Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 114: Dungeon ()
"In those times, the dragons lived free and true, unrestrained...but these times did not last. Soon, the other races learned that the dragons were more than just mighty beasts..."
"With scales as precious as gems, it was but the least of the great treasures to be acquired from the form of a dragon, hence the races grew in their greed for dragon scales, dragon horns, dragon blood, dragon claws ... the dragons were..." Neveah trailed off and glanced up at Xenon.
"T...they were hunted for their treasures, killed...or enslaved...forced to bond with riders who would control them, forced to mate and father children, defying their sacred bond..." Neveah murmured slowly.
It took her a moment to let that paragraph sink in, she always believed dragons were the apex predators right from the beginning of time, she could not imagine there was a time when they too suffered injustice.
Enslaved and forced to mate when they were creatures who just like werewolves were willing to wait however long it took to find their fated riders, Neveah could not even imagine it...
"The words written in these records, are they true?" Neveah asked in disbelief.
Xenon’s amber orbs remained unchanged as he stared blankly at Neveah, his lack of reaction were words enough, Neveah knew asking such a question was already unreasonable, the dragons would not fabricate their own history.
To speak of being enslaved and lorded over, they would only leave such records that undermined their might to always serve as a reminder to future generations, that there once was a time where things were much different to what they were now.
"A century after the first sunrise, this marked the rise of the Asvarian stronghold... and the royal dynasty of the Asvar’s..." Neveah continued, lost in the words and the tale, she lost track of time.
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"Eat..." Xenon’s voice drew Neveah’s attention and Neveah glanced up to see Xenon stood before her with a ripe and juicy looking red fruit,
Neveah did not even notice when Xenon moved or when he reverted back to his human form, she also did not recognize the fruit, but she did know Xenon would not harm her.
"I should be the one catering to your needs..." Neveah murmured as she accepted the fruit Xenon offered.
"Thank..." Neveah began but was unable to complete her words.
Xenon did not let her finish, he did not comment or respond to her earlier words either, instead he turned around and headed away down a tunnel leading deeper into his cave.
Neveah stared after him, a quiet sigh escaping her lips, she was not sure what she thought or felt about Xenon’s strange actions to her and just how kindly he treated her.
"Thank you..." Neveah murmured in a low tone, staring down at the fruit in her hand, she wiped the surface with the edge of her clothing and took a bite of it, still staring down the path Xenon had taken.
As Neveah stared, her attention was once again drawn by a tapping sound outside the cave.
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Down in the dark dungeons of the keep, were all that could be seen were shadows and the stench on the air was that metallic smell of fresh blood,
A figure stood in the shadows, deep red orbs gleaming even through the shadows and a blank expression over his face despite the tortured scream that echoed off the walls of the dungeon.
The tortured scream was followed by heavy and ragged breathing, and there was the pitter patter sound of something dripping in the background.
The dripping sound echoed at a steady and rhythmical pace, each drop sounding two breaths before the next and so on.
Within the shadows of this dungeon, other than the figure with red orbs standing within the dungeon, there was a horrible sight of blood and gore but he did not seem affected by it,
How could he when it was his own work of art?
"You... you..." A voice stuttered out in a pained tone, each word coming out with great difficulty... this voice belonged to one of the two fairies who had conspired to poison King Jian.
"Me? I am called Lord Mernax of Ruby Scales... Dragon Lord of the highest order, protector of the High King of Asvar..." The figure with red orbs introduced with a smirk.
"But you already knew that, don’t you...in all the Asvarian stronghold, as far as the mer seas, there is none who does not know of my name."
"And if you did not, well we have had sufficient time to get acquainted...you, Decaron and I..." Menarx continued and Decaron snorted in amusement from where he leaned against the cell bar.
"My words, need I repeat them?... Protector of the High King, I said. The High King you dared to harm... the fae have grown bold, to dare look upon Our Liege with contempt and intent to harm." Menarx murmured as he picked up a clean rag from the table to his side.
If one traced the dripping sound, one would find it originated from the drops of blood trickling down Mernax’s elongated claws.
He wiped his hand in a slow and relaxed manner, one finger after the other, his movement was so slow as though he could hardly be bothered to move his hand.
"You are a thing of evil! The end of your kind is coming!" The hoarse voice of the male fairy screamed.
"What was it you said again? That I could get nothing out of you?" Menarx asked, a bored look in his eyes as he stared at the beaten and bloodied fairy hung up with chains.
Every inch of the fairy’s skin was red and raw, peeled off to reveal flesh underneath and pooled under him was his own blood, still flowing at a steady pace. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Had it been just a mortal, they would long have died of blood loss, but Mernax was a master of his art... torture and interrogation.
He knew the limit of every specie in existence, of every individual that was left to his mercy, he knew their breaking point, how best to push to get what he wanted and just when to stop pushing.
He knew how to keep a life hanging on the balance, to explore every limit of pain and endurance, to leave one begging for death...a plea he would never grant.
"You will not get away with this! Not you, not any of your kind! The realms will be liberated from your tyranny! Retribution is coming!" The fairy snarled.
"Retribution?" Menarx asked with a quiet scoff.
"We are retribution..." Menarx added in a chilling cold tone, tilting his head to the side in a predatory manner.
The tone od Menarx’s voice sent the fairy into terrified silence as he stared up at Menarx, unable to come up with a retort.
"Well...you are nothing but a pawn on the board game, I shall not exchange words with you...you know nothing, you know why?" Menarx asked,
He regarded the terrified fairy who struggled to keep a false bravado after cracking just a moment ago and spilling everything he knew.
"Because you are dispensable...and I shall be glad to be rid of you...in time." Menarx concluded as he turned to leave the cell, smirking at the shrieks of the fairy.
Decaron who awaited Menarx strode up to him and handed him his gloves which he had taken off.
"Are you done? Our Liege summons us." Decaron said to Menarx.
Menarx hummed in response as he took he washed his hands in a water basin and wiped them again before accepting the gloves.
He put them on and nodded to the dragon guards who sealed off the cell as he headed out of the dungeon, Decaron trailing behind him.
"What do you think of the fairy’s words?" Decaron asked as they moved up to the upper floor where they would take flight up to the highest level.
"I think...it is not the first time forces rise against the scaled...it shall not be the last. But we...we cannot be brought down, for we have had a taste of what it means to be down."
"And he who leads us, he is not one to be defeated." Menarx said with certainty as he moved out to the courtyard, leaping up into the air, he let his beast side take over,
The change was swift, in the blink of an eye, Menarx could feel the wind graze over his scales, as he rose to higher altitudes.
Decaron has also taken his dragon form beside Menarx and as they headed for the highest level, Menarx caught sight of a familiar mountain.
"Mount Edar... Neveah headed there earlier in the day..." Menarx thought to himself,
He could not help wondering how she fared at this moment, Everon had assured him the poison would leave no effects...but it was not the poison that worried him.
What worried him was that sworn brother of his that lived up in that dark mountain...
