A Dragon's Tail
Tail 2: Zetarus' Tail – Ambivalence
Tail 2-4: A Thing to Do
-One week later, at Desert Palace, Dustorm City
"…So." Terrus spoke up. "There is no record of the prisoner who has escaped from Desert Prison last week?"
"R…Right!" A Sandshrew in a suit of armor responded with a shaking voice. "There are no survivors at Desert Prison. And we have checked the corpses of prisoners there with the Prisoner Roster and found that all prisoners that were recorded in the roster were already found as a corpse at Desert Prison…"
"…What does this mean?" Terrus mumbled. "There is a prisoner who doesn't have a record in the roster…"
"Sir, what should we do next?" Sandslash asked.
"Have you already contacted the families of the guards who died at Desert Prison?" Terrus asked.
"B…But sir…" Sandslash became a bit frightened. "That will make everyone know about what happened at Desert Prison…"
"That doesn't matter." Terrus said. "It was our fault that we let a prisoner escaped and killed everyone at Desert Prison. We will take all responsibility of this incident by capturing this prisoner as soon as possible!"
"As you say, sir." Sandslash said.
"For the prisoner who has escaped from Desert Prison… If they already destroyed Desert Prison and killed everyone there, there is a high chance that they will try to destroy the towns and kill the Pokemon of Dustorm Empire too. So, send word about this prisoner to every town and city in Dustorm Empire. Don't forget to tighten the defense of those settlements too." Terrus ordered.
"Yes, sir." Sandslash said.
"Also… That prisoner may try to escape to other nations. They couldn't escape to Republic of Civilight via foot because of a vast valley that bordered two nations. Our nation's border with Theocracy of Venturnome is tightened right now. All that's left are Principality of Leafburg and Fireview Kingdom…" Terrus spoke up. "Tighten the immigration at the border with Principality of Leafburg and Fireview Kingdom. Don't forget the Sandust Port too, as the prisoner may try to escape from Dustorm Empire to other nations by the ship."
"Yes, sir." Sandslash said.
"Then, do you have anything more to report?" Terrus asked.
"Yes, about a group of bandits called 'The Mirage Dust'…" Sandshrew continued reporting. "Three days ago, a group of mercenaries who went to their lair to subdue them found that all of them are already dead."
"What?!" Terrus mumbled.
"It seemed like they were already dead for several days…" Sandslash reported. "And… For their leader, who is a Rhyperior, the mercenaries found him already dead with his body stuck on the ground in his room, but he is the only one that doesn't seem to die from the wounds. It seemed like he suffered from something very hard before he died. And… In that room, the mercenaries also found an empty pack that once contained a drug called 'Gray Reaper'."
"Gray Reaper?!" Terrus spoke it out as Gray Reaper is a very dangerous drug that if someone takes it, even only once, they will not be able to live without it and will have to depend on it for the rest of their life or they will suffer very hard. It is used for torturing and slavery. This drug is illegal in all seven nations of Symmetria, but is invaluable among the black markets of Symmetria.
"Right, sir." Sandslash said. "But other than an empty pack that once contained it, the mercenaries didn't find any more Gray Reaper at The Mirage Dust's lair."
"…Gray Reaper… In Dustorm Empire…" Terrus mumbled. "Where did it come from?"
"What should we do about it, sir?" Sandslash asked.
"I will take care about it." Terrus answered. "Don't forget my orders about the prisoner who escaped from Desert Prison. Now you are dismissed."
"Thank you, sir." Sandslash said and left the hall of Desert Palace at the same time an Aerodactyl entered this hall and flew up to the prince of Dustorm Empire.
"Still busy as ever, eh?" Soryl asked.
"Right." Terrus answered. "First, an escaped prisoner, and now, Gray Reaper…"
"Well." Soryl said. "At least I have good news for you."
"And what is that?" Terrus asked.
"A soldier told me that right now, Princess Natasha and Prince Largo have already arrived at Dustorm City." Soryl said.
"Really?!" A smile appeared on Terrus' face. "It has been…how many years? I couldn't remember… Anyway, I can't wait to meet them!"
"Then, I will take my leave right now…" Soryl was about to leave when Terrus continued speaking. "No, Soryl. You are coming with me."
"Me too?!" Soryl said. "But I don't want to interrupt your family reunion!"
"Don't worry about it." Terrus said. "Plus, I want to introduce you to both of them too, since you never met them, right?"
"Geez…" Soryl mumbled. "Fine."
"Then, let's not keep them waiting for long." Terrus said. Then Soryl and he left Desert Palace together.
In front of Desert Palace…
"Ah! Terrus!" Natasha the Dragalge said as she saw her brother and an unknown Aerodactyl walking up to her. "It has been…nine? Or ten years?"
"It seemed like you are still as perfect as ever, Terrus." Largo the Alolan Marowak said.
"Natasha? Largo?" Terrus looked at his siblings. "Both of you have changed drastically! The last time I saw you, Natasha, you were just a Skrelp and now you are such a beautiful Dragalge!"
"Oh, my…" Natasha said.
"And… Largo?" Terrus turned his attention to the Alolan Marowak. "You evolved into Alolan Marowak? You also look amazing!"
"Yeah." Largo said. "And I think I did a good job with it…"
"Anyway, Natasha, Largo, how were your lives in Shadowlost Territory?" Terrus asked.
"It was still marvelous as ever, Terrus." Natasha answered. "Pokemon at Venom Island were very nice to me as ever."
"At first, I thought that they would try to kill me because I departed from Fireview Kingdom…" Largo said. "But they didn't, and they were also nice to me too."
"It's good to hear that." Terrus said.
"And what about you, Terrus?" Natasha asked. "Still busy as ever?"
"Right." Terrus answered. "Dustorm Empire is vast and full with many troubles…As a prince, I must do whatever I can to make this nation a peaceful once where everyone can live without fear."
"Even so…" Natasha said. "Why didn't you send any words to both of us?"
"Yeah…" Largo said. "All you have to do is write a letter, tie it to a bullet, and shoot it at the direction of Theocracy of Venturnome!"
Everyone (Except Terrus) laughed after hearing Largo's joke.
"Largo…" Terrus mumbled. "Please… We have just met and you don't have to humiliate me…"
"Oh, sorry!" Largo said with a crafty smile on his face. "I forgot that you are the worst at shooting. I still remember when you tried to shoot the target in front of you, but the bullet ended up hitting our—"
"That's enough, Largo!" Terrus said. "Sign… And I forgot that being a ghost type made you a lot more crafty than before…"
"Exactly…" Natasha said before she remembered something. "Oh, I forgot! Terrus, I want you to meet someone."
Natasha then turned her attention to a Pokemon who came with her and Largo, which was a Zoroark. "This is Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark. He is the son of the Heroine of Legend who holds the power of dark type and the next heir to the throne of Shadowlost Territory. Fenrir, this is Terrus Quakersand the Garchomp. He is the first prince of Dustorm Empire and our beloved brother."
"Geez…" Fenrir Jr. mumbled before shaking hands with Terrus. "I am Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark. I come here as a representative of Lord Noctis Shadisas the Absol of Shadowlost Territory for your Succession Ceremony. It's an honor to meet you, Prince Terrus."
"The honor is mine too, Prince Fenrir." Terrus said.
"Please, just call me 'Fenrir', Prince Terrus, as I am not the direct descendant of Lord Noctis." Fenrir Jr. said.
"Same goes for me, Fenrir, as I am not the crown prince of Dustorm Empire until this Succession Ceremony is over." Terrus said. "Anyway, I have someone to introduce to all of you too."
Terrus turned his attention to the Aerodactyl who had been waiting for quite some time. "Natasha, Largo and Fenrir, meet Soryl Hurricloud the Aerodactyl. He is the son of Windsky Village's elder."
"Nice to meet you, Soryl." Natasha said with a graceful voice. "I am Princess Natasha Venomist the Dragalge, the first princess of Dustorm Empire."
"Me too, Soryl." Largo said. "And I am Prince Largo Boneskull the Alolan Marowak. I am the second prince of Dustorm Empire."
"Hey! Nice to meet you too!" Soryl said. "I am Soryl Hurricloud the Aerodactyl. I am a hosta— Oops! I mean, an 'Exchanging' child from Windsky Plateau."
"Oh!" Upon hearing Soryl's introduction, Natasha, Largo and even Fenrir Jr. quickly understood what was hidden in his words. "W…We are sorry about this."
"It's alright." Soryl said.
"That reminds me…" Natasha said when she remembered something. "How about Freya? How is she doing now?"
"…She is still at Windsky Plateau." Terrus answered. "She will be back here in the next two weeks, which is actually one week before my Succession Day."
"…" Everyone was silenced after hearing Terrus' answer…
"…Anyway." Terrus changed the topic. "We should go and meet our father right now. I am sure he will be glad to see both of you come back, Natasha and Largo. Also, Fenrir, please come with us too."
"Right." Fenrir Jr., Natasha and Largo said.
"Then, I will take my leave right now." Soryl said before he spread his wings and flew away from all of them.
"…Let's go." Terrus said. "We shouldn't keep our father waiting too long for us."
-Desert Palace, Throne Room
The door of the throne room opened, and four Pokemon walked into the room. There were some Pokemon here. Most of them were nobles while the others were the guards. But the most outstanding Pokemon in this room was the one who sat on the throne at the other side of the room. He was a matured Garchomp in a suit of the emperor. This Garchomp was none other than the emperor of Dustorm Empire, as well as the father of Terrus, Natasha and Largo, Emperor Garland Quakersand the Garchomp.
"Princess Natasha and Prince Largo have returned!" One of the guards announced, turning the attention of everyone in this room to the four Pokemon who had just entered this room. As they walked up to the throne, most nobles whispered with others and looked at Natasha, Largo and Fenrir Jr. with the eyes that showed a disgusting feeling toward them.
Four Pokemon stopped in front of the throne, where the emperor of Dustorm Empire was sitting. Terrus then bowed at his father and spoke up. "Father, your children have returned from Shadowlost Territory."
"…Welcome back, my children." Emperor Garland spoke up. "Natasha, you have evolved into a beautiful Dragalge… I am proud of you."
"Thank you, father." Natasha said and bowed down.
"And you, Largo." Emperor Garland turned his attention to the Alolan Marowak. "…You are now an Alolan Marowak. I hope that your mastery over Fire and Ghost will bring glory to our desert nation."
"…Right, father." Largo bowed down.
"And father…" Terrus said. "This Zoroark is Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark. He is a representative from Shadowlost Territory."
"What?" Emperor Garland mumbled as Fenrir Jr. stepped forward.
"Greeting, your highness." Fenrir Jr. bowed down. "I am Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark. I am the son of a chancellor of Shadowlost Territory. I come here in the name of Lord Noctis Shadisas the Absol as a representative of the Shadowlost Territory in Prince Terrus' Succession Ceremony."
"I see…" Emperor Garland said. "Then, I hope you enjoy your stay in Dustorm Empire."
"…" Fenrir Jr. said nothing.
"Then, father, we shall take our leave right now." Terrus spoke up.
"Hm." Emperor Garland nodded. Then Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Fenrir Jr. left the throne room.
Terrus brought Natasha, Largo and Fenrir Jr. to his private reading room in Desert Palace. As this is his private room, none could enter it without his permission, making it a perfect place for having a private conversation.
As they entered the room, they found that Soryl was already here.
"I knew that you would be here, Soryl." Terrus said.
"And I knew that you want me to come here." Soryl said.
For Largo and Natasha, this was the first time in ten years that they had stepped into this room, but for Fenrir Jr., this is his first time.
"…" Fenrir Jr. looked around this room. This looked like a luxurious reading room that was meant for the prince or princess. But the things that caught his attention were seven pictures that hung on the wall. The first three pictures were above the last four pictures. Among three pictures in the first row, the middle one was a picture of Emperor Garland. The left one was a picture of a female Dragalge that looked like Natasha. And the right one was a picture of a female Marowak.
"That are… the pictures of our family." Terrus spoke up as he saw Fenrir Jr. looked at them. "As you already known, the middle picture on the first row is a picture of our father, Emperor Garland Quakersand the Garchomp. The right picture on the first row is a picture of Right Empress Lylalia Boneskull the Marowak. She is Largo's and my mother."
"And the left picture on the first row is a picture of Left Empress Sharon Venomist the Dragalge, who is my mother." Natasha said.
"So…" Fenrir Jr. spoke up. "Terrus, you and Largo shared the same mother while Natasha has a different mother, right?"
"Right." Terrus answered.
"And…" Fenrir Jr. looked at four pictures in the second row. He could identify most of them. The first one was a picture of Prince Terrus. The second one was a picture of Princess Natasha. The third one was a picture of Prince Largo. And the last one was a picture of an unknown Pokemon.
"Yup." Largo spoke up. "Those are the pictures of Terrus, Natasha, me and Freya."
"Freya?" Fenrir Jr. mumbled as he remembered that he heard Natasha said this name before. "Is she another child of Emperor Garland?"
"Yes." Natasha answered. "She is the second princess of Dustorm Empire and a younger half sister of Terrus, Largo and me. Right now, she is at the Windsky Plateau."
Hearing the identity of the youngest child of emperor Garland made Fenrir Jr. became more curious, but he had a feeling that he shouldn't ask anything more right now.
"Anyway…" Soryl spoke up after listening to the conversation for some time. "How was your meeting with…him?"
"Father…" Natasha answered. "He seemed to be cold and distant to all of us…"
"He always acts like that to me." Largo said. "But I don't know why he acts like that to Natasha too."
"…He's just too tired." Terrus answered with a serious voice. "Ruling a vast empire isn't an easy job."
"…" Anyone said nothing after hearing Terrus' word.
"Anyway." Terrus changed the topic. "Fenrir, this is the first time you came here, and Natasha and Largo, you haven't been here for so long, so how about letting me show you around the city?"
"That's a good idea." Natasha said, and both Largo and Fenrir Jr. also agreed with her.
"Then, let's go." Terrus said, and then all of them left the room together.
-That night, Dustorm Desert…
Zetarus and Diego were now camping near a big rock in the middle of Dustorm Desert. It's already night time, so they decided to call it a day. Diego was making a campfire while Zetarus was carving the dead Mudsdale both of them had just killed. After he finished, he gave half of the meat he carved to Diego, who had just finished making a campfire. Diego then roasted the meat he got from Zetarus until it was charred. As when Diego was about to start eating, Zetarus already finished his meal.
"…I still don't fxxxxxg understand you, Zetarus." Diego spoke up. "Why the hell do you always eat your meat raw?!"
"Because raw meat is better than cooked meat." Zetarus answered as he licked the lingering taste of raw meat on his lip. "And I also don't understand why you must burn your meat until it is black before you eat?"
"Because I like charred meat." Diego said and took a bite of his food.
-The Next Day…
"Are you sure that we go on a right way?" Diego asked. Now they were travelling across Dustorm Desert. Their destination was Dustorm City, the capital of Dustorm Empire
"No." Zetarus answered. "I really don't know where we are going right now."
"You fxxxxxg son of a—" Diego cursed.
"Hey! There's an arrow over there!" Zetarus said and pointed his claw at a signboard not too far from them. They then walked up to it and saw that the signboard was pointing to south of where they were right now.
"Diego, can you read where this will lead us to?" Zetarus asked.
"Fxxk your axxxxxe, Zetarus." Diego mumbled. "I don't have any fxxxxxg idea of what is written on this thing!"
"You couldn't read?" Zetarus said. "Shame on you."
"What?!" Diego held his fist at Zetarus.
"And so do I." Zetarus said, making Diego face palmed himself.
"So…" Diego mumbled. "Both of us couldn't read what the hell is written on this thing…"
"Anyway, let's follow this." Zetarus said and started following the signboard's direction. "If it doesn't lead to Dustorm City, it may lead to the nearest town and we can get more information there."
"W…Wait!" Diego said and followed the Garchomp. But neither of them had no idea of what was written on the signboard.
"To Windsky Plateau."
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: This chapter focuses on a story of Terrus, Natasha and Largo. We learn that their father is Emperor Garland Quakersand the Garchomp, who is a Pokemon that Zetarus wants to assassinate… We also learn that they have another sister, Freya. But she hasn't appeared yet…
Zetarus and Diego got some roles at the end of this chapter. And now both of them want to go to Dustorm City, but where they go now is the way to Windsky Plateau, which located south of Dustorm City…
A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.