Chapter 7

Rykirus narrowed his eyes, "How long have you been watching?" he asked.

The red smirked, "Long enough youngling, I guess you could say this was a test of sorts," he said, lips quirking into a grin.

"Test?" Rykirus cocked his head and ran through the list of what had happened. He killed the humans, but they were so weak even a newborn could kill them, if he caught them off guard like Rykirus did.

"Yes, a test," Vyrix examined his claws, "to see if you were worthy to lead the NightBlade, to see if you could kill. Because as a leader, if you cannot kill when needed, the ones under you will die. Of course, if you want to kill more than what's needed, well, let's just say the NightBlade has never been the biggest fan of humans," he chuckled.

Confused, Rykirus frowned, "There are dragons who don't kill?"

Vyrix rolled his eyes, "No, they kill, they just get squeamish when they realize that their prey has thoughts and feelings too. Then, they tend to preach about how killing sentient beings is wrong or whatnot. Not to worry though, that kind of thinking tends to get you killed quite quickly by the ones you're trying to spare. There are no weaklings in NightBlade," he narrowed his blue eyes at Rykirus, "And there never will be if I can help it. I was just seeing if you had the guts to do what you had to do."

"They were intruding in my territory," Rykirus said, pushing his snout closer to Vyrix, "And they killed my family, if I couldn't kill them, I'd be pathetic," he said sneering.

Vyrix chuckled deeply, "Indeed young prince, I was seeing if you were pathetic, and the answer, I guess, is no."

"I'm glad, but aren't I king?" Rykirus asked, face pinching slightly.

Vyrix smirked, "Nope, not yet, not until you finish your journey outside of NightBlade's protection. Then, when you return, you will be king."

"Really, then why are you here?" he asked, suspicion coating his voice.

Vyrix turned serious, "In this journey, you could die, but it's essential that no one interferes. So, I'm just here to give you some pointers, so you have a more likely chance of not dying, dying is bad. First, don't go into human cities without backup, there are too many in there, and together, those insects are dangerous," he took a deep breath but Rykirus spoke up before he could continue.

"Backup? I thought I couldn't get any help in the time away from Nightblade," he said.

"You're right young prince, you can't get help from the NightBlade," Vyrix said.

"Then-" Rykirus was cut off by Vyrix's deep voice.

"Patience youngling, I was just getting there," Vyrix said, mirth shining in his eyes. "That leads to my second tip. Seek help from others outside NightBlade. There are other races besides humans that hate them. Of course, since they don't hold as much power as us, they can't openly admit it. Most will help you if they can. There are elves, dwarves, demons, and beastmen aside from the humans. There are also solitary dragons outside of NightBlade but it would be disgraceful for the future king to ask loners for help," Vyrix said with a sneer. "The dwarves follow the humans so don't involve yourself with them, the demons will help you with whatever you need, the elves will most likely support you in secret, and the beastmen are split, so be careful. Also," Vyrix said thoughtfully, tapping a claw on his chin, "There are shades and they revere the NightBlade as gods, so if you can get into contact with them, it probably won't count as NightBlade help." Vyrix peered at him, "You got that shrimp?"

Rykirus bristled, "Oi! Don't call me that! I'm still the unofficial king so when I return, I'll make you do all the work!" he growled.

"Yeah yeah squirt," Vyrix said, waving a claw carelessly, "You should set out now, want to get big and strong to show those meanie humans who's boss, right?" he said playfully, snickering.

Rykirus growled and turned away. Grumbling under his breath about "mean bullies that pick on children", he stalked off, tail whipping dangerously and carving deep furrows into the treebark.

When Rykirus disappeared from sight, Vyrix's grin dropped, and his demeanor became fierce, intimidating, and majestic. His blue eyes turned towards a tree where a humanoid shadow was crouching on a branch, high off the ground.

"You know what to do... Kayra."