The dragon descends
Bonnie was outside helping set up a small stage for their presentation while Hera paced inside the command tent. She always hated those things during school. Standing in front of the entire class and talking while everyone stared at her was much more terrifying than any monster she fought. Alex was the only one inside the tent with her. All the others had left to help prepare the show.
"Do you want a glass of water? To help calm your nerves," Alex asked.
"No thanks, I needed something stronger."
"Zudra must have something here. Let me check," Alex started to open the cabins and trunks, searching for anything that looked like alcohol.
"Why did I have to be the dragon?" Hera sighed.
"Probably because you are the only one with a flamethrower, and I don't think anyone else could pull off a dragon's wrath as you did last night."
"That's going to haunt me for a while, isn't it?"
"I don't see why it should. No offense, but you are a bit of a pushover. It's good to know you can stand up for yourself at times. I just hope it doesn't take sleep deprivation for you to do that every time," Alex opened a cabinet by the bed, finding what looked like scotch. She opened it and took a whiff. It was the right smell, but whatever was inside it seemed to be really strong, "Hey, I found this. Not sure what it is though."
Hera used her [Inspect] on the bottle before taking it.
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Fiery Dragon Juice
An alcoholic beverage created by the lizard kobolds. It shares the same production process as whisky, but with a slightly more robust flavor.
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"That works. It's whisky," Hera grabbed the bottle and took a big gulp. The liquid burned her throat as it went down, making her cough with the sensation.
"How can you tell?" Alex asked.
"We can inspect things. You guys keep forgetting about that," Hera's voice turned husky for a moment as she passed the bottle.
"Oh right, I barely use that skill," Alex shrugged, taking the Dragon Juice and pouring two glasses, "By your reaction, I'm assuming this is a sipping whisky."
Hera just nodded and took one glass.
"Ok, now a serious question," Alex sat down by the map table, "What's worse? Fighting a Wendigo, or doing something like this?"
"This," Hera replied without missing a beat, "I'll take fighting a Wendigo over this any day of the week."
"Really? You hate this that much?"
"Yeah. I don't mind doing something to help clear the dungeon, but holy crap, I hate this. It's too much pressure, and everyone is going to watch me mess up."
"But you know we won't mind. If things go south, it happens. It's not the end of the world, and we can try again later," Alex took a sip and started coughing, "This shit is strong!"
"I know, and I wouldn't be freaking out so much if it was just for you guys. Well… more you, Blue, and Bonnie than Tom and Runir, but still."
"Still what? Are you worried about the kobolds? They are not real. It's just a bunch of things made by the system."
"I know, but also I don't. Like, you saw the emotions Zudra had when she saw me for the first time, and how it changed. How can we say they are not real? I mean, they have feelings. They laugh, cry, get angry and afraid. I don't want to get all philosophical here, but this dungeon is very different than any other we saw," Hera sat down by Alex.
"I see your point. When I was helping to make the traps, the kobolds were… alive. I can't explain it in any other way," Alex took another sip of her drink.
"Exactly. To be honest, I'm not sure if I want to keep doing these types of dungeons in the future. I think I'd rather just fight mindless monsters," Hera said.
Bonnie walked inside the tent, interrupting the conversation, "So is our star ready?"
"No," Hera downed the Dragon Juice and had to take a moment for the burn to stop before getting up, "now I am. Kind of.."
"Ok, remember the plan, if you want me to cast the wings, touch your pinky with your thumb. Tom will give you the lines through the comms, and if there is no area buff, Runir will use his spells to buff three kobolds. Pick some leaders and a random one just to make it seem like anyone could get the blessing," Bonnie explained.
"I know. You seem awfully comfortable with all this," Hera noticed the researcher was holding her tablet like a clipboard.
"In school, I was in the drama club, but only as a stage manager. It started as training for dealing with high-pressure situations and people, but I ended up having a lot of fun."
"I'm sure the fact that you controlled everything had nothing to do with that," Hera rolled her eyes.
Bonnie ignored the comment and opened part of the tent, "You see that hole in front of the stage, aim the grease fire there. It will trigger the wildfire around the camp."
"What?" Alex rushed out of her seat, "We are using that now? We should use it to cut off the army, not waste it in a presentation."
"It's not the main trap. I asked Zudra to make some fire pits around the camp and connect them all to that hole. It was easier than you think. Those kobolds are incredible diggers," Bonnie turned to Hera, "When you breathe fire there, it will light up the fire pits all across the camp."
Hera took a deep breath, "Ok, let's just do this."
Bonnie told Zudra to start and walked off towards the crowd. She would stay by the sides to use and control the fake fire wings when Hera gave the signal. Alex followed right behind, wishing Hera good luck.
"True kobold, I ask to stay quiet. A great one is here. She want to talk before battle."
Hera took another deep breath and left the command tent, heading towards Zudra on a small platform. The almost 500 kobolds were staring at their general and the pink skin that addressed them. Hera instantly felt her breakfast trying to come back out, but managed to hold it down.
"Dragon Kin, you now face a threat like no other. The canines are after everything you possess, even your very name. We must not let that happen, for they are not true kobold," Tom instructed Hera to stop and wait for some cheers, but the kobolds remained silent. Hera cleared her throat and continued, "I know you are afraid, but fear not, for once the battle starts, you shall know that I am with you. Together, we shall fight side by side to defeat the canines."
One of the kobolds in the crowd sneezed, the sound echoing through the camp.
"Hera, do the thing. This is not working," Blue's voice came through the earpiece.
"I suppose most of you don't understand why I'm the one speaking. Allow me to show you," Hera touched her pinky and her thumb while holding her palms towards the crowd. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she prepared the grease fire. Bonnie changed her fire fist's shape to match wings and made them appear on Hera's back. When the explorer felt the heat on her back, she jerked her head forward and opened her mouth. The grease fire roared out as the flaming wing spread. The spell hit the hole, making a two-meter wide large pillar of fire rise from the ground.
"Keep up the spell. We need to make it seem like you are the one that caused the other fires," Bonnie said through the comms.
Hera forced the spell to keep going, feeling her mana drop at a rapid pace. She thought it would be a one and done situation and made it so the flames would be stronger than usual, but that decision quickly came back to bite her. Her mana would last less than 30 seconds. She tried to pull mana from the poison crystal, but it didn't work. Hera was so worried about this that she didn't notice the gasps coming from the crowd.
When she had enough mana to last only 4 more seconds, the four pillars of fire on the edges of the camp appeared.
"We got it. You can stop now," Bonnie said.
Hera finished the spell, taking a deep breath afterward, and looked up. The entire army was staring at her with wide eyes. Tom quickly gave her the new lines as he noticed her freezing up.
"Apologies, doing such a spell in this form takes a certain tool. I am a dragon. For reasons that I must keep secret, I have a human's visage, but now remember that I am among you. A dragon shall fight by your side," Hera stared at the army, Tom wasn't giving her any more lines, but the speech still felt incomplete in a way. Not sure if it would help, she tried to keep going, "I won't be able to be in the front lines, but I have your back. Fight to protect your name, fight to protect your kind. Fight to grow stronger, strong enough to stand proudly by our side. You are Dragon Kin. Act like it!"
There was another pause, Hera looked towards Bonnie, trying to get some idea of what to do, but the researcher seemed to be panicking as well. Tom scratched his head while looking at his tablet and back to the army with a confused expression. Before any of them understood why the speech didn't work as intended, Zudra stepped in to speak.
"You heard Hera, the mighty dragon. We all Dragon Kin! Mighty one give me blessing," Zudra lifted her fist, and with a swift motion, punched a rock about her size by the stage, splitting it in half, "Now she offer same for you. Show you stronger than mutts, show you true kobolds!"
The army roared, calling for Zudra, Dragon, and Hera. At the same time, a notification appeared in front of the group.
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Your actions have inspired the Dragon Kin army
Dragon Kin Army's troops receive a 25% bonus to their attributes
Massive morale increase
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The armies have completed their preparation.
The battle will start in 30:00
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Your deeds have been tallied
The Dragon Kin army will receive a buff equals to the current morale
Morale: 324 / 500
Dragon Kin army received a 324% bonus to their attributes
Dragon Kin traps and fortifications will be 324% more effective
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Hera waved the notifications off. However, the one saying when the battle would start was still there. She didn't focus on that and just pulled it to the side, thinking about saying something else, but the army was already heading towards their positions in the entrance. About 300 kobolds would hold the gates, while the rest would stay on top of the walls. There were only about 18 captains and 5 commanders aside from Zudra. Even Galva and the alchemist were among the army, going towards their stations. The general started walking towards the ramparts on the wall. She gestured for Hera and her friends to follow.
"Today, we finish this. Mutts or Dragon Kin. The battle decide who is true kobold," Zudra stopped at the top of the stairs, "Look. Dogs talk honor and fair fight, but attack during night and come with numbers. There is no fair. It is just war."
Hera walked up and saw the two thousand canine kobolds spread in several battalions. Unlike the Dragon Kin, the Wolves of the night all had the same type of armor. Dark blue cloth with leather straps spread around their body. They moved in a rhythmic march, guided by the sound of drums. Some even carried large banners with their flag. In the center of the army, a kobold, bigger than the ferals they saw, walked alone surrounded by its soldiers. Hera understood why they kept calling her light fur. The creature had the same color as her hair and was several shades lighter than any member of its army.
The Wolves marched until they were about 200 meters away from the camp. Looking at the notification, they still had 20 minutes before the start of the battle. According to the compendium, if they attacked before that, nothing would happen. Both armies would be indestructible while the timer went down. Blue grabbed her hand, looking at the army with fear in her eyes. Hera could understand Blue's reaction. It was one thing to fight in a rampage where mindless monsters kept coming. Seeing an actual army preparing to attack was something else entirely.