Master of the Hoard - Chapter 21 (Patreon)

You can use an eraser on the drafting table or a sledge hammer on the construction site - Frank Lloyd Wright

We were going through a number of last-minute preparations before we left, when Arthor shuffled up to us. His usual aloof sneer was replaced by a growl of annoyance. "Joining up with you was a mistake."

"Oh really?" I responded, grinning. I had a hunch what he was annoyed by. "You weren't doing so hot when I found you, you know. Besides, if I’m not wrong, your recent meal is agreeing with you. You look like you’ve grown.“ I wasn’t lying either. His tall, for a Talpus, thin frame had filled in some, and his scrawny arms looked like they’d gained some semblance of muscles. “Never mind. What's the issue?"

"I don't know how you managed it, but their decision was unanimous. Apparently, I was the only choice for a Chieftain."

My grin widened. "Believe it or not, I had nothing to do with it. Blame yourself for taking charge when there were difficult decisions to be made. That does not mean that I am going to stop gloating anytime soon, however." He growled up at me, like a field mouse baring its teeth at a python and I couldn't help but pat the Talpus in mock pity. "If it's any consolation, I still believe you are the only right choice for the tribe, Arthor. The next span of time will be crucial for our development, and we will need somebody to handle the conflicts. Make sure you develop the way you want to."

He relented, sighing. "I am aware. My annoyance stems from the lack of time to practice my craft. With the latest levels and the dragon meat - I have never been stronger. I even gained a combat feat with my latest level."

"Which level did you gain?" I interrupted. I wanted to understand the system better.

"Level 15. Why is that?" He continued as I just shook my head in response. "My point is that I may be able to use rocks as actual projectiles from now on. I'll have to practice first, though, which isn't happening with all the people pestering me with inconsequential things all the time." Even as he said it, his pet rock was rocking about on his paw and I couldn’t help but grin.

“Seriously, Chieftain-“

“Don’t call me that!”

I didn’t relent. “High Chieftain Arthor. You’re already practicing.” I pointed at the rock doing circles on its own. “Or are you telling me you wouldn’t be able to move that about and talk at the same time? As for the distractions…” I snorted. “That's what being a leader is all about - managing your own projects while you keep everybody busy and working in the direction you want them to." I commiserated with him and he gave me a grudging nod. I couldn't help but get a final dig in. "You know what's even worse? When your own superior dumps extra work on top of you, and you need to handle that, when you already feel you have enough to do.”

He shook his head. “You wouldn’t…”

I ignored him, my grin threatening to lift my face off. “See, here's what I need you to do..."

By the time I had finished throwing extra tasks on his thin shoulders, Arthor was fuming and he left the room with a few choice expletives. Still, he didn't refuse the tasks - apparently he saw the point as well as I did.

I turned back to Aelis who was waiting patiently. "Should we continue, Sire?"

I nodded. "You know, it wouldn't hurt you to have fun every once in a while. Don't tell me you didn't think it was funny to see old Grumpy there fuming?"

"I prefer to focus on the wellbeing of the tribe, Milord. Now, as I was saying..."

I tuned out while I observed her. While every part of her was composed like an original English butler, a slight sense of mirth did ruminate within her - there was still hope for this one. I was not the least bit surprised when the team she had assembled included herself. It seemed she had latched herself to me pretty tightly. Not that I minded. The tiny creature had flourished. A lot. Even as she had lost a paw, she had gained in weight and muscle. The trembling, emaciated creature with the scrawny, patchy fur was gone. In her place stood a confident Talpus with sleek jet-black fur and toned muscles. While she would probably never be muscular, she looked nothing like a creature who had balanced on the verge of death not long ago. "So, Aelis. Any interesting increases for you lately?"

She paused her monologue and sighed. "Were you even listening, Sire?"

Smiling, I very carefully patted her head with my paw. "Not even in the slightest."

She grumbled, but I could sense that she wasn't really annoyed. "Yes, I gained an interesting ability. Unending Stamina. Once a week, I can use this ability and run at my full speed for an entire hour."

"That's not bad." I nodded.

"Not bad? That's an understatement, especially with the latest gains from the meat. At full speed, I already have the capacity to outrun almost all creatures over short distances, excepting those of your size. At full speed for an hour? I could have outdistanced even yourself, and the Crawls with time for a nap."

"Oh. That is impressive." It was also an interesting coincidence - if coincidence it was. Aelis gained a running skill after a marathon run and Arthor gained a combat skill after a difficult combat. It was something to look into, at the very least.

"Yes. Now. Repeating my earlier report: We will be eight, all told. Three scouts including myself, one digger in case we find ourselves needing a shortcut and four workers for carrying any goods we find. We will-"

"Nine." The mental message intruded upon us from the entrance. Jazinth stood in the doorway with a challenging look in her eyes. "I will be joining you."

Aelis challenged her. "That's not for you to decide."

I intervened with a smile. The sensations coming from Jazinth stood in stark contrast to her confident demeanor and that had me curious. "It's okay, Aelis. Also, I don't need to know everything about the route - I have full confidence in your abilities. I think I need a moment with Jazinth now, however." The formal Talpus left my room, leaving me alone with an apprentice shaman who suddenly reeked of nerves. I didn't beat around the bush. "So, Jazinth. Why this sudden interest in our outing?"

The thoughts spilled from her, like water from a burst main. "I was wrong. I should have stayed and supported you like Arthor and the others. I believed I was just taking the wise choice, but... I don't know. I might have just been afraid."

So that was why she had been uncommonly silent during the conversations. She had been ashamed of her actions. "Alright. Thank you for telling me. Is that why you are latching yourself onto our outing? To make up for your choice?"

A tiny bit of her confidence reappeared. "Partially." She lifted her eyes to meet mine. "Also to keep you in check and make sure your goals align with ours. That tiny sniffer back there does not have the courage to challenge you. I do."

I nodded. "That's fair. Also, I do feel good about having a shaman with us. You are more than welcome."

We left half an hour later. There wasn't much for me to do. I did check out where they broke through the wall into what would become the larder. From what I could see, it would be ideal. It was cool, probably from the presence of the nearby river like Creziel said, and surprisingly dry. That, along with some way to treat meat would go a long way to preserve meat for a longer time. True, for now that was not really an issue. Even with the unexpected windfall of thirty tasty Crawl sandwiches, we would only have food for maybe a week. If we rationed it.

The travel was completely uneventful. It felt like the world was still waiting to see the end result of our struggle and even Aelis was surprised at the lack of activity from the local wildlife. Usually, there would always be something. An Orugal, large enough to dominate most stragglers. The high-pitched whine of a group of Drainer Flies on the move. Bilk-clickers, disgusting, disease-filled insects, skittering around the tunnels in the search for offal. Right now, there was silence.  While we walked, I marveled at the regenerative capabilities of my dragon body. A handful of my scales on the front leg had been badly mangled by the fire and looked like they had melted together. Also, one of the slashes to my side had been rather deep and painful, but was now settling into a deep itch. Apart from that, I was slowly healing and it looked like there would be no permanent harm. At my regeneration rate, I would be fit for fighting when we reached the other domain. My mana was still quite low - it had only just hit 90. I was really taking a chance that the red dragon didn't keep massive defences back in her domain.

On the walk to the enemy base, I introduced Aelis to my new skill Bestow Camouflage. She... did not hate it. "Sire - are you telling me that nobody will be able to see me if I stay still?"

"Exactly that - for twenty minutes. Only thing is, it won't trick any other senses - and you won't be entirely invisible. Also, movement apparently distorts the effect."

A very slight squeaking sound escaped her, before she cleared her throat. "That will do just fine, Milord. Scouts learn to account for movement paths and - everything else. Can I please try it now?" For once, I didn't need to sense her emotions to feel her eagerness.

"Sure. Are you ready?" She just nodded. "Alright... I have mana enough for all the recasts you’ll need." I mentally activated the skill while focusing on Aelis and leaned back to watch the result. At first, nothing happened. Then a shimmer surrounded her, and another - and she faded. The name of the skill was pretty apt. She did not become invisible. As long as I kept my eyes trained on her, I could still see her, although her colors clearly faded into the background. Looking away and back again, she was disturbingly hard to pinpoint until I used my sense of smell, where she popped up crystal clear, like a dead rat in a basement.

Aelis did a handful of test runs, asking the other scouts to keep an eye on her while she ran, walked, stalked, jumped and crouched. Then, she spent a minute in a chittering discussion with them, presumably figuring out the specifics of the effects. Then, with no fanfare, she disappeared and the rest of us settled into a waiting game. I was less nervous this time around. My own Talpus butler had already proven several times over how effective she was as a scout - and being half-invisible on top, I had plenty of faith in her.

Fifteen minutes later, she reappeared before me. I looked up to find her before she announced herself. While I didn't spot anything, the incoming sensations of elation and her scent were dead giveaways and I spoke out into thin air. "Good. You've returned. Did you have any problems?"

Disappointment erupted from a bit down the corridor and she half-appeared as she moved closer. "I wanted to surprise you, Sire."

I smiled benevolently at the small form skulking along the tunnel. "I'm pretty sure there is a saying about not surprising dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup or something like that."

"I have never heard that, Milord. Where have you heard this?"

Her serious inquiry made me smile. "Never mind that, Aelis. What did you find?"

Her perplexion was interrupted by a rare smile. "It was as you anticipated, Sire. The hoard and domain have been left for the dragon's triumphant return. There are only nine or ten adult Crawls left in the place, all of them toiling away unaware. I was not noticed. I guarantee it."

"I do not doubt it. So, nothing is stopping us from just walking in there and demand they surrender so we can loot the place?"

"I... there could be a slight problem with that. Ambushing every Crawl would be easy. We could get in position and without issue, take them out one by one. Especially with your breath weapon. However, if you want to stride in and take over, we have one tiny obstacle."

She started drawing one of her tiny fancy maps again - she was getting good at these dirt maps. Or maybe I was just getting better at reading them. Anyway it worked. I quickly saw the issue. The red dragon's lair was one giant room with a single entrance, with an offshoot on either side, holding a Training Room and a Habitat, respectively. There were no issues there - the problem lay in the two constructions inside the lair. One was a Hoard Defense, casting its protective shimmer over the large hoard of items centered in the cavern. The other was a tower, similar to my Shadow Tower, placed in a recess at the very back of the cavern. I tapped my lip with a claw. "So the tower didn't spot you?"

"No, Sire. I spotted it from afar and kept my distance. Like your tower, this one has a limited distance. Unlike your tower, however, this one is easy to see. It would be hard to come close to it without entering range. See, the tower is placed in order to have a full view of the cavern. Any defenders could pull back towards the tower and fight with it at its back."

"That is quite annoying. Maybe we should just take your approach, take the Crawls out and sort everything out afterwards. It will take longer and will not have the same impact, but... wait. Did you say that both the hoard and the tower were in the center of the room?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. I may have an idea. Jazinth! Come over here!"

The recalcitrant Talpus walked over to us. "Onyx."

"You never told me the range of your spells, did you?"

"You never asked. And no." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Hoo boy. She was not going to make this easy, was she? "Please tell me the range of your spells, Jazinth. Also if they are weaker or stronger depending on range."

"My upper range is around 100 feet. Anything beyond that and I will be unable to affect it. I only need to be really close for precision work where I need to see and feel exactly what I need to do. Oh, and this is a regular thing. It is the same for all shamans. Apparently, you can receive skills that alter this, but none of us have been so lucky."

"Aelis, how far from the tower did you say that the hoard was?"

"Fifty feet. A bit more, perhaps."

I could feel a grin growing on my lips. It was definitely an evil one and I felt not the least bit bad about it. "Good news, Jazinth. Remember how you said you wanted to make amends for not joining the battle earlier?"

"...I said no such thing."

"Really? I could've sworn..."