[Venrie's residence]
Sitting on the bed and leaning with their backs against the wall, Darganth and Neandra were imrsed in their conversation. More specifically, they were talking about his plans to reveal the new stance of dragons during the next eting of the emperors and making plans for it. Lying in their laps were the other four won, intermingled in a sea of limbs and naked skin over which their hands gently trailed.
By the ti the first of them stirred the two had already gone over to small talk, soon noticing Yldra's small movents.
“Good morning honey.” Neandra said, kissing her on the lips.
Keeping her eyes shut until she pulled back, Yldra lifted herself up with a yawn before leaning in between them.
“Love you too.” She said, giving her a kiss of her own before leaning over to Darganth.
“Morning.” He said, similarly giving her a kiss.
“Good morning.”
Staying like this for a mont, Yldra let her hands snake behind Daranth and Neandra's backs. Pulling them closer to her, she leaned more against them.
“So, who won more?” She asked them.
Noticing both glancing at the other with a competitive look, she started chuckling as she got an idea of what happened.
“A draw, huh?” She comnted, earning her a pinch from both sides.
“Watch out what you say or we could get the idea to focus on you even more.” Darganth whispered in her ear.
“Promise?” She asked overly excited, causing all three to break out into laughter after a short pause of silence.
Continuing with this friendly banter for a while, they did not attempt to wake the other three up and instead bridged the ti till they did so themselves.
“I just rembered, it felt like there is a story around Neandra's win against you. Care to share?” Darganth suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Yldra looked down with red cheeks as Neandra started to chuckle in an evil tone.
“There is.” She said, gently combing through Yldra's hair while grinning, “You see, it all started over three hundred years ago with a sweet little dragoness's first trip outside of her ho when she t a big bad wyvern. And instead of recognizing her opponent's superiority, she let her arrogance dictate her actions and tried to make the wyvern serve her.
Naturally, she was beaten back but she just didn't want to give up, challenging the wyvern day after day for months. Initially, she would just retreat sowhere after the fight but after so ti she would just stay even after losing, slowly getting closer to the wyvern.
Then, one day she changed the words with which she challenged her, demanding the wyvern to beco her mate instead of a subordinate. Amused by this, the wyvern didn't beat her down like the days before and instead just pinned her down. And one thing lead to the other and ultimately, that night the dragoness slept not just near the wyvern but with her.”
By the ti Neandra had finished recounting the story, her grin had widened across her entire face and her words were regularly broken by a slight chuckle. Yldra's face was instead bright red as she was reminded of the foolishness of her younger self, though also having a fond smile as she thought back to these days.
Darganth was anwhile looking at Neandra with raised eyebrows, breaking into laughter as she finished the story. Hugging Yldra and caressing her back, he used comforting her as an excuse to hide the grin he couldn't suppress from her.
When Neandra also closed her arms around her, Yldra mostly forgot about her sha. Instead basking in the gentle hugs coming from both sides, she suddenly noticed Jennia moving on her legs.
While she succeeded in hiding her laughter, the slight snicker still caused her body to move a bit. When she noticed Yldra's gaze bearing down on her she stopped, opening her eyes with the best innocent expression she could muster.
“You heard it!” Yldra complained, causing her to drop the facade.
Laughing out loud, Jennia said, “And it was hilarious.”
Without wasting ti, Yldra jumped up and tried to press her down. Blocking her attempt, Jennia tried to defend herself amidst her roaring laughter.
This commotion quickly woke Allaire and Venire and after the usual good morning, they just sat down before Darganth and Neandra and joined in watching the spectacle. For minutes the two engaged in this, rolling all over the bed.
By the end of the squabble, Yldra had managed to catch Jennia, dragging her back to the other four and demonstratively laying down atop of her. While Jennia's pleading look clearly asked for his help, Darganth just shrugged with a smile before sending her a kiss through the air. Pouting, she complained no further over the fate she brought on herself.
“So, what are we now?” Venrie finally asked Darganth.
“Simple, mine.” He said with a possessive smile, “As for the relationship between you three, you can continue it, I wouldn't even care if you slept with so of my other won. Just not outside of that, that's all.”
“That we already didn't do beforehand, so nothing changes?”
“Of course, why do you think we accepted it?” Yldra asked and Neandra nodded in agreent.
Surprised, Venrie stared at the two won with questioning eyes.
“You knew?” She asked.
“Of course.” “Most dragons do it like that.” The two replied.
“Before you complain, we know you well enough that you would have accepted anyway so we just didn't rember to ask you.” Neandra added in an attempt to placate her.
“You're right, but in the future tell such big decisions beforehand.” She said, quickly getting both their agreent.
Satisfied with this, she sank back into Neandra's embrace. Staying like this for hours, they talked with each other and got closer to one another until Neandra got a ssage that forced them to stand up.
Dressing themselves and getting ready with different levels of annoyance over this for each of them, they delayed their return to the beast forest as long as they could with squabbles amongst themselves.
When they had finally finished, all six stepped through the portal that Yldra soon conjured.
Greeting them on the other side was an assembly of beasts, so in human form and so just in shrunk-down versions of their true form, that stood a few ters from the foot of the stone formation.
Neandra instantly switched to her regal pose, sitting down on her throne before looking at the group before them with a stoic face. Venrie did the sa, standing a step to the right of the throne while Yldra sat down on its right armrest.
Darganth had anwhile created a throne of his own to the left of Neandra's, hardening space and freezing ti to create an invisible structure. Either would have been enough, with even air molecules being able to be used as a solid when their ti is frozen, but he chose to use both as a display of his power.
Any mana user whose senses just brushed over this area would see this structure as a glowing beacon of silver and erald green, the sight of both superior elents serving as a demonstration of power.
A mont later Allaire sat down next to him, with Jennia sitting on her lap and leaning over to him. All three barely gave the beasts before them any attention, their actions demonstrating that their thoughts don't matter to them.
This angered the group, but seeing that Neandra didn't care they didn't dare to voice this dissatisfaction.
“My empress, please pardon our interruption but the humans have finally acted in full force.” One of the beasts before them reported with a bow.
“What did they do?” Neandra asked in a bored tone.
“We don't know, none of the beasts that infiltrated their base are part of the task. They had only been able to report a fairly large group being sent out on a secret mission.” The beast reported.
Reacting with a disappointed sigh, Neandra took a mont to think. With her gaze directed towards the camp, her unfocused eyes seemingly piercing the thick woodland in between, she soon made a decision.
“Burn it down.” She said, startling the beasts slightly.
Looking around amongst each other with questioning looks as if they didn't expect such a sudden shift in her orders pertaining to the invaders. Seeing that the others seed to have heard the sa they turned back to Neandra with a puzzled look.
“You heard , I want their camp to vanish from my territory. I entertained these futile attempts for the past weeks because they were amusing but now they beca an annoyance.”
“As you wish.” The sa beast as before answered resolutely.
“Good, anwhile I'll deal with the second nace. Can't have these pests ruin my forest, how would that look.”
With those words the entire stone formation vanished, leaving a group of confused beasts in the now-empty clearing.
Looking at the spot where their empress's throne had been just a mont prior in confusion, the beasts shuddered as her words set in. Directing a mix of pity and glee at whoever made her act in person, they set out to fulfill their orders.
Around the sa ti, the adventurer camp was filled with roaring laughter and the sound of music. It was not every day that they would complete a mission with this many adventurers, especially one as good as this one. And the end of the mission ant pay, in this case even a very generous pay.
Normally the reward itself would barely cover the expenses like potions, in larger missions doubly so as few had the financial capabilities to pay a large flat reward to so many people. Instead, they would pay only for whatever they had proof of. This would leave many with only a minimal reward for participation which was barely anything.
But the fact that this wasn't the case in this mission prevented the depressed groups that achieved little results from destroying the festive atmosphere.
Boasting about how many beasts they killed, the different teams mingled as the fest was in full swing. Not even those on guard duty stayed out of this, happily abandoning their posts and getting drunk.
Hovering above this mass of humans and beastn were a handful beasts in human forms that looked down with scorn.
“Celebrating the death of our kind but still claiming righteousness, what a joke.” One said, finally breaking the silence.
To his words the others murmured in agreent, each finding their own unsavory words for the group below.
“You act as if they actually killed so of us and not just so wild beasts we never drove away. Those who reject our empress's rule aren't our problem.” A new voice suddenly said.
Turning their heads, the group was montarily surprised as the beasts that had previously reported to Neandra were floating next to them.
“The intention counts. Besides, you haven't seen and heard what I did in these past weeks, sotis I even wondered why I accepted the task.” One from the initial group said.
“That bad?” Another newcor, an eagle barely larger than a normal one but with striking dark green feathers, said.
“Mainly the humans, but yes. The beastn just ignore it all, even the fact that so of their own kind are slaves and that their whimpering screams echo throughout the camp every night.”
“At least they didn't try pressing you to join each night. One night in and I regretted how painlessly I killed this guy before impersonating him.” Another complained.
“Hey, it's not as if all are like that but when the leader supports it, who would speak out? I at least had quite a few co to for help with this. Besides, you younger ones might not know but there was a ti when humanity looked truly promising.”
Hearing this one defending them the rest could only agree though the fact didn't raise their evaluation by much.
“Enough of that, the empress has given orders. We have tolerated their presence long enough while humoring their futile attacks but that ends now. We are to destroy this base without rcy for she got tired of their presence.”
Following this proclamation the eight initial beasts had a smile on their faces. Letting themselves drop without further words, they smashed into the ground without care. Landing amidst the feast, they kicked up a cloud of dust and send splinters to fly out in every direction.
Freezing as if soone had pressed a pause button, the humans and beasts all around stared at the eight in shock and horror. Ignoring this as well as the splashes of blood below their feet, they waited for the dust to settle.
Only when they were sure that a majority realized that the commotion was caused by their leaders did they start undoing their transformations.
Under the fearful eyes of thousands, they unleashed their power without hesitation. And with no mythical rank or even just a fourth rank to stop them, it swept over the area in a mix of colors.
Only when the roaring explosion ca was the previous silence broken, the multitude of spells and abilities from different elents mixing in a do that covered the area in a blinding light. Dissolving as quickly as it ca, this spectacle left nothing in its wake but a charred crater where the camp once was.
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