Chapter Seventy-Seven: Leaders.

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~~~Pol Qo, Fourth Moon, 277 AC~~~

~~~Bazar~~~

I stood erect, watching the progression of warriors under my control, my hands clasped behind my back as men and women dedicated their weapons and bodies to me for war. 

This was what I had long wanted to see—an army at my disposal that would allow me to obtain what was rightfully mine: the golden throne of Yi Ti. And neither Bu Gai nor the Xandarian king, who had his hands in Yitian affairs, would stop me. 

This time, I would get it, and all of Yi Ti would face the power of the hammer of the Jogos Nhai. 

"Emperor," a man came running toward me, his countenance serious and sweaty from exertion. "I bring an urgent message." 

The messenger reached me, pulled a scroll of parchment from a leather bag he was carrying, and handed it to me. 

Emperor, indications show that the attack on Port Yhos failed. The Xandarian king arrived in Yin a few moons ago, and after a secret meeting, the foreign king left and returned to the other side of the Bone Mountains. 

The first part of the message did not surprise me. I knew at first that the attack would fail, which would be the success of that attack since that would bring Xandar and Yi Ti into conflict. At the same time, I would grow even stronger to the north, while Xandar and Yi Ti would grow weaker in a conflict from which only I would emerge victorious at the last moment. 

The rumors are true; the Xandarians have dragons; not only that, but the king has a giant dragon with four legs, and those close to me in Xandar mention that he is moving his Dothraki army to attack. 

I stared at the last part of the message... As a dragon, I had no weapons against dragons; Yi Ti had since the bloody century, so if I wanted to stand a chance against the dragons of Xandar, I had to take Yi Ti first, and before the Xandarian king crossed the Bone Mountains with his Dothraki army. 

As for the latter, I was not worried. I had over two million Jogos Nhai warriors, along with a surprise if that king deigned to show his face, so his army of savages did not threaten me in any way. However, a dragon would make a difference, especially since the Jogos Nhai did not like to fight unknown things, so getting rid of such beasts would be the primary test. 

"Thanks, here, you earned it," I said to the messenger, tossing him a gold coin, which he took with a smile and then walked away. 

For my part, I quickly made my way to where my commanders were, and I found all ten of them gathered at a table playing a board game. 

"Emperor," they all greeted me when I entered the room, standing up from their seats and looking at me expectantly. "Have the army assemble; we are heading to Yi Ti; it is time to take Yin City once and for all." 

They all stared at me, stunned for several seconds, unable to understand my decision. "But, Emperor, there are still several things to be polished; the Jogos Nhai warriors still don't quite know how to attack a walled city like Yin. If we advance now, we risk losing many of the warriors". 

"I know, Carlos," I said as I cut off the tirade of one of my commanders. He was one of the most senior who had followed me in my crusade against the Jogos Nhai in the beginning, and that was why I did not cut him off for challenging me in public. 

"The Jogos Nhai don't know how to fight a walled city, but they know how to destroy it once said walls are out of the way." With my comment, everyone nodded, finally understanding what I was referring to, "so don't waste your time and do as I ordered." 

Immediately, everyone left the tent to relay my orders, and I moved towards the building, which was my palace for the time being. It wasn't anything noteworthy like the Golden Palace in Yin, but it would do for now. 

Entering my plot, I pulled out the reports from my secret place. There were various letters and descriptions of Xandar, its army, and its king's achievements so far. Accounts that mentioned the witches that protected him, his victory against the yellow cities, his conquest of the Dothraki khalasars, and the destruction of the Temple of the Faceless Men. 

From the looks of it, the Xandarian king seemed a powerful foe, especially with dragons at his disposal—beasts that could hardly be dealt with, not without the necessary tools; however, an arrow in the eye or a scorpion bolt in their wing membranes would be chicken for stew. 

"Fiuuu," a draft blew into my living room, sending the letters and papers flying off the table, "shit!" I cursed as I slicked up the ink when I tried to grab the papers.

Once I gathered the papers, a stiff breeze blew back into the room, angering me. I walked over to the windows to close them, but I was greeted by an enigmatic sight. 

A bloody dragon was flying overhead, closely followed by five smaller ones. And that meant only one thing. The cursed Xandarian king had arrived earlier. 

"Emperor!" soldiers rushed into my plot, which would have gotten them executed if the situation wasn't already tense. "Dragons are flying over the city. They appear to be those of Xandar." 

"Gather all the archers as soon as possible and have the warriors prepare for a possible future confrontation," I ordered as I grabbed the war hammer that hung on a wall, taking it in one hand. 

In addition to the hammer, I took a horn that was stored in one of my chests, strapped it to my waist, and began to walk out of the building to face the infamous Xandarian king. 

Once I was out of the building, I arrived at the clearing where many of my warriors had previously trained. They were now with their weapons at the ready in case a fight developed. 

The dragon matched the reports: four-legged, large, dull purple and gold. 

It was a giant beast that let out distant roars as it flew overhead. I kept my hand on the horn, waiting in case the rider ordered his beast to attack. By then, he would be in for a big surprise. 

However, the rider seemed braver than expected, and instead of initiating a fight from the sky where he had the advantage, he ordered his dragon to land. 

The dragon's size was such that once its hind legs touched the sandy ground, it made the ground tremble while dust curtains flew from the wind-driven by its vast wings. 

The rider soon made his presence known when, once the dragon landed, he lowered a rope from the beast's back, jumped off, and climbed down with the rope. 

The rider, who appeared to be the Xandarian king, approached at some distance from the surrounding archers and warriors. He was wearing dark plate armor and a sword clipped to his waist. Soon, the man removed the helmet covering his head, causing his hair to sway and the bells hanging from it to jingle. 

He... King, he didn't look like one. The man in front of me looked no more than twenty solar cycles, with a boyish face and a face without even a hint of a beard. Was this the conqueror the stories hailed?

"I'm looking for Pol Qo!" The boy shouted, causing his dragon to stir and look expectantly, attentive to all that had happened. 

For a few seconds, I remained static, but in the end, my pride as a warrior wouldn't let me stay still. "Here I am, Dragonlord!" I made my presence known, seeing how the boy looked at me, and that's when I saw the conqueror. 

His gaze became apprehensive, almost palpable, as he smiled cruelly while his amber eyes conveyed no emotion. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Pol Qo!" The boy said this simultaneously as his dragon seized the moment to roar at the sky.