White Ravens: Advent of War

Valdano Vanderbilt

It didn't take long for Leif, Corselia, and Torevir to incapacitate their respective enemies. Valdano was locked in a melee against Mathilda, and not surprisingly, they were matched in skill.

Rune was circling around with Xerxes, and both fighters seemed ready to subdue the other. Neither warrior appeared to be taking the first move. To the untrained eye, they hadn't even began fighting yet, but to those that could recognize these men's skills, they knew that both Rune and Xerxes were locked into a mental duel.

They were both carefully analyzing every series of move the other would make, and thinking of ways to counterattack. One misstep or even a half-second delay on counteracting could cost them their lives. 

Beads of sweat formed on Rune's forehead as he tried to steady his breathing. Judging by the look in Xerxes' eyes, Rune could tell that this man might be as skilled as Sigil and Zeke combined. He wasn't sure how he would be able to win against such a combatant, but Rune had always loved a good challenge.

As he drew one more breath, Rune finally ran forward and swung his sword upwards to parry Xerxes' attack. Their blades clashed over and over, and the sound of their melee resonated throughout the cave's walls.

Rune was impressed of how swiftly Xerxes could swing that large mass of blade around as if it were paper. And it seemed that Xerxes was enjoying their duel. They exchanged several more blows until finally, Rune landed a clean hit to his adversary's arm.

Xerxes chuckled, and grunted, "Good." He rescinded his sword and began to walk away. "I lose."

Mathilda noticed that Xerxes was walking away, and shouted, "Hey, you big oaf! Where you going? Get back here and fight!"

Xerxes looked back at her with a cold glance and said, "No." Then, he walked away, and before long, he disappeared into the darkness of the cave.

Mathilda clicked her tongue. She realized that she was now the only one left standing. "f**k this! I'll get the next one, Valdano. Mark my words!"

Valdano waved his hand and nodded, seemingly goading her even more. Once Mathilda had left, Valdano returned to the rest of the group as they stood in front of the black dragon.

The dragon was resting its head on the ground as Leif caressed its snout. "There, there," she said. "We're not your enemies."

"How... what?" Corselia asked in confusion.

"Contrary to popular human belief, dragons are not irate beasts, who are only capable of destruction. They're sentient, rational creatures," Leif explained. She took out a piece of dried meat from her satchel and gave it to the dragon.

While the dragon was savoring the treat, Leif healed its wounds. "Judging by its size, I'd say this pup is around two years old or so. It may not be able to understand most of our speech yet, but it does understand that we aren't threats to his survival."

Valdano approached Leif and asked, "May I?"

Leif stepped back as Valdano held the dragon's snout. A smile appeared on his face, and even the dragon seemed to be delighted by his presence.

At this time, Torevir approached Rune and Corselia. "The boss acts tough at times, but his heart is in the right place. I'm just as surprised as you two that he didn't come here for the dragon, but I'm not surprised that he's getting along with the beast."

The sound of Torevir's hefty laughter seemed to have lifted their spirits. Even Valdano was delighted to hear his comrade's laughter.

Then, Valdano looked into the dragon's eyes and asked, "Can you lead us to the egg?"

The dragon blew a puff of air from its nose and slowly dove into the river. Its large body upheaved a fair amount of the water, and some fishes that were swimming about. After a few minutes, the dragon came back, and it was holding something.

The golden brown egg was almost half as tall as Leif. Its glowing shell reeked of magic, and there were pygmies floating around it. The dragon brought it to Valdano and blew a puff of air from its snout one more time.

Valdano smiled at the dragon before taking out a vial from his satchel. The vial's contents were blood red, but when he poured it out, it turned green. Slowly and gradually, the Dragonstone egg cracked.

"I thought you wanted to steal that thing?" Rune whispered to Corselia.

But she just shook her head and watched as the egg began to show the creature that lay inside it. The baby dragon's was ash white in color, and its skin was fairly resplendent. It was as large as an adult hound, and its high-pitched screech was oddly satisfying to hear.

Slowly but surely, it paced towards the black dragon and rubbed its head against the black dragon's leg. The larger dragon licked the pup while nudging it towards Valdano.

Valdano crouched down while looking at the white baby dragon as it hid behind the black one. "Come, little one. I mean you no harm."

The baby dragon was a bit reluctant to come nearer, but it soon began to trust Valdano enough to let him pet it. "From today on, I christen you, Bright."

Once Leif had bid the black dragon farewell, it dug a hole into the ground and disappeared. It seemed to have trusted Valdano enough with its kin.

"Shall we, everyone? Once we return to my estate, I will reward you handsomely for this task," Valdano remarked.

It was already the break of dawn when they finally got back to Valdano's estate. As he had promised, he paid each of them a pouch of golden ducats. That night, he brought the little dragon upstairs and into a room at the end of the second floor.

The rest of the party remained in the living room.

Rune was the one to speak first, as he had been aching to ask so many questions about what happened. "Why do you think Valdano kept the little beast?"

Torevir shrugged, for he didn't know either, but he did look to Leif for answers. The elven girl let out a sigh and crossed her arms, while leaning back against the sofa.

"Sir Vanderbilt has a daughter named Marie. Five years ago, he found her on the streets one rainy night, and told her she could stay in his estate until she gets back on her feet. Two years later, he has grown to love the young lady's bright smile, and positive outlook in life." Leif shook her head and closed her eyes as she paused to ponder whether to go on with the story.

She noticed that everyone was listening intently to her story, so Leif decided to continue.

"One day, while the young lady Marie was out in the gardens, picking fresh flowers for Sir Vanderbilt, she passed out. Sir Vanderbilt found her a few minutes later, and immediately asked someone to call a doctor for her. The doctor said that she had a chronic heart illness, and that curing her was nigh impossible using medicine or magic. Sir Vanderbilt searched far and wide for capable doctors, healers, and even shamans to cure her, but none succeeded in helping Marie...

Fast forward to three years later, the young lady has been bedridden for months. Sir Vanderbilt would always remain at her side every night to make sure that she sleeps well. During one peaceful night, as the young lady tried to drift into sleep, she whispered to his ear that she has always wanted to see a dragon in person.

From then on, Sir Vanderbilt and I have been searching the entire country for signs of a dragon. He didn't use to live in Hadar, but when he heard of the rumor that dragons once lived here, he bought an estate and took Lady Marie and I with him here.

I met Torevir when I was searching for monster hunters, and he's the only one Sir Vanderbilt employed. He said that Torevir here is a good man, and that he will understand whatever Sir Vanderbilt commands. Frankly, this dwarf is a bit crass for my tastes, but since Sir Vanderbilt approves of him, I have no reason to antagonize his decision."

Torevir laughed at that remark. "That, I am, lass. That, I am!"

Rune noticed that Corselia was smiling silently, so he nudged her shoulder and said, "Why are you smiling?"

She shook her head and replied, "I'm just surprised that there are still good people out there."

"Me, too," Rune whispered.

Later that night, Rune went to the back garden and saw Valdano standing in awe of the full moon. He decided to strike a conversation with the man.

"Hey there, boss!" Rune greeted.

"Good evening, Rune. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Valdano asked.

Rune crossed his arms, leaned against a pillar, and stared at the moon as well. "Did your daughter like her new pet?"

Valdano flashed a grin. "She was ecstatic. I've never seen her that happy."

"Good. I'm glad," Rune said flatly as he put on a serious face while looking at Valdano.

The latter noticed how Rune was gazing at him so he, too, became serious. "I think I already know what you want to ask me, but please, ask me anyway."

"How did you know I was from House Thorn?" Rune said sternly.