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Fardon's census gets sidetracked by another unpleasant discovery

As a reminder, the story may contain some mature elements, but as usual I'm aiming for a PG-13 baseline.

Icon art from the Fardon reference by  FeatheryFlukes

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Chapter 19 - The Hadrovar incident

"Go away!" the voice called out of the cave.

"Nothing doing," Fardon retorted. "I need to talk to you, and if you won't come out, I'll come in."

Lights flickered on in the cave, and a scaly orange head appeared, followed by a well-built orange body. "Oh," the other dragon said. "Oh good. You're one of Us. I thought you were bringing sacrifices or something..."

"Please," a small voice was saying. "Sky-lord! We need the rains! I am ready... Do it now! Let my offering be blood!"

"Shut up," the dragon snapped.

"Sacrifices? Offerings? To bring rain...?" Fardon looked extremely displeased. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Do you have some kind of god complex?"

"You mean a cathedral...?" the dragon looked mortified. "Oh gods, I hope not. That's the last thing I need."

"No, no, no. Not that kind of god complex. Do you believe you are a god?"

"I know I'm not a god," the dragon sighed. "But the city doesn't. They keep sending me people to eat in exchange for making it rain. Which I cannot do!" he snapped, turning his head back to one of the sacrifices.

"If I am not worthy..."

"I do not eat people!" the dragon yelled. "Get that into your thick fucking skulls! I don't eat people, and I can't make it rain on demand!"

"Maybe if you did eat me-"

"NO!"

"Do you want me to take her back to the city?" Fardon offered.

"Oh, don't!" the dragon looked positively alarmed. "I tried that once, it was worse. I think the cityfolk sacrificed them anyway. I don't want to have that happen again."

"How many of these... er, sacrifices... have you got, uh..." Fardon asked, looking concerned.

"Zarnak," the dragon offered. "Right now, I have six uninvited guests. The smart ones left when they realised I wasn't going to eat them. I think they fled to the next town."

"I was going to offer to take them to the capital," Fardon said. "But six is more than I can easily carry. Either way, Lord Terror must be told about this. And he will not be pleased."

"That monstrous thug?" Zarnak looked angry. "He caused this mess. He's the one who started demanding the sacrifices in the first place!"

"What?!" Fardon looked furious. "What the fuck are you talking about?!"

"Lord Terror's man swooped down on the city, burned the town hall and then demanded people for his lord to eat! They..."

"Lord Terror has been very careful to keep his draconic nature hidden," Fardon interrupted. "The reason I am here at all was to negotiate an alliance and help him bring peace between dragons and the Small Folk once more, and this I am trying to do. Whatever is going on here is diametrically opposed to his plan, and he will NOT be pleased about it."

"Either he's played you for a fool, or..." Zarnak paused. "Wait... You met him in the capital?"

"Yes. In his disguised form. He did reveal himself as a true dragon on two occasions, but he has... Hmm. I suspect we are talking about two different Lord Terrors here. The one I know, the overlord of this realm I was sent to treat with, is white-furred, with black leather wings and horns. Yellow markings...?"

"Uh-huh," Zarnak said. "I'd say more like orange, but yes. That sounds like him."

"I refuse to believe it," Fardon retorted stiffly. "He sent me to help perform a census of dragons in his realm. If he knew about you, he would surely have given me your lair's location as a starting point. I must get to the bottom of this, and report back to him."

"He's lairing the other side of the valley," Zarnak sighed. "But the city will obviously be able to tell you where, since they're sending him people too."

"Take me!" one of the sacrifices called. "Let me be an offering to my lord!"

"No!" Fardon retorted. "You are a witness, and it won't help anyone if you are eaten. Besides which, the Overlord will go berserk. I refuse to feed anyone to any dragon. That is just the sort of thing he is trying to stamp out."

* * *

Fardon circled over Hadrovar city before landing in the square. A new city hall was mostly complete, and the dragon could smell cement and diesel exhaust on the breeze.

He glanced suddenly as a panda approached him, clad in formal dress.

"Mighty sky-lord," the mayor said. "Do you come for sacrifices? There are few we can spare these days, but if you will help us end the drought..."

"Absolutely not," Fardon croaked. "I am sent by the Overlord to ease tensions between dragonkind and the Small Races. Instead I find some kind of murder-cult going on here. If you're suffering from a drought, maybe you should try flattering a water-dragon. But most of us don't have that kind of power. Now, I really need you to stop sending people to be eaten, as the Overlord is going to have a fit if he finds out."

"But we were commanded by a mighty dragon lord to provide offerings! In exchange he would send the rains!"

"...And has he?"

"Well," the mayor admitted, "There was a mighty storm after the first time. Afterwards, not so much..."

"What is going on here?" a loud voice rasped. "Get out of here, intruder. This is my territory. Get your own food!"

Fardon craned his neck and saw a muscular grey dragon eyeing him with a malevolent expression.

"I am visiting," Fardon retorted. "I was sent by Lord Terror, Overlord of Arstrom, to take a census of dragons in the area and inform them of his plans to establish an accord between dragons and the Small Races."

"I serve Lord Terror, Scourge of the North," the dragon laughed nastily. "I am his lieutenant, and he needs no other."

"May I meet him?" Fardon asked. "Lord Terror of Arstrom City is going want to know of this."

"No!" the dragon snarled, blowing a warning jet of fire into the air. "Now get out of here, or there will be trouble!"

"The Overlord will hear of this," Fardon warned, fanning his wings for takeoff.

* * *

"How did it go?" Zarnak asked as Fardon returned.

"Badly," Fardon said. "They assumed I wanted sacrifices as well. Then some grey thug showed up, saying he was Lord Terror's lieutenant. While I could have taken him, it would have complicated matters politically. He did not want me to see Lord Terror, by the way."

"Are you going to head back south?" the orange dragon enquired.

"Yes," Fardon said. "My mission was to locate dragons and tell them of Lord Terror's plans. This will complicate things, but it's his problem, not mine."

"...And, assuming they are not both the same person, what was his plan?"

"He wants to establish contact with the dragons in Arstrom. Aside from this anomaly, our kind are feared and in some cases hated and hunted. He wishes to end all that and bring peace between dragons and the Small Races. But to do this, he will be exerting his authority upon those within his realm."

"Oh," Zarnak said. "That sounds ominous."

"I serve Lord Varl," Fardon said. "That does not mean I am his slave, nor are any other of his subjects. It means that he has the final say about what happens, and those who directly report to him, such as myself, are expected to obey direct orders. But for the common folk, they simply receive his protection, on the understanding that they obey his laws. That is what Lord Terror wants to do here, and reap the rewards that our system has brought to Taria."

"I'll want to know the details," Zarnak said. "But it doesn't sound like a bad offer. If he can get rid of the thugs around here, I would consider accepting his lordship."

"If you wish to meet him yourself, the dragon-porches of his palace are always open," Fardon said. "I was told to tell you this."

"I can't leave the sacrifices untended," the orange dragon sighed. "They'd starve. But if this mess gets sorted out, I'll definitely go check him out."

"Given the circumstances, it is likely he will come here," Fardon replied.

* * *

"Sir Fardon," Terry said, as the brown dragon entered the throne room. "Welcome back. But why is there a scantily-clad woman on your back?"

"There is a problem in Hadrovar, your lordship," Fardon began. The woman stared at Terry with a look of awe.

"Are you a dragon?" she asked. "Are you going to eat me? Will it bring the rains...?"

Lord Terror's eyes widened. "What on Eyrth are you talking about...?"

"Do you have much contact with Hadrovar, your lordship?" Fardon asked, lowering his neck and gently nudging the sacrifice off his back with one hand. "I am going to guess 'no'...?"

"It has been some months since a representative arrived," Terry admitted. "And the long-distance trunk line has been damaged. I have ordered construction of a microwave relay as a backup, but it will take time..."

"Some of the local dragons are demanding sacrifices," Fardon said evenly. "In the name of Lord Terror."

"The Scourge of the North," the sacrifice added excitedly. "I was to be his! That my death would end the drought plaguing our land!"

Lord Terror's hands clenched into shiny black fists and his lips curled to reveal sharp fangs. "Nobody is going to be eating anybody," he snarled thickly. "And I will not have my name sullied by vicious slander!"

"With all respect, your lordship, it is a slightly generic name..." Fardon remarked. Terry glowered at him.

"Lord Terror is a mighty dragon," the sacrifice explained. "He looks... Rather like you might if you were a dragon?"

"You have seen him?" Fardon looked shocked. "His minion would not let me meet with him."

"Oh, yes! He is white and black, with light orange markings," the woman said. "And he is the ruler of Hadrovar now."

Terry flinched. "We'll soon see about that," he grated. "Oh yes. I want dragons in Arstrom, but not like this. Now. I will try to arrange relief for the drought, but it seems I will also have to defend my territory."

"It is a long way, your lordship," Fardon pointed out. "Do you wish me to carry you there?"

"Your help is appreciated, but it will look better if I deal with this personally." Terry said. "I shall arrange a flight to the nearest airfield. For myself, and an armed retinue as backup. And to help re-establish order there."