The Wayward Assassin
AN: I've got two major announcements to make. First, after over a year of searching since I graduated college, I finally got a job. It's not what I was expecting or hoping for, but it's enjoyable enough. Technically, it's part time, but last week, I had to cover so many shifts that I actually made forty hours. I just didn't have the time to write much of anything, which is why I had no updates last week.
In simple terms, I now have a lot less free time, and while I'll try to keep my update schedule, I make no guarantees. I might miss a week here or there.
Which leads me to my second major announcement. I'm opening up my Twitter (X) page for all of you. I've been debating this for a while now, but I've decided that it's the best way to put out news and keep all of you up to date. I'll put my details in my bio on here, so if you want to check out my page (It's pretty much brand new), go ahead. Just be aware that I don't much like social media as a concept, so if it takes me several hours or longer to respond to a tweet, it's because I'm not glued to my feed. I'll get to it in my own time.
With that out of the way, enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. Nimbus, Sobek, Mistral, and Veneno are my OCs. Bloodwalker belongs to SpyroAndSisuFan. Certus, Solstice, and Swiftback belong to Epsilon33. Bear belongs to Schwanze. The concept for the character Soulseer partially belongs to SpyroAndSisuFan. Mystic belongs to Flerovium.
That night, I lay in my room, wide awake, my thoughts swirling about the events of the day. Darkstalker being around—sort of—was still a massive shock. I still didn't know what to really think about this situation I found myself in. There were still a lot of questions I had, and even though it was pitch black out, my brain was still so busy trying to work things out that I couldn't fall asleep.
That meant there was only one thing to do.
I had questions I wanted answered. There was only one dragon who actually could answer them. Fortunately, they'd given me my own room, so it was much easier to sneak out without being seen. Also, there was no telling how many enemies I had in the rank and file, even if I had the support of the higher ups right now.
So yeah, I snuck out in the middle of the night to sneak through a heavily patrolled extremist camp to talk to an ancient dragon trapped in a crystal ball who fashioned himself a god...
What could possibly go wrong?
Sneaking through the camp was easy enough. I may be a bit rusty due to years of inaction, but I was still good enough to slip by a bunch of common thugs. I did worry that Soulseer or Mystic might have seen me leave, but I made it to the temple without being stopped. I didn't feel like I was being watched, either.
Before I entered, though, I looked around at the camp as I attempted to steel myself for what I was about to do. Sandwing guards were either gathered around small campfires, either talking, laughing, or drinking, or were walking through the streets on patrol. The building my room was in was a dark silhouette in the distance, a black shape against a starry background. It wasn't too late to turn back. I could go back and try to go asleep again and forget about meddling in things beyond my understanding.
But no...
Resolved, I turned back to the temple doors and pushed them open enough to slip in. Despite their massive size, there was a set of smaller doors built into the bigger ones, so I just used those. The inside was completely dark. Only the streams of moonlight coming in from the small windows near the top of the building provided any form of light. There were no lit braziers or torches at all.
Each step I took echoed in the massive room, and it gave me a feeling of pronounced unease. There was something about sneaking around in such a massive building, alone and at night, that always felt disconcerting to me. Assassin I may be, but some things were universal.
Soon though, I made it to the back alcove where Darkstalker's crystal ball sat unprotected. I found that odd, considering how valuable it was. Wouldn't Vulture or whoever want someone posted in here at all times to make sure nobody stole it? The thought of doing just that and just flying away from here as fast as he could briefly surfaced, but then a hint of skepticism hit him. Maybe there was some hidden trap? There had to be some reason that nobody had tried to steal it, right? Maybe it was simply that no one here had any desire to, and no one outside the cult knew it existed.
Still...the trap possibility prevented me from bolting with it, and besides, I wanted answers first.
Hesitantly, the claw that hovered over the crystal lowered, and I shivered when I touched the cold surface, a sense of indescribable power and authority washing over me. "Darkstalker? Are you there?" I asked quietly.
I heard a soft chuckle. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go." His tone was friendly, not at all aggressive like I'd expected. "You took longer to get here than I expected."
"You expected me?" I wondered, though I immediately realized how foolish that sounded considering who I was talking to. "The threads tell you I was coming?"
He laughed, genuinely amused. "I didn't need to see the future to know you were coming. Your thoughts were so loud that I could hear you from across the camp. So...what is it you wanted to ask me?"
I blinked, taking in his explanation. "Shouldn't you know already?"
"I may be able to read thoughts and predict the future well enough to know exactly what you want to say to me, but I still enjoy regular conversation like any other dragon," he explained. "Besides...it's not like I have anything else to do at night. I don't need to sleep like this."
His friendly tone was a stark contrast to how he'd acted yesterday in front of the others, so I decided to question the difference. "You seem...different right now."
He laughed once again. "Yes, well...my followers think of me as a god. I have to keep up appearances for them."
I stared at the ball, Darkstalker's eye watching me from the swirling depths. His answer took me completely by surprise. "So...you don't actually think you're a god?"
Amusement twinkled in the eye. "I never said that." I stared at him skeptically, and he huffed. "I was hatched as a normal dragon, yes, but think about what that means. What is a normal dragon? They live their life, achieve their goals, and die at the end of their natural life. They're mortal. Through my magic, I have become more than that. I am immortal, unkillable, all-knowing."
"And you're not just deluding yourself because of the cult worshipping you?" I shot back.
He paused in actual thought. "I will admit that the title made me...uncomfortable at first. Religion was never very widespread back in my day, and I understand the same is true nowadays. I did try to resist it at first, but...I find that Vulture and I are kindred spirits."
I recoiled in surprise, which made him pause to look at me curiously. "You and Vulture?" That was a terrifying thought. Two of the most intelligent and charismatic villains in Pyrrhian history...
"I'm no villain, Deathbringer,"he snapped. "My methods and ambitions may go against the norm, but I want nothing more than a better, brighter future for Pyrrhia. United under my rule, there will be no war, no disease. Pyrrhia could become a utopia for everyone."
"And all it would cost would be the absolute extinction of the Icewings, I suppose," I shot back. He remained silent. "Whatever they did to you to make you hate them so much...it's been two thousand years. The dragons who wronged you are dead and gone. The war between the two tribes is over. Nightwing and Icewing dragonets are learning to get along and coexist with each other in Jade Mountain. That goes for the other tribes, too. Jade Mountain is teaching acceptance and understanding to the next generation."
"And how many dragonets are they able to teach per year, hmm? Thirty? Fifty? Maybe a hundred?" He scoffed. "The idea is admirable, and I would endeavor to continue their vision when I am King. However, the number of dragonets not taught in that mountain far outnumber the ones who are." Right before I was about to ask what his point was, he continued. "My point? That academy, while useful, is not enough to change the entire world. I can."
"But that doesn't mean you have to kill an entire tribe of dragons!" I tried to reason with him. I could sense his anger through my claws, but I still pressed on. "If you can remake reality, then why not do that? Why not erase history from their minds and enchant them to love you like you did before?"
"And you somehow think it's better to enchant an entire tribe into something they aren't rather than wipe them out? You believe that a cultural death is better than a physical one?" Despite his clear skepticism, he did seem thoughtful.
"Both options are evil, but one way is less so than the other," I admitted. "Either way, a lot of dragons will fear and hate you for what you do." A hint of uncertainty came through the link, and I decided to press on that. "If I may ask...why do have to punish the Icewings? I think you and I both know that's more of an emotional decision rather than a logical one. If you came to power, they couldn't do anything to you."
"An emotional decision?"he scoffed. "Perhaps partially. But the Icewings would never accept my rule. There is no thread where they do not resist. Even if I wanted to extend an olive branch, they would rise against me. No...whether through mass enchantment or genocide, the Icewings must die."
Another thought suddenly hit me. A detail he'd mentioned made me think of another way. "Then why not play the long game?"
A sense of intrigue hit me. "Explain."
"Well...you're immortal. You have nothing but time on your claws. Instead of trying to get immediate loyalty and subservience from everyone, why not manipulate them over decades? Or centuries, even. Eventually, the common mindset will change, and dragons will start to love and accept you." Darkstalker was quiet for a long time as he thought over my suggestion, probably looking through the threads to see how plausible it was.
Eventually, after about ten minutes, he finally spoke again. "I'll think about it," he promised, though I wasn't sure how genuine he was. "That's because the farther into the future I look, the less certain the threads become. I know how to achieve my goals right now, though it comes with casualties." He paused for a moment before his gaze narrowed. "Though, I tried playing the long game before with Moon, yet she, like Clearsight before her, betrayed me. The long it takes me to claim the throne of Pyrrhia, the more chances there are for other dragons to stop me."
Deciding not to push my luck any further—Darkstalker had already promised to think about it—I changed the subject. "So...can I ask you something else?"
"Of course," he said.
"How...How did you end up like this?" That's the biggest question I'd had ever since learning he'd survived.
"It's...complicated," he began, a bit hesitantly. "I'll start by explaining why I came up with this spell in the first place. It was after I gave myself impenetrable scales and made myself invulnerable to all but my own animus magic. I thought I was unkillable back then, though I wasn't arrogant. I had ambitions. I figured that someone, at some time, might come up with a way to kill me, so I came up with this spell as a backup. If I was to die, this orb would save my soul from dying along with my body, and then it would create a new body for me and transfer my soul back into it."
"So what went wrong?" I wondered.
"Peacemaker is what went wrong." I recoiled in surprise, but as I thought further on it, I began to realize that there were a lot of holes in Hope's story about where Peacemaker came from. Until now, I'd never once thought that Peacemaker had anything to do with Darkstalker. "When Moon attempted to turn me into Peacemaker, I technically died, so my soul was returned to this orb. That part of the enchantment worked as designed. However... Peacemaker is technically my body, just...different. It's me...but it's also not me. It's weird. But since my body didn't die, the orb hasn't made me a new one, which is what I enchanted it to do. Only when my body died would a new one be made for me."
"So you plan on killing him?" I wondered, though that immediately turned to wondering why they hadn't done that already if it was that simple.
"Because it's not so simple," Darkstalker responded. "Peacemaker, as I said, is my body but also not. It needs to be changed back to my old body, so it can die properly. Only then will I be freed from this orb."
"So what happens if Peacemaker dies?" I wondered.
"Then I'm stuck in here until I figure out another way out," he answered honestly, which took me by surprise.
"Why tell me all this?" He just admitted that there was a way to prevent him from returning, at least for the time being. If I had any desire to, I could go kill Peacemaker myself and potentially postpone his return.
"Because I'm in your mind, Deathbringer. Your desire to save your friends from my side outweighs whatever uncertainty you have about doing so. Putting morals aside for the moment, you don't know how long you killing Peacemaker will actually buy everyone. And regardless, I will still be around pulling the strings from the shadows." He was right about that, admittedly. There was no way of knowing how long I would actually buy us to figure this out. It could be a hundred years or a thousand years, but it could also be a mere decade. "What is certain, however, is that one day I will return. It's better for you to be on my side because I take care of my own. Serve me loyally, and I will make sure your friends are safe and sound. And though I don't understand it, I have already promised to enchant Glory to love you once more."
Worshipped as a god and promising boons to his followers...he certainly had a good gig going for him. There was no way anyone was ever dissuading these dragons from breaking from his cult. Speaking of which... "So what does Vulture get from this deal? And what makes you think the two of you are kindred spirits?"
"It's quite simple, really. He and I are both ambitious. We're both seen as villains. We both want power and control. I will admit outright that I don't approve of all of his methods, but his results speak for themselves. With him following my orders, I've managed to temper his cruelty quite a bit. As for what he gets?" He chuckled. "He gets a place at my side. I'll need dragons like him to help me rule Pyrrhia, so I have every intention of giving him immortality, as well. Plus, I think I'll give him a few decades back, too. Vulture will be my right claw in the new world order."
I let that thought sink in for a moment. Darkstalker and Vulture ruling Pyrrhia together was a terrifying thought, but my only comfort was that the former would be in charge of the latter. Darkstalker, at least, wasn't cruel for the sake of being cruel, and if the Nightwing could keep Vulture's more unsavory side in check, then all the better.
"And...what did my father want?" That was the one thing I wanted to know more than anything else. I wanted to know what kind of dragon he was, mostly because I didn't know him very well and really didn't know what to think about him.
A clear sense of amusement came through the link, and I saw Darkstalker's visage smile fondly. "He already got what he wanted: a chance to meet his son." My mouth opened and closed a few times. I didn't know what to say to that. Provided that was true...that was just...wholesome. "Vulture took care of that one for me, of course. And for what it's worth, I am glad you chose to give us—give me—another chance. My first impression wasn't exactly the greatest, and you do remind me a lot of the warriors we had back in my day, something the Nightwings could do with some more of. I'm truly lucky to have you on my side."
To me, the flattery didn't feel truly genuine, but the thanks definitely did. "Well...thanks, I guess. That's everything I wanted to ask you, I guess, so I'll just go."
"Suit yourself. Do feel free to drop by any night you want. It does get boring at night, and I did enjoy our little talk. Just remember, in front of others, we have to keep up appearances, so address me as 'Master' or 'Lord'. In private, however, just 'Darkstalker' is fine." With that parting, I pulled my claws away from the orb, the world suddenly feeling a lot quieter. While connected, there was a constant spike of energy down my spine that nearly tingled, so intense it was. And I could sense a lot of his emotions. Pulling away almost made the world feel a bit...empty. Did Moon feel like this when touching skyfire?
My thoughts were all awhirl when I stepped through the door, so I wasn't paying as close attention to my surroundings as I should have. Because of that, I didn't notice I wasn't alone until it was too late to react. Suddenly, I was pinned against the wall, a Sandwing barb to my throat and a snarling Sandwing visage in my face. Any thought of resistance I had immediately disappeared when I recognized Vulture. For an old dragon, he still had it. "Sneaking around where we shouldn't be, are we, Deathbringer? What did you do?"
He was utterly furious, no doubt thinking I'd done something with Darkstalker's orb. "Nothing!" I swore. "I just had questions that I wanted answered! I mean, all it takes is a single glance to see the orb is still there!"
Vulture snarled at me but did as I suggested. The tension in his body lessened considerably when he saw I was telling the truth. He opened his mouth, ready to say something, when Darkstalker's voice echoed from across the chamber. "I know how protective you are of me, Vulture, but this is just excessive. Let the poor dragon up, will you?"
It took a second, and he glared at me the entire time, but Vulture eventually complied, and I got to my feet slowly, making sure I didn't make any sudden moves to tick the Sandwing off. Behind him, in the courtyard, I saw a small group of other Sandwings waiting there, clearly tense, but once things between Vulture and I calmed down, they relaxed.
Without a word, Vulture grabbed me by the arm and all but threw me into the temple. He really was a lot stronger than he looked, but that was definitely on me for underestimating him simply because he was old. Old didn't necessarily mean feeble. And in our line of work, only the toughest, smartest bastards lived to his age.
By the time I'd regained my balance and turned to look at him, he'd just slammed the door shut so hard it echoed through the entire temple. "And what, exactly, did the two of you talk about?" I was surprised to see his glare switch from me to the orb in the back of the room, as if admonishing Darkstalker for doing something dumb.
"Oh, relax, will you? We just talked about me and how I ended up in this...unfortunate predicament. Then, we talked a bit about you and why the two of us are working together." That was a gross oversimplification if I'd ever heard one, but he was essentially correct. "Oh, and we discussed Peacemaker for a bit, too."
"Really? You'd divulge such critical information to someone I'm not sure we can even trust yet?" Vulture seemed a mix of annoyed and exasperated, but Darkstalker's amused chuckle made the Sandwing huff.
"I trust him," was his simple yet utterly flabbergasting response. "And I want him working directly with you from now on. He cares enough about his friends and Pyrrhia to discuss the future with me, and I can respect him for that." Vulture glanced at me with a new expression, intrigue, upon hearing that. "Deathbringer is one of us."
"That remains to be seen..." Vulture muttered.
And it was only then did Darkstalker seem to get annoyed. "The threads don't lie, Vulture. Don't second-guess me just because you are paranoid. If I say Deathbringer is on our side, I expect you to treat him as such. But do be aware that he's not a mindless killer like Sirocco and Rattlesnake. Deathbringer actually has a brain to go with his brawn. And like me, he has a moral line that he will not cross."
Vulture was quiet for several minutes as he studied me before eventually relenting. "Understood. Congratulations, Deathbringer. You just got promoted. By the master's decree, you're now my right claw."
From the way the two interacted, I was getting conflicting signals. Were they equal partners or was Darkstalker the one fully in charge? Maybe I'd ask later, but for now one thing was certain, things just got a whole lot more interesting. Already, I had a chance to help my friends. As Vulture's right claw, I could make sure they were all kept safe.
I glanced at Darkstalker's orb, and even from here I could see his eye giving me a knowing look. I huffed in surprise. Even trapped like he was, he was already granting me my boon.
He ordered me to go back to my room for the night, so I did as I was told. The next day, I was awoken early by Soulseer, who escorted me to Vulture's personal office. It was simple but luxurious. From the high quality furniture, rugs, and tapestries to the expensive liquor on the shelves and the silverware on the table, it was clear that Vulture appreciated the finer things in life. Once there, he told Soulseer to wait outside and proceeded to explain what my new position entailed.
"For now, I'm not giving you any kind of power," he explained as he poured a pair of drinks for us. "Despite Darkstalker's assurances, I prefer learning about a dragon the old-fashioned way. You'll do a few tasks for me here and there, and only once I'm convinced you really are one hundred percent with us will I start giving you some real authority."
"What about information, then?" I asked. "I heard Mastermind was on his way here?"
He nodded. "A mole in the Sandwing palace will be breaking out him and Cobra shortly. Darkstalker needs a spell to undo the Peacemaker enchantment on his old body, and Mastermind seemed like a good start. Darkstalker himself may be a master of animus magic, but even he might need help wording this particular spell." He paused to down his liquor in one gulp before continuing. "The other thing we're going to need is an animus—or an animus enchanted object—to actually cast the spell."
"Well, neither Turtle nor Anemone will help you out, and Stonemover gave up his magic." Those were the only animus dragons I could think of.
"There is another, and I've already got operatives tracking her down. I also plan on making our partnership with this animus known to our adversaries. Anemone's willingness to use her magic isn't unknown to me, so I hope by having one of our own, she'll refrain for fear of our retaliation." I nodded along. That was a smart move. "I'll also tell you right now that there's already a plan in the works to capture Glory and bring her here." My eyes widened in surprise at how fast they moved, however, he held up a claw to stop me from speaking. "The other two dragons I recruited while in the Sky Kingdom will be working on this particular operation, and they both have a personal vendetta against Glory. And Mystic left before I could tell her to make sure the Rainwing survives, but I have dispatched a courier with the altered orders. Still, I doubt Glory will arrive here unharmed, but she'll at least be alive. With the animus we recruit, we should be able to grant your boon immediately upon both parties' arrival."
Another wave of guilt and uncertainty hit me, but I quashed it ruthlessly. I was doing this for her. Besides, it may make me uncomfortable to think of now, but part of the deal was to have my memory of it erased, as well. Once it was done, everything would be okay. Glory and I could be together, just like things were supposed to be. If not for the spectacular backfire of my 'hard to get' routine, no doubt we'd already be married by now. And no matter how many times I tried to tell her that it was just a joke or that I was playing 'hard to get', she didn't believe me. If she had just believed me, things would be different.
She could just be so stubborn sometimes...
"As for the latter option, Prince Winter has a piece of Darkstalker's scroll, the last one in existence. Darkstalker claims that only his magic will affect him, though he admits he's not certain as to whether that stipulation also affects Peacemaker." He poured himself another drink, and I had to wonder how anyone could drink alcohol this early in the morning. I'd only downed mine to be polite, but I declined the offer for another. "Just in case, we're trying to track him down, but...after we tried to nab him three years ago, he vanished. Of course, at that time, he didn't have the piece. Darkstalker just wanted him dead. But now he does have the piece, and he's used it to evade our notice for three years now. I'm still trying to figure out what to do about that one."
"What about going after Hailstorm?" I suggested.
"I thought about it," he admitted. "But it's risky. Since Snowfall is unmarried, Hailstorm is basically Acting King. Even in the Sand Kingdom, if he disappears, the Icewings will hear about it almost instantly, and then the full wrath of the Ice Kingdom will fall on the Scorpion Den. Our base here is one of many, and we can easily move if need be, but I'd rather not have an entire town slaughtered because of me. That's about the one line I won't cross."
"Because you'd feel guilty?" I doubted it, but I decided to ask anyway. Vulture didn't strike me as the kind to feel guilty over any kind of collateral damage.
He scoffed and shook his head. "Because I'd lose too much profit." Internally, I sneered in disgust, though my façade was completely neutral. I expected nothing less from him, but it still sickened me to hear how callous this dragon was. "I own roughly seventy-two percent of the businesses in this town. It's my biggest money maker. I lose this place, and over a third of my capital goes with it."
Moving on from that, I decided it was probably best to change the subject to something more important for the now. "So what's on my to-do list?"
Vulture regarded me cooly before walking over to the door and opening it. Across the hall stood Soulseer, who had been looking out of the window, but when the door opened, he looked over at us. "Take him on a tour of the compound," he ordered the older Nightwing. "Introduce him to all of the important players." Then, Vulture turned to me. "As for you...dinner's at six. Don't be late." He silently gestured for me to leave, so I did, and once I was out of his study, he slammed the door in my face.
"I get the sense he doesn't like me," I commented.
Soulseer shrugged and motioned for me to follow. I did, and we were downstairs and almost to Vulture's front door before he spoke. "He doesn't know whether or not he can trust you right now. Once you prove your loyalty, he'll be a lot more welcoming. Darkstalker making you his right claw probably doesn't help matters, either. Vulture prefers dragons he trusts at his side, and as I said, he's not sure about you yet."
I let that swirl around for a while, and a silence fell between us—not tense or awkward or anything else. Just a silence. The tour was just that: a tour. He showed me around the premises. He showed me the barracks, the armory, the mess, the local black market. In all honestly, aside from the temple, this compound was very alike a military camp. Most of the dragons I was introduced to weren't very memorable. I met a fence, a few 'officers', some merchants, the cooks, some 'entertainers'. The most memorable introduction was with Sirocco and Rattlesnake themselves. Vulture's granddaughter and older grandson were something else. They were definitely killers like their grandfather, evidenced by the myriad dragon skull tattoos running up and down their necks. However, Darkstalker's comment about them wasn't far off. They weren't exactly the smartest individuals I'd ever met.
And from how Rattlesnake hung off her brother and how they interacted with each other with the constant touching, I got the sense that they were closer than I was comfortable with. Soulseer confirmed it once we were out of earshot. "A lot of dragons here are messed up in some way or another, but those two are some of the worst. They've...got a few screws loose, but don't tell them I said that. As long as they're good at what they do—and they are very good at what they do—Vulture doesn't seem to care about them all that much."
"Does he know about the..." I gestured behind us with my head, and Soulseer nodded.
"Their incestuous relationship? Yeah, he knows. Everyone does. Of course, anyone that tries to mock them or tell them it's wrong ends up dead within a week, so...don't." I looked behind me just in time to see the two start a heated make-out session, and I nearly gagged. "Just leave them be is the best advice I can give you."
Later that day, dinner with Vulture consisted of standard Sandwing fare such as fried scorpions and roasted lizards, and it was a quiet, awkward affair. I briefly mentioned his grand-dragonets, but he didn't seem to care all that much and gave me much the same advice as Soulseer. "Just let those two twisted souls do what they will. What they do behind closed doors is no one else's business but theirs as long as they do their jobs."
Other than that, we didn't speak very much. Vulture seemed disinterested, but I got the sense that he was watching me closely, trying to read my body language, no doubt. I was nervous, though that was because I was in a room, alone, with Pyrrhia's most infamous criminal having a semi-formal dinner.
If I was being honest, having heard a lot of stories about him, I expected more exotic dancers and some form of music. But no, it was just me and him, and the silence was absolutely deafening.
Most of my days after that weren't much different. I actually didn't take up Darkstalker's offer to swing by for another chat. Not yet, at least. Soulseer was a constant guide for me, and I shadowed either him or Vulture during the days to get a feel for how they ran things here. With my father, there was a lot of personal conversation, just us talking and getting to know the other. With Vulture, he kept things strictly business, occasionally asking me for input on something or other but never commenting on my answers with anything more than a thoughtful glance.
Like he said, Mastermind and Cobra turned up about two weeks later. Mastermind was originally quite surprised to see me, but then, once Vulture introduced him to Darkstalker and gave him his task, he set to it with that single-minded obsession that I knew him for. He actually seemed somewhat excited to be serving Darkstalker.
Cobra, on the other claw, was not enthusiastic about being here. She and I never actually spoke to each other, though I heard that she and Vulture got into it. No physical blows, of course. Just a loud screaming match. I would've thought Cobra would be grateful to be out, but apparently she hated her dad. Who would've thought? Then again, I imagine Vulture wasn't exactly 'father of the year' material. Since I saw her around camp in the following days, I took that to mean she was on board and the two didn't actually kill each other.
A few days after Mastermind and Cobra arrived Mystic arrived, alone, back at the camp in about as foul a mood as I've ever seen her in. Actually, I hadn't known she'd arrived until she stormed into Vulture's office, the door slamming open and cutting off the crime lord. We'd been discussing our next moves, but when she barged in out of the blue, Vulture went silent and glared at her. She went to speak but froze upon noticing me. "Well!?" Vulture snarled. "What's so damn important you needed to barge into my office like this!?"
She glanced at me again, but when Vulture stood with a dangerous look, she finally found her words. "We failed, sir. Glory escaped, and everyone but me, Sobek, and Magnificent are dead. I have no idea where the other two are, though, so maybe they're dead, too...I don't know..." Vulture's jaw clenched, and I could tell he was moments away from throttling her for such a spectacular blunder. "But...we found Winter."
Suddenly, all of the rage in the old Sandwing fizzled out completely. "He finally showed himself?" She nodded silently, and Vulture was silent for a moment as he continued to glare at her. Then, "Get out of my sight. Go inform our Lord of your report...and hope he's feeling merciful."
She paled considerably, and I knew right then and there that only me and Vulture were the only ones who knew the truth about Darkstalker's act. The rest of them believed, truly, that he was an actual god.
Their god.
She left quietly, and once it was just the two of us, I heard Vulture mutter, "Well, this changes things..." Then, he turned to me. "It seems I've some things to take care of now. You're dismissed for now."
I nodded and left. Once outside, I was left to my thoughts for a moment, and I realized that the more time I spent here, the less uncomfortable and less like an outsider I felt. I was actually starting to feel like one of them, and...I actually wasn't sure how to feel about that. I guess it was all according to plan. You know, get on their good side and save my friends from a position of power on the winning side. Like Soulseer mentioned, Vulture slowly seemed to be warming up to me, too. That was probably the biggest contributor as to why I no longer felt so uneasy here. Dragons were beginning to recognize me, and they were speaking to me like I was one of them.
I still had no real authority, but I suppose that would come in time, once I really proved my loyalty.
About a week later, another group arrived. The dragon of note this time was a large female Sandwing with cold eyes and a colder demeanor. I didn't recognize her, but she allowed herself to be escorted towards the temple, so I quickly ran to Vulture's office to give him the news. He was reading some reports when I went up there. His door was already opened, so when he saw me, he looked up at me curiously. "I think someone important just arrived," I told him.
"Large female Sandwing with a clear superiority complex?" he asked, and I nodded. That made him break out into a wide, malicious grin. "Excellent..." He stood and quickly exited his office, and I fell in line behind him. "I think you'll be interested in this particular meeting."
That alone intrigued me, but I remained silent. Dragons seemed to be congregating near the temple, as there was a crowd of close to a hundred there when we arrived, but they parted as Vulture and I approached to allow us entry, unimpeded, to the temple.
When we entered, a bout of unfamiliar laughter echoed through the building. "Stars above, you're a crafty one, aren't you? I'd heard the stories, but I honestly didn't expect to see anyone else from our time. I guess I underestimated you."
"That you did, Jerboa," he agreed. "And I heard tales of you, as well. I think you and I would make a great team. I find myself in need of another animus' services, and well...when I rule Pyrrhia, I'll make sure you're well taken care of. Anything you want, I can give."
"Anything I want, I can give myself," she countered. "I do have the same abilities as you. The truth is...I don't need you near as much as you need me...so why don't you improve your offer?"
Darkstalker chuckled, but there was an underlying sense of malice to it. "You don't want me as an enemy, Jerboa. Even if you give yourself the same invulnerability and immortality that I gave myself, the difference between you and I is that I will accept no competition. Even one content with keeping the status quo. That, and I'm not a fat, lazy slob who's content when my belly and bed are full of a choice bit of meat."
Jerboa simply raised an eye ridge in slight surprise at the sudden shift in tone. "Tough talk from someone trapped in a crystal ball. I may not be as ambitious as you, but I'm not a lazy whore like you seem to think I am. The real difference between you and I is that I use my magic to make my life more comfortable. You use it to gain power. Personally, I think the eternity of stress and paranoia that comes with ruling an entire continent is overrated. Far better to live an easy life with all the comforts and luxuries you can think of a mere snap away."
To illustrate her point, she held out her right claws and snapped with her left. A golden goblet full of a rich red wine appeared in her claws without her needing to say a word. She smirked and took a nice gulp from it. Then, she snapped again and suddenly she was wearing a silver necklace with an onyx inlay and a silver ring on each of her ten claws. The ones on her thumbs had rubies, emeralds on her indexes, amethysts on her middles, topazes on her rings, and diamonds on her pinkies. Simple silver bands appeared on her middle toes, as well. Silver hoop earrings appeared in each of her ears, too. All that was missing was the crown, for with it, she would've appeared the picture of royalty.
She stared at her goblet in thought as she swirled the liquid inside in slow circles. "But...you do have a nice following here. And you're clearly quite resourceful. I'm not going to underestimate you by thinking you'll be stuck in there forever. So sure, I'll stay on your good side, but don't expect me to bow or call you 'master'."
She took another sip of her drink after her offer, and Darkstalker hummed in consideration. "Very well. I'll agree to those terms. You help me until I am freed, and when you go your own way, I won't lift a single talon against you so long as you don't get in my way."
"Sounds good to me," Jerboa shrugged. She snapped again, and her goblet of wine disappeared to be replaced by a bowl of honeyed dates, which she started snacking on. "So...anything I can do for you right this minute?"
"Not right now," Vulture spoke up. "I'll let you know personally if there is anything you can do for us."
She nodded as she studied him, a hint of confusion on her face. "And...who are you supposed to be again?"
"The name's Vulture," he introduced himself, a hint of annoyance in his tone. "I own the largest criminal syndicate on Pyrrhia."
"He's my second in command," Darkstalker explained. "Should he tell you to do something, treat it like an order from me."
"Duly noted," she huffed. "I prefer quarters away from everyone else if possible. Food, drink, and other luxuries aren't a problem for me if necessary, but I prefer eating and drinking stuff that I haven't had to conjure. Oh, and do make sure I have a servant assigned to follow my every whim."
"We've already got quarters set aside for you," Vulture offered. "Soulseer will show you where they are. As for your other requests, I'll make sure you have your servant before nightfall, and you'll have your fill of whatever food you want as long as you stay with us."
Jerboa stared at him in surprise before huffing in amusement. "My...you certainly know how to treat a 'ness."
"You're our very special guest, dear Jerboa," Vulture responded. "Deathbringer, with me." With that, he turned to leave, and I followed him out. Once his eyes landed upon the crowd, his eyes narrowed, and that was all it took for all of them to scatter in every which way. "Apologies for not being able to grant your boon as soon as I thought."
I shrugged. I'd waited years now, so what was one more setback? "As long as I get it in the end, I'm good."
He grunted. "If only all of my lackies had your patience."
Things were mostly normal for the next two weeks. I went out with Soulseer on a quick trip to the Sandwing capital to check up on our local operative there. Dusty was his name, and he reported that the ruse was still undiscovered. He still had his sources inside the palace.
It was a quick, easy mission, but it let me know that Vulture was now alright with giving me some more responsibilities. It wasn't much, not yet, but it was a start.
Vulture, Jerboa, and a contingent of troops left the compound a few days after we returned from that little trip. Lately, there was news coming out of the Sky Kingdom that a possible war was brewing. It was an expected development due to Darkstalker's foresight, and they both believed that the chaos in the Skywing capital was the best time to capture Winter. Intel was that he was now in service of Glory. Better yet, Magnificent—it was still hard to believe she was part of this, too—already had a bargaining chip.
I kind of felt sorry that Jambu and Pineapple got caught up in this. They were both innocent, but I didn't know either of them very well. Jambu was kind of an idiot, too, and he went along with the name-calling when Glory started doing it. I don't think he was doing it to be intentionally mean, but it was still a reason for me not to like him. Besides, if things went to plan, neither one of them were going to die.
That's about the time I ran into Sobek again. In his case, I wasn't surprised he got tangled up in this cult. He was always a bit unstable, in my opinion. The gang life hadn't been kind on him, though. He had a hole in his leg from a spear. Half of his face was horribly scarred by Rainwing venom, which I guess came from Glory herself. And he had a bunch of new scars across his body. Like Cobra, he didn't share a single word with me, and we gave each other a wide berth. I was part of the reason why Thorn dishonorably discharged him, but he couldn't exactly touch me now that I was in Vulture's good graces.
Ten days later, the first real challenge for me came when Winter was dragged into the compound, beaten, bloody, and hardly conscious. He was in a cage in the middle of the square, subject to the desert heat and the taunts and jeers of the crowd. Somehow, even though I kept far away from him, he still found me. In his expression, I saw no surprise. Only disappointed acceptance, like my presence only confirmed the old stereotypes he was taught.
You know...never trust a Nightwing.
That was...hard. I wasn't exactly close with Winter myself, but a lot of my friends cared very deeply about him. The first ones that came to mind were Qibli, Moon, Kinkajou, and Glory. That night, I finally took up Darkstalker's offer. He wasn't surprised to see me, and by name-dropping Moon, I eventually convinced him to tell Vulture to move Winter to an inside cell out of the heat. I got the sense that he only agreed because of what the threads told him. What that might've been, I had no idea. Maybe there was a chance for Moon to forgive him—or join him—if he showed mercy to Winter?
I don't know, but I tried not to think of it too much. Instead, I just tried to reassure myself that I was doing good where I was. Already I was saving dragons from worse fates.
A few days later, Vulture summoned me and Soulseer into his office. "I've a job for the two of you. Lord Darkstalker says that the task force will be heading to the Sand Kingdom soon to help Thorn find our operatives there. If we don't do anything, they'll succeed in a matter of days, so I need you two to go there, get in their good graces, and do a bit of misdirection to keep Dusty's identity safe."
"And how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Soulseer asked.
Vulture grinned the grin that meant someone was being manipulated and bad things were about to happen to them because of it. "I charged Sobek with infiltrating the Rainforest and making an 'attempt' on Glory's life. He'll fail, as per ordered, and they'll bring him to the Sand Kingdom. He told me that Thorn's preferred method of execution is her tail barb, so I had Jerboa enchant him to make any Sandwing venom cause him to fall into a deep, near-death sleep for about ten minutes. After that, I told him to capture Hailstorm and bring him here."
"I thought you said capturing Hailstorm was risky?" I asked, remembering that one nugget of information from a while back.
"I did, but I don't care about capturing Hailstorm. You two are going to intercept Sobek. He'll think the two of you are there to help him escape, but in reality...you're going to kill him." Both me and Soulseer blinked in surprise, glancing between each other. "His usefulness has run its course. He's too much of an uncontrollable disaster waiting to happen for me to trust him fully. So, the two of you will kill him, 'rescue' Hailstorm, and that should bring the both of you into the good graces of our friends in the palace."
This was an important mission that he was trusting me with. And I got the chance to see Glory again after all this time apart. I really hoped there wasn't any name-calling, but if there was, I'd just have to remember that we would be together in the end.
"What would our cover story be?" Soulseer asked.
"The best lies have some truth to them," Vulture replied. "Tell them that Deathbringer here joined us as a double agent because he heard his father was part of the cult, and he convinced you to break and escape with him. Don't mention anything about Lord Darkstalker, of course. And make no mention of Winter, either. I don't want them trying to stage a rescue operation.
The less attention there is on the Scorpion Den, the better." Soulseer nodded after a moment of thought. "I can work with that."
"Good," Vulture nodded, glad to hear that. Then, his gaze turned to me. "And what about you? Are you ready to truly prove yourself? Can I trust you to do this despite Glory's presence?" I nodded almost immediately. "Then, go get ready. Sobek leaves tonight, and it'll take him about four days to strike. Make sure you're at the rendezvous point before he gets there." Upon his desk, there was a map of the Sand Kingdom, and he pointed to one area of the desert about an hour's flight straight east of the capital.
As planned, we set out for the rendezvous point two days later, and Sobek met us there a few nights later, an unconscious and bound Hailstorm draped across his back. He never suspected a thing. Soulseer offered to carry Hailstorm for the next leg of the trip, which Sobek agreed to, and as soon as Soulseer was within striking distance, the Sandwing was dead before he hit the ground. The Nightwing had moved so fast that I barely even realized he'd struck before half of Sobek's neck was just gone, the bone shining white through the blood and gore.
Soulseer gazed at the body for a moment before swinging again, fully decapitating the corpse. I didn't even bother asking why. I just cut Hailstorm's binds as Soulseer cleaned the blood off his talons with the sand. The Icewing woke up moments later, scared and confused, but once he saw me, and I reassured him that we'd just rescued him, he calmed down.
After that, we all flew back to the palace, told the guards our fake story, showed them on a map where Sobek's body was, and then told our story again to Thorn. Seeing all of my friends almost made me break then and there, but I just reminded myself why I was here.
I would say the biggest shock was seeing Glory again and her actually calling me by name, but no...
The biggest shock was learning that she was dating that smug ass of an Icewing. As I began telling them my fake story, I swore to myself then and there that that Icewing was going to die before I left here. He had no right to take my dragoness...
AN: I you noticed a stark contrast between the writing style in the first third and the last two thirds and the latter feels rushed, it's because it sort of is. I'd already promised that this was the last chapter of this arc, and if I did the 'show, don't tell' method for all of the scenes, this probably would've ended up as a five part arc. I didn't want to take that long, and I know you guys wouldn't want me to spend that long in a side story, so...I summarized a lot of stuff.
And yes, Deathbringer is going slightly yandere at this point.
Comments, concerns, and all other reviews are welcome.
Until Next Time
AdmiralCole22
