Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG

The cup of tea cooled, the rhythmic scratching of the stylus against paper keeping the lone figure company. He sipped the last of his tea, wincing from how cold it had become over only the span of, his eyes darted towards the clock nestled between the books, two hours. As he finished his tea, he pushed the stack of papers to one side, having finished his paperwork for the evening.

As footsteps approached the door, the figure’s knocking drowning out the sigh.

“Commander,” the attendant began, clicking his heels together as he stood upright. “A note for your immediate attention, kal!”

Commander Dana. Tall, strong, Commander Dana, they would often say. He stood as one might have expected, tall and strong, adorned in a well worn breastplate, a long cape of silver falling over his shoulders, contrasting his copper scales, his copper eyes contrasting his dark skin, and his horns almost formed a crown of bone. At his side he wore a sabre, formed of a silversteel, enchanted many years ago, passing from his mentor to himself, and one day he would pass this blade to the next Commander. The Commander held out his hand, allowing the attendant to place the note into his hand, unfolding the piece of paper, reading the still fresh ink.

‘Hmm?’ the Commander thought.

The group remained upon the ship as the soldiers kept an eye on them. The Captain had tried to explain the situation, but the young, overzealous, soldier decided to push the matter forward since there was something off about the group. The moment he had seen the half dragon, it had been too late to call for the other soldiers to return, so he needed to swallow his nerves, though upon seeing the second half dragon, his heart threatened to explode.

As the Commander marched his soldiers across the docks, he noted various figures, some of whom he recognised. He had seen one or two of them previously this year, and recognised their description from various reports. Last he recalled, they had passed by a few months ago, and yet they had returned and were making their way back so swiftly?

Except, he was fairly certain he had informed his soldiers not to bother any half dragons on their journey, save for those who had committed heinous crimes. It wasn’t because he himself was a drakken, but rather, the policy of Aswadasad was so, since the dragons were not be trifled with. However, since it had come this far, he would need to do something for the sake of saving face.

“Thank you for your patience,” Commander Dana began, speaking in the Aldish tongue. “If you would please follow me to the station, I will hear your tale.”

It was only once they were at the station, the building made of stone, manned by the seaguard unit, which he also held command over, that he realised Vasera and Rook were members of the group. He had paid more attention to Bael, who seemed to glare at them, and typically the Golden Savages moved in a group.

“Kal Vasera, isn’t it?” Commander Dana asked.

“So I am.”

“I am Commander Dana, the Commander of this particular fort, as granted by the right of Lady al-Yasin of Arisa,” the Commander greeted, glancing between the group. “I admit, I do not recognise you, kal.”

“You do not possess the fear of one who recognises me,” Bael confirmed.

“May I ask of your name?”

“Bael.”

The Commander tilted his head, trying to recall any blue half dragon by such a name. There was a Bilal, though he supposed Bael was too fair of skin to be him. He waited for a short while longer, but eventually turned his attention to the rest of the group.

“What was your business within Aswadasad?”

“We deal in the trade of magical weapons,” Adam admitted.

“Excuse me?”

“We are members of the United Kindom, you might know of us from the tale last year of how much trouble we caused King Merryweather. I am Executive Adam, High Alchemist of the United Kindom, though you may know me as the Crazy Father, and these are Executive Jurot and Executive Kitool, and several others of our business, as well as those not within our business but who are currently within our company. Of course, here is Taygak, grandniece of Flame Brand, who will soon make a name for herself within Aswadasad.”

“An Iyrman child?” the Commander asked, his eyes darting towards the girl who looked so much like a devilkin.

“Yes.”

“Would you be willing to speak your tales?” the Commander asked, realising the danger he was currently in. It was one thing to offend a pair of half dragons, another thing entirely to trouble a child of the Iyr.

Dana made the wise decision to listen intently, and eventually, upon hearing the insanity of their adventure, offered them a polite spar, and once he had felt the might of the one known as the grandnephew of the Butcher, a draw, though one that would have been a hard fought victory for himself, and a much easier victory for the Iyrman, he thanked them for their patience and grace and sent them on their way.

“If you are trying to kill me, please do in a more merciful manner,” the Commander said to the young soldier, who was one of the few that may one day take his place as Commander. The young man remained sweating profusely, for he understood just how close the Commander had come to dying. The Commander walked back to his quarters, and after a quick bath, immediately fell asleep on his bed, with the understanding his body would remain aching for a few days.

Adam thought of his brother’s fight, glancing aside to notice all the additional Experience he was gaining from even those fights. ‘So the Commander was a Master? Huh. I expected him to be weaker, but I guess he needs to be pretty strong if he wants to be a Commander?’

The world continued to surprise the half elf, who lived in a small portion of the world where being a Master was still quite mortal, as compared to the live of a peasant, to whom a Master might seem no different than the Divine themselves with how powerful they were, and how their equipment often matched their rank.

…

‘I expected way more trouble,’ the half elf thought, glad the Commander was rational. The half elf’s lips twitched into a smile, glad he hadn’t threatened the Commander, not realising he had more than threatened him.

As the days continued to pass by, Chosen threw a look to Jurot, who ignored his hard look. They continued from the sea to land, passing through the outpost, making their way to the large walls of Ever Green, blanketed in white. The road was clear, mostly, allowing them to move swiftly through the world, still travelling quite a fair ways, though the half elf wondered just how many miles he could travel if he had been driving a typical car.

Adam came to, out of his daydreams, when the carriages stopped near an inn. As he stepped out, the chill invading him through even his thick clothing, he glanced around to see the people glancing towards the group who had rolled into town on such fine carriages, and were so heavily armed and armoured.

‘Where’s Asa at?’ Adam thought, but decided against causing trouble as he cleaned his boots, stepping into the inn, finding various eyes glancing towards him.

Kitool dealt with the various arrangements, allowing the half elf to bathe immediately, who then stepped down into the common room, the heat tickling his pale skin, whitened by the chill, though the colour soon returned to his face.

Jonn wasn’t sure what to say to the half elf, and even Nobby had felt it, the anxiety which emanated from the half elf. It had gotten much worse during this particular travel.

Thankfully, a figure stepped towards the half elf, settling herself opposite him. She pushed forward a cup of tea to the half elf, sipping her own cup, nursing a bottle of wine, cradled within a strong arm.

“When I was a girl, I was told stories about the betrayal of the Confederate States upon my people,” Vasera said, a gentle smile upon her face.

“…”

“They would come in to slaughter our people, and when we fought back, they called us savages, monsters, unholy infidels.”

The half elf slowly sipped his tea, feeling the warmth fill his body, holding the woman’s brass gaze.

“I was born in a better position than most, but I grew up learning the world was unfair and cruel. I hold the blood of a great being within my veins, and I was able to find a path in life, and I have always thanked the world, Fate itself, for my blessings.”

Adam could see a sadness within the woman’s eyes as she spoke, though the smile remained upon her lips.

“The Free People have remained independent, in their own way, for generations, but…” Vasera sipped from her bottle finally, looking through the half elf.

Adam’s eyes softened, but before he could ease her heart, the woman continued.

“The world is a large place, Executive. One can lose themselves in the vastness, I pray you do not lose yourself.”

The half elf sipped the last of his tea, smiling. “You know, Vasera. I… was also born in a better position than most, and I grew up learning the world was unfair and cruel. I learned…”

Vasera waited for the half elf to continue, noting how the half elf was considering what he could and could not say.

“You know, the time I was born in, I think, seeing what had happened in the past, generations before, and…” The half elf chewed his lower lip. “Vasera, do you think the Confederate States and the Free People will ever know peace?”

Vasera smiled, almost snorting, the woman taking another sip from her bottle. “Ever Green is such a beautiful town.”

Adam smiled awkwardly, nodding his head, and after a moment, he inhaled sharply. “I think so.”

Rook wasn’t sure how they had gotten to such a topic, but he supposed he didn’t need to think about logic when it came to the half elf, or the half dragon.

PATREON LINK

The Commander didn’t want the smoke. He’s going to live a long life.