Book 3: Chapter 60
Zayde
We traveled the 200 miles in about an hour and a half. Well… I got there sooner than he did. I scented their village, but when they saw me, they screamed.
They had little wooden huts with green thatched rooves made of living vines and such. That was smart, however, there seemed to be more houses than people. I counted maybe 60 in total, children included at a glance, so there may be more.
The males shifted, but before it got out of hand, I became a ball of black-red smoke, and landed with a flashy, but harmless explosion.
That also took a fair bit of energy, but they won’t know that.
“I am here before Azugos, but he has kneeled to me.” I said firmly. “I am Zayde, leader of Yellow Diamond, a dark witch.” I bowed to be polite, but I could tell Azugos’s father was legitimately afraid… He looked like he remembered the hunts.
Blue wyvern venom because it is so necrotic, is Wonderful for dropping on camps. Add magic to some arrows, and rain them on the mortals…. Their screams were delicious. I had to reel in that behimoth blood of mine… but I saw More than just blue.
He was protecting a small collection of his people, holding an Alpha’s scent.
“I… What are you even my lord?” Asked my new thrall’s, black haired father. “I am Sai’fire, and this is my family… We are the last of our kin.”
Sai is usually used for draconic royalty…. Also he had black hair with red accents… He was a Taipan wyvern.
Oh there were a lot of colors…. Red Wyverns boil the blood, Green ones are acidic… Purple ones do a weak combination of blue and red….
I hit the Jackpot. Wyverns aren’t extinct, but they may as well be. Brown and gray wyverns are everywhere; so are ones that breathe ice or fire…. But his kind, the ones who spew acid or hold venom are nearly gone.
“I too come from a rare people. I am a Dark Witch who specializes in demon transformation, specifically the master’s largest demon, the Bahimoth.” I said shimmying on the pants Azugos gave me earlier.
“I don’t know why I settled so closely… I ask you, my flock, to fly with our better… I cannot protect you any longer.” He bowed. “I vow my blood. I know I am no match.”
He was probably 75ft tall by his scent, *impressive* but not as big as me….
“That’s actually what I came for. There looks to be only 60 of you, excluding your whelps.” I saw about 24 kids from ages 5 to 15. They lay many eggs at a time like dragons, however they are hunted since their people don’t get human shapes until 5… So someone must already know their location.
“The other 38 are out on a hunting raid…. But I can call them.” He said taking off his clothes, and handing them to I assume his mate.
She also had black hair, so it kind of confirmed that the color of their people is random, despite how it’s so tied into their abilities…. Interesting.
He became an 80ft wyvern and called his people, while I did math… 38+24+60=122 of a nearly extinct race…
“….My lord would you like refreshment?” She scented like his daughter. I’d guess and say she was probably in her 20’s. The black-haired female certainly looked it, but I already knew what she was up to.
These are an old, isolated people, dragons no less. By tradition in their culture, she’d probably be my second wife.
“No thank you.” I said casually. “I have a mate.”
“Surely a beast such as yourself has multiple wives. Even father has two.” She mumbled.
“If I were not a witch; I assume you think I have some kind of motive. There really isn’t. I merely saw such a rare creature, and I figure you’re worth more alive to milk for venom, rather than culling the last colony for likely another thousand miles.” I said being handed strong drink by a red headed male…
“Refreshment my lord.” He hissed.
It seemed like they knew how to make this too. “Do you all put your venom in all your drinks?” I asked a little angrily.
The red haired male looked horrified. “I-”
I poured it out. The grass bubbled, then melted.
“I don’t want to hear your excuses.” I growled. He kneeled low, and his mate and small child ran to beg for his stupid life. “I know you followed your instincts, but I’m immune.” I lied.
I’m not, but it would be my size that saves my ass. That I can become big enough to out heal the side effects is the *only* thing that would have stopped my blood from dissolving in my veins, the little shit.
I let them see my red eyes, it seemed they needed to be submitted a little harder. My presence was enough to make the little ones hide behind their mothers. That wasn’t my intention, but it seems that this variant of drake needs that level of oppression. I don’t need anyone turning on me again.
“I vow in blood… I will never try anything like that again. You are Alpha…” he waited to die, even closing his eyes.
I mean… Poisoning the Alpha *is* a viable reason to kill him for…. But… I wanted the red venom more than his death.
“All of you, vow now your loyalty to me and my mate, to my coven.” I barked. “Do so and you will not only have life, but you will be my pets.” I didn’t sugar coat it. “Not one of you will be culled for parts and meat like wild game, however, in return I want vials of your venom once every dark moon.”
That’s fair. They will recuperate the same day from such a small amount asked for, but we’re immortal… In a few centuries I will likely have the largest and most varied collection of poisons and venom… Period, not just with my people…. Their venom keeps even when powdered…
That dust is Great to mix in needle traps…. It’s also *Incredibly* expensive for colored wyvern venom… Thousands for even just a milligram…. And I have 122 of them, a little over half of which are milking age.
I resisted calling Velimier. I wanted them all to vow to me first!
I could barely contain my excitement for the experiments I know they will all Froth to pay in Gold for! I won’t let any of my wyverns leave my coven however. I know how I’ll treat them, but my father and uncles have not had the time for their hearts to soften…
That thought made me a little more suspicious.
The sight of Yellow Wyverns distracted me. I hadn’t seen them since the war!
That venom can be inverted into healing potions, since that venom in its pure state attacks the very lifeforce of the individual, though unlike black venom, it isn’t as potent, so it Can be worked with.
Yellow venom gives its own version of the Black Death. The symptoms feel like it… so they were *especially* hunted. The ones I looked at very well could be the last of their entire people….
I bet the Jekels will want to buy my entire supply, however only the Jekels who come with me may get any of the raw material… I was already making plans.
One look at me and they bowed and vowed as well… but Sai’fire’s naked form showed a brand on the back of his neck. He was 691-A, and experiment’s number… Seeing that brand so deep made me a little less enthusiastic about messing with their venom.
“I remember Elkteer’s tyranny… He hunted us like pray…. And ate us like candy.” Said Sai’fire. “So I willingly offer myself as the first of your experimentation. He left off with fusing my black venom with the essence of Tarteron Dust….” He showed me his rotted fangs. “It works, but too well…. Flesh is rotted meat in my mouth, not that I can taste anymore… The skin on my tongue must regrow every sunset…”
…. That angered me.
Now I understand why the master did not return Elkteer….
And why nobody contacted his soul… Nor was it present when the master gifted Yellow to Tiffany…
Surely his spirit should have been there to see- Grandfather knew.
He knew about this and allowed his rotted son to tinker on the little mortals and even our own soldiers…. For What.
What did he find?
The church did these poor creatures a fucking favor. It says something that he disgusts a man who held the title of ‘The Butcher.’
My hostility made them kneel at my feet… They wouldn’t even run from me. I could see it in their eyes that that was bred into their instincts…. That some part of them, their independence was stripped from them…. Domesticating them….
Their eyes no longer flashed with an inner beast… That race was split…now they are fused… I knew the first generation for that to happen to did not live long… I wonder does the Realm King know?
His temper should not be roused…. I know this will anger him. The Realm King might even smite us for it…
A secret that only we older witches knew… to enslave a race so thoroughly that they become a *different* people… it is possible here.
He likely used flesh magic he learned from Eskaal on the eggs….
But this was beyond my studies.
This is *too* close to the Last Secret to investigate… but that I knew that much was dangerous.
He experimented with dragons…. Even those who didn’t side with the master are still fae… still protected from something like **this.** All life is.
“I have an idea for a solution.” I said wondering if I could draw runes on his teeth to prevent them from hurting the holder of such a potent acidic venom. “I assume then that your wives are the females he paired you with.”
“Yes master… Though Azugos is the only living son… the others were successes.” He mumbled.
“You don’t have to worry about being bred either.” I said firmly. “If any of you have whelps, congratulations, otherwise I have no intention of using you, other than collecting your *willingly* given venom.”
The wheels in my head began to turn… what else was Elkteer doing? No one was around to stop him, and he was the only coven stationed out here in the jungle.
*I know he has a lab… That isn’t something you’d keep in your castle.*
It made me wonder just how bad off were the little creatures. I know Eskaal made the bird, the pargeese…. These wyverns are the survivors of illegal, outright experimentation….
There Has to be a lab here somewhere…. Between here and the coven is 200 fucking miles to look through…
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