Author's Note: Welcome back everybody, And greetings to all new readers and players joining us.
I've Completely Rewritten some of the early chapters! I highly recommend giving them a read over! I'll be rewriting all the chapters up to chapter 15, but as I do, I'll post new chapters so you guys can get the alert as well. As of now, only Chapter 1 and 2 are completely rewritten.
I kept struggling to write Life of a Zero Dragon, I kept wondering why is that. It clicked, however, that the reason I couldn't do it was because I was trying to force myself to write the chapters longer. People keep asking for longer chapters and that just served to pressure me. So, from now on, I'll write them to my usual 2k comfort and only lengthen it if I feel like it.
Any case, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!
Life of a Zero Dragon
Chapter 33: The Beginnings of War
King Aylmer of the Kayla Royal Lineage is as the public eye viewed him as a leader, royalty, inheritor of the lone Human Kingdom of Kayla, the civilization brought up from the ruins of the old Arana Kingdom destroyed in the Human-Dragon War two centuries ago. He was the one who would guide humanity in a world filled with dangerous beasts, ancient secrets, and owned by dragons.
What a farce.
Aylmer rarely had any idea on what in the Maker's name he was doing half the time. He was winging it, as it were, just going along with whatever event either rose up to take his attention or doing what he thought was the best course of action for the King's many, many responsibilities.
That wasn't even taking into consideration the oddities just around the corner concerning his younger sibling, Abigail, who was stuck between some mystical, farseeing abilities and the creeping, dreaded genetic disease that threatened her life in the upcoming weeks.
The eighth player released a deep breath.
Time to think long term.
It was clear that whatever force, sorcery, or even divinity that caused the Transition wouldn't be exactly keen to return them, and other players, to Earth anytime soon.
The Kayla Kingdom was divided into five separate cities and towns, one of which was currently under hostile occupation which fortunately wouldn't be leaving anytime in the near future, that being Polarvale. In the north, Winterfall's primary source of income, that being the gold mine, would soon be depleted. This was a problem, as this gold was also a necessity for the Kingdom's military budget, something that the Noble House of Vikostar, and the House of Volt, made concerns about.
The only other source of income is the taxation of the citizens, the biggest sources originating in Desert City and the Capital itself, the former which had recently gotten quite the boom with the recent expansion of farmable land caused by the Transition.
But the tax rate was minuscule, it would take a week to receive the same amount of gold that the mine would generate in a day. He'd rather not increase the tax rate and didn't know if he even could, regardless it would be best to find another solution to the income problem.
As for concerns regarding the military, it was a subject of quality versus quantity. The average footman was cheap, easy to train, and arrived ready to serve quickly. In contrast, knights were far more expensive and took slower to produce, but made up for it for not being easily slain like the footmen were. Of course, the more powerful, and unique to the map, units were locked behind the technology tree… Which was progressing much to slow to be able to train them. So no 10th Legionnaires, Crusaders, Emissaries, Riflemen, Flying Machines, or Gryphons any moment soon.
Yes, in contrast to default Warcraft III, Riflemen and other gunpowder-using units were more powerful and higher tiered in the technology tree. Which, logically, made some sense considering how technology progressed back on Earth.
It was a piling load of issues.
Not to mention this did not take into account the other, non-map related concerns about the neighboring human nations. The Kingdom of Kayla, according to the maps derived from traveling merchants, was seated straight down in the middle between Germania, Romania, Galia, and the southern deserts that they described as the holy land, currently under the occupation of elves hostile to humanity.
That's not even including other factions from Life of a Dragon Sequel which happened to spontaneously appear during the Transition.
A breath escaped his mouth, his right elbow rested on the throne arm, brow furrowed in concentration, gaze staring absently across the room. His thoughts wondered and plans raced through his head at the implications many of them would cause, he was no King, merely a pretender on the throne, even as an avid roleplayer of such positions he was in no way prepared for the actuality.
The throne room was quite bare, not in the sense of decoration, but rather the quality of soldiers positioned to protect him. They were only footmen, common troops clad in iron armor and blade. It wasn't that he lacked higher trained men, but rather the only Legionnaires he had on hand had been assigned to his sister's safety, after all, Aylmer was a Hero under Warcraft III gameplay, Abigail was not.
In case of any assassins, commonplace in this fantasy trope, he could survive being stabbed in the back, the endurance of a Hero allowed him to stave off normally fatal strikes.
Abigail, on the other hand, wouldn't survive such an encounter.
Should he make a gamble for the Kingdom Secret Hero? No, it was too much of a risk, the sacrifice of the Altar, the only building capable of reviving him on death, would be asking for more than they'd possibly receive. Besides, even if the Map Maker had stated the Kingdom's Secret Hero was rather powerful, the possibility that he'd lose the loyalty of the Kingdom due to the Transition couldn't be bet on.
Suddenly, the gateway into the throne room opened wide, Aylmer's gaze followed the source of the noise to spot the ever-increasingly familiar figure of Lady Narin Volt. However, the Noble Dragon Knight was not alone, behind her was an odd sight, a young teenager girl dressed in garments typical to that of magical school animations back on Earth. This strange girl displayed herself in a statue representing diplomatic training or nobility lineage, not only that, but her hair was long, not to mention a vibrant hue of pink.
But, more interesting in his eye, was the four-legged, two-winged creature that the world of Kayla was renowned for. A dragon, though very young, with purple scales like that of a chromatic whelping from World of Warcraft carried itself with caution, eyes darting around the room, spotting each individual soldier, taking note, before focusing on Aylmer himself.
That wasn't an NPC, that dragon was a player.
Or as the Kayla residents knew them, a Chosen Dragon.
Lady Volt kneeled before him, just below the steps to the throne.
"My King," The Dragon Knight began. "I bring both an ambassador of a foreign nation and a Chosen Dragon that wishes to converse with you."
The way she said it made him really want to the roleplay…
The young noble girl walked to Lady Volt's side and began to announce herself, Aylmer restrained himself from staring at her bright pink hair and petite form, keeping up with his increasingly used poker face.
"Greetings, I am Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, third heir to the Valliere Noble House of Tristain," Louise introduced with a minor bow as a show of respect. "I'm a foreign ambassador, unfortunately, my escorts were attacked and struck by a foreign teleportation spell, but my partner, Erisdar, aided me in reaching here safely," She explained.
Aylmer thought it as a ruse or excuse, he hadn't made any effort to contact the neighboring nations and withheld doing so until he could secure the Kayla Kingdom's defenses. But, at the same time, he had no evidence to deny the Valliere's story, luckily he had an advantage that this NPC lacked… Player communication.
"I am King Aylmer of the Kayla Kingdom," He introduced. "You are from the Tristain Nation that appears near our borders? Admittedly, I find your story farfetched, there has been little to no communication between our two civilizations to warrant a foreign ambassador," Aylmer noted the girl to visibly flinch, she didn't have experience in the political field.
Neither did he, but a combination of Roleplaying and his character's backstory served well in such situations.
So, the Chosen Dragon Player was named Erisdar…
The purple dragonet spoke, "Pardon my asking, but are you the same individual that was within the eighth slot?" Its- His accent was clearly informal, it reminded Aylmer of Elizabeth's speech, unhindered by any tied Lore.
Aylmer let loose a slight smile, "Beautiful day to play The Frozen Throne, is it not?"
Erisdar let loose a grin, "Only if you play Kingdom."
Louise and Lady Volt were lost in the small exchange, but that was expected.
King Aylmer returned his attention towards the foreign noble, "Inexperienced as you may seem, I'll accept your story on the account with accompanying a Chosen Dragon," There was relief in the girl's expression. "One of the Guest Chambers are yours to use, Ambassador of Tristan, Louise Valliere. The servants can guide you if need directions, as I'm sure you're tired from your trip, we can discuss matters at a later time. But," He started, Louise's back straightened in alarm. "I need time with Erisdar for a moment."
She looked slightly stunned, but not so much as it was completely unexpected, the girl must have been traveling with the Chosen Dragon player for such a while as to somewhat understand the Lore implications behind Erisdar's character.
Suddenly a soldier rushed to Aylmer's side carrying a rolled-up scroll, "Pardon the interruption, sire, but this is an emergency message that you need to read." The man handed it over, "It was delivered by magic from Desert City after receiving it from a Bronze Dragon."
Aylmer took the scroll with interest and unrolled it, his eyes reading through the written material. The Kayla Kingdom Leader's expression hardened and his grip titled on the paper before rolling it back and contemplating the information within.
He has sent Elizabeth southward through the Great Kayla Desert to gain information related to Icra City… No, wait… Another correction, but he referred to the Dragon Knight City. On the way, he presumed that Elizabeth would also become knowledgeable about the Bronze Dragon Nest and return here.
The scroll didn't mention the Mercenary player, but it did make note that the aggressors had attacked a Chosen Dragon player. The Bronze Dragons rescued the low-leveled individual before his timely demise at the hands of the native elves in the desert regions and because of that, the elven nation had… For the lack of a better way to describe it… Committed to waging war against the Kayla Dragons for an unknown reason. Naturally, Aylmer was fairly aware of how powerful the six Kayla Dragon Nests were and it would take considerable effort and resources to destroy one without the aid of a high-level player Hero.
Of course, he hadn't even the slightest hint on the strength the native elves had. If the scroll were to imply anything, its that the Bronze Dragons were holding them back and suffering no casualties. Which means that these elves didn't have the military strength or were reserving their strength for another purpose.
Damn, he needs more information and it wasn't like he had a native- Oh wait.
"Louise Valliere," He spoke, causing her to stand straight. "What do you know about the elves?"
Louise Valliere had known without a doubt that King Aylmer was royalty, not only because of the aforementioned title but the regality he displayed when speaking. King Aylmer was incredibly handsome, like a storybook character given life, he would be the fascination of every young girl's ideal image of a princely figure. But Louise didn't have such merry thoughts anymore, those imaginative images were scattered and lost on the cruel revelation of her lack of magical aptitude.
She stuck to Erisdar's side, taking comfort in her summoned companion's presence. On a technical viewpoint, Erisdar is her familiar, it was his duty to protect his master. But she had learned through conversation and observation that Erisdar had a strong will of independence, unlike Tabitha's familiar, the Chosen Dragon sought partnership rather than subservience.
Chosen Dragon.
The terminology held more weight to it with each passing mention. Like a fantastical tale of heroes destined to save the world from annihilation, individuals with prowess unmatched by reality.
It was also spoken in plural.
Meaning that Erisdar wasn't the only one, there were other Chosen Dragons. Not mentioned as a type of dragon species, but rather a particular group, remembering Erisdar's change of scales and the passing knowledge he occasional spilled meant that this group of dragons had the capability to become possibly any other type of dragon to their liking.
A powerful and terrifying ability, but seemingly limited.
Louise feared this all somewhat, would by some off chance they meet another Chosen Dragon and Erisdar abandon her for his fellows?
Would she be alone again?
Would she be a failure once more?
No!
She resolutely collected her negative emotions and stomped them out.
Erisdar would not leave her!
After all, they were partners through thick and then… And the illogical place that was wherever in Halkeginia they were at!
"Louise Valliere," King Aylmer suddenly spoke, causing Louise to straighten her back properly. "What do you know about the elves?" He inquired.
The elves?
He might be referring to those alternate elves in that grove.
She best clarify.
"Which do you refer to, your highness?" Louise asked.
"The Halkeginian Elves," He clarified "Apparently they've been causing some trouble south of the Great Kayla Desert."
A sense of dread crept into her heart and her mind raced for possible answers as to why now the ancient enemies of mankind were making their move.
Still, she answered, remembering to keep in mind that these people did not worship Brimir, but rather, The Maker, and to keep her emotions and feelings concerning religion out of the picture.
It would not do to lose her composure in this political atmosphere.
"The elves are historically mankind's enemy for the past six thousand years, humanity and elven kind have been at odds over each other for their territory, which has been religiously important to us. The elves hold a crucial advantage over humanity as their magic is more powerful than our own, it takes dozens to hundreds of humans to defeat a single elf," She recollected what little information she had at her disposal.
Hopefully, it will serve to point out that the elves will never be kind to them.
"I understand the history lesson," King Aylmer spoke. "And while I appreciate the background knowledge, I was hoping for a more militant answer."
"My apologies," Louise said. "But much information about them remains clouded. They do not venture out of their land so this is news to me."
He waved his hand, "It's fine, so a magical advantage over local humans…" King Aylmer looked thoughtful. "Going to have to select units with magical resistance properties and medium armor…"
Medium armor…?
Wait, magic resistance!?
Actual armor with magic resistance!?
Louise Valliere was the daughter of a militaristic father, the Valliere Family held close ties to the royal military, so it was expected she was tutored in some military matters. She knew that when it came to conflicts, the only way to deal with enemy mages was to send mages of your own, as the commoner forces would be killed off in swaths.
Yet, King Aylmer just casually wrote off dealing with magic users as simple of switching equipment. Which meant that the Kayla Kingdom had the assets and unique resources to equip their common soldier to deal with mages.
That would completely change warfare on the face of Halkeginia.
Heck, it would change the entire class dynamic set in nations.
Louise's mind came to an understandably screeching halt as her entire world broke.
"Uh…" Erisdar tugged on Louise's uniform to get her attention, but the young girl remained completely stuck with a shocked expression.
The dragon sighed and looked to King Aylmer, "Do you mind if we take up that offer for a room earlier?"
He responded, "Sure," Aylmer said then looked to a nearby soldier. "Guide them to our guest quarters."
Erisdar nodded, "Thanks."
Current Status:
Chosen Dragon Player 1: Saito Hiraga - Alive - Purple Dragonet (Agility) Level 11
Chosen Dragon Player 2: Alex Storm - Alive - Bronze Dragonet (Strength) Level 9
Chosen Dragon Player 3: Asuna Godiva - Alive - Nether Dragonet (Strength) Level 11
Chosen Dragon Player 4: Artos Archway - Alive - Green Dragonet (Agility) Level 8
Chosen Dragon Player 5: Cora Rune - Alive - Blue Dragonet (Intelligence) Level 10
Dragon Slayer Player 6: Celdrahil - Alive - Slayer Level 8
Dragon Catcher Player 7: Rosina - Alive - Catcher Level 12
The Kayla Kingdom Player 8: Aylmer and Abigail - Alive - King Level 4, Princess Level [Error]
The Lakor Empire Player 9: Grom - Alive - King of Fel Empire Level 8
Mercenary Player 10: Elizabeth Loyal - Alive - Sorceress Level 8
Observer Map Maker: Map Maker - Alive - The World Editor