PONon-Bee 379.2 - Bee-briefing the Conclave |
A Tower Guard captain pushed open gilded doors covered in dragon carvings. He walked into a throne room filled with gold, jewels, and mana cores, all piled into the shape of an empty nest where a true dragon once lay. He had a smile on his face as he marched across a red carpet leading up to the empty throne. He lingered for a moment, placing his hand upon the throne’s armrest.
His throne, in just a moment, for Lord Starami was dead.
The captain had been displeased to be left behind when Lord Starami marched out with nearly his entire army. He boiled as he recalled that day, the looks of scorn and superiority the other captains had given him. To be left behind on such a crucial undertaking was a clear statement that he was unnecessary, too weak for their lord to desire his presence. A great slap in the face to a champion of dragons. Even that old weakling Auschias went along, but he did not.
But now, what was once his great humiliation had become a gift beyond measure. Lord Starami was dead. If Lord Starami was dead, then everyone with him was surely dead as well. Starami’s Claw, Starami’s Spear, every last captain and elite that had mocked him.
And here he was, still alive, the most powerful champion of the God of Dragons within a Tower that had no master.
His smile returned as he stepped around the throne to a door placed behind it. Within that, he found Lord Starami’s old bedroom, now his as well. A giant bed with the softest sheets and pillows available to the Conclave, a bookshelf filled with all manner of secrets and ancient lore, a desk and chair made of treant wood that could reshape to perfectly fit their user. All his. It was only unfortunate that Lord Starami had taken the most powerful weapons and artifacts along with him, along with the last of that mead he supposedly loved. But that was no matter, the new Tower Lord would soon have plenty of power and delicacies to replace them.
He now stepped to a door on the far side of the room. Once upon a time, it was sealed by Lord Starami’s own magic that would strike down anyone but the lord himself. But that magic had faded along with Lord Starami, the door had even opened itself, letting the captain see into the Tower’s core room.
The room glittered with a floor and walls of pure gold. Carvings of mighty dragons adorned the walls, from sea dragons diving in the waves to air dragons creating tempests with their wings to fire dragons setting the land ablaze. In the center, a dragon skeleton curled in the center of the room, holding a brightly glowing sphere in its mouth.
The captain grinned and stepped forward. He placed his hand upon the core. He didn’t know the exact process, but he knew the gods wanted the Towers to have lords. Only ones that they chose, but the captain was no peasant. He was already a champion of the God of Dragons and sworn to this very Tower, so surely he would be considered worthy.
The gods do not accept you as dungeon master.
The captain stared in shock for a moment before his face twisted into a scowl.
“What do you mean, you don’t accept me?! I’m one of your champions!”
The captain tried again, but got another burn and the same message. He clenched his jaw as he glared at the core, right within his reach…yet denied to him. Just as Lord Starami and the others had denied him before.
Fire built within his chest.
“Accept me, or I’ll destroy this core!”
In his rage and frustration, he unleashed his fire breath upon the core…
Bright red lights lit up in the eye sockets of the dragon skeleton and a massive wave of fire poured out from its mouth. The captain screamed as he was engulfed in flames.
You have broken your oath before the God of Dragons.
The God of Dragons revokes his blessings upon you.
The God of Dragons punishes you for your insolence.
Up in the God of Light’s realm, the God of Light gathered with the gods who had dungeon masters that were being or had been targeted by Konilias and Stadvolous’ factions. Her usual allies of the God of Fire and God of Water were there, along with the God of Bees and God of Flowers. And though their dungeons weren’t a part of the current Conclave civil war, she had invited the gods of beastkin dungeons like the God of Beasts, God of Spiders, and God of Darkness as a nod to their losses in the Conclave’s Grand Subjugations.
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The God of Beasts appeared as a great amalgom of creatures. He had the body of a lion with two heads, one feline and the other a goat, the wings of a bat on its shoulders, and a snake’s neck and head for its tail. His goat head let out a snort.
“So, the first of Dragon’s masters have fallen. Good. You aren’t going to let any of his people take over, are you, God of Light?”
The God of Light shook her head.
“We, as the parties injured by the treachery of Dragon’s masters, shall approve any new masters for his dungeons, this one included.”
The God of Beasts bared his fangs.
“I have lost more than most.”
The God of Light nodded.
“That is true, but in this case the dungeon already has a claim. The God of Bees’ master Belissar, the Calwaskon Compact, and their beastkin allies brought down Starami, and then agreed that Belissar should have the right to appoint Starami’s successor. As Starami has targeted Belissar multiple times and Belissar and his allies helped General Rippotis to return in time to defeat Stadvolous, I propose we should enforce this ruling.”
The gods of the Compact’s dungeons nodded their agreement. The God of Beasts eyed the God of Light for a moment before huffing.
“Fine, I’ll give the God of Bees that one. At least her human dungeon master treats beastkin with respect.”
The God of Bees happily danced a “Belissar best dungeon master!” dance. The God of Light gave her a nod before turning back to the God of Beasts.
“Now then, onto the main issue. Gods of the spiderkin dungeon masters, I am aware that the spiderkin are mobilizing for war, your masters included. A war that they also have been preparing for quite some time, long before the treachery in the Conclave was revealed.”
The God of Beasts growled.
“God of Light, you stood by in silence as the Conclave and the God of Dragons took dungeon after dungeon from us. As our followers were killed and enslaved one after another. Not until your own masters were threatened did you act. Am I to understand that, now that our masters are moving to protect themselves, that you will stand in our way?”
The God of Light shook her head.
“I am resigned to war on World One, the God of Dragons’ masters have made sure of it. I will not stop your followers from fighting against them.”
She then narrowed her eyes and her light intensified.
“But we will come to an understanding on how far they can go. If you seek to destroy the entire Conclave, then I will resist you.”
The God of Beasts glared at her but eventually lowered his heads.
“Fine, let’s talk then.”
Over at the site of the battle between High Councilor Stadvolous and the Dragon Banner Army, General Rippotis’ victorious troops rounded up Stadvolous’ Tower Guard. General Rippotis gave out orders and got them organized, then started looking around. When he saw Queen Vanieskon, he stormed over, still wrapped in an aura of fire.
“Pixie Queen, was Stadvolous’ cowardly retreat your doing?”
Queen Vanieskon gave him a smile.
“You’re welcome.”
General Rippotis did not return her mirth and glared at her.
“I don’t know whether to accuse you of treachery or incompetence.”
Queen Vanieskon’s smile dropped.
“Excuse me? In case you didn’t notice, General, I just won you a great victory. Did not the entire enemy army surrender the moment their master turned and ran?”
General Rippotis pointed to one of Stadvolous’ fallen dragons.
“Stadvolous was a Tower Lord of Dragons who was using dragon monsters without riders. He had to display strength and dominance to keep them in check. He should have had no choice but to accept my direct challenge. I would burnt him to a crisp and brought him back in chains, then he, his Tower, and his entire faction would have been crushed. I would have eliminated half the coup’s forces with a single duel.”
General Rippotis glowered at her.
“Instead, you convinced him to run. He’ll lose this army, but now he’ll hole up in his Tower. He won’t have his Tower Guard, but all his monsters will respawn and he’ll arrange every trap and dangerous room he can to buy more time. We’ll have no choice but to besiege his Tower at great cost. And he will incite his faction to continue resisting, so we will have to destroy them one by one as well. You’ve doomed us to a long and bloody war. I’m of half a mind that was your goal to begin with.”
Queen Vanieskon rolled her eyes.
“Hardly. You know full well that I benefit most from your victory, General. There was always the chance you lose that duel, I simply guaranteed that this would be a victory, even if not the one you wanted. You know as well I cannot afford for you to die before you make good on our bargain.”
General Rippotis’ flames picked up heat. Queen Vanieskon nearly felt scorched, but she refused to react to the heat.
“That is the only reason I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt and attributing this to incompetence instead.”
Queen Vanieskon narrowed her eyes but General Rippotis didn’t give her a chance to respond.
“Whatever your intentions, you ran off on your own, without confirming my plans or intentions or telling me your own, and so you turned a victory into a strategic failure. That will NOT happen again. If you want to fight alongside my army, you will listen to me. You will explain full well whatever you intend to do before I let you take the field and if I tell you no you will not disagree. If that is not acceptable for you, then you don’t fight. You wait quietly in the back for me to win this war without you getting in the way. Our bargain is only valid so long as you’re actually an ally, interfere like this again and I’ll confirm your intentions as treacherous. Then you will not receive a single one of the Conclave’s Towers, if you survive at all.”
General Rippotis then stormed off back to his army, ignoring whatever retort the pixie queen might have.
As he did, one of Tower Keeper Belissar’s bees flew over to him, her antennae drooping.
“Sorry, hive burner escaped.”
General Rippotis’ expression softened and his fire died down. He shook his head.
“Don’t be, you did your part well. It’s the pixie queen that messed this up. I haven’t forgotten that it was thanks to your help I was able to return in time. For that, you have my gratitude. You and your Tower Keeper.”
He looked over at his army, still intact and now burning to strike back, and smiled. He might have gotten frustrated at the pixie queen’s mischief, but the truth was just preserving the Dragon Banner Army was a major victory on its own. Konilias and Stadvolous had done everything they could to keep him away from his army and, thanks to Tower Keeper Belissar’s help, they had failed. There was still a long and difficult war ahead, but now it was his and Heigiosa’s to lose.
And General Rippotis had not lost a war in a very, very long time.