Dragon Wars Book 1 Pt. 02

Correction, some females were taken off and raped and then returned by these dragons. Some have not been returned. They have flat-out refused to deal with me on our ground. I am not about to go to be raped by a dragon. We only have 23,000 on the surface at the moment, all males or driders. You want us to engage them or wait, Mistress?"

Loth circled her web and thought for a moment, "I will speak with Tiamat, Null, and Task directly. See if we cannot reach an agreement. Learn more about our enemy. We have years yet. Null is my best chance if he wants a couple of Gold Elves to sacrifice to make a Draco-lich or 2.

Now is the time to breed like mad. Raping our females means they are wanting Half-Dragons. My people are not breeding stock, kill those who allowed themselves to be raped by these dragons.

Withdraw from the surface but leave the tunnel for now. Leave male guards in those tunnels, they want to breed Half-Dragons then their females will carry them. The Elven Half-Dragons were more than you could handle.

Orchestrate another push to the surface as well, using our slaves. Create new tunnels, but do not breach. We will wait for them to be more complacent. Only 3, but massive. Spread them out. Not 80+ smaller fronts. Ensure they are sturdy.

I want to know what the Dragons are planning if anything. I still do not believe this Half-Dragon is a champion. A gifted tactician obviously to thwart a champion of mine consistently, unless you are just merely incompetent and that appears to be more likely every day!"

---

Loth managed to arrange a meeting with Null, Tiamat, and Task, but only on the Astral plane. Neither wanted to meet in the other's territory and none of them could meet on the material plain together. Loth looked across, "What do you know of this Alliance that has formed?"

Tiamat glared, "We have little insight into that information as we have not engaged with them recently. My Avatar did destroy the High Elf cities, the Averial of the world, and killed hundreds of Gemstone and Metallic dragons before being put down in an ambush by the Ruby Dragon and Bahamut working together. I am another century out on deciding on a worthy champion."

Task nodded, "Same, we are waiting for the comet and to see what happens."

Null sighed, "I have a Dragon or two in mind who wish to become bone gods. We captured a few dwarves, the Shadow Dragons did. They could use your people for the elven component, as you know."

Loth hissed out, "No. You want elves I have 2 to trade, Gold Elves, including one of House Goldeagle that now rules the surface elves. She might pay to get them back, but I doubt it. The 'Grand Field Marshal' they have is a Half-Dragon, named Tallion. They claim he is a champion to Corellon.

I don't believe it for a second. He would never choose a mixed breed or an impure mix between his people to be his champion. It would compromise his principles. We need to form an Alliance, to at least coordinate efforts separately."

Tiamat looked at her, "We are not agreed upon that yet, however, how many of your Drow women will you give over to breeding Half-Dragons?"

Loth hissed again, "None, willingly. You want Half-Drow Half-Dragons then your serpent mothers must carry the children and the risks associated with it. I could let you have 1,000 males from my gladiator rings. Strong fighters. Once you are done with their services centuries from now, do with them what you will."

The other 2 looked at Tiamat. They were doing psionic communication. Tiamat shook his head, "We will take them, with 10,000 of your females for a non-aggression deal for now. Else we will come for your people next."

Loth glared, "Let them come into my domain. We will cut you down and bury those that do. The Shadow dragons have no united front anymore. They are working to fortify their layers and protect their hunting grounds. You would have to get through them, the Duergar and you are not ready to be that deep when this comet arrives. I am no fool."

Task and Tiamat left. Null looked over, "I will take your thousand males for a non-aggression pack. My followers will not come after you. They will breed Half-Dragons and then be used to create Draco-liches. I want the 2 Gold Elves first. They will be used only for Draco-liches."

Loth glared, "100 male Drow, the 2 Gold Elves, and I will send 12 females who you will work to teach this process too. Mages. Not for breeding. They are to be returned unharmed by your followers. You will teach them what draconic magic you can."

Null chuckled, "1,000 males if you want these 12 females back, relatively unharmed. They will be bred, but we will cut out the young. They will be infertile most likely, but they will have knowledge and power."

Loth hissed, "Agreed if their female offspring are returned to me. Along with the first 6 fertile males. The male Drow could be used to breed with those females until they are infertile. More draconic blood to my people."

Null could not smile, he was all bones. "Agreed, but the males are all mine."

Loth looked, "Males to females are to be 7 females to every 3 males, else this deal will not be allowed. I will see to that in the Drow. I will settle for the first 3 fertile males."

Null sighed, "Fine. Each will get pregnant with 5 each time. 2 males and 3 females or 6 with 2 males and 4 females. First, our healers will work to keep them alive. You will work to keep them fertile for the next 200 years while they are in our care. The males will be likely to be fertile for as long as they live, even the 3 I give you. All virgins on your females."

Loth hissed out, "Fine, it adds to both armies. But I want the females from the males as well then with an even split from them. After they have been delivered, we have slave nannies to raise them."

Null sighed, "Fine. You can have the females but I do not have domain over Dragon fertility or sexes coming from female dragons. Typically it is even though."

Loth sighed, "Then we have an agreement. A 201-year peace pact with one of the 3 Dragon deities, apparently the smart one. My champion will see to the details at the surface breach. She is not one of yours and will not be present."

Null laughed, "I figured as much. 201 years and we will see where we stand then if things do not change sooner."

---

General Willow sent in druids, clerics, and mages with rock-to-mud, mud-to-rock, and earthquake spell to seal the now abandoned 7 underground entrances for as deep as they could do so without sending in forces through the narrow openings they had emerged from. He reported back that the Drow, along those 7 fronts had withdrawn for now.

---

Tallion did not trust that the Drow incursion was over. They found someplace to surface and the spies they had out had confirmed that some Drow and driders were seen on the surface in Chromatic Dragon-controlled lands. Though they appeared to be turning back as they observed from a distance. Too many dragons in the area.

Tallion turned his attention back to the oceans first, "Get the Dragon Field Marshal on the line. I want to ensure he is doing the same for our Human Admiral further west as well. 3 dragons per fleet."

Field Marshal Golden Sword contacted the Dragon Field Marshal who replied, "The humans did not want Dragons on those ships."

Tallion sighed and pulled up the crystal for Admiral Waters out of Valinta, "Why are you refusing dragons' aboard your ships?"

The Admiral sighed, "Our King's orders on the matter."

Tallion sighed, "I want your fleet coordinates."

The admiral gave him those. Half were still too far out. Tallion sighed, "I want a contingent of Dragons sent to each of those fleets with a contingent of Elven battle mages and arcane arches to join them, 12 of each aboard every ship. I want your fleet to pull back to the following positions starting tomorrow."

Tallion listed off each of his 12 fleets and where Tallion wanted them located.

The Human Admiral sighed, "You are going to overrule our King?"

Tallion shook his head, "I am going to work on saving your lives. They will have supplies with them to feed those coming aboard. Your King can address it with Queen Goldeagle. These are defensive moves and under my purview. For now, they are going. We cannot afford for you to lose half of the ships with no additional coverage.

You should be running a picket line from 100 miles West of your port to the port 400 Miles to the East to secure that section of the Ocean. I will get a third of the Elven fleet to back up that location as well. Until I hear back from Queen Goldeagle, that is my course of action."

Tallion told his Mages to send the assets to dragon lands and to teleport out to the 12 locations as ordered. To get feather fall for the others and fly for themselves. His battle Mages left to see it got carried out. Tallion got with all ground commanders.

He had them do what General Willow did to all the other 82 breaches. They brought the dwarves out to pull the sapper traps for now and put the explosive casks back in the reserves. General Strong Oak protested, "The breach is in Wild Elf lands and they won't want us going in to do anything on the ground. They were not happy about your aerial bombardment but it did close the breach."

Tallion sighed, "Who is the best Wood Elf scout in your command?"

General Strong Oak sighed, "He is a Sergeant Gregian White Oak."

Tallion sighed, "I want to speak with him privately."

Tallion went to a side room and cut off the outside and sealed it for now.

Gregian responded, "Grand Field Marshal, you wanted to speak with me?"

Tallion sighed, "You alone in the command tent? If so seal off the tent and use the diplomatic stones. If not clear the tent. I am alone and secure on this end."

The tent cleared out and he turned on the Stones and Gregian spoke, "Done, Grand Field Marshal."

Tallion sighed, "When it is just the two of us call me Tallion. You know these Wild Elves where the breach is located. What is the likely response if we sent in a 6-Elf team to try and work to seal it further?"

Gregian sighed, "They would be slaughtered. It would be better if I went in alone."

Tallion sighed, "You don't have the spells to do the work, why would you going in alone be better?"

Gregian thought before he responded and remembered what he was told. The Gods must have foreseen this happening, "Tallion, do you sometimes find yourself scratching at the holy symbol in your chest like it was still skin that itched? I sometimes do."

Tallion smiled, "Every night and when my wives use their hands over it, I feel it as though it were skin. If you can get their clerics and druids to do the work then I am fine with that Captain. Solonar I am assuming."

Gregian smiled, "You would be correct, and thank you for the promotion. I might get better housing for my wives and me. Let alone the pay. I was given a name for a potential wife, a year from now, Samina."

Tallion chuckled, "Get my request done and look over that area. Get them to pass the word to other Wild Elf tribes to do the same if they have other breaches in their areas. If you succeed you have my blessing for my daughter."

Gregian laughed at that, "I will succeed, but keep this between us. I am not to advertise who I am, but your questions kind of drew that out of me. Solonor foresaw this happening."

Tallion smiled, "Understood, Captain. Take care of that business. I will get Field Marshal Golden Sword to make that new rank permanent upon your return."

Tallion stepped out. No signs of the Queen and he contacted the Dragons' Field Marshal directly, "Field Marshal, Silvertree here. I would like a flyover of the coast between the two human settlements of Valinta and Cromorna. I need to know if any ships have landed in that area that we will have to take care of. We are still putting together aerial units and this is a simple scouting mission hopefully."

The Field Marshal sighed, "I will send in two teams of 3 coming from each direction. It is a long section of shore."

Tallion nodded, "Well the King of Valinta has his ships out of position to watch that section of Border. I have a third of the Elven fleet that will take time for them to move into that area. Every other one going into Cromorna will head back out in that direction for now until a third of our fleet is watching that border."

Field Marshal Golden Sword nodded as he had the Elven Admiral Golden Wand on a crystal. "I need to know what they are sailing into. I have ground forces working rock-to-mud and mud-to-rock with earthquake spells on the other 80+ breaches, including one that is along that border that threatened Valinta. Further West even and they are closer to your new lands."

The Dragon Field Marshal chuckled, "Point well made. Those assets left a few minutes ago. All with fly spells cast to account for drift on your mages."

The Crystal went dead as Queen Goldeagle walked into the room with her diplomatic advisor and the human ambassador. Tallion looked to his Field Marshal, "Gregian White Oak succeeds on this mission I sent him on. One into Wild Elf lands alone to negotiate with them on the spells needed to seal those breaches. Not just where he is located, but all Wild Elf tribes if he is successful as I am hoping. I want him as a Captain."

Field Marshal Golden Bow nodded, "I will put that in when he reports back to us."

Queen Goldeagle knew the name but said nothing of him being a champion, "Sounds like mission impossible."

Tallion nodded, "Which is why if he is successful, even partially, he will have my respect and a well-earned promotion. He works under General Strong Oak. He gets the Other Wild Elf tribes to follow, it works to all of our benefits. They already lost many in this conflict. Only 15 Wild Elf tribes still in place, that we know about."

Queen Goldeagle smiled and then looked at the Ambassador who looked none too happy, "You overruled King Valinta on putting Dragons onboard our ships?!"

Tallion went to the map, "Breach here that attacked you that we are dealing with again, working to seal it even further. Those markers are your current fleet positions. A nearly straight line from your port out to deep waters. Nothing for the area we are sealing, and nothing for the 300+ miles of land between Valinta and Cromorna.

Also, west of Valinta to those mountains at least. Giants, Ogres, and Orcs make landfall in this area, we will have to deploy assets to deal with scattering ground troops. Please notice these two sets of Mountain ranges on either side of Valinta that would be easy for them to infest.

I have the Dragons flying a coastal scouting mission from your city to Cromorna. We already have one picket line of ships running out of Cromorna to Avlora, Our elven port city is between them and supporting all of this.

Your ships had been ordered to run the second and have not complied thus far. These are defensive measures and under my authority. We moved from a position further out, to here, after Cromorna ships were boarded and our 10th fleet caught the ships that followed them and brought them down.

That fleet was recovered in docks, but it was quite a battle from what I understand. Orcs and Ogres invaded that port. We saved the ships but not the crews who they ate. Your King Valinta is looking at his navy in one direction, but not his coast on either side of Valinta.

Places he will need to expand in the future. Hard to do if it is Orc, Ogres, Dragonborn, and Giant held lands. Or am I wrong? If dragons spring from the ocean or the Sahagian? You are ready for both of them on your own as well, Ambassador of Valinta?"

The Ambassador walked out.

Queen Goldeagle shook her head, "I am fascinated with how your mind works sometimes. I will say your council in these matters is valued."

Tallion nodded, "We don't have the resources to double our fleet size to cover that much ocean. We cannot stop them from landing somewhere, but we can work to stop them from landing where we want to keep them away from us. They get into those mountains and we don't go after them.

Especially if they have giant or dragon support. Instead, we attack along these chokepoints and starve them out of those mountains. We drive them into human-controlled lands with Chromatic Dragons and they will become foot soldiers for their armies.

The Orcs, Ogres, and Giants want to go it on their own, like the rest of them in isolation and without the others, because they hate each other and do not want to be subjugated. The most likely scenario if we can hold this section of the coastline.

Avlora is another option, but less likely because it is further away from the reported known strongholds that the Chromatic Dragons are using, according to Dragon intelligence efforts.

They will breed Half-Dragons by the thousands, even though Chromatic Half-Dragons work to eat their way out of their mothers. I did not know if you knew that fact. They will try here, just as they did Cromorna, Your Majesty."

Queen Goldeagle was shocked, "I had not been told that fact. That is why you want to keep Elves out of their hands. You know what fate they would face."

Tallion simply nodded, "Also the human's aligned with us. We have to help protect them, even from themselves sometimes, Your Majesty."

A crystal went off and Field Marshal Golden Sword grabbed it. It was the Admiral for Valinta, "One of your elves just reported that the ships further out were empty of humans and anchored. Looks like the Sahuagin got them until a blue dragon appeared. The three dragons that went changed and brought it down. Now I have 10 ships out there that have no sailors."

Tallion sighed, "We did not send enough assets to sail those ships. Do you have sailors ready onshore? We can get them teleported to the ships and work to save them. Else they should be sunk before they are commandeered. The Only reason the Sahuagin would leave them behind floating and anchored is to be recovered by others to sail into your harbors."

Admiral Waters sighed, "We will get the sailors."

Tallion pointed, "Get mages to Valinta to teleport them out to the ships. Get feather fall on all of them and get them to the coordinates. They hold hands and the mages can fly them to the ships to take control of them."

Another crystal went off from the Dragon Field Marshal, "We have reports of a virtual armada of ships not between the 2 cites but near the breach you are sealing off to the west of that site and toward the mountains."

Tallion sighed, "This is your backyard, get every dragon rider available and sink every ship coming in. All of the ones you have for the support over us included. We need to reduce those numbers.

Any that make landfall we push into the mountains away from Valinta. I will have Field Marshal Golden Sword gather reinforcements to the breach location and we can push from there, from all our allies."

Tallion's Arcane Archers took over as Golden Sword made calls out and then left to deal with pulling those resources together from the field with Tallion's Mages who had just returned.

Tallion looked to Queen Goldeneagle, "Humans breed faster. Losing another human ally would be devastating on the Half-Dragon front, Your Majesty."

Queen Goldeagle left the room and went one floor up and contacted all of the Ambassadors, "I need all Kings and Queens at the Elven Palace as soon as possible. We have major activity going in the ocean and harder choices to make yet."

It took almost an hour for them all to arrive, they could not teleport directly into the Palace and their ambassadors had to escort them all up.

Queen Goldeagle waited until everyone arrived and looked across at the Gold Dragon King, "Tallion told me something earlier. Something I had not heard before. Chromatic Half-Dragons tend to work to eat their way out of their mothers. Is this true?"