The stolen drone was in a Faraday cage designed to block the drone's signal. The only connection was Bella's and Edward's own device. Having the drone only to themselves, it wasn't that difficult to take control over it after all. After being restarted, it simply accepted a new connection and an encryption key. It wasn't stored statically on the drone itself but that wouldn't be that much of a problem anyway.
The encryption wasn't even asymmetric. That would make a normal nerd face-palm but from a practical point of view, it made sense. Designers of the software assumed that every mission would launch from a base where an operator would have exclusive access to his drone.
Still, Bella had been right. Hijacking an active drone remotely wasn't a practical option. Even if they somehow obtained the encryption key used by the drone, their orders would clash with those of the operator and their interference would be detected.
With physical access to a drone, their options were somewhat broader. They could utilize the USB port for updates to install their own operating system. After all, there were Linux ports for ARM.
Edward wrote two different kinds of control software for the drones. One served the same purpose as the original one but utilized their own protocol. The other was more interesting. It made the drone it was installed on autonomous. Not in a sense that it gave the original person free will (that person was dead for all intents and purposes) but in a sense that the CPU made the drone move without any kind of orders from outside. The computing strength of the architecture didn't allow implementing any kind of a strong, real-time AI and none of them were proficient in that area beyond what they needed for their game but a drone controlled by the software could still tear anything around apart and wreak havoc. In theory, at least (it was hard to tell when tested on a limbless specimen).
Once they found out and tested everything they needed, they destroyed the drone. They wouldn't have done it if they had been still human because they wouldn't have wanted to get rid of a testing platform but human mistakes and software bugs were a thing of a past for them in their new form so it didn't matter.
Thanks to the tracking bug, they knew where the drone base was and how to fight them. All in all, they had everything they needed to strike back at their enemies and punish them for writing bad software ...and for trying to kill them. It was time to rejoin the others and finalize their plans. Perhaps they could squeeze in some brainstorming about the story of their game.
A ship arrives to the Sumerian city in the morning. The city lies in ruins. Remains of most buildings are barely noticeable and the ship can't even dock at the harbor the way it's damaged. They drop the anchor instead and lower a boat. A party of humans and goblins led by Osith and Cuthbert disembarks.
"There's nothing alive here," emits the dragon from above. "There aren't any vampires on the surface either. I haven't probed the sewers yet - it would alert anything down there to our presence."
The sewer outlet is collapsed, so is the entrance used to deliver slaves. However, the dragon is quite sure that those two weren't the only two means to access the sewers. With his help, the party finds a shaft covered by a stone slab and concealed. There's no ladder or any other means of descending but that's hardly a surprise. The dragon still remembers how aptly the vampire climbed the ceiling of the cave when it attacked the old Syward.
Most of the party descends and finds out that the sewer is a sewer in name only because it's all dry and parched nowadays. They progress with great caution and as they do, the dragon expands the area he covers with his senses. After all, if there's anything to be disturbed by his probing, it would be disturbed by the searchers just as well.
It's just before noon when they find a marble coffin. The dragon chances a peek inside and confirms that it's occupied. The men attempt to shift the lid to no avail. Cuthbert finds out that there's some kind of an internal mechanism which allows only the occupant to open the coffin from inside. There's an inlet in the coffin allowing for liquid to be poured in. The architects of the device had blood in mind probably but Cuthbert reckons concentrated acid would do just as well - if destruction of the contents was their goal. As it is, they need the creature inside alive (or rather not destroyed).
Osith can provide an alternate means of opening the coffin. While auxiliaries make a tent above the shaft, she reaches with her magic and triggers the mechanism. The lid moves a little and stops. They don't know if it's supposed to open fully and is malfunctioning or whether they or the occupant are supposed to push it the rest of the way but they aren't waiting to find out. They attach ropes to the lid as best as they can. The goblins pull while the men stand prepared with pitchforks and torches.
The revealed creature is every bit as horrid and disgusting as the other one but far thinner and withered. It looks like it has been hibernating for some time. It's awake but feeble. The men have no trouble pinning the monstrosity down with their weapons. It trashes around and screeches to no avail. The goblins move forward with short cutlasses and cleavers and deprive the creature of arms and legs.
While the goblins carry the captive back to the shaft, the humans look around some more quickly. There don't seem to be any other coffins in vicinity.
The vampire and its limbs are raised to the surface, into the tent raised above the shaft. Osith tries to address it, already suspecting the futility of doing so. The creature doesn't even attempt to understand her so she orders a goblin to throw the limbs out of the tent. The flesh sizzles and withers in sunlight. It's like rapid drying. The vampire can't see that from its position but it can somehow sense it. It screeches in rage.
Even then it's still clear that they won't get any information by asking. Osith and Cuthbert nod at the commander of humans and the foreman of the goblins. Both of them know what that means and who's about to interrogate the creature. They command everybody to return to the dock. The goblins are reminded to wash their hands carefully in seawater. The goblin foreman is asked to stay behind though.
Cuthbert opens the side of the tent facing away from the sun and the dragon approaches. Armed with the knowledge gained by examining the other specimen, he looks into the creature's mind. It's an unpleasant experience comparable to wading in a sewer full of rotting corpses.
"Finish it," the dragon commands Osith who relays the order to the goblin who drags the creature into sunlight. Just to be sure, they make a fire and burn all that remains.
"There's a hidden room down there," reveals the dragon and shows Cuthbert where it is.
"Let's take a look," responds Cuthbert.
He asks one of the men to accompany him and descends down the shaft once more. They find the secret chamber and open it. Inside, they find two things of interest. One is a magical text - a real one this time. It's written using ordinary ink which suggests human origin. It contains an introduction into an area of magic which can be used to influence minds of sentient beings. It's not much and may even seem a little redundant for the dragon but it saves him centuries of trial and error. He's sure that he can fashion a useful spell for Osith on such basis.
The question is how has such a text found its way into possession of the vampires. The dragon hasn't seen any of them using magic but he has seen only two so far. Perhaps one of them dabbled in magic during its human life and hoped to perfect the skill after it? That would explain why is it a human book. It also has to be admitted that the first vampire they destroyed exercised quite a remarkable level of control over the goblin tribes.
The other find is utterly mundane but no less important. It's some sort of a record or notes left by other creatures. Perhaps another word to describe it is a "visiting book". It doesn't contain any account of the uprising and the following events, just like the notes found by the old Syward. Unlike those, it's not written using blood but by tactile letters stamped into the material.
One of the entries was left by a vampire who had discovered a peculiar community of people in a land further to the south. They were utterly closed and segregated. According to the vampire, the structure of their micro-society and the nature of their religion made them suitable for being taken over to be used as cattle or thralls. The vampire left rough directions to get there and invited up to two others to join this venture.
The interesting part is that this sect worshiped a legendary fire-breathing, winged creature as their god. The probability that this group is anybody else than descendants of the self-exiled villagers is minuscule.
They look at later entries and learn that two vampires have stopped by and claimed the spots. Luckily, the second one didn't think to destroy the directions. It seems it's not their way to be that self-serving.
There are no exact time specifications but they estimate that these things were happening sometime around the time of the old Syward.
"Well, what a coincidence," drawls Cuthbert.
"Not quite," disagrees the dragon. "We knew that the cultists were heading in this direction. These creatures prey on vulnerable communities like this one. It was only a matter of time before the two met."
"What are we going to do?" asks Osith.
"We shall go there," decides the dragon.
"Now? Shouldn't we report back?"
"We've come prepared to confront vampires and we'll do just that. The ship is going to depart immediately but you two are staying with me. Osith and me are going to study the magical book, we need to know what tricks they might have. When we are done, I'll fly with you to our destination. We'll get there long before the ship so we can use the time to scout the region and gather information."
It's done as he said. He and Osith spend next few days working through the content of the book. Cuthbert combs the area in the meantime but doesn't find anything relevant.
"I was wondering," remarks Osith when she's taking a break. "These cultists are a closed society and there aren't that many of them. How can they possibly maintain a healthy population for centuries?"
"I doubt that the vampires would let their cattle degrade too much. The same can be assumed about whatever priests they have."
"True, but what can they do without exposing the sect to the outside? They can accept occasional vagrants and refugees who have nowhere to go but if they live in a remote location, there won't be many of such stray sheep at hand."
"Yes, we can assume that they won't be very healthy," admits the dragon.
"And what exactly are we going to do with them anyway? I mean after we destroy those three things. Reveal your existence to them and tell them the truth? I dare say that it would be frowned upon by... you know, the other one."
Osith says the last bit in a low voice. Her old voice returns to narrate.
"Oh yes, he had told me about the black dragon from outer space. At that time, I was still struggling to comprehend the idea so I had not discussed it with our dragon. And yet, various questions were gnawing at my mind already. What were those other dragons intending to do with our world? How were they going to react should our dragon break their rules of discretion again?"
"We'll see when we learn more," responds the dragon, concluding the matter for the moment. He understands her concerns but he believes that worrying too much about the other dragons won't get them far.
When they are done, Osith and Cuthbert pack their things and strap themselves into the dragon's harness. They catch up with the ship and seeing that everything is alright, they continue to their destination without stopping.
They arrive to the region. It's a little less arid than the previous one. There aren't any trees but there's enough humidity to support grass. However, a nearby mountain range creates a rain shadow and there's a desert on their other side.
After a few days of searching, the dragon finds barely noticeable remnants of a village. There aren't any noticeable traces of any dwellings but they manage to find a hint of a ruin of the main building. They assume that it served both as a town hall and a temple - just like in the village of old Syward's grandparents. They find a graveyard next to the village. On the surface, it's a cracked tombstone here and there but the dragon can detect fragments of bones underneath.
To be safe, they gather all the remaining clues and the dragon reconstructs the village. It's confirmed, the cultists used to live here. Their religion was as strong as ever, only more formal and rigid. The dragon was considered as something transcendent rather than a being of flesh and bones.
There is no noticeable influence of vampires. Moreover, none of the buried remains bear any hint of the aura left on bodies drained by one of those creatures. It's safe to assume that they kept a low profile at this point. Moreover, they estimate that the village was abandoned by the time the third vampire arrived.
"What now?" asks Cuthbert.
"We'll find them," answers the dragon. "There's still plenty of time before the ship arrives."
"They could be all dead for all we know," remarks Osith.
"They could be," admits the dragon.
The two humans remain behind while the dragon engages his invisibility and continues the search. The big question is, was this a random migration, did they flee from something (e.g. the three vampires), or did the vampires manipulate them into migrating to segregate them even more? The dragon decides to base his search on the assuming the last.
He climbs high and takes a look at the land bellow him. If he was three sinister vampires manipulating a gullible herd of humans, where would he take them? Those mountains between the grassland and dessert, they catch his attention.
The dragon flies over them and inspects them in detail. From his vantage point, he detects three anomalies. He starts examining them one by one but he keeps his distance and inspects only visually to be safe. There are three vampires somewhere around. What if one of them has an ability to somehow detect him even when he doesn't probe actively?
First anomaly is a ruin of an ancient city carved in a mountain. He estimates that it's older than the village. There doesn't seem to be anything of interest there.
Second one is another rock-cut city - or rather town. It's quite far away from the other one and its position seems to have been chosen with concealment in mind. There are people living there. The place isn't exactly bustling with activity though.
The strange thing is that the dragon can't find any fields anywhere nearby. The settlement is on the side of the mountain range facing the desert but he would expect some farms on the other side supplying the town. It seems that somebody wanted to keep the people truly cloistered. The question is, what do those people eat?
For the time being, the dragon doesn't attempt to get a passive read on the site (or gets any closer for that matter). It might be overcautious but the dragon doesn't wish to risk it for now.
To be thorough, he checks the third site as well. It's an abandoned bandit lair and there's nothing of interest.
"We have to assume that those three vampires will be near the settlement, possibly under it," states Osith when the dragon returns. "That means you shouldn't go closer for now, let alone use active probing."
"But me and Osith smell like all the other humans there," suggests Cuthbert. "We can sneak in and find out what's going on there."
"It's a closed community," objects Osith. "They'll recognize you as an intruder. However, I can go in there invisible."
"I'm taking you both to the coast where you'll wait for the ship," decides the dragon resolutely. "These people were there for many years, they can wait for a little longer. Rushing in without a backup would be unwise. In the meantime, I can continue observing from afar."
"What?" whines Cuthbert.
Osith has similar feelings on the matter but she understands the dragon's logic. Going in and finding out more before the ship arrives seems like a natural thing to do but there's very little reason to do that from a rational point of view.
They do as the dragon said. Once they find source of fresh water and the two humans make a camp, the dragon returns to observe the mountain. There are almost no goings or comings apart from regular patrols. This once again raises the question of what do those people eat.
He's starting to think that his observation is in vain when he spots people gathering on a courtyard carved in the top of the mountain. Its walls are high and shield it completely from outside - the dragon can see it all only because he's watching from far above. A pyre is prepared and a body is laid on it and burned. All in all, it looks like a burial ceremony. It's a little bit too ceremonial but that's not out of place among such people. What's more peculiar is how well the body burns. Maybe it has been dried up prior to burning?
The rest of the dragon's plan goes in the exact boring way he wanted it to go. Osith and Cuthbert rendezvous with the ship and sail further along the coast. Once they find a safe place to drop anchor, they leave the ship with a skeleton crew and travel to the bandit lair. The dragon meets with Osith and Cuthbert and shares with them what he has learned.
"Are you sure it was a burial and not a sacrifice?" asks Cuthbert. "You know, to a dragon god of fire?"
"The body was dead," replies the dragon. "I don't know how the person had died or how old he was for that matter."
"If the vampires are truly there, then maybe it's a cover," muses Osith. "Maybe they sucked him dry before the priests burned him as an offering to you."
They consider their plan to go in the city. Cuthbert proposes to infiltrate it himself posing as refugee. Osith and the dragon take turns shooting the idea and his arguments down. The cultists were moved there by the vampires to cut them off from any contact. Due to the location of the settlement, it's unlikely that anybody would find any story spun by Cuthbert believable.
The only viable way to get a closer look is to utilize invisibility. In the past, that would pose problems of its own: Osith can make invisible only herself and the dragon wouldn't be able to communicate with her. Fortunately, Osith and the dragon have learned to cast spells together prior to embarking on the expedition. If they cast the invisibility jointly, Cuthbert will remain invisible for as long as he's with Osith and all three of them will be able to communicate. Of course, should Cuthbert become visible, Osith won't be able to bring him back under her invisibility. Should either Osith or the dragon become visible, they won't be able to communicate after becoming invisible again (but, as always, the dragon can listen to her when she's visible even when he himself is invisible).
Osith and Cuthbert reach the cultist settlement and explore the area in greater detail than the dragon could. The first thing they notice is that the town is completely enclosed - nothing goes in or out. There are untraversable rocks all around and the only two access routes are bared by heavy gates. They don't see any guards outside but they bet that there are some inside. Cuthbert could climb over if he was alone but he can't leave Osith's side and they can't climb while holding hands. There's no visible way to open a gate from outside either and even if there was was, interacting with the gate would break the invisibility.
"Wait it up," tells them the dragon. "They'll send out a patrol soon enough."
"Hopefully," remarks Cuthbert in his head. They do have a supply of water and some food but not for an unlimited time.
Just as the dragon predicted, one of the gates open and two men armed with spears emerge. The gate closes again right away.
"Get on their tail," says the dragon. "Try to eavesdrop on them during their patrol and sneak in behind them when they return."
Eavesdropping yields next to nothing. Both men are very guarded with what they say, almost as if they were afraid of being ratted out by the other one. Hence, the only useful information they gain is that both men exhibit signs of inbreeding.
They infiltrate the settlement. It's all they expected it to be: dwellings carved in stone, statues and reliefs of the dragon all around, quiet people going about their everyday tasks. The whole place is designed like a prison so it's as difficult to get out as it is to get in. The language is similar enough to their own and they can understand it despite many differences. Osith and Cuthbert start gathering any information they can without taking any risks and the dragon pieces them together.
One of the first things they find out is that the settlement used to house more people - the population is dying out. The gene pool is also beyond the edge of sustainability. Everybody is related to everybody. Because of this, it's forbidden to have unauthorized relationships with other people. All marriages are arranged by a group of priests based on genealogical records. The dragon wagers that vampires oversee the work of these genealogists.
The mystery of food supply is also revealed. There's an underground spring which not only provides the tribe with drinking water but also supplies growth farms in the town. Plant production is supplemented by a limited amount of poultry. Neither si large enough to support the population and especially poultry seems like something reserved only for certain people. Then they discover that there are additional farms underground which grow mushrooms. At the same time (and at the same place), they find out about another (and probably the last) part of their food production: bugs. Cuthbert finds that particularly revolting. Sure, they seem like a special kind suitable for eating but it doesn't change much for him. There's also the detail that those bugs are meant for lower class people.
The society of cultists does have classes, of course. On the very top are priests with a high priest as their head. They are followed by a class which serves as their muscle and functions both as law enforcement and a military. There has never been a need for military as far as the dragon and his agents can tell but they do patrol and they have brought new tribe members in the past. Mostly people without a people to call their own who would perish in the wasteland around otherwise.
At the bottom are ordinary people. Some are more important, some less, depending on their occupation and skills. As with everybody else, they are hard to read and they don't give away much. There's no direct confirmation yet but it seems like people are afraid of informers. They aren't happy - that much can be said for sure. Given enough time, careful observation of individuals could reveal who believes in the regime for the sake of believing in something, who does not but has no hope left to even want to do anything, and who disagrees with the regime and sees that the tribe is in a dead end. Of course, the dragon's abilities could help in this but not without the vampires finding out about his presence.
Even with the invisibility (or rather because of, since they can't even open a door for themselves), Osith and Cuthbert can't freely access the sacrificial courtyard on the top of the mountain and there aren't any new "sacrificial burials". It's also difficult to learn more about the priest caste because they don't reveal much in public. It goes without saying that they don't learn anything about vampires - obviously, ordinary denizens of the settlement know nothing about those.
With all the general intelligence already found by the two agents, they have two options left. One is to keep lying low and hoping to stumble on a special information. The problem with such a plan is that it would take time and they can't replenish their water supply - even such a simple interaction with the outside world would break the invisibility ward. The other is to take a closer approach and risk getting caught.
"You know," addresses them the dragon. "If you are uncomfortable down there, we can leave and return in a few years armed with some kind of a charm spell."
"And use it to do what?" responds Osith. "Make the people here rebel against the priests?"
"You know, we should at least confirm that those three bloodsuckers are here," suggests Cuthbert. "And I think that the way to them leads through the priests."
"The question is, do we want to risk you getting caught?" ponders the dragon. "I think not. Surely not at this point. Besides, you won't get far without breaking the invisibility. We need an inside help."
It's true. Slipping in our out through a big open gate is one thing. Using a narrow door along with another person who opens the said door just for himself and closes them again is impossible.
"Who?" exclaims Cuthbert. "And how are we supposed to contact anybody without exposing ourselves?"
"We do it outside," realizes Osith.
"Quite," confirms the dragon. "Keep an eye on the guards going on patrols - we are going to nab one of them. It would be best if two malcontents found themselves on the same patrol but one will suffice if necessary."
It takes all their time (or rather supplies) left to determine the best candidates. Some of them are merely doubting the priests, a few seem to harbour resentment, all are loyal enough on the outside to be allowed to remain on the force. With a patrol consisting of two men, this provides some interesting combinations.
Osith's and Cuthbert's water supply is exhausted but there's little reason to dilly dally anyway. Next patrol doesn't contain any of their candidates so they just use the opportunity to leave. Now that they have gathered the necessary information, they can stake out outside the city.
"If we wait till there are two skeptics on a patrol, we can avoid any killing," states Cuthbert once their supplies are replenished.
"And if it's a loyal one and with a rebellious one, we can kill the loyal one and talk just with the rebel," argues Osith. "That way, he will know that there's nobody to rat him out."
"That way, he will have to explain where's his buddy when he returns."
"We'll take whichever comes first," decides the dragon. "The supply of fresh water on the ship isn't unlimited and we don't want to waste our time with foraging."
As it happens, the case preferred by Osith comes first (after a few patrols without any of their candidates present) - a fanatical cultist accompanied by a man named Leofric (while the cultists have picked a few foreign names during their travels, most of them still use the same names as their great-great-great-great-great-grandparents). Leofric doesn't seem to believe in the dragon or the teachings of the priests but he's also fearful of their power. They prepare an ambush quickly.
The two men bump into Osith who is waiting for them in their path. She raises her hands in a peaceful gesture.
"I'm a friend," she tells them, using their dialect.
Leofric is wary and his comrade raises his spear. Osith quickly tells them where she comes from and who her ancestors are.
"Heretic!" roars the loyal man and charges. It seems he doesn't care whether is Osith telling the truth - it would be all the same to him anyway.
He doesn't get far, Cuthbert fells him by a well-aimed bolt from a crossbow. Leofric catches his body before it can fall and uses it as a shield, propping it with one hand and raising his spear with the other.
"I'm sorry about that," says Osith, not being sorry at all. "Was he your friend?"
That's most definitely not the case, at least according to their research. Leofric doesn't answer though and looks around wildly instead, trying to spot Cuthbert.
"Could you please try not to get any of his blood on you?" continues Osith. "Trust me, you don't want to let that happen."
Leofric demands Cuthbert to reveal himself and he does so.
"Why did your comrade attack me?" asks Osith. "Aren't you supposed to respect my ancestors?"
Reluctantly, Leofric explains that grandparents of Syward (senior) are largely considered fictive characters. Their place in their mythology is that of fallen saints who were blessed with divine favor and then abandoned their god when the going got tough.
"That's nonsense!" exclaims Cuthbert. "The priests and their flock were the ones who ran away while our ancestors persevered!"
"We aren't here to discuss religion," emphasizes Osith. "Your community is in danger. Perhaps we should start from the beginning."
Leofric nods and drops the dead body. Osith and Cuthbert introduce themselves and tell him everything with the exception of the dragon. He's a little disconcerted by the fact that they know his name and have been observing him.
On the other hand, learning that there are three vampires hiding under the mountain doesn't surprise him as much as it should - just as Cuthbert and Osith predicted. If anything, it all starts to make sense to him. He knew the last incinerated man. He was old but not enough to die yet. At the time, he merely thought that priests convinced the old man to accept an early death to conserve resources (which in itself would be hypocritical - some of the priests are very old). His body also looked weird - drained of all blood.
In the end, Leofric agrees to help them without the dragon having to show up. Returning without his comrade poses a problem though - how is he going to explain his absence?
"What if he decided to become a missionary?" suggests Cuthbert. "You know, let's say that he stumbled while patrolling and hit his head. And when he was getting up, he started to stare straight into the sun and then told you that the god of fire told him to go spread your faith somewhere else."
"Do you really think that's going to work?" replies Osith sarcastically.
"The priests are going to interrogate me thoroughly," alleges Leofric.
"And we'll be right behind you every step of the way," insists Cuthbert.
"With no power to do anything without revealing ourselves," contends Osith with the same sarcastic tone as before. "Not even to let you know that we are there."
"No one has ever said that catching vampires is easy," utters Cuthbert.
"Do I understand correctly that goblins are the only ones who can confront these vampires without a risk?" asks Leofric.
"You mean other than a risk of getting torn to pieces?" retorts Osith. "Yes, that's correct."
"My people remember them only in myth and only as enemies who had part in running us out of our homeland."
"Your friends won't react react well to seeing them," observes Cuthbert.
Leofric nods.
"Then we'd better avoid involving them."
Because they haven't said anything about the dragon, they need a cover story for their limitations regarding the invisibility spell. They tell Leofric that getting two people invisible at the same time is very difficult, needs special equipment, and can't be done near the vampires anyway because they would feel it. Another problem is how is Leofric going to know that Osith and Cuthbert are ready and following him.
The dragon sends the commander of their human force to stay with Leofric. He sends him a signal just before they enter the invisibility again. The commander waits for a sufficient time and then announces that Osith and Cuthbert are back. Afterwards, he and a few of his men move the body further away from the settlement and wait.
As they travel back to the settlement, Leofric thinks that he can hear something sometimes. It's nothing concrete, just sounds which could be echoes of the noise created by himself. Other times he turns around and sees a loosened stone rolling down a slope. The uncertainness makes him uneasy. Then again, he has no plans of taking any risks on their behalf nor have they asked him to.
The reaction of Leofric's superiors is just as they have expected. They question him thoroughly, then he's passed to their superiors, and then to priests. For the whole time, Leofric makes sure that his invisible friends can follow. They don't always make it inside the room where he's debriefed but they always at least listen outside and they don't loose track of him.
The peculiar thing is that in a normal army, Leofric's immediate superiors would send a search party after the defector. Not here - every layer of the command structure defers the decision to those higher so no party is sent for the time being.
In the end, they end up in front of the high priest himself. Leofric is quaking in his boots because people like him don't meet with the high priest like that - ever. Osith and Cuthbert aren't very surprised though. What happened (both allegedly and for real) is unprecedented from what they know so it's only logical that the highest man himself gets involved.
During the interrogation, they notice two important things about the high priest. One is that he doesn't actually believe in the dragon. That leaves him with three probable explanations: Leofric's companion went crazy from the lies they themselves have fed him, he deserted and made his reasons for leaving up to cover the tracks, or Leofric is lying.
The other thing they notice is that he's afraid of something - something more powerful than he is. Whatever it is, the missing guardsman is a big problem for him. Maybe the vampires don't like their cattle running away? Maybe they don't want the deserter to attract attention in the outside world?
When asked whether a search party should be sent, the high priest declines. The other top-tier priests aren't surprised which tells them that they know about the vampires. Maybe they intend to leave the hunting of the fugitive down to them? The high priest also forbids any more patrols and puts the city in lock-down.
Leofric is detained and locked up in a free room meant for a priest. They can't put him in a prison cell because they don't have an actual prison. Besides, they don't really know what happened out there so they want to keep their options open. All in all, Leofric is treated much better than he expected.
"What now?" asks Cuthbert. "Shall we bust him out?"
"We need to go after the high priest!" insists Osith.
"Neither," states the dragon. "Get out of there."
"What?!" exclaims Cuthbert, thinking that the dragon is aborting the mission.
"Do as I say. I have an idea."
Time is of the essence so there's no time for discussion.
One of the gates has a rampart accessible only by ladders but the other has narrow stairs. The choose that one as their escape route and climb down using a rope folded in half. They could jump as well but Osith would break her leg probably. They leave without leaving any trace other than their scent.
"Care to explain?" asks Cuthbert on their way back to the place where they ambushed the patrol.
"The high priest will report to the vampires and when he does, one of them will go after the deserter."
"I see where are you going with this," remarks Osith.
They go out of their invisibility and rendezvous with their henchmen. They drag the corpse away, creating a trail to lure the vampire in. They hope that the creature won't notice that the quarry is dead already.
Some time after sunset, the dragon spots a vampire following the trail. It's alone even though it must know that there's multiple people in front of it. That's no surprise. The creature is safe in its supposed position of an apex predator and its greed hasn't allowed it to ask the others for help.
The dragon catches the vampire out in the open. It can hear the swishing of big wings but it has no prior knowledge to connect the sound with. All the advantages are on the dragon's side in this situation, it's like an eagle dropping down on a hare.
The dragon signals the others and deprives the vampire of limbs before reading its mind. Just as they suspected, the vampires live in caverns beneath the settlement. The dragon finds out that there's a way to get in and out other than through the settlement. It's this exit that the captured vampire has used.
The goblin foreman chops the vampire's (still "living") head off and puts it on a stick, fashioning a gruesome scepter just like the goblin chief in the time of the old Syward. The other goblins don't know how the creature was defeated but they are excited even more than the last time. They burn the limbs and torso.
"What now?" asks Cuthbert, suspecting the answer already.
"Now we finish it," states the dragon. "It's time to capitalize."
They make their way to the exit from the caverns. Cuthbert and a few men carry heavy blankets and skins of water. Beside the goblin foreman, only two other goblins accompany them.
It has to be admitted, the entrance is utterly invisible from air. They would have needed to comb the whole mountain to find it - not something the dragon was willing to order because of the danger of betraying their presence either to vampires or to human patrols.
The dragon shows Cuthbert (in his mind) a map of the caves and points out a place where the vampires reside.
"I need you to lure them closer to this exit," he says. "It will be dangerous, especially if something goes wrong."
He points out another spot and continues, "You need to get here afterwards and hide under wet blankets."
"Understood," answers Cuthbert, knowing perfectly well what's the dragon planning to do. "However, the city's underground is connected to these caverns. Isn't there a danger that this might damage their food production? And what if it causes a cave-in in the path to their source of water?"
"Well, at least we'll have easier time getting them to move out of here," observes Osith.
Offering no further argument, Cuthbert leads the men assigned to him into the depths of the cave system. They stop at their final destination first where they douse the blankets in water and leave them there. The men's morale is good enough so they don't question Cuthbert's orders but they suspect that fire will be involved - and rightly so. What they are wrong about is their assumption that this fire will be somehow cooked up by Osith herself and that Cuthbert doesn't wish for her power to be widely known.
Outside, only Osith and the two others in the know remain by the entrance. Everybody else is either waiting nearby, back in the bandit lair, or back on the ship. The dragon lands nearby as softly as possible but doesn't go to the entrance yet. He smells the trail of the caught vampire but not the others. It's possible that this was the first time any of them crawled out in a very long time.
Cuthbert and his companions progress through the caverns. So far, there's no sign of anything. There's no need to search every crevice for possible alternate routes for vampires, the dragon has learned the entire layout already. They just need to make sure that nothing gets behind them.
"Can you sense anything?" he asks.
The dragon concludes that since he's in range anyway, he could try to open his passive senses as well. He does so but he doesn't feel anything alive. He informs Cuthbert.
"Pity, I hoped to catch the high priest colluding with the vampires," the lad comments.
"His time will come," states Osith. "Focus on the mission."
Assured that the two vampires aren't anywhere near the entrance, the dragon tiptoes closer to it. Cuthbert doesn't like the quietness. They are almost at the place where the vampires are supposed to be but there's still no sign of them. He tells his companions to hang some distance behind him and start running back when he starts. He goes ahead with a lantern in one hand and a crossbow in the other.
"That's far enough," tells him the dragon not long afterwards. "There's no point in letting you get lured in any further. Stop and keep your eyes peeled."
If Cuthbert wasn't expecting it, he would miss it. A vampire tries to sneak behind their backs using the ceiling. Cuthbert shoots it and starts running. The vampire drops to the floor and snarls in rage but before it gets up, the other one runs past it and pursues the intruders.
Cuthbert catches up with one of his men, grabs his crossbow and, guided by the dragon, shoots over his shoulder. The second vampire snarls as the bolt nicks him. The first one catches up with him. The dragon estimates that the whole thing bought Cuthbert and his men slightly more time than it cost.
It's clear that the group isn't going to make it in time. The vampires are close enough so the dragon does the only thing he can besides using his flame - he unfolds his aura and covers the caverns by active probing. Cuthbert yells at the men to keep running but if they felt it, they had no time to ponder over it. The vampires feel it immediately and react just as the dragon hoped - they stop their pursuit and stand in confusion, trying to ascertain the nature of what they can sense.
"Now or never," declares the dragon, sticks his mouth in the entrance, and starts breathing fire.
Cuthbert and his men make it back to the wet blankets just in time and hide under them. The vampires try to run but the flame is faster. It reaches and scorches them. The dragon cuts off immediately. The vampires aren't destroyed yet but he doesn't wish to risk the lives of the men inside. The flame caused some tremors but he's confident that there won't by any cave-ins.
"Osith, take everybody and finish it," orders the dragon. "Cuthbert, you are with me."
He makes himself invisible and gets out of the way. Osith relays the order to her companions. The goblin calls his two kinsmen and they take the point, running to the vampires. Osith and the others follow right behind them.
Cuthbert and the men with him rendezvous with Osith. He returns outside alone where he climbs on the dragon's back and they take off.
The goblins reach the badly burned monsters and make short work of them. They take the heads and, not having enough time, pour oil on the rest and let it burn.
The dragon doesn't use active probing on the settlement but his passive sense are enough. There's panic in there. The tremors were felt by the people and no one knows what they were.
"I'll drop you at the sacrificial courtyard," says the dragon to Cuthbert. "You should be able to make your way to Leofric from there."
Osith's group encounters a few shaken people, all of them lower class. One of them seems to suffer from results of breathing in some of the hot air and smoke, he was probably at the edge of the afflicted area. She tells them not to be afraid and explains that the blast was necessary to destroy abominations living under their feet. She points at the heads as a proof. The people are too shocked to doubt her claim, ask questions, or even hinder her.
The dragon drops Cuthbert off. The lad doesn't have the advantage of invisibility this time around but in the chaos all around and with the guidance from the dragon (who has no need to keep his distance now), he easily reaches Leofric and frees him. He informs him about the demise of the vampires and tells him that Osith is bringing their heads in as a proof. Leofric is surprised a little by the swiftness of events but he's prepared to aid.
Cuthbert gives Leofric a list of other like-minded guards and asks him to contact them. He warns him that Osith's magical power is not to be revealed. They part ways and the dragon guides Cuthbert to assassinate a few lower ranking officers.
By that time, Osith and the others emerge from the underground. No one thought that people were actually coming through there (especially with the higher priest knowing about the vampires) so there's no defense prepared on that side. No one in the settlement has ever seen a goblin but they recognize them for what they are. However, it's obvious that they are working for the humans and, of course, the twitching heads they carry draw far more attention than themselves.
The priests and high officers attempt to scramble some defenses but the chain of command is damaged and part of the force either doesn't show up or sides with Leofric. The dragon considers contacting the high priest and ordering him to stand down but decides against it in the end. The high priest is an intelligent man and wouldn't bow to a phantom voice in his head so all that the dragon would achieve would be revealing himself. He has to trust Osith and Leofric to handle the situation.
Osith talks to people, explaining about the vampires under the city and the collaboration of the priests with them. Lower priests, who had no knowledge of this, refute this vehemently but the heads are right there in front of them. Just like with Leofric, a lot of things start to make sense suddenly for ordinary people. It doesn't seem like there's going to be any fight.
Osith tells the people where they come from and how does the home look like nowadays. Then she suggests that more vampires might come after them and tells the crowd that they will help anyone who wishes to leave the place.
"That's a decision we have to make as a community!" someone cries out.
The person is right - if enough people leave, the rest won't be able to survive. However, Osith won't admit that.
"The hell it is!" she snaps. "Anybody who wishes to leave can make that decision for himself. And we'll be here to help with the repatriation."
In the end, the entire low caste and half of the guards decide to take their offer. They use the rest of the night to pack and leave at the sunrise. There are golden ornaments in the religious areas but they don't dare to loot those. They head to the site of their old village in the grassland.
The ship relocates so it's closer to the village. There are no usable ruins there so the crew of the ship has to lend them materials to make some tents. The dragon locates an underground stream and they dig a well. Then he seeks out some game and guides a hunting party to it.
Things are more interesting back in the mountains. Some of the priests who had no knowledge of the vampires defect and conspire with the remaining guards. They slaughter the entire priest class and burn the high priest on his own "sacrificial" pyre. Afterwards, they collect anything of value and leave next day just like the others. They don't head to Osith's camp though but opt to travel further inland along the base of the mountain range to nearest civilization.
The dragon considers doing something about them but then he decides to let them go. While they do know about vampires, he doesn't think that they will be much of a problem. Even if one or more of them were captured by the creatures and questioned (something the dragon doesn't believe the vampires to be capable of), the kingdom is quite far away and the rogue cultists don't know how to get there.
With the situation more or less stable, the dragon flies back to the kingdom to talk with Osbert and other elders. At the same time, a dozen families board the ship and start a voyage there as well.
Osbert is impressed by the four slain vampires, pleased that no one was hurt, and surprised that they managed to find the cultists on the same trip. He's more worried about that many people coming home though. While their numbers aren't significant compared to all the people and goblins living in the kingdom already, their arrival can't be hidden from the nobility and ultimately, the king's permission is needed for so many immigrants arriving from nowhere. He can try to secure it but he knows that the first thing the authorities are going to ask is where he intends to settle them. There are no free houses in any of the cities and even if there were, how would that many people find employment? And if a new settlement was to be founded for them, on whose lands would that be? There are no free areas left in the kingdom - every inch of the land belongs to somebody. Moreover, they want to keep the community together. On the other hand, all of them are related to each other so dumping them on a deserted island won't work.
"There is a piece of land which doesn't belong to anybody," suggests the dragon and accompanies his words by an image of the place where he slumbered.
"Who would want to live there?" argues Osbert.
"Somebody who is used to much harsher conditions."
"There are different kinds of harsh."
However, it's the best possible solution. Osbert approaches an associate from the court and explains their problem. They talk about the issue and then approach the king with a proposal. They offer to claim the no-one's land in the name of the crown and create a colony for certain unsavory characters there. The kingdom, just like any other sufficiently advanced and populous country, contains a certain amount of people who represent a nuisance for the society - petty criminals, vagrants, orphans without home, and so on. Any kind of action from the crown would be costly so the authorities merely keep an eye on such people and make sure they don't cross a certain line. However, this idea for a new home for them sponsored by Osbert's family intrigues the king. After all, sending somebody there wouldn't even be an exile and taxpaying subjects will welcome clean streets. He gives his permission and a charter is drawn codifying the status of the colony. Osbert also asks for a permission for a passage of goblin workers there which is actually a bigger problem to swallow.
I takes a long time but eventually, all (former) cultists are shipped back to their homeland. Many of them complain about the cold and the rest don't like playing wardens to all the misfits of the kingdom but it's still an improvement.
The filling of the unclaimed land is a point of tension between all nations neighboring the area. Moreover, the king of the kingdom isn't getting any younger and Osbert wonders how is the king's son going to deal with the challenge of bearing his father's crown. The king isn't a perfect ruler by any means but at least he knows how difficult it was to get on his throne. The same can't be said about the son and even less about his little grandson.
Fortunately, the magical text that Cuthbert has found at the beginning of their expedition can be of use to them in this matter. For Osith, it means merely a few convenient spells which she can use in the field to manipulate enemies. However, the dragon can combine this new area of magic with his own natural abilities. After several years of research, he starts influencing dreams of the king's grandson and the boy's counterparts in neighboring lands. With a bit of luck, a conflict between them can be averted but it's also a delicate matter which can easily backfire. Yes, he could turn them all into pacifists if he wanted. However, would their fathers ever bequeath their crowns to such weaklings? And what would happen if an external threat invaded the region?
They keep hunting vampires, of course, but they never encounter more than one of them ever again. Osith spearheads first few expeditions but then she settles to follow academical pursuits. She marries as well, mostly to pass on her magic. Her children prove that genetics do play a role in having a magical talent. The dragon teaches them himself but when a third generation of wizards come, Osith has reached sufficient level of mastery to take over.
The relations with the wild goblins are on a good path but the dragon fears that they will loose their way of life if the need for a natural barrier between the kingdom and the duchy ever vanishes.
The dragon and his blooming organization starts thinking about his next big sleep as well. The humans propose an interesting idea: why not turn his last place of rest into a proper lair? With the civilization expanding in all directions, it's increasingly difficult to find a natural place big enough and hidden enough at the same time. The dragon agrees.
Just like the old Syward, Osith has an extraordinarily long life. When she begins to feel her age, she and the dragon agree to part ways. He seals himself in a vault prepared for him and goes to sleep.
Osith's narration returns one last time.
"And that was it. While the dragon's journey has barely began, I myself am done and good with this adventure. I'm going to enjoy some well deserved rest in what few years I have left. Looking back at the eventful and productive life I had and at the small crowd of my descendants, I can't but feel huge gratefulness to my master. I know that he doesn't wish to be considered a god but I wouldn't mind if he was one. I don't know what's going to happen next, especially in regards with those dragons from outer space, but with our dragon defending the interests of our world, I think we have much reason for hope."
Emmett watched over Jasper's shoulder as he tested the game on the best computer available to them. Jasper had been forced to reload from an earlier save because the ship had been attacked by pirates after it departed the Sumerian city and suffered heavy personal and material losses. He wasn't guarding the ship at the moment either but he flew the dragon ahead along its intended path to clear the way.
"I don't know," he mused as he glided the dragon around an island which looked especially picturesque. "The interface for resource management is easy enough to use but I'm not sure how the players are going to feel about the change of tone. It's one thing for a simulator of a dragon to gain some classical RPG elements with auxiliary boots on the ground and quite another to put elements of strategy in there."
"This was foreshadowed in the prologue part plenty enough," argued Emmett. "It was always our intention for the dragon to become a shaper of societies and if the engine allows me to program such game mechanics in there, why shouldn't we take advantage of that?"
"Well, it's better than putting it in a dialog option, I'll give you that."
"Easier for me too. And more useful for the players, I guess."
Truth to be told, it wasn't such a new concept. Jasper had seen games which belonged to one genre and added elements of another. Let's say, an action game where a player had to tend to his home base between missions. He couldn't name a game where the mechanics were done to his satisfaction though.
"Besides," joined them Alice. "The dragon is more powerful than anything around at this point. Adding more stuff for players to do is the only way of preventing them from getting bored."
"I totally agree with that," replied Jasper. "That's why we introduced personal stories of his followers. To keep the game relatable and the player invested."
"That's actually what worries me more than introducing new game mechanics," admitted Emmett. "We're abandoning that and focusing on the world instead - as was foreshadowed in the prologue. Osith is the last story character of the game. Afterwards, it's all just generic units like in some kind of a strategy."
"Yes, I see your point," conceded Jasper. "But as we agreed, this was foreshadowed in the prologue. In the long run, the dragon didn't come to that world to make close friends and watch their personal lives - he's there to help the entire world. So, it only makes sense that we are abandoning these personal pre-scripted stories and focusing on the world itself. Besides, it's only the last segment."
"Which might turn out rather long depending on how well a player does and how well has he done up to that point."
Bella and Edward returned shortly afterwards. They rehashed the matter briefly. Edward had known what Emmett had created (after all, he had made a few tweaks in the engine for that purpose). Still, he was quite pleased when he saw it on his own eyes. He had to admit, the new Emmett was way smarter than the old one. Alas, they couldn't say that their approach (to implementation) was novel. A game called Operation Flashpoint had offered a fully programmable environment as well and they weren't first either.
After a while, Carlisle reminded them that there were more pressing concerns to address. They discussed their plan.
One of the raised questions was whether four of them being changed was enough. They all agreed that they didn't really need to turn any more of them. Besides, turning others would take time and some tasks required ordinary humans anyway.
Another lead them back to the game. They had planned to release it as soon as possible to remove the main motivation why are people trying to kill them. However, it seemed that they were beyond that point now, they had become too dangerous. Moreover, the game wasn't dubbed yet. Carlisle and Esme had done some provisional voice-acting for Syward and Hylda but they weren't sure whether they wanted to use that. Carlisle and Bella had contacted some students but they couldn't go meet them in the current situation and they didn't want to do it remotely.
In the end, they uploaded the project to SourceForge, just in case. The source code of the engine was versioned as 1.0.0 and the campaign files as 0.8.0. The game was playable already, the save files were going to be compatible with the final release, and the lack of voice-acting wasn't going to matter much until Syward showed up. Players could experiment with the game in the meantime and perhaps try to create some content of their own.
They packed everything they needed for their operation and headed for Seattle.