Dracopical Isles: Rise of the Underground

Chapter 11

As further time ticks by and Emeraldus' planning continues, Slim's mind is constantly taken away with thoughts. Still being rather bedridden, all best the poor Alchemy can really do, is think. His injuries have scarred over and cherry red scabs seal the open wounds as his body busies itself with recovery. Fatigue often accompanies Slim's thinking as a result, for his body is preoccupied with healing, but his mind is still plenty awake with all these thoughts. Dozing sweeps him away every few minutes or so, only for him to be brought back exactly where he had left off. Time and time again, one particular thought keeps returning - should he tell Emeraldus the truth? Now being completely kicked out with no hopes of being welcomed back into his former clan, and in such a miserable condition - what more does he have to lose? If he's lucky, Emeraldus may spare him for telling the truth, or even have pity for Slim and understand how truly sorry he is for all that has happened. Though it is a stretch to hope for, considering how deeply Emeraldus was hurt by this - Slim probably can't follow through without expecting some outrage.
Returning from a harvesting journey to recollect more ingredients for his potions, spells, and brews, Emeraldus can be heard on the other side of Slim's door. His breathing puffs along with a rather worn out groan. It wasn't easy to find these.
Getting up from his bedding and limping over to the door, Slim feels his heart beginning to pound with anxiety for what he's about to do. Before Emeraldus can get too busy, Slim knocks for his attention.
Turning his head at the sound, Emeraldus snorts with slight agitation.
"You can go out in a few minutes!" He growls, assuming Slim's reasons.
Quickly, the Alchemy speaks up, "Uh actually Boss.. I got a little bit to tell ya..."
Setting down the ingredients by his desk, Emeraldus replies, "I am busy here; is it quick?"
It is then Slim hesitates. Is he sure he wants to do this? If Emeraldus gets furious with him, he may receive worse injuries than what Cigoura had to give - and that's just if the Sorcerant doesn't decide to kill him right away, if not at all. There's also the fact that Slim is no longer one of them. He doesn't have to keep the Alchemies' secrets if he doesn't want to anymore. Besides, if he dies to Emeraldus, no Alchemy would have the chance to do worse. Also there's just that one small inkling that remains in the back of his mind. He may be a pathetic Alchemy with a memory as big as a peanut, but he knows it when something just isn't right. It is also such things that seem to cling to him the most. Emeraldus needs to know. Even if the humans are still guilty for wounding the Alchemy clan, they've probably got their punishment in plenty already with what happened to the bar and grill. No, Emeraldus must know the truth before this can escalate.
Slim is no longer an evil Alchemy, and chances are he never even was to begin with. He's going to do what's right.
Slim swallows his anxiety before speaking up with a slight stutter, "Ye-yeah man, I can make it quick for ya.."
His heart pounds just that much faster as the hinges of the door creak open to reveal Emeraldus' frown. Slim sits where he is before looking down. He sighs.
"Yes?" Emeraldus says pushing him to speak.
Without looking up at his face, Slim squeezes his eyes shut and begins, "I.. I got something to tell.. about your Mrs..." Such words immediately perk Emeraldus' interests. He blinks attentively.
"You see man.. I lied to you..."
Emeraldus lifts a brow, titling his head a bit to the side, half curious, half aggravated.
Slim continues, "It wasn't the humans who killed this lady Sorcerant..."
Steady and heavy, Emeraldus approaches to stand above Slim with an intimidating stare as the Alchemy instinctively flinches, lowering himself to the floor. The big male Sorcerant remains silent, though fully attentive of Slim.
"But I wasn't bluffing about being bait, I promise ya!" Slim rapidly adds. "That was my job!"
Feeling the heavy weight of Emeraldus' hand against his back just like before, Slim gulps. But thankfully, it's not his death to follow.
"So it wasn't the humans who killed my mate?" Emeraldus growls, eyes narrowed. His tail gives a stern wave to the side.
Slim can only nod now with how spazzed his nerves are at the Sorcerant's question.
"So correct me where I'm wrong, please." Emeraldus says, still with his narrowed gaze. "You weren't forced to be bait by the humans, but someone else? Were the humans the ones who captured Midna or not?"
Slim shakes his head "no" in response.
Lowering his head closer to Slim's, Emeraldus continues.
"Then tell me this," His breath disturbing the first break of sweat upon the Alchemy's brow. "Who did you agree to be bait for and why?"
Slim opens his mouth for a dry stutter before he can finally find his tongue. "I.. I didn't agree with them.. they forced me to.."
"And..?"
Slim gulps again. "... It.. was the other Alchemies..."
Emeraldus' growl, curling his lip following forces another rapid response from Slim. "They don't like me!"
Emeraldus' teeth grab Slim by the scruff and uses his hands to flip him over onto his back. Once belly up, the Sorcerant places his hands on both of Slim's outspread wings to keep him there, all the while the terrified Alchemy whimpers with anxiety.
"So you claim this to be the truth?" Emeraldus growls. "You did not lie?"
Slim nods rapidly, a strained nervous laugh in his throat.
Showing his teeth again, Emeraldus continues with a heavy, threatening growl. "Tell me now what exactly happened step by step, and leave no detail out, lest I gut you with more conviction than a cacovern eats a nest of sprite dragon eggs."
With a squeaky voice and dripping brow, Slim complies. "Sure, sure, sure, you got it Man! I tell everything!" He then doesn't hesitate to get right into it. "The uh, the Alchemies found you and your mate one day and then they hatched a plan.. I.. Was unfortunately the bait and your Mrs came to help me when..." He pauses for an anxious glance up at Emeraldus' face.
The big male Sorcerant's expression does not change. "Continue,"
Slim spills the rest he can remember, "When... They attacked her and stuff happened. They killed her and they rolled her cage into the back of a human place. They kicked me out later because they thought I was stupid.... Ladedada, and here we are." With a wide, nervous grin on his face to end with.
"You had no hand in it other than being used as bait?" Emeraldus says, to be sure about Slim's claims.
"Yes, man. That's all I did." The Alchemy replies, not dropping an inch of his grin.
Looking away, Emeraldus now has a moment to think about this. Can't exactly say he's surprised that Slim would lie to him at first, but it's the fact that he would even think to come clean with him that's a little shocking. This would explain the Alchemy scent Emeraldus could pick up at the site where Midna had been captured; however, how would you explain the other scent?
Without turning his head, Emeraldus growls at Slim from the side. "And what about the humans?"
Slim shakes his head. "The humans had nothing to do with your.."
Emeraldus interrupts him before he can finish. "Their rancid aroma was at the site where the attack occurred," Now turning to glare at Slim. "And there were human tools there. Explain that to me."
"Was only a red herring, Boss!" Slim chokes out of his panic in response to Emeraldus' snarl. "To get ya off their tails, y'know? They made it look like it was the humans so they could get away!"
Another growl grumbles in Emeraldus' throat as he maintains his glare on Slim, his claws beginning to pierce into the fleshy membranes of the Alchemy's wings.
Trembling, Slim covers his eyes with his forelegs braced for Emeraldus to lunge at him with open jaws.
"I'm sorry..." He whimpers as if expecting these words to be his last. "I'm so sorry you had to lose the Mrs... I will not stop you from crushing me... I am a filthy Alchemy dragon.. filthy.!" The last word comes out of him like a sob as a tear slips down his face.
Trembling so much, his whole body is like a quivering leaf in the wind, Emeraldus can feel Slim's fear like one massive wave after another - the adrenaline wafting just as strong. The fire is at the back of Emeraldus' throat brought forth from his boiling anger, and the smoke rises like streamers from his curled lip. Muscles tightened for action and slitted eyes staring down at the miserable Alchemy at his feet, Emeraldus is poised for a strike, but...
...But what..? Emeraldus cannot bring himself to. Why not..? As ready as his anger is seething within his veins, he seems to have lost the control in his neck and jaws. They refuse to move.
Is it because of the Alchemy's fear? The Alchemy's guilt? The Alchemy's sheer bravery to tell him the truth? Is it because of how miserable he is? How he lost so much and had been torn and humiliated by his own kind? He's in so much pain, and so lonely. Does he really deserve to die like this?
Or is it his own guilt? Now hearing the truth for what it is, Emeraldus had murdered innocent blood. The humans did nothing to him - it was all the Alchemies. It was all just a trick, but how? How could Emeraldus not see that? He should've known better. He should've known that the Alchemies would do such a thing. Their scent was there, they had left signs, they're even well-known for their rivalry with Sorcerant kind, and yet Emeraldus had not listened. He had been so quick to assume without much thought.
For a moment, Emeraldus begins to feel shame breaking through the rage. Because of this mistake, innocent blood now stains his hands. He let the Alchemies get away with their wicked plans. Now there is only a single thought to occupy his mind: How could he have been so foolish?
... Emeraldus' snarl ceases, and his furious gaze softens with a blink. He lets his curling claws relax from their piercing grip. He snorts the wafting smoke away from his throat as the guilt and shame seeps in that much further. He had been such a foolish dragon, and he knows he could've done so much better before acting - yet, he missed the mark.
Still looking down at Slim with his softened expression, thoughts completely swapped out from the anger, Emeraldus also considers the poor dragon.
He can't kill Slim - even if he had been born of Alchemy blood. His own kind disowned him, and such a thing is not normal for their breed. He's suffering, yet he risks his life to let Emeraldus know the truth. He isn't like the other Alchemies, yet he pays such a major price for it. He shows his guilt and humility, apologizing for what happened and refuses to blame Emeraldus for his actions? Should he savagely end the life of such a dragon, who didn't have much to begin with?
He pulls his hands away from the trembling Alchemy and sighs.
More tears stream down Slim's face as a strong, chilling evening breeze blows by, putting out the flames of torchlight within the tower.
Slim continues to sob, still braced for his death as Emeraldus only stares. The Sorcerant then looks away at the ground for a minute before turning his gaze outside at the crescent moon.
Slim is left shaking for a moment longer before Emeraldus' voice speaks to him in a gentler tone, "Listen, Little Alchemy,"
Hearing him, Slim's sobbing settles only into a whimper.
"I'm not going to kill you," Emeraldus continues, though with a hint of regret. "What you did was nothing - nothing compared to the mistakes I had made. None of this should have happened.."
Slim still says nothing, but Emeraldus can tell he's listening.
"How about this," Emeraldus says, lowering his head closer to Slim's. "You become my subordinate, assist me in my goals, and teach those dung heads a lesson - would you like that, Little Alchemy?"
Now peeking through his claws at Emeraldus' face, the Sorcerant gives Slim a reassuring, yet slightly mischievous smile.
"Looks like you could use a place where you're needed."
Slim proceeds to stare up at Emeraldus, though his trembling isn't as much as it had been. For a moment longer, silence remains between the two dragons before the squeaky, anxious voice finally replies.
"Will I have to pay you back.?"