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2024-10-29 19:42:56Cyrus and the Emperor sat together at a table, situated at the far end of the long throne room. It was close to the large windows at the side, and Cyrus's wild imagination made him think the Emperor was just one move away from pushing him through it so he would fall to his death.
A cup of wine was served before the both of them. It was almost evening, making it a while since Cyrus had come to the Midlands. And in less than a day, he was at his destination, one on one with the Emperor. The Emperor looked a lot different from what Cyrus had envisioned. Even the sculpted graven images posted at various places on his way here almost looked nothing like the person sitting before him now. Athanasius looked a lot younger than he had imagined, without the ever-present scowl or form of wrinkles on the edges of his mouth as depicted in the various art forms. The Emperor sitting before him didn't look like he was up to five years older than Cy
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King of Griffindale Chapter 85 - A Bargain of Kings
“Alright then, what would you want in exchange for the support?”, Cyrus asked. “Two things”, Athanasius said “First, if you attack your home city and win, you will have the city to yourself, and form an alliance with me for future conquests. There are some wannabe empires out there, some even greater than mine, that I wish to take down and integrate into mine. I will need your help with that, as I cannot take down greater empires than my own.” “And what is the second option?”, Cyrus asked. “The second option applies if you fail the mission”, Athanasius said. “If your stepmother wins the battle, I will come with my full force and take down the city, forcefully integrating it into my Empire just as I have with the other regions. And if you are alive, you will be my subordinate, a puppet King over the land when I'm gone.” “So in other words, if I screw this up, my soul is your's?”, Cyrus said. “Exactly”
King of Griffindale Chapter 86 - A Child After His Mother's Heart
“You know I hate it when you do that”, Athalea, his mother said as she pulled back the black curtain covering her from being seen. The curtain was right behind the spot where Cyrus was seated, meaning she had been standing behind the Prince this whole time. She was in her middle ages, yet had the beauty and charm most men would seek, the only thing that gave her away was the tiny wrinkles at the edges of her eyes and lips with the little lines on her forehead. It seemed Athanasius got his blonde hair and blue eyes from her, as they looked strikingly similar in that regard. “Just had to get it off my chest”, Athanasius said. “Is that so?”, she asked. “For a while, it seemed like you had taken a liking to him.” “I still do”, Athanasius said. “It's just that it naturally infuriates me when... Never mind.” “You just hate it when you meet people who are smarter than you?”, asked Athalea. “You know
King of Griffindale Chapter 87 - Dragon Slayers
About 50 years ago... A young Jason Thornicus and several others like him assembled in an organized manner, doing basic fighting choreography while their supervisor, Stephen, watched them closely. He was elderly, but not too old. Perhaps in his early forties. He had a long cane in his hand as he stood on a high platform while the young men and women practiced below him. They were performing certain moves together, and as they did, they sang a battle song to improve camaraderie. “Zeno, your steps are out of sync!”, Stephen yelled at one of the young men who was a step behind the others. “You all are dragon slayers, people tasked to eradicate all dragons. If you can do something as simple as synchronized choreography, then you won't be able to work as a team on the battlefield.” “Yes sir!”, the young ones yelled out loud as they continued their choreography, jumping, somersaulting, twisting, and rolling. It looked like gymnast
King of Griffindale Chapter 88 - Welcome to the Dragon Slayers
“Alright, get up”, Stephen yelled out loud as all the youths down below got up sluggishly, with almost every muscle of their body aching terribly while they did so. “Now it's time for the sacred part of the martial art - The art of breathing fire”, Stephen said, and all the students below murmured among themselves. “Is this a joke?” “How on earth are we supposed to do that?” “We can barely even do the choreography without missing some steps, now he expects us to become professionals all of a sudden?” Stephen took note of their grumbling and to bring an end to it, he hit his cane on a rock. It made a sharp, loud sound that reverberated around the cave. The sound was so sharp that it caused everyone in the cave to fall silent, including those spectating the event. “You all have absorbed the power of all the dragon eggs we have gathered. That magic has grown deep inside of you for years
King of Griffindale Chapter 89 - On the Run
“Alright, young lot”, Stephen said to them. “You all are going on your first raid this morning. Now that you are Dragon Slayers, now is the time to show what you are capable of. You will be going with me to one of the nearby caves. Now is the mating season for dragons, meaning that a lot of mothers will be laying eggs by now. You will be egg-hunting. Each of you team up in the best way you see fit, but all hundred of you are required to come back with at least ten eggs.” “What? Ten eggs?” “It's almost impossible for a party of twenty to get one, let alone ten!” “What if this is just another stupid metric he's putting before us just to make us push past our limits?” “It has to be. Because there is no way we are cut out for this, at least not now.” Then, to their surprise, Kelvin, the more strict instructor came forth, standing beside his brother. “The mission expires by nightfall, if you lot don't return with all te
King of Griffindale Chapter 90 - First Raid
After the additional two had given up on trying to join them, Zenos turned to Faora. “Why did you have to chase them off like that?”, he asked her. “Won't we be better off being five than three?” Faora gave him no response, keeping her eyes straight and barely even acknowledging his existence. Then Thornicus spoke up instead. “Those men weren't looking for a group of people to fight with”, he said to Zenos. “They were simply looking for strong people they can leech off of by sitting back and allowing them to go ahead and do the dirty work while they sit back and do nothing. Given the situation we are headed towards, I don't think we have that luxury. Besides, we are better off this way - there will be fewer to no liabilities, now that there are no weak, persons among us.” “I hope you are right”, Zenos replied. Then Faora spoke up. “He is right, Zenos.” It was the first time he heard his name come from Faora, and fo
King of Griffindale Chapter 91 - More than Expected
All the dragon riders stopped moving, standing still as they watched the massive male dragons guarding the cave with utmost vigilance. “Get down”, Stephen instructed in a low tone, afraid the paranoid male dragons would hear him, and those around him got on a knee. Those far behind followed suit when they saw those upfront kneeling. “I've never seen dragons act this way before”, Dorcas said, and Stephen turned back. “It's something that rarely happens, especially around these parts”, Stephen said. “They must be a new species, look at their scales. The color patterns are quite different from what we are used to, don't you think?” “Yes, they are”, Mark said before placing a hand on Stephen's shoulder. “You are sure of what we are up against, right?” “I hope so”, Stephen said, and the others closeby widened their eyes. They had expected their instructor to know everything that was going on, but it turned out that he
King of Griffindale Chapter 92 - Two Dragons, One Blast
Stephen lunged towards the two beasts, which were now looking back at him with a fit of new anger. “That's right!”, Stephen said. “I'm your meal! Come and have it!” Stephen propelled himself upwards by the flames from his feet as he engaged the dragon head-on. “He is now flying?”, Troy asked as he noticed how their instructor had remained airborne for a long time now. “We were never taught how to do that, were we?” “That is an advanced technique”, Thornicus said. “It is way beyond our level. Most of us can barely generate flames let alone control it as we please.” “But we can”, Faora said as she tried to out get out of Thornicus's embrace and on her two feet. “You want to join him?”, asked Troy with an arched brow. “I'm not afraid to die for our cause”, she told him. “Are you?” “Of course not”, Troy said. “Especially when you also want to do so. Faora shook her he
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Chapter 139 - King of Griffindale VI: New Heights, Frontiers & Threats
Three years later... Back at Frostfall, Faora sensed a disturbance coming from the cave at the other side of the village. She came out of her house, looking around with a worried frown on her face, expecting to see obvious threats like she and her husband did the night that Dorcas and the other two dragon Slayers attacked. But there was nothing noteworthy going on outdoors. The weather was wonderful, and the mood was serene. That's why, just past midnight, everyone was still sound sleeping despite the strange feeling in her gut. The only strange thing was that she wasn't alone. At the far end if the village, right where the entrance was, beyond the barricade, she could see Nebula's blue eyes staring back at her. Though they couldn't communicate telepathically at that moment, Faora instinctively knew that they were sensing the same thing. There was trouble, and were sure of it. But Nebula wasn't getting the same sense of fear that Asherah was giving off. It was like Faora was
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Chapter 138 - King of Griffindale V: The King's Coronation & Political System
When Wayne returned with Natalie, Aurora, and Serena, the palace seemed elated. Richard was happy that Serena had come to be with him, and Cyrus's family had been reunited. Now that everyone of interest was present, it was time for the formal coronation to mark the young Cyrus as sovereign King, and his wife as ruling Queen. They divided the kingdom into new provinces, a few of which Natalie would rule over, leaving the majority for her husband. After signing several scrolls and getting married for the second time in line with Griffindale's royal tradition, the day of coronation finally came. It was a day like no other, but since Cyrus didn't want to lavish the Kingdom's wealth at a time when the city was still being rebuilt, he made it modest, only prioritizing hygiene, food, and wine. Decorations and other accessories were ruled out of the budget, still, it was a day to remember. That day, King Cyrus was formally coronated as King and was no longer acting as one. He reinstated
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Chapter 137 - King of Griffindale IV: The Emperor's Plan
It wasn't too long afterward when the Warlord and his soldiers returned to the Midlands. By head count alone, they had not lost a single soldier. 3,000 went to battle, and 3,000 returned. There was nothing credible to report, as it was difficult to believe that 3,000 men went to war against a great and powerful city and none of them died. Worse yet, what credited them with such a flawless victory was the fact that they were assisted by two dragons that did most of the heavy lifting for them. Sure, there was an occult following of fable enthusiasts who believed in dragons like they were their bread and water, but reporting it in a battle account felt off. He was conflicted on whether or not he should account for that part of the battle. Still, it would be impossible to explain how no one died in such a war. Soon, he gave up on making up a story and decided to report on what truly happened, though he was afraid that the impulsive young Emperor would thin
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Chapter 136 - King of Griffindale III: Welcome Home
About a week had passed when Wayne rode off on his dragon to bring Natalie to Griffindale. He too had decided to settle in the new land, and since he was going back briefly to get Cyrus's wife, he would use this opportunity to tell his family about his plans to relocate. Despite the ruins half of the city was in, he liked it at Griffindale. He felt at home there, as it was refreshing living somewhere where it wasn't snowing all the time. His dragon, Kyron, also seemed to love the climate at Griffindale, perhaps due to his natural affinities as a reptile. Wayne got in his dragon that morning and took off to Frostfall, it took several hours to get there despite how fast the Dragon flew, and he arrived by evening. Everyone was glad to see him, all asking questions that excited them. Children asked what it was like to live in a place where there was no ice and snow, others asked what other fruits in the area tasted like, and how easy it was to access them. Wayne tried to
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Chapter 135 - King of Griffindale II: Killing the Senators
It was almost noon when everyone had gotten out of their slumber, ready to take on the rest of the day. The Emperor's soldiers who at first tried to remain sober and disciplined at the start of the feast the previous night ended up being the most wasted. The generals and commanders assembled all their men, and they were all ready to leave. However, the 25 veteran soldiers were to stay behind to help Cyrus maintain order until the city could reestablish its military, as most of its fighting force had been eliminated during the war. The time for war and victory celebrations was over. Now was the time to rebuild. Cyrus and the Warlord, Jin Tsung bid each other farewell as they each went their separate ways, with the great Legionnaire taking his soldiers with him, along with all his captains and commanders. Frederick and the young men from the village were about to bid the acting King farewell also, but Cyrus was not going to allow it. He insisted that they stay behind with him to take
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Chapter 134 - King of Griffindale: Mercy Over Judgement
While Cyrus was still speaking, Kamala sent a message back to him. “I am with your mother”, she said. “Should I bring her to you?” “She's dying” Cyrus sent back. “Get her something to eat. Take her to Wayne. He must be outside the city. Let him see to it that she has everything she needs. I don't want to see her looking like that again.” “Understood” Kamala sent back. While he was still sending, he looked at his stepmother. And after communicating with Kamala, he picked up his sword and walked toward Regina. The Queen braced herself, lifting her son towards Cyrus, who raised a brow, wondering what this was all about. “I know this is too selfish of me to ask, but before you kill me, promise to take care of my son”, Regina said. “He has done nothing wrong. You can raise him without telling him anything about me, you can even tell him made-up things to make him grow up to hate me. Just give him a chance to live. I beg you.” Cyrus sighed, taking the son in his hand, but not for th
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Chapter 133 - Attack On Griffindale IV: Feigning Evil, Conquering the City
“My mother” Cyrus cried out towards her. “Where is she?” Then all of a sudden, the Queen's look of desperation turned to quick sadism. “What is so funny about what I asked?”, asked Cyrus. “I am not the same naive young man you sent on exile. I have killed a lot more people than you think to get to get here. So don't think I can't just run my sword through this child if I want to.” Then to make things worse, the Queen began to laugh. The laughter was so hysterical that she almost choked on her saliva, coughing profusely after a few cracks. She held on to her chest as she gave the last cough, struggling to regain her composure while looking back up at him. “WHERE IS MY MOTHER?!” Cyrus yelled out as loud as he could. “When my nightmares of you doing exactly this became worse, I knew you would soon come back for me. So I thought of the best collateral through which I could make you do as I want, which would be by putting your mother in misery, putting her close enough to the point o
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Chapter 132 - Attack On Griffindale III: Cyrus & Cletus
She looked around, but it seemed all the Knights around her were dead. She was ready to meet her fate, but she didn't want any harm to come to her child. At a time when she was expected to cover up her shame with pride and charisma, she was not ashamed to show that she wanted to protect her child. The look on Cyrus's face didn't suggest he wanted to spare any of them. After all, if he truly came back to get the throne and her head, there would be no point in leaving any of them alive. Why would he let the son of the woman he killed remain alive only to enact revenge decades later? There was nothing to gain in keeping any of them alive, so she prepared her mind for the worst. Clutching onto the child in her arms, she prayed hard that their killer would make things quick and painless, especially for her child. But as she heard the footsteps approaching, her heart sank with fear. This was it. All her nightmares were coming true this very minute. Cyrus would take her head, just as h
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Chapter 131 - Attack On Griffindale II: Assault On The Palace
While the fierce battle took place behind him, Cletus kept his sight on the higher provinces, particularly the Queen's residence, where his comrades were guarding Regina, the sovereign ruler. The next move the dragon made confirmed his suspicions that an attack on the Queen was imminent, as the beast landed on the pinnacle of the highest point of the castle, where the rider jumped off and went in through one of the large windows. “Cyrus”, Cletus said as he gestured for the horse to run even faster as it sprinted towards the palace. “I have to protect the Queen, no matter what.” ********* Cyrus got down from his dragon, swinging himself by the ropes connected to the dragon's saddle to break through the tainted glass of the nearest large window. As he got inside, he was assaulted by multiple guards who were alerted by the noise. He brought forth his self-defense skills and managed to take down the guards, hacking and
