Not What Was Expected III

The main fact that Gabriel was trying to get to, however, was that there was a spare exit portal attached to the pocket dimensions' anchor point, created and placed wherever the mage wanted to have it. This was to allow the mage to jump to their home if unwanted pvp ever happened, so that they could escape and not deal with gankers. Those same gankers could try and camp outside the main portal, waiting for the mage to leave and ambush him or her. The anchor point was made to allow someone to easily get back to a hub city or town, completely bypassing those who wanted to grief and thwart their plans. It wasn't considered teleportation, as there was a set exit point that could be moved where needed, similar to such things as hearthstones or resurrection waypoints for ARPGs. The anchor was never allowed to be blocked or interrupted, with the lore being a tear in the fabric of space and time always allowing egress.

"Where is your anchor point?" he questioned.

"Back at my castle. The main issue will be once we leave, we'll be a good distance from the Kaldanas Mountains, away from the dragon. Once we're out, I'm going to deal with our would-be kidnapper."

"May I come with you? I'd like to have a very stern talking to the beast as well, probably with a few of those words connected to some spells." The dev giggled at the thought of that.

"I'm sorry, but it won't be a very eventful conversation. Besides, you've been trapped for a good deal of time. Rest at my palace, as a guest. I'm also going to have a few questions right after involving your master. I'd like to know where he learned how to cast dimensional magic. It's extremely rare after all."

"Hmm, quite. We've been the only two able to understand it, or maybe it's because he said I don't follow in the same… oh what did he say… gene pool? I think that was what he said, I didn't go down the same path as everyone with tier magic."

"That seems to be the main issue noticed. Tier magic and dimensional magic are mutually repulsive" she replied.

"It appears that way. Well then…" he coughed a little and looked at the two others watching him. After a long pause, Selene stood up and introduced her colleagues. "A pleasure to meet both of you. Now, I'll admit, I really should say this will be my first time using the back entrance to a pocket dimension. It will be invigorating to see where it lets me out."

The empress walked down a small hallway and down a short flight of steps to a door that would normally go into a wine cellar and grabbed the doorknob.

Please work, please work, please work, please work, please work… don't make me look like an idiot here…

As the door was pulled open, they could see the grand foyer awaiting them. The dev sighed in relief that the anchor point held. No magic was allowed to block leaving the pocket dimension, just as it should be. As the group walked out, Gabriel's eyes were jumping from one spot to the other, his head on a swivel as he took as much as he could in about the aesthetic design. The empress's home was bright and clean, warm and had large windows compared to the thick walls of other castles.

"Well, I knew I was walking into a palace, I just didn't expect it to be so… grand…" Gabriel commented as he turned around and walked backwards, his purple eyes checking out the chandeliers and molding along the walls. The dev had to take note that this was yet another color difference from Earth, what with magic having an effect on genetics now. "So, how do you plan on responding to the forced incarceration placed upon us? Steal the clutches of eggs he has?"

Selene stopped walking and stared at him. "I thought that was just a farce he put up. There are actually eggs?" Gabriel nodded.

"I saw them myself, once. I'm almost positive he moves them around to keep them well hidden. There were many clutches, some looked to most likely be not of the iron brood. It appears he might be more of a thief than a warrior. Strange, I had heard that iron dragons tended to be a bit more brutish than normal… not that I had any experience with them, mind you."

"Huh." The empress walked down a few hallways and brought Gabriel to a guestroom. "Here is where you can stay, don't hesitate to explore a little bit, but the top floor is restricted. I'll have a doctor come to see you in a few minutes, give you a checkup. In the meantime, I'm going to put my plan into effect. If you'll excuse me."

Selene walked away without another word as the man just stared after her, blinking. "I get the funny feeling that dragon bit off more than he can chew."

One Hour Later

The iron dragon lifted its head inside his lair and heard something walking down the tunnel towards him. He carefully peered down through the darkness; his dark vision was useless as he could see nothing approaching. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Selene appeared, decloaking herself, and alone. "Impossible! There is no way you could have broken out of the vault!" he roared, disbelieving his own eyes.

I'm now pretty sure that was a bunker, not a vault.

"Oh, we did, it was pretty easy after all. You stupid dragons think you have everything figured out, but I guess you didn't take into account someone stronger than you showing up. You know, breaking my trust is a great way to lose everything you have; your hoard is one of the things you've already had taken away." The dragon scoffed, but he ever so slightly looked over his right wing back towards the vault and hesitated once, then twice, his breath catching in his chest. She couldn't have.

"Don't believe me? You aren't the only thief out there, stealing away that which is precious to others. How many clutches are there, stashed away? How many other broods did you piss off? I can now see why you hid with so many escape tunnels, and I can also tell you didn't build that vault." The creature was getting angry, which was what she was hoping for.

"I'll tear you to pieces!" he roared as a clawed paw shot out to strike at her. The dev's right hand came up and blocked it, not even moving an inch, {Move a Mountain} kicking in and amplified by her levels and strength. Rubble and dirt blew by her form as her hand just held him back easily, her hair flailing a little then resting finally. He struggled as she just held him back, unflinching and unmoving. That was when he looked as if he might attempt to cast something.

Wild Magic. I have to see if I can't stop him from using it. My defenses will keep up, but I'd rather not know where he's getting his fuel. It's possible it doesn't sacrifice anything, but if my idea is correct, he stole those clutches just for this.

Selene immediately cast [Silence of the Void], an especially powerful anti-cast spell used for dimensional magic. It was akin to using an interrupt for most MMOs, except this sealed off an entire dimension of magic from the mage for a good hour. It normally took a healthy chunk of mana to use, though with her pool, it was lower than 1%. She hoped against hope that it would work, just like all other magic.

The wild magic backfired from the interrupt, the dragon backing off immediately and surprised she could even do that. The empress sighed in a relief, as the entire thing was a gamble. Orlo and Turnie's experiments intel on her defenses working paid off. "How… you can't…" he snapped out, some of his scales bristling off his body as if electrified. She simply stood there, staring at him, just as he unleashed his breath attack, pure lightning arcing its way towards her. It connected hard, though her resistances never got a chance to block it, the energy absorption system into the portable capacitor she had hidden under her clothes sucking up the electricity like a lightning rod, her personal shields not even phased. He had given her a power boost for future use.

The iron dragon was flabbergasted at what was happening, then cut and ran in the opposite direction towards the bunker… right where she was hoping he would go. Selene followed him, just far enough away to keep him running and not slowing down to look behind, her recon team keeping track of his direction. As he entered the vault, the door closed behind him as he laughed.

Hook, line and sinker.

"You never touched my hoard! I knew it, a pathetic human like you could never manage to get all of this out… not while… not while…" he trailed off as something was beeping in the middle of the pile… something ready to detonate.

Fuck your hoard. Fuck your lair. Fuck your stupid race, you overgrown purse. ARE ALL OF THESE DRAGONS LIKE THIS?! GOD DAMNED KLEPTOMANIACS! I had hoped that at least some of them were different! This is supposed to be a metal dragon, one of the good guys!

The empress ordered her soldiers to back off with her down the hall as the bomb exploded, shaking the whole mountain as the vault did everything it could to contain the nuclear fission inside. The tunnel leading to it collapsed with a massive cave in, large boulders and stalactites falling throughout the rest of the network. The dragon had a split second to realize he was played before having his flesh ripped from his bones. The treasure hoard unphased as soon as the explosion ended, the dragon wiped off the face of the map.

As the area settled, the dev saw much further down an entrance that was previously sealed off being picked at from the other side, tools breaking through and dwarves piling in. Hrist and Morlan could be seen running far ahead, straight towards her. The mountain king walked through and stood there, confused as to why the empress had shown up. "What the… why are you here?" he asked sternly as guards took up positions near their ruler, weapons ready, though fearful of just how strong Selene was.

"I was attempting to negotiate the dragon leaving peacefully so that you would open your doors once more. Unfortunately…" her eyes glanced back at the now collapsed tunnel behind her "I hit a snag. The dragon is dead now." The mountain men started to whisper amongst themselves as the king pushed through his escort and stood in front of her, all four feet of him in all directions.

"We didn't ask for your help. Last time I checked, I distinctly said fighting underground is different from above."

"Yes, you did; I just figured doing this was quicker to get the mithril flowing again." Two miners walked out towards the cave in and looked back.

"Your highness! This will take time to get through!" one reported. "I'd give it a few days, maybe a week just for this alone."

"Indeed. Get to work. As for you, Empress Selene… you are trespassing on our mines. Don't expect a reward from us just because you have slain a dragon. This is our property you are standing in; we ask you to leave." The king crossed his burly arms over his chest and glared at her sternly, however there were no nobles behind him. It seemed he had more than enough courage to stand with his men in the face of a dragon invading their home.

Morlan attempted to speak, but the dev put up a hand. "There are clutches of dragon eggs that are hidden in here. It seems the iron dragon had been stealing them away from others. I'd like a chance to get some research done, if you wouldn't mind getting an R&D contract going between our people." The king was shocked, looked back at his son and advisors, then split away to speak with them in private.

"Good, at least we can walk away with those given the way the vault was destroyed. I wonder if his hoard survived whatever it was you used back there; it might be possible there are some magical-" Morlanion started to say before the dwarves finished deliberating and walked forward.

"We will not allow you to perform any research on those eggs."

"What? But Empress Selene-"

"These are our mines. You trespass when you are not wanted, then expect us to give you things that are on our property. The dragon, the hoard, the eggs, they are ours. Now… leave, your majesty. I do not want to sour relations between our two nations further. It would be the same for you in your lands and we would respect that." Morlan glanced back and forth between the king and his ruler, hoping she would ignore his demands and simply take the eggs. She certainly had the power. There was absolutely nothing the dwarves could do against her might.

"Fine." Hrist kept her mouth shut as the empress walked back down the tunnel heading out, both of her team following.

"You're just going to let them have those dragon eggs? I mean, that could be a powerful force if you took them, your majesty" Morlan told her, his arms gesticulating wildly while he walked next to her.

"Those clutches don't really concern me, if they want them then it's fine. I mostly wanted to just get historical research done with Erina."

"But, your majesty… having your own dragons, if just for the intimidation factor…"

"Do you have any idea how much work goes into raising any sort of creature, Morlan? Now figure in waste disposal for I don't know how many dragons, then food, cleaning, training. It just wouldn't be worth it."

"Waste disposal?"

"Yes. You have any idea how much shit a dragon would produce in a day? Multiply that by however many eggs are back there. The dwarves just asked for way more than they bargained for." Morlan admitted, he didn't see the logistics of raising them, and also knew that it wasn't like the empress needed them in the first place.

"Why are you so dead set on her having them, Morlanion?" Hrist questioned him. He sighed as they saw the light outside.

"Would it not be better to have those clutches in the hands of the empire than of the dwarves? I mean… you're handing them military strength… and you could be considered the mother of those dragons, I guess…"

"I believe the term you're referring to is a force multiplier. The problem with that is if they can even figure out how to hatch those eggs, then raise them, then get them to fight for their kingdom. That's a lot of ifs. Far easier to mass produce fighter jets with automaton pilots, or my air fleets" Selene replied. She didn't want to explain that at best, those dragons would also only reach level 100, maybe a little more, if that; experience points would be a premium to get any of them to become strong great wyrms. The capability discrepancy between her military and living dragons that may or may not listen to her was not worth the effort in her eyes. Morlan chuckled a little as he rubbed his nose for a second. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, I just… it would be interesting to see a new title for you, your majesty. Empress Selene of the Clockwork Empire, goddess of the Golden Valley, ruler or mother of… whatever broods are back there…" he thumbed backwards down the tunnel they had just came from.

"No thank you, I don't need that kind of bullshit. If anything, I'd have some research done on the eggs, see about the life expectancy of the creatures, I dunno… throw them in an incinerator or something afterwards." The man was shocked.

"You'd destroy the eggs afterwards?" he questioned, wondering if she was joking.

"Look, so far, it's been dragons doing stupid stuff in my borders. This one attempted to hold us captive, trophies. After finally meeting one, a metallic dragon which I thought might be at least cordial, I've now come to the conclusion negotiations with them is pointless. They're assholes, really big assholes, that do not care about anything but themselves." The team exited outside and looked around, the transport above already picking up the buggies.

"We're going to teleport back, just to make sure the magic that was imbuing that vault didn't disperse outwards and contaminate the area, turning it into some sort of hazard zone." Selene grabbed both of their hands and cast her spell, bringing her back to the castle without issue. It was still a little disorienting to perform, finally realizing sadly that she did suffer some light vertigo effects. They might disappear if she used the spell judiciously from now on, though she'd still rather just not get nauseous in the first place and use standard transportation. The buggies were picked up long ago, given the expedited nature of returning back and forth. Hrist didn't get the chance to test her foot on a gas pedal.

As they arrived in the palace, Jeeves took the empress's jacket as she continued on, leaving Morlan in the hallway watching her receding form, Hrist by her side. He couldn't provide any advice on what she was now talking about, with Orlo and Turnie showing up to discuss material composition from the vault. He barely heard them say something about a quantum refraction mesh that was created via mana, before they turned the corner and were out of sight. Most of what they were talking about was simple theory, no concrete evidence as they couldn't perform any tests just yet with no samples.

He turned his head and glanced around him, noting there was nothing but two automaton guards at the doors. The warrior sighed, hearing nothing but his own breath leaving him, silence overwhelming the area. The man had no effect in anything involving this adventure, other than providing healing potions to those wounded dwarves in the forge… all of which were provided by his majesty. He didn't know any healing magic, he had little negotiations skills, other than talking with his sword. For all intents and purposes, he was just there for the sights, to finally see a fully-grown dragon, the whole time being protected by his ruler. It should have been the opposite.

While Elsei had a job to do in Eil'Ta Forest, he was just puttering around until the empress decided to bring him along for another trip. "What am I doing…" he muttered as his hand rose into his vision and he flexed. He used to be a hero of Artinia, praised for his capability. At the moment, he felt more like background scenery.

Meanwhile

Alfred was writing some missives for his soldiers to carry out orders and continue to track any messengers leaving the city of Silvinholm. His hand was flying across the paper, copying what he had written twenty times already. There was an empty bottle to his left; he had hoped to somehow get it refilled at the same still and brewery.

A quick scratch at his goatee and slicking back his brown hair falling into his eyes before another one was finished, and he was onto the next sheet. A knock at the door sounded out as he looked up and sighed. "Come in." His lieutenant walked through, looking shocked as if the end of the world was happening. "What's wrong?"

"G… g… General Galdin is here… sir… just outside the gates…" he stuttered out. Commander Dalonas looked up at him with his eyes going wide.

Why the bloody hell is he here?! Is he passing through with his army?!

"It's possible they are resupplying" he responded as he continued to write out his missives.

"No sir, he… he wants to speak with you, in his tent… they haven't entered the city…" the lieutenant told him shakily. A female sergeant came in behind the lieutenant, her blonde hair twisted in a braid. She whispered something to the lieutenant in worry, with him responding with a sigh. "He wants to speak with you… now, sir." The commander sat there blinking, his hand frozen over the paper as ink slightly dripped from the quill he had between his fingers. Somehow… an envoy had gotten to the king behind their backs. How they were able to get here so quickly though… General Galdin must have been in the area and had a wizard bring word of what was happening.

"How the hell did this happen?" he grumbled out as he put away the quill and rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he could feel a headache coming on. He already knew what was going to be forced upon him. The General would order him to follow orders, against his better judgment, and do what he was told. That simply wasn't an option. "What is the feel of the standing army here sergeant?" he asked. The woman stepped forward and stood at attention.

"Sir! The army will follow you. The thought process about the orders that were… er… rumored… to have been received is that it is insane. Some of them have families that live here. They are hoping you will find some resolution to this issue." Alfred scooted back from his desk and leaned on the armrest of his chair, thinking.

"Thank you, sergeant. I hope they are willing to keep their faith in me for a little longer." He stood up and straightened his uniform, his eyes glancing at the still empty bottle.

Not going to get a chance to drink that or anything like it for a very long time.

"Sir, we should go with you" his lieutenant stated, wanting to act as his escort. The commander nodded in agreement.

"Pick two others to come with us, sergeant. Make sure they are ready to escape at a moment's notice." The blonde was shocked at what he was asking.

"Sir? Do you think… do you think the general will… will try and execute us?" she asked. He looked into her eyes and sighed… then shrugged. He didn't want to solidify her fears.

"We disobeyed orders from the king. However, we cannot allow innocents to simply be slaughtered just because they have a different opinion of how things should work. If anyone senses any danger once we meet with Galdin, we run, understand?" She nodded vigorously. The three of them headed to the makeshift armory, retrieved suits of armor for light cavalry, then headed out to the men on the walls of the city.

Teams of soldiers were heading from one place to another, either off duty or heading to investigate a disturbance in another district, something the mercenaries were quite good at. A few of them were frustrated they couldn't kill those who would commit the crimes, though most others were thankful for that restriction. It allowed them to keep their humanity, though some were just afraid of stabbing their sword into a human being. With so many other creatures out there that treated humans as food or slaves, excluding the surrounding nations, they needed ever man, woman and child available to keep them going. The fact they had completely lost contact with every town and village west of Silvinholm, and the fact Paldos City had been annihilated by an unseen force, told them they needed to stand together, not kill each other.

"Sergeant" one man said as he walked towards her with another squad mate. He was a corporal in their army, usually very good at horse riding and archery.

"Corporal. You two, I'm commanding you both to assist us in escorting Commander Dalonas to meet with General Galdin, just outside the gates" she said as the private behind them gulped a little at hearing his orders.

"We saw. Galdin is just past the hill with an army. You don't think he… I mean… there's no way…" the corporal replied.

"Let's hope not. We should just be cautious though." They both nodded and ran to tell the rest of the soldiers to prepare on the walls. If everything went according to plan, the general would just come in and see everyone saluting and at attention, exactly where they should be. If not, and Galdin decided to suddenly attack, they were already prepared to defend.

Commander Alfred mounted his horse carefully, the lighter armor still increasing his weight a bit. With his escort in tow, they headed out through the gates and carefully approached the general's very large camp.

There's only one reason for him to not enter the city.

Alfred dismounted just as they entered through the picket line, the soldiers coming up and grabbing the reins of their horses. They had grim faces as they stared at the commander. This was not good.

"Commander…" the sergeant whispered to him as they kept close, the rest of the men watching them as the group walked towards Galdin's tent. Once they were outside the flaps, he turned around and looked at his escort. They all nodded at him and kept their eyes peeled for an ambush. The fact the new army were keeping track of them inside the camp meant only one thing… they might have to fight their way out. The other very real prospect was that some did not like what they were about to do. They could probably gain some new recruits if things got ugly.

The tent flaps opened as a bald and slightly rotund man sat behind a table, his burly arms belaying the fat on his stomach. While he might have looked out of shape, General Galdin could easily lift a keg by himself if he wanted to. His uniform was missing the sleeves, showing multiple tattoos of the battles he had been in, the scars of combat. He was well known, almost as well known as the oldest son of the Rikter family, though not nearly as powerful as he was. While Alfred knew of Morlanion, once the hero of Artinia, now a criminal fugitive, he had never met him in person. His men had the chance to put shackles on his hands, but he somehow managed to escape with his family. He had received a very generous chastising from Alain for that, as if somehow all of his men being knocked out was his fault.

"Ah, the star of the show has arrived! Greetings Commander Dalonas!" Galdin chuckled out as he motioned for them to come closer. The General was a man who did whatever it takes to get the job done, didn't question orders from his king, and had no conscience if it meant slaughtering innocents. Collateral damage was not in his vocabulary. "Mmm, I take it Silvinholm is having some trouble it looks like?" he asked, a small grin on his face as his grey goatee shifted.

"Nothing we haven't been able to handle, sir."

"I see, I see. Well, they haven't actually gone into rebellion, so it shows the capability of its officers keeping things under control! That's good to hear."

"Yes sir. We don't have to worry about anything happening."

"Good, good. Oh, by the way, you uh, you might have forgotten something though. It seems you might have forgotten a very important uh, missive sent to you by order of the king. Was it lost in transit? I have a spare provided to us before we left to reach here." The sergeant gulped a little and looked at Alfred. He seemed calm and collected. The General, despite quite clearly a threat here, was treating this as simple miscommunication. He wasn't jumping to conclusions about the Commander being a traitor, as it was possible he just didn't get the memo.

"I'm afraid we might not have received it, sir."

"Oh, that is a shame, it really is. Having messengers lose important documents is poor form, it is. Well, we have another, just in case. Oh, by the way, we received a rather cryptic message from an uh, Alain Reysor I believe. Seems he contracted a messenger to get to a village for a shipment of diamonds, then the words changed, magic and all that. Now, something about the commander not keeping to his orders?" Galdin questioned.

"I'm unsure of what he was mentioning. Perhaps it was his own faculty that was performing unsatisfactorily? They do have men with those titles under their employ" Alfred answered with another question.

"Perhaps, perhaps. Well, regardless of that. You probably are wondering why we are here. The king, our glorious ruler, has requested us to enact these orders and end any chance of a rebellion from happening."

"General Galdin, I can assure you that-"

"Assure me of what, commander? That the people won't take too kindly to military roaming their streets? Eventually they will either do one of two things. The first, is they accept our laws that we enforce, through strong military presence, they obey what rules we set, no matter how obtrusive they may be. They get used to it, go on with their lives. The second, and this is most likely to occur, is they attempt to break away from Artinia. Given the trade that goes through here, it would be disastrous, wouldn't you agree?"

"Sir, the loss of life is-"

"Oh, don't worry about the loss of life, they forfeited their chance at having one when they spoke out against their king and his choices to root out any corruption and hired swords from controlling this fair city. We don't need it marred by those who cannot see the order that Artinia brings, the strength of having our forces watching over the people here! No no, it will all be over quite soon and more of the people will eventually move here, replacing those that have been slain. The world will go on, and Artinia as well." The lieutenant felt sick hearing all of that. The general had no care about who he was fighting, just that he followed orders from his king. There was no conscience, just the need to obey.