.^^ Hoard ^^

— Tommy —

Sandy turned a baleful glare at me slowly. "What?" She growled darkly.

"Didn't you know? The Skøll Clan will rise from all High Lady's to the Duchesses of the Northern Territory, while Gramma Hilde will get the rank of Marquess, and therefore the Skøll clan will be the Fourth Great House." I shrugged, unnerved by her steady and intense glare.

Cassidy sighed, and patted her lover's back gently. "As insensitive as Tommy is, that is the deal. After we're done, the Skøll Clan and Clock Wardens takes over here, by order of the Queen." She explained.

Sandy hummed. "I see, I thought you meant you were going to simply claim it. If the Queen has decreed that is what's happening, then all is well. We should wait a bit, watch their reactions... ambush the group's they send to investigate."

"I agree. Can you make a little hidden inlet in the wall, over here? We can hide the boat, and rest a bit, then kill the roving parties as they appear. It'll be good training for the girls." Cassidy nodded.

I hummed, and then blinked. "Glade, hold me away from the water for a moment, I'm going to cleanse a small section for us to drink." I explained what I meant, and he held me suspended over the edge of the water, as I carved multitude of anti-poison Sigils along both sides of the inlet's bank.

As they activated, the water shimmered, and steam started rising as the poison was removed, as soon as it reached the inlet. I pulled out a bottle of poison cure and placed it against my lips, just in case, then placed my hands into the water. When nothing happened, I cupped some, and sipped it, then gagged.

Cassidy immediately tipped the potion back, pounding my back until I pushed her off me. "I'm Alright, it's clean, it just tastes like rancid blood, from all the dead things in it. Gimme a moment." I gulped down the potion just in case, and added more cleansing Sigils and Runes along the bank, focusing on impurities, more than poison.

More mist, then the water cleared up until it was crystalline, and when I tasted it again, it was perfectly clean. "Alright, it's safe now." I nodded, and looked up, finding myself alone on the bank, with the entire inlet gone. "Guys?" I frowned, and looked around, then searched with my mind, looking for Caz.

I frowned, and stomped towards her, passing around the optical illusion of the layered stone walls, making the entrance disappear, then punching her in the gut as hard as I could. Sandy laughed as I immediately regretted my decision, groaning as the pain hit me as well. "You bitch!" I grumbled, and kicked Caz in the chest.

She laughed and dodged it easily, grabbing my leg and flipping me onto my back. "That all you got?" She teased.

I paused, hearing a set of footsteps and one odd, vibratory sound. I held up a hand, and slunk up to the entrance, peeking out of the illusory exit. About twenty feet away, four Dwarves with dark grey skin were guarding a floating beholder with only five eyes, two on either side and one big center eye.

'That's a Spectator, not a Beholder. Weaker servants to the Beholders.' Glade's mind tapped mine gently.

'Weaker How? Less spells?' I responded.

'Yes. They can cause wounds and turn spells against you, instead of negating them. In a way, they could be more dangerous, because of that. Don't use magic.' He nodded.

'No problem.' I grinned, and pulled out my new grenade launcher. 'Finally gives me a good reason to use this!' I fired an acid-gas round, and leaned against the wall lazily as the four Dwarves dove into the water to get the acid off, forgetting it was poison.

They didn't die as quickly as the rest, having some apparent immunity to poison, but they didn't make it back to the shore before the acid, (undeterred by the water,) ate them to the bone, so I counted it as a win.

Cassidy set her rifle on my shoulder, and fired once into the Spectator's center eye, the deafening blast making my ear ring. I glared at her over my shoulder, and she grinned. "Sorry, wanted some stability." She said mischievously.

Glade slipped past us, and with two precise swings removed the four eyestalks. "Can we focus, girls?" He smiled, and then impaled the spectator through the bleeding eye, tossing it away into the river, where some more cloakers snatched at it immediately.

"How many of these things are there?" I frowned, looking up and not seeing any.

"They're invisible, and there's likely thousands of them. They're not that dangerous to adults, but they've been known to snatch children." Sandy hummed, leaning against the divider. "Also, the point is to let the girls fight."

Caz grinned. "Sorry. Reflex. Iris, you and Kiri are next up, with me as your backup. I smell seven more on their way up the path. Also, I have an idea to get rid of the Cloakers."

"Yeah?" Iris asked, looking up at the roof. "I hope so. Hunting them is ridiculously hard."

"Easy, really. We'll just mist the river, and it'll go up to the roof, poison most all of them, and then the rest can be dealt with as they appear." I shrugged.

Caz frowned. "That's not fair, no, my plan was to cleanse the river, then mist it, and the water will cling to them, making the visible."

"And you'll take potshots at upwards of 1,000 cloakers?" I asked dryly. "I don't think Fair Hunting Laws matter in this scenario, when we're trying to make sure these things don't take off with toddlers."

Sandy looked between us. "Hunting laws? We're not breaking any hunting laws?"

"I'm referring to Golden Coast Hunting Laws, which state you can't kill too many of any species, in the effort not to kill off a species entirely. A lot of our species' are over-hunted, and in danger of going extinct. That isn't an issue, here, so I say fuck it. They aren't a part of the ecosystem anymore, after we kill off their main prey source as well." I frowned at Caz.

She hummed. "I guess... yeah, fine. It's kinda like an invasive species, removing them all before they're part of the new food chain is what's best. If you can do that, misting the lake, do it." She nodded.

"After the girls handle the group headed up the slope... sure. I'll start enchanting, you get to hunting. Caz is your long-range, remember no magic if there's beholderkin in the group." I nodded to Iris and Kiri, and they nodded, stepping to the false entrance while I sat at the back of the little cave.

I pulled out a Ruby the size of a walnut, and began enchanting it carefully, specifying that it would vaporize the lake into mist, then turn to Acid, basically, liquefying again and flowing into every building in the cave as a new and even more dangerous substance; hopefully that would kill more of the evil beings within.

As I enchanted, I could hear Iris and Kiri fighting the duergar with their staves, then each being violently sick after they won, while Sandy and Caz dealt with the spectator swiftly. When I finished the enchantment, I tossed it to Glade. "Boom. Drop that in the water, will you? Current should carry it to the lake."

He nodded and walked out, tossing the ruby into the river, and conversing with the girls. I smelt something odd, and turned, looking at the wall and floor under me, just as they collapsed in a small hole, and a massive creature wrapped a set of razor-sharp talons around me, holding me still as it was suddenly bounding down the cramped tunnel.

This was an Ancient Blue Dragon, of that I was sure, and I couldn't reach my grimoire, so I just held on for now, shouting in my mind for Caz, while also trying not to panic. Eventually we entered a large cave made of glass, through which I could see sand, surrounding the cave.

The dragon dropped me, then laid down on a massive pile of gold and jewels, with the occasional weapon that smelled of magic. I stood, dusting myself off. "Well, you didn't rip me to pieces, so I'll assume you want something? My name is Lady Tommy Skøll." I said calmly.

The gargantuan creature nodded, before speaking in a deep, but unmistakably feminine, timbre. "Indeed... I am Lady Trekilas. As for what I want, the Eye Tyrants are bothering me, and you are here to end them. You will fail, without my help. I have tunneled around several points around the city, to several key points for attack, and even into the air tunnels, and your plan to poison them all with gas would work much better, if you infected their air supply." She said casually.

"And what do you want in return for your assistance?" I asked.

"I want the City. My kind, the Blue Dragons of the Land of Black Sand, will live in the many caves and such, while we will place our eggs in the center, to guard them. And, I will stop the Babies from heading south. I will keep them close, here in the Northern Territory." She grinned eagerly.

"I just destroyed your food supply, though, or a good portion of it." I hummed.

She snorted derisively. "You destroyed an insignificant portion of it. The babies are likely all dead, however, which is sad."

"No, my family and I captured them all, actually. Only a small few died... counter-offer; your Dragons occupy the Northern Territory, and the Cities and the Tunnels we dig are considered Off-Limits. Keep the dragons and monsters away from the settlements, and I'll give you back your babies, as well as some silver coins, to help the young ones grow their own little Hoards. They're healthy and safe, at the moment." I nodded.

She narrowed her eyes slowly, and hummed. "I see... that is good... but I want Chalet."

"No deal. My family is going to become one of the Great Families, by gaining control of the Northern Territory, with all its villages and farms; and that City in particular. If you and the other Adult and Ancient Dragons can take Human Forms, promise to take a vow of nonviolence against humans, and also keep your younger Kin in line, I will allow you to take over the Northern side-caverns for your family lairs." I shrugged.

She grinned, showing large teeth, each about 3ft long. "Yesss... that will do... the side caverns are private, large, and can be connected to even larger warrens, while allowing me to seal it off from the main cavern, and thus prevent invasions from the warrens... or the city. Perfect. And we will be allowed ruling of the city, as the Twelve Families once did?"

I shook my head. "Not happening... I'd be open to the idea of the wisest of you being democratically elected to a Council Seat, but you won't Rule the City. One of you will represent your population, as your adults will be a small portion of the full city census."

She growled softly, eyes narrowing, but huffed, and laid her head down on her feet. "I suppose that that is fair... fine. I will give you access to my warren. Use it well. Also, I will tell you where the other dragons' lairs are, if you give me half their Hoard's." She grinned savagely.

"No thanks, just the City will do for now. We need the Hoards to rebuild the city." I shook my head.

She frowned. "The Treasury of the Queendom is still untapped. It is full of platinum. The gold of the Hoard's will pale in comparison."

"When I have the city handled, and the Treasury reclaimed and counted, then I'll consider the offer, starting at 10% of the Hoards, seeing as I'm doing all the work." I chuckled.

She grumbled softly, (for a 30ft tall dragon,) and sighed, extending a claw. "Deal." She gently placed a talon in my hand, and nodded after I shook it. "I will provide a map of my Warren. It is Vast, and stretches much of the Northern Territory. People may even use it to get around, if you like, and if they pay a toll." She chuckled.

"I'd expect nothing less... can I instead bribe you to put your babies to work, carving out a precise grid for the River to fill? Then the Warrens can be private, and you won't risk thieves or anything else having access of any kind, except through the Side-Caves, which you can guard." I explained.

She nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "Yes... there is wisdom to that. That can be discussed as well." She hummed, and rummaged in a large chest with one paw, pulling out a giant tube of leather, handing it to me. "The map. Now please tell your friends not to annoy me. They seem irritated." She snorted, looking at the tunnel she'd brought me through.

I heard Caz and the rest, sprinting towards us, and sighed. "It's alright, ladies, everything is fine. Madame Trekilas was just a bit abrupt in her efforts to ask me a favor, and we have agreed to a deal. She has a Warren all around the city which we can use to our advantage in our attack." I spoke loudly enough they could all hear me.

They entered the cave cautiously, and then Iris gasped, seeing all the gold. "Holy crap..." she whispered.

Sandy chuckled, relaxing. "That is indeed impressive... all is well, then?" She asked me.

"Couldn't be better. Let's take a look at this map, back at the cave... Madame Trekilas, would you be interested in assisting our attack? We won't need much help against the Duergar, but the Hive-Mother May be... troublesome." I hummed.

"Indeed... I will tend to the Duergar. The ones who have not become Ocular Adepts can still be turned. They have roamed my Warrens for centuries, hunting the beasts and bringing me their hides and meat, along with any Gold they find. If you kill the Hive-Mother, the Dark Dwarves will remember who their Master is." She nodded.

I hummed, and nodded, suddenly glad I had rained acid on most of them, lessening her chances of turning an entire civilization of enemies against us when our pants were down. "Understood, I'll make no further effort to exterminate them needlessly, but their numbers will be reduced a bit, no doubt." I shrugged, and slung the long map over my shoulder.

"Yes, I am sure they will defend their new masters faithfully." She grumbled.

I nodded, turning and walking out, then catching Iris's collar as she reached for a diamond, making the dragon hiss warningly. Sandy likewise pulled Caz out, while Glade and Kiri just sighed at them and followed us. Caz has always had a weakness for shiny things.

We reached our little cave about twenty minutes of walking later, and sat down for a rest, placing the map on one flat wall. It was 6 feet tall, and 12 feet long, with two different maps included; one mapping the city with incredible detail, and the tunnels around it, and the other nearly the entire northern half of the continent, as well as where every volcano was, and how deep you had to dig to avoid any issues.

Sandy breathed softly, tracing the lines. "This... is incredible... completely false, likely, but beautiful workmanship..." she nodded.

"False? How?" I asked.

"She's not stupid enough to hand a true map of her Warren off to us. The city is right, I recognize the locations and major structures that haven't broken yet... there's so much to rebuild." She sighed sadly.

Almost as punctuation, a deep, shuddering rumble sounded from the cavern, and I peeked, hissing softly. "Yeah... maybe a little more than before. Sorry."

She came around the corner to see what I had done with my acid, and froze. The view of the city, what little had been rebuilt by the Dark-Dwarves in the past 50 or so years, was melting, falling apart, and the Duergar and Deep Gnomes were screaming, running around as the acid ate at their skin and bone like a fast-acting dissolvent on a piece of sandstone. The cloakers were falling off of the ceiling by the hundreds, splattering on the ground.

She gasped and pushed the girl's bodily back into the cave before they saw much, then waved a hand, blocking the sound out with a barrier.

I cleared my throat. "Sorry. Didn't think that through. Acid in warfare is never pretty, I guess. I was thinking about it more as a strategy... in execution..." I shivered, and then lost control of my stomach, luckily reaching the river in time.

Caz nodded and patted my back. "Yup. Not pretty at all. Still, it does solve many of our problems. Here." She pulled my rotary grenade launcher out of the Vault, and then selected the second acid grenade, firing it into the waterfall. The water turned a sickly green, making the ground under it hiss and dissolve slowly, effectively digging out a real river, and when it reached where the lake had been, it began pooling, digging out its own lake-bed, then going quiet, the acid losing some of its potency.

I very nearly tried to stop the gnomes and dwarves who went to touch the water, even as it entered its inert state, but simply looked away as they suffered the same fate as the others. "Well... I suppose if you have to destroy a city, that's the way to do it." I spat, cleaning my mouth out.

"Mm. I suppose you'll think next time, before you act so rashly." Caz said dryly, and helped me up. "Now let's get a little rest, and then move into the city." She nodded, leading me inside.