Dragonlord

Ep 194. Warmonger. (1)

Ep 194. Warmonger. (1)

Ep 194. Warmonger. (1)

With another bottle of liquor emptied, the veteran soldier looked down from the ramparts – towards the stretching sands below.

No one was there.

…No one had been throughout his entire line of duty.

“Frontlines…pfah.”

Throughout the years, Sanchez had grown to care less and less for his duties.

Located at the northeastern edge of Asuria, Kavir was the first line of defense his nation had against potential invasions from the east. If history was anything to go by, there were more than enough reasons to keep the town fortified.

But at the same time, the town remained secluded in what was practically the middle of a desert.

Tall mountains and lush forests separated Kavir from the rest of its nation. Their connection was strained at best, with supplies only arriving once a month or so – and even that was just barely enough to keep the place afloat. The town served no purpose to the kingdom other than being an invasion scapegoat.

And, as far as its soldiers were concerned, it would always be this way.

When Sanchez turned his head, he saw a number of others emptying bottles of liquor, just like himself. Some had even set up gambling tables upon the ramparts; fewer still were accompanied by their elven slaves, serving to entertain the soldiers until the day would pass.

“You’d think they’d invade us.”

Sanchez made a sly smile as he watched one of the slaves being beaten underfoot by a group of soldiers – not for any particular reason, but simply to pass the time.

A dog would be treated better, he thought.

Alas, dogs were innocent; elves were not. At least not in this country.

As the veteran soldier lazily looked down from the ramparts, his eyes finally caught a glimpse of something interesting: a scorpion was busily crawling across the sea of sands, sinking its tail into what seemed to be a lizard twice its size.

“…”

Without a second thought, Sanchez tossed his emptied bottle below – again if only to pass the time.

As it so happened, the glass struck the scorpion exactly on point: its exoskeleton was quickly crushed underneath the bottle bearing down on it, sinking into the soft flesh underneath.

The scorpion writhed in agony from its unexpected suffering; before long, the creature had fallen limp beside its own prey.

Sanchez cracked out a bout of laughter at the sight.

“Well, look at that. This marksman’s aim ain’t going nowhere.”

The veteran soldier quickly turned around towards his squadron. He excitedly pointed down the ramparts, ready to boast his bizarre accomplishment to the others.

And he would have – if a wooden barrel hadn’t suddenly dropped from the skies to land before his feet.

“What the-“

Sanchez stepped back in panic as the barrel smashed unto the ground, breaking apart in an instant.

Black, powder-like contents spilt forth, coating everyone in the nearby vicinity. Much of it sprayed onto Sanchez himself, as well as the soldiers and slaves that were standing nearby.

With the powder cascading from their figure like grains of sand, the soldiers looked to the substance in disgust.

“…What is this?”

“Ugh…hells if I know?”

When the momentary panic had passed, everyone lowered their arms from their faces to examine the barrel’s contents. One soldier brushed his fingers against the black powder on his chest, sniffing once before retching from the foul scent.

“Eugh, by the Twelve! What is this crap?! Smells like some rotten burnt leather!”

“…”

While no one replied, Sanchez alone raised his gaze skyward – towards where the barrel had fallen from.

They were atop Kavir’s ramparts. Above them should’ve been nothing but clouds and skies, or the occasional winged beasts.

But today – far above where they stood – Sanchez could glimpse at an enormous grey streak, hiding amidst the puff of clouds.

“Hey…what is that?”

“Askin’ twice ain’t gonna make me know, captain. I’m gonna go see who’s responsible for this bullshit prank-“

“No, not the powder! Up above, you morons!”

“? You drunk, captain?”

Despite their snarky accusations, the soldiers began to raise their eyes skyward one by one.

As the clouds began to drift, the structure became a little more visible: floating far above them was a ring of grey towers, encircling what seemed to be…

“…A castle?”

Though they couldn’t see very well from this distance, it didn’t take long for the soldiers to realize that the structure wasn’t anything natural.

Unfortunately, the soldiers quickly found themselves at a loss; they’d been trained to handle approaching enemies, not castles floating above their heads. The group continued to stare at the structure above them, pointlessly trying to figure out what it was.

And had it not been for their captain, they may as well have stood their for the rest of the day.

“WAKE UP!!”

Hearing Sanchez’s sudden yelling, the soldiers abruptly lowered their heads to look to their leader.

“Niels, ring the alarm and alert the other squadrons; Boris, you go find out what the hell this black powder is. Do not stop moving until we know what that is in the sky!”

It was the first time since they’d been stationed that something unordinary had actually happened; it was their first opportunity to carry out their roles as soldiers. And for the first time, Sanchez expected to see was a wave of salutes, accompanied by a roaring affirmation from his squadron.

But instead, a distant explosion robbed Sanchez and his soldiers of their attention.

Not far from the ramparts, one of Kavir’s districts seemed to erupt in flames: pillars of fire swallowed the buildings, storming through the town’s streets to raze through its inhabitants.

Panicked screams followed the explosions; explosions followed the panicked screams. With fires and voices drowning each other alike, the district was quickly swallowed in chaos.

And when another series of explosions followed elsewhere, the soldiers darted their heads once more.

Another district would follow suit.

And another.

And yet another.

In just under a few minutes, storms of fire had swallowed every nook and cranny of Kavir.

“…What’s…happening…”

As more and more districts became alit beneath the ramparts, Sanchez once again looked to the powder that coated him and the ramparts; when he would raise his hands, streaks of the black substance escaped through his fingers like grains of sand.

‘…Is this…?’

With a bewildered look, the veteran soldier raised his gaze – this time towards the elven slaves that were with them.

Slowly, the veteran shook his head in denial.

“…That can’t be.”

The powder hadn’t discriminated its targets. It was coating him, his soldiers, and the elves all alike.

‘There’s at least a hundred elves in Kavir alone. They wouldn’t-‘

A momentary thought.

That was all Sanchez could manage – until his eyes caught a flame-lit orb, slowly descending to his feet.

Time seemed to slow as Sanchez’s puzzled thoughts rapidly fell in place.

In the corners of his eyes, the veteran could still see his dumbfounded soldiers standing in place; only their slaves seemed panicked by what was going on, struggling against their shackles in vain.

In fact, many were braver than his own soldiers, mustering the courage to jump off the ramparts.

But when the orb finally touched the rampart’s powder-coated stones, the wake of flames that followed were no more forgiving towards the brave.

The wake of another firestorm filled Sanchez’s dying vision.

Roaring flames snuffed the victims of their dying gasps; fleshless bodies collapsed to the stones in unison. Chains of explosions chased after every victim the powder had managed to touch, spreading to them the inferno that had swallowed Kavir.

Soldier and civilian alike vanished to dust; trails of fire chased after the fleeing to ignite them aflame. The few that had managed to survive the initial blast were trapped amidst their burning homes, soon to be buried beneath the crumbling pillars.

And, from far above – amidst the clouds, within the safety of their skyward fortress – an elf was grinning down at their bizarre accomplishment.

“…Rest in peace. May you all find freedom in the afterlife.”

After observing at the burning speck down below for a while longer, the elf expectantly looked around the open skies.

Anytime now, she thought.

In just a few seconds, Death would appear to punish her for her antics. He’d bring her to heel, murder her subjects, and force her lifelong partner to destroy this fortress whole.

In mere moments, she’d be reminded of her place as a lowly slave. Much like the hundred others she’d just murdered.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Nothing.

She still stood alone, atop her skyward fortress.

When she spread her arms, she could feel the winds freely brushing past her skin; when she closed her eyes, she could hear an eagle screeching in the distance.

Much like the passing winds – much like the birds, soaring in the distance – she, too, was free to do as she wished.

With a crooked smile, the elf slowly clasped her hands together.

A solemn prayer would follow the gesture: prayers for her dear brethren that had supposedly passed away.

…She’d never see them again.

And she’d never have to see them again.

‘I hope you stay dead. Forever.’