It has been two days since Vaira became the minion of Tanya Degurechaff.
As it turns out, she was quite eccentric for an overlord, at least if judged by dragon standards. That Vaira only had her father and stories to compare her to didn't change the fact.
She was very active, much more than she remembered her father ever being. A typical dragon master rarely moved, preferring to instruct his servants from their chamber, resting on their riches. In contrast, Tanya was in constant motion, always doing something, talking to someone or 'exercising'.
What did she say? 'In an environment as hostile as this, I have to be able to at least rely on my body', or something like that.
When Vaira was as young as the silver dragon at least appeared to be, her physical effort was limited to occasionally playing with her siblings. She was chubby and happy, mostly alternating between napping and eating.
And speaking of which, she had to ask something. But first she had to find a translator. The old kobold shaman must be around here somewhere.
She found him by sticking her head in his burrow. He was nursing a clay cup, some strange smelling concoction inside.
"Mister… Obik? Minion, I require your knowledge of tongues and the magical stone. I wish to ask lady Tanya some questions."
He fixed Vaira with a glare but said nothing, and returned to staring at his cup. Vaira was about to repeat the request, only less politely, when he finally spoke.
"Miss Vaira, go find Hik, and bring him here. I will be with you shortly."
---
Vaira, and her entourage of two very grumpy looking kobolds, finally arrived at Tanya Degurechaff's training grounds ten minutes later. They'd be here sooner, but she had to spend some time catching Hik, who wasn't all that happy to be snagged away from his burrow.
He didn't know Gobri, so it wasn't like Vaira could have just told him what she wanted. Really, he had only himself to blame.
The training grounds themselves were nothing more than a bit of flat ground, gained by expanding the clearing. The silver dragon took her warriors there, yelling and insulting them while they ran, fought with wooden weapons, and grouped together in funny shapes.
The devil herself was above ground, practicing flight. She soared through the air, wings spread, before suddenly closing them and making a rapid turn with a burst of magic. More strange fairy spells no doubt.
While waiting for Tanya's exercises to end, Vaira spied the old kobold sipping from his cup again, grimacing the whole time.
"Mister Obik-"
"It's Obok, lady Vaira."
"Mister Obok. What is in that cup, and why do you drink it if you clearly don't enjoy it?"
"It is a concoction made by brewing dried leaves of a certain herb. It is foul and bitter, but does wonders to make a kobold's morning a bearable affair. Lady Tanya expressed interest in 'domesticating' the herb, as soon as we expand our walls and gain more arable ground."
"That sounds interesting. Do you think it would work on dragons?"
"The Lady certainly hopes so, although we didn't have reserves big enough to test it. She said it would reduce her time spent sleeping, and make her schedule more flexible."
Well, that just won't do! That was exactly the thing Vaira was worried about. She has to talk about the amount of sleep a growing girl needs as soon as she can.
Thankfully, the silver dragon finally descended, and after customary greetings, the kobold shaman got to translating.
"Lady Tanya," said Vaira "I can't help but notice how awfully active you are, especially for a dragon as young as you. When was the last time you slept? And not like a night's rest, but a true months long nap."
"I admit I don't fully understand your question, miss Vaira. Do dragons hibernate for prolonged periods of time? If so I must inform you that I didn't have the luxury to do so ever since I was born."
"That's no good! If you don't take regular naps, you won't be able to grow big and strong. What could be so awful to prevent you from taking one?"
"A combination of factors. At first, the threat of one of my siblings eating me. After I left my nest, it was the near constant starvation. Only very recently was I able to move into these forests, where I can sustain myself on a semi-permanent basis, and receive more healthy amounts of sleep."
"That's terrible! I can't imagine any parent horrible enough to let their kids eat one another! And constant starvation?! Not to mention, you left your nest at such a young age too?! How old were you, lady Tanya? Four years? Three?!"
"I was four months old."
That sentence told Vaira that the fey dragon was, if not outright lying, bending the truth. When Vaira was four months old, she still crawled around on her belly, trying to catch her own tail. Even a fairy wouldn't be able to do much at such a young age.
But what could she mean then? She already had doubts Tanya was realy five years old, she was far too well spoken and knowledgeable, using complicated terms and words Vaira never heard before, or really understood.
But questions about her new overlord's nature will have to wait for later. For now, Vaira returned to Tanya's complete disregard of healthy sleeping habits.
"Well, now you can nap! Order your servants to prepare a stockpile of food and some dried leaves you'll be able to cover yourself with, and go to sleep. Big sister Vaira will handle all your minions in the meantime."
Tanya clicked her tongue "I understand you hail from a family of a governor? Tell me, do you have any experience in the field of administration?"
"Well, not really… Darwion kicked me out when our father was killed, because he was bigger and stronger. But my father gave us a lot of advice on how to keep our minions in line!"
The silver dragon made a face, before replying. "Then I must respectfully decline. As attractive as getting a long rest is, this settlement is in early stages of development, and a mistake borne of inexperience would have long lasting repercussions. Which is why, until I find or train experts with both expertise and experience, I will be burdened with the responsibilities of administration."
Yes, Tanya Degurechaff definitely wasn't five years old, if the way she talked about experience as an overlord was any indication. But more importantly, what was that about responsibilities?
"If I may, what do you mean by responsibilities, lady Tanya?"
"That is quite simple. I possess… unique knowledge, in certain areas of societal and technological advancement. As such, it is my duty as the chief executive of this venture to work with the local experts in ensuring it develops to certain standards I know it is capable of."
"But you run around so much! Your minions should be the ones doing the work!"
"Well, as I said this village currently has a shortage of capable professionals. No offense, Elder Obok."
The shaman replied, probably something in the vein of 'None taken, my Lady'.
"That is why I cannot delegate certain tasks, as much as I'd like to. So until I will be able to not only train my sentient assets to a certain standard, but to also ensure their continued survival through better defences and medical practices, I will have to satisfy myself with merely eight hours of sleep a day. That already is a luxury I couldn't always afford."
That's not how being a ruler is supposed to work at all! Dragons became overlords to escape responsibilities, not multiply them! They didn't have to hunt for food or look for treasure for their hoard, since their servants would do all that for them while they napped.
Maybe Tanya was five years old after all, she had no idea how to be a proper draconic ruler. But why was that? She used so many smart words the old kobold had to explain the meaning of in between translating. And sometimes even he wasn't sure what they meant.
Maybe she read some book, human or dwarven, and it poisoned her little head? But what dragon would keep books of all things? She had to ask.
"Lady Tanya, I understand you are not from around here. If I may, from what nest do you hail from? What color were your parents?"
"I am from a mountain nest deep north. I was born an off-colored runt in a litter of white dragons."
"O-out of curiosity, how big were your parents? And did you have any ties to your family?"
"Well, I can only give you a rough estimate, miss Vaira, but I'd put my mother at 78 meters and my father at 71. And my relationship with the family at large ranged from neglect, to trying to eat me."
That was gigantic! At least one of the barbaric titans won't be looking for her. Father told Vaira stories about the merciless, six months long winter from over 110 years ago, when he was but a whelp.
During it, a single white dragon descended on the surrounding forests, looking for easy prey. She ate fourteen green dragons and half a human kingdom before a red dragon, Irden, drove the behemoth off, using his swiftness and superior magic.
It was unlikely one of those savages possessed a book, much less could teach their whelps to read it. Which meant poor little Tanya must have gotten the wrong idea about ruling all on her own. And she thought she was an off-colored white dragon to boot!
Well, Vaira will do her best to clear those misconceptions.
"Lady Tanya, you aren't a strange white dragon. You are a silver one! One is an evil savage that eats everything in their path, the other a sneaky trickster that puts their eggs into other dragon's nests. They are completely different."
"So, I was born a... parasite?"
"Kind of..? I always thought silver dragons were supposed to be just tales, bogeymen to scare children and young adults. Like elves and other fey. Oh, tell me, lady Tanya, are you a fairy?"
The dragon actually winced at that, mumbling something under her breath, that the kobold shaman was unable to translate. With a clearer voice, she said "I can assure you, miss Vaira, that I am not a fairy. In fact, I greatly dislike being called such."
So she really was one! That must be why she doesn't behave like a normal dragon. Thankfully, Vaira didn't voice her thoughts, her words would have offended her fae overlord's sensibilities.
---
I felt I was being mocked by the universe at large, or at least the part under the dubious control of a certain pompous failure of a bureaucrat.
I prided myself in being a contributing member of society, one whose existence was a net gain, however small. So what does that spiteful, vile piece of shit Being X do? He reincarnates me as a member of a parasitic species, and one that is believed to be some sort of lizard changeling cuckoos to boot!
Of course, me actually being a fairy was at worst a cheap joke at my personally maligned call sign during the war. Courtesy again of the smarmy bastard.
Thankfully, there are no such things as gods or fairies, even if some like to call themselves such.
Back in the real world, my draconic employee was talking again, asking something about my management practices. She was curious, which was a good sign. It meant ambition. That she was kicked out of her father's estate no doubt meant she was now looking for land of her own, and seeing mine as holding enough promise to apply for a job, in hopes that one day she'd be the one to manage it.
Well, I will be more than happy to dump my responsibilities on her and fade into the background. As soon as I make sure she is qualified for the position.
"I am sorry miss Vaira, I was pondering something. What were you asking about?"
"I was asking about your court, lady Tanya. All fai- erm, I mean, all rulers have one, even if they are just one other person."
"I have some candidates. Kobolds of skill and experience who I already entrusted with some initiatives I've set in motion." As if struck by lightning, an idea formed in my mind, one which would significantly reduce the risks I'd have to take. "But I'm intrigued whether your curiosity is merely that, or do you wish to be a member of said court?"
"I'd love to, my Lady! I have some advice on how to be a great dragon ruler, courtesy of my father's wisdom."
"While enticing, I cannot guarantee the dragon's vision of a government will be compatible with kobold customs. That is why I am taking things slow, familiarizing myself with my subjects' culture. In time, I will be armed with approporiate knowledge, able to mold my agenda so that it won't go against local sensibilities. Essential, considering some of the, hmm, bolder, initiatives and reforms I had in mind."
Shaman Obok tensed at that. Was something wrong?
"Any problems, esteemed elder?"
"N-no, my lady. I was just surprised you had such, ah, far reaching plans for our humble village."
"An executive who doesn't plan ahead is not worthy of their position. Now, continue your duty. I am sorry to have distracted you."
My speech translated, Vaira replied "Oh, dragon's rule is universally compatible across different cultures and species, I assure you. At least, that's what my father told me."
"And it is this lack of first-hand experience that forbids me from trusting you with the matters of management, miss Vaira. However, there is one high-ranking position that requires no experience or qualifications, which I think would be perfect for you."
"I'm not sure, lady Tanya. I really appreciate the favor with which you have been treating me so far, but you shouldn't offer me such things as a courtesy." Now, Vaira started to look wary.
"It is not a matter of courtesy, but of your attributes, miss Vaira. Specifically, the fact you are a dragon, which, unlike me, spent most of her life among others of her kind. What I want to offer you is a position as my attache, one that would be expected to represent me in all situations I'd have to act in my draconic capabilities. That would concern all matters, domestic, cultural and military alike."
"I-I'm not sure I'd be able to handle such a big responsibility." Oh, quit being all careful and take the bait already!
"I can assure you, I will personally provide all training necessary. And I won't abandon you to your duties either, miss Vaira. Quite contrary, I'd wish for you to teach me the language and culture of green dragons, just like elder Obok is teaching me the ones of the kobolds. All in order to ensure my personal capabilities remain sufficient to handle any crisis that could manifest in the future."
"Well, in that case, I accept, lady Tanya! I'll gladly become your attache… Even if I don't fully understand what that entails."
I couldn't help but smirk. Aaand hook, line and sinker. While I generally abhor ignorance, I do love exploiting it, in enemies and allies alike. Now, should kobolds demand from me to protect them from something, I will be able to just send Vaira to deal with it, be it fiends, hostile armies or fellow dragons.
Not that the last two were likely to happen. The only civilization, and dragon, I was made aware of living around here was a tribe of goblins, led by Vaira's brother.
Even if he kicked her out, depriving himself of a powerful resource, it was unlikely for him to be totally unreasonable. Such rulers have a tendency to not last long after all.
---
It has now been over twelve days since Darwion sent Vaira to find whether Red Eye really was gone, and she was yet to return. The most obvious answer to her absence was that the old fiend was still alive and well, and his useless sister got herself killed while looking for him. He'd accept it, if not for the fact the reports from his scouts all said the same thing.
He already squashed two of them, but they still insisted on repeating themselves. 'Rrred Eye gone, Masterrr-Majesty!' this and 'Burrrow empty!' that. At least he got some entertainment out of the last scout and his lies, as he spun fantastic tales in hopes of not being flattened.
Darwion obliged. He ate him instead.
Maybe his sister actually ran away? He'd be somewhat impressed if she did so. She really wanted to perform the family's last rites.
Well, the last scout will be returning shortly. He was sent further, five days of constant travel away from the goblins' squalid holes. Maybe he'll say something amusing as well. And should he run, his family will join Darwion for dinner.
As dinner.
Alas, here he returns. And even kneeling before his overlord, as he should..
"Speak, wretch."
"Masterrr-Majesty! Found your sisterrr!."
"Where?" What was she doing, remaining in Red Eye's, no, his, territory?
"Filthy kobold village! Chased by strrrange silverrr spearrr!"
"WHAT?!"
That filthy, two faced whore! Here he was, allowing her to live at the edge of his territory. And how does she repay his magnanimity?! Stabs him in the back, taking what was rightfully his!
No, that. Will. Not. Stand!
"WRETCH! Prepare my warriors to march out! We are leaving for the kobold village!"
Darwion didn't know what the 'silver spear' was. Most likely, some unknown spell the kobolds used to defend themselves. Worthy of applause, for them not submitting to his louse of a sister. Darwion will deal with her himself. The army will merely be a warning to the kobolds: 'Your spellworks are for naught before me. Bow down, or die'.
---
After seven days of marching, Darwion's servants finally were close to the village. He'd ditch the useless lot, but arriving without an army would lessen the impact of the message he wanted to send.
Granted, they didn't seem impressive, especially to a fellow dragon.
They were armed with stone spears and hatchets, weapons that wouldn't be able to pierce even dragon's underbelly, much less their scales. Clad merely in rags, furs and wooden war masks depicting their gods, their defenses wouldn't be able to stop an iron spear.
But, there was strength in numbers, and while goblins were truly pathetic creatures, over 160 of their warriors should be enough to intimidate a tiny kobold outpost. Especially with the eight war shamans at Darwion's disposal.
Finally, they reached the edge of the clearing.
He examined his forces, and immediately regretted it. The green stains looked miserable, tired just from seven days of travel. But he really didn't expect anything more. They were just compost, here to make him seem so much grander, a true emerald among the squalor.
Positioning himself at the front of his horde, Darwion emerged from among the trees, spreading his wings.
Gaze, lowly creatures, and rejoice. Your ruler has arrived.
---
Obok woke up to the grating sound of Hik screaming into his ear.
"What is it, you good for nothing brat?!"
"Spare me, old man. Another dragon is here! And I doubt this one will be so easy to scare. He brought an army!"
"An army?!"
"Well, maybe not something that impressive. A gaggle of goblin warriors more precisely. Around 160 strong. Stone spears, furs, wooden masks, the whole thing."
Ah, the slaves belonging to the green dragon's brother. Obok didn't really pity them, goblins were a disgusting, miserable lot. One of foremost prayers to Byrnak was thanking him for uplifting the kobold-kind from that wretched existence.
"First, an absurdly powerful whelp subjugates our fair tribe. Then, a green dragon somehow gets browbeaten into becoming the silver devil's servant. And now, another green dragon comes, but this time, he brings goblins of all things! Did Gods really forsake Earthmounds?!"
"Don't know, or really care that much. All I was instructed to do was to bring you to the boss. Once by her side, you'll be able to silently wallow in pity for the village all you want, as you usually do."
"Leave! I don't want to hear any more of your irreverent words! Alert captain Turok, she needs to escort the villagers to the chambers, and prepare her warriors to defend the tribe. And tell the tyrant I will be with her shortly."
Worst part was, Obok couldn't truly decide which fate would be more disastrous for the village. A green claw on its throat, that while brutal, will always remind the kobolds to strive to be free of its rule. Or an insidious silver dagger, that seeks to subvert the tribe's culture itself, and reforge it into a collar, one that Obok's people won't know they wear?
---
If I had to rate the military display happening before me, I'd give it a 'Rotting remains of Legedonian excursion into contested territory' out of 'Imperial parade in Parisse'. The only impressive part of it was the dragon himself, who admittedly was bigger than Vaira. But even that was lessened by the quality of his soldiers. Stone weapons, furs and wooden masks. Not the most intimidating image, even for iron-armed kobolds.
Was this a diplomatic delegation? From what Vaira has told me, her brother struck me as somewhat short tempered and impulsive, so maybe it was an attempt at intimidation instead?
Then again, it could be just her biases talking. The last seventeen days showed me that Vaira lacked in self-discipline and working ethic, something I was trying to correct through light military drills.
Well, caution allowed me to survive this far in the monster-infested world, even if I made some small mistakes along the way. Better assume the worst, diplomatic envoys tend to bring more than just warriors and a dragon.
So, I will do what every responsible administrator ought to: delegate the right tasks to the right people. By which I mean will wait for Vaira to show up, and let her handle this mess.
---
A pleasant glint of silver graced Darwion's eye, followed by something he has never seen before. A dragon whelp, made entirely out of treasure. For just a second, he was lost fantasizing about resting on top of a pile of glistening scales. Only to be brought back to reality by the sight of his worthless sister appearing by the sight of the walking treasure. His treasure!
He nearly charged at the louse on the spot, but he was better than that. Let her grovel before him first, begging for mercy he didn't have.
"Wretch! Introduce me!"
Darwion's now one armed regent stepped forward, speaking in the screeching language of the goblins. "Intrrroducing Masterrr-Majesty Darrrwion! The grrreat one! The magnificent one! The shining emerrrald of Grrrotniks!"
In response, an elder kobold stepped forward, also speaking Gobri. "Introducing Lady Tanya Degurechaff, the ruler of Earthmounds, and slayer of Balor-Mor, Red Eye! With her, her attache, Lady Vaira of Grotniks!"
Who was the old fool trying to decieve? The silver child, while large for her age, couldn't be more than five years old! No way she could be able to slay a beast that dragons almost twice her size couldn't.
Darwion considered punishing the decrepit creature, before catching the gaze of the brat in question.
The child was… eerie. Her lean, too large body seemed ethereal, its only real parts the two large, icy blue eyes. She stared at him, unblinking. Calculating. Judging. Watching his every move.
Darwion shook his head. The child could seem intimidating, and somebody lesser would probably be scared. But he saw through the whelps facade.
She likely showed kobolds the corpse of the old fiend, and used her… unnerving nature to cow them into submission, and convince them she killed Red Eye.
Maybe even his spineless sister could be tricked that way. But Darwion doubted it. Most likely, she humored the child's delusions, as a way to keep her and her shining scales to herself. She certainly was two faced enough.
Well, he could play this game as well. He will pretend to have fallen for the whelp's ploy. Right until he skins her alive.
---
"Greetings, Lady of Earthmounds. As my servant introduced me, I am Lord Darwion of Grotniks. I trust you can divine the purpose of my visit?" Came Darwion's words, spoken in the most smarmy Draconic possible.
Vaira's last seventeen days were already hell, terrorized, chased and yelled at by the demon clad in silver scales. All under the pretense of 'instilling discipline' and 'improving work ethic', whatever that meant. She had to wake up with the dawn, and 'exercise'! 'Pass muster'! Regulate her 'schedule'! All very inventive synonyms for torture.
She really didn't need to deal with Darwion trying to be falsely courteous on top of that. Vaira repeated his words in Gobri, and the shaman finished translating from there.
"I am afraid not, Lord Darwion." came Tanya's reply "But if I had to wager a guess, it has something to do with your sister, miss Vaira."
She faithfully relied her overlord's words, at which Darwion scoffed. "Tell that brat to speak directly to me. Or does she consider herself better, above addressing me?"
"No, no! She just doesn't know our language! She is from far north, the land of the white dragons."
Darwion tilted his head in mock curiosity. "She was raised among these pillaging brutes? Well then, at least that explains her thieving habits. Dear sister, tell this whelp I came for what is rightfully mine, her submission, and to punish you for your treachery."
Vaira wasn't scared of Darwion's threat, at least not much. She already stared death in the eye, threatened by someone far more powerful. And she saw the devil in question smirking cruelly as Vaira pledged her allegiance.
---
"...As such, Lord Darwion of Grotniks demands your lands, your allegiance, as well as cessation of claims to Lady Vaira's service, who will be tried and executed for treason."
I couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu at the green dragon's demands. An armed excursion into sovereign, or at best disputed, territory, followed by a ridiculous ultimatum. Yes, this was Norden all over again.
I would have shrugged and left Darwion with the village and his sister both. After all, I wasn't one to fall for the sunken cost fallacy, especially if it meant endangering myself. Problem was, he wanted my personal unconditional surrender and cooperation. I was roped by necessity into becoming a military pawn once. I paid for it dearly. Never again.
And I didn't see any other reason a green dragon would want to keep me around, but to throw me at inconveniences. I had the same plan regarding his sister. A dragon was a giant, flying, fire breathing lizard versed in magic. A powerful military unit, if one costly in upkeep.
"Tell me, miss Vaira, does your brother possess any allies?"
"Nnno..? Neither I or he really moved much, even this village was discovered by chance. We never met, much less allied ourselves with, any other dragons or settlements."
Well, good news was no Francois will show up out of the left field to rain on my parade. At least I hoped so. With Being X screwing me over constantly I really couldn't be sure of anything.
Now for my potential opposition itself. Darwion had twice as many warriors as the kobolds did, if much, much less well equipped. I was still unable to reproduce steel, but wrought iron should be more than enough to defeat this 'army' no problem, barring large percentage of them being experienced mages, which while possible, was very unlikely.
As for the dragon himself, I was divided in my evaluation. On one hand I possessed a numerical advantage in the form of my subordinate. On the other, he was much more experienced in the ways dragons fought, and said numerical advantage admitted herself that she was outmatched by her brother.
There was also the skill with magic to consider. Vaira was, frankly speaking, an abysmal mage, relying almost exclusively on her inborn abilities to carry her. The few spells she could do was manipulating the air in her throat to mimic different languages, more of a parlor trick than a real spell, and a basic suite of body reinforcement and reflex enhancement, all incredibly inefficiently made.
I didn't know if Darwion was a better mage, or by how much. Nor did I have a way to gather intel on him beyond what little Vaira told me.
Regardless, my answer still stood. "Tell Lord Darwion his terms are unacceptable as they are. I am willing to negotiate, but I will not give up my personal sovereignty, under any circumstances."
---
"She dares to deny me?!"
"Ummm, yes? I just said that."
That little, sniveling joke of a dragon! She doesn't even know a proper language, insults him by making her servants address him, and now she has the gall to defy his will?!
Darwion was done with the child's haughty attitude. That little whelp will be taught humility. And when he is done, with her laying defeated before him, he'll flay her alive and turn her hide into a rug!
"Tell 'Lady' Tanya that the only way I am willing to negotiate, is through martial skill. I, here and now, challenge her to a honorable duel! The victor will have all their demands met, without compromise."
Upon receiving the message, the silver dragon became noticeably nervous, talking with her servants and his sister. "That's right, I saw right through you. And now that you have no words to hide behind, you've sealed your doom." He thought to himself, quite pleased at what's to come.
"Lady Tanya accepts your challenge, but wishes it to be carried out outside of the village's grounds." To the death, then? He'll humor the brat's last request.
Darwion eyed the kobold village. His village. It was empty, their habitants hiding beneath the earth.
That won't do. The execution of both the silver brat and his sister both will serve as an excellent warning as to what happens to anyone who crosses him.
He turned to his regent. "Wretch, I will be leaving for a duel. By the time I come back, I expect all townsfolk to be rounded up for a demonstration. Am I clear?"
"Y-yes, Masterrr-Majesty! Yourrr will be done!"
He turned back to Vaira, the louse looking uncertain. "Well then, have the whelp lead the way. I will be right behind you."
---
I was desperately looking for an advantage, any advantage in the coming fight to the death, hoping the bogus journey, however short, would buy me some time to think.
And it will be a fight to the death. Anyone who uses the term 'honorable duel' won't let a slight standing. If I won't kill him or escape now, he'll return, looking for revenge.
"Maybe Being X will even give him a power boost? It wouldn't be his first time either, and I couldn't expect creativity from a jumped up bureaucrat."
I could just order Vaira to join me in the fight. But the few discreet inquires I made were met fith a very lukewarm response 'I'd rather not get in your way, Lady Tanya' indeed. At least she has common sense, even if it negatively impacts me. And should push come to shove I'll still make her do it. I'd just like to preserve the goodwill of my subordinates for as long as possible.
To give me some additional time to come up with something else that would give me an advantage, I insisted on bringing Obok and Hik as my translators. I insisted that without the glyph and a knowledgeable operator I wouldn't be… able... to… huh.
I had an idea how to buy me some time.
Spotting a small clearing, I landed there.
"Miss Vaira, I understand that since I am a head of state, however small, challenging me to a duel, with the prize being the control of my fiefdom, would be preceded by a declaration of war, justifying any hostile action?"
"I'll ask, lady Tanya." After exchanging a few words with my opponent, she confirmed. "Yes, in fact, it does. But the duel itself starts only when both challengers repeat a customary challenge in Draconic, something my brother insists on."
That was perfect. Just what I needed to gain an edge.
"Well then, since I don't understand Draconic, I have a proposition. Hik, bring me your translation glyph!"
---
Elder Obok was confused. The Sign of Tongues worked only between two languages, Kodur and Japanese in the case of both glyphs in Tanya's possession. Why the silver dragon, knowing this, believed it to aid in understanding draconic, he had no idea.
Only when Tanya Degurechaff took the tablet from Hik's hands, and the old shaman saw a momentary flicker of a light blade aimed at the heart of the sign, destabilizing it, did he understand.
It wasn't about what she knew, but what her opponent didn't.
---
Darwion eyed the stone, all while listening to the brat stuttering, trying to say her part of a challange.
A curious little creation, even if he doubted a language as noble as Draconic could be properly translated into the crude hisses of kobolds or the screeches of goblins.
He'll use it, if only out of curiosity to see whether it's working.
"I, Darwion of Grotniks, challenge Tanya Degurechaff of Earthmounds to a duel, bound by honor. As it always was, and as it always will be, let the strongest win."
But the stone toy remained silent. Not really surprising, but still disappointing.
As he took off into the air, Darwion, inexperienced in spellcraft, failed to notice something slowly leeching his mana. Something that tripled in intensity as soon as the mana channels within his body activated the spells reinforcing his body and allowing him to fly.
---
I expected my ploy to give me a head start, or at least some confusion, but it seems Darwion was good enough that I couldn't get even that. Which was strange, considering how pricey his flight and reinforcement spells seemed to be.
Probably to lull me into a false sense of security. Better play it extra careful then.
I proceeded to fly directly at the charging green dragon, for now using only my wings to keep an ace up my sleeve, should things get rough. When I was nearing him, I created two illusions, splitting them directly from my body and turning left, while one of them went straight for my opponent.
Who proceeded to breathe fire at it and swipe with his claws…
The illusions were second rate, merely to gauge from how close he could identify them. How could he fall for such a basic trick?!
"What witchcraft is this?! Quit hiding behind your magics and accept you're outmatched!"
Oh, he was goading me to attack. Now it made sense. The green dragon hoped that by insulting me and pretending to fall for my trick, angered and emboldened, I'd take the risk. And fall right into his trap.
But he forgot one thing. Even if he was just pretending, I'd be able to measure his reaction time, and eventually find an opening.
I prepared for another fakeout, dosing myself with a stimulation formula. Aaaah, the simultaneous simplicity of the objective and complexity of execution. Only possible in combat. The freedom of approach to such a problem really could bring a smile to one's face.
---
Another giggling phantasm passed Darwion, uninjured by neither his swipes, nor his fiery breath. What was this witchcraft?! What was he fighting?!
That thing had far too much mana and skill to be normal. Unknown spells were enveloping her, manifesting as light on her claws. And it's laugh. Cruel, cold and thirsting for blood.
Darwion had enough of this. He pushed as much mana as he could into his wings, charging with impressive speeds, just as the shining spawn was making a turn. It took much more mana than he would have expected, by it didn't matter. It was time to end this.
Just as he was about to reach her, the whelp closed it's wings. But instead of falling down, the little demon shot into the sky, cackling maniacally.
Darwion turned around, only to be blinded by the morning sun reflecting on the silver scales. Nevertheless, he saw the rapidly approaching shape, and took a swipe at it.
The silver blur dodged, passing him uninjured, and Darwion felt a sudden coldness in his right arm. Examining it he felt fear creeping down his spine.
His right paw was gone, in its place a stump jolted with the thunder of pain. He needed to do something, now!
Tapping into rarely used mind enhancing magic, Darwion felt some foreign spell he didn't notice previously breaking from the strain of the mana flow, enveloping his world in fiery agony.
---
Skarbek knew the fight won't go good, not like Master-Majesty demanded. But the fight went even more bad than Skarbek thought!
It started good. Stupid lizard spawn were replacing walls of wood with walls of stone. But it was incomplete, full of gaps for goblins to slip through. Straight for the lizard spawn's holes!
And then it started being not good.
False walls, filled with thrusting spears! Trap tunnels, closed, hot torment pouring from above! Corridors, curved and not good for swinging, ending with tall shields and pointy death!
And sneaky stabbers, surging from mists of the fomorians, and fading among them.
Balor was angry at goblins! He disliked them serving dragons!
So He sent Balor-Mor, Red Eye, to kill dragons! But the Red Eye was dead, killed by the glinty dragon. Balor now favored the dragon and his servants, sending his mists!
But Skarbek still has plans! Shamans and sappers will dig holes, wait for Master-Majesty! Master-Majesty uses his fiery breath to-
It was at this point that Skarbek noticed a second, roaring sun descending towards the village.
---
The closest thing to a thought currently racing through Darwion's head was the instinct to find water.
His mind, his body, was on fire, burning in unimaginable pain and golden flames. Every flap of his wings, every mote of mana sent towards them, increased his torment tenfold. But he had to persevere, the water was so close.
Crashing like a meteor into the kobold settlement's moat, he found momentary relief. Only for pain to renew, just as intense. His flesh now wasn't charring. It was boiling.
He crawled out of water, instinctively pushing his rapidly dwindling mana into his body reinforcement, feeding the cursed, broken spell and stoking the flames. His mana channels in mouth, nose, eyes and ears lit aflame, depriving Darwion of his senses.
His last moments were spent in a dark abyss, filled with nothing but pain.
---
I had no idea what just happened.
I thought I was dealing with an experienced, magically versed fighter. But he had fallen for a basic aerial trap, which cost him his right paw.
And then he was on fire.
Oh, the spell that made him burn was easy to identify in itself. It was the purposefully damaged translation glyph, which shaman Obok warned me could result in a catastrophe.
But I thought he dealt with it! Was it why his spells seemed so much more inefficient than Vaira's?
I followed the draconic shooting star, only to arrive at the kobold village in the middle of a siege.
Well, siege was a far too generous a word. Wounded and dead goblins were dragged out of the burrows by their comrades, while some others were digging in the ground. The illusory smoke from the kobold artifact made out of fiend's eye was spewing from holes in the burrows, kobold commandos jumping from it, delivering a single strike, then jumping back.
I landed near my dueling opponent, who at this point was more of a charred skeleton. Placing a paw on his skull I looked into his eye socket. Nothing but scorched bone.
A goblin's squawk reminded me I was in the middle of a 'battleground'. But I had my mage shell, and I already knew my scales couldn't be pierced by an iron spear, much less stone one. I was confident that I wasn't in danger.
Without their leader, the goblins were just like Dacians. Possessing outdated equipment and lacking an airforce.
I examined the goblin closest to me, staring at me in disbelief. One armed and clad in furs some with particularly low standards would consider rich and elegant, he probably was their leader. Well, the current one.
I chuckled at the foolishness of entrusting command to someone so easily identifiable. It realy was just like Dacia.
Now every goblin on the surface was staring at me. Well, I'd better begin the cleanup, my subordiantes have done enough.
But before I could start breathing fire, the goblins threw themselves at the ground, screeching something.
---
Vaira examined Darwion's charred corpse, and winced. Nothing but blackened bones remained.
When he challenged Tanya Degurechaff, she knew he would die. What she didn't expect was just how gruesome his fate would be.
He was toyed with, the silver fey zipping around, giggling, as if playing tag. And when she finally got bored with him, she cut off his paw and set him aflame.
Dragon's didn't burn. Vaira always considered it an immutable truth, in the same vein as the color of the sky and wetness of water. And here she stood, near the corpse of his brother, his body scorched into nothing but a skeleton.
"Lady Vaira, may I have your attention?"
"Oh, of course mister Obok! I was merely, ah, lost in thought."
"Quite. Well, as my Lady was saying, with the death of your brother, you are now the last remaining heir to your father's estate. While she is sad for you to go, she is more than happy to continue your relationship, only now as equals."
Tanya wasn't looking either sad or happy. She was angry, eyeing Vaira when she thought she didn't look.
"Of course, this position will come with a few obligations in itself."
"Such as?"
"As the leader of Grotniks, you will be forced to pay reparations to the village of Earthmounds. This will include: menial labor, hired at wages favourable to the employer, resource trade at prices, again, favourable to Lady Tanya, and providing resources towards a joint infrastructural initiative."
The green dragon blinked at that "Mister Obok, how much of lady Tanya's demands do you understand the meaning of, exactly?"
The old kobold chuckled bitterly "Less than I'd like to, lady Vaira."
Vaira examined the strange dragon, who used equally strange words. Noticing her gaze she smiled. Or rather, showed her teeth.
"Another test?" Vaira thought "When she showed me her belly, she was testing whether I would be deceived and take the obvious answer. I paid for that with me becoming her servant. If I accept my father's home and abandon her, who knows what prices could await me."
Vaira didn't know what a 'joint infrastructural venture' was, beyond that it had something to do with building. For all she knew, the terrible price could be spoken right to her, and she wouldn't know it.
No, better to play it safe. She already has fallen for the silver dragon's trap. Both times, she was 'smiling' just like now.
---
"Has miss Vaira reached a decision?"
"Yes, my lady. She wishes to forsake her father's estate in favor of remaining in your service."
Well, that was a surprise. Not an unwelcome one, considering I retained the subordinate I planned to dump my responsibilities on in the future, but it was unexpected nothenless.
The goblins were far more primitive than kobolds. Maybe that explained it. I would take working as a modern salaryman over being a medieval king any day. The differences between neolithic and iron age societies were not as stark, but the principle still applied.
The problem was, now I had no one familiar to put in a position of power in the goblin village. If I wanted to ensure some degree of cooperation between their settlement and mine, I needed to find someone fitting.
Delegating one of my subordinates, or establishing an embassy, was out. Goblin and kobold cultures were hostile to one another, and it will take time to change their worldview.
The goblins offered their village as a right of conquest, but that was out too. If goblin guides are to be believed, their home laid around 180 kilometers from the kobold one. Using wings, one way flight there would take me around six hours. Until I manage to push my non assisted flight past thirty kilometers per hour into something around sixty, coordinating two settlements myself would be far too much of a hassle.
I could just entrust the village to goblins themselves. Clashing cultures and lingering grievances didn't stop European countries from trading with each other, despite numerous wars they fought. Politics were just business after all.
And it would help me too. What I needed was a trade agreement in order to place the first building blocks of commerce, and a way to safely transport goods from village to village without fearing for a predator attack. But my only current option was an underground tunnel, which considering the size and length it would need to be, would take around a decade, and that was using modern tools.
No, it was better to establish an independent goblin government, and swear it to uphold their obligations towards me in the future. This way, when I got the right tools and workers, I will be able to come knocking, and get some actual returns on the investment instead of wasting it all now on a doomed venture.
And it didn't even cost me anything! Not a single kobold was killed in the goblin raid. Considering it was stone versus iron, any fool incompetent enough to get hit by something so primitive I'd kill myself before they managed to bleed out.
I was in an excellent mood, and found myself grinning. Excusable, considering the exceptionally profitable venture presented before me. Time to give goblins the good news.