"Welcome to the last place you folks are ever gonna see!~"

The cavern opening was rather narrow and well hidden, Blagden barely fitting inside the opening as the group was marched in, the Dragon Hunters leading them into the cave system. Keith looks back at the others with a bit of a grin, and gestures. "Oh, come on, no one is gonna ask me why?... Man, you guys are one tough crowd, this time around! The last group was bickering over why this was the last place! Come on, someone... Anyone?" He asks, and the group stays quiet, Keith sighing a bit.

"Alright, so you guys don't want to talk much... I get it... I know that you, Fox, are pretty pissed over my deception of you... Wasn't really a deception, though, hun! I was a General~!" Keith comments then sighs again. "Whatever the case, let's get you with the others, and we'll get started here..."

The two Dragon Riders from the train-car look to one another, as well as Fox. Others? Were they holding Dragon Riders Alive?

"Yeah, to answer your obvious shocked looks... We do keep a few of you boys and girls around... Entertaining to get to talk to you lot sometimes... And even more so to mess around and hang out... A lot of you that we hold give in and actually join us! Even your Dragons!... Funny, that's how we can take out the trains so easily... Cause we may be Dragon Hunters... but we have Dragon friends as well... I don't really like the name Hunter, though... You wanna know why?..."

Finally, Caedrienth huffs and speaks softly out loud. "Why do you not like the name Dragon Hunter, Dragon Hunter?"

"Ah, why thank you for asking! I like you... What's your name?" Keith asks, and the Dragon tilts his head.

"I am Caedrienth... Cave Drake of Riley Sierra."

"Love that name, Caedrienth! Caedrienth sounds so majestic and powerful... Are you powerful, cause you certainly look Majestic!" Keith asks, grinning, and Caedrienth blinks then shrugs his scaly shoulders.

"I guess I am rather powerful... I can do many things that other Cave Dragons cannot..." He admits, and Keith lights up, then clears his throat.

"Wonderful~ Anyway, back from our side road here... Why do I not like Hunter... Because I'm not that much of a Dragon Hunter... I don't just kill and murder... I give you boys, girls, and dragons alike... a Choice."

"What choice?..." Colonel Fox finally speaks up, frowning softly. "... You can't seriously-"

Keith laughs a bit and waves his hand dismissively. "You would be surprised how many of you Dragon Riders actually figure out what it feels like to be free, truly, and you lot usually join me! You actually even try to go back to S-11 Alaska to try and free your friends!... Well, there is a slight problem with that..." He looks a bit flustered at that. "... Cause no one can seem to remember, or even be ten percent certain where that blasted base is!..."

" Some kind of magic hides that base. Something powerful, and very much complex. Dragon Magic, it has to be... And yes, some Drakes can actually use a very ancient form of magic... Light Dragons, Shadow, Cave, and Fire are the most suspect and usual cases of displaying Magically innate powers... And judging that the magic skews the senses and makes one forget or not remember the base's location correctly... I would take a gander that it is either a Shadow or Light dragon... Firedrakes, they like to literally burn the memory from your noggin..." Keith gestures to his head. "... That way hurts. Believe me..."

Abruptly, the Dragon Hunters stop, and Keith waves his hand gently at a wall. "Hello, Draeda... Care to move your wing, darling?" He calls in a calm, almost sing-song tone, and there was a low rumbling, before the wall shifts, and opens like a curtain...

The cavern it reveals, unlike the entrance to the cave system, is massive. Place yourself inside the stadium of the Superbowl, and in that stadium, it is nothing but stone, torches, lanterns, Dragon Hunters, and several Dragons and Riders waiting in a semi-circle. The roof vanishes into the darkness, stalagmites, and stalactites holding the roof up like structural pylons. A square twenty to forty people turn and look at the entering group of Dragon Riders and Keith in both excitement and a very odd look of foreboding gloom.

"Welcome to Draek'iras Hold!... Quite a nice little setup, aye?" Keith grins widely and chuckles at Caedrienth's wide yes. "Yes, Caedrienth, it's quite impressive, isn't it?"

"I hate to say this, as I hate being surprised... but... I am indeed impressed, and quite surprised..."

"It isn't that much when you think about some of the underwater caverns people find all over the ocean, but she's home for us... Now... Come along, let's get your names and then have you join the others in the circle... We're just about ready to get started!"

The three Riders follow Keith in silence, all three speaking to their dragons as best and as quietly as possible. If there were a Mind Dragon in the group, and it focused on them, it might alert Keith and the Hunters to their conversations. The group is lead to a table with a book, blank lined paper exposed, and a normal B.I.C. ball-point pen sitting on top of it. "Just write your name and your dragons name... Maybe any extra information you might want to give, and then go over to the group..."

The first male, Riley, takes the pen and writes his and Caedrienth's name, before nodding gently to Caed and walking towards the gathered Drakes and Riders.  The second Dragon rider, whose name turns out to be Cayden, writes his name and his dragons down, then moves past Fox to get to the group. As he passes, he murmurs 'Please, have a plan?...' under his breath, just enough for Fox to hear, then gets over with the others.

Fox looks down at the paper, wondering for a moment why they had to do this. She sighs and shakes her head, writing down her name, and she turns away.

"Hold up, Colonel Fox..."

Keith looks at her name, then up at Colonel Fox, then at the Dragon's name, then her again. "Hmm... So you're the girl..." He mutters, scratching his chin like this was something new and rather intriguing. "I must say... I was not expecting this... Carry on, Colonel, we're just going to get started now~"

Fox gave him a fiery look, sneering slightly. "You'll regret this." She muttered, and Blagden huffed in compliance. "You weren't expecting what, hm?" Fox asked, eyes glinting and blazing as she was moved along. "What was that supposed to mean?!"

Keith smiles a bit and chuckles. "You'll know... You'll know... But, I must say this..." He says, with a soft voice that only she could really hear. "I do hope you choose to join my group... I know it would break his heart into tinnie-tiny pieces to find out you died..." He says gently, before smiling knowingly. "You understand what it means... What I'm saying... You know..."

Fox growled when he got close, but due to the fact that she was unarmed and outnumbered, she couldn't do anything. When she heard him, though, she couldn't resist, bringing a hand up and back-handing his cheek, eyes fiery. "How dare you?" She growled, huffing and letting guards grab her arms and restrain her again. "That was for Tyler," Fox growled, then glared at the man who had seemingly set this all up. "I hope you enjoy Hell. Tell the Devil I said hi." She hissed, then turned her head away while he spoke to her defiantly. She definitely wasn't willing to join these hunters.

Keith's head snaps to the side, and he faintly grunts, before slowly turning his head back to look at her, his eyes no longer holding the somewhat friendly light towards her, but a cold, calculating spite. "I dare... Because I don't care whose lives I end... If you are against me... Then you deserve none of my mercy." He whispers, tone no longer so kind and gentle. "And don't be so sure you're going to heaven..."He adds, before looking to a male who looked like someone out of Skyrim: The Dark Brotherhood...

Wait... that was the man who told her she would be moving to California!

"Ah, Colonel Fox... Good, you're in one piece..." He purrs, before looking to Keith. "The plan is set. All of our devices are set in motion... And now, we have the final piece..." He states, and Keith chuckles, before waving him away.

"See to it that Operation Valkyrie is set into motion... It's time to send our message..." Keith states, and the male bows, with an arm across his chest, before swiftly moving with three other Dragon Riders, all wearing S-11 uniforms.

Keith turns to the group of gathered Dragon Riders that he had recently captured, and smiles warmly. "Well, look how time flies... Some of you came here months ago... others, sooner... but now, we have ourselves Decision Day~ Some of you have to choose on the spot, and others... well... You've had a lot of time to think... But, no matter... today... You all decide what happens. But, as many of my friends know... We need two volunteers to show what the decisions will be... Who here, without a doubt, wants to join me and my family?"

He looks around the group and then frowns slightly. "Wow... no biters?"

She marched over to her spot, leaning against her massive wyvern and glaring at Keith. She was about to laugh when it died in her throat.

A single hand goes up, as well as a paw... from right beside Fox.

Riley and Caedrienth hold their hand and paw up while looking at the ground, and Keith walks over to them with a warm, kind smile. "Well, there we have it... That's the spirit, kids~ Come on, come on, up you two get~" The male says gently, helping Riley up. "Welcome home..."

Not them. Not Riley and Caed... "Riley, what are you doing?" She hissed, eyes wide as Riley gets helped onto his feet. 

Riley looks over at Fox with a slightly regretful look. 'I don't want to know what option two is...' His eyes said to her, and he looks at the ground as Keith pats Riley on the back gently and smiles. "You made the right decision, kid... Both of you. I'm proud of you both... Go and get cleaned up... Jake, show Riley where the showers are? And get some people to clean this admirable Cave Dragon up? His scales need polishing!"

Riley looks at the ground as he follows Jake, a rather tall red-haired male with dark silver eyes, who puts an arm over his shoulder and talks quietly to him. And as Riley moved away...

There was a small silver device right beside Fox... A cell phone. Riley had left a phone he grabbed from a guard, likely from all the chaos on the train! And no one had noticed!

Caedrienth was equally looking downward, looking back at Fox and Blagden as if to tell them to do something...

 Once Riley and Caed had gone, Fox refused to look at him, but she felt Blagden nudge her ever so slightly, and she looked down. She spotted the phone, and stumbled suddenly, quickly picking up the phone and slipping it into her waistline before glaring up at Blagden. "Don't you push me..." she muttered crossly, though it was all just for show.   

"Now... we have our first example... The good way to go through this..." Keith states calmly, and then a male stepped forward, holding out something wrapped in cloth. Keith grins a bit and pauses, turning slightly and looking back at the Dragon Riders still standing there. "This is the part I really like..." He purrs, before removing the cover over the object.

It was what looked like a very heavy, long, thick iron crowbar, with what appeared to be some kind of dried oil or something on it. It looked as though it had been put through hell quite often, and as a slight bit rusted. Keith takes it in one hand and lets it hang by his side.

"Now... how are we going to do this? Hmmm. I know! Everyone pick a number, from one to twenty."

She got back on position, warily watching the insane man who was now armed with a crowbar. "And what if we refuse to play your twisted game?" She muttered, crossing her arms. 

Keith narrows his eyes at her, then turns towards the others. The other rider she had been with... the other boy. Yes, that might get her a bit closer to home. He casually walks just within striking range of both him, and Colonel Fox, and smiles. "What if you refuse?... Well..." Keith shrugs, placing a hand on his hip and holding up the crowbar by the flat, uncurved end.

"Then I get on with it." He states calmly before there was a blur of motion, and the young Dragon Rider's head jerks to the side and he falls over with a deep, bloody hole in his cheek, and a dent literally running from his upper jaw to his temple. The boys Dragoness lets out a scream of agony, and Keith laughs and gestures at the male, who had blood oozing out of his mouth, flesh over his cheek hanging loosely to cover the hole that had just been created by the Psychopath's crowbar. 

"Holy hell, kid! I didn't know you had such a thick skull in your head!... Look at you, getting back up!" He exclaims as the Rider shakily moves back to a kneeling position, body faintly jerking. "I swear, I must have cracked your skull open from jaw to temple!" Keith yells over the Dragons pained yowling.

Fox growled lowly, tensing. She cried out when Keith struck her companion hard, eyes widening. She tried to lunge at him and catch him, but Blagden held her back. She screamed, fighting against her dragon and shaking her head. "You're a monster!"

The other Riders all tense and cry out in anguish, but stay in place as weapons are drawn and aimed at each one of them. Keith crouches slightly and smiles apologetically at the male. "I'm so sorry... that this has to happen to you... If you want to blame someone... Blame your superior officer." He says gently. "She's the reason you have to suffer like this... Cause she wants to play the Rebel game..." He looks at Fox, then pauses as he hears the boy gasp out something. He leans in to listen, and then leans back, and steps aside, the Rider looking to Fox with a pained, sort of grotesque look to his face as he spoke. His words were a bit garbled, and he spits out a few broken teeth in a small pool of blood, before wavering and looking at Fox again, a pleading look in his slowly dulling eyes.

"If... you live... tell Ashley... Tell a-ashl-eh-heh... I... I'll be... at... at the gates... when she... g-gets to... heaven..."

Keith looks at Fox and sighs. "See, girl?... This... is what you and your S-11 do... Only, it's against innocent people...  I remember that you said you wanted to leave S-11... I gave you a chance... I gave you all a chance... And only Riley took it... And you call me the Monster?... I'm sorry if this hurts..." He then sighs a bit.

"Back to business."

She hissed at Keith's remarks, and finally managed to break away from Blagden. She went for Cayden, ignoring those with weapons, and Keith pauses from swinging his grizzly looking crowbar, and she gently wrapping her arms around Cayden in a motherly way, trying to make him as comfortable as possible...

He wasn't going to make it. No...he was way too injured. But she had to try. "Cayden...hey...don't you die on me...no...no, you're going to see Ashley again...you're going to see her in person..." She murmured, gently stroking his hair. Guilt weighed down on her heavily. She'd done this. Even if Cayden lived, he would be permanently scarred and disfigured. 

Keith watches the two, crowbar hanging by his side, and he gently crouches, so that he was eye level with her, the boys Dragoness having fallen unconscious from the agony she felt. "Now... Now that you see what your decisions do to innocent people, Colonel... Would you like to reconsider your options?" He whispers in a cold, emotionless voice.

Fox glared at Keith, still holding Cayden, silent for a long moment. "Fine." She spat, tears in her eyes. He'd hit a soft spot. "I'll join your stupid little club. Just leave them alone." She muttered, hanging her head and murmuring to Cayden again. 

Keith smiles a bit and nods to her gently. "Very well... Welcome to the family, Fox Shields." He says softly.

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Hey boys and girls~

PurelyHalfDragon here, and dayum, this was actually a pretty fun chapter to write! Thanks to my co-Writing partner Queen Foxstorm  for helping me with Fox Shield's parts, and not getting slightly disturbed by my sudden sadist attributes of Keith...

Anywho, thanks to yall, this book is nearing 700 reads... 700! I only thought it would get to about 600 and flatline or something, but 700 reads?! THANK YOU SO MUCH! MUCH LOVE!

So... what do you think?... Fox has a phone now... and is part of the Dragon Hunters...

What could come of this?...

All we know is... This just got interesting.

Till next chapter, hit that vote button, share this with some friends, and I'll be here to see all your commentary and conversation!

With much love,

Riley the Mc'Man with no Mc'Plan