|| Book One of the Dragonkind Duology ||
𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙛 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙩; 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣.
For years, dragonkind and humankind had been at war, alternating between short-lived truces and all out...
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It was late into the evening that the general tale of what happened in Weststar and beyond were explained. To their credit, Namari and Moric took the near-unbelievable story better than Ordephus had thought. If you'd call slightly pale and mildly horrified well, that is. Especially for Moric.
"So that all happened," Moric said, taking a deep breath and pushing what was just said to the back of his mind to process later. "Moving onto matters I can comprehend, what was that about your plans for Langerich? You said you had a location in mind in case everyone is opposed to freeing dragonkind, correct?"
"Yes," Ordephus replied tentatively, "but that will only be put into effect if less than one-sixteenth of the population doesn't object."
"That's a small percentage," he pointed out almost timidly. He was charged with protecting the reservoir, but sometimes that duty extended to the city itself. The man in front of him was his friend of many years, yes, but in a situation like this, it was terrifying how quickly he could turn into an enemy.
"It is." Ordephus leaned forward, leaning his elbows on the table and folding his hands in front of him. His gaze was leveled on the captain steadily. A Prince of Nimn indeed, Noctifer thought idly as he watched the interaction before him. "If I want this battle and potential war to end quickly, Langerich is the ideal location for me to start in. The largest reservoir in Amaredeia; a natural wizard's fortress. Call the tactic barbaric, but it's, unfortunately, not below me to take a city by force."
Moric gulped and gripped the hilt of his sword at his side. The action didn't go unnoticed as Noctifer narrowed his eyes and Namari glanced between them worriedly. Ordephus' words were a plain threat. Not to the people of Langerich, though. He knew how to read in between the lines. As a captain, he had many soldiers stationed under him. Alliance soldiers. Most who were wizards. But were they prepared to fight a legend head-on? As far as he knew, fighting a harbinger deity could've been like swatting away a pixie to the father of magic.
He mentally shook his head. What was he thinking? Regardless of who he was now, he knew him. Darin had always been helpful and always put the well-being of others before him. How was Ordephus any different? If anything, the other was simply looking at the bigger picture. What was the displeasure of Langerich to the suffering of the dragonkind? With a small smile, he released the hilt in favor of laying both of his hands on the table.
"You don't need to go commander on me," he said with a nervous chuckle. "It's nerve-wracking. Of course I'll help, and I know there are others in my company who will, too. If anything, this side of Loten may support you due to the Vecjivi influence. They've certainly been open about their feelings about the harsh treatment."
Ordephus shrugged with a smile, leaning back in his chair. "Sorry, just wanted to make sure. But we don't need to discuss that part yet."
"Yes, you have yet to actually say any part of your plan," Amonis said.
