Chapter 5
The sounds of bells rang, horns bellowed, and roars echoed throughout the streets of the Golden City. The Tribute Ritual has officially begun. The sun had barely peeked its celestial body past the horizon, with just a mere whisper of sunlight to grace the land. It's rays first touched upon the Platinum Palace, making it shine an otherworldly brilliance. It was as if some great Titan, even more massive than the Northern Dragons, had carved the Moon into the shape of a glowing castle, and placed it in the middle of the sky. The night before, dozens of roars could be heard from the southern areas of the city, as the Night Bearers sounded off their warning to the Moon, the loudest of which came from the Loern Mountain. None dared to silence their mighty roars, as to do so would be casus beli for House Loern to attack and take over their territory. This morning, the same roars welled up, as the Sun Bearers gave their best encouragement to the Sun. This coincided with the bells and horns that sounded the Tribute's start. Since other territories did not follow the same religion that the southern dragons followed, they instead had slaves wake everyone up to start the day.
When Yasilithi stopped his roar, his Brother Knights had already risen and stood at attention at the perch of their building. Every dragon looked up at the Palace, but did not take flight. Suddenly, a groan could be heard from the depths of the caves. Alarmed, Yasilithi turned back, as he thought he heard the cries of Lady Pakuri, but Vorun's tail touched his wings, as if to tell him to stand down. Vorun shook his head, and without a word, looked back up at the Palace. With no other choice, Yasilithi mimicked his elder. Soon, the reason for the groans became clear: Lady Pakuri had strapped the entire Tribute chest around her body, and was manually pulling the entire chest without the help of her slaves. With every pull, her adamantite chains groaned from the strain, and yet, she kept pulling. The chains were all expertly weaved around her body so that her wings would not get caught if she folded and unfolded her wings. Her muscles ripples throughout her body, well toned and powerfully built. Her massive wings fluttered with stress, but Pakuri continued to pull.
Yasilithi suddenly understood why Pakuri was lethargic the entire trip to the Golden City. She was conserving her strength for this very moment. He observed that the other retainers had done the same as Pakuri, and surmised that this was but one trial of the Tribute Ritual. The distance from the ground to the entrance of the Palace was trivial for most dragons, but now Yasilithi understood the significance of a flying palace. It was to test the strength of every Dragon Lord who served under the Dragon Emperor. For Pakuri, who was a chosen mate of Teverin, her strength as a dragon should've exceeded even Yasilithi's own, and yet, she still struggles to carry the burden of their Tribute.
Pakuri reached the bottommost entrance of their residence, and spread her wings. She looked up at the Platinum Palace with a calm, determined look, and flapped her wings. A mighty gust of wind whipped across the land, and with the momentum provided by the sheer force of her wings, she took flight. Casting Wild Magic to make gravity itself less burdensome, Pakuri suddenly soared through the air as if her Tribute was a mere extension of her own body. It swung with grace, as if its every movement was planned by Pakuri. Such was only possible through millennia of practice. Yasilithi and Vorun were the first to take flight, with the former student following his former mentor's lead. Behind them, nine Knights took flight as one, with practiced ease. The lightened gravity under Pakuri's spell allowed flight to be significantly easier for every dragon, so calculations to the force of every flap must be adjusted accordingly. The fact that every dragon was able to finely control their bodies despite a drastic change in gravity was due to centuries of practice. In Yasilithi's case, while he anticipated this, due to his inexperience, he struggled to control his flight. He was not even aware that Pakuri knew a spell like this, and it gave him newfound respect for the matriarch of the Loern. All around them, dragons took flight, with various amounts of guards and Tribute chests of all shape, sizes, and composition. There were two other chests that were just as large as House Loern's.
Vorun looked to the West, and snorted.
"They didn't even bother to show up for the Tribute again. Cowards."
Yasilithi tentatively adjusted his wing flap again, and followed his senior's gaze. He noticed that the House Pruina dragons, with their iconic snow-white scales, were nowhere to be found.
"Perhaps the Twins have finally pressured them enough to worry about their front more than the Tribute?"
"I doubt it. We have not increased our presence in their territory any more than we did a century ago, but they still diligently attended the Tribute every year. This is the third year in a row that they've missed the Tribute. Perhaps they see no more value in attending the Tribute?"
"Vorun, won't the Dragon Emperor aid us in conquering the West, then?"
"I doubt it. The Dragon Emperor is perfectly happy with the size of his domain. The Tribute is not mandatory; it is merely for us to prove our strength and wealth."
"Why do we do it then? Go to the Tribute every year?"
"Dragon politics, Yasilithi. Teverin likes to prove his wealth. And perhaps there is more to his story, but it is not our place to question our master."
"Understood."
Without another word, they followed Pakuri to the entrance of the Platinum Palace.
—
The Palace itself is maintained by the Dragon Emperor's army of personal slaves. They are a race of golden-skinned elves, and they also live and flourish within the Platinum Palace. Unlike the slaves of other domains, the Dragon Emperor permits free use of his land by the elves. In other words, the elves were free to create their own culture and civilization within the walls of the Palace. This speaks to the massive size of the Palace, where an entire slave civilization could be sustained here. In exchange, the elves worshipped the Dragon Emperor as if he were a god. Such was the extent of their religious fervor that the elves will happily kill themselves to rid themselves of their sins if they insomuch as inconvenience their god. This was troublesome for the Dragon Emperor, who never expected his slaves to be so fanatical, but it could not be helped.
Hinod Aur Faraan, the Dragon Emperor, was a golden-scaled dragon, and measured roughly about 35 meters from the tip of his snout to the end of his tail. He was relatively small in physical size, but when everyone saw what he could do to his domain, no one could underestimate the power of his soul. He could never understand how or why his elves started to worship him. He's completely forgotten about the details of the deal he had made with their ancestors a long time ago, and he was sure that whatever the deal made back then, the elves had paid back tenfold, but when he tried to set them free, they all wailed and lamented, and begged him for his forgiveness. Speechless and confused, as if there was a context that was missing, Hinod told them that he was not angry or anything, and they were free to stay for as long as they wanted. So in the end, he decided to let them hang around, and hoped for the day they could walk on their own again. He would very much look forward to that day.
Hinod had no use for slaves, as his colossal soul replenished itself very quickly, and he has not yet casted a Wild Magic that could drastically drain his soul to the point of exhaustion. He had heard from some of his subjects that draining their soul to the point of exhaustion could sometimes lead to death, and thus, they substitute it with the souls of their slaves. Hinod had come to grow very fond of his elves, and fascinated by what they could create on their own, and so he felt too guilty to ask them to sacrifice themselves for something as trivial as casting a spell... even if they would do it in a heartbeat. Only a cruel god could do such a thing. Instead, he could mold the soul of the earth itself into fuel for Wild Magic if need be. It was a unique talent available only for himself.
The Dragon Emperor trudged to a silver slab, and looked down at the parchment sitting on it. It was his daily report from his dragon astrologers, who specialize in monitoring the various aspects of his empire, and notified him of news that should come to his attention. According to their reports, House Pruina failed to show up to the annual Tribute, in a blatant defiance to the political norm. Hinod shrugged. He knew that Teverin Loern would take over their land sooner or later, and so he was not worried about the lost revenue from Pruina. He also had more precious ore, ingots, minerals, and Dragon Eggs than he could use right now, so he didn't mind if a couple of Lords couldn't make it to the Tribute. Incidentally, while Hinod forgot about the deal he had made with his elves, he could never forget the deal he made with Teverin. That's why he did not fear Teverin's advancements into Pruina territory. He skimmed through the rest of the report, and didn't find anything else noteworthy. He picked up the report, and handed it to his attending elf, who promptly shredded the report, and threw the remains into a waste hole.
"Milord, the next shipment of aurumil ore should be arriving soon. We predict about after the Tribute's ending."
The elf spoke in a hushed, reverent tone.
"Hmm? Oh, good, good. Tell the smiths to ready their hammers and ignite their forges. Let's see... Last year, we forged 20 pieces of armor, spears, and shields for the Yára Ohtatyaro... this year, I want equipment appropriate for our archers."
The elf bowed.
"As you wish, O Great Lord."
"And... well, what do you think your elves need? Only using aurumil to make weapons and armor for our soldiers seem... selfish of me."
"We require whatever you think is required of us."
"Now, now, Arandur. That's hardly a productive way of thinking."
"And yet, milord, that is how I feel."
This was the same banter that went on between Hinod and Arandur, who was his prime minister for elvish affairs, every year, when the shipment of aurumil arrives. The Golden City sat atop a vast vein of extremely tough and durable gold-like ore, called aurumil, or "True Gold". It was vastly superior to adamantite, capable of cutting through Wild Magic imbued adamantite armor as if they were made of paper, even without its own enchantments. As such, when it was first discovered a couple of millennia ago, it was exceedingly difficult to mine, since even orichalcum and adamantite pickaxes would break after mining a few kilograms of ore. Mithril, however, despite it being a softer metal compared to adamantite, could pick at aurumil without breaking, although it would take much longer to mine than adamantite. After a couple of years of mining, the first aurumil tools came to tap into the veins further, and production ramped up. Aurumil could not be forged by any smith except for the most skilled and oldest elven smiths. The ingots would remain cold even under dragonfire, unless forged by a peerless master blacksmith. Because of its extreme rarity, as no other territory in the world has aurumil veins, Hinod felt it was best if he kept it a secret, and only allow his own elves forge and craft with this peculiar metal. As such, whenever Hinod ventured out of the Platinum Palace with a contingent of his elvish slaves, the other dragons would stare in utter shock of the sheer quality of their arms. Once, as a test, a Loern cave troll shot an adamantite-tipped arrow at a piece of armor, and it simply bounced off without leaving a scratch, even flattening the arrow tip, despite the bow being imbued with penetration magic.
Currently, only three peerless blacksmiths could forge aurumil, and all of them are old enough to have outlived even some dragons. The hunt for the next generation of peerless blacksmiths is currently underway, with many promising candidates.
Arandur bowed and left the room to tell those smiths to ready their forges. As the receding shape of the gold-skinned elf disappeared, Hinod sighed. He never liked the Tribute, because it always felt like he was begging his vassals for money. But his elven council told him that was the best course of action, since its a way to remind his subjects of his power, his legitimate claim to the throne, and to deplete his rivals of funds that could've been used to further build up their military. Still, his stomach always knot up whenever it was time for the Tribute. He had to pretend to be all regal and superior, and look down upon his subjects as if they were below him. Still, he had aimed to be Dragon Emperor over ten millennia ago to shift the Dragon Empire to a new direction, one that's more free and hands-off from the throne. He believed in the individuality of every dragon, and hated the way his predecessor treated his subjects.
Hinod decided to take a look at his mate first, and check on how his eggs were doing. They had tried to produce an heir for millennia, but despite trying very hard, even if their eggs hatched, none of their offsprings could survive their Wild Breaths. Perhaps it was supremely bad luck, or perhaps their Wild Breaths were simply too powerful for any child to bear, but Hinod was growing very weary of having hope that the next batch of eggs could survive, only to be crushed when they all died.
Outside the nursery, a detachment of the elves' finest and oldest warriors, the Yára Ohtatyaro, stood vigilant for any threat. These elves were the most religious zealots, and scrutinized even their own people when it comes to the security of the Dragon Emperor and his mate. While their old age dulled their skill and reflexes a bit, they are unrivaled in combat experience. Hinod didn't know what to do with retired warriors in the past, and so decided to ask them to volunteer to be his personal bodyguards. Every warrior jumped at the chance. Hinod also couldn't help but notice how the requirements to become a part of the Yára Ohtatyaro were becoming more and more stringent as the years go by. While this meant the guard detail grew more and more skilled, it also meant more and more elves died a warrior's death trying to become a part of this exclusive club. Not wanting to impede in the elves' decision process, Hinod decided to hand over this problem to his future self, if the problem ever became too dire.
The guards took one look at Hinod and bowed deeply, parting their spears to allow Hinod through without a word. The guards inside swiftly moved to defend their charge, but stood down when they realized Hinod was coming in. At the center were a dozen dragon eggs, and sitting there, curled around them in a protective stance, was the most beautiful dragon Hinod had ever laid his eyes on, Yuvon Faraan. Her platinum scales shined as if they were made from moonlight, and her slender body betrayed her frail strength. Even when she wasn't child rearing, her body was very weak even for a dragon, but her Wild Magic rivaled even Hinod's own power. Hinod was afraid that she would die from childbirth one day, and wouldn't know what to do with himself if that would happen. That's why he decided to devote all of his Yára Ohtatyaro to the servitude and care, on top of bodyguard duty, of her. It definitely wasn't because their constant presence and intense stares made him very nervous.
"Need I ask how the eggs are, my dear?"
Yuvon smiled meekly.
"If they were hatching, I'd send one of the Ohtatyaro to you, just like every other time, my love."
Hinod glanced briefly at the old warrior elves around him.
"Ah... Of course. Well, I wonder whose scale they would take on? So far, we've seen more golden scaled babies than platinum... of those that hatched, of course."
"Really? I counted more platinum than gold."
Hinod let out a roaring laugh.
"Perhaps their scales are too young for us to tell, my dear! But I tell you, my nose tell me they're more gold than platinum!"
"Then we shall let a third party decide. Ohtatyaro, who is correct?"
The various elves around them shuffled around, uneasy about the question that presented itself to them. In their point of view, it was like if the two gods they worshipped were arguing with each other about a complex, divine topic, and they were asked to judge who was more correct. After a moment of awkward silence, one brave warrior spoke up.
"I believe they were born in equal numbers, O Great Lords."
The two dragons looked at each other and burst out laughing, much to the confusion of the soldiers around them.
"Ah! They speak the truth! My dear, to tell you the truth, I hope that the next one shall be one with platinum scales as beautiful as yours, but with a body and soul as powerful as mine!"
"Of course, my love. Now, run along. Today's an important day for you."
One of the warriors called out to the entrance guards as Hinod made a move to leave.
"Make way! His Golden Lordship, master of the sunrise and everywhere its light touches, is leaving!"
—
Pakuri touched down on the entrance area of the Platinum Palace with practiced ease. Yasilithi could tell Pakuri had already done this countless times before. One could tell the new retainers from the old ones based on how well prepared they were for this trial, and Yasilithi did not spot many. In fact, of all the southern-ish dragons, Yasilithi was the only one who fumbled with his flight. However, when the other retainers and their guards looked over, about to let out a mocking joke, they saw who he served, and recognized the Knight's iconic magma-red scales, and instantly clammed up.
No slave from any domain, Great House or not, were permitted to set foot on the sacred land of the Platinum Palace. Instead, every dragon had to serve themselves. The elves there only served the Dragon Emperor, and would not bend the knee to anyone else. Still, they were to be treated as honored guests, and as such, the elves would courteously serve as guides and such when needed. Yasilithi was shocked at how many elves were around, and how powerfully built they all were. Some even had equipment that made his nose tingle with greed. He could tell that their gold armor and gold weapons were of extremely high quality.
The land looked less a Palace for the Dragon Emperor and more like an elven city. Trees of various size and shape grew everywhere, as if this were a Titan's garden, and were shaped in a way that was livable for the elves. Beautiful statues of a dragon and various elves dotted the land in various colors, from statues made entirely of adamantite, to stain glass art made from diamond, topaz, sapphire, and other gemstones, to beautiful mithril spheres emitting a ghostly light and radiating warmth. Elves wandered to and fro in this heavenly slice of land, with children happily playing around, some with exotic pets, and the adults maintaining the beautiful nature all around them. If Yasilithi strained his ears, his senses could tell him that there were elves training hard very far away in the distance. Yasilithi took this all in, and thought back to home, and how shabby this place made it feel in comparison. Vorun looked at Yasilithi, and chuckled.
"I felt the same way when I first saw this myself. But this just speaks volumes about the Dragon Emperor's might. Such is his wealth that he could even give his slaves a good life. Anyways, don't let the sight clip your wings. Come, let us proceed to the Hall."
Yasilithi nodded, and followed his Brother Knights' lead to the Ritual Hall. It appeared that the entire Palace was made from copious amounts of platinum, and strengthened and maintained with Wild Magic, as far as Yasilithi's nose could tell him. Even the interior walls was composed of platinum, and decorated with elvish art. The air smelled of trees and flowers, probably because plant life also dominated the Palace, and the decor felt very calm and soothing. Mithril spheres also dotted this area, shining brightly like the spheres down in the Golden City. They led to a massive hall that was slowly filling up with dragons of all sizes and shapes. This entire time, every retainer pulled their Tribute, but every retainer casted a new lightened gravity spell with the small radius of influence emanating from their own bodies, so they could pull with ease.
Pakuri settled opposite a band of extremely large dragons, each larger than even Teverin, at around 70 meters tall. Yasilithi couldn't help but gawk at them, because he's never seen a dragon that could dwarf Pakuri, much less Teverin, but these dragons clearly stood head and shoulders above everyone else. He was also very confused, because despite their size, he didn't feel that they were too powerful. He could tell that they were strong, but he did not feel as if they were any stronger than his fellow Knights, despite their size. Their biggest dragon, a female retainer, seemed to be about as strong as Pakuri, as far as Yasilithi could tell. Vorun noticed Yasilithi staring at them, and laughed.
"Ah! I didn't tell you about the Great House of the North, did I? Yes, they are House Japeto, and the very big one right there is Coeliss Japeto, mate of their House patriarch, Fonaarven. They are not known to be terribly talkative, but I have come to know a couple of them over the centuries."
"Great House? Do you mean to say they rival the Loern in strength?"
"Mmm... well, that's debatable. I've personally never seen them in battle. But they're a Great House for a reason, no? Best to keep your wits with you, and assume that they're as strong as you say."
Yasilithi nodded.
"Oh, yes, remember the legend of Unslaad Lok-Bo? Apparently, they worship that dragon."
"Their religion is strange. As strange as the humans of the East."
"They probably think the same about our religion, Yasilithi. Don't mind it too much."
Soon, they also saw the serpent-like dragons of the East floating... or perhaps crawling their way into the Hall and plopping down to the rightmost side of the room, relative to Pakuri's position. They stared coldly at Pakuri, and one of them whispered to the largest and seemingly most powerful of the rest of them while pointing to Yasilithi and Vorun. Pakuri, in turn, paid them no attention, choosing to focus on one part of the room.
When the last of the dragons trickled in with their Tribute in tow, everyone hushed down to a murmur, and waited. Everyone sat in a long oval, with a large, empty space in the middle. Soon, the guest of honor, the Dragon Emperor, arrived, flanked by elves in the same golden armor that tickled Yasilithi's nose, allowing Yasilithi to see him for the first time. He was shocked at how small their emperor looked, but could sense a deep feeling of power emanating from the dragon's soul. His golden scales glimmered under the pale light of the mithril spheres as he took his place in a perch high above everyone else. His elves positioned themselves underneath him, and stood at attention. His gaze swept around the entire Hall with regal might, as if he was looking into the eyes of every subject. They lingered on the spots where Great Houses took, finally resting on where House Pruina should've been. He flared his wings in a kingly manner, very much impressing Yasilithi of His Majesty's royal bearing.
"Greetings. For the newcomers, I am Emperor Hinod Aur Faraan. Welcome to the Tribute Ritual."
He paused, allowing his subjects to absorb his words.
"I hope no one else will follow House Pruina's footsteps and skip on the Tribute."
He spoke in a very soft, but commanding tone. The underlying message of his words was a threat to those who would dare defy his orders, erasing any doubt of his opinion of House Pruina's absenteeism.
"Any House affiliated with Pruina shall be expected to contribute more for the Tribute, to pay for Pruina's absence, from now on. I feel that is a fair exchange."
And with that, the Dragon Emperor has effectively cut any support or sympathy any Dragon Lord may have harbored for House Pruina. Yasilithi felt nothing but deep respect for the simplicity at which the Dragon Emperor dealt with the situation. Pakuri, on the other hand, couldn't help but smirk at how well things were already developing for House Loern. Several retainers shifted uneasily, noting to return home to tell their patriarchs the news. House Japeto remained blank in expression, mirroring the majority of the other retainers there. House Furtim looked slightly sour, but otherwise didn't react much.
"Now... let us begin. House Sivaan, please present your tribute."
"Yes! We have brought you two hundred of our Dragon Eggs, standard gold! We have also added a gift of finely cut ruby gems! The chest itself is made of dragon-forged steel, with silver plating! Please accept our Tribute."
A small band of dragons, probably from a very small and minor territory, presented their Tribute, chest and all, to the Dragon Emperor.
"Mmm. I am pleased with your Tribute. Please, place it at the center of the Hall."
The other houses presented Tributes similar to the first. The first of the Great Houses, House Japeto, presented extremely unique and rare items, like cloud gems, which was as light as a cloud, glowed with a soft light when placed under the sun, and could be made only by condensing special clouds with Wild Magic. They also had solid rain drops, which were solid pellets of rain, but never broke free from the clouds. It was unclear how phenomenon was formed, but it only happens rarely high in the sky, farther up than where normal dragons could normally go. Finally, they presented giant, crystallized snowflakes which never melts. This is another rare phenomenon that can only be found in certain high mountains and glaciers. These rare and valuable gifts piqued the Dragon Emperor's interest, and he thanked them for presenting such rare gifts to him as tribute. Their chest was made of normal solid gold.
The next of the Great Houses, House Furtim, presented fine gemstones, of which a large quantity was jade gemstones. They had seastones, a rare gemstone that could only be found in the deepest areas of the sea. It was a stone that seemed to be composed entirely of water, but pressurized into a solid due to the extremities of the vast ocean. They also presented mithril and gold Dragon Eggs. Their chest interior was made of jade, and the exterior was made of emerald.
Finally, it was House Loern's turn. While the Loern did not have any special and rare resource they could present to the Dragon Emperor, they made up in sheer volume of valuable metals and gems. Teverin spared no expense in his tribute. The vast majority of the Tribute was silver, gold and platinum Dragon Eggs, but there were also blue diamond Dragon Eggs, the rarest form of diamond in the world, and only found in the deepest parts of active volcanoes, of which Yasilithi and his kin could easily survive in. They also had regular diamond, emerald, sapphire, ruby, mithril, orichalcum, and adamantite Dragon Eggs. There were also a couple of white iron Dragon Eggs, an extremely rare metal found only in the deepest parts of caves. Their entire chest is made of adamantite.
After the ritual, the Dragon Emperor thanked everyone for their Tribute, and bid them all a safe trip home. Before a he flew away, Pakuri bowed and request a private audience with the Emperor, and after a brief moment with her, flew away, elves following closely behind.
Pakuri returned with triumph on her face.
"I have secured us enough time after the Tribute to wait for our relief force. The only thing left is to hope they are safe."
She glanced at her Knights, and finally rested on Yasilithi and Vorun.
"Let us move back to our Mountain. Sun and Night Bearer. Lead the way."
—
With the absence of the other dragons, the Golden City felt less hectic and busy. Dragon life for its citizens fell back to normal, and the streets weren't so clogged up with visiting slaves bumbling about, lost on where ever they needed to go. Every dragon avoided one area though, because of their intimidating guards and their reputation. The Loern Mountain was still occupied, but no one in the city, dragon or slave, could figure out why. They dare not ask though, because the dragons rarely venture out.
Yasilithi looked down at the glowing city, wondering when he can relieve his boredom. They had waited for two days, but there was no sign of any relief in sight. He was honestly starting to get worried about the welfare of his brothers. He could imagine them dead or slowly dying amongst a pile of dead bandits, which made him want to fly off on his own to search for them. The only thing stopping him was Pakuri, who ordered every Knight to stay close to her. The slaves were also growing restless, as their food supply dwindled by the day. They were not meant to stay for an extended trip, and so rations had to be hastily made. They had done some scouting, and reported peculiar movements of gold ore shipments from underground, under the watchful eye of gold-skinned elves. Yasilithi didn't think much of it. Pakuri thought the same. Who cared about mere gold?
At last, they could see, in the distance, the silhouettes of a small band of dragons flying towards the city. They ignored the golden gates at the southern entrance, flying directly to the Loern Mountain. The Dragon Emperor's soldiers didn't seem to care either, as if they were notified about the arrival of these dragons. Yasilithi noticed their arrival, and could recognize some of his Brothers and Sisters. Excited, he turned around and shouted to the others.
"They have arrived! The Twins' reinforcements!"
There was a rush of commotion as the others flew out to greet their relief force. They were finally ready to go home. The arriving dragons stopped and perched around the artificial mountain. They looked slightly tired from the journey, but not exhausted. All in all, Pakuri's total detail now numbered 31, the largest concentration of military force Pakuri has ever seen. She was very delighted to have additional company, and after allowing the other Knights a brief moment to rest, they all set off again.
Yasilithi turned to one of his fellow Knight.
"Did you encounter any bandits?"
She shook her head, with a slightly confused and concerned expression on her face.
"No. The Twins has warned us about this supposed swarm, but we have not encountered them. They said we were supposed to expect heavy resistance on our way here, and to expect casualties. But if we do not encounter any swarm, then the return trip shall be the hard one, because..."
She glanced at Pakuri.
"If Lady Pakuri suffers even a slight wound, we shall all suffer."
This was a warning that Yasilithi understood very well. He then made a mental note to defend Pakuri with his last dying breath if it came to that. Another Knight pipped up.
"Still, we have the Sun and Night Bearers with us, who are even stronger than we Knights. Even if we are badly outnumbered, we are strong and they are weak. I have confidence in our victory."
Pakuri shook her head, overhearing the conversation.
"The loss of any Knight is badly felt in Strunmahsahsun. Don't be overconfident, and don't be careless. If what I heard about the battle is true, we have already lost too many Knights as it is."
The other Knights nodded.
After a half a day of flying, they rested and hunted for food, before setting off again without incident. However, when the reached close to the border of the Dragon Emperor's domain... they noticed a change in the air. The landscape transformed back to shaggy mountains that dotted the land. The land had sheer drops into the earth, providing many hiding spots for ambushers. Every Knight was in high tension. Their slaves below them also felt the change in the air, and readied their weapons. Then, just as some slaves finished drawing their swords, rocks all around them exploded, pulverizing some of the slaves and temporarily immobilizing their cave troll champions. Large forms the shape of dragons flew into the sky, dozens at a time, targeting Pakuri, but were stopped by a fluid wall of red. Yasilithi saw one coming his way, and with a swipe of his claw, easily freed the head from its owner. Vorun sprang into action, ordering every Knight to aim at a dragon, and unleash fury. 31 jets of lava-hot flames plumed in the night sky, igniting the air, and many bodies fell to the ground, charred beyond recognition. Even the tough scale of a dragon cannot save them from the fury of a Loern Knight, and yet, the bandits kept pouring out.
"Avenge the true Loern heir! His death shall not be in vain! Hail Sa-"
One of the bandits shouted in battle, before Yasilithi shot forward to pulverize him.
"Master Teverin said his brother shall die a nameless dragon, and so he shall remain so!"
Yasilithi snarled at the enemy, who hesitated to attack him, despite the fact that he separated himself from the swarm of Knights. Perhaps they were hesitant to attack a Knight, who were known to kill until their last dying breath. Perhaps they recognized him as the Sun Bearer during the Battle for the Mountain City, who distinguished himself even while the Loern were fighting. Or perhaps they were simply cowed by his vicious snarl, and the ease at which he could kill ancient dragons. Whatever the case, they just flew there, looking at Yasilithi with a stupid look on their faces, Vorun did not miss this opportunity.
"The enemy is confused! CHARGE!"
By now, their cave trolls had regenerated enough to fight, and readied their bows to fire on weak, critical joints of a dragon. They managed to get a couple of volleys off before being pulverized by dragons again. Because of their discipline, and confidence in their regenerative powers, the trolls would not break even if they were hacked apart over and over again. However, they had achieved their aim of distracting the enemy, and before the bandits could react, they heard Vorun sound the charge. The wall of red that shielded Pakuri suddenly became a fast, mobile battering ram that could change direction at will. It smashed into the weakest area of the swarm, where Yasilithi distracted and slaves fired, and caused many dragons to fall, dead before they hit the ground, and a greater many to rout.
Another swarm closed in on Pakuri, but they seemed to forget that Pakuri was a chosen mate of Teverin, and was not weak by herself at all. Breathing her own fury, her claw and tail lashes surprised the enemy, causing them to fall back in panic, only to get smashed from the side by the red battering ram.
Vorun surveyed the battlefield, and sensed that enough of the enemy had ran away, and issued another order.
"The enemy is breaking! Knights, fan out! Exterminate them all!"
With an UUOOOOAHHHH!, every Knight charged into the fray without a care for their own lives. Yasilithi, in full battle rage mode, searched and destroyed any dragon that did not have deep red or pitch black scales.
In the aftermath of the battle, no Knight had died, but a couple had sustained serious wounds that they only noticed after the battle had concluded. In contrast, the enemy laid dead, dying, or had fled the battlefield, with no will to fight again. While Pakuri's guard detail flew at a much slower capacity now, they had successfully survived the night, and will arrive at Odarath's city for relief, before returning home.