The whole group composed of Daniel, Hekate, Neith, Kera'tai, Treia, Sodenizia, Tulztame, and Glizumi watch in a collective silence as a strange being uses her new, slender, reptilian hands to inspect her own hair. She also pivots to study her own body, from her humanoid chest and rather large breasts that compare directly to Ryuogriar and Gold, down to her long, reptilian tail and modest, dinosaur-like feet.

Yaulwembor is a faormyr, which were believed to be extinct by the very few who knew they even existed at all. In her natural form, she takes a form that would most easily be mistaken for a dragon, leading even the dragons and other elder members of the Fievegal to believe she is either a higher-evolved drake or some sort of evolutionary link between a dragon and their non-sentient counterparts.

However, as Hekate and a few of the other women discovered during an attempt to communicate with the faormyr, Yaulwembor is indeed sentient, but she's unable to communicate or understand anyone with exception of two highly specific methods of communication right now; dream-based spells used by Aoloan, and some sort of strange sign language that Hekate has figured out. And, with that sentience and some sort of instinct, she can almost instantly copy any spell she sees.

Yaulwembor's new appearance finds a rather distinct middle ground between her true draconic form and the humanoid forms the dragons take. Her face has a somewhat-human shape, but with a short distinctly reptilian-like 'muzzle' from a slightly bowed out jawline and snout that seems to suit the scaled texture of her skin, like an alligator-human fusion. Her mouth is distinct and wider than a human's with two teeth on each side a couple inches off of center, similar to an alligator's visible teeth even with her mouth closed. Her teeth are more sharklike, though, with broad, leaf-like shapes and a polished metallic silvery-blue color, rather than Hekate's shark-like triangular teeth.

Yaulwembor's body takes the form of a particularly fit-but-curvy woman from the knees up, essentially, though her currently-nude state is more subtle in the sense that her breasts and pelvic region don't overtly show her the features a human would have. She has the wide belly scales of an alligator from the underside of her neck, down her chest and belly, and flowing down to a short length from the tip of her broad, heavily scaled and ridged tail.

If anything, she looks a bit like a larger version of the kobolds, though her horns curve forward like hooks that she could slam forward and downwards with a headbutt to spear into her target.

The faormyr brushes her polished scales on her forearms briefly as she admires her new shape, fascinated that her spell worked.

Finally, after satisfying her curiosity, Yaulwembor approaches on dinosaur-like feet ending in sharp obsidian-black talons, identical to the short, sharp nails on her fingers. She has excellent posture that Daniel almost feels like he recognizes, but he can't place it just yet, and her gaze seems absolutely smug and proud of herself.

Hekate grips his shoulder a little nervously, but she is also the one to say quietly, "She says she likes you, Daniel, because you spared her life."

"So… another day that ends in 'y'?" jokes the human. He wants to lighten the mood, but his own heart is racing. Because she can't talk, and because she's extremely powerful, Yaulwembor is probably the most dangerous person present. She is unpredictable, and apparently knows exactly how she stacks up against everyone present. Given how aggressively she attacked and the spells she was comfortable using, the colateral of seriously trying to stop her would be far worse with such a limited team unable to contain or intercept her more powerful abilities than it was destroying half of a lakeside bringing her down the first time.

And, that was when Daniel had the Dragonslayer.

His mission against Kernuules was supposed to be straightforward and end with the destructive kinetic bombardment using the Fiendbreaker rods. If Yaulwembor turns on them, Hekate, Doephluev, and Neith will be the only ones who stand a chance of stopping her rampage.

"Your Greatness…" urges Neith cautiously.

"I… think it's fine. She looks happy," replies the feldrok girl with all of the confidence of a kitten.

Neith tries to step a little closer to her, reaching towards her as if to stop her. This prompts Yaulwembor to frown and lift her nose in obvious irritation, and she whirls, startling everyone as her broad tail sweeps wide.

Kera'tai instinctively panics and dives clear, as do Tulztame and Glizumi, while Sodenizia cuddles behind Daniel's back. Treia hugs Daniel as well, partially trying to protect him and be protected by him, as if she only wants her fate to be linked with his. Doephluev, Hekate, and Daniel all brace in their respective positions, unable to react to the suddenness of Yaulwembor's tail attack.

Neith, the target of her attack, does his best to snap his forearm up and brace.

With a meaty 'thwack' sound, Yaulwembor's tail halts against the grey dragon general's armor, and his strength is able to hold.

Or, did it?

Daniel glimpses through his narrowed eyes when Neith shifts in apparent surprise, and Yaulwembor smirks at him. The faormyr straightens her posture as she flicks her glossy iridescent silvery-white hair with her right hand like she's some kind of supermodel. She makes a repetitive clicking noise in the back of her mouth, which sounds exactly like the sparking of a dragon igniting their ignityal, but she doesn't actually light a pilot flame.

If anything, she's laughing at him.

Neith lowers his guard, and Doephluev asks, "Neith?"

"She… She's weak.." replies the dumbfounded dragon.

Yaulwembor passes by him, and he allows her. The strange draconic woman slips past the dumbfounded feldrok and archoneldwyn women, dropping to her kneels to immediately flop onto Daniel in pretty much the same way Hekate did. Though, she also emphasizes hugging her chest to Daniel, while he is stunned. She has a very similar feel to an alligator, with a cool, somewhat leathery touch to her scales and scutes, rather than the semi-flexible mini plates that protect her in her natural form. She still has the same rainbow-sheen over a platinum white base color, just like sharmelkolle, but she is much… softer.

Ryuogriar… That's who she was walking like… thinks Daniel to himself.

"{She's clever,}" teases Kaeralegier. "{She's emulating the people who already get what they want from you.}"

"Why would she make herself weaker?" asks Treia. She reaches towards Yaulwembor gently, but the faormyr smacks her hand away. Treia is pound for pound stronger than Daniel, but is more directly comparable to him due to her much smaller size. Still, her hand doesn't vaporize, but simply is batted away by the draconic woman. Yaulwembor pouts at her, and the gatonine looks to Hekate, who is the only one who can communicate 'directly'.

Doephluev answers, "She probably traded for something?"

"Traded for something?" repeats Daniel. He does his best to hold Yaulwembor, which seems to satisfy the dangerous apex predator.

The archoneldwyn nods. "I don't know much about transformative magic, since it uses exponentially more mana the more you wish to change. That's why I usually focus on 'further disguising my illusions'." To demonstrate, the pregnant pseudo-elf casts a spell on her, which alerts Yaulwembor, but she simply turns into a second version of Hekate, though with the archoneldwyn's moderate chest size, and instead of perky fox ears, she has droopier dog-like ears. She touches her 'ears', demonstrating that they're tangible, and then teasingly slides her hand down across the front of her outfit to draw attention to her chest. "As you know, I can make most of my appearance tangible, but it requires a lot of mana. And…" She touches her belly, which Daniel correctly challenged during the previous incident. Though it appears smaller, her hand still follows the growing bulge of the life within. "If I were to try to distort my most precious passengers in the process, it might drain their mana or lifeforce in the process to fuel the spell."

"So, if she's weaker…" thinks Kera'tai out loud. "Could it be she has more mana in this form?"

Doephluev shakes her head. "I don't think so. She drew in a lot of mana, including the extremely potent 'strange mana', but I think… She might have trained her strength knowing what we told her about Daniel in favor of her physical form. She still has the reactive scales she had, and even her hair seems to be tiny scales. I wouldn't trust their softness to reflect her reduced strength."

"She made herself invincible, didn't she?" asks Daniel, half joking, but knowing that, if she absorbed so much magic, which can alter reality in many ways, if she condensed it all somewhere else, she either chose something silly like her fertility, or she made sure she can't be harmed, while also matching what she thinks she understands about what Daniel likes.

Tulztame speaks up cautiously, and Hekate retorts, "You didn't find him first! We're all Daniel's friends!"

"Your Greatness, I doubt they understand the Eastern language," replies Neith. He speaks rather fluently with the kobold women, which perks them right up excitedly.

Daniel asks Doephluev quietly, "What exactly did you guys promise Yaulwembor?"

"You don't have to worry. She can't understand us either. I don't know why language magic doesn't work on her, but we tried several variations and languages. I almost suspect there's a curse on her, but…"

"More importantly," cuts in Treia. "Shouldn't we retreat to the Citadel before continuing nonsense? The others are probably still worried. And, with Arachne and Magnir incapacitated… I know they're safe in the void bag, but we aren't safe out here with those things. Especially if they think Yaulwembor left."

"I agree with her Grace," replies Neith after satisfying the three kobolds with whatever he told them. "There's… also a siege starting."

"What!?" Everyone else is surprised, and it startles the kobolds a little.

"Is it Mornistae again!?" asks Hekate sharply.

Yaulwembor can tell the tone has shifted sharply, and she glares at Neith, who seems to be the one causing it from her perspective. Daniel holds her shoulders to keep her from reacting, since it seems to be effective. He's not sure what's going on with Yaulwembor entirely, but if she cooperates, they won't have much to worry about.

Neith shakes his head, replying, "No. It appears the remnants of the Demon Hegemony have invaded." He looks at Daniel saying somewhat apologetically, "My Liege, it seems the mana of the Citadel is nearly completely depleted."

Daniel is quiet for a moment. Arachne relayed that much, and if the Hegemony's remnant is attacking, it means that either there is another spy, since Thymeria doesn't know anything about the Fiendbreakers, or they have been keenly watching the Citadel for an opportunity to strike.

"It's only been a few days since the Fiendbreakers were used!" complains Treia. "There's no way the demons… er, the enemy demon-kin could mobilize a siege that quickly."

"Regardless, we need to return immediately," states Doephluev. She narrows her eyes, though, and stares at Neith. "Sir Neith, how exactly do you know about this siege when no one communicated it to myself or her Greatness at the very least?"

Neith isn't like the others in that he doesn't have much of a personal grudge against Doephluev. In a sense, he could be considered worse than her, since she was a hired assassin doing her job, while Neith attacked Daniel and the others during his own personal quest for vengeance. As such, he shows her the same relative respect he would show any of Daniel's mistresses, all of whom, at this point, seem to hold the title of 'Empress'. "Your Grace, I received a telepathic message from Gold. The Empresses agreed that we should retrieve Daniel without distraction, but…"

"I'll have to thank Gold," replies Daniel. "Did she indicate the state of the Citadel right now?"

"The Empresses and Stalvaltan family delegated responsibilities. I can catch you up on more details, but your Greatness, do you think you can transport all of us back to the Citadel."

"Sure," replies Hekate. "But, will they be alright?" She gestures at the kobold women, and all three perk up. They quickly rush to Daniel and petition him with, "Daniel! Daniel! Please! Daniel!"

Neith clears his throat, and he says diplomatically, "According to Tulztame, the eldest one, Daniel and Magnir promised to take care of them until they have a village they can thrive in."

Hekate sighs, and she looks at Daniel with disgust as Yaulwembor growls lightly at the kobolds, who in turn, try to chatter and hum at her. Because she can understand virtually any language as a feldrok, Hekate seems to grow even more exasperated listening to them. She looks to Doephluev, asking dryly, "Well, you're acting Empress, still, Doephluev. What do you think?"

The archoneldwyn restores her own appearance to normal, and she flexes her cheeks and jaw, making faces of deliberation and exasperation of her own. Daniel knows he and Magnir are caught, though Daniel's own strange situation was less of his own idea and more like an unthinkable fantasy come true.

Doephluev sighs. "It's clear Darling likes them." She looks to Hekate, saying a little more pragmatically, "But, that doesn't have to be the only reason. Kobolds are crafty and intelligent. Arguably more so than goblins. And, they are quite fertile. They may be a good addition to the Fievegal in the long run."

Hekate scowls at Daniel as she continues to ponder, and Treia finally states, "Just bring them with us. Three aren't going to affect us much either way."

Hekate and Doephluev both sigh again and nod, and Doephluev says, "Sir Neith, please tell them we'll take them with us. But, they'll need to follow our instructions, and they have to cooperate and respect our authority."

Neith gives a respectful dip of his head, and he explains what she just said to the lizardwomen.

Hekate then uses her strange hand signals to inform Yaulwembor of what's about to happen, even going so far as to 'trigger' her teleportation before cancelling the spell. Yaulwembor hums, but she climbs off of Daniel, standing up. Instead, she grabs Daniel by the arm and pulls him to his feet a little less than gently. She still has the strength of a fairly strong person, but within the range of 'human', as opposed to several of the others around them. "Oh, uh, thanks," replies Daniel.

Everyone gathers close as Hekate prepares to cast the mass-teleportation spell. Just before she begins casting, Daniel says, "Actually, wait a minute…"

He can't help but look around them at the carnage that started as a ghost town.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Hekate stops, and everyone looks at him.

He studies the last few surviving houses of the abandoned village for a moment longer.

Or rather, the exterminated village.

He's convinced that the houses were not built for or by the scorpion monsters, and they attacked his group without warning.

Monsters mutate and thrive in the presence of large amounts of mana, and they attack indiscriminately. The scorpion monsters seemed a little more intelligent than the monsters he has seen so far, but Kernuules did as well, and the Archfiend of the Forest was nothing short of an abomination.

"This village was wiped out by those scorpion things," explains Daniel. "I hate to leave them to attack and annihilate another village like this."

"But, shouldn't we worry about the Citadel first?" asks Treia.

Daniel nods as he thinks about it. But, the others were planning on leaving Hekate and Neith in the dark in order to have them find Daniel.

He instructs, "Neith, tell Gold that you and Hekate have reunited with me, and that we're finishing up one last problem here before joining them at the Citadel defense. We should be done within a day, if you don't mind flying us."

Neith nods, "As you wish, my Liege."

"Any objections?" asks Daniel as he looks at the Empresses, including Doephluev. Neith also explains the plan to the kobolds, and they nod as they listen to the dragon. Because of their reverence for dragons, it's likely they'll do whatever he says anyways.

Hekate replies, "I don't really care about monsters this far away, but I guess I would feel bad if I found out another village was gobbled up by them. Still, what about Sir Magnir and Arachne? Shouldn't we focus on reviving them first?"

Daniel shakes his head. "I do have antidote potations in my bag, but if it's not enough to save them, or it's not fast-acting enough, they won't make it. My plan is to sic Yaulwembor on the scorpions, wherever they've gone, and wipe them out at least in this area. We can try to launch a more dedicated operation after the fact."

"If I may, why bother with it?" asks Doephluev. "Tragic or not, you owe nothing to people this far away when we're already wrapped up in so many issues."

Daniel smiles bitterly at this. Doephluev is correct, and it seems he's the only one actually interested in a preventative measure that will go unthanked, even if they make contact with the natives of the area later.

"The kobolds live around here, for starters. And, the scorpions might prove useful if we can obtain some of their bodies for their poison. If the antidote potations don't work, we need to make sure to put our researchers on it. I know the war can and probably should be turned first, but we have the trail of the scorpions right now. If we drove them towards another settlement…"

Doephluev sighs. "Darling, Darling, Darling. I didn't say I object. I just wanted to hear your motivation. A good wife understands her beloved's motivations and makes them her own." She grins deviously, winking at Hekate.

"Y-Yeah!" exclaims Hekate. "I was going to agree anyways, because… um… Oh! The Citadel can't change masters even if it's abandoned right now. You're the Master of the Citadel, so as long as you don't die, they would just waste their time if they captured it. And, if Xyreko's mana restores, she'll kill everyone anyways. So, really, keeping you away from the fighting where an army is involved is probably better." Hekate puts her hands on her hips, nodding proudly that she concluded all of these things, which actually are morbidly good points as well.

Treia scoffs. "I'll make this suggestion, if you don't mind hearing me out;" She glances at Hekate, who cocks her head. As always, Hekate's innocent expressions are amplified by her big ears and cute face. The gatonine continues, "Since any of us taking hits from the poison attacks mean we'll be right alongside Sir Magnir and…" She gets a facetious smirk, adding, "Princess Arachne, I would suggest that Daniel, the kobolds, Kera'tai and I hold position here, while the four of you track down and annihilate the monsters. We'll likely only slow you down."

"I must protest, your Grace," replies Neith. "I can't protect you if we are apart, and there's no telling what else might appear while we are gone. Though, I do agree we should split our most powerful forces."

"Someone will need to keep Yaulwembor in check, anyways," replies Kera'tai, looking at Hekate. "And, I doubt she's going to be easy to convince to be led astray, so it's probably just going to have to be all of us together. Neith will carry us, I'll defend, and Yaulwembor will guide us. From there, we'll just attack as efficiently as we can. I think it's the safest way. Especially because Neith can keep us airborne while we attack from above."

The dragon thinks about this, and Daniel adds, "I'm fine with this plan. Treia's right, that we'll get in the way more than anything, especially because I don't have the sense of smell to contribute. I trust you, Neith, to keep us safe in spite of the burden I'm causing."

The leading Jomsviking sighs. "I would never consider you a burden, my Liege. Her Grace Kera'tai is right. Yaulwembor came to find you, because she chose you. She won't likely cooperate if we now try to separate you. And, I would prefer to keep her Greatness out of harm's way as well, since she doesn't have her full armor."

"I didn't think I'd need it just to swoop in and kidnap Daniel!" whines Hekate. "Plus, it made Yauly unhappy." Her ears droop, and Daniel pets her head.

"I appreciate it, Sweetpea. We'll go with that, then. Thank you guys. Like I said, if you have any reason to believe the Citadel is in dire straits, alert us, and we'll return immediately." He looks at everyone briefly. "This is my selfish compassion wanting to save people only because I know about the danger they're in, while trusting my family to handle the Citadel. But, ensure they know to be careful with their lives."

"If that's not the lemon calling the lime sour…" grumbles Treia a little dryly.

During a momentary lull before Neith steps away, Yaulwembor takes Daniel's hand and puts it on her head, mimicking his petting of Hekate. Hekate pouts a little, but Daniel gives the faormyr what she wants. He much prefers to keep her happy if it means he has another warrior of mass destruction on his side.

Hopefully, he'll be able to keep her strength pointed in the right direction.

***

Veiranoei does her best to focus on breathing. She took a hefty dose of ginger root powder, which she now keeps on her, in order to prepare herself for her part in the mission with Ryuogriar, Roeta, and Gold. She is but a mere gatonine surrounded by nigh-invincible dragons.

Roeta is the weakest of the three dragons, but even she could incinerate an entire fortress in mere minutes if she was unchallenged. In fact, Gold is the most restrained at the moment because she is still under the effects of a magical contract Daniel applied during his initial conquest of the Citadel, which prevents Gold from taking any offensive actions against anyone. While Roeta is still under contract, because there is some consequence to removing contracts over modifying them, she has no restrictions any more, and serves faithfully and loyally as what the Fievegal now calls 'Einherjars', which is the collective group that includes the Jomsviking, which are the male dragon knights, and Valkyries, the female dragon knights as well as the Empresses.

From what she has since heard, the title of Valkyrie comes from the Otherworld, and represents a type of battle goddesses or spirits, where they are 'the Choosers of the Slain'.

Such a title feels impossible to assign to anyone but the dragons, and maybe Hekate. Veiranoei has only seen Hekate in action in small amounts, but against Yaulwembor, the pint-sized warrior who could be mistaken for a half-shenwulf child lived up to being the Empress of the Fievegal.

Ryuogriar's movements are graceful, and she somehow bridges the gap between a buckrokh and a shuttle. Without looking, Veiranoei would never actually know she's flying, since she's sitting on the massive dragon's neck. Additionally, the First Dragon Empress is using wind magic to shield herself in a bubble of still air, which serves to make her more aerodynamic, intercept simple ranged attacks, and also, for passengers on her back, the wind isn't blasting them in the face and drowning out noise, similar to being in the passenger section of the shuttles.

The gatonine knight and rather new Empress looks out over the castle she is a low-ranking ruler of. It's almost dizzying how high they are just by leaving the flyway, since the Citadel alone could pass for a mountain if its features weren't as deliberately structured as they are. And, with Geirahoel gardening pretty much everywhere there is an exterior surface that can hold soil and planters, the castle has a sort of natural beauty that can only be directly compared with a mountain hosting sporadic, beautiful natural landscapes. The town around the fortress inside of its main wall is comparatively sparse and rather insignificant-seeming when compared to the Citadel itself or the massive wall protecting it.

And, on that wall are the troops of the Fievegal, as well as the Stalvaltan guardsmen and the massive artillery pieces that will be firing on the invaders soon enough.

The horde of the Hegemony, in contrast, forms a slow moving dark mass towards the wall, with fires and smoke burning in the distance. It wasn't a topic of conversation much since Veiranoei joined the Fievegal, but it's clear that the demons and demon kin weren't as scattered to the winds as the Fievegal had hoped. Now, they are marching in force to strike the Citadel the very moment it is at its most weak defensive posture.

"Do you think Thymeria was able to relay a message?" asks Veiranoei aloud.

Seeming to notice, Gold drifts closer, and she barrel-rolls over top of Ryuogriar, transforming on the fly into her human form. She lands on Ryuogriar's back, standing casually as if they aren't a mile or more in the air. "I don't think Thymeria could have predicted Emperor Harbinger was going to deplete the Citadel's mana"

Ryuogriar, able to hear them, nods in agreement. Gold leans over to look past the Empress's neck at the ground and the demons far below and head of them.

"Isn't the timing too convenient, though?" asks the gatonine.

"Oh, I didn't say that I think no one told them. I'm just suggesting that I don't think it was Thymeria."

"Th-... Then… Aoloan?" asks the feline woman nervously. Daniel genuinely believes Aoloan was being subtly brainwashed alongside Vaergraes to act as slightly suspicious foils for Thymeria; they were meant to be the ones every suspected if and when suspicions started to rise, such that Thymeria would be able to alert her allies and escape. It's unclear whether or not Thymeria was able to inform whoever it is that she serves, but the sudden attack by the demon covenant certainly raises supicions.

"I don't know," replies Gold. "Could be one of the acolytes. Could be a villager. Heck, for all we know, it could be one of the golems. Everything I've seen, they aren't slaves in actuality. They simply choose to serve the master of the Citadel. And, the current Master is our fool of a human Emperor, the Harbinger of Calamity."

Ryuogriar glares at Gold briefly, prompting the feisty blonde to grin at her. "Pay attention up there, Boobie Empress, we're almost in range, and there are airborne threats."

The platinum dragon carrying the two looks forward, and sure enough, even Veiranoei can spot the wing wyverns.

"Leave this part to me!" calls out Veiranoei.

Yes, she is afraid of the height at which they are flying. Yes, she knows she is outclassed as a combatant the moment even one dragon is present, and there are three around her alone.

Yes, she is an Empress in name only because she refuses to be a lover to the Emperor.

However, Veiranoei has seen what the Fievegal truly is.

It's a collection of weirdoes, eccentrics, and recluses who have come together as a family centered around an otherworlder human with no magic of his own.

And, family is the most important part.

The Fievegal is a messy and disorganized fledgling empire empowered only by the command of the Citadel itself, but it is a place where everyone is valued so much that the Emperor himself would rather foolishly face their problems head on than send soldiers to die in battle.

And, Veiranoei is a part of that family, now.

She draws one of the heaviest weapons she could carry into battle from a void bag; a 'multi-grenade launcher', as Daniel calls it. It possesses a rotating cylinder loaded with ten anti-air scattershots, rather than the grenades it's named for.

"Oooh, good choice," remarks Gold. "I suspect his Harbingeriness plans to use that against me, so I'm curious to see it in action."

Veiranoei is a little unsettled by the dragon's words, but it's no secret that she is a battle-junkie. She loves to be seen as the strongest, and the only reason she is as tame as she is right now, supposedly, is because of her egg, which has yet to hatch.

The gatonine takes a breath as she steadies herself. She trusts Ryuogriar, and she is harnessed to the Dragon Empress's neck by a rope that gives her just enough slack to move around a bit. And, in a worst case scenario, she prays any of the three dragons can come to her rescue.

It's fine. You can do this, Veira. Though, when Grandfather hears of this…

The knight of Mattarglos and Twelfth Empress of the Fievegal shakes her head clear, climbing to her feet to stand bravely against the sky itself.

I AM an Empress of the Fievegal. Let's do this.

Veiranoei aims a bit high, but not as she would with a bow and arrow. The shells of the anti-air scattershot are among the most peculiar she has had described to her yet.

Unlike the regular rifle rounds or even the grenades, these shots have three steps meant for combat from the dragons; the first is firing, and with a deep 'Boom' that kicks the weapon back hard in her hip-firing position, the shell is projected forth. It arcs just out in front of Ryuogriar before a spark kicks in, and with a trail of smoke, the projectile races forward even faster than the dragon is cruising.

Several of the wyvern riders see the streak of smoke approaching, and they dip to avoid it, since her shot was a little high. But, it doesn't matter.

The third stage is a timed explosion, which detonates ahead of where the wyverns are, launching a blast of metal pellets mostly forward with renewed ballistic velocity.

One of the wyverns is hit, and it immediately bucks in the air, falling back from its comrades and startling the ones behind it as its rider desperately tries to get control. The airborne reptilians are more common than dragons, but they can be extremely difficult for the demon-kin to use in effective combat. Unlike the shuttle, wyverns aren't very good at slowing down without coming to a stop and flapping their wings, which means they are mainly focused on strafing attacks to make use of spears and rocks, of which the rider will have a finite amount. They make excellent raiders on supply trains, but are less useful when sieging a fortress, since the eastern kingdoms were already using specialized catapults and purpose-built ballistas to engage them.

With weapons purpose built for combat against things like shuttles, even the best wyvern riders will have nothing but terror coming for them.

Veiranoei breathes deep, feeling the cool air of the sky that more gently passes her by. Ryuogriar glances only once over her shoulder, giving an approving nod, and the gatonine knight braces herself.

She has nine more scatter-shot shells.

"Oh goddess! Hear my prayer! Let me prove my strength, and if I am worthy, I humbly desire the right to carry the title of Valkyrie!"

Veiranoei fires all nine shots in quick succession, stumbling and being knocked into twists, but carefully and quickly aiming and firing again. Because of the timed charges, unless she gets a direct hit, they'll quickly pass into the range where the shots will pass over the wyverns.

But, she has a second strategy lined up and ready for that.

The explosions and streaks of smoke race out in front of them, and Ryuogriar navigates skillfully straight towards the wyverns. Until she receives word that Reignleif is ready, they need to buy time and avoid danger.

Ryuogriar alone could defeat the wyverns, but there are a lot of them, and it would consume a lot of her magic or force her to use her fire breath.

The wyvern riders have since scattered from the barrage of the gatonine's attacks, and just as she's finally relaxing the grenade launcher to stow it, she is a little startled by Gold pushing something into view; the stock of the heavy machine gun the gatonine intended to use next.

Gold gives a big, toothy grin, adding, "I saw this one next. I assume we're of one mind." "Th-Thanks," replies Veiranoei. She feels a little unsure about Gold going through the void bag on the young Empress's back, but it is helpful. The two trade weapons, and Veiranoei has to hold the huge repeating weapon at her waist. The gun alone, even without bullets, weighs more than Veiranoei does. Thankfully, she doesn't need the big ammo cans that the goblins were using during their mission against Kernuules.

Though experimental, this machine gun as a fusion of everything the Fievegal has come to personify; the fusion of magic and technology from two different worlds.

"Oooo, I see, now, I see," muses Gold. "So, he hoped to avoid reloading against me, hmm?"

Veiranoei is a little worried with Gold talking so casually about a fight with Daniel, since their relative advantages can only possibly be lethal to the other. Daniel's weapons either kill or they don't. They have to be lethal to be effective against dragons, meaning the best Gold could hope for is to have wounds that force her to surrender, but can be healed.

And, Daniel absolutely cannot take a hit from the dragon, or he'll be turned into paste.

Or fried into ash.

Or rent into many irreparable pieces.

The trick Gold is talking about in this case, of course, that she now won't be caught off-guard by, is the miniature void bags on either side of the heavy machine gun. Once active, one of the bags begins feeding ammunition to the machine gun via a chain belt, while the other captures the spent shells through a chute to ensure minimal waste and prevent copying the weapons for as long as possible.

"I'll have to apologize to Daniel for spoiling his side of the duel," remarks Veiranoei as she aims the weapon ahead of Ryuogriar. From what she was told by Xyreko, there is fifty thousand rounds of ammunition in the bag, meaning she can fire continuously for 100 minutes, assuming the barrel doesn't melt or the gun starts firing off rounds spontaneously from the heat.

Since the machine gun can very likely harm or kill the dragons, Veiranoei's responsibility is even greater than ever.

Short bursts, Veira. Focus on the closest ones first.

With just a short squeeze of the trigger, the gun thunders like a drum of the gods, and Ryuogriar, Gold, and Roeta all noticeably flinch. The weapon bucks in Veiranoei's grip all but barely holding it up near her hip, and golden streaks race forth at seeming random.

However, even without being able to shoulder fire it as effectively, she is able to steer the stream of bullets.

Where the grenade launcher was able to take down a few of the wyverns and their riders, the machine gun only becomes deadlier the closer they get.

***

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