The King and The Teeth

Noa had never hated the title 'The King in Chains,' despite the fact it was largely considered an insult, often spoken with venom by outsiders and instigators to his noble rule. Frankly, it was his more popular title with his people, 'The Fairy King,' that had taken getting used to. These days though, looking out upon his noble estate, and seeing himself in the looking-glass, it was difficult to argue. His sharp features still remained, but his skin was stained in odd colors, and decades ago his ears had grown to a point like his cousins far in the west. In that regard however, so too was his other moniker a fair one. Noa's body was now covered in two intersection chains, crossing over each of his shoulders and around his waist just above his hips, forming an X across his midsection. A sign of his growing power from the hexblade.

Only one task laid before him before his bargain with the higher being would be fulfilled, and with it his final gift from his long time patron. Her death. With her death, his patron would lay to rest, and transmute to him the last bit of his power. That was the arrangement they had made in the end. An arrangement signed in the blood of many, many men. The lost souls damned from the weapons Noa crushed with his willpower.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵? 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨?

He sneered. Noa never did love Koth's attitude. The traveling companions that had made him a hero to this people were, all of them, deeply flawed, violent murderers who were no more a hero than the rats that infest your cellar, or the fleas on the back of your livestock. Vermin. All the better that they were scattered to the wind. Tanaka to the dirt. Koth...well, he was still around. Just in a more manageable position than before.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴.

The king dismissed his scythe. The only thing he could do to quiet him. It was the same when Grimm had finally hailed his summons. A flagrant lack of care for what really mattered. Killing this damn dragon that had shown up in his land. Even with his promise of soon to come peace, he had just looked at him with those hate filled eyes from behind his mask. The masked general of the United Domains. Huh. If only they knew he wore that mask to covered his deranged faceless head.

Noa shook his head. Focus. Her. It was close now. By one of the luckiest breaks he had had in years, his master had sensed the teeth in one of his mazes. The final key to pulling her out of her resting place where she had been sealed. He could finally finish the job. Better yet, the teeth were located along his warpath: in the desert to the south. He wouldn't be going empty handed either. Though not in his personal possession, Noa was about to gain his own piece of the dragon's teeth. Yes. Soon, Orion would join his cause. It was only a matter of time.