Book 3 Chapter 43

“So,” The bookish man continued with a twisted smile. “Are you more interested in listening now your excellency? It has been made more than clear that you deeply care about those children… And we have no intention of harming them either! We only hope to guarantee your cooperation… So that we may both prosper…”

Even as the man droned on Tirr didn’t hear a word of it. Instead, he was focused deep within himself, searching for that missing connection. On the outside though, he looked like no more than a shocked and scared young boy….

Dice, smelling blood in the water, kept going, his words spinning into a villainous rant as he went on, his arrogance growing from the lack of reaction by Tirr. “Obviously you’ll have to get rid of Torvus and Raife, we couldn’t leave such a rift in our relationship… But have no fear!” The small man exclaimed, opening his arms welcomingly, “We promise that soon enough we’ll be like family to you...”

“We’ll start by helping you gain sufficient presence here in the Confederation… Everyone will know of your name! Of course, we’ll need you to bring Lutel and Rasor under us, it’ll be best if your government is centralized, and there won’t be any point in leaving either of their royal families alive…”

Torvus frowned, glaring at Dice before looking down at the young god next to him… Dice might have spouted some pretty words, but the picture they painted was no different than slavery, Tirr would be nothing more than a puppet...

“You’ll have to occasionally fight for us,” Dice went on, “Though that church of yours should be more than enough to tame the Southlands. Eventually, we could even bring the Mountains and the Western Forest under our rule…”

As Dice blathered on, what truly worried Torvus was Tirr’s reaction… It wasn’t like the Boss to just sit here and listen to such drivel and there was no way in hell Tirr was actually listening to him. Obviously, Dice had sent at least his own guard down after the children… And from the sound of the explosion, maybe even the mercenary that Tirr hated… But even if they had discovered Silk as she was trying to protect the children, there had to be better options than just giving up.

“Boss? He finally probed, concerned… Yet Tirr continued to just stand there, his face more blank than surprised now. As Torvus tried to rouse Tirr, the rest of the council members joined Dice in his gloating. Telling Torvus that they might let him live if only to keep him as a dismembered piece of furniture….

While they spoke outside, Tirr was down within in himself, looking through the very core of his being. As he searched, he felt a surge of relief… He had finally found it, a tiny thread was all that remained of the once strong branch that represented the connection between him and Maria…

He held onto it carefully… So weak it was that he was afraid it might snap under even the lightest touch. From it he sensed pain and fear, yet also determination… But all of it seemed to be quickly fading…

Tirr’s face suddenly snapped down, examining the ground below him, the rumbling had come from beneath them, from where Silk had said the children were. Somehow Maria was there and she was dying… Tirr turned, his sudden movement as a shock to not only Torvus but the Council members as well.

“Where do you think you're going!” Dice asked incredulously, “If you want to see those children alive again, you’ll stop right now!” The assassins by his side lifted their crossbows, waiting for the order to fire even as Dice fumed.

Tirr kept going, “Torvus… He finally spoke, his voice a commandment, “Take me down below…”

The former assassin felt his spine shiver for the first time since Lutel… Oh yes… He thought to himself, this is the boss when he’s mad… When he’s furious… “This way!” Torvus answered quickly, moving back to lead the way.

“You think you can just leave?” Dice yelled as the two of them walked away, “Fine! Then we’ll just send you to join those children in hell!” He raised his hand, signaling the men to attack when the little lizard flew out towards them.

By Tirr, the little rain cloud gave an unhappy shudder as it dissipated, complaining at not having been chosen. As Tirr walked away, he channeled that faith and more towards the little lizard, sending it almost everything he had left…

As the confederation watched in confusion, the little lizard suddenly grew. His body bulged, its chest becoming more pronounced the lizard expanded, its form growing more sleek and agile. Its wings expanded, becoming large spinal limbs connected by a veined, leathery membrane. Its head first doubled, then tripled in size. Large horns wreathed in fire sprouted from its head, matching the deadly spikes that ran down its new body.

Dice stared in horror as the others around him broke into chaos, the white-masks guard sprinted in, following the hysterical orders of their masters. Crossbow bolts fired one after another, yet they simply melt away into steam and slag before they could even reach the creature.

The formerly small lizard's tail smashed into the ground in excitement, letting out a glorious roar! Around the monster’s feet, the ground had turned a fiery red as stone and rock melted and flowed like liquid.

Dice felt the searing heat scald him as he watched their protectors melt away into ashes just from moving too close… Even as his companions cried and begged and screamed… Dice found he couldn’t look away…

In front of them, with gleaming red scales and vicious-looking fangs, was a dragon… A creature from legends and fairytales... The greatest of the Beasts that roamed the wildlands… Its simple existence was akin to a raging volcano. Fire escaped from its maw with every breath and the hall shook and stirred as it tried to stretch itself in the now cramped room.

As Dice felt his skin burn and his eyes wither, It looked directly at him. Its own eyes a crimson red… Only then did he realize most of the others had already collapsed from the heat... As his consciousness faded, it pulled back its head as it breathed deeply, its chest quivering as it inflated. As the head surged forward and a molten inferno spewed forth, Dice watched as flames swallowed him completely…