Vainqueur the Dragon

The more he thought of Furibon, the more it vexed Vainqueur.

The dragon knew, deep within his bones, that the lich was the secret mastermind behind everything wrong in his life. The planet Moon could never have turned to lead on its own, and Wotan would not have assaulted V&V, had Vainqueur remained safe at home instead of chasing the lich. Ergo, all the lich's protestations of innocence didn’t add up.

This was just a trick! Yes, a trick to avoid his just punishment!

But then… why did he accept Vainqueur’s challenge, to settle their war once and for all? Why did adventurers come to defend him out of their own free will? Why did they call him their teammate, with the same care Manling Victor showed to his master?

Could he… could he have friends?

Of course not! Furibon couldn’t have friends, or else he wouldn’t be Furibon!

And yet...

“A class system you say?” Grandrake frowned at Jolie. “Is it anything like that cultivation Jade keeps prattling on about?”

“The System is no scam!” Jolie defended her livelihood. “It grants power over life and death, gold and lead! Even wizardry!”

Grandrake tried to access the System, blinking repeatedly. “[Princess Hunter]?” he said, having tapped into the ancient power of dragonkind. “What a strange device... this must certainly be ancient dragon magic, but I never heard of anything like this before. Odd, very odd.”

“Dragons can do magic on their own?” Jolie asked, her eyes glittering with curiosity.

“Jolie, who else but dragons could invent something so advanced?” Vainqueur replied, before making a joke. “Manlings?”

Grandrake exploded into laughter, before answering Jolie’s question. “Our Elder Wyrm progenitor and the first generations of dragons used magic to grant souls to the first minions, or so the tales said. But since they were already perfect and invincible without it, our ancestors never bothered to train new generations in sorcery. Instead, we focused on what truly mattered: getting richer!”

“This only confirms what I always thought,” Vainqueur replied proudly. “That this ancient System was created by dragons, for dragons.”

“Indeed, although it is vexing that minions rediscovered it first,” Grandrake replied. “Maybe I will study it in-depth after I have my soon-to-be minion Furibon lift my curse of forgetfulness.”

“You do not need the lich for that!” Vainqueur protested. “I can lift it myself!”

“You can?” Grandrake asked.

Of course Vainqueur could! He hesitated to test his [Malleus Maleficarum], for that would hurt the older dragon. Better to try the simpler option. “[Spell Purge]!” Vainqueur’s magnificent power washed over Grandrake, lifting negative effects from the older dragon.

Or so he thought.

You could not lift Grandrake’s []. You are now immune to [Mind-affecting] effects so long as the stone remains intact.

“[Psi-stones] are items that you can equip to your brain and spine, providing psychic powers to the wearer,” Manling Victor explained. “If you have more than one, they create additional effects.”

“Gems that can be worn forever as armor?” This was a dragon’s dream come true.

“Nothing for me in the pile, unfortunately,” Manling Victor complained. “And the [Black Grail] will return to the Thaoten for safekeeping. A shame.”

“You will have other opportunities to equip yourself, minion,” Vainqueur reassured him, glancing at the horizon; he already wondered what he would receive after beating Furibon once and for all.

The next day, after a great feast, Vainqueur decided to leave at dawn. He gathered his minions and allies in the city’s devastated plaza, to give a speech; Manling Victor had finally found clothes made of some furred beast's skin.

“Minions, El Dorado is mine, by right of conquest. This city shall be rebuilt… but as it should be. A city of true gold, fueled by my own empire’s bottomless wealth. While Manling Victor and I,” Vainqueur purposefully snubbed Knight Kia, whom no one liked anyway, “go on to end the threat of Furibon once and for all, you shall rebuild this place, as the second imperial colony of...”

Vainqueur let a few seconds pass, before uttering the name he had worked on for the entire night.

“El Goldorado!”

Of course, everyone applauded, some more than others… and not enough for Vainqueur’s taste. The dragon kindly encouraged his minions to renew in their devotion by raising his hand, until the clapping became acceptable.

“Thank you, thank you,” Vainqueur said. “You are too kind.”

“I will make my new lair there,” Grandrake said, his new apprentice Jolie at his side. “Long have I considered to open a princess wildlife refuge, and this jungle seems the perfect place for it.”

“Everyone working together to build a new place.” Chocolatine had tears in her eyes. “It’s like Murmurin’s old days.”

“We have to do even better.” Allison nodded.

“When you get back, I will prepare you a new recipe,” Chocolatine chirped to Manling Victor.

“I shall delightfully indulge in it,” Felix said with feline pride.

“Oh, it cannot be done without you,” Chocolatine reassured the cat, petting him between the ears. “You will be the guest of honor.”

“I will have new armor made for you, Mr. Victor, within the coming days,” Malfy told the Vizier. "One worthy of a Happyland hero."

“Thanks, I will summon you back in a few days.”

“Now, it is time to leave,” Vainqueur declared, wishing to be early for his final showdown with the lich.

“See you soon, Kia!” Jolie told her chief of staff, as she summoned her griffin to ride.

“I can finally test that new mount,” Manling Victor said, raising his scythe. “[Zmey Rider].”

Zmey?

Vainqueur didn’t have the time to question his minion, as the bright skies turned dark, rain falling without warning. For a moment, he wondered if Wotan had returned, only to realize that it was something far, far worse.

The beast flew through the clouds, smashing one of the few pyramids left standing on its way down, and landed among the minions, blowing off most of them in all directions. Knight Kia immediately readied her sword, while the dragons present reeled in horror.

A Zmey had come.

An inbred, primitive cousin of true dragons, this particular Zmey was big for its kind, roughly fifteen feet in length. The green-skinned beast had batlike wings and four legs barely carrying its bulky body, and its three heads resembled serpents instead of lizardy elegance. All in all, the creature looked like a twisted parody of dragonkind.

“Gorynych is there, master!” the beast looked at Manling Victor with stupid yellow eyes, speaking with his three heads at once. “Gorynych avoided all the traffic!”

Grandrake looked at the creature with pure disgust, with even the kind Jolie being uncomfortable in its presence. “Minion, what is that thing?” Vainqueur asked disdainfully, as Knight Kia lowered her sword.

“Gorynych is a good Zmey!” the inbred wyvern replied, wagging his tail. “Oh yes!”

By the Elder Wyrm, the creature looked at Vainqueur now. The dragon turned his head, to better deny that vermin’s very existence. “Minion, send that thing away and use your horse.”

“I can’t, I registered Chocolatine,” his chief of staff replied. Worse, he seemed mesmerized by the creature, as if he commanded a genuine dragon. “Besides, my horse cannot fly across the ocean.”

“But you can!” Vainqueur dared glimpse at the Zmey, whose three tongues laid down like a dog. The creature’s mere presence diminished the glorious reputation of true dragons. “You do not need it!”

“Gorynych is not loved?” The creature crumbled on himself, devastated. “Gorynych is sad.”

“You are of dragonkind, show dominance!” Vainqueur lambasted the creature, before instantly regretting it. To acknowledge it as a scion of the dragon family made the emperor sick.

“Your Majesty, that’s uncalled for!” To Vainqueur’s astonishment, Manling Victor came to the creature’s defense… and he wasn’t the only one.

“Poor beast…” Allison whispered.

“Your Majesty, look at him, he’s a giant scaled puppy!” Sweet Chocolatine said, immediately comforting the Zmey. “You’re making him cry!”

What? They favored that abomination over their lord and master?

“Betrayal! Betrayal!” Vainqueur looked at Grandrake, pleading for support.

The older dragon had completely turned his back on the scene, denying the Zmey’s existence like a true wyrm. Jolie hesitated between supporting her uncle’s point of view, and imitating the princess hunter.

“It’s fine, Gorynych,” Manling Victor comforted the beast. “His Majesty is just a bit surprised by your arrival. He didn’t really mean it.”

“I did!” Vainqueur protested, leaving the Zmey crestfallen and his servants glaring at their master. “Minions, are you shaming me? Me?”

The silence became oppressive. The emperor tried to stand his ground, but he could feel the invisible, unspoken social pressure weight on him. He almost turned away, unable to stand the silent, judgmental gazes of his own minions.

“Zmey eat their own feces!” Vainqueur reminded the minions.

“Your Majesty, I hate to say it,” Tasty Malfy cleared his throat, “But you sound... politically incorrect.”

Politically incorrect? He was the emperor, his will was the politically correct choice! Why this reaction?

… feelings.

Yes, Vainqueur remembered that minions had feelings that didn’t revolve around their master. Maybe seeing the Zmey hurt awoke a feeling of minion solidarity among them. Do not alienate your minions or they will run away while you sleep, Vainqueur reminded himself.

In the end, Vainqueur handled the matter the true dragon way.

By turning his back on the Zmey, and snubbing him.

“... Your Majesty, are you going to pretend he does not exist?” Manling Victor asked.

“Yes!”

Certainly, if Vainqueur ignored him hard enough, the Zmey would go away.

“His Majesty will get used to you.” Vainqueur subtly peeked over his shoulder, watching Manling Victor lying to the Zmey.

“Is that a stick?” the three heads of Gorynych looked at the Vizier’s scythe with attention. “Gorynych good with sticks, master! Like dogs!”

This was going to be a long trip.