Author's Note: Welcome back everyone! And greetings to any new readers! If you have any questions about the story feel free to ask and I'll answer them next chapter! I've been working on 2.4 for a while now, and it has a lot of content. No spoilers though! Any new game content you see displayed on Life of a Zero Dragon will also make its way into the Warcraft map!
Enjoy the chapter everybody!
Life of a Zero Dragon
Chapter 32: The Distant Choir of Warcraft
Artos Archway sighed audibly as he took a moment to collect himself after the long journey towards the Kayla Kingdom capital city. He had not expected the road to be so long, it is likely that whatever occurred to the game had drastically increased the size of the regions to match a more realistic tone. Now, however, he stood just outside the gateway, and could spot a few soldiers patrolling the walls, some taking a glance at his direction before moving on.
It was apparent that the NPCs had a drastic increase in Artificial Intelligence. Whether that was due to the case of the Map Maker or the Transition, as he recently found himself calling the event, couldn't be known. Whatever the reason, it provided a much more vibrant experience in the map than most other games provided, with the exception of a few.
The large gate opened up in a slow manner, the dull iron color vanishing from his and view of the metallic gate into the vibrant busy marketplace just ahead. The Green Chosen Dragon flew inside but was stopped short of fully entering by a strange unit.
He felt very wary all the sudden as if instinct told him that the individual in front of him was a dangerous opponent for his current level.
"Greetings, Dragon. As per regulation on entering the capital I must ask on which business are you here for?" The man in front of him was decked head to toe with high quality crafted iron armor, a long blade stood sheathed at his side. The iron equipment was probably due to the present technological upgrades the Kayla Kingdom had at its current disposal. If the player for the Kingdom is still around, there would be no doubt they are researching new upgrades at the Tech Center building.
It took Artos a brief moment to recognize this unit as a Legionnaire, something he shouldn't fight against at his current form. Sure as a Green Dragon he could heal himself with the Healing Wave ability, and also stall the NPC's movements with Entangling Roots… But eventually, he would wear out.
"A simple purchasing of goods found only in the capital," Artos spoke in a roleplaying manner. He might as well play along with the whole medieval fantasy… Or is that renaissance?
Probably the latter.
"Be on your way, but don't cause trouble. While the Legionnaires will not bother you, I cannot say the same for everyone. The memories of the Human-Dragon war still lingers, even after the two centuries since its ending," The NPC informed Artos.
The young Chosen Dragon nodded and made his way past the Legionnaire, but to stop abruptly as his eyes widened at the sheer wonder and size that made the Capital of Kayla. It was massive, the Castle itself stood tall with multiple towers, brimming with arcane magics, standing guard around it. A large gate, decorated with splendor and royal pink hues, couldn't be described in proper wording as with the rest of the solid stone masonry that made up the structure. It was one thing to see the Castle from a screen or video game, another entirely to see one with such an active role in a society up close and personal.
Artos shook himself out of his stupor, he had gotten a somewhat decent amount of gold coins from the starting area creeps bodies. It didn't take him long to figure out that, yes, the currency system of Warcraft was still in-game, if somewhat altered.
As the Green Chosen Dragon made his way into the marketplace, his train of thought was interrupted when he accidentally bumped into an NPC.
"Ah, my apologies, dragon," The man appeared somewhat aged, and Artos could immediately identify the character as a paladin of some description, matching pink flagged armor and war hammer at the side, with a prayer book attached to the waist buckle.
"No, I wasn't aware of where I was heading," He roleplayed out.
"You do seem quite lost," The paladin responded with a kind smile, "Perhaps I shall be of assistance? If I help you then shall you aid me in return?"
Artos blinked, was this a Quest? Is this a mission given by a non-player character to fulfill in exchange for a reward equal to its difficulty level? Well, he could always use the experience and gold, and perhaps he'll get an item out of it as well.
"Sure," Artos took his offer. "If you can pinpoint me to the Arcane Vault store, I'll help you. By the way, call me Artos," He spoke.
The paladin smiled, "Then, by all means, call me Aenthur."
Louise Valliere had been to many places before within the Tristain, all with varying amount of sizes and development. The Valliere Lands alone was large enough to support multiple commoner villages, and the Capital of Tristain was said to be the crowning jewel filled with many shops and stalls, and towering stone structures and walls. But this was something else, Louise could spot the Castle alone from this distance, it was massive, larger than even Tristan's own. The walls themselves were marvels of engineering, as if someone had carved out mountains whole and used the indestructible stone to create the defensive walls.
But that wasn't exactly the awe point.
"Erisdar…" Louise trailed off with a tinge of disbelief present in her voice.
"Mhmm?" The Dragon responded.
"Why didn't you tell me the Kayla Capital was this huge!?" Louise exclaimed while pointing at the sight.
"Pretty sure I showed you a map?" Erisdar questioned.
"Y-Yeah!" Louise waved her hand more at the sight, "But that's not up to scale at all! It's massive! Like, from this distance I can tell it's near twice the size of Tristan's own!"
The Chosen Dragon shrugged at her overregulation, "It's not that big-"
"Not that big!? He says it's not that big!" Louise spoke more to herself than her partner, "What kind of civilization size is he talking about!? Romalia? Gallia? Brimir, don't tell me it's Germania!"
The purple dragonet arched his brow at her, before beginning to continue onward. The young mage noticed her companion was going on without her, and jogged a bit to catch up. So far, the brigands had choose to ignore their presence, possibly recovering from the lost of ambush group. Louise Valliere was glad that she didn't need to kill more people, even if they were scum of the earth. Though she may be trained in military matters somewhat, and the Rule of Steel served as a method of mental fortitude, it didn't necessary mean Louise was prepared.
But then again… She was never prepared for any of this.
"Erisdar!"
"What?" He seemed a bit annoyed.
"Do we have any plan?" Louise said, "This is a foreign nation and I am a foreign noble."
He eyed her, "They are not aware of this, most likely you'll be just another traveler. If anything, my presence will be more alarming than you… Well…" Erisdar glanced towards a specific part of her body. "I guess pink hair might be a curiosity."
"My pink hair? What about it?" She said while furling her fingers through her hair in reaction.
"Most hair colors in Kayla are brown and black, with few cases of blond or red. So for you to have pink hair might bring a lot of attention to yourself…" He trailed off.
"It's not like I can hide it," She stated.
He nodded, "Very true, I doubt even a hood could hide it. If anything you'll have to cut it down to short hair before you can do that-"
"No! No touching the hair!"
"Alright! Alright! I didn't mean any offense!" Erisdar exclaimed in reply, before mumbling something about girls and their looks.
Louise decided to ignore that.
It took around half and hour of traveling to finally approach the gates into the Kayla Capital City, Louise Valliere took a small breather as her body ached from the continuous traveling, unused to the strenuous exercise of long travel by foot. That's not to say Louise wasn't adapting, she was, just very slowly. Erisdar just made it look so easy in comparison, like seriously, what noble walks for hours on end to get from place to place anymore? There's plenty of other options, and it's called horseback!
Or horse-drawn carriages…
Or riding on top of griffins.
Or dragons… Which she wished dearly Erisdar was big enough already.
Brimir, her feet hurt.
Not that she'll say it out loud, she has her pride! That, and she had already done so in the previous day before arriving in Winterfall. It would be embarrassing to complain about it to Erisdar again, he was clearly getting irritated by her lack of endurance at times. It's not her fault, he's a dragon, of course, he'll have more physical skill than a human-like herself!
By the time Louise finished her trail of thought they had passed through the entry gates and into the capital itself.
Louise breathed in preparation, this was it, she was a foreign noble delegation inside a previously unknown human nation. At least it was a human nation, as she would never be able to keep herself calm in an elven one.
Those Xaria Elves were eerie similar to the- Wait, what? When did she refer to those elves as Xaria Elves?
How did she even get that information in the first place…?
"Hey, Louise," Erisdar spoke up.
"What is it?" Louise replied in question.
"If you are a noble, and you had entered a foreign nation, would that mean you are an ambassador for Tristain?" Erisdar asked.
"No, at least, I don't believe so," Louise replied, absently stroking her bright pink hair in nervousness, the citizens seemed to eye her just as Erisdar said earlier. "Tristan's Crown employs certain trained individuals to act as ambassadors to foreign nations or groups. It would be foolish to sent some random noble or soldier to act as one."
"Ah…" Erisdar trailed off, nodding to the knowledge. He briefly mumbled something concerning lone protagonists having it easy, but Louise couldn't understand it clearly.
He looked to her, ignoring the glancing looks the dragon received from the humans nearby, both adults and children alike, "Well, there goes Plan A, in highlight it seems really stupid now."
"Plan A…?" She questioned, "And just what was the plan?"
"I thought since, ya know, we're the heroes and all that we can just waltz right in and ask to help whatever problem, then get a reward in returning to Tristan," Erisdar stated.
Louise blink, mouth agape, before she recovered.
"That's the most idiotic plan I've ever heard! What sort of backward nation would just accept help from a random foreigner for little reason outside of helping them with a thing or two!?" Louise exclaimed.
"To be fair… Well… Actually, forget it… Uh, do you have a plan then?" He asked.
Louise crossed her arms in thought, she hadn't really the slightest clue. The best direction they can make right now is finding information on where on Halkeginia the Kayla Kingdom is location… Provided they are even on the same continent anymore. But at least it wasn't something radical, like being transferred to another world, that would be unbelievable.
Erisdar sneezed, huh, so dragons do that too.
"Pardon my intrusion in the conversation," Another voice joined in.
Louise and Erisdar turned their attention towards the person, it was a woman, covered in finely embellished leather armor, her ruby red locks tied in a bundle while a glaive was stabbed to her side. It was an odd choice of weapon that the Valliere couldn't really distinguish how it would ever be used, in fact, she had never seen such a weapon design like that before.
"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage?" Louise spoke.
"Forgive me, I am Lady Narin Volt, of the Noble Kayla Household of Volt, current Leader," She answered.
A noble! She was a noble!
"I am Louise Françoise Le Blanc de la Vallière," Louise responded in kind. "Third daughter of the Valliere House in the Kingdom of Tristan."
"My, this is a first. A foreign noble traveling with a Chosen Dragon?" Lady Volt responded with some medium of surprise.
There's that term again, Chosen Dragon, it was Erisdar's species name. It had some significant meaning if both Xaria Elves and a Kayla Noble mentioned them.
Erisdar spoke up, "I'm surprised, I assumed most humans didn't have an inclination about how to distinguish between the two," He said.
Lady Volt smiled at Erisdar, "I'm sure you can take a clear guess on why I would be able to know such."
Erisdar paused, examining her, after a brief few seconds he responded, "Should have known, you're a Dragon Knight. Are you familiar with the term Warcraft?"
Dragon Knight? Warcraft?
"My apologies but I am not," She replied.
He shrugged, "That's fine."
The Dragon Knight turned her attention back to Louise, "I assume you are here to discuss the political nature concerning our two countries? I mean no offense, but I had thought they would send someone more matured and guarded by men, not a dragon."
Louise Valliere almost opened her mouth to reject the notion, but it dawned that she could use this. Yes, it would be a blatant use of the current misunderstanding, however it was also an opportunity. While she was aware she lacked the training to be an ambassador or diplomat, she did have her teachings as a noble in politics.
"Yes, though the journey had a few unexpected complications. My fellows had been assaulted by an enemy force that Erisdar, my dragon companion, had intervened with. It caused my company to undergo a teleportation of some sort, separating us." She spoke, telling the truth, but not the whole story.
"You have my sympathies," Lady Volt said. "Shall I guide you to the Castle's entrance, or do you wish to explore our fair city first?"
"Castle," Louise replied.
"Very well, will you be joining us?" Narin Volt looked towards the Purple Chosen Dragon.
"I will, I have a subject in mind that I wish to speak with your King," Erisdar stated.
"Follow me then," She said.
Louise nodded and began walking right behind the Kayla Noble, but absently she was wondering just what Erisdar wanted to ask the royalty of this nation about.
The crackling atmosphere of the Southern Outlands was a sight to beyond, the sky itself was a void decorating with purple stars and wavering energies like a mystical aurora, reminiscent of a time when Life of a Dragon Sequel took heavy roots in the environmental inspiration from World of Warcraft's Burning Crusade expansion. Although the World Editor could never create the details present in the MMORPG, the Transition had filled in the decorative pieces and brought the plane to life. Now, combined with its dangerous creatures and chaotic energies, it served as a reminder of a time where beauty can be found in more than simple game mechanics or advanced hardware.
But, Asuna Godiva, though captivated by the sight, didn't have the luxury to stand ideally to sightsee. The Southern Outlands was a dangerous place, as the Fel Stalkers and Twisted Lakorian Creatures seemed adamant in informing her. By fortune, her fiery-headed companion, Kirche, had been an immense help in dealing with the hostile creeps.
Unfortunately, Kirche's personality was not one Asuna was not very keen on. The girl liked to tease her, in more ways than one, and while Kirche had made no moves to Asuna on the more adult manner it almost seemed she was thinking about it. Which annoyed the Nether Dragonet quite a bit. In all honestly, Asuna Godiva thought as Kirche as one individual she would never really get along with on a normal basis.
But, by the sheer bad luck, their current predicament forced them to comply with one another. In a way, Kirche's mannerism might be her own method of coping with the stress, something that Asuna could identify with somewhat. As a Chosen Dragon, though, Asuna felt less stained than she would have been as a human in this environment.
At least, as for as Asuna knew, she would have a second chance if she was killed. Chosen Dragon players all received a one-time resurrection upon being defeated, revived at the safe location of the Green Dragon Nest.
There was also another backup that clocked before that though, and it was an item she currently had in her possession.
When choosing a color, other than perhaps Purple Dragons, a player hero will receive two items for free. These two were the Dragon Cave and the Ankh of Revival, the former was used to instantaneous form and create a home for the Dragon, where they can upgrade their damage and armor values and also enter inside, where within lies their own personal healing hay, item storage, and an object which changes the interior decorative flooring.
The Ankh of Revival was more useful for her current circumstance, upon six seconds after death she would be revived with 500 hit points. The item had three charges to boot, which allowed her to theoretically come back from death that many times.
"So, that is the portal you were talking about earlier?" Kirche questioned from beside her, pointing toward the simmering portal that glowed with dark pink hues.
"That's the one," Asuna said. "I passed through it a while ago, arriving here. As I said earlier, it connects to a large lake."
"Then if my previous assumption is right, it's right on the borders between Tristan and Gallia," Kirche stated.
She heard something at the edge of her hearing and immediately pulled Kirche out of view and behind a couple boulders.
"What is it?" Kirche said in a serious tone.
Asuna looked over, spotting a small group, "Orcs… Lakor Orcs," She said the name, but it surprised her a bit. Since when did the Fel Orcs become Lakor Orcs in her mind? Well, it might have something to do with the same origin concerning the Transition title.
"Orcs?" Kirche said, poking her head over the boulder to take a look. "Those look nothing like the orcs I know, far less ugly and… Damn, those muscles. You can grind meat on those."
"Don't start," Asuna commented.
"Don't worry, I don't swing that way, I have my preferences," The red-headed girl replied
"You could have fooled me…" The Chosen Dragon trailed off, "Anyway, keep it down, I want to overhear what they are speaking of."
Kirche kept quiet, allowing Asuna Godiva to listen into the conversation with her more attuned draconic hearing senses.
"It's been a week since the loss of communications, I believe the Empire has lost all contact with us. We're on our own," Orc riding upon a giant wolf said.
"Agreed," A Lakor Grunt replied. "We're running low on resources, food supplies are dwindling since we cannot consume the stalkers."
"Then I believe the matter is settled," Another, carrying a crossbow, "We much charge into the portal with all our forces, take control of the surrounding region, and establish a fortification."
The Raider frowned, "There will be resistance, the new land is nothing like the previous scouts said it should be."
"True," The grunt replied. "But there is a large supply of water, timber, and fertile land. The locals seem to have abandoned the area save a few stragglers."
"I don't like it, but our clan must come first," The crossbow orc said. "Prepare the war band, we march soon."
Asuna turned to Kirche.
"Important question, if a war party of foreign intelligent creatures attacked your people, took your land, and refused your laws. What would you think would happen?" The Chosen Dragon said.
Kirche appeared thoughtful for a second, "Well, I'm sure it'll be a misunderstanding-"
"Answer it straight," Asuna interrupted.
"A counter attack against them, to push them back and onto the diplomatic table," Kirche said.
"And if they refused to comply?" Asuna questioned.
"War, darling, war."
Current Status:
Chosen Dragon Player 1: Saito Hiraga - Alive - Purple Dragonet (Agility) Level 11
Chosen Dragon Player 2: Alex Storm - Alive - Bronze Dragonet (Strength) Level 9
Chosen Dragon Player 3: Asuna Godiva - Alive - Nether Dragonet (Strength) Level 11
Chosen Dragon Player 4: Artos Archway - Alive - Green Dragonet (Agility) Level 8
Chosen Dragon Player 5: Cora Rune - Alive - Blue Dragonet (Intelligence) Level 10
Dragon Slayer Player 6: Celdrahil - Alive - Slayer Level 8
Dragon Catcher Player 7: Rosina - Alive - Catcher Level 12
The Human Kingdom Player 8: Aylmer and Abigail - Alive - King Level 4, Princess Level [Error]
The Fel Empire Player 9: Grom - Alive - King of Fel Empire Level 8
Mercenary Player 10: Elizabeth Loyal - Alive - Sorceress Level 8
Observer Map Maker: Map Maker - Alive - The World Editor