TBATE - Havaca Rises

Chapter 51 - Pawns

"Bloody fools! The whole fucking lot of them," the dwarven king cursed. "How can they not see the benefits of monopolizing the boy's technology!? Imagine, yes... oh YES!" he moaned, picturing himself swimming in gold. "Imagine just how rich we can become. But NOO! They wish to protect the boy... I bet if he wasn't interested in their daughters, it would have been a different story... No matter! I'll just take it by force when I with the Vritra's help become the rightful ruler of this land!" he exclaimed. "But could they really be trusted?" he pondered, reflecting on the report given by lance Aureate. She did say, she had a hard time against him, but the fact that Uto one of their strongest retainers got captured by the weakest lance is concerning. No, no, no, the power of that being was far superior to anything the lances could ever produce. Yes, this Uto was nothing but a pawn, a lackey, a throwaway, the dwarven king reasoned.

"King Dawsid!" the two dungeon guards saluted. "We weren't expecting any visitors," one guard said.

"Yes, my curiosity had gotten the better of me and before I knew I was on my way down to the dungeons to witness the latest prisoner," Dawsid effortlessly lied.

"You might find yourself disappointed my King; the prisoner has yet to make so much as a peep," the dwarven guard informed.

"Quite alright my dear," Dawsid said cheerfully, "just seeing this foreign entity will be more than enough," he said strutting past both guards.

'So, this is the high-security dungeon?' the dwarven king scoffed, "There is nothing remotely special about this place," he muttered.

"It's because someone as weak as yourself cannot begin to comprehend the dangers these walls hold," Uto said, breaking the silence.

"Ah! And here I thought you would give me the silent treatment," Dawsid retorted, ignoring the retainer's insult.

"You lied," Uto grumbled.

"What?"

"You fucking bastards lied to us!" Uto yelled with red eyes, violently pulling on his chains. "That damn lance was far stronger than you report she was!"

"*Sigh* The information we provided is accurate, it is not our fault your high sovereign sent someone last than adequate," Dawsid spat.

"Less... than.... Adequate...?" Uto asked in a voice akin to scraping nails against a chalkboard. "You listen here, you little shit, I am the strongest retainer!" Uto told.

"That is... disappointing," Dawsid said after a few seconds of silence, before proceeding to walk out.

"What, wait! Get your short ass back here!" Uto cried, staring at Dawsid's back.

"If this is what your strongest is capable of then I want no part. It seems to me that my meeting with your kind all those ago was nothing but an act," Dawsid replied glancing over his shoulder.

"The scythes..." Uto mumbled.

"What?"

"The scythes are the true rivals of the lances," Uto said, swallowing his enormous pride knowing the importance of having the dwarven council on their side. "Their strength defies logic, they're untouchable, with an impregnable defense that the wraiths and the asuras themselves can only surpass," he informed, hoping that this would be enough to regain the pawn's trust.

"Interesting..." Dawsid said elatedly, envisioning that his goal of ruling Dicathen was still a possibility. "I'll give your kind until the Xyrus attack to prove your worth; only then I would decide if you're worth my while," Dawsid said trying to sound nonchalant, but the greed held within his eyes was begging for the Vritra's success.

***

On the other side of the floating castle, an elven woman with jet black hair emerged from the shadows. "Your Majesties," she greeted, bowing down on one knee, "I shadowed King Dawsid as you commanded and recorded his conversion with the Vritra. The recording holds proof that the dwarven representatives were indeed colluding with the Vritra and they were also the ones leaking sensitive information."

"Good job, Aya, ensure you upload it to Tekkadan's database for safe keeping," king Alduin replied. Without a sound, the elven lance disapparated as deftly as she entered.

"I had really hoped it wasn't true," Alduin said with remorse, clutching his chest. "I really had some hope that this could have been a new beginning for the people of Dicathen, but as always, men who are consumed with greed wish to ruin everything in their pursuit of some worthless gold," he spat with fury and disgust.

"It is true that the council, the original one may have failed, but remember dear; we are just playing the waiting to boot them. When the time comes our soldiers would move as swift as thieves, becoming the swords of Dicathen, removing those with connection to that vile Vritra Clan," Queen Merial said with a relaxed smile. After learning some of the things that her precious daughter and her people had to endure because of the Vritra and the asuras, Merial quickly became enthusiastic when speaking of their impending destruction.

"That is our saving grace, isn't it? That he somehow managed to do the impossible. Time travel... who would have thought such a thing possible?" Alduin asked.

"I certainly not... even those within the Indrath clan would even dream of it," Merial chuckled, thinking about the sheer absurdity of their situation. "But whether it was by chance, skill, fate, or pure luck doesn't matter now..."

"What matters is that we utilize this arcane knowledge to best prepare against this imminent threat," Alduin said with firm resolve.