Divine Beast Ascension

634 Put Rofar In Charge

“Either let me pass, or you die!” Oli declared with a roar. “And you chose death!”

FWOOSH!

“AaGaaAHhh! …”

A plume of purple flames drenched the caught captain, seeping into the man’s open torso and covering his entire lower body. The captain cried in agony as his flesh and internal organ were consumed by fire.

But Oli never shot the flames at the captain’s head or face. Instead, he tossed the captain up the palace road so his spastic screams and dying wails were seen and heard by all palace guards.

*********

“Leader Rokkal!”

A yell came from the hallway, just outside the open door of the territory leader’s room.

“What is it!?” Rokkal shouted back in question. His eyes were squarely placed on the mirror before him, helping him admire the armor that a squire was equipping to Rokkal’s torso.

.....

“A dragon appeared in the city!” that sprinting messenger exclaimed while poking his head into the territory leader’s chambers, dropping to his knees in respect.

“A dragon?! What sort?” Rokkal asked with a deathly leer.

The messenger kowtowed, hurriedly explaining, “It’s black and breathes purple flames. It’s not as big as legends say, but it will reach the palace doors in minutes!”

Rokkal sneered and blurted, “It’s probably that damned drake assassin that those pitiful Blood Moon survivors were rambling about. So send those assassins out immediately! They’ve had enough rest, this is their last chance to prove themselves or be executed!”

“Y-yes, Leader Rokkal.”

“And put Rofar in charge,” Rokkal added with an unconcerned expression. His eyes were already back on the mirror, admiring his expensive armor. “Between the four of them, they should be able to mortal drake. If they can’t do that much, then their deaths won’t be of any loss to us.”

“Of course, Leader Rokkal. Right away!” the messenger shouted with a final bow before scurrying back into the palace halls.

The messenger quickly reached his first stop, being only a few doors down from the king’s quarters.

Knock! Knock–

“What is it?” Rofar asked, opening the door before the messenger could finish knocking.

When the messenger saw that Rofar was already geared up and ready for battle, a swell of relief finally appeased the man’s worried heart. “Master Rofar, I’m so glad you’re battle ready! The drake assassin appeared in the city and will breach the palace doors any minute now.”

“Right, then I’ll get to work,” Rofar stated while brushing past the messenger and marching into the hall.

“A-also, Master Rofar…” The messenger was startled to see such a contrast of concern and willingness between the Prodson Patriarch and the Prodson Heir, but the messenger had no time to lose. “I’ll be sending the three Blood Moon survivors to join you, placing you in command of the palace’s defenses!”

Rofar waved from over his shoulder. “Thanks for the information!”

As the messenger ran off in the opposite direction, rushing to reach the surviving assassins, Rofar sprinted in a flurry of wind essence. Rofar traversed the halls even faster and more precisely than the messenger. After all, Rofar had been raised in the palace all his life.

It took Rofar less than a minute to reach his first and only stop. He waved to the two guards beside the door and retrieved the room key.

Click…

The next moment, the door was open and Rofar was standing in the doorway. As Khas instantly hopped off the bed to his feet, Rofar was already explaining, “The palace is under attack by a drake. You’ll join me in protecting the palace and the palace staff, so follow my every order with precision and without hesitation.”

“Understood, Commander Rofar,” Captain Khas replied with a bow.

When Rofar rushed off in a gust of wind, Khas did the same. The duo had no trouble zipping through the palace and no one dared to stop them from using essence within palace walls, given the emergency situation in place.

Just as the palace doors came into view, the double doors exploded open in a rush of purple flames and splinters.

Nearly all palace guards within the palace had already been moved to guard the entrance in case of a breach. And they were all cowering before the daunting, draconic beast.

The dark, moonlit night was a perfectly menacing backdrop for the drake’s appearance. Standing amidst a mess of shattered wood and purple flames, the pitch-black scales were all the more striking. Whisps of purple fire escaped from the side of the beast’s mouth with every breath. Those black and purple wings fanned the flames around the beast. And those sharp, penetrating eyes felt like they could rip into a mortal soul with but a blink.

“Halt!”

That loud order startled the trembling guards. And it surprised Oli as well.

*Perennial… And he’s with Khas?* Oli mentally surmised.

Khas kept his cool, acting as if he had never seen the drake before in his life.

Rofar, on the other hand, continued to surprise everyone present the moment he came within five krin of the drake.

Dropping to one knee and bowing his head, Rofar declared, “I surrender Prodson Palace and all of Prodson Territory.”

“WHAT!?!”

“All I ask for, in return, is the removal and execution of Rokkal Prodson,” Rofar finished his jarring statement despite the sudden shouts of the palace guards.

Oli quickly caught on to the situation, remembering Vloz’s earlier statement about a man on the inside.

Still, Vloz telepathically spoke up while hiding in plain sight, ‘He’s our in. We can claim the territory without slaughtering the city or even removing the Prodson Family. Accept and play along.’

“Very well, I accept your terms,” Oli nonchalantly replied to the kneeling man, playing his part and further shocking the crowd of guards. “I’ll spare everyone that doesn’t threaten me. And I’ll kill Leader Rokkal.”

Rofar quickly got back to his feet and turned his back to the drake. “Then, please, follow me. Captain Khas?”

“Yes, Commander?” Khas replied, seeking both orders and some kind of explanation.

“You are to guard our drake guest with your life,” Rofar ordered. “As for everyone else, don’t raise a single weapon or verbal threat against our guest! Doing so will result in Captain Khas quickly and silently ending your lives.”