Herdurand City…
All around the large square in front of the magnificent city hall, a dense crowd of peasants had gathered, enduring the heat of the midday sun and the discomfort of being packed like sardines.
The only thing keeping them at bay were multiple clusters of city guards using the shafts of their halberds to form a united cordon, their presence the only reason the square hadn't flooded.
Members of every age demographic could be found in large numbers. Be it the old and graying, young and spry, or even infantile and teething, a single glance was enough to count multiple of them in the crowd.
What made the situation even more strange were the flowers. Everyone present, (apart from the guards of course) held a fresh bouquet of them and looked to the west with gazes reserved for the diehard fans of celebrities.
Whoever they were waiting for, the common people had somewhat of an excuse to display such unsightly behaviour since even Grand Duke Lington stood on the city hall's portico gazing in the same direction worriedly.
His anxious pacing and occasional glance towards the west continued for a few minutes before the crisp ring of a bell sliced through the hubbub of noise from its distant location on the city wall.
'They're here…' went through every mind present, some with anticipation and excitement, and others with fear and trepidation.
The sun taking its kingly spot in the sky today, there was no room for the clouds to sit. The heavens were completely clear, making it possible for everyone present to see the two dark spots on the horizon.
Silence fell on the square and a good number of people slowed their breathing, time stretching to infinity for many of them.
In reality though, the dots drew closer to the city quickly, and everyone heard them before they saw their true forms, a loud roar rumbling through the city and stunning most.
A sense of awe and fear fell on everyone present, some of the onlookers giving in to the panic, screaming in panic and devolving into a frenzy that the guards stepped up to address.
In the midst of this, gigantic shadows fell over the square as the dots arrived, their true draconic forms and auras of might worsening the burgeoning chaos.
Kicking up strong, tree-bending winds with their wings, the dragons circled the space above the square, their huge olive colored eyes enjoying the reactions of the peasants as the sun glinted off their emerald scales.
They both raised their giant heads up to the sky and released another roar, this time in tandem, shaking the very air itself.
Men, women, and children of all ages screamed, adding a new layer of noise and chaos to the commotion.
Seated atop one of the dragons, Jefferson, one of the only three Dragon Knights on the continent, shook his head and resisted the urge to facepalm.
He had visited more cities than he could count with Ysondre, but he could confidently say the young dragon did this every time there were large crowds like this gathered and waiting for them.
As he was here on serious business though, he didn't let him have too much fun. He patted his partner's scaly neck and signaled Kalyk, the other dragon knight, asking them to land.
Certainly pleased with themselves and the reaction they'd garnered, the green dragons heeded his words and slowed the activity of their wings, diving down to the cordoned off space.
The ground rumbled as their full weights landed against it, their sword-like claws clashing noisily with the dull grey stone to create sparks.
Their slowly flapping wings stirred up a storm, the strong winds blowing away the loose clothing, hats, and flowers the onlookers held and carried on themselves.
Slowly but surely, the chaos faded and a sense of order and calmness returned.
The dragons had stopped stripping the onlookers of their propriety and belongings and made themselves comfortable, allowing the spectators to get a full and proper view of their magnificent forms.
Long, massive jaws filled with rows of sharp, dagger-like teeth, an even larger body that overshadowed the houses of most of the spectators, and a long and thick python-like tail covered in bony spikes.
The crowd had gone silent, their lips held tight by the humbling and bowel loosening sight. The reality of their absolute insignificance before these flesh and blood mountains sunk into their very souls and solidified like concrete.
Unlike the enlightened/horrified peasants, the nobles and witcher knights waiting on the portico in front of the city hall experienced little to none of this as they descended the stairs and moved in a group towards the dragons and Jefferson, who climbed down from Ysondre's back.
The two parties met, shook hands, and exchanged some greetings, all under the gaze of a few hooded figures mingling seamlessly with the crowd.
When the knights and nobles entered the city hall, the hooded figures took that as a signal and moved in unison, converging in an abandoned alley nearby.
"First Radiant knights, and now a Dragon knight. We need to inform the mistress immediately."
"I'll leave right now. You guys stay here and keep monitoring things. If even one of them moves, hurry and bring the news immediately."
"We understand. Be careful."
They split up after the conversation, the self-appointed messenger taking advantage of the attention hoarding dragons to sneak out of the city, transforming into his bat form and beginning his 200 kilometer journey to Blue Hillock City.
☀☀☀
Evening, the same day…
Within Duke Lington's castle, a lively banquet took place to celebrate the arrivals and presence of the dragons and the high-ranking witcher knights in Herdurand.
Everywhere one looked, noble ladies of astonishing beauty, wrapped in the best dresses money could buy, milled about and employed their many varied methods to enrapture the attending knights.
Some played the role of shy maidens, blushing and covering their lips with their silk fans when they interacted with the knights while others forwent these hide and seek games and let the knights know they were being hunted.
Cleavages of every conceivable size, big, medium, small… could be found propped up by overworked corsets and necklines that had no business having "neck" in their names.
Suffice to say, there were many hunters at work, and none of them was a knight.
Dragon Knight Jefferson happened to be one of the helpless prey the prowling ladies had set their collective eyes on. They'd surrounded him and cut off all paths of escape.
His tall, muscular stature towered over each of them, yet they showed no fear as they bared their chests out, ran their fingers over his proud chest and arms, and even pressed themselves into him, having the audacity to blush when he looked at them as a result.
With much effort and empty whispers of making time for them, the powerful knight, capable of fighting a dragon on his own, extricated himself from this flowery minefield and vacated the banquet hall like it was on fire.
He made his way to a secret room, where all the other Radiant Knights sat around a table awaiting his presence.
Even though upon his entry the different types of perfume clinging to him spread into the room, none of the knights hinted at it or had a funny shift in their expressions.
They each stood up with solemn and respectful demeanors, bowing to him before taking their seats when he waved at them and took his own seat at the head of the table.
"Vieri. How goes the preparations?" Jefferson said, his expression intensely grave, the smiles he used to interact with the thirsty ladies nowhere in sight.
Vieri, the only knight who remained standing after the greeting, launched into a lengthy explanation. "We just received 7 knights from Gotland City, 11 from the City of Cobar, and 8 from Schaeffer City. As we speak, the witcher knights in Herdurand City are more than 1500 strong.
The garrison is being expanded to accommodate more. The supplies and equipment are arriving smoothly. Knight Gutt is currently in charge of the reorganization and training of the troops.
The vanguard knights are led by Ninther and have arrived in Blue Hillock City. We haven't heard from the—"
"How long has it been since Ninther set off?" Jefferson interrupted.
"It's been seven days," Vieri said with slight hesitation, "They sent back news two days after they arrived. They had discovered something but that was the extent of the news. We haven't heard from them since."
"Send some men to get into contact with them. We can't have them going too deep into the forest. The invaders are not some creatures that wandered into our plane by accident. They're from a material plane like ours, one of a higher grade, and they've set their eyes on us."
The Second Grade Radiants shared a couple of looks with each other, the silent alarm in each other's gaze confirming that they'd all heard the same thing.
For Jefferson, one of the most powerful individuals to ever grace this plane, a powerful knight of the Third Grade, to speak about the invader's with such solemnness meant even he was worried about them.
Already on his feet and in the middle of an explanation, Vieri took it upon himself to voice his fellow knights' concerns. "Sir, do we know which plane the invaders are coming from?"
"It doesn't matter. All you need to know is that it is more powerful than ours," Jefferson said, expertly hiding his own worry. "I know what you're worried about, but remember, no matter how powerful they are, the limit of this plane is Fourth Grade. Even if their higher grades force their way in here, they will be subject to the planar suppression and will be unable to use their full strength. This is our world after all."
Jefferson's words calmed the listening knights, taking away a good deal of their alarm and reminding them of their leader, the Fourth Grade knight Sir Willis.
As someone who had reached the limit of power in this plane, there was no one he couldn't defeat. No matter what happened, they would come out the victors in this war.
With all of their consoling thoughts naturally drawing the same conclusion, the Radiant knights nodded in agreement to the Dragon knight's words.
Soon, a noticeably calmed and more chipper Vieri resumed his lengthy report, him and the other knights completely oblivious of the bat laying above them, its large ears pressed flat against the roof as it sucked in very juicy little detail.
As a group that eschewed every form of magic that wasn't their own, the knights were even less than beginners when it came to the manipulation of it for household and utility tasks. They were bumpkins through and through.
In Lethon, this brave bat the size of a bathroom sink would have never gotten so close to a place where Adepts, much less Second and Third Grades, had secret meetings.
All sorts of alarms and lethal traps would have triggered the moment it entered a certain radius around the castle.
And even if it somehow, somehow, dodged through the congested minefield of sensors and traps and landed on top of the secret room, its highly sensitive ears wouldn't pick up the slightest sound.
Obscuration, anti-divination, and anti-scrying wards were the most popular and most widely used formations in Adepts castles and towers for a reason.
No one wanted their enemy to get ahold of their secrets. In Lethon that meant death, and here in the knight's plane, it would mean the same for the witcher knights in the coming days and weeks.
Far above in the sky above the brightly-lit square where the dragons lay, the spying bat's other companions flapped their wings to maintain their positions and spied on the overgrown lizards.
More than a few carts were being driven into the square, their drivers unable to keep themselves from trembling as they wished to abandon everything and run.
However, they each remembered the warning expression of the knights and pressed on, inching closer and closer to the dragons' so they could deliver their meals to them.
Their instincts running wild and haywire, the "meals" let out shrieks and bleats reminiscent of domestic animals, their physical struggles visibly shaking and jolting the carts the closer they got to the dragons.
At this point, the square had descended into noisy chaos, the goats, sheep, and cow crying more loudly than they'd ever done in their short, pitiful lives.
Staying in their positions but raising their slender necks, the dragons that had obviously caught the cries of their food salivated at the delicious scent of fear, flesh, and blood wafting over.
Light green saliva dripped from their awaiting maws like drizzle, leaving multiple sizzling and smoking holes in the stone beneath them.
One driver processed the mind-numbing sight and abandoned his cart, darting away from the square and the dragons, his thin legs carrying him far away in moments.
His actions were proven prudent as the next moment, the dragons moved from their perches and pounced on the carts, his own being one of the firsts.
One of the dragons slapped away the donkeys and the entire front of his cart with its clawed hand and latched its jaws onto the large wooden containment behind it.
Like it had just opened a gift, the dragon found the source of tasty fear and flesh within and dragged them out, pinning three of them with its left claws while its right went to work gutting and tearing their tasty bits off.
Though they were high-level magical creatures, dragons were still wild beasts at their core and the savage and bloody way they behaved with their food conveyed that perfectly. They didn't even care when some of the cart drivers died from their actions.
"I didn't expect the dragons to eat the food offered by the humans."
"Me too. We have to inform the mistress. This could be our chance…"
"Yes. If she can obtain some powerful poisons, we might get a taste of the famed dragon blood."
"Awesome idea. You guys keep watching them. I'll go and deliver the news."
****
Author's note:
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