Dragon Wars Book 2 Pt. 02

You will adapt or die as you have to survive over 10,000 years to get a peace deal to ensure your very survival now. You called for a truce early but you have not capitalized on it well during this time. You will be behind for a long time until you work like your enemy works in swaying these lesser species."

IO sent them all away. He was back before The One.

The One smiled, "It's like you have smart children and idiotic children and trying to keep the teams balanced. They know only one way to fight and survive after peace is declared, they will need to be strong and shrewd diplomats. If they survive and manage to learn. You made that clear to them. Shrewd diplomats, for as long as the peace can be maintained afterward, or the illusion of peace is maintained from the futures I am seeing."

---

Raxtorrinax was in her war room as her Field Marshal spoke to her, "We are nearly 3 quarters of the way back up. We can hear mining on the other wall. We have sealed the lower passage and the miners in the manner you requested. They are setting the charges as you requested. We left them a guard to teleport them out but they will be left behind once she teleports herself out at the last second. Sacrificing the 2 miners, Your Majesty."

The shock wave from the explosion could be felt in the Underdark and across most of the surface. Followed by another shockwave as it breached the divide between the miners nearer the surface to punch through. While a third explosion occurred out onto the surface as a massive volcano was being formed. Raxtorrinax heard Loth in her head, "Well done champion! I don't have figures but they had hundreds of miners on their way down and working the traps your mother left behind. I thank you for the sacrifices."

---

The Red Dragon King scrambled as they pulled forces away from the volcanic shaft that was right between their Half-Dragon city and their many layers of dragons who worked to evacuate to the west side of the truce boundary. The Red Dragons went in and evacuated over 60,000 Half-Dragons. They ordered the others to travel east and then south or north but far away from the volcano as it blew higher. It destroyed the Half-Dragon city over the next 14 days. 253,954 chromatic Half-Dragons and 14,485 Chromatic Dragons were dead. All because of the new volcano their miners dug into. Null and Tiamat's champions both fell in the blast.

Null did not have enough followers to put another champion on the field now. As 6,112 of those killed were his ancient followers that were nearly on top of the volcano site. Getting to the Drow now became a distant objective as that passage was sealed. The Half-Dragons worked at building villages and signing into this Dark Alliance to let the Dragons move further west and south over those 14 days. Into unoccupied lands and up to the edges of free Orc, Ogre, Gnolls, Kobolds, and Giant lands. Most of the human population they had control over was wiped out in the initial blast as most of them were in the mine at the time of the breach.

---

King Fire Axe was in the War Room with many leaders as new ambassadors had arrived and they looked over the truce map.

The head sapper these days, Valkor 'Defuse' Fire Axe looked at everything and nodded, "Yep! Based on the first shock, I am guessing, which is accurate. That the first blast was over here to the south of us and far underground, deep in the Underdark. Likely human explosives. Probably the Drow. The second shockwave occurred from around here almost 1,500 miles away. It hit a block of some kind. The third based on your map leads me to believe a new Volcano punched through in that location. Destroyed some of our enemies' forces. They have been steadily moving the markers west and further south. Any idea of how they are doing that so rapidly?"

The Grand Field Marshal pointed to the Alliance map, "We have recently thrown many small villages to the south and a few to the north. To build ground upon which to fight the coming land wars. These were done rapidly and nearly overnight when we did this. All to get Dragon Rider overwatch of this area and put a buffer for Valinta to those mountains and the giants and giant Half-Dragons that were there. That is now showing as non-active, meaning they pulled all assets out of those mountains. We set up hunting squads.

To look for Half-Dragons teleporting into this area. Dimensional anchors just to keep them from leaving and then killing them. We killed 12 in 3 days across here. Nothing since then. This leads me to believe the Chromatic Dragons have withheld training magic into Half-Dragons in numbers. Something they will be forced to change in the coming years. Also, other populations are likely the same. That will likely change in the time we have. Now, why do you say human explosives were the cause, and the Drow were involved?"

Defuse chuckled, "When the plates shifted, they did not shift the same in the deeper sections of the Underdark. Those rotations were different and not fully aligned with the surface. We knew we could not tell where they were and they could not tell where we were. Well, if they built a small tunnel and went straight away from this location. Then found chromatic dragons, they likely blew those apart. We felt some of that but thought nothing of it because it was so far away and down. Faint explosions if you will because of the weak human explosives. If I were a vengeful Drow and lost people to that tunnel? Which they are the type.

I also want to ensure this tunnel, which likely leads near their cities or one of them. An amateurish move for a tunnel. Trying to get to the surface in a hurry if you will, but not finding what they wanted but hostility most likely. We felt collapses coming in the direction of Xantria as well. We told Tallion if they settled that ground, which they did with 12 weeks of rain over the entire damned area. The crater from that explosion was fucking impressive. That collapsed 17 tunnels. That explosion turned the ground into a mess. Like tunneling into a gravel pit. The lower-level shifts mean they would not know they were tunneling into that gravel until they hit it.

Unless you know how to tunnel into a gravel pit and have the time and resources to shore it up; big wasted effort. This tunnel that they just blew open. Tells us they were in a hurry. Someone desperate to get to the surface. They used but failed to dig through the gravel and had collapses occur. Multiple times, at least 4 times is the best guess. Definition of insanity to say the least. Then there are underground rivers to contend with. Again amateurs. Their best miners were Duergar slaves, which are extinct now. Now if I wanted to send the Chromatic Dragons a message and seal that damned tunnel from the Underdark. Wide base, near a known volcanic vent. Your Grand Field Marshal got warned about that Hellfire dragon because it killed some other dragons?"

The Grand Field Marshal nodded, "Our Gods could not track that creature except IO, and only when dragons were killed. It came out of your Volcano and we brought it down with cold-based magic. Older dragons played the bait as the creature wanted the Adamantium Dragons first. Gemstone Dragons working to get its mind to send it up to burrow instead of down to heal. That worked. We lost a lot of good dragons, but that was heard. You are saying the Shadow Dragons that died were in this location. The Hellfire Dragon came up from our volcano and the Drow knew about them even. If it was near a city, it got damaged or destroyed and they tunnel back? After this amateur move and then what?"

Defuse smiled, "They probably made a small entry back into what they collapsed. Then made it wider and bigger, and narrowed it toward the surface. If the dragons were digging toward them, wanting the breeding stock and magical talent of those black-hearted bitches. The Drow sealed off the entry point. They set off explosives, pushed all of that Magma into a big area, and then narrowed it to give it speed. It punched through here, and then again at the surface. That is the mind of a brilliant geologist, not a fucking amateur."

The Grand Field Marshall sighed, "You are saying Loth put a Champion on the field and they changed tactics from whoever did these first messes. Any proof of this theory."

Defused chuckled, "The volcano's lava has to have dropped 400 feet since that occurred. It would stabilize based on volcanoes around the world. Some are under the ocean, if the currents are cold enough then some of them could have closed. It might rise back up. Get one of your Gold Dragons to fly over and check the levels. I am basing this off the reports from the forges and the temperature drops."

The Grand Field Marshal contacted the Gold Dragon King, "I need a flyover of the Dwarven Volcano location. Has the magma levels dropped?"

The Gold King sighed, "We flew over this morning. It dropped from near the rim down 200 feet when the Hellfire Dragon struck. It is down another 200 to 300 feet if I had to guess."

Defuse smiled, "Told ya. That is what you have the dwarves for in this Alliance. We know the ground. The stone is our home. We will have to add the new forges into that vent another 200 feet down. A second forge room. We cannot pull forges from a volcano, as your Gold Dragon King likely knows, without the aid of your dragons, at least easily and with less risk. When we tap into the walls it creates a weak spot. Our clerics can stone shape to fill it but it has to be timed just right or all of the forges end up in lava. You helped us relocate our forges into this new home. We saved them all. Doing 2 forge areas is nothing new.

We have done it before. We have an area marked off for that already. Once it finishes shooting off over there, the levels will rise back up within the next 1,000 years or so. The forges are still usable but the better heat means quicker crafting for us. Now you're the smart champion to a God. I get that. But. If everything I am telling you is a whole series of amateurish moves. Then the building of a volcano for a weapon. Just as Tallion did with the ocean to drown the black bitches and destroy the Duergar. You tell me if both actions sound like a champion at work! We gained one piece of knowledge.

We know the Drow are under this area over here. Based on all of those amateurish attempts. Not that they will stay there. Once they have a feel for the tunneling, and what they do next, we might sense the explosions. They have no access to the surface that we know about or our maps. They are using the Drow as slaves right now because they have no other choice. Mostly Drow anyway. They will work to set up a web of cities underground and get all of their eggs out of one basket since the cataclysm. Slowed by the loss of the Duergar for slaves. Not counting the Shadow Dragons, underground rivers, other creatures, and pitfalls too numerous to mention.

They will have to build out and then up. Now that they got someone who knows what they are fucking doing underground. Another volcano is too risky for them. At least from there. They will do what we do. Record the sounds of explosions and get a general idea of where the dwarves are located as it has all moved. They likely did not know the fact that the lower levels rotated differently than the surface. They are not experts in mining, but that might change with this new Champion with them having no Duergar to do the work. We get a general idea of what direction they are headed. It is weaker because they use human-style explosives.

We will likely see them first under this new Champion. The next Drow battle will likely be underground and with us as they track our progress. It could be 5 years, not likely, or 50 to 100 years or more before they tunneled up. Maybe even 200 years. All while growing their population and training their soldiers and new miners. They sent a fucking message. We enter their layer at our peril. Be glad they sent it to the Chromatic Dragons this time!"

King Fire Axe grumbled, "We have no champions on the field yet. At least identified. I happen to agree with my expert. They have one now who knows what she is doing. Always a woman for them. She sent the message to the Chromatic Dragons which is good news, we just got to read it without paying for it. Now why the odd shapes for the land they have expanded into?"

The Grand Field Marshal placed 8 markers on his maps. "Lands controlled by somebody else. This section they could do in a hurry. We gained more than the knowledge of the Drow's current location. We have a general location now for where some of our enemy species will be located. Not how far out they extend toward us or others. No idea of which species. Orcs tend to do tribes. Same with Kobolds. Those two will turn first to dragon influence. Ogres, Giants, gnolls, goblins, hobgoblins, and any humans down that way will be at the top of their charters to win over or subjugate.

There are many types of giants and they pack a punch in a fight. They just lost forces, they will have to take a diplomatic approach to save assets, or else be weakened when this truce ends. We won't know which approach they took or in what numbers until then. We will see how quickly this area fills out over the coming years."

Ambassador Sun looked over, "We just signed into this Alliance and you are telling us it will be 2 to 3 generations or more before it will be a problem?"

The Elven Ambassador looked over, "Your 'Warlord' was usurped by a black Half-Dragon and you did not know it. Your 'Emperor' had been a Red Half-Dragon. They both had a signed Dark Alliance document but the dragons did not come because it was still reflected as a no Dragon Zone on that map. Now if he or she had bred with your ruler, put a new heir on the throne and signed that document based on your laws. You would have had dragons descend on us and your people, in force. That map would have changed to reflect that shift in allegiance. The previous Queen Goldeagle, before she passed. She warned of the attack on Valinta.

Chromatic Half-Dragons eat their way out of their mothers, making them infertile, or killing them. The Chromatic Dragons would consume the human males but leave half of the population for breeding stock. If they are old or infertile, they are food to them, regardless of sex unless they have a unique skill to be of service to them. Slaves to them. You had a very close call. We had spotted them looking for maps of this new continent to find your people. We took action to come and see you. There are humans too far across a large desert. They traveled with druids who set them up with new kingdoms away from us. We have little information besides the location of the first city.

It might not be there anymore. They cut off trade over 200 years ago. It would have been reflected on those maps. We could get to you more easily. We had no easy method to get to them as none of our people has been to those areas. Teleporting by map coordinates is risky. For all we know, they were gathered by Half-Dragons and taken to chromatic lands centuries ago or moved further away. We knew your locations and the humans in the Alliance did trade with you and continued to trade with you. Now Metallic and Neutral dragons can breed with your women and men.

They will create Half-Dragons and those Half-Dragons respect life. They do not try and eat their way out of their mothers. These dragons do not consume people. They will give you psionic talents and magical talents to train your people over the next 2 to 3 generations or more before these enemy dragons come. We have some over your areas as well to help defend your people. We will have them on ships again on the ocean to protect trade routes when this truce ends. We have them here where the major land battles will likely be fought.

All in all, you were lucky we caught their activity and then proved it to you. All 8 provinces of the Far East were infiltrated in the same manner. As you lacked the magical talent to find them. We can correct that during this time. That is what you signed into, for now, Ambassador Sun."

The Gold Dragon King spoke, "It was our assets who spotted the Chromatic Dragon's activity and we reported it back to our Allies. The Alliance as a whole worked to save you as Dragons could not travel to you directly, Ambassador Sun."

The Ambassador nodded at that gentle reminder of the hellish creature and the partially digested remains of hundreds of humans in the dungeons he had been shown in the 8 provinces and the Emperor's Palace. He knew he was lucky, but he had to have answers as to the, 'Why now?'

Answers for the new Emperor that covered the 8 provinces and the Red Half-Dragon that a Paladin of Tyr cut down and exposed to them who took his father's place. A Metallic Half-Dragon called Boran of the Order of the Rose. The ambassador sent a message back to the Emperor's Council about what he had learned. The Emperor had been gifted with glasses to show him the truth of those who visited him. As had the head of his Royal Guard. Dragons now patrolled the skies and awaited permission before interacting with the local population. The emperor signed the order allowing those relations.

Knowing they had time to bring psionics and magic into his people for a war that nearly consumed his lands already. That a Dragon Ambassador who could see them without glasses would be available. A Dragon consort would be brought to him to create his children with magical talent. His new wife was not happy about that until they told her Dragon females tended to be bisexual and enjoyed the company of both males and females. That pleased her far greater than others expected.

This would give him Half-Dragons of Royal blood to become samurai and generals. In the years to come, others would marry his heir and daughters to give them human children with psionics and magical talent. He had time, as he was only 18 years old and he did not await the same fate as his father.

---

Shirana was back in the Land of Dreams. The Lady of Dreams awaited her as she waved her to sit next to her. "Your mission is changing. For now, you will work to raise your children. We have strong indications that a new champion to Loth is on the field. That she orchestrated the Drow explosion from the Underdark that destroyed a section of Chromatic lands with a Volcano. If she is as tactically smart as our Dwarven allies believe, we will not see her for 50 to100 years or longer and likely in dwarven lands. You will travel with your husband and Druid Nightshade. Another Arcane Archer as well, a young private so you can start teaching him the Wood Elf ways.

This is after your final children are done breastfeeding. Go north to Snow Elf lands, your other wives will need to build boots of warmth for the 4 of you once you get there. 12 of you for returning. You will meet with the tribe leaders in that area and set up a teleportation location both Arcane Archers know. Then teleport back to the rendezvous location. Travel to dwarven lands and speak with King Fire Axe. Have him show you the depths they have gone to or his miner's will. Then set teleportation locations for both of those locations outside his throne room and the forge areas, both of them.

Again, with your smaller team to Cartisna and go to the Human Capital. Set up a teleportation location you all know. Then patrol through Wild Elf lands so they see you out there and with a mix of people. Set up locations for every tribe. Then head south to the front lines where General Silvertree will be working. Set up another location there. You are hunting them, but they may not show for decades based on the actions of this champion. Look for other trouble and help where you can. You need to expand your team, return to General White Oak, and gain more to handle the problems. You will likely have one more before then.