Chapter 130: The counter measures.

The communication crystal pulsed three times in rapid succession.

Kai was in the middle of reviewing Teriam’s progress report on the northern fortifications when the sound cut through the Throne Room like a blade.

He stopped mid-sentence and looked at the crystal pedestal.

Three rapid pulses meant emergency.

He crossed the room in two strides and placed his palm against the surface.

Fanny’s voice came through, breathless and tight. Not the stuttering nervousness he was used to. This was different.

This was fear.

“M-Master. We found them.”

“Report.”

“The Ashveil Mountains. We located a Storm Dragon. But it is not free. The Nexus Empire has an outpost built into the mountainside, roughly thirty miles north of the border with Traona. The dragon is chained inside a cavern beneath the outpost. We could feel its mana from the air, but it is weak. Suppressed.”

Kai’s fingers tightened against the pedestal.

’An Empire outpost in the Ashveil Mountains. Not just scouts. An actual outpost. And they have a dragon chained inside it.’

“How many soldiers?”

There was a pause. Verendel’s voice replaced Fanny’s, his deep rumble distorted slightly by the crystal’s range.

“Approximately two hundred, Master. A full garrison. The outpost itself is fortified with stone walls and mana-reinforced gates. But that is not the concern.”

“Then what is?”

“They have First-Grade Artifacts. At least four that we could detect from the air. Two mounted on the walls as defensive emplacements, and two carried by officers inside the compound. The mana signature is unmistakable.”

The Throne Room went silent.

Kai pulled his hand back from the crystal and stood there, staring at the wall for a long moment.

’First-Grade Artifacts. The same weapons that leveled a two-hundred-meter trench in front of Fort Everguard with a single volley. The Empire has them stationed at a mountain outpost thirty miles from my border, guarding a chained dragon.’

He closed his eyes.

’This is not a coincidence. Harken is mobilizing from the north while this outpost sits on the flank. If I ignore it, the dragon stays in chains and the Empire keeps a forward base within striking distance of Valdris. If I attack it, I announce to the entire Nexus Empire that the Shadow of Victims is actively moving against them.’

He opened his eyes.

’Good. Let them know.’

He placed his palm back on the crystal.

“Hold your position. Do not engage. Do not let them see you. I am coming personally.”

Fanny’s voice came back, and this time there was something else in it. Something that sat between awe and concern.

“You are coming here? Master, the artifacts they have could–”

“I heard you the first time. Hold your position. I will be there before dawn.”

He pulled his hand away and turned toward the doors.

’Two hundred soldiers. Four First-Grade Artifacts. And a chained dragon that needs to be freed before the Empire can use it as a weapon against me. This is not a job for scouts. This is a job for a dungeon lord who once sat on a pile of dragon corpses and called it a Tuesday.’

…

Fifteen minutes later, Kai stood in the Council Room with Sanovere and Lyra.

He had summoned only the two of them. The others were occupied with their assigned tasks, and what he was about to do did not require a committee.

“I am leaving Valdris tonight.”

Lyra’s golden eyes widened by a fraction. It was the closest thing to shock she ever displayed.

“My Lord?”

“Fanny and Verendel have located a Storm Dragon in the Ashveil Mountains. It is being held captive at a Nexus Empire outpost. I intend to free it.”

Sanovere, who had been listening with his hands clasped behind his back, tilted his head slightly.

“A rescue operation, my Lord? Might I suggest sending Fhera and a strike team instead? Your presence in Valdris is–”

“Non-negotiable.”

The word landed with finality.

Kai turned to face them both, and when he spoke again, his voice carried the weight of the Shadow of Victims.

“The Dragon Slayer title requires my direct involvement in the contract. No one else can form the bond. If I send Fhera, she can kill every soldier in that outpost, but the dragon will remain unbound. I need to be there in person.”

Sanovere inclined his head.

“Understood. Then allow me to–”

“No. You stay here. Valdris cannot be left without its intelligence network. If Harken moves while I am gone, I need you to know about it before his boots touch the ground.”

He turned to Lyra.

“You are in command until I return. If anything threatens the city, you have full authority to mobilize every asset at your disposal. The Pillars answer to you in my absence.”

Lyra placed her hand over her heart and bowed.

“I will protect Valdris with my life, my Lord.”

’She says that, and I believe her completely. The woman could probably fight Harken’s entire army by herself and win. Probably. The First-Grade Artifacts are the only variable I cannot account for yet.’

“Sanovere.”

“My Lord.”

“If I am not back in forty-eight hours, assume something has gone wrong and act accordingly.”

The vampire’s smile vanished.

“My Lord, with respect, the notion that something could go wrong for you–”

“Is a possibility I refuse to ignore. Forty-eight hours, Sanovere. After that, the decision is yours.”

A pause. Then the vampire bowed deeply.

“As you command.”

Kai walked out of the Council Room without looking back.

…

The night air above the Jaun Land was cold and sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade made of ice.

Kai stood on the outer wall of Valdris, the dark mist of his form rippling in the wind, his golden eyes scanning the northern horizon. Behind him, the city hummed with the quiet activity of nighttime patrols and construction crews that never stopped working.

A shadow descended from the clouds.

Verendel.

The True Dragon dropped from the sky like a midnight-blue comet, his massive wings slicing through the air as he banked hard and landed on the wall with a precision that belied his enormous size.

The stone beneath his claws cracked, but held.

His golden eyes gleamed in the dark.

“Master. I came as soon as I received your message.”

“Where is Fanny?”

“Maintaining surveillance on the outpost from a concealed position in the eastern ridge. She has not been detected.”

“Good.”

Kai looked up at the dragon. Verendel’s midnight-blue scales absorbed the moonlight, making him nearly invisible against the night sky. The silver veins that ran through his body pulsed faintly, a heartbeat of light that matched the rhythm of the dungeon’s core.

’Level 777. A True Dragon. The fastest flier in the Jaun Land. And he is my ride for the evening. If someone had told me six months ago that I would be using a dragon as a taxi service to go pick a fight with the largest military empire on the continent, I would have asked what game they were playing.’

He paused.

’Oh wait. This is a game. Was a game. Whatever. The point stands.’

“How fast can you get us there?”

Verendel lowered his head, offering his neck for Kai to mount.

“Three hours at cruising speed. Two if I push.”

“Push.”

Kai climbed onto the dragon’s back and settled between the twin horns that spiraled upward from Verendel’s skull like a crown of silver light. The scales beneath him were warm, thrumming with contained power.

“Fly high. Stay above the cloud line. I do not want us spotted until we are directly above the target.”

Verendel’s wings spread wide, casting a shadow across the entire wall section.

“As you command, Master.”

The True Dragon launched into the sky with a force that would have killed a normal human.

The ground vanished beneath them in an instant, replaced by a rushing wall of wind and darkness. Within seconds, they pierced the cloud layer and emerged into a sea of silver moonlight that stretched in every direction.

Kai gripped the base of Verendel’s horn with one hand and let the other rest at his side.

’Two hundred soldiers. Four First-Grade Artifacts. A fortified outpost built into a mountainside.’

The wind screamed past him, but his mind was calm.

’I have fought worse odds. Granted, none of those odds involved weapons capable of leveling city blocks with a single discharge. But that is what makes this interesting.’

He looked down through a gap in the clouds. Far below, the dark forests of the Jaun Land stretched endlessly southward, and ahead, the distant peaks of the Ashveil Mountains clawed at the horizon like the teeth of a sleeping beast.

’The Empire uses dragons as batteries. They chain them beneath their cities and bleed them dry for power. If Harken’s army carries First-Grade Artifacts, there is a very real chance those artifacts are fueled by dragon mana. Which means every time they fire one of those golden nightmares, somewhere in the Empire, a dragon screams.’

His jaw tightened behind the mist.

’I did not sign up to be a dragon rights activist. But I will not pretend this does not bother me either. These creatures chose to follow me. Verendel chose. Fanny chose. The Elder Dragon beneath my dungeon acknowledged me. And somewhere in those mountains, another one is in chains because the Empire decided it was more useful as a power source than a living being.’

He exhaled slowly.

’Fine. Let us go free a dragon.’

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