The World Dragon's Heir - Chapter 576: Returned

Chapter 576: Returned

Once the mages and trolls were on their way, led by Dave, Dominic scanned the sky to see how many more airborne visitors they should be expecting this morning.

There were plenty of airships overhead, but most of them were from one of the armies, with only a few from the Merchant’s Guild airborne right now.

The Merchants who had brought in the last group of refugees must have still been meeting with Rill, as their ships were still docked in the fields, and Dominic began to wonder if it might be worth it to invent some sort of system to moor the vessels two airships high.

There was so much space used to keep over a dozen airships anchored to the ground that it was becoming somewhat ridiculous.

It was also why many of the military airships chose to remain aloft, cycling through rotations with the portion resting on the ground. They didn’t really need to keep a strict patrol schedule, now that the storms were over, but it was convenient for them to help find incoming refugee groups or threats, and it saved from overcrowding.

Even if they were a capital city, having dozens of airships on station at one time was considered to be a crowd.

The army didn’t station all its airships in one spot, they would be spread out. But lately, that meant to Wistover, as they were the epicentre for everything that was going on in the region, and it was close enough to dispatch airships from here to anywhere else that was having troubles.

Then, Dominic heard the radio crackle from the gate guard’s station.

[Incoming military force, allegiance unknown. No flags flying, primitive kit.]

That last bit felt personal.

Dominic gestured for the guards to get them to elaborate.

After a moment, the message came through.

[South of the river, thirty kilometres.]

That was the direction that Dominic had just sent the mages and trolls, but he hadn’t sent them nearly that far past the river.

Still, it put them and the airship factory directly in the line of fire if that force started to attack the city.

Unacceptable.

“Well, Your Highness, it appears that I have more issues than suspicion about my new residents today. Please return to inform the Second Prince of Cygnia that it would be safer if we were not in the same location this time. I’ve seen this trick before.”

Prince Fahad nodded. “Understood. I will return to my morning duties. How much of a force will you be bringing?”

Dominic looked around until he found Amie playing with the goats.

“One mage and ten Trollish guards. That should be more than enough.”

“What could possibly go wrong?” Prince Fahad muttered sarcastically as he walked away.

Amie heard him and smiled. “Oh, the ways that we could answer that. But I’ve got a lock on their location, so as soon as Dave is ready, we’re good to go.

I’ve had the Sect make them better fire resistance talismans this time.”

The stable hand brought over the warhorse, and Dominic helped Amie up behind him, while the usual ten troll honour guard gathered behind them.

He led the horse out the gates, and Amie opened a portal to a kilometre in front of where the troops were supposed to be.

Which turned out to be entirely too close.

The nearest of the soldiers was only a few hundred metres away, and their horses were spooked by the sudden arrival.

Not well-trained animals, and not mechanical military equipment.

“Do you have a spell to amplify my voice?” Dominic whispered.

“Go ahead.”

[Hail to the Officers! You are bearing weapons within the Wistover Duchy. Identify your allegiance or be fired upon.]

Amie giggled as Dominic finished his warning.

She was fully restocked on artillery rounds.

The columns came to a halt, forming a semicircle around Dominic and his trolls.

A single man rode forward of the lines, looking haggard and worn. Far too thin, as if he hadn’t eaten well in months. At one point he was surely well-dressed, but that time was long past. Now, he was malnourished, muddy and exhausted.

At first, Dominic didn’t recognize him at all.

Then, he began to speak. “On behalf of the Throne of Dagos, I have come to expel the Cygnian usurpers from our territory.”

Prince Kaizon.

“Ah, the renegade Prince. If you wish to expel anyone from Wistover, you should have brought a much larger force. I recommend that you put down your weapons and surrender your force.

If you do not resist, I can promise humane treatment for the enlisted men, and a swift trial for the officers.

The King of Dagos has insisted that his renegade Noble brethren need not die for their rebellion if they repent and relinquish their loyalties to the rebellion.”

That was one hundred percent a lie.

If they did surrender, he was definitely going to have Amie open a portal to the middle of nowhere and kill them quietly. Not the enlisted men, but the Dagos Nobles weren’t leaving here alive if they made a single wrong move.

Dave wasn’t a smart troll. But he knew how Dominic was hoping that this would go. He was thinking the same thing.

These were the people who blew up his brothers.

Much to Dominic’s surprise, Prince Kaizon slid down from his horse and took off his helmet. Dominic dropped down to join him, while Amie moved up to take the reins of the warhorse.

The two moved close enough to comfortably speak with each other, and the Prince glared at Dominic with exhaustion clear in every fibre of his being.

“We both know that there will be no surrender. There can’t be.

Not when the curse that your abomination of a father has ravaged Dagos for a decade. Your lineage should never be allowed to rise again, it would be doing the world a favour to end it with you.

So, today will be our final confrontation, Butcher of Wistover.

My Capital city has been destroyed, my backers are dead, my Kingdom is flooded, its people dead or dying.

These are the last of my men, loyal brothers who have followed me to the very end, and we’re slowly starving to death.” Kaizon insisted.

“So, you what? Came here to be a martyr?” Dominic asked.

“Perhaps. But you won’t live to see it.

Everyone meets their maker one day. I will do it on my own terms. You should have brought more than ten trolls with you.” Kaizon retorted.

“Ten is all that I need. A hundred thousand of your men died this month for their latest attack on me. This force of yours will not be enough to stop me.”

“We will see about that.”