Chapter 311 - Dreqai

'I feel good today,' woke in a good mood, Staxius leaned over to kiss Xula. The lady slept as peacefully as the snow falling for winter. Warm parched lips caressing her cheeks made her shuffle with her hand swinging wildly. Barely dodging an unconscious slap, he stood and tiptoed to Lizzie. An uncanny resemblance to her mother; the same posture, the same aura. Her cries at night grew more obnoxious – caring for the babe at night didn't trouble the least for he was a vampire. Dedicated, the heart that felt a little grew to be stronger. The experience of losing Lizzie the first time had served to only reinforce the mind and soul. The separation from Daemonum Gladio was a direct product. The weapon had remained dormant for too long. Through adversity whilst sparring against the goddess – the difference in power grew obvious. The weakness was always taking the world on alone; though it would have been for the best; a decision was made. Opposed to subjecting his companions to hardship, Staxius's mind was set on one thing – to create an immortal army. One that death could not stop; loyal subjects for when he took a seat on the throne. 

"Rosetta," locking the door behind, the maid appeared from out of nowhere. Normally presumed that she'd teleported, the head-maid always stood on standby in a shadow down the corridor, thus the feeling of teleportation. 

"What is it that you wish?" she asked with a bow.

"I'll be leaving later in the day, could you have my clothes and arms readied?" accustomed to the ways of the palace; most of his job was handled by servants. 

"With pleasure, what is the desired form of attire?" she asked as they paced down the hall towards the dining hall.

"Formal and striking, I wish to make an impression," sat, butlers laid down breakfast. "-have Tharis polished and Orenmir sharpened." On that, the head-maid scurried backward and headed to the king's changing chamber.

"Majesty," called another sharp voice, "-we have an issue concerning a baron forcing children into labor," bright red-lipstick, Serene was as glamorous as ever. Transgressing upon royalty having a meal would have been severely punished, however, since King and Queen worked as one, many rules were changed to better fit the problem at hand. 

"Is that so," he took a bite and studied a hovering interface, "-that's Lord Romandie from Castle Hart to the south-west is it not?" 

"Yes, he's in charge of the lighthouse as well as the farm. What are your orders?"

"Tis quite a quandary, Lord Romandie is rather influential to bring business and money to the castle often. We've no right to infringe on what he does with his property, enslave the people as he may – it is not forbidden. Weak will always be led around by the strong," the meal ended, "-still," he stood, "-do send over a spy. Monitor his every moves," said in a whisper, "-make it known that we're watching. Forcing children into labor isn't something her Majesty would let pass. You very well know her disposition on such matters. We need not cause unnecessary unrest; Lord Romandie isn't that big a threat. A slap on the wrist should suffice. Don't bring this to the Queen's attention. Only do so when it has been resolved," patting her back, he moved over to where Youst stood. 

Impressed, Serene gave a curtsy, '-The Blood King has taken to his responsibility quite well, grandfather. We're in good hands, I feel the hairs standing straight on my back – quite impressive.' 

"Orders Majesty?" he asked as they walked to the changing room.

"Send messengers to all the guild representatives. We've got guests coming in on the 6th. Princess Eira will be accompanied by her class for an exchange program. I'll get into greater details from when I return," door shut, he entered the room. There, an elegant suit awaited, Rosetta stood with head bowed and arms resting. 

"I'll take it from here," he spoke loudly, "-check on her Majesty and the princess, they should wake at any moment."

Heavy stomps of guards marching cut the silence that had vailed the airfield. Staxius arrived at the sight of the TU-03 getting readied for take-off. Parked close to the office, "-morning boss," saluted the guards. A cafeteria stood on the ground floor, a place for all to eat and converse. Now at his office, Cake waved following a smile.

"All is ready?" he asked and took seat behind the desk.

"Yes," holding onto a tablet, her fingers moved tirelessly – a switch, and the office went dark. From what he grew up experiencing, technology advanced quickly. Primitive at most of the cities and towns of Hidros, Staxius was the only one who had taken a liking to the new machines made by the collective mind of researchers. 

"It's confirmed that GateSix will be attending Dragoon. Sources say that guests are few extremely fickle personalities. Not admirable nor amiable, it's best to not get involved. They're also after GateSix's project; it might turn into a bidding war." 

"That's why," the door opened, "-we're here," dressed formally, Courtney and Yves entered with smirks. 

"Representing Phantom?" asked Staxius with a half-interested glare.

"Not exactly," they exchanged glances, "-we'll be on standby if ever a fight breaks out. Not that we're disrespecting Shadow's power, it would be better if subordinates fought opposed to the leader. A bigger impression if the intent is understood."

"Do as you wish," the dim room lit, "-Shadow will handle the fighting whilst Yves plans our escape. Quite a powerful duo, what about Elliot?" glanced to Cake, she coughed.

"Elliot is currently on a mission," her eyes never met his, "-the detail isn't of any interest, rest assured."

"Well then, let's not waste time," he led the way out, "-will there be transport waiting for us at Dreqai?" 

"No," voiced Cake, "-arrangements have been made for TU-03 to transport Void and a bike." No further need of explanation, he jumped into Void. Yves sat on the passenger side for the car could not be driven by anyone else. As for Courtney, she joyfully jumped onto the bike with a jet-black leather jacket. Circled around the runway with the plane's cargo bay opened, the trio drove inside, climbed up, then sat in the passenger area. Following a clang, the engines came to life, "-we're taking off," said the pilot. 

Four hours later, the plane landed in Dreqai, at an airport named Alie. On touch down, the plane taxied over to a hangar. *Tsst,* the cargo bay opened. "Welcome to Alie, one of the five great cities of Dreqai," hands pressed together, a man bowed. Dark skin complexity with a mustache and a friendly aura.

"The pleasure is ours," said Staxius who carefully marched towards the mysterious man.

"No need to be alarmed," head tilted with a smile, "-I'm a member of the Dark-Guild," after which a badge was shown. "I've come to welcome Shadow to the land of culture," spoken true, the heat outside held a differing aura. One of innocent mischief, the buildings were of a yellowish color – not many trees; a mix between desert and civilization. Resting at the bottom of a mountain, the Airport was crowded with tourists. In the distance spanned a massive mountain range on which buildings, houses, and much more. At the summit, a mere dot to the normal sight, Staxius spotted a dome in which rested a telescope. 

"Intriguing," voiced the man, "-that's one of the four telescopes we have. Our land and culture revolve around the stars, which is to say that we worship Goddess Syhton," wind carrying sand would often brush against the metallic hangar with a tick. 

"Interesting," smiled Staxius, "-what about Apostle Sharon?" 

"Lady Sharon has her own temple further west. A rainforest with picturesque scenery. A few month's drive and a 6-hour flight from here. The TU-03 would make the distance in around 2 hours, our planes aren't that fast. The weather also doesn't help – heavy winds and sand, they affect engines regularly. It's not uncommon to see an engine blow out mid-flight because of the land – we've lost many visitors that way." 

"Quite vast, how's the rule, isn't it hard?" 

"Not really, the continent as you know is larger than the Empire. It's separated into five separate provinces, the same as Hidros. Instead of a duke, the rulers are Royalty. King's and Queen's of the same family. The Main Royal family is notorious for its inbreeding. Keeping the bloodline pure, is the supposed premise for in legend, the first king had been blessed by Goddess Syhton. In that, his blood was pure – thus the continuation of the inbreeding. Same bloodline deferring monarch, that's the hierarchy in Dreqai."

"I do apologize for the late introduction," Staxius held out a hand for he had been fascinated by the new land, "-I'm Shadow of Phantom."

"I'm Diaz, informant, and spy working for Godfather Libra."

"Nice to meet you, Diaz," gestured, Yves and Courtney introduced themselves. 

"Let's continue the chat at Dragoon, the meeting place is just after the mountain range." Inside Void, they drove forth. The streets were narrow and filled with people; cars and vehicles were rare; most had shriveled bodies. No demi-humans nor nonhumans, here it was only humans that worked and lived. A winding street led up high to the telescope, tedious and painful, stopping to let people cross, it slowly fueled frustration. Two hours later, they arrived at the peak, "-why don't we take a break," voiced Diaz who rode with Courtney. Pulled into a lot that overlooked the entire area, sand till the eye could see. The mountain air felt light – breathing was hard. 

"Are we close yet?" asked Staxius who smoked and lent on the railing. Further, a drop of several kilometers. 

"We've arrived actually," he pointed to a tunnel that went underneath the telescope. "There's a laboratory inside the mountain, it's where all the researchers are gathered." Somber, the entrance went unnoticed until Diaz pointed it out.

"Very secretive," smiled Staxius.

"Shall we continue?" asked Yves. 

"Let's go," jumped Courtney, the bike roared to life. The duo was on alert; not speaking nor partaking in conversation. Eyes and minds fixed on one thing, the protection of Shadow and extermination of any who tried to attack. Approached, the dark tunnel lit with lights, a road seemed to come out of nowhere. At first glance, it seemed to go straight. *Click,* tapping a card on the concrete wall, a concealed entrance came to life. Smugly, Diaz winked for Yves's reactions was palpable. 

The tunnel spiraled downwards until they closed in on yet another gate. This time handled by a guard with a stern face and a powerful aura. Spoken in a differing language, *Fantom in vin assiT exposition Dragoon.*1 The guards nodded and allowed the cars to drive through.

Parked alongside many luxurious cars, a few guests had arrived. Right of the gate stretched a white staircase leading into a very brightly lit room. 'The time is here,' thought Staxius, each step resounded, the murmurs from upstairs grew loud. 

"Welcome to Dragoon," said Diaz as a huge hall stretched with crowds of people around various instruments. The place was divided with wooden walls so that'd scholars would not interfere with one another. It was only the tip of the iceberg for the hall spanned to the left and right. An area for land-based weapons, one for air, and even one for the sea. By attire, the guests were of military background, uniforms, and a lot of badges on their front pocket. None paid attention to one another, they were preoccupied with consulting their assistants as opposed to the creators. Most scientists were left standing and waiting for their research to be acknowledged. A single constant made them the same, tis was their eyes. The gazes filled with the intent of getting stronger, the intent to kill, and the intent to conquer. 

"GateSix," voiced Staxius as he spotted their logo at the far back of the hall. From what Cake said, many had come for them. The emptiness told another story, a lonesome figure stood with a white coat and a bottle in hand. None had gathered around; perplexed, he walked without hesitation.  Translation: Phantom have come to assist Dragoon.

Note: It's Mauritian Kreol - my native tongue. I won't use it that often, only when it's fitting.