A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale-Chapter 596: Cascading Conflict.

[Various Potion Effects] inflicted on [Wrath Demonkin, Vifi’Yok]

Potions up. Should I use some scrolls? Nah. Gotta keep some surprise if we get into trouble.

The neighborhood I grew up in was an impoverished mess of a hole, just teeming with rats, degenerates, and rogues of all kinds. You learn a thing or two about navigating slums once you’ve lived in one. Really couldn’t compare the order and architecture of a neighborhood built on convenience, desperation, and “taking territory” over the “slums” of a rich place like Iceskale. Yes, there were impoverished people even there, but at least the state supported them and their local infrastructure.

It made things look clean and orderly, unlike the stone jungle I lived in. Though… I was starting to feel like the stone jungle might be better than the metal jungle inside Lecullius.

Zapping lightning pierced through the rowdiness of the claustrophobic inner city, with its metal buildings, bridges, and scaffolding. My footsteps cracked the dull, stony ground, stomping on the moldy-looking puddles here and there, probably disgusting enough to scare away anybody who hadn’t had to live next to a fish market that just reeked of people and seafood baking under the blazing sun.

The memories were returning all right… could you even call this nostalgia? Ports, whether in Elyonda, Iceskale, or Coral Beard, always gave off that same fishy and salty stench, and Lecullius wasn’t any better, but this… well, it felt like I was being marinated inside a fish oil pot. The open sea air was the best part of a port, since it sent that disgusting smell away, but this metal city was a cage that kept all of that confined in this shit hole.

Really didn’t help that there was a waterway just like the upper city. People were treating it like their personal trash bin. Ha, better not test how slimy and rancid the water was.

“You think me cuts are wrong? Want me to show ya the way to the sinkhole before I slice ya up for me merfiend friends? Don’t visit a stall hollering like a runt about cheap, you puked-up git!”

“Oi, fishrot! Ya damn mess that up, bluddar. Where the heck were you throwing that can? Dropping shit in that canal, and ya think they cost naught? Dive into that shit! Ain’t hearing ya hollering, that’s for sure!”

“Gather up, school! We got some nice stuff from the last shipment. Damn good stone runes and a few enchanted items. Rare as they get for the price we selling; so swarm up, school! Buying or not? Ya ain’t wanna miss it.”

Not to call human or dragonkin societies “bland,” but man did it feel better when the number of people in the crowd didn’t all look mildly similar. Maybe my view was a bit skewed for the dragonkin since I lived over a year on Iceskale, where the vast majority were ice dragonkin, but it was nice to see shark, octopus, dolphin, and many other merfiend races mingling with the nagas and levianewts. Gives the city more flavor, I say. As disorderly as Bole’Taria was, the seven demonkin races made daily interactions pretty exciting.

… Giving too much length to Hee. A sightseeing tour turned into a damn chase. Just my luck.

As distracted as I was, Hee wasn’t far away. He was still in the range of my [Detection Sensor], and as long as I could still sense your signal, you wouldn’t escape my speed that easily. The chase was just a deer hunt.

Step on it.

Electricity burst from my legs before I shot myself up to the rooftop. My feet glided along the metallic buildings, creating dull clanks as I kept my voltaic lightning output low to avoid accidentally killing someone with the conduction. Not that I needed to go full speed to catch up to Hee.

And just as I predicted… Hee came into view. Jumping off the rooftops, I pounced at him, nearly managing to land on him if he hadn’t dodged at the right moment. Tumbling on the ground, he conjured his fire shield, one of his four elemental weapons, and threw it at me, prompting me to draw my rapier and pierce it right in the middle. Dangling it over me, I waited until it dissipated before addressing Hee, who was obediently waiting for me since he knew he couldn’t escape me now.

“Where is the signal?” I asked, but Hee stayed silent. “I’ve joined the scouting corps for training once, but I still remember the rules well enough since they drill it into you at boot camp. First: prioritize information gathering and successful delivery. Second: never lead the enemy back to camp. Third: if pursued, lead the foe into the planned ambush locations and activate the signal to communicate with allies. What was the signal, Hee?”

Hee stood up, but my fears came true when I saw flaming horns form on his head. Either he was getting angry or scared at me, though it was clear in his eyes that he saw me as an enemy now. No, as a filthy traitor and deserter.

This path was filled with thorns.

I went into the Yok style fencing stance, causing Hee to wince for a moment before composing himself, readying himself to fight as he drew his sword and conjured his fire shield, again. As he was wrapping his blade with flames, I said, “I honestly was a bit surprised to learn that the elf treating my new liege was somehow involved with Bole’Taria as a sympathizer. Apparently, he is waiting for you, his allies. Where is he? How many of you came to Lecullius? … Lord Wrath, where is he?”

“You know my answers to all of them…” Hee finally responded, clicking his tongue, probably from me calling Donut “my liege.” “I need not give you any answers, but you do have to give me some! Why?”

“Too many ‘whys’ to answer, Hee. Pick one or two.”

“Why am I alive? Why did you abandon House Yok?”

“Heh… you know the answer to the first. For the second? Well, survival at first since I know what they would do to me if I returned in the state I was in. ‘A Warbringer with a never-before-seen unique skill who failed two missions in a row.’ Talk about an easy test subject, especially since it would allow my adoptive siblings to get rid of me. You know them well and how they despised Father for giving me the Yok name. They would be glad to wipe my name from the registers and call me ‘Father’s pet project’ to discredit him. Oh, how often they moaned how much more interest Father showed me…” I declared, causing Hee’s already emotionally-distorted expression to nearly break again. Good soldier. “I still am tarnishing the family’s name, but at least I am doing it in a way that I perceive is right. Whether Father agrees with it, I don’t know. But at least I know that I am doing something to continue that dream of his.”

“He would not appreciate you abandoning Bole’Taria for it!” Hee’s facade broke once again. “I know how much you prioritise survival, because you grew up on those streets, but what you are doing goes beyond that. Joining Aurena’s dogs? The same dog who has been fighting and killing us demonkin, working for the same Edjurian who scorns our existence through her human followers?”

“Do you want me to lie? Call her however you want, but at least she makes attempts to make peace with us. Our survival is the proof that Hestia is more than just a ‘dog,’ Hee,” I argued, but I knew this was going nowhere. After all, I felt signals approaching us. “Then again, do my excuses even matter at this point? You and I know words would never change the outcome of this meeting. Lord Wrath is fair to us, but he does not condone traitors and deserters. ‘Let them make excuses and hear them out. Though ensure their head falls to remind all that the army does not tolerate cowards!’”

I twisted my body and lowered my knees to grab my crossbow, before launching two lightning bolts at the signals prowling before me. One was lurching on the rooftops, while another was hiding in a nearby alleyway.

The bolts struck the person on the roof, but the latter managed to dodge them, leaving the lightning bolt to strike the metallic wall. The sizzling blast caught the attention of the people around it, even if I had managed to weave my shot through the crowd. Understanding a fight was about to happen, they stormed away in a panic, sweeping the unhurt threat away like a crashing wave.

That left me to focus on—

Hee!

I leaned back and slashed upwards, trying to copy the motions of [Yok Style Fencing: Ciene] to parry an incoming attack despite my terrible posture.

As metal struck metal, Hee let out a surprised, “Ciene?” before bashing me with his flame shield, prompting me to activate [Defensive Rune: Auracoil] on my prosthetic to protect myself. Pushed back, I corrected my form and launched a [Yok Style Fencing: Saunte] at him, only for him to parry my thrust with his shield.

Attempting to counterattack, Hee swung his blade. Lightning shot from my feet as I attempted to slip through his attack, but flames suddenly sprang from Hee’s legs, like Donut using her [Dreadflame Aura], singeing my armor, but more importantly, disrupting the mana around my feet long enough to disable my magnetic jump.

Forced to block his strike, I took his heavy sword blow and was drawn into close combat, although Hee might have overestimated his ability with how faster I had become. Weaving through four of my six elemental weapons, I slammed his arms with my hammer, sliced into his flesh with my halberd, smashed his chestplate with my gauntlet, before delivering debilitating, precise strikes with my rapier. No need for my voltaic Abilities when I could defeat my former apprentice in a clean and mildly inconspicuous manner.

Ripping through his knees with my rapier, Hee finally fell onto the ground, bleeding through his puncture and slash wounds. Unable to move his legs, Hee groaned as he pulled out a potion, trying to drink it, but I used my lightning staff to break it with a [Lightning Bolt]. Excessive, but necessary for psychological warfare.

“… We trained you.”

“You’ve done much for me, Hee. I know that. That’s why I couldn’t let you die,” I replied. “Family was an unfamiliar word to me before Father adopted me. Even if it was short.”

Sure, the elemental emperor’s illusion was just that: an illusion. The controlled fae acted exactly how I imagined Father would be, and it probably helped that my memory of my childhood and adolescence was seared into my memory as survival lessons, but that didn’t mean I didn’t appreciate being able to say goodbye to Father. Seeing him again, even if it was fake, gave me a chance to say what I couldn’t when I was announced as the heir to his position as the third Warbringer.

The Yok Style Fencing techniques were… suffice to say, more like a chain during my time in the household. As I told Hee, to my siblings, I was just “Father’s pet project.” Nothing more. I held the Yok name and had to act like one, but I wasn’t one of them. I wasn’t sure what Mother thought of me, to be honest, but her hostility was clear enough to give me a good answer.

So I learned the Yok style, but never accepted them into my Profile, leaving my last name as the only connection to my time in the Yok household. Not to mention, the style just didn’t suit me, and it still didn’t, but I couldn’t argue against how good it was when it came to a duel. Haaa, it felt like Father won one last time, but that was okay.

Accepting his name and his techniques helped me continue his legacy beyond just his dream.

“… I’m sorry,” I said, clutching my hands with my guilt taking over my mind. “I know you expected more from me. Serving somebody younger as the Warbringer apprentice would have damaged the pride of many of our peers, but you swallowed it up and continued in your position to watch over me. One last duty to Father, even if it was unnecessary. Yet, I betrayed not only Bole’Taria, but the trust of the entire army.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Y-Young mistress, Lord Wrath—”

“Would have protected me? Maybe. But he would have had to argue against Envy, Lord Greed, and Lord Sloth for that. Not to mention, would he have been able to stop the Yok household's newest head? The entire nobility, since they can get rid of a ‘pretending rat?’ Sadly, I doubt that very much. The lord general might have the highest authority over the army, but his authority is limited over the navy and the government. Lord Greed’s words bear the weight of the entire kingdom. Can he defeat such a foe?”

“If such a question plagued you truly, then you should have placed more trust in me, Vifi’Yok.”

My body froze.

The voice was barely audible inside this metallic jungle with all the clanking manatech, splashing waters, and echoing screams, but even after two years of deserting the army, it still held an iron claw over my mind. Like a serf fearing a lord, or a dragonewt bowing before a dragon, my knees started to shake, telling me to kneel and show deference and respect.

Was it brainwashing? Probably not, since I wasn’t placed through a gauntlet of propaganda. My first meeting with this man was… through a meeting between two friends. No, well, it was intended as such, but my Father decided to bring me along to introduce me to not only a close friend, but also his commander. Awe and trepidation were what I felt back then, so what was this feeling?

“The way you act does not promote much trust in your words, my Warbringer. You know not to act as such. In a Warbringer, I seek not meekness, but a personality that embodies the need for battle. I do not need squeamish nobles who believe their lineage alone grants them a place amongst my ranks, but I need warriors who would rather bleed than run when a single blade strike would be enough to save their kinsmen and comrades-in-arms. I need someone who will bring war to Bole’Taria’s enemies!” he bellowed, causing lightning to shoot from my body, forming my horns, tails, and even my elemental arms. “… Surprising. I heard you used Satanael and lost with it. You should have died, but were revived by our ancestors at the cost of your ability to tap into your full strength, yet here I see you able to rise above 15%. Was it Lady Klea’Hatma’s doing, or… is there something you found out in the land of dragons?”

“L-Lord Wrath.” I turned around, seeing the man I once served roll his fists.

“The ‘signal’ was Hee running through the streets like a madman. He did not need to do anything when my scouts saw him. Such a jarring sight would befuddle any person, but coming to a logical conclusion was simple: an enemy. Aurena’s newest dog, her kirin sister, or he might have found the one we came here for. Regardless, two out of three are fine prey Bole’Taria must take down, and we managed to find the first.”

As I said, just my luck.

“Vifi. You know what we do with deserters, right?”

I took a deep breath and entered the Yok stance and conjured my lightning rapier in my spare hand. Words were unneeded now that we have met.

Bought you enough time, right? Even did extra and got the commander out of the house, sooo… get that elf and come and help me already, you dragon siblings!

[Various Potion Effects] [Various Spell Buffs] inflicted on [Ice Fairy, Tasianna Marina Silverpond]

“You think you can stop me with a rune?” Prince Nongramos screamed when an aquarius barrier was projected around the entrance of a tavern, blocking his entrance completely like an [Aqua Prison] spell.

From what I read in a tour book on Lecullius, the city itself was quite modern when it came to its usage of manatech and runes, similar to the Ankor-Nazta. Although Miononbolax’s cities were quite developed, they weren’t heavily industrialized, using their runes, technology, and magic in a very elven fashion. Quite naturalistic. Haaa, a far cry from… this.

Regardless of what I felt about the inner city of Lecullius, what mattered was that technology and mana were a hindrance to our pursuit. With everything going on in this overpopulated city, trying to move around was already difficult, if you didn’t include unfriendly business owners. Due to her speed and how confusing this metallic place was, Prince Nongramos lost Vifi’s trail, allowing Shay, Beth, and me to catch up to him.

Unfortunately, we didn’t form a party in advance, as she had dashed off before we could say anything. Still, we were lucky that echoes traveled as well within the city as within water, leading us towards a group of fleeing locals. There, we saw one injured “human” being dragged along by another, allowing me to identify the singed wound on the former’s shoulder.

A quick appraisal with [Identify] informed me they were wrath demonkin, proving Vifi and Prince Nongramos right. That was where we split into three groups. Shay would try to find Vifi and support her if needed, the prince and I would pursue the fleeing demonkin, and, lastly, Beth would deliver this information to Lady Hestia.

On our side, our trail led us to a tavern deep inside this metal cage, even going two floors below where we started. We were now officially “underwater.” Denizens could enter and exit the metal city through watery entrances held stable through runes, and they had massive glass panels that formed the outer wall, allowing us to peer at the bioluminescent underwater city outside.

Even as a follower of Goddess Plesia, it felt like this bubble was a mere trap to maintain… order through imprisonment.

“Get out of my way!” Prince Nongramos shouted as a strong gust of wind blew through the aquatic barrier, breaking it and striking the tavern floor, blowing away a couple of tables and patrons.

He stormed into the tavern, flying up to the second floor’s overhang. Seeing him cause such a turmoil was causing me a headache, but I still followed him after apologizing to the people around me. When I heard something hard slam the floor, I cast [Wind Blast] to blow myself up, as well, only to stumble a bit when I saw two familiar faces outside of the elven alchemist we came here for.

The first was the person who was stopping Prince Nongramos from entering the room, slithering on the floor with his serpent-like lower body. Armored in a suit of black armor that hid his entire body, I couldn’t recognize them by their face, but his canopy of war reminded me of a single naga I just couldn’t forget.

“C-Champion Themrayn?” I muttered, catching his attention as he raised his head. Realizing I was right, I gulped when I looked at who was behind him, putting themselves in front of Illvenus. “And… you.”

“Nice scowl! Sounds almost like us wrathies when we go berserk. I guess you spent some time with little Vifi, eh?”

It was the second Warbringer, Sakrha. The mud elementalist who killed Akasht. The same person who slew the dear friend of The Depths Serpents and Aurora was now mingling amongst the dredges of Lecullius.

I’ve scorned the concept of revenge since I forgave Raejean’s involvement in Princess Schuri’s death, so those negative feelings weren’t controlling my hostility. I was more worried about what his existence here actually meant. Who were the other members who came to Lecullius, and why were they here of all places?

A Warbringer’s existence has always heralded the incoming battle between Bole’Taria and us. A battle prime with death.

“Ah, I see you recognize each other!” Prince Nongramos said in a cheerful tone, but his eyes and widened grin said otherwise. He was out for blood. “Am I to understand that these people will prove as threats to Kargryx, Tasianna? To we dragons and drakes?”

“A shallow thought,” Themrayn replied, his voice booming through that helmet. “Who are you seeking an enemy in, Fourth Prince of Kargryx? There are only two sides you may choose in Caedhul, and both will lead you deep into the abyss where no light is safe. Yet, those words are wasted on one drunk with foolishness. Remove yourself. No battle shall begin here. If you must battle, do it away from Lecullius, or I, a depth adjudicator, must intervene to enforce the Depth Goddess’s peace.”

“To answer a question with a threat. Ha! But I must say, naga, you seem quite arrogant to call what I am doing ‘foolish.’ There is a saboteur who hurt Kargryx and caused an incident that endangered the lives of many of its citizen and my sister. I do what I must to remind all that none should see us dragons and drakes as jokes. If a Caedhulen faction supports that saboteur, then they are my enemy. If the demonkin support and defend that saboteur, then they are my enemy.”

“And yet we do not have to fight!” I interjected before Prince Nongramos could say anything further. “Champon Themrayn, do you still recognize me?”

“Tasianna.”

“It is an honor to remain in the memory of a Champion of God Zennithra. May the Depth Goddess bless us both.” I bowed slightly. “But as you said, we do not need to fight. Speaking is allowed, no? We need to talk with that elven man, Illvenus. He was a guest at House Nordor, my mistress’s house—you must remember her—and evidence has arisen that incriminates him on a heinous act that toppled Frozen Nest’s safety. Per HER domain of honor, I beseech you to allow Prince Nongramos to interrogate our suspect. We are owed answers.”

“Hey, hey! I think I want to veto those types of arguments, okay!” the Second Warbringer shouted from behind, all while the few demonkin in the room were preparing to escape through the windows. “Friend, you know we can’t afford any problems, so would you mind showing our ‘guests’ the way—”

And in a single moment, the situation completely escalated when Prince Nongramos took the first step into the room. Tehmrayn raised his trident and attempted to block the former, but Prince Nongramos glided along the ground as if he were skating on ice, easily outspeeding Tehmrayn’s attempt to block the dragon prince.

The naga snapped his head around to see Prince Nongramos walking behind him, only letting his befuddlement last for a moment before his tail slammed in the latter’s way, but having seen the prince’s agility in action, a “mere” naga Champion wouldn’t be able to so easily endanger the swiftest of the imperial dragon siblings.

“… I thought we weren’t allowed to fight?” Prince Nongramos taunted, smirking as he looked down at Tehmrayn.

“I am a church knight, Prince. Maintaining order is my duty.”

“Maintaining the order that will hurt my home’s order, I see? As a prince of Kargryx, I have my own duties to protect my family and nation, so… move, Naga. Or, if you aren’t willing to, mind telling me exactly why you are here with the demonkin? Why are you protecting them like this, when I heard from my little sister that you fought against these very demonkin in the name of Plesia to stop the release of an ancient leviathan? Who is your god demanding you to support in the Caedhul’s civil war, huh?”

“You may ask your questions onc—Fiend!” Themrayn shouted when Prince Nongramos hopped backward and unfurled his wings. With a single wing beat, he quickly made it to the demonkin and Illvenus.

The prince tried to grab the elf, but the second warbringer immediately grabbed the prince’s arm with a chunk of mud.

“You’ve met Vifi’Yok, yet? How’s the lass? Hope she’s eating well. Growing? Oh, please, tell me she’s been growing, all right. Always found it a damn shame she couldn’t really show her beauty with how badly she grew up in the slums, but that’s just how it goes with us rats.”

Prince Nongramos clicked his tongue. “You blatter.”

“Yeah! My title may be ‘Gravemaker,’ but some have called me out for talking a bit too much with my marks. Where is the fun if they just die after I stuff them into the ground? Gotta hear them a bit, especially if they got somebody close by to make those types of jobs bearable. Though what really kicks me off is when—” A second Sakrha suddenly emerged from the ground, revealing the one who grabbed the prince was a mud clone. The clone immediately hardened and attempted to drag him into the ground. “—speedsters believe they’re faster than me! Maybe think a bit. We knew you were coming for us the moment Vifi got scouted. I made sure to rent one of the few undercity inns that was, thankfully, made out of clay bricks, just for moments like this!”

The ground underneath the demonkin subordinates and Illvenus opened up, letting all of them fall through like sinkholes. Illvenus screamed as the hole closed, with Sakraha flaunting his abilities and plan with a grimacing cackle. “What a fucking uproar! We really got lucky here, Duarn! Lord Wrath! Vifi landed right in our laps, and we can hopefully kill some of these brats that belong to that fucking, hyper-emotional lizard! Can’t kill her, but what is she without all the people underneath that fat tail of—Kraaahk!”

Sakraha suddenly bent forward, coughing up spit as he grabbed the side of his stomach. Turning his eyes down, he saw his mud armor cracked up with the metal one underneath it bent into his body, probably pressing into his left kidney.

“Yeeeeaah,” Prince Nongramos sighed as he had just delivered a supersonic punch. “I, too, love it when I beat somebody in the speed department. Vifi and my little first younger sister—both are quite fast, but they really aren’t that hard for me to keep up with. At least they would have reacted to my jab. You seem… pretty reliant on a gimmick or spell.”

“G-Gimmick or spell? Gahahakahk! Does it matter? As long as you don’t catch up—Graaarrrhk!” Before he could do anything, the second seat howled in pain again, only this time, his left foot was turned into ice by an ice spell.

“Sheer Freeze…” I said as a white mist escaped from my mouth. “Who did you say had a ‘fat tail?’”

“Who is the ‘lizard,’ hmm?” Prince Nongramos added, cackling.

Seeing this, Tehmrayn sighed before he walked in front of me, tapping his trident on the floor. “True ice through a System spell. That foot is gone.”

“That person doesn’t need his feet to use his ability to swim through mud, Prince Nongramos,” I said as I glared at the imposing naga, towering over me not only in physique but height. I looked like a stereotypical mage, while he was a mountain of muscles. “Go, catch up to Illvenus.”

Sakraha shattered his frozen foot before jumping out of the window to dive into the ground, probably prompting Prince Nongramos to thank me before chasing after our targets.

“This did not have to end this way, fellow follower of the Depth Goddess,” Tehmrayn said as his aura started to blaze up. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

“I fully agree,” I said as an icy mist flowed from my body, causing the naga to slither back a bit. “Tasianna Marina Silverpond. Champion of the Wind Mother. Third member of Aurora.”

“Themrayn. Champion of Goddess Plesia and pawn of God Zennithra! The God of Tridents! I am honor-bound to protect the allies of Elder Quasdrakeen Karhalantheel. I have slain many Champions and Saints in my life, and you will be no more than another footnote.”