"So, not that realm either..." said Gil with increasing exasperation.
No!! You are seriously considering a Realm called Equestria from a show called My Little Pony? By the Ancestors, MY LITTLE PONY!! Drak all but roared.
Gil shrugged, "Well, it seemed appealing, from a certain twisted point of view..."
He sighed. The two of them had been at it for hours, arguing and discussing the pros and cons of the various realms they could travel to, and in the end none of them seemed appealed. Well, he would need to make a decision rather soon, for after all, the fate of Draconia would depend on his decision.
As it would turn out, the choice of his realm ended up being made for him.
Gil and Drak were shaken out of their stupor when a loud thud landed upon the entrance of the lair they shared.
A large indigo shaded dragon rushed into the lair, puffing smoke wearily, while riding upon him was that asshole Thanatos.
"Hey!! What the hell are you two doing here? Wouldn't you at least have the courtesy to knock?" snapped Gil.
Gil expected Thanatos to respond with some snide, witty remark, yet his expression was deadly serious. He felt in his got that something was wrong.
"We've got an emergency situation Gil..."
Gil shot up to his feet as Drak stiffened. "What? Have the Malthinae broken through the front?"
No...it is even worse... said Samoht grimly.
What could be worse than the Malthinae breaking through?
Lord Ironwing has been deposed in a coup... he snarled, digging his claw into the dirt. There was a moment of uncomprehending silence.
"What? A coup? Is this some kind of sick joke?" cried Gil. While somewhat distant and aloof, most of the population had rallied to the Dragonlord when the war had come. Furthermore, while Gil could have envisioned the Weyrleader Alucand deposed, as he was generally despised by everyone in society except his inner circle of aged riders, the Dragonlord was a shock. This was the last thing he would have expected to hear.
If it is so, we would should have at least heard a telepathic cry from the guards or some news of disturbance from the radio... cried Drak.
"That's just it. I'd tried contacting the two of you before, however the conspirators had blocked out all communication to the surrounding communities before they struck," said Thanatos.
They? Who is they? Tell me!! growled Drak.
It was that snake Lord Alduin... He had managed to buy off and blackmail most of the high council before he struck.... answered Samoht.
Gil snapped his teeth together worriedly. Though he wasn't particularly versed in Draconic politics, even he knew that Alduin was a fanatic human hater, but that aside from his ancestral wealth he was considered extreme even for the aged, conservative Dragon council.
Alduin... muttered Drak, shifting his head downwards in shame. Considering that due to their low numbers, dragons were a highly unified species, the fact that one of their own would betray Draconia was mind-boggling in the extreme. His head then snapped toward Samoht, By the Ancestors!! Is there anything we can do to stop him!! And what about Erigoth? If his father's incapacitated wouldn't he be able to announce himself as Dragonlord? I mean, he may not want it, but he's still the heir apparent!! Not unless...
A knot of fear formed in Gil's stomach. Whatever happened to Erigoth also happened to LEblanc, his best friend from his childhood, from right before the Malthinae had invaded.
"I believe that both of them are fine, although there is a rather odd circumstance to further add..." said Thanatos.
"And what is that?" asked Gil impatiently.
"Apparently, no sooner had he taken power Alduin handed over power back to the council and was then seen headed off to the Great Portal. Erigoth followed him after that..." said Thanatos.
What? Why would they do something so...so... it just seems irrational for Alduin to head away from the weyr right after he has taken power. Not unless, he thinks whatever power is there can grant him even greater power... said Drak.
That's what I've been thinking also, and Erigoth and Leblanc likely followed them there. One thing I was informed of was that the realm they traveled to was a placed called Tamriel, specifically in a region called Skyrim... informed Samoht.
Skyrim, he'd heard of that series but had only looked at that one briefly, as you had pretty much ruled out every other realm with only medieval technology as that certainly woudln't help in a modern war.
"Wait a second, how is it that you two know of all this? If its only now that news of a coup is coming out, you're unusually well informed," said Gil, reaching for his gun. "Are you two in on the conspiracy as well?"
If Alduin had managed to bribe the entire council, who could say that he didn't buy off you two as well? added Drak.
Do you think that if I truly did want you dead I would have instead ordered the guard to have gassed your chambers immediately? The thing is, yes, we had to align ourselves with Alduin's lot, if for no other reason that we'd still be relevant enough to be able to work against them on the inside!! I know that neither of you have the best opinion of us, but our cause to Draconia cannot be bought off with mere gems!! Do you believe me as someone who could turn on Prince Erigoth!? snapped Samoht.
Gil let out a sigh. While it was true that they had never really gotten along, one thing you couldn't accuse Thanatos or Samoht of lacking was loyalty to the Ironwing regime.... It was also true that while Drak had not really gotten along too well with Samoht, Erigoth on the other hand, or claw, had rather admired the larger and more chivalrous dragon.
"Look Giljaras, call me anything you want, but do not accuse me of being a traitor. I may have had misgivings about your sneaky little friend Leblanc, yet I had to admit that I was heartened what Lord Erigoth changed for the better because of him," said Thanatos.
"Alright then Thanatos. I'm trusting you two..." Gil relented. It was an extremely risky thing to do no doubt, but at this juncture he really had no other chioce. We thank you for your trust Drakreanor, Giljaras... said Samoht, gesturing first toward Drak and then Gil.
All right then, so the reason we're coming to you is that we need the two of you to follow Alduin. Because frankly, if our young majesty's intension is to confront Alduin and stop whatever he is trying to accomplish there, he is not going to be able to do this on your own. Drakreanor, you're the only one I can trust with helping Lord Erigoth, as he sees you as a not only as a comrade but a friend. said Samoht.
"So we're heading off to Skyrim then..." said Gil.
"However, I assume you have a plan on getting us to the great portal. Since both Alduin and Leblanc went through it, its probably stuffed to the max with guards. So unless you have a small army somewhere we're not going to be able to bull our way through..." he added. Frankly, he really didn't see any other way to push all the way through to the portal, however, that not only risked costing lives, if it escalated, it could end up being the spark of a civil war, and since Draconia was already at war with the Malthinae, this would be the last thing that was needed.
Perhaps we could sneak our way to the portal then? asked Drak dubiously.
That would be able to avoid a fight. Gil and Drak did have a chance of pulling it off, if the two of them were Leblanc and Erigoth, which they were not. It wasn't like there were any airducts to sneak through to get to there.
"Fortunately for you two, I've already formulated a plan that encompasses both possibilities. Since you're the one that has to be sent off to another Realm, it should only seem fair that we let you decide the method as to how you want to access the portal chamber," said Thanatos.
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