Savage Awakening 524. The Great War

A single scale on the Patriarch’s chest cracked.

That was as far as the Prince’s blow got. It shattered against the rest of the plate.

A white line scorched down the Patriarch’s chest. A line that ended on a single bloody wound.

With that, the Prince was the first creature in nearly ten thousand years to draw blood from the Lord of True Dragons.

There was a heartbeat of silence.

The Patriarch laughed.

Then he backhanded his son in the face.

No skill in it. No technique. Just raw brute force. Enough to shatter every bone in the Prince’s fine skull.

Haxorax dropped, head cracking against the marble, and lay still. Bright blood pooled around his darkened face.

“You’ve destroyed him,” rasped Elder Kajax.

The Patriarch snorted. “Hardly. He’ll live.”

Kajax felt cold and suddenly angry. “From the blow! And what about his soul, Patriarch?”

The Patriarch rounded on him, eyes bright. “Mouthy today, are we? And what would you know of matters of the soul?”

This time Elder Kajax didn’t back down. “You… all of you!” he said. He turned on the other Elders. “You should be ashamed.”

He was so angry he could hardly even speak. “Look at that boy. Look what was done to him. Tell me it was worth it! I tutored that boy in the summers, right before the Great War broke. I taught him the ways of violence, but also the ways of the First Dragons, their pride and their honor. Like old Leonidas. A dragon is the noblest of creatures. That is what I told him. Like old Leonidas or Karagas—”

He jabbed at the statues in the hall. “The masters of old. I told them that is the standard all dragonkind would strive to uphold. And now…”

Kajax was trembling. “Now his own kind sacrificed him, like naked men in the woods, whooping in their blood cults. All… all for… what?”

The Patriarch stalked toward him. Towered over him, staring down at him with harsh golden pupils.

“Are you done?” said the Patriarch.

Kajax was silent.

“You were allowed to teach my son once upon a time,” said the Patriarch. “Because I did not know your true nature then. But I removed you soon enough. Did you ever stop to wonder why?”

He cast his gaze at his son’s body. The attendants were trying to wipe away the blood, trying to stem the bleeding, but it just wouldn’t stop.

“That,” he breathed, “is a boy a single step from becoming a man. An unfinished product. Hardly broken… that is a man with a heart demon. A demon that I created, deliberately. Because I know what you do not.”

Spittle flew with every word. “That heart demon made him. When Haxorax bore that yoke, he knew the reason for it. Zane. And his hatred built, like great fuel for a pyre, and he burned with it. That is why he could take it. That is what will make him the greatest of all dragonkind! But what would you know of greatness, you little wyrm?”

“And him, an Empyrean, beating down a Minor God—that will make him great, will it?” ‘

The Patriarch barked a laugh. “Is that what you think this is all about? The point is to destroy that heart demon. To excise it with violence! Beating the teeth out of that Zane Walker. Completing the unfinished creation of his new soul! That… all begins now.”

Kajax looked pale, a stern blow from falling over, but he kept the Patriarch’s gaze. “You really believe that, don’t you?” he said.

He had a startling realization, staring into the Patriarch’s eyes.

“There’s something wrong with you. You...you don’t feel love, do you?”

The Patriarch laughed and laughed.

“You think I don’t love my son!” He kept laughing. It stopped abruptly. Then he showed only teeth. “I raised that boy. I gave my life to that boy, my very seed! But to coddle a boy is to give him a fate worse than death. I would sooner kill him than deprive him of the chance for greatness! I know what you would ask because I know how a soft little mind like yours works. You would ask me what happens if he truly is broken. Would I do it all over again? You’re godsdamned right I would.”

Kajax shook his head. The Patriarch wasn’t done, though.

“You’ve been Elder, groveling under me all these years. You’ve seen my methods. You never had words for me all those years, did you? But you’re mouthy now. Why’s that? After it’s too late, that’s when you find your courage, eh, Kajax? You’re a little bitch, and a toothless one at that. Don’t you ever wonder if the things they say about you, the things you so like bristling at, might just be true? You think taking a few little beatings in a few little wars entitles you to some kind of respect. But no one respects you. They see what you truly are. A little wyrm of a dragon, dressed in veteran’s cloaks… and you’ve got the gall to question me!”

“I am,” said Kajax, tears in the old fellow’s eyes. “I am a coward. And you, sir, are a bastard.”

That seemed to stop the Patriarch. He examined Kajax anew.

“That,” said the Patriarch, “is the most respectable thing you’ve said.”

Then he dragonformed.

Great black wings unfurled.

Kajax didn’t even see it coming. Didn’t feel the wing strike him. His unconscious form was blasted straight off the mountain.

“It almost excuses the rest of it…” The Patriarch spat. “Pity.”

He turned back to the rest of his council. His smile was back. “Would anyone else like to share a fucking opinion?”

Silence.

“Bring the boy to the wards. Patch him up… It’s time to send the challenge.”

***

The challenge came by letter. One of Reina’s attendants brought it. Zane was pretty sure he knew what it’d say. Sure enough—

Zane Walker

If you are the man you claim to be, you will take on this challenge. Three moons’ time. Duel to submission or death. There can only be one king. It is time all of Dragonspire took notice.

Haxorax, the First Prince of Dragons

Reina had already known about it since Elias Ventor had recently broached the topic of constructing an arena from an ancient dead star core. It’d be called ‘Star’s End Arena’—made specifically for a mega-fight that might or might not involve Zane.

When Reina had asked, he’d whistled and said, “Oh, I don’t know all that much about it! Just a feeling… especially with how the Rising Dragon’s reshuffled of late.”

The Rising Dragon Rankings had reshuffled. And sure enough…

After Haxorax’s breakthrough, the Grand Council at the Scryer’s Guild saw fit to put him at #1.

They’d bumped Zane down to #2.

“Three of the six on that Council are True Dragons,” she said fiercely. “They were looking for a reason to bump you down all along, Zane. And they couldn’t scry into the Ruins. After all you’ve shown, even if that Haxorax turns out to be one of the most talented Empyreans this Cycle, it’s just unfair to put him over you.”

Zane just shrugged. He didn’t much mind. He knew where he stood, regardless of these Scryers’ thoughts. And anyway, things would be corrected soon enough.

“That Elias guy’s still around?” said Zane mildly.

“He’s made himself one of the Core Chosen in Mount Thundercrest, mostly through bribery.”

He wasn’t surprised. Elias seemed like the cockroach type. Still, to have the funds to remodel a dead star core… he must’ve done quite a lot of hustling since they’d last met.

“Forget Elias,” said Reina. She touched his arm. “Zane… you’re taking that duel, aren’t you?”

“I am.” Zane nodded. She seemed to have expected as much.

“Some of our own in-house scryers have had a look, and one even met with a disgraced dragon Elder. That Elder said he’d seen countless talented Dragon Princes evolve, but… never like this. You’d be fighting up one-and-a-half power tiers. Haxorax doesn’t deserve your spot on that ranking at all—” She seemed to feel quite strongly about that. “But… he’s still dangerous.”

He looked amused. “You don’t think I can beat him?”

“I’d take you any day,” Reina said instantly. “It’s just you should know what you’re up against.”

“I do know,” said Zane. “It was always going to happen. Besides, it’s only an honor duel. It’s not to certain death; it’s to submission or death. I’m not risking that much.”

“Zane,” said Reina, her eyes imploring. “…We both know you’d never submit.”

She had him there.

“I’ve got reasons to be confident,” he told her. He held her gaze. “Just trust me, alright?”

She put a hand on his chest and nodded.

With that, he accepted the challenge. The duel was on.

“Go, Zane!” cried Evan.

***

The last few days in the World Tree, Zane fished with Evan in this bough with a giant lake on it. Evan also got into stamp collecting. There were hundreds of Great Kingdoms along the boughs of the World Tree, and an extensive postage system linking them. Evan had a great time hopping between them, nabbing stamp after stamp.

Zane went along for sightseeing purposes. Most of the time he could be seen checking out various tourist destinations, munching on a big block of dreamsteel as he did. 

Avery, meanwhile, made a peace treaty with Chomper—she managed to lather his paw with ink, then shove it onto a piece of giant parchment. Reina wasn’t sure this constituted any kind of legally binding, uncoerced signature. It didn’t end up mattering—Chomper broke that treaty about fifteen minutes later by using Avery’s latest hoodie as a chew toy.

They were back at war shortly after, though it was quite a one-sided war, granted. Chomper definitely had no clue what was going on.

Avery would do things like lob bombs at Chomper, then run behind the safety of her bunker, which Chomper would interpret as a game of fetch. He simply ate the bombs, which his Bloodline Devouring Skills rendered ineffective.

“Aaaargh!” cried Avery.

Over the next few days, she deployed a host of other military actions, including trench warfare, parachuting in to whack Chomper, and also an amphibious nighttime assault.

She squinted at Chomper. “Your days are numbered, bozo!”

Evan watched this all unfold.

“I would be a bit worried…” he said to Zane. Then he watched Avery’s submarine sinking, and Chomper dashing in to save her.

“…I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be okay, though,” he said.

Zane agreed.

Sure enough, Avery came back a few days later, smoking slightly. She looked utterly demoralized. She was waving a white flag and everything.

“I, Avery, admit defeat,” she declared.

This was how the first great Avery-Chomper War ended.

***

Zane had been a little concerned for Reina before he’d left. He knew she’d found him quite helpful for stress-relief reasons. She had other ways nowadays—like meditating in the World Tree’s trunk and grounding her feelings there.

…She still preferred Zane, though. She made that quite clear.

Before long, though, he figured it was time to head to the Azure Flame Faction.

Noughtfire had sent him a letter requesting he join the old fellow for tea time.

Besides, there were only a little under three months to go until the duel. It wasn’t a great deal of time.

But it was enough to make a few important final breakthroughs and maybe trial run a few useful Skills he’d picked up in the Ruins. There was one in particular that he felt would make quite a difference.