Hexarash, the Kingdom of Yellow. The Kingdom of the high peaks. The Kingdom was built upon the peaks of the highest mountains of the Xaltez mountain range, with its capital Hexarash seated upon the tallest peak, built halfway into the mountain, with its main castle towering high above the clouds. Surrounding the peaks, suspended through a mix of magic and mystery, were the floating islands of Hexarash. Numerous land masses of various sizes orbiting around the mountain ranges, with the larger ones able to hold cities and towns. This was where air travel was at its peak.
Windships, large ships that sail through the air through magic and technology unknown to Deryke, ferry people constantly from island to island, as well as to the large cities that dot the peaks of the Xaltez mountains. Lilianne Relinton flew straight for one of the larger islands, being trailed by Alsces Kyros and Deryke Verias on their scales. The floating island was fairly large, its size comparable to that of a single Kingdom’s capital in length, and to think that it was not the largest of the floating islands made Deryke a little dizzy just trying to imagine it.
The islands themselves were rich with natural life, most of them having their own lakes, rivers, forests and open plains. Others may be covered in dunes, or have hills and ravines, mountains and valleys. Perhaps due to the nature of the Kingdom of Yellow, the most common race to inhabit the Kingdom, besides the Delvas races, were the flying races. Griffons, giant eagles, pegasuses, wyverns and even small Dragons are a common sight here, thus leading to the Kingdom of Yellow to have the largest, most diverse, and fastest aerial calvary force amongst all of the Kingdom’s military forces. And there exist a special group within Hexarash’s military arm that no other Kingdom has established. An Avarian troop regiment.
Avarian were colloquially known as ‘feather folk’, were a race of birdmen. Standing upon their large talons, these feather folk had wings for arms, and their faces were that of birds. Deryke Verias had not seen an Avarian up close, spying on some who happened to be customers of the inn. Krakos the Drac used to tell him stories of how Avarian were as noisy as they were ferocious in battle. Their war cries would often be heralded as the sign of victory, and the mere sight of them would send most knights running.
But Krakos had also told Deryke of their clumsiness and their scattered brains. Having feathered wings for arms meant they could not grasp objects as firmly as others, and their fast paced lifestyle is said to attribute to their lack of attention and memory. This was why the Drac didn’t really like them as customers. They would come in, speak loudly, cause a mess and ruckus, forget what they were talking about or even forget why they were there, start fighting one another, cause a scene, get the local militia involved, and then forget to pay. In short, they were probably the worst type of customers an inn could have. And yet they were still lauded as highly sought after soldiers.
Now one might wonder why Deryke was thinking of these Avarian people and their little quirks, and the answer is simple. They were now surrounded by armoured Avarian knights. Wearing sectioned plate armour that covered their chest and small portions of their legs, the Avarian knights held spears and polearms within the claws of their feet, flying in an ever tightening encirclement around Deryke and the others. The two scales, Houwe and Suilya were starting to get annoyed by the Avarian, snapping their jaws at any that dared to venture too close.
“Halt, riders of the great Wings! State your intentions upon entering our domain!”
One of the Avarian knights shouted, flying in closer. This Avarian knight had a bright blue plummage, and his helmet covering his head had an additional metal plate covering the top half of his beak, unlike the other Avarian knights, whose helmets did not cover their beaks at all. Was this a symbol of a higher rank within the Avarian knights? Lilianne Relinton stopped in mid-flight, flapping her mighty wings to stay in place as she snared at the lead Knight.
Transforming quickly, Lilianne took on the half-way transformation, retaining her Dragon wings, tails and horns, but now utilising her human body and face. This was a form that Deryke knew quite well, having been thoroughly beaten up by Shivylie in. This was the form that mirrored the fabled Dradries race, honoured and respected by all. Perhaps this one of the many reasons that the Dragonnaires are revered just the same.
“We are of the Dragonnaire Order! See our flag and know that you are before the Dragons!”
Lilianne shouted. Upon seeing this transformation, the Avarian knights immediately flew back, giving some distance as they lowered their heads before Lilianne.
“F-f-f-forgive us, mighty ones! F-f-f-for w-w-we-we-we di-di-did n-not know!”
The Avarian knight’s stammer was rather excessive, which made Deryke rethink on whether the Dragonnaires were revered, or feared.
“We have come by word from Yellow Wing, that we are to meet with knights from the Order of the Golden Spear. I ask of you if you have heard of our coming?”
Lilianne asked the leader of the Avarian knights, who raised his head a little, cocking it sideways with puzzlement.
“T-the Golden Order? … I-…”
The Avarian leader paused, still showing signs of confusion, before he turned to one of the Avarian knights behind him.
“Have we heard of such news?”
“I have not.”
“Neither have I.”
“Was it something the Lord Knight had said this morn?”
“Was that not about the bad odor from the pegasus pens?”
The Avarian knights started to hold their own discussions, now completely ignoring Lilianne and the others, as well as forgetting the tension they had facing Lilianne. Krakos was right. They were absent minded to a fault. A sudden screech pierced the air, causing the Avarian knights to look around in panic. Deryke and Alsces looked around as well, though more to find the source of that sound.
“Look, from below!”
Alsces pointed, directing everyone’s gaze to the floating island below. Heading towards them was a sight that Deryke thought he would only hear about. An entire brigade of aviation calvary. Amassing close to twenty giffon riders, flanked on their sides by estimated fifty pegasus knights, the brigade flew straight for the group, causing the Avarian knights to move clear of the on-coming calvary, though still surrounding Deryke and the others. The aviation calvary brigade flew in closer, allowing Deryke to see that the riders upon those majestic mounts wore brilliantly shiny golden armour. Each engraved with beautiful and elaborate markings.
Their helmets shaped to mimic the heads of fierce beasts, such as lions, eagles and most certainly Dragons. As grand and majestic as the tales from bards, the aerial calvary group soared past them, sending a rush of wind and threatening to dismount Deryke and Alsces, if they had not been secured by their stirrups. The calvary flew around and were now surrounding both groups, Deryke and the Dragonnaires, as well as the Avarian knights. While the pegasus knights encircled the group, three griffon riders flew closer to Lilianne and the others.
Seated upon the back of the mighty lead griffon, was a large man, his golden armour having far more engravings than the others. His shoulder pauldrons large and having a lion’s head motif. His chest plate was also shaped to look like a lion’s head. Might Deryke dare to say this man likes lions? Even his helm was a lion, and drapped around his neck was a large fur mane attached to his bellowing yellow cape. Deryke might venture a guess to say that this Knight Lord could be a Vern? A lion Vern maybe?
“Hail! Venerable Knights of the Grand Order! I, Knight Lord Markex Zel Aureliks, commander of the Order of the Golden Spear, bid you welcome to Hexarash!”
The large golden knight’s voice boomed across the skies. Whilst Deryke and Alsces were both stunned by the sheer volume of his voice, Lilianne seemed unphased. Rather, the white Dragonnaire’s expression was turning ever so increasingly sour.
“We beg for your forgiveness for not being able to welcome you with a proper reception, but there is an urgent matter with which we must attend to, and must away without a proper welcome.”
That was a rather unreasonable request, and Lilianne made no effor to hide her irritation as she immediately snapped back at the Knight commander.
“Do not treat the Order as some lap dog! We came upon a request made formally to the Yellow Wing, and to simply brush us aside when we arrive is nothing less than an insult to us. Know your place!”
Lilianne’s rage did make some of the knights and aerial calvary to back away slightly, but the knight lord, upon his griffon stead, was not deterred, chuckling slightly.
“Indeed, it was we who sought the aid of the Grand Order, White Dragonnaire, and as I had said before, I beg for your forgiveness for such an act. However, one would not expect that a Dragonnaire from the Grand Order would hold such impulsiveness, and lack the patience that we had aspired the Grand Order to uphold.”
“…”
Lilianne wanted to say something back, but could not. Deryke now understood that they were not only part of the Order, but also its representatives. What actions they take outside of the Order would reflect upon the Order itself, and though the Order is widely respected and revered, that did not mean it will remain as such forever. The Order could freely travel between the Kingdoms because of that respect, and it would do them no good should they lose the trust of the people. They were a powerful Order, but they did not rule over anyone, and using power to force others to follow their word would only isolate them further. The Knight Lord noticed Lilianne’s silence, and smiled.
“I apologise for my words, white Dragonnaire. To speak such words against one such as yourself, regardless of the situation, shall shame my line for generations to come. As I had said before, there is an urgent matter that we must address, thus I will assign three of my own to accompany you to explain the task we has asked of Yellow Wing.”
Knight Lord Markex raised his hand, and one griffon knight and two pegasus knights flew closer.
“These three shall guide and assist you on the task at hand. While I do not believe it to be difficult, I nonetheless pray for your success.”
The Knight Lord then turned to the Avarian Knights.
“Avaritter! Fly with us! We make for the capital!”
Knight Lord shouted to the Avarian Knights, before leading his aerial calvary off. The Avarian knights looked to one another, and to their leader in particular.
“Do not presume to command us, for we do not answer to you!”
The leader snapped, and yet still signalled for his Avarian knights to follow as the entire flight of aerial calvary and Avarian Knight flew off in the direction of the capital. Lilianne Relinton turned to Deryke and Alsces.
“It has-… is difficult to maintain the integrity of our Order before others. I pray that you have learned where I have failed.”
Lilianne muttered, swallowing her pride hard, before turning her attention to the three aerial calvary knights who stayed with them.
“As per the word of your leader, you three would guide us to where we need to be.”
The knights nodded to Lilianne’s statement, with the lead knight on the griffon lifting up the visor of his helmet, revealling a face coloured dark red. It was not a description of this person’s emotional state, but rather his entire being. The man’s skin was dark red, much like the colour of red soil. Sharp and rigid bone structures contour his face enough to leave only a vague resemblance to that of a human. His jaw line protruded outwards and his cheeks were slight sunken in. His eyes appeared sunken as well, but possibly due to the protrusion of his brow and forehead. A Koredin.
Koredins were a race of people whom most describe as ‘monstrous’. Their physical sizes were around those of orgres, as does their appearances seem similar to the brutish creatures. Their skins were as thick and tough as iron, and coloured in deep colours that were unusual to the Delva races.
However, there were two features of this race that made others call them ‘monstrous’. Their horns that adorn their heads and faces, and their additional appendages. Koredins had horns that were shaped similarly to Dragons, but their horns lacked the graceful texture and curves, being angular, sharp and ferocious. The racial feature of having additional appendages also made their kind seem out of place with the other races. Some had additional legs, others had more arms than would appear necessary.
It was not uniformed throughout the race, and it was not known exactly how or why does this race have such an appearance. But besides their appearances, their personality and character had played a vital role in their integration into the Kingdoms, for unlike their appearances, the Koredins were more often known to be cordial, respectful, and having in their speech and stride. A trait that many point out, is sorely missing in many other races.
Koredins were not an uncommon sight in the Kingdoms, unlike those Avari, having their presence known throughout the land, though their numbers have been dwindling during the past few eras. They are known to take their other ‘name’, if one could call it as such, with little resentment. But do not look down upon the Koredins as weak or submissive, for their physical size and appearance is not only for show, being recruited into military orders, such as this Order of the Golden Spear.
“Hail, Grand Winged Dragon-soul, Vexer=iriloux of Vouxelz, at your command.”
The Koredin bowed, gesturing to the two pegasus knights behind him, who similarly raised their helmet visors and bowed. One of the pegasus knight was a young male Rezar, lizard kin, with blue and yellow stripes to mark his scales, and a set of shining yellow eyes, glistening with pride. The other pegasus knight was a young human female. Long golden blonde hair that travelled down to her waist, and soft, and fair features that seemed to compliment her dark yellow eyes, despite her eyes showing a hint of agitation and anger.
“Zexastek the ssscale ssshimmer, an honour for thisss one to be before your grandnessss.”
The Rezar bowed deeply once more, his voice filled with hisses despite his rather accurate articulation of words. Rezar are said to be closely related to Dragons and Dracs, though many question this claim.
“…”
The last pegasus knight remained silent, making the other two of her fellow knights turn to her.
“Okavarex, you should name yourself.”
Vexer=iriloux stressed to the last knight, who furrowed her brows at Deryke and the others, clearly being somewhat hostile to them.
“… Ales Ve Okavarex… Knight of the Order of the Golden Spear.”
The woman’s reluctance to speak was clear, though Deryke did not know why she behaved like this towards them. Surely the Order did nothing wrong to her?
“I apologise, Grand Winged Dragon-souls, for she means little offense. For now, let us land on the ground below, to the city of Leoux, and we shall continue our request from there.”
The Koredin said, before turning his griffon around and heading back down to the floating island. Lilianne turned to Deryke and Alsces, her expression telling them that she was rather annoyed by what had just happened, and yet the situation had proven itself impossible to remedy with just herself. Thus it would probably require Deryke and Alsces to step into the talks later on, though Deryke also questioned how safe it was for him to do so. He barely understood anything that had just happened.
Flying down towards the floating island, Deryke could see a large city situated in the centre of the large land mass. Spreading high towards the sky rather than outwards, the city gave the impression of multiple tall stone and wooden trees, with multiple bridges and walkways that connect the various buildings. A large forest of tall straight structures. Large platforms were also constructed at different levels and areas, allowing flying mounts, Windships and flying races to take off and land. There were special docking spaces for larger Windships, and special perches for Avarian knights, but the common traffic were limited to the large platforms that dot the city.
The Koredin Knight of the Golden Order, Vexer=iriloux, guided the group down to one of the larger platforms, and upon seeing the sight of the arrays of impressive flying mounts, the people on the platform started to clear a large area for them to land. Certainly the sight of a griffon, two pegasuses and two Dragons was enough reason for the everyday citizen to clear away, but the figure of a Dragonnaire in a half transformed state was something that caused many to stop their work midway and stare in amazement. Lilianne Relinton was aware of the attention she was receiving, flying straight for the platform at a quickened pace, landing before the others and reverting back to her human form.
A wave of excited murmurs and whispers spread amongst the people on the platform, and by the time the rest had landed their mounts on the platform, the noise on it was nearly that of a full on celebratory cheer. Local dock guards tried to keep the crowd settled, but there were too few of them to make any significant difference. The three knights of the Order of the Golden Spear alighted from their mounts, receiving their own fanfare of cheers. It would appear that the Order was rather well-liked in this city. Deryke struggled to get his leg guards undone, but luckily for him, several platform workers came over to help.
The platform workers aided the Dragonnaires in unfastening their safety harnesses and unloading their bags. Deryke looked around and saw that platform workers would be given instructions by the riders of the mounts on how to handle their mounts, and where they would be. Services would usually be paid in advance, due to the tough nature of handling flying creatures of various shape and form. The platform workers would then provide the rider with a tag-pass that corresponds with the tag that the flying mount would be attached with. Very much like a valet service.
However, there are also some flying creatures that cannot be handled by the platform workers, such as the scales that Deryke and Alsces came in upon. Alsces Kyros spoke with one of the platform workers, and it seemed the workers were already aware of the nature of these scales, and thus they accepted only a small payment of a few copper for their services in helping them get off and unload. Deryke reached into his coin bag and did the same, handing them over to the platform worker who helped him get off. The platform worker graciously accepted the coins with a bow, and turned to leave. Deryke now turned to Suilya, the scale he rode upon to get here, and the Dragon turned to look at him with some puzzlement in its eyes.
“You need not worry, for the scales of the Order will remember your scent.”
Lilianne spoke up, walking over to Deryke. She reached over to one of the large bags tied to the back of Suilya and took out a Hosfalandal, a piece of food that looked very much like an oversized loaf of bread. Lilianne reached into her own satchel and pulled out a long piece of smoked meat, wrapping the meat around the Hosfalandal and raising it to Suilya’s mouth. The Dragon looked at the piece of food precariously, before snatching the Hosfalandal meat combination and swallowing it whole.
The Dragon blinked a few times, before it released a rather odd, yet satisfied burp. Suilya turned to Deryke and bowed once to him, before the Dragon took off to the skies once more, followed shortly by Houwe, the scale on which Alsces rode on. The two Dragons then flew off into the sky high above the city and far out of Deryke’s sight. Deryke was worried that the scales would not return, but Lilianne merely reassurred him that the scales will not abandon those from the Order that easily, and that they will return when they call for them. Deryke was unsure of just how his voice could reach such a distance, but he supposed he should listen to Lilianne.
Vexer=iriloux then gestured for the Dragonnaires to follow behind him as he headed off towards the city, with the local guards pushing the crowds away to give them room to walk. Deryke, Alsces and Lilianne followed the Koredin, with the other two Knights of the Order of the Golden Spear flanking them on either sides like personal guards. Vexer=iriloux guided the group off the platform and onto one of the many busy bridges that connected the towers of the city. The bridges were made of wood, but were large and well supported with multiple beams and ropes, not even swaying or shaking much when a large Drake rumbled by pulling a large wagon of goods.
The bridges were also wide enough for there to be peddlars setting up their shops along the either sides of the bridge and still have enough room for large volumes of traffic to go by. Peddlars selling all sorts of goods, a vibrant myriad of colours from spices, jewelry, weapons, aromour, books, potions, herbs and other assortments of tools and trinkets.
Shouts of sales, cheap bargains, rare produce could be heard from all over. People of all races, sizes and shapes busseling by, each seemingly having some place to go, some place to be. The exchange of coins, the heated arguments of quality and price, the sweet and salty aroma of fresh food being cooked, the multitude of whispers that buzz loudly in the air. Such was the vibrant sceneray before Deryke. An amazement of life and culture was all around him and for Deryke, such a sight was hard to pull his attention away from. And yet Deryke was forced to move along by Lilianne.
“It is not a scene that one should find themselves lost within. I do believe this is not the first of times you have witnessed such a place.”
The White Dragonnaire stated, and it was true. Deryke had seen such busy markets before, though none can still compare with the liveliness of a capital of the Kingdoms.
“There may be large markets across the Kingdoms, but we of Hexarash are proud to shout that we are the only Kingdom that has markets upon the sky bridges. I am certain that there will be time to browse some wares, and certainly the shopkeeps will be greatly honoured to have ones from the Grand Order to purchase their wares.”
Vexer=iriloux said, continuing to lead the group through this hectic mess of a bridge market.
“You can boast, Golden Knight, since no other Kingdom builds bridges above the clouds. And we have come for the task that was requested. To peruse the wares shall have to wait for another opportune time.”
Lilianne replied back, making the Koredin knight laugh.
“I see, I see. Such diligence in enviable. Should such a time arise, I shall gladly guide you all to the best wares.”
That certainly sounds promising, though Lilianne was unwavering in her soured expression.
“Do not be fooled by the glitters of gold of this high city, Verias, Kyros. For there are shadows that are far darker within these walls than even in the deepest of caves. The brighter the city, the darker the shadow it makes. The taller and grander they build its walls, the further and deeper its shadows shall cast.”
The white Dragonnaire warned as they reached one of the mighty towers that the bridge was connected to. Stepping into the tower, Deryke saw that the tower was constructed in an odd manner. With a spiraling broad pathway that went from the bottom to the very top along the side of the wall, the central area was a large hole, and even the roof was not visible, having light from the Sun shine down to iluminate the entire structure. There were bridges and platforms constructured over the central gaping hole, but for the most part, it was still empty.
Within the tower, the density of people increased by at least three fold. More permenant stores dotted the tower, lighting up the entire interior of the tower with lights of differing colours. By now, the people who would notice the group comprising of three knights from the Order of the Golden Spear, walking with three Dragonnaires were very few. Even those who did, were showing faces of surprise and questions, rather than screams of joy like before.
It was not as obvious who they were and to be honest, Deryke did prefer it like this. He did have to admit, that one of his goals in joining the Dragonnaire Order was possibly to become someone famous, or at least well liked by people. But over time in the Order, he came to realise that the Order was not such a place to glorify their deeds, and indeed, he realised that having such adoration thrown onto him was somewhat loud and annoying. Well, it did feel a little nice to be popular, he had to admit that much.
The group headed down the spiral path for a short distance, before they turned and walked out over to a nearby platform that was constructed to hang over the side over the central spiral hole. The platforms and bridges, in contrast to the spiral path which was made with stone, dirt and bricks, looked to be built in a hapahazard manner, a mere afterthought scrapped together with whatever material the citizens could find. Deryke was a little hesitant on the structural integrity of this platform, particularly when he stepped on it, the creaks and bending of the wooden floorboards under his weight were most discerning.
Vexer=iriloux walked over to the far end of the platform, where a scrawny looking creature stood by a short grilled gate. The creature was short and lanky, with its greenish grey skinned legs and hands seemingly made of nothing but bone and skin, whereas its stomach was slightly distended. Dressed in clothes that seemed to be made out of different materials patched together, the creature noticed the group approaching and took off its overly large round hat from its balding head, revealling its long, sharp face.
With large, elongated eyes, and long, broad and floppy pointed ears, the creature smiled broadly with mismatched teeth, some made from metal, gold, and even one made from diamond. None of them were real teeth. The creature, Deryke knew, was a goblin. Goblins were a rather odd discussion in Draagterra, for many were puzzled as to the true nature of this race. Deryke had seen some in Alexasdra, mainly as lowly servants of merchants, though some had become merchants themselves, and subsequently owned servants of their own race. Drac had often told Deryke this of Goblins.
‘Never trust a Goblin that can smile broader than its face.’
Deryke never really understood what that meant, but seeing this one now, he could understand that saying just a little.
“Hail, great knights, and this small one bids you welcome to Leoux, the grandest of the Golden cities over the jewel of Hexarash, yes.”
The little goblin bowed before them. Ales Ve Okavarex, the female knight of the Golden Order, snorted at the goblin’s overly colourful praise, though the goblin and Vexer=iriloux did not seem to be bothered by it. The Koredin bowed likewise to the goblin before speaking.
“Very well, Bouxen of the Yel-owe caves. I am Vexer=iriloux of the Order of the Golden Spear, and we have come with members of the Grand Order to answer your call for aid.”
The Koredin stated, and the goblin’s eyes widened even more than what Deryke thought possible, as it turned to look at Lilianne, Deryke, and Alsces.
“T-t-the G-g-grand o-o-ones? O-o-oh my, s-s-should this tiny one have known that ones of such grand standings would come to help this tiny one, yes, this tiny one would have offered more for the reward, yes.”
“There is no need for such trivial matters. We have come of our own accord.”
Lilianne said as much, and the goblin bowed to her.
“Such kind words, yes, this tiny one is greatly humbled by your generosity, yes.”
“Enough with the pleasantries. Hurry and just tell us the details.”
Ales finally snapped, and Vexer=iriloux narrowed his eyes at her, silently chiding her for her outburst. Bouxen smiled and turned to the grilled gate, pulling a small roped that was attached to it and giving it a few good tugs. Deryke’s instinct told him to look up, and upon doing so, he saw a large square being lowered from above. As it got closer, Deryke could see that the large square was bordered up with metal grills as well, making it look like a cage. Being lowered by a system of ropes and pulleys, the large square slowed to a halt before before the group, right by the gate that Bouxen stood by. Opening the gate, Bouxen gestured for the group to enter the cage.
“Let this tiny one guide this one ride down, your grand ones, yes.”
Stepping into the large cage, Deryke saw that all around the spiral were similar cages, lifting people up and down the different levels of the tower. Some were larger than others, carrying large crates and carts, together with large beasts of burden to pull the weight of the cargo. Avian races flew freely up and down the tower, thus explaning the reason for the odd design of the tower, though it was an odd sight to see for Deryke, as several Avarian people were flying up to cages and attempting to sell goods to the people who could not go anywhere within the cage.
“Such an aggressive sales tactic.”
Alsces muttered, looking at the scene of another cage of people being assaulted by Avarian sales. Bouxen closed the cage door as the last of the group stepped in, and he tugged one of seven coloured ropes that ran through cylindrical holders, each marked with a different number. Bouxen pulled onto the black coloured rope that ran through the number 1. The ropes seemed to go all the way up to the top of the tower, where Deryke assumed the operators for this machinery would get the indication for each floor depending on which rope of pulled, and sure enough, the cage started to descend. Alsces and Deryke were both fascinated by what was going on around them, and they looked out of the cage like little children being excited for seeing something new and exciting.
“A marvel, is it not?”
Bouxen said, rubbing his hands together.
“Machinery, yes, made by this tiny one, yes.”
The goblin smiled, though Lilianne was not very impressed by it.
“Such technology is surely copied from the Kingdom of Brown.”
The White Dragonnaire stated, making the goblin flinch a little.
“Y-your grandness s-surely knows a great deal. Yes, such work was indeed taken from the Kingdom of sands, cannot deny, will not deny, yes. Tasked gremlins to make new ones, but gremlins cannot work without plans, yes. This tiny one did buy the plans from Kingdom of sand, yes. This tiny one beseech the Grand one to believe this tiny one did not take such plans during the many wars this Kingdom of the peaks had with the Kingdom of sand, yes.”
“It is not my place to judge if you bought the idea, or stole it. But do not lie of where the plans came from.”
Lilianne pointed out, making Bouxen nod furiously.
“This tiny one has learned and will obey, your grand one, yes.”
“Hmph, hypocrite.”
Ales muttered loud enough for Deryke to catch. Lilianne seemed to have heard it as well, but she said nothing, only giving the golden knight a slight glance, before looking away. Deryke had to admit, that Ales’ personality was very much like Lilianne’s. Was there something about women Deryke meets that they have to be angry all the time? But Green Wing wasn’t like that. And White Wing was mostly emotionless and objective. Mostly. However Deryke noticed that Lilianne was keeping her cool despite Ales’ clear animosity against her.
“Allow us to get to the matter at hand.”
Vexer=iriloux cleared his throat and turned to Bouxen. The goblin nervously looked between Lilianne and Ales, before nodding to Vexer=iriloux’s suggestion.
“A-as your grand ones say, yes. This tiny one had requested of the Golden Order to look into a troubling rumour that this tiny one has heard, yes.”
Bouxen started, making Deryke a little interested in what the goblin had to say. Goblin merchants rarely thought of things outside of their business as ‘troubling’, solely focused on their own business and the economic market of their wares. If it was something outside of their business that warranted their need to call upon armed Knights to deal with, it was certainly worth listening to.
“Troubling? How sssso?”
Zexastel the scale shimmer asked after much time of silence since he last spoke. Deryke still found it somewhat oddly fascinating on how the Rezar’s pronunciation of words shifted from perfect to off constantly.
“Troubling, yes. The wild ones are causing trouble, see? Normally to this tiny one does not matter, yes. For if the wild ones are to cause rampage or go into a horde, surely the Freemen adventurers would be tasked to cull them, see.”
Bouxen stated, his troubled expression seemingly more along the lines of a business man who had his stock gone missing.
“But this one heard whispers, yes, that the wild ones are now working with harpies, yes.”
“Harpies?”
Deryke questioned. He had heard of such creatures, but he had not seen one before. Merely as rumours and gossips by patrons to the inn. Lilianne nodded to Deryke’s inquiry.
“Harpies are one of the many flying races that limit themselves to Hexarash. Having faces and torsoes of young human women, they have wings for arms, and talons for legs. Do not treat them as civilised, however, as they are more often than not violent and hold contempt for any other race. They are also strictly carnivourous, and prey on travellers for their flesh. They cannot be reasoned with, for they thrive on the suffering of others, even from their own race.”
Lilianne explained, making them sound a whole lot closer to monsters. Vexer=iriloux agreed, continuing on with the explanation.
“They often prey on young men, using their female face to entice their victims closer, until they can no longer run away from the harpy’s speed. The harpies have claws as sharp as the sharpest sword, and teeth that can tear through armour and bone. Women have reason to fear them even more, for harpies will attack all women ferociously out of envy. It is a blessing that they limit their nests and hunting grounds to mountains and ravines of this Kingdom, and their fierce territorial nature makes them natural enemies to not only the other flying races in the Kingdom, but also to one another.”
If they were so troubling, then how were the wild ones able to work with them? That is the main question that now Deryke wondered.
“And that is why it is important for us to look into this. Harpies never work with other races, so this may be the result of something, or someone outside of these two groups.”
Vexer=iriloux muttered, stroking his broad chin in thought. Deryke then paused after some thought. There was something he was missing.
“… Who, or what, are ‘wild ones’?”
The Dragonnaire asked, earning surprised looks from all.
“You do not know? Is this the ‘mighty’ Grand Order’s way of training its young?”
Ales asked, her voice close to ridicule. Alsces quickly stepped in before Lilianne could blow up in anger, though Deryke also noted that Lilianne did not seem to be agitated.
“You must excuse our young Red here, for he was raised in a small village, and was only brought into our Order a few seasons ago.”
Alsces explained Deryke’s circumstance, though Deryke did not feel as though his circumstance was that odd.
“… Then he was raised in the Kingdom of Red for most of his life?”
Vexer=iriloux asked, and Deryke nodded.
“Then it cannot be helped. Of the Kingdoms, the Kingdom of the grand plains have little such occurences.”
The Koredin nodded, as though understanding the problem, but to Deryke, there was no problem in the first place.
“What Bouxen refers to as ‘wild ones’ are, in this case, goblins.”
Deryke paused for a moment as his mind tried to process this answer.
“… Goblins?”
“Yes. Unlike other races of Draagterra, goblins, gremlins, orcs, trolls, orgres and the like are not always amiable towards others. There are some who would call them the ‘dark’ races for this reason. Do not doubt that there are those of their kind who work and live peacefully within the Kingdoms, but for many of their fellow breathern, living outside the walls of civilisation and behaving no better than animals or monsters is how they exist. Thus each of these races call those who choose not to live like them ‘wild ones’.”
Vexer=iriloux explained. Deryke felt slightly alarmed by this and turned to Bouxen.
“You would kill your own kind?”
He asked, to which the goblin raised an eyebrow.
“And what is wrong with that, yes?”
“But… they are goblins as well, same as yourself.”
“And humans kill one another all the time, yes? So what makes this different, see?”
Deryke was taken aback by this answer. Humans fight each other all the time. Such was the nature of humanity, that without the guidance of the Drakgonias, they quickly fell into war with one another. Humans do not refer to those outside the Kingdoms as ‘Wild ones’, but rather as ‘Freemen’, as did all the Delva races. But humans in general were highly susceptible to conflict. So what makes this different from this case?
“The Kingdom of Red has gone soft in its teachings.”
Ales muttered angrily, but Zexastel rested his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head in disagreement to her statement.
“It isss proof that Alexsssasssdra isss peaceful. That they have no worriesss of sssuch isssssue isss a blessssing through the hard work of their Kingsss, and the goal with which all Kingdomssss must aim to achieve one day.”
Deryke felt as though what he had just said was weird to others, and yet to him it wasn’t. Perhaps what they were saying was right. The Kingdom of Red was not plagued by internal strife, and only faced adversities from beyond its borders. This was not to say that the Kingdom of Red did not suffer any tension within its own people, as Deryke found out when he and Tyriousel went to seek advice from the Knight captain about the army. But the Kingdom on the whole did not suffer any problems with ‘wild ones’. Thus it was odd for Deryke to hear that such a term even exists.
“Putting aside this problem of our young Red, the implications of this rumour, if true, are grave indeed.”
Lilianne turned the topic back at hand.
“I believed that the Grand Order did not meddle in the affairs of the Kingdoms unless it involved the Dark ones?”
Ales challenged Lilianne, who narrowed her eyes at the Golden Knight. This Ales was certainly pushing her luck with Lilianne. But the White Dragonnaire did not take the challenge.
“The Order shall maintain its stance in the affairs of the Kingdoms, and we work only to ensure the preservation of the Kingdoms. This talk of wild goblins working with harpies can lead to dire consequences for the survival of this Kingdom, and thus is more than an issue for our Order to step in.”
Lilianne answered flatly, before turning to Vexer=iriloux.
“And as such, we shall proceed with this task. I will presume that your Order shall do the same?”
The Koredin nodded to Lilianne’s question, placing on his hands over his chest.
“Most certainly, Grand Winged one, we shall be honoured to fight by your side.”
If there was one thing that Deryke took note of as the cage lowered closer to the bottom, was the clear deterioration of order and cleanliness of the tower. Overcrowding, damp air, and an increase in shadows made the lower levels of the tower appear to be a shanty town for refugees than an actual liveable area. Citizens of these levels shifted about in a suspicious manner, constantly hanging their heads low and clutching their belongings closer to themselves.
The smell of fear and distrust was heavy in the air, a vast constrast to the vibrancy of the levels above. Deryke Verias was unsure of how such a place could exist, but certainly it was similar to that of many large cities. The outskirts of the city were where the poor and lower class citizens would stay, with the richer and more affluent nobles staying within the centre. Perhaps this tower was the same principle.
“Be wary of who steps in your path, for they may harbour ill intentions towards you despite not looking at you.”
Lilianne warned Deryke and Alsces, who took her warning to heart. The cage finally reached the bottom floor, resting on a slightly raised platform from the floor, one of many that were squeezed into this mess of wooden shacks and shanty houses that littered the bottom of the tower, creating a maze of rickety wooden structures where the light from the top of the tower can only cast a dim shine upon them.
“You have little to fear from the shadows that lurk here, Grand Winged ones.”
Vexer=iriloux said confidently, patting the sword that was hung by his side.
“For we of the Order of the Golden Spear shall be your shield.”
Lilianne glanced to the Koredin from the corner of her eye, before looking forward once more.
“… Do as you will.”
Lilianne’s tone seemed indiffferent, but Deryke had an inkling that Lilianne was thinking about something related to the Golden Order. The cage opened and Bouxen the goblin hopped out, trotting over to the edge of the platform, where a single goblin stood waiting. The goblin was dressed in simple dregs, looking like his clothing were patched together with spare cloths that it found lying around. Unlike Bouxen’s clothing, which seemed to be made out of different pieces of rather rich clothing material stitched together, this goblin’s clothing seemed to be dirty and well worn, and reminded Deryke heavily of the wash rags he used to clean Dracoravine.
The goblin in rags, noticing Bouxen arrive, seemed to panic and fumble with something in its hands before rushing over to Bouxen, bowing before the other goblin. It would seem that Bouxen was someone important, or rich, to this goblin. Bouxen and this goblin seemed to be discussing something, and the other goblin seemed to be in shock after hearing something from Bouxen, peering over to look at the group, before having its head pushed back down by Bouxen. After some heated talk, the other goblin nodded and ran off. Bouxen turned around just as the group walked over to him, and the goblin took his large round hat off, scratching his bald scalp as he had a slight apologetic face, though Deryke did wonder just how a goblin’s apologetic face could look so similar to a sinister smile.
“Grand ones, this tiny one must apologise, yes, for the transportations to leave the city are as yet not ready, see.”
Bouxen bowed furiously to apologise, but Vexer=iriloux shook his head and smiled. A Koredin’s smile was, for lack of a better word, frightening. But it would seem that everyone else was used to it.
“There is no need to hurry, for we lack information in the first place. Let us head towards the Freemen’s adventurer’s guild for now.”
Vexer=iriloux suggested, and Lilianne nodded in agreement.
“That is acceptable.”
With that decision, the group headed towards the nearest exit of the tower, though Bouxen left the group to deal with the transportation issue. As with what Vexer=iriloux had said, no one dared to approach the group with three golden knights in it. Deryke could see that on this bottom floor, the residents were clearly that of the lower class. Few had even proper clothes to wear, and their sullen faces were indicative of their bleak lives in this dark place. The cramp living conditions had only made things worse as the stale smell seemed to be concentrated the more enclosed the area was. It was the smell of despair, death, and decay.
“Do not avert your eyes from the truth, no matter the wound it can inflict upon your heart. Know that the World holds such truths, and that we are not ones who can change it.”
Lilianne said, not looking directly at Deryke, and yet still knowing how the red Dragonnaire would behave. Ales, however, did not seem to agree.
“It is much like the Grand Order to simply stand by and watch as such injustice go by. Your Order holds the power to make a difference, to enact changes and save lives, and yet do nothing.”
The Golden knight shot a glare at Lilianne, who sighed and closed her eyes from being worn out by the incessant insults from Ales.
“And I do not see your Order doing much to remedy this situation either.”
Lilianne replied simply, making Ales angry as she snapped back Lilianne.
“Our Order does not hold the power to change this! Yours does! And yet you choose to turn a blind eye from such-”
“Okavarex! Enough!”
Vexer=iriloux shouted, making Ales shudder with surprise and shock.
“B-but-”
“I said ‘enough’, Okavarex. We are Knights of the Order of the Golden Spear, and we do not pick quarrels with those who are not our enemy.”
The Koredin stressed that part clearly, indicating to Ales that she had overstepped the line this time. Hanging her head low, Ales quietly muttered an apology, though one that even Deryke strained to hear. Lilianne stopped Vexer=iriloux before he could ask Ales to say it once more, shaking her head.
“We waste time with such matters. To our Order, it matters not what others say of us, only that we ensure our duty is done.”
Vexer=iriloux nodded in agreement with Lilianne’s words.
“As you say, Grand Winged one. Such words with which to follow by. I shall engrave them into my very being.”
Vexer=iriloux’s choice of words was a little unsettling for Deryke, but since Lilianne did not say anything about it, he let it slide. The group finally reached the exit, just as Deryke starting to feel claustrophobic within this shanty town, and stepped out into the city streets of Leoux. Deryke expected the streets to be the same as the bottom floor of the tower, but it seemed that he was wrong. Oddly enough, the streets were relatively clean and well maintained. Proper stores and smaller houses lined the streets in order and guards in simple armour and equipment could be seen patrolling various areas.
“People congregate wtihin the towers, for they are the centre of commerce, but life is not always simply about the towers.”
Vexer=iriloux explained as they walked down the street. The shops were not as vibrant, colourful or busy as the stores in the upper levels of the tower, but they still had their fair share of customers. What was a common sight, however, were quiet homes with few souls make any noise. The streets of the city, unlike the tower, was a rather quiet place. Deryke could see that activities seemed to increase both within the towers, as well as the immediate vicinity of the towers, leaving several areas inbetween the towers to be relatively deserted. There was, however, one exception. Nestled close to one of the main gates of the city, and some distance away from any tower, was a single, rather large building. It was not well decorated, and stood out from the other buildings due to its size, and the crowd that lingers around it. The Freemen Adventurers Guild.
The name ‘Freemen’ is a general term given to those who do not swear any loyalty to any of the Kingdoms. They travel to and fro Kingdoms, finding work where ever they could find it. However, travelling from one Kingdom to another, even if they were Freemen, required some sort of assurance that they were not entering a Kingdom to cause trouble. As they were not affiliated to any of the Kingdoms, no one could vouch for them, and thus no Kingdom would allow them inside their border. This is where the Adventurers Guild came in. The term came from the Freemen’s desire for exploration and adventure, and the Guild became the line with which the Freemen could interact with the Kingdoms.
The Guild issues Freemen Adventurers with liscences, identification with which the Kingdoms can use to ensure the person is who they say they are, and in return, the Kingdom would relegate all relatively minor issues that the Kingdom needs to be resolved down to the Guild. Citizens from the Kingdom would also approach the Guild and task the Freemen to complete jobs that the local military would not handle, either due to the size of the job, or the job not being in their area of expertise.
The Guild, however, is also obligated to send Freemen Adventurers currently within that particular Kingdom to the front lines of battle should the Kingdom demand such from them, thus in war, it is not unusual to see the Freemen of one Kingdom be forced to do battle with the Freemen of another Kingdom. And even stories of Freemen, who finished the battle for one Kingdom, would head over to another Kingdom, only to be swept up in that Kingdom’s war.
The Guild does not need to send all of its Freemen into war, however, as the Kingdom can only force the Guild to send a limited number. Kingdoms, however, tend not to rely on Freemen soldiers in war, and would only employ their services as a last resort. The Freemen saw the group and gave them a wide berth, allowing them to enter the Guild. Upon entering, the noise within the Guild died down to complete silence as all eyes were now looking at them.
The doors of the Guild led them directly into the main hall, where the smell of stale alcohol, thick smoke from smoking pipes, and old urine hit the noses of the group long before they could take note of anything else in the hall. Long tables and benches were laid out for people to sit, drink and talk. A counter where kegs of drinks were behind sat by the side, and the bartender stood behind the counter, paused in his action of cleaning the mugs to look at the group. At the far end of the hall were more counters, but standing behind those counters, were people who wore similarly themed clothes.
Dressed in a rather smart set of clothes that one would describe to be ‘merchant-like’, the people behind the counter all seemed to hurryingly whisper to one another, before one of them ran off. Next to those counters was a large wooden board with various pieces of paper nailed onto it. A request board, it would seem, where people would post requests after they have been accepted and negotiated with by the Guild, and where the Freemen would go to for jobs.
“I will speak with the Master of the Guild. Grand Winged ones, might I suggest you rest your weary bodies for now?”
Vexer=iriloux suggested to Lilianne, who paused to think, before nodding.
“We shall do that.”
Deryke and Alsces were a little surprised by Lilianne’s decision to accept the rest, thinking that Lilianne would want to be invovled with the talks, but a quick glance from her made them silent. Lilianne then walked over to the far side of the Guild hall, and the other two Dragonnaires followed while the three knights of the Golden Order headed towards the counter, most likely to seek out the Guild master. Seating herself down on the bench of the table, Lilianne paused and looked at the other two Dragonnaires, who were still standing.
“… Do I need to tell you to sit?”
She questioned, and the two shook their heads, taking their seats opposite of hers. The White Dragonnaire sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she rested her head on her other hand, which in turn rested on the table. For some time, none of them said a word. Just Lilianne groaning and muttering incoherent things under her breath. It was then that Deryke decided to ask.
“Relinton, you seem to be awfully quiet when it comes to that Knight Ales insulting our Order.”
Deryke noted, to which Lilianne opened her eyes, looking at Deryke with a rather glossed over look in her eyes.
“… There are many who view us as heores, as saviours… But there are just as many who view us as vile beings. What that Golden Knight had said is truth. We have the power to change lives in the Kingdom for the better, but we do not. Think of this, Verias, if you will, once we have helped one, another will surely see it and call for our aid. And then another shall follow, and then another. The line shall be endless.”
Deryke was told of this by Shivylie, and it would seem it was a line of thought that the entire Order shared. But Lilianne had more to add.
“Now once we have started to help so many, we then start to lose sight of our real goal. Pre-occupied with saving others that in turn we cannot save them all when the Dark ones come. Not only that, but as we are so few, we cannot help them all. Thus those who cannot receive our aid shall curse our name. Those who have been saved by us would soon forget of the perils, and demand more from us. This is not to say that all shall result in such a case, but it has happened before, and thus we have decided that we shall not repeat it again.”
Lilianne said, glancing over to where the three Golden Knights stood. The knights were approached by one of the counter staff, and they were led away. Lilianne shook her head is dismay, turning her attention back to the two Dragonnaires.
“The Order of the Golden Spear. I have heard much of them, though this is the first I have seen them. A chivalric Order, like so many that came to be across the Kingdoms, that had hopes in being the guiding light that shall bring justice to all. They are… far more idealistic than what I had imagined, preaching of justice and fairness, and to give them credit where it is due, they have tried their utmost to ensure justice is upheld.”
Lilianne’s tone trailed off for a moment, leaving Deryke and Alsces to be unsure of what she was trying to say.
“Is… that a bad thing?”
Alsces asked, to which Lilianne merely smiled.
“Justice is… a fickle thing. It sides with whoever wields the strength to dominate. It changes over time, moulded by the ever-changing flow of life, and holds as many faces as there are living beings. But one thing I can say for certain… is that they shall soon face a time when they are forced to face a difficult decision.”
“A difficult decision?”
“Justice differs to each, and the justice of one can be the evil of another. What happens should both sides be equal in their ‘just cause’? Are both evil? Or both justice? Well, it shall not affect us, and time shall tell if their efforts are worth the trouble. That young Knight… there will come a time when you happenstance upon a reflection of who you were and come to the realisation that the truth is far harsher a pain than any wound on the field.”
Deryke looked to Alsces, but the other Dragonnaire was equally confused by what Lilianne had just told them. Noticing their confusion, Lilianne sighed, shaking her head in dismay.
“It matters not to the two of you. For now, let us discuss of the task that we have to face.”
Lilianne signalled a serving wench, who came over with three mugs. Lilianne reached into her pocket and dropped a few bronze coins. The serving wench took the coins without a word and left the mugs on the table before leaving them alone. It would seem that the eyes of all within the Guild were looking at the three Golden Knights. Dragonnaires dressed in simple clothing and though their clothes and cloaks do have the emblem of the Order on it, it was not as clear as many would think.
The plain clothing of the Dragonnaires was what helped them keep unwanted attention off their backs. Lilianne took a mug and took a swing from it, cringing quite badly as she swallowed its contents. Deryke took his mug and pulled it close, inspecting its contents. It smelled of wheat and barley, though stale. The colour of the drink was dark and cloudy. Mead, a simple alcohol that people drank to waste the day. Water was readily available for people to drink in major cities and capitals, but other towns that lacked the resources would produce mead and or wine as a substitute.
Wine was a drink that many associated with the nobility, though Deryke had known several towns in the Red Kingdom that produced wine as a common beverage. Wine also had its own clarity, with the more clear and pure wine made for nobles, whilst the lower quality wine was drunk by the common man, though often mixed with other fruits and lots of honey in order to mask the taste. Mead was also popular to both the masses and the military, as it gave people something other to drink rather than just water, in addition to its simple form of production.
However, the reason for Lilianne’s reaction was more to do with the clarity and purity of the mead. Deryke had drunk mead before, though Krakos did clarify his mead to some extent, and added spices and fruits to flavour the mead. The Dragonnaire Order also served mead, though the Order was just excessive in its pursuit of perfection, thus filtering and clarifying the drink until it was pristine, flavouring it with a rare form of honey that made the mead of the Order a rather addictive sweet drink.
Deryke was cautious to take a sip, and recoiled his head as just how thick this mead was with sediments and other bits, and its luke warm yet sharp bitter taste made this drink rather hard to taste, let alone swallow. How could mead be bitter? It was made with honey and water! To have mead that was bitter was, in more ways than one, a real shock. He turned to see Alsces’ reaction, but the other Red Dragonnaire did not even touch his mug, his eyes looking at the mug with great suspicion after witnessing Lilianne’s expression.
Lilianne placed the mug down and shook her head to clear her thoughts before she continued on with what she wanted to talk, though her mouth was obviously slightly skewered from the horrid drink.
“I hate the drinks of such places… but to the point. Wild goblins do not work with other creatures, but when they do, we can be that there is a sign of a goblin horde.”
“A horde?”
“A horde is used to describe a large gathering of a wild creature with intent on war. Goblins, Orcs, Trolls, Kobolds, Gremlins, Orgres, Harpies, Minotaurs, Hydras, any creature that lives outside the boundries of integrated societies are usually scattered, living either alone, or in small tribal groups. They do not possess great intelligence, creativity or manners, thus making them no better than wild animals. But then at times, a leader amongst the pack will emerge, and unite the scattered tribes, creating a war band large enough to threaten the cities of the Kingdoms. These are what we call hordes. Hordes have one goal in mind. To raze and pillage cities. As their size grows, so too does their need to feed, and thus made bold by their size, they will attack villages and towns to get what they want.”
Lilianne explained with some disdain in her tone. Deryke did not remember if there were such thing in the Red Kingdom. Perhaps there were, as he was sure some sort of rumour and gossip in Krakos’ tavern must have said something similar. But perhaps the Red Kingdom was too peaceful for that to occur.
“What about the Delvan races? Are there wild Delvan races?”
Deryke asked, to which Lilianne thought about it for a moment.
“… Yes, there are, or perhaps… were.”
“Were?”
This time Alsces cleared his throat as he explained.
“When the Kingdoms were first created, many races did not come to accept such powers concentrated in central areas, thus many tribes did not abandon their ways. As time passed, the difference between those who became part of the Kingdoms, and those who did not became clear. Certainly, the different Delvan races that did not become part of the Kingdoms became different in their own ways. Humans had the ‘Wild men’, that name later be adopted by many to call those who live off the land like animals, such as what Bouxen called his fellow goblins ‘wild ones’.
The Wild men led nomadic, tribal lives, and often clashed with the Kingdoms during the early years of the Golden era of the Kingdoms, of which the outcome became clear that they would lose. The Wild men soon came to realise their mistakes, and while they did not fully integrate into the Kingdoms, they came to live, work and contribute to the Kingdoms, thus ceasing to be called ‘Wild men’, becoming of first and the start of what these fellows here are. Freemen.”
Alsces gestured towards the Adventurers gathered in the Guild Hall.
“There are still small pockets of ‘Wild men’, though their numbers are small. I would not count on any form of hospitality from them for they are known to attack any who approach their lands and refuse any form of communication from the Kingdoms. For the other Delva races, the Handari integrated quickly into the Kingdoms, understanding the safety with which the Kingdoms could provide, and almost none of the Handari would ever liken themselves to ‘Wild ones’ or even Freemen, though there are the rare exceptions who become Freemen of their own choosing.
The Gwevalka were first only interested in the business dealings they could achieve with the Kingdoms, before becoming part of the Kingdoms over time. The Gwevalka are odd, in the sense that they have come to see the Kingdoms as more of business hubs, rather than their homes, but they are fiercely loyal nonetheless, to the Kingdoms from which they hail from, with the Majority hailing from the Kingdom of Blue, Morianne. The Gwevalka may be loyal to the Kingdoms from which they hail, but they do not see each other as any different from another, despite having clans of their owns. To the Gwevalka, so long as you are a Gwevalkan, you are their breathren. An odd way of culture, to be sure.”
Deryke had heard that the dwarves were often described as odd, though perhaps in was in more ways than one that they earned that title.
“And the elves?”
He asked, and immediately noticed a strange reaction from both Alsces and Lilianne. Both seemingly uncertain if they should say it or not. Was it such a hard topic to approach?
“Well… the Aiyle were… once their own Kingdom.”
The Elven Kingdom Kyrodal. A Kingdom that beseeched the Dragonnaire Order to intervene after the Golden Era to stop the wars of the human Kingdoms. It was a Kingdom that boasted its culture and technology to best the human Kingdoms at the time. A Kingdom of glory, of peace, of innovation and power. The Aiyle that formed this Kingdom had declared it as such, though why they chose to create their own Kingdom was rumoured to be done so out of spite and jealousy. The Aiyle were never a race to trust their own kind, for there existed five different races of the Aiyle, and during the age of the Ancients, it was said that they had waged countless wars against their own breathern.
It was only with the creation of the Kingdoms, that the Aiyle feel that their independence and identity become threatened by a race that was far younger than theirs, and in their eyes, less cultured. Thus the Aiyle created their own Kingdom, forming an uneasy alliance between the Aiyle races under one rule of their council. However, over time, one of the Aiyle races disappeared without a trace, and the other four started to bicker amongst themselves once more. And at the height of the tension between them, the tragedy of Kyrodal occurred. A mere five cycles after the Kingdom had approached the Dragonnaire Order to intervene in the human war, the Elven Kingdom was destroyed. Invaded by a mad Pillar, the Kingdom was torn up from within and without and the races scattered, forced to integrate and become part of the Kingdoms that they once detested of becoming part of.
“But the Aiyle of these days do not resent being part of the Kingdoms, for each Aiylen race has found their place in the Kingdoms. The Aiyle themselves do not believe that they could form another Kingdom again, for they understand that they are too divided amongst themselves to accomplish that.”
Alsces explained. Deryke now understood that this was a sensitive topic. The Aiyle may not resent being part of the Kingdoms now, but their history did show that they are a proud race. Not to mention that they defied the seven Kingdoms and created their own in that defiance. Certainly a rather touchy subject for those who are aware of it. But only those interested in history should be aware of such a fact. The Order does pride itself in knowledge and understanding, thus the Order would be aware. But the Aiyle, despite having long lives, would not have lived that long ago.
The Golden era of the Kingdoms was over a thousand cycles ago, and the lives of Aiyle only stretched to 200 hundred cycles at best, though the missing fifth Aiyle race was rumoured to be able to live for thousands upon thousands of cycles. But rumours shall remain rumours until one finds the truth. In fact, many scholars these days believe that this fifth Aiyle race did not actually exist at all, but rather was a metaphorical creation to imply the unity of the Aiyle races.
“At the very least, the Delvan races are easier to deal with than the other Wild races. A characteristics of most Wild races is their inability to cooperate with others that are not the same as their own kind. The problem we face currently is that Wild Goblins are working with Harpies. Two wild races who detest other races… I detest to say this, but we must assume that Vexer=iriloux is correct. Something, or someone, is instigating this change. However, what I did not mention to them is the possibility that it might be the work of a Dark one.”
Deryke swallowed hard at Lilianne’s speculation.
“A Dark one? But if that is, then shouldn’t there be more Dragonnaires? I had not heard of this from Lord Yellow Wing.”
Alsces said with surprise, but Lilianne shook her head.
“A Dark one may not be involved directly, for the mere presence of a Dark one can send the animals and creatures of the wild to behave differently. Either an effect from madness of the Darkness, or be it a change in behaviour to adapt, survive and brave the Darkness that may encroach upon them. We have yet to know which. Thus, until we can say for certain that Dark ones are present, we do not send out more than one Dragonnaire, however, that chance is still present and so we, as part of the Order, but see to this task. Perhaps Lord Yellow Wing was acting upon that belief.”
Lilianne’s tone seemed to show her confidence in that statement, and at the same time her growing distaste for how Yellow Wing performed his duties. If Lilianne were right, then that would mean the Yellow Wing sent them here on a scouting mission, and possibly a suicide one if a Dark one were involved.
“Goblins working with another race is at the very least a sign of a goblin horde, which means they have a Goblin King, and Queen. As this horde is still young, we can expect no more than three Goblin Lords, and five Goblin Generals.”
Lilianne took out a parchment roll of her own and unravelled it. On it were various words written on it about Goblin hordes.
“I had assumed this much when I heard the details from Lord Yellow Wing, however I did not expect the horde to work with harpies, and thus I did not prepare much for them.”
Lilianne admitted bitterly, biting her lip in frustration.
“It cannot be helped, for we did not forsee that such a situation could occur.”
Alsces said, turning his attention to the parchment.
“Hordes would start to rampage, destroying villages as they head towards a large town or city. Standard tactics would be the slow down their main attack through a large counter-force, and attack their flanks with detached groups.”
“Such a tactic is sound, if the conditions are right.”
Lilianne replied, tapping her finger on the parchment.
“For one, the horde must already be on the move. Second, we have a large force that can counter that assault. Third, the detached units must work cohesively to strike the enemy’s weak sides and take out their generals. The largest problem for us is that, even if we could borrow on the strength of the Freemen here, it is not enough, for the enemy horde now moves with harpies.”
“Ze problem kan be dealt wif if ve strike now.”
A new voice made the three turn. Walking over to their table was a well aged Gwevalkan man. Standing slightly taller than the tables, with broad shoulders that give his entire body square look, the Gwevalkan was dressed in relatively fine clothes for this sort of establishment, a fine green tunic, brown pants and well cleaned boots. His silver belt buckle was embossed with intricate carvings and was quite prominent, seeing as how it was at the very forefront of his large bulge of a stomach.
His brown eyes matched his fine, well combed brown hair that grew past his shoulders in small braids. His facial hair was impressively grown to a full thickness, though there was a strange missing rectangular chunk of it right down the middle about half way down. His facial hair, as well as his hair on his head, seemed to make his head look square-like, and thus the first thing that came to Deryke’s mind was a square person. Gwevalkan males are more square-shaped, while Gwevalkan females were rounder.
“… And who might you be?”
Lilianne asked, right before the three Golden Knights returned, walking over to their table with a hurried pace.
“Guildmaster! Do not leave in the midst of our meeting!”
Vexer=iriloux demanded, and Gwevalka laughed.
“No need tsu fret such minor details.”
The Gwevalka smacked Vexer=iriloux on the chest plate, though the Koredin knight did not seem to agree. Vexer=iriloux noticed the three Dragonnaires and cleared his throat.
“Grand Winged ones, allow me to introduce to you, the Guildmaster of Leoux’s Freemen Adventurer Guild, Steinkrau Otos of clan Grald.”
Vexer=iriloux gestured towards the Gwevalka, who smiled broadly upon his introduction.
“Aiy, I am ze guildmaster ov zis Guild, gud tsu make yor acquaintance, Dragons of ze Grand Order.”
The Gwevalka tipped his head down a little towards them. Even amongst the Freemen, the Order is to be respected.
“… Very well, but tell me Steinkrau Otos, what did you mean by ‘solved if we strike now’?”
Lilianne asked, focusing on that part of the conversation. Steinkrau nodded, glancing over to the side where one of the counter personnel was standing with a few rolls of parchments in hand. The personnel walked over and quietly placed the parchments on the table.
“I spoke wif zese sparkling knights und thought iz best tsu talk wif all parties invovled.”
Steinkrau took the parchments and spread them out, showing what seemed to be various written reports. Fishing out a particular report, the guild master slapped his hand on it as he spoke.
“Zis iz ze van piece ov report zat has caught my attention. Goblin tribes are still gathering. Zere aren’t many caves zat kan hold such numbers, und I hav put out notices fur my adventurers tsu report any activites. So far zere iz not any place fur ze horde tsu gather.”
“And the rumours of the horde working with harpies? How true is that report?”
Lilianne asked, to which Vexer=iriloux answered.
“While the horde has yet to fully form, there are sightings of harpies starting to leave their nesting grounds and entering the goblin horde’s predicted home ground. There are also goblins seen with harpies without any conflict, though the reports also states that the two sides are still somewhat hostile towards one another.”
The Koredin stated, unsure of whether the report was true or not. Certainly, with only reports of the two groups only being next to one another, it could hardly be called concrete evidence of the rumours being true. But the Gwevalka guildmaster waved his hand to dismiss the Koredin’s worries.
“Zere iz no doubt zat ze horde iz vorking wif ze harpies. Zat Goblin merchant, Bouxen, came tsu us und asked us tsu look into zis rumour. Zat iz vhy we hav zis many reports. Of course, ve did not act upon zis reports until ve hav proof zat it iz real.”
“And now?”
Lilianne asked, to which the guildmaster nodded.
“Now ve hav enough proof. Ve shall make our move.”
“I find it odd that you could not move out earlier even with the reports of the horde forming. Or do the Freemen only care when money is involved.”
Ales spoke up, making Deryke wonder when she would start speaking her mind once more. But the Gwevalka Guildmaster did not mind her tone.
“Ve do not make requests until ze threat has been confirmed. Ze process of compiling information, preparation of reward suitable for ze task, und deciding vhat sort of Freemen kan attempt ze task requires time. Tsu prepare such things vhen zere iz no threat iz merely a vaste ov time und resources. Not tsu mention no Freemen vill look at a job zat has no backing.”
Ales wanted to say something in retaliation, but was stopped by Vexer=iriloux, who shot the young knight a glare to silence her. If there was one thing that Ales did better than Lilianne, it was the fact that Ales did not learn her lesson for long. Deryke was sure Ales would have another outburst sooner or later.
“… At ze moment, ze King ov zis Kingdom vill soon vage a civil vor, und ve must be careful how ve make our move, as Freemen, ve are living on zis land by ze grace of ze King.”
Steinkrau said, making Vexer=iriloux’s face strained. Lilianne raised her eyebrow slightly at that, whilst Alsces and Deryke were both surprised.
“A civil war?”
“Vell, it iz not vhat ve should be concerned wif at zis moment. Ze vor vill not start now, but ze goblin horde will.”
Steinkrau said with a confident smile, stamping his foot down on the floor with a loud bang, and immediately the adventurers of the guild hall all stood on their feet.
“Ve are ze Freemen ov zis town, zis town zhat has treated us vell, zhat has been our home since many vinters ago, und ve vill not allow zis horde tsu do vhat it wills. TSU ARMS BROTHERS! DEFEND VHAT YOU OWN UND OWE! FOR GLORY! FOR ZE GOLD ZHAT YOU SHALL TAKE HOLD! TSU WAR!”
The cries from the adventurers who answered Steinkrau’s call shook the entire guild hall, with Deryke and Alsces forced to cover their ears from the sheer volume and power that these Freemen had answered with. Lilianne could only sit back as her eyebrows furrowed at what her mind had thought of. Deryke did not know if what Lilianne was thinking of was detrimental to the task, or merely her irritation at the volume. He should have prayed it was the latter.
Imagination's fart 