Chp.44: Last gift

Sarpa walked calmly through the forest. Since he'd become an important figure in the ogre army, it had become much more difficult for him to slip away from time to time for instructions on what to do; now that he was the king it was even more difficult. While he didn't technically have to go for a walk on his own from time to time, the soldiers would have wondered if they'd seen him leave without an escort. But Sarpa had now become a master at making convincing excuses, and this time was no exception. The excuse he used was that he wanted to go personally to experience his newfound strength, and so it was something he had to do on his own, without anyone's help or support. Testing their skills was normal for ogres, so it was no wonder Sarpa wanted to do so now that he had reached the level adamantium.

This time he didn't really have a rallying point, but he knew the dragons were watching him. So he just walked and waited. He wasn't afraid of the creatures of the forest: with his newfound strength he was far above them all. In the end, tired of wandering aimlessly, he stopped and exclaimed: "I know you're around here. How much longer do you want me to walk in circles?"

There was a moment of silence, and then something started coming down from one of the trees. "I thought you'd enjoy the walk, Your Majesty. After all, you seemed to like your time testing your new strength, so I thought you wanted to have fun a little more. I certainly didn't mean to keep you waiting, mighty king"

Sarpa grunted as Haku sank completely to the ground. He knew that the dragon was making fun of him, but he decided to play along: "It's not every day that a king abandons his throne, but for you I'm making a royal exception. You should be grateful"

Haku chuckled. "Ah, you really got into the part" he said amused. "You know, I'm almost sorry that our little partnership is over. I would have loved to see how your story would have continued. Well, such is life. We both got what we wanted, so it's time to part our ways"

Sarpa inspired deeply. So he guessed right: the dragon had come to tell him that their work together was done. "If our partnership is over, will you give me back my son?"

"Do you need to ask?" Haku rolled his eyes annoyed. "I promised you I'd let you and your son go alive and unharmed. Dragons always keep their promises, I thought you understood that by now. We may be deceivers, but we're not traitors. So don't insult me ​​by asking such questions"

Dragons would never have made an affront to their dignity by breaking their word. They were cunning and often they said one thing and meant another, but if they made a promise they kept it, even if they had to lose their lives in the process. No dragon, even the most cruel and evil ones, would have broken an oath. The fact that Sarpa thought they might do it accordingly was a great offense to Haku.

Sarpa realized his mistake, so he apologized: "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been rude to you"

Haku snorted. "Tsk. It doesn't matter. I guess the difference in our mentalities is hard for both of us to overcome"

Sarpa knew that was a dig at him. Basically Haku was saying to him: 'it's normal that you thought that, since it's normal for you to betray'. Normally he would have been enraged if someone had spoken to him like that, but by now he was so used to the dragon's behavior that he hardly noticed. "So, where is my son?" he asked.

Haku pointed to the direction from which Sarpa had come. "Do you remember the tall tree with cupped crown and gray trunk you passed on your way here? You will find your son hidden in its roots"

Sarpa squinted at him. "Aren't you going to give him to me in person?"

"Oh, I'm not stupid enough to hand your son over to you and thereby extinguish the last bond that binds us while I'm directly in front of you. After I will do that, nothing will stop you from attacking and killing me" Haku replied. "I have no intention to fight against a level adamantium. Therefore, by the time you will find your son, I'll already be far away from here with my family"

Sarpa grunted. That was exactly Haku's way of thinking: calculate every possible scenario and act accordingly. By now he had gotten used to it. After all, he had to admit he was right: once he had his son, he could have chosen to attack the dragon. He had many reasons for doing so after all. Even though Haku was strong, he wasn't strong enough to stand up to him, not anymore.

However, he had to admit that he hadn't thought about revenge for quite some time. Although he still felt a lot of resentment for the kidnapping of his son and for his companions who fell during the war, it was thanks to Haku that he was now in his current position of absolute ruler and could effectively prepare the ogre people for the future human invasion. If it wasn't for Haku, his people would have disappeared in a few years anyway; therefore, Sarpa had to thank the dragon in spite of himself for having given him at least a chance to avoid that fate. Also, thinking back to Haku's real goal, which was to get food for him and his family, he had to admit that maybe, put in the same situation as him, he wouldn't have acted much differently... even if he doubted that he would have been able to create plans so articulate.

After all, family came first. Sarpa would have had no problem sacrificing hundreds, even thousands of ogres to protect his family… well, technically he already had.

It was at that moment, while thinking about those things, that he realized something strange. "Speaking of family, where is yours? There are usually at least three or four of your brothers and sisters with you. I've never met you alone"

Haku let out an involuntary growl, which Sarpa noticed. "Some of them are taking your son to the pre-designated place. The others are around here, making sure you don't hurt me"

Haku's tone was deeper than usual. Sarpa became suspicious. "Did something happen?"

Haku shrugged annoyed. "We have some problems, nothing more. I made a decision and they didn't like it"

Sarpa raised an eyebrow. Normally he would have kept quiet to see that the dragon was angry, but since they were about to part forever by now he didn't want to keep his doubts inside. "And what's the matter? I thought you always made the decisions. The first times we met I thought they were your servants more than siblings"

Haku let out a snort. "It's not like that. We're a family. They just usually agree with the decisions I make, this time they disagree a little. It doesn't matter, sooner or later they'll get over it. It's not your concern, mind your own business"

Sarpa sighed and shook his head. It was clear that something serious had happened between Haku and his siblings and that the dragon didn't want to talk about it. Taking advantage of his silence, Haku changed the subject: "Before we separate, I have one last gift for you to be able to consider our agreement truly concluded"

Haku took his dimensional bag and took something out of it. Sarpa recognized the diary the dragon had shown him a few weeks ago, evidence of the humans' expansionist ambitions on the Karbraland Great Forest. Haku threw it at him and the ogre caught it with one hand. "Take it. I thought I'd give you a copy, but after analyzing it well I concluded that there's no need. That diary contains information only about this forest, not the rest of the world, and I don't intend to return here any time soon. Also, I've completely memorized it now. Therefore, you can keep it. I don't need it anymore" the dragon said. "Everything is written there. Every weakness in your cities, every path you use, every piece of information that can be used against you. There are also some pages about fairy magic, which I'm sure will help you figure out how the magic items you found in the ruins work. By combining this information with everything I've already given you, you may be able to face your future enemy"

Sarpa clutched the diary as if it were a treasure. He didn't have a photographic memory like dragons, so he remembered almost nothing of what was written on it. Now, he could have solved every problem related to his defense. "I promised that I would make you a king and give you the means to defend your people" Haku continued. "You are now a king and I have provided you with all I can. I have made you loved and respected by your army, I have allowed you to create a united people, I have given you new battle techniques, I have provided you with magic and information, and in the end I even left you some scales and dragon's blood to upgrade your soldiers. I can give you no more. Now, the safety of your people is up to you. If you want my advice, your goal now should be to solidify your position as the absolute ruler by continuing to make the ogres love you by enacting laws and carrying out works that will improve the lives of your subjects, and at the same time focus on turning that rabble into an unbeatable army. But this is just my opinion, feel free to do as you please; after all, as I said before, we no longer have any partnership"

Sarpa made sure to memorize the dragon's words. He knew that if any advice came from him then it had to be smart and functional. And actually, thinking about it, it seemed to be the most intelligent way to act. "Thank you" he said. "In spite of everything, I have to admit that thanks are in order"

But Haku shook his head. "Don't thank me. We simply had common interests and I acted to safeguard mine. If it weren't for that, I would have left you to die. Don't confuse my actions with friendship"

Sarpa shivered at those words. Right, he shouldn't forget that the one in front of him was a dragon and like all his kind he was heartless. And he mustn't forget everything he'd done. Haku was dangerous and acted only for himself; there was absolutely no connection between them except blackmail and promises. "I get it" he said. "In this case, I take my leave"

"Right. Your son will be waiting anxiously for you" Haku said.

Sarpa started to leave, but then something occurred to him: "One last question: who was that adult dragon?"

Haku snorted. "Oh, that was my mother"

Sarpa widened his eyes: "Your mother!?"

"Yes, she's the one who gave birth to me. She lived in the valley to the south. She was the one who killed anyone who tried to cross that place" Haku replied. "I used some little tricks and deceived her into attacking the fairy capital"

Sarpa was quite worried. Haku and his mother didn't seem to have a good relationship (come on, what son had to trick his mother to get her help?) but still it was a big risk for him and his people. "Um... your mother by chance..."

"You don't have to worry about her if that's what concerns you" Haku stopped him quickly. "She's dead. I made sure of this personally"

Sarpa felt a shiver run down his spine. Haku hadn't only just claimed to have killed his own mother, but he had done so with no emotion in his voice and no change in his expression, as if he were talking about the shape of clouds. "I think I understand now what problem there is between you and your siblings, and what was the decision that they don't approve"

Haku shook his head. "Don't judge us by the standards of your race, ogre. Neither my siblings nor I have any attachment to our mother. Other than giving birth to us, she wasn't a mother worthy of that name"

Sarpa hesitated whether or not to say what he was thinking, but then he decided to do it. "Do you know what the difference is between you and me?" he asked. "We are the same. We would both do anything for those we love, and we would stop at nothing. But the difference is that I know what 'family' means. You don't. You use the word, but you don't understand the meaning, you have no idea"

The look that Haku gave him made him freeze. "Don't you dare compare me to you. We are not the same. I am a dragon, and you are a newcomer. We are as different as heaven and earth. You cannot comprehend the way my siblings and I are forced to live, and you can't afford to judge our actions" he said. "We will never be the same, ogre. Never"

Despite his new strength of level adamantium, Sarpa felt paralyzed by those murderous eyes and that cold, empty tone of voice. Instinctively, he turned and walked away. He turned around only after a few minutes, and he saw that Haku was gone. He didn't even try to call him: he knew he wouldn't have answered. He resumed walking, this time faster than before and following his path in reverse. In the end, he arrived to the tree Haku pointed out to him.

And there he found him. Hidden among the roots and still tied up was his son Sinar. Sarpa nearly cried when he saw him and hurried to free him. As soon as he was free, the two embraced and didn't leave each other for at least a minute. "Come, boy" Sarpa said in the end. "Let's go home"