was an incredibly talented and powerful individual, whose reign lasted nearly an entire century, and came from Zazal's own caste, which solidified the right to rule of any individual from all castes in Zudvrii. An emperor or empress was selected based on whoever won the Rel, which took place every ten years in the legendary, and now decrepit, city of Fan. It's purpose was to constantly test the emperor, to see if his might was still strong enough to lead Zudvrii into the next decade, and the second Emperor won the Rel eight times in a row, a record that has been matched, but never beaten, by only one other Emperor. So legendary was he, that erected statues of him still stand today as a testament of his will.
The third Zudvrii Emperor, Xamik'Ras Fan-Shazur, was the reason why the modern-day House of War, particularly the Dragon Knights, was banned from ever participating in the Rel. Rinciquilde slept through this part, so he never really caught on to why exactly the third Emperor was bad, and again, he didn't really care. If it were important, at least Kotaro was now aware of it, and that's all that really mattered. By the time Rinciquilde woke up, Zazal had moved on to the current political climate, and how Kotaro should now understand why even-numbers were considered good luck in Zudvrii culture for the superstitious. It was quite jarring to see a conversation progress so much in the span of a mere few hours.
Unrest had started ever since Empress Il-Abhur "won" the Rel via the abrupt death of her opponent and husband, the sixth Emperor, and his champion ten years ago. Rumors that quickly spread at the time were that the Empress allegedly assassinated her predecessor, but no evidence of foul play was found. It was all attributed to a lone assassin, who was quickly found and executed. The years under Empress Iluminse Il-Abhur was a stark contrast to Emperor Handir'Il Za-Abhur's rule. Bureaucratic red tape ground the administration bodies to a halt, mostly caused by the Empress's carelessness. Centuries of tradition were violated, and new laws had to be drafted and granted to various House of Law members to keep the Empire running to some degree. Zazal droned on and on about how their current Empress was ruining the great work of Emperor Za-Abhur, and Kotaro showed no signs of boredom to this droning. In fact, he was actively participating in his discussions with Zazal. Rinciquilde himself never cared about outsider politics, and he had always slept through those kinds of lectures back in Amil. After all, he was certain he had no noble blood to speak of, so he'll never be in a position of power to wield such knowledge anyway. When he return home, he'll likely go back to being a lowly soldier in the Bloodied Zone.
Zazal mentioned something that piqued Rinciquilde's interest, however. The Rel was starting again soon this year, and the merchant lizardman was hoping to participate in it. He had already selected a champion: a male human slave, specially bred and trained for combat, and conditioned to remain loyal to him. The human had reached a point where he could rival even Zazal's guards in terms of strength, which gave him hope that he may win the Rel, however hopeless it may be. It would be a great opportunity to see the display of skill and combat mastery of some of the best in all of Zudvrii.
Before Rinciquilde knew it, they had the gates of Qun, upon which Zazal handed Kotaro and Rinciquilde a piece of paper.
"What's this?"
"My endorsement. Despite my caste, I am still a prominent member of the merchant's guild, and thus, my connections run deep. This letter offers you temporary visitor's rights in Zudvrii which skips the lengthy outsider checks process, although you must come to my home city, Tok, to get permission for an extended stay here. I enjoyed my time with you, Kotaro, and I wish you luck in your endeavors."
Kotaro bowed.
"In that case, allow me to give you something in return. I do not know if you have one in this world, but it is essential from where I come from. I feel this is the least I can do for tolerating my incessant questions."
Kotaro reached behind him, and pulled out a small, gold ring.
"This is a Ring of Sustenance. With it, you will no longer require food or sleep. Perhaps it will be useful for training your slave."
One could almost see Zazal's eyes pop out in astonishment. Kotaro handed the ring to Zazal, who promptly put it on. Like any other magic ring, it resized itself to snugly fit the lizardman's finger.
"My, I'll have this appraised at once! I have a feeling that this is just the start of a lucrative partnership, Kotaro!"
Rinciquilde touched his own ring that Kotaro gave him. He knew what Zazal was going through in his mind, and given his reaction, even a wealthy and magically advanced nation such as Zudvrii didn't have anything like a Ring of Sustenance. A ring like this, if it truly can do what he says it does, would be priceless to have as a result. One cannot simply tack a price on a ring that essentially allows you to function indefinitely, but if there was a value, it would definitely be worth thousands, if not tens of thousands of standard gold trade coins. However, according to Kotaro, it was a basic item that nearly everyone in YGGDRASIL had, and the ring itself was pretty useless to him, since he already didn't need to eat nor sleep. While Rinciquilde had fallen asleep several times in the trip, it was mostly out of sheer boredom rather than the actual need for sleep, and he hasn't felt hunger since he left the Great Tree several weeks ago, so the ring actually worked. Zazal glanced several times at Rinciquilde's ring, and connected the dots where he noticed that Kotaro and Rinciquilde never really had to eat, and Kotaro never slept at any point during their trip. As he got back into his carriage, he waved at Kotaro and Rinciquilde, before it lurched away.
"Now what, Kotaro?"
"Give me your paper, Rinci, and make sure you stick close to me."
Rinciquilde pressed his lips together as he handed Kotaro his letter.
"Why did you give Zazal that ring?"
Kotaro glanced at him as they walked towards the gates.
"It is an item that you proclaim as invaluable in this world, but useless to me. A connection like Zazal would be priceless in comparison, and perhaps we can leverage his weight in the future."
"What's the point of making a connection with the lizardmen?"
Kotaro paused, and turned to Rinciquilde.
"A connection, Rinci, is more than just someone you know. It is a consistent source of information you can use, and the right information, from the right person, is often power. The lizardmen worship a god called the Bright Dragon, which is supposedly the same kind of dragon as your god, Aur. Unlike Aur, however, this one has a physical body I can interact with, and one I won't have to use a resurrection spell on. I will need to find this dragon, and what better place to start than the very people who worship it as a god?"
Rinciquilde nodded.
"I see. Why don't you just go around their temples, and demand an answer?"
Kotaro shook his head.
"That's not how that works, Rinci. I could do that, assuming I could even find their temples scattered all around their nation, but that would simply mean antagonizing those who truly know where the Bright Dragon is, and I would get stonewalled at every turn as a result. I could resort to… interrogation methods, but those are always messy, the risk of death is high, and the information from a friend is almost always better than information from a foe. And I'd rather keep my notoriety as clean as possible. Remember, Rinci, just because you're more powerful, doesn't necessarily mean you've the upper hand."
Kotaro sighed, and placed a hand on Rinciquilde's shoulder.
"I won't always be around to be there for you, Rinci. Once I return home… I hope you will find the knowledge that I've imparted to you as useful."
"I hope I'll be a good student then… Forgive me, because none of this makes much sense to me."
Kotaro reached into his "inventory", as he calls it, and pulled out another mask, replacing the ugly red mask that he constantly wore. The mask was green this time, and it was completely bare except for two slits that allowed the eyes to see through. It sat on Kotaro's face for a moment, before molding into his skull, shapeshifting his skeletal face into his elf face. Kotaro then looked directly at Rinciquilde, and smirked, while patting his head.
"I'm sure you'll be a great student."
"What was that?! And I have always wanted to ask… Is that what you looked like in the past?"
"No, I'm merely using a default elf skin. My real face is… let's just say I no longer have access to that face. And this is an illusion item. My [Transformation Jutsu] only lasts for about five minutes, give or take. Good for blending into a crowd, but not for espionage work. If I need to remain in disguise for longer, I'll have to use this mask. Enough questions. Come."
They walked up to the gates, where a couple of bored looking reddish-pink lizardmen stood on guard. Kotaro handed over their letters to them, and after a quick glance, the guards let them pass. The time of the day was quite early, such that the sun has a long way before reaching the summit. There was not much traffic activity at the entrances of Qun, but within it was already bustling with activity. The city must have seen a fair share of visitors from all over the world, because the residents did not give so much as a double-glance at the strange duo. Or perhaps everyone believed both of them to be a slave, as the streets were packed with beings of various races.
Rinciquilde stared wide-eyed at the scene. There must have been hundreds of individuals roaming around their vicinity at once, a sight he never saw in Nutanae's forests. He saw very tanned dwarves, Unchosen elves, humans, a couple of heavily shackled trolls and beastmen, and various races he could not recognize, but most numerous of all were green-scaled lizardmen of all shades and sizes, in a splendid array of colorful clothes and robes suitable for their desert environment.
Kotaro deeply inhaled and laughed, drinking in the atmosphere.
"Home never looked like this! This must be what our past looked like! Wonderful, simply wonderful! Ah, almost forgot."
He handed Rinciquilde a pair of glasses.
"Take this, and don't lose it. That's my only pair. I assume you can't read Zudvriian texts, right? I can't use those glasses while I'm using my mask, so you'll have to do the reading for me."
Rinciquilde put on the glasses, and the signs around them shifted from a strange alphabet, to familiar elvish texts.
"Wow, the magic items you have at home are capable of such amazing things…"
"Well… the things we could make or find were certainly… something, to say the least."
Kotaro looked around.
"First, we must purchase a map of this region, and of the city. Zudvrii is separated into several regions - the number of which Zazal never mentioned, but that is of no importance - and I believe Qun and Tok are within the same region. Afterwards, we shall visit the Bright Dragon's temples. We'll see if gold can't lubricate some hearts."
Kotaro handed over a sizable pouch of coins. Inside, Rinciquilde could see different colored coins, some silver, some gold, yet some more copper, and some in different sizes.
"Since you're the only who can read Zudvriian texts, you'll have to be the guide for today."
"M-me?!"
Kotaro nodded.
"It's your adventure as much as mine, Rinci. And besides, this will be a good experience for you."
"W-well… alright then…"
Rinciquilde nervously looked around his surroundings, before he set off in a completely random direction, with Kotaro following closely behind him.
—
The sun was already setting before Rinciquilde finally found a place that sold maps. After Kotaro handled the haggling and a slightly lighter coin pouch later, Rinciquilde was finally able to get his bearings within the labyrinthine-like city, and pointed them towards the nearest temple.
The city was much quieter at dusk, which made Rinciquilde feel more at ease. He had started to notice that they were being watched, not just by the lizardmen because of Kotaro's strange attire, but the Unchosen elf slaves as well. Their eyes lingered onto him, staring into his eyes for whatever reason, and he thought he even saw one bow towards him, which made him feel even more uneasy.
They arrived at a large, white building, with massive double doors that were held open by a pair of ropes. Inside, they could see sick lizardmen waiting to be treated by the priests, and were being tended to by well-dressed humans. As they entered, a human waved at them, and silently pointed to the side, which had a door with a sign above that read "slave care", which Rinciquilde relayed over to Kotaro. Kotaro shrugged, and he walked through the doors, with Rinciquilde following behind him. There, they encountered a tired-looking pale-yellow lizardman, who looked up at them.
"Ah, there's more? Where are your owners?"
"We're visitors from Nutanae, an elf nation south of here."
The pale-yellow lizardman stared at Kotaro's attire, and then at Rinciquilde's, before sighing.
"Hmmm… We still treat outsiders here. But you don't look very sick. I'm out of mana for the day, and there are still so many more injured slaves to take care of. You'll have to wait your turn."
"Apologies, we're not here to be healed. We simply have questions for the priesthood, preferably one very knowledgeable about the Bright Dragon."
"Ah. Well, we're very busy, and-"
"Perhaps a nice donation of gold will help smooth things over?"
Kotaro produced a pouch from thin air. The lizardman took one look at it, and burst out in laughter.
"Perhaps elves are easily bribed, but that won't get you far here."
Kotaro then produced another, slightly larger pouch. The lizardman gulped. Kotaro reached behind him, and pulled out a pouch that seemed to weigh as much as the first two combined. The lizardman's eyes darted around him, before snatching the pouches and looking inside. Sure enough, the glint of gold shone from all the pouches.
"We're in desperate need of supplies for everyone… This will save many lives. So long as the cause is just, what do you need?"
"I wish to meet with someone who knows the Bright Dragon intimately, whether that be in person, or the Bright Dragon's entire history up to current age."
"What do you, an outsider, want with our god?"
"I am a traveler. Perhaps you could even call me an adventurer. I wish to understand the different histories and cultures of the world, and I always start with religion."
Even Rinciquilde could tell that was a bold-face lie, and the lizardman was no different. However, the pouches of gold weighed heavily in his hand, so he shrugged.
"Well, you won't spew blasphemy in the name of another god, agreed?"
Kotaro bowed deeply.
"Consider that a sealed deal."
"You also won't cause any trouble with my colleagues?"
"I am always professional and cordial. Although my word holds no weight, I have already invested a significant sum into you, which should prove my commitment."
The lizardman leaned over, and glared at Rinciquilde, who was shyly hiding behind Kotaro.
"What of the smaller one?"
"Don't mind him, he is my companion. He will not cause trouble."
Rinciquilde nodded vigorously. The last thing he wanted to do was make trouble with the lizardmen. He's seen them in combat at the siege of Perforo, and Yanna had remarked that a lot of their soldiers may rival even her own strength.
"Hmmm… I don't know anyone who personally knows the Bright Dragon - I don't think anyone does - but there are many a scholar who have studied His lore. Most of my brethren are from the city of Il, as such, most of the scholars are there, but that city will not allow outsiders such as yourselves in. And healers such as myself focus more on the study of healing magic to save lives rather than scripture study."
The pale lizardman furrowed his eyes, deep in thought.
"Qun is a border city; hardly any House of Worship member here are noteworthy, despite our caste status. Try Tok, our region's capital. On camelback, it should be no more than a few day's journey, if you can avoid the occasional monsters that rule the desert lands outside our cities. There, you will find the Mek Klovrahzein, Dakin'Tok Il-Zhar. He may be able to help you."
Kotaro nodded.
"I see. Thank you for your help."
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have slaves to patch up. Haaaaah… If only the House of Labor could treat their slaves properly, we wouldn't have a slave shortage right now…"
The pale lizardman slinked away. Rinciquilde turned to Kotaro with an eyebrow arched up.
"What's a Mek something or the other?"
"Mek is the name of the region we are in. Kloveahzein is an old language, from the Age of Dragons, and is likely derived from a name given to the lizardmen by the Bright Dragon. I believe it's the title for a head cleric or priest of some sort."
Kotaro nodded slowly.
"At least the title lends further credence that the Bright Dragon is exactly what I need. A dragon not from our current era, rather, one from before the Eight Titans' reign."
"How do you even know about the dragon language? It's thought to have been dead. Most elves don't even know about their language; we clerics just know because it's mentioned in our religious studies. Even the loremaster sages in Nutanae don't fully know the language, although the older elves somewhat remember some of it."
"It's also one that occasionally doesn't properly translate orally for some reason. I only know of some because…"
Kotaro reached behind him, and pulled out a scroll. Unraveling it, Rinciquilde could see scratch marks dotting across the parchment, before his glasses slowly translated the entire document into elvish texts. His eyes grew wide.
"This… this… where-"
"From the Death Lich's lair. I grabbed what I could. And no, I will not be giving them to the Library's archives. They're mine to keep."
Rinciquilde shrugged. If Kotaro doesn't want to donate dragon scrolls to the Nutanae Library, then so be it. It's no great loss, and there are still some scrolls that their sages still couldn't translate in there anyway.
Kotaro decided to find a place for Rinciquilde to stay for the night while he traveled to Tok first, and then teleporting both of them there before sunrise. At top speed, Kotaro could probably travel from Qun to Tok within a few hours. While Rinciquilde could remain active for the night, there were probably curfew laws, especially for outsiders, and they didn't want to take that chance. Consulting their map, Rinciquilde found a little inn that provided lodgings for visitors from other places, mainly for adventurers, and Kotaro paid for their best room before leaving for the night.
Left alone for the first time in a while, and extremely curious of his surroundings, Rinciquilde decided to experiment with lizardmen cuisine. Heading into the dining area downstairs, he looked at the various foods on display. Most of the things did not interest him, and some downright disgusted him. There were raw meat of various beasts, insect soups, a mystery gelatin-like substance that was served on some sort of carapace, and wriggling worms fattened up by the vegetables they were placed upon. Looking at the most exotic dishes, Rinciquilde felt grateful for his Ring of Sustenance. His gaze glanced momentarily at what the other adventures were eating, and it mostly appeared to be normal-looking food: fruits and vegetables of various colors, cooked fish, and some meaty soup with strong-smelling spices. He spent a couple of hours sitting by himself at a corner sipping fruit juice, listening to the strange stories that the adventurers had with contracts on slaying monsters he had never heard of, before he decided to return to his room.
Before he reached his room, however, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar, and he could hear rustling inside. He didn't remember leaving his own door open, and Kotaro surely wasn't that fast. He looked around, and counted the doors leading to his room to confirm that he wasn't mistaken. Unfortunately, it appeared as if someone had entered his room.
Rinciquilde tightened his fists, and slowly approached his door, cursing that he left his knives, or as Kotaro called the daggers, "kunai", in his knapsack. He peered inside, and observed two lizardmen with very dark, almost black scales, rummaging his room, with their backs turned to him. They pulled out his daggers from his knapsack, and marveled at its quality, which was to be expected, as they were weapons given to him by Kotaro. Anger flared up in Rinciquilde's heart as they each slipped a dagger into their belt, but he did his best to remain quiet. He readied his hands, intending to launch a surprise attack with his spells, although he knew his divine magic doesn't really do much to lizardmen, and his arcane magic was pretty pitiful, but they were the only weapons he had on hand. He took a step forward, and a loud creaking sound seemingly echoed throughout the room.
Rinciquilde cursed his luck, and flung open the door.
"[Magic Ar-hrrrk!]"
In an instant, they caught him by his throat, interrupting his spell, and flung him to the ground, which dazed him. He tried to get back up, when he felt a dagger plunge into his side. It appeared to have been aimed at his heart, but his flailing body made them miss their mark. He could feel the cold metal exit, and he could almost hear the whistle of the next strike, when he heard shouting coming from the outside. Pain began to spread from his wound, and he could feel his strength failing as blood began to pour out. His vision grew blurry with tears, but he could make out several figures piling around his door, with no sign of the black lizardmen amongst them. He reached a hand towards them.
"He… Help… Me…"
His head fell limp on the floor, and he could no longer hear the voices pleading for him to wake up.