//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Traitor’s Gambit // Story: Dragon’s Odyssey // by GrumpyMonk97 //------------------------------// The Past: Ember had a lot to deal with. She was holding a conference with the dragon elders to discuss the events that had just taken place in Yakyakistan, and some of the dragons were less than satisfied with the results. And ever since she became Dragon Lord, there was one dragon she could always count on to be a dissenting voice; Snapjaw. What a pain. Ember thought to herself. “It’s an insult! That pact was a sacred oath established by Dragon Lord Scintilla! Does our history mean nothing to you?” Snapjaw roared as some of the other dragons agreed. “We can’t just go burning down villages over a misunderstanding! Prince Rutherford made an honest mistake.” Ember responded with many more dragons rallying behind her. “A Dragon Lord shouldn’t suffer broken oaths. You should have made an example of the Yaks. Have you gone soft Ember?” Snapjaw mocked. Ember stood up from her chair. “Would you like to see just how ‘soft’ I am Snapjaw?” Ember growled as she bared her teeth. Snapjaw simply scoffed and leaned back in his chair. The other dragons could feel the tense atmosphere as a result of the exchange. “My decision is final. If we’re going to interact with the rest of the world, it’s time to let go of the old ways. This meeting is adjourned.” Ember told the dragon elders. Some of the dragons gathered around Ember to ask various questions while others simply took their leave. Snapjaw’s eyes were ablaze with anger as he exited the meeting area, and he pounded a fist against one of the nearby rocks. “Such weakness will lead us to ruin. I won’t allow for it. Your rule can no longer be allowed to stand, Ember.” Snapjaw said to himself, planting the seeds of a plot to overthrow Ember. The Present: There was a tense silence in the air as the group took flight. The immediate area around Klugetown was safe, though they would have to be more cautious the further out they got. Ember kept her gaze fixated forward, brow furrowed the entire time. The other dragons were looking at each other, wracking their brains trying to figure out what to say. “Uh, Ember? What’s the plan here?” Smolder finally spoke up. “Find Snapjaw, and tear him apart.” Ember retorted, her voice dripping with venom. “We should find out what his connection to Opaline is first. He obviously seemed to have some sort of deal going with her.” Spike chimed in. “Good point. I’d also like to know why he up and turned traitor.” Ember said, the anger in her voice subsiding. She was mostly angry at herself for not doing something sooner. Snapjaw had always been stubborn and arrogant, but she never imagined he would betray his people. Meanwhile, Spike’s thoughts went back to seeing Opaline in the Scrying Eye, finally putting a name to the face. We finally have a lead. The group eventually made it back across the sea, landing just outside the border to the Dragon Lands. They decided to walk the rest of the way, having already come dangerously close to drawing the attention of a couple Rocs and Manticores while flying through the air. As they made their way through to the main gathering hub of the Dragon Lands, the atmosphere felt different. It felt more hostile, almost like they weren’t welcome. As they made their way, they a singular voice booming across the land. They eventually saw a bunch of dragons gathered around a podium, chanting and cheering as several dragons were locked in chains and on their knees in front of a large dragon with dark red scales and orange eyes. He had a plethora of scars across his brow and snout, and his eyes were sharp and focused, that of a warrior. “Snapjaw.” Ember growled to herself. “Today, we purge the weakness from our ranks and take what we’re owed!” Snapjaw bellowed out as the dragons surrounding the podium cheered loudly. “This ain’t good. Ember, what’s the plan?” Garble asked but saw that Ember had already stepped forward to put down this coup. “Snapjaw! What is going on here?!” Ember roared, and all the dragons suddenly went silent. Snapjaw raised an eyebrow as a smug smile crept up his snout. “Ah, Dragon Lord, what fortuitous timing. She said you’d be coming.” The group saw themselves start to be surrounded by several other dragons who looked like they were ready to strike at any moment. “Why are you doing this? What were you promised?” Spike asked. “She promised me a way to return dragonkind to its former glory. And it starts with getting rid of all of you. We’ve grown too complacent, too subservient. I won’t allow the next generation of dragons to inherit your weakness.” Snapjaw responded as his brow furrowed. “And what about the elders?” Ember asked, pointing out the dragons who were in chains. “Well, they were a little too loyal to your ideals. So they’ll be joining you soon enough.” Snapjaw replied as more cheers erupted from the dissenting dragons. The group took stock of their surroundings, seeing all of the dragons that were inching closer to strike. “Think this’ll be a tough fight?” Spike asked. “Might be tough if one more shows up.” Smolder said with a grin as she pounded her fist into her hand. “Then that’ll have to be the one I take care of.” Garble said. Ember simply smirked before using her breath to light a small flame on the head of the Scepter. “Kill them!” Snapjaw roared. “Garble, slam dunk!” Ember called out. Garble gave her a boost as she leapt high into the air and flung the Scepter downward like a javelin, spreading the flame she lit out into a wide radius and pushing back Snapjaw’s dragons. Garble then slid across the ground and took the legs out from under one of the bigger dragons. He then flipped back onto his hands and used both feet to kick said dragon up into the air, where Spike flew upward and used both fists to slam him back down to the ground. Ember landed and gripped the Scepter, spinning it in her hand and delivering a home run swing, knocking several dragons in the head. Smolder caught a dragon who was charging her, kneed him in the gut, and wrapped her arm around his neck and slammed him into the ground. Spike contended with three dragons around him at once; he parries one of the dragons who tries to swipe at him with his claws, gets punched in the face by the second dragon but catches the second punch, punches him in the gut, and knees him in the face before jumping up and dropkicking the third dragon. “Get the elders!” Ember called to the group. Garble and Smolder flew over to the podium and broke the chains off the dragons who were being held prisoner, who thanked them and joined in the fight against Snapjaw’s dragons. “You see where Snapjaw went?” Garble asked as he looked around. Smolder also looked around and saw Snapjaw making his way through the crowd, trying to get the drop on Ember. “Think you’re sneaky do you?” Smolder growled to herself. “You find him Smo-“ Garble started to ask but saw that Smolder had already taken to the air to intercept Snapjaw. Smolder flew like a missile and tackled Snapjaw just as he was about to deliver a critical hit on Ember. They tumbled across the ground until Smolder sprang backward and scraped her claws across the ground. They both rose to their feet slowly, never breaking eye contact as the battle raged on around them, a few of the larger dragons now getting involved and making the conflict more intense. “Still willing to protect a weak leader like Ember? How far dragonkind has fallen.” Snapjaw said, his voice dripping with condescension. “She’s stronger than you’ll ever be. And you better believe I’m not gonna let someone like you be in charge!” Smolder snapped back. Snapjaw scoffed as they both stared each other down for a few seconds more before he charged towards her. Smolder ripped out a nearby chunk of rock to block his attack but his fist immediately shattered it and sent Smolder tumbling backward. He tried to stomp on her but she managed to roll out of the way and deliver a few combination punches to his chest as she got up. Snapjaw threw a strong punch that caught Smolder in the face and then delivered a strong kick to her chest which caused her to slide back and buckle over in pain. She was surprised at how fast he was given his size. She leapt up and slammed her knee directly into his chin before spinning in midair and kicking him in the face. He faltered backwards before regaining his composure and assuming his fighting stance once more. “You fight well for a hatchling. But it won’t be enough!” Snapjaw commented before he rushed forward to try and grab her. She shot out a breath of flame to parry his grab and took to the air, but as she did Snapjaw grabbed her ankle and slammed her back down into the ground. He then swung her side to side, slamming her repeatedly into the ground before he swung her forward and slammed her on the ground hard enough for her to bounce back up. He then caught her in midair with a strong kick that sent her crashing into a rock hard enough to splinter it with several cracks. Smolder coughed and wheezed in pain as she shakily rose to her feet. As she did, Snapjaw had already rushed towards her and grabbed her by the throat, pinning her against the rock. “Ah, now I remember you. You’re the one Ember sent off to that ‘Friendship School.’ Guess her softness rubbed off on you too. Pathetic.” Snapjaw recalled. “You’re wrong.” Smolder choked out. “Hmm?” He asked, intrigued by her statement. “I used to think the same thing, that all this ‘friendship’ stuff made me soft and weak. But after a while I realized that my friends made me stronger than I ever could have been alone. And it wasn’t until Ember became Dragon Lord that something like that became possible. She worked hard to show the world that they didn’t have to see dragons as monsters.” Snapjaw growled in anger, his eyes lit up with fury. “You’re an old wyrm who’s stuck in the past. The only one leading dragonkind to ruin is you!” Smolder roared as she kicked Snapjaw in the chest with both feet, causing him to let go of her. She then sent a flurry of blows to his face, punch after punch connecting with great force. After enough time throwing punches, Smolder then wrapped her arms around Snapjaw and suplexed him onto the ground, creating a small crater and taking Snapjaw out of the fight entirely. She got up and looked around to see that the chaos had started to die down, with her companions bringing the situation under control. Snapjaw began to move to pick himself up but saw that he was surrounded by the dragons who were still loyal to Ember. Snapjaw snorted as he saw that he was outmatched. Ember stepped forward through the crowd and stood in front of Snapjaw. “Care to keep going with this?” She asked menacingly. “Not to worry Ember. I know when I’m beaten.” Snapjaw conceded. They suddenly heard maniacal laughter in the vicinity, and saw a pony standing above all of them. “You made for an excellent distraction Snapjaw. My plan worked to perfection.” Everyone turned and saw the pony, who was surrounded by an assortment of Storm Creatures, each clutching dragon eggs within their hands. But unlike Luster’s guards, their armor and masks are painted with pink and magenta colors as opposed to the golden sun motif on Luster’s guards. Ember’s eyes went wide with horror as she realized what was happening. “That wasn’t the deal Opaline! You never said anything about disturbing the nesting grounds!” Snapjaw roared. “Their magic could prove to be very beneficial to me, so I’ll be holding onto these for a while.” Opaline responded as she turned to take her leave. “You’re not going anywhere!” Spike shouted as he flew towards Opaline, intending to settle things once and for all. As he tried however, he was suddenly caught in the air and brought back down to the ground. Spike tried to get up but found that he couldn’t get his arms and legs free. He saw that he was wrapped in a snake like coil, eventually seeing a humanoid torso with a snake like face, cobra hood, and hair that was made of snakes emerge and hiss at him, attempting to stare him directly in the eyes. Spike immediately shut his eyes, as he realized that he was dealing with a gorgon and didn’t want to be turned to stone. “I knew I shouldn’t leave you with nothing, so I do hope you enjoy the company of my pets.” Opaline explained smugly as she ran off. Spike struggled against the grip of the gorgon before Garble shot a stream of fire breath in their direction, which caused the gorgon to uncoil its lower half from around Spike. Spike then punched the gorgon to get it off of him and saw that they were being set upon by Storm Creatures, satyrs, gorgons, and the like. Many of the other dragons joined in the fight as well, determined to not let these fiends overrun their land. After a prolonged battle against the monsters Opaline unleashed, the dragons finally brought the chaos under control. Spike was sitting on the ground, catching his breath from having to fight two prolonged, intense battles back to back. He looked around and realized that Opaline was nowhere to be seen. He grunted in frustration at having missed his shot at her. Gotta find her again. He thought to himself. Meanwhile, Ember had just taken a look at the nesting grounds and looked horrified. Many dragon eggs had been stolen, though thankfully Opaline hadn’t managed to get all of them. “What a mess. We’ve got to get back the eggs she managed to take.” Ember said, a wave of doubt washing over her. She was supposed to protect them, and now something like this happens. Garble pulled her into a hug, doing his best to comfort her. “We will. I don’t know how, but we will.” Garble said. They spent a period of time in each other’s embrace, not saying anything as they reflected on everything that’s happened. “We should go find the others.” Ember said after a while. Garble agreed and they made their way back to the main gathering hub, eventually meeting back up with Spike and Smolder. “So, we’re going after Opaline right?” Smolder asked. “Definitely.” Spike said. The other dragons could sense his agitation. “What about Snapjaw? I can’t imagine he’s getting off scott free.” Garble asked. “Snapjaw may have been a traitor, but he was one of the elders. I’ll have to hold an assembly with the other elders at a later time so we can decide what to do with him.” Ember said. Suddenly, they heard a ringing sound coming from somewhere. They looked all around to find where it was coming from, and Spike eventually discovered it was coming from the device he got back in Klugetown. It vibrated in his hand as he saw the screen had two icons, one green and one red. “Oh yeah. Kinda forgot we had those.” Garble said. “How do you make it stop?” Smolder asked. Spike tried shaking it but nothing happened. He then tried pressing the green button, which then caused the screen to change and show the visage of Luster Dawn. “Good, you picked up.” She said. “To what do we owe the pleasure Luster?” Spike asked, confused why she would call now of all times. “Well, the four of you seem to be in a bit of a pickle. Opaline took some of your dragon eggs did she not?” “How did you- oh.” Smolder started to ask but then the realization hit her. “The Scrying Eye you supplied me has been very helpful. Unfortunately, the device its installed in still has some bugs to work out.” Luster told them. “Bugs?” Ember asked. “Sometimes the device only displays vague images of what the Scrying Eye sees. But I think I got something on where Opaline is going.” Luster explained. “Thought we only got the one favor.” Smolder teased. “Oh don’t worry, you’ll be paying me back in no time. I’ll make sure of it.” Luster shot back. “Where is she going?” Spike asked. “I couldn’t get a read on where she is right now, but the device gave back something about the Kirin. I’d start there.” She then hung up, and the screen on the device went back to its normal display. “So, what’s the plan?” Ember asked. “It’s been a long day, so we should probably rest up for the night.” Spike told the group. “Tomorrow, we head for the Perilous Peaks.”