Dragon in the Dungeon 10 summary (WIP)
Currently a work in progress. Oh, Also...
SPOILERS
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SPOILERS
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SPOILERS
After visiting with Valar, Krek left his close friend's cozy and safe home for the Illandrian capital. Krek does this in the hopes of being able to free Val from his dungeon. In doing so, Krek thinks Val will be capable of shocking Ky into ceasing her grand attempt on Kathlyn, the queen's, life.
Krek, after flying for some time, arrived at the capital weary and still wounded from his previous fight with Ky's children. In an ill thought plan to find Alia, Krek visited Val's prison in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, Krek woke Val up and Val mistook Krek for some sort of new torturer. Krek made the unwise decision to mention Valar, Val's son, and that made Val fly into a rage. In his weakened state, Krek lost without much of a fight, and passed out shortly after the scuffle began.
Alia decided to attend the "Dragon Festival", a festival dedicated to the capture of Val so long ago. After being disgusted by a dragon slayer, Alia hurled the bag of nuts she had purchased earlier at the dragon slayer. She scored a direct hit, and decided to leave her viewing platform and head home after the dragon slayer she hit sent guards to look for the perpetrator. After returning home, one of Armadine's cronies disguised as a delivery man forced his way into Alia's home and attempted to kill her. She barely escaped him, but was taken into custody by Armadine and Traval shortly after.
Krek was granted an audience with Prince Elvir, and Krek came to him with a couple of hefty requests. He requested for Alia to be reinstated immediately, and also for Val to be released from his dungeon. After a brief shouting match that quickly delved into unrelated subjects, such as Kathlyn's sadness at Krek's absence, Krek explains that he loves Kathlyn along with the fact that freeing Val is his final idea to save her from certain death. Elvir takes a minute to absorb this, later telling Krek he'll consider freeing Val.
Armadine visits Val's prison with a host of armed guards and, of course, Traval. Armadine plans on using Alia as leverage to force Val into doing his bidding, but it doesn't work. After learning about Alia, Val taps into a more savage part of himself. Even after being threatened with bluecap posion by Traval, Val declares that it won't kill him, and by the time it affects him, if it affects him, they'll all be dead. Val then proceeds to decimate all but one of Armadines men, Traval and Armadine himself. Val lands a brutal, but non lethal attack on Armadine. After Traval fails negotiations with Val, the old dragon orders Traval to bring Alia to him safe and sound, or else he will kill both Traval, and Armadine. Traval sends his last surviving man to fetch Alia.
Vatch, using his big stick and Urd'thin cunning, rescues Alia from a decrepit house in an equally decrepit part of the capital. Vatch leads Alia to Val through underground sewers, and by extension, a sprawling underground Urd'thin city. They quickly visit Vatch's childhood home, but proceed towards Val shortly after. When Alia is reunited with Val, she is almost killed by him. Val is clearly not in the right headspace, as he distantly talks to her about "The snow", which is entirely non existent. Eventually, Val returns to reality, and the pair share an emotional reunion. However, during this time, Armadine and Traval escape.
Krek pushes their plans to break out of Val's prison forward, as he fears retaliation for Val's actions will come quickly. Krek, using his own coveted ghost stones and a few he pillaged from Armadine's office, blew a hole through the sealed off tunnel in Val's dungeon the old dragon was once led through.
The gang says their goodbyes. Kaylen, Thomas and Enric stay behind as it's simply not feasible to transport all of them. However, Vatch comes along with Alia, Krek and Val, telling them he wants to go with his friends, and protecting the queen would go along way towards making the Urd'thin race look better. Val packed his stuffed dragons, "Of Poetry", and "The Uncaring Sky", saying he'd need to read it before he saw Ky again.
After flying for somewhere around a week, Val, Krek, Alia and Vatch stop at an inn called "Wings Rest". There, Krek's female gryphon contact and friend (?) Jirr awaited them. After resting, eating, resting again and generally enjoying good hospitality, Val goes to sleep in a hot spring located close by Wings Rest. In the middle of his nap, the totally not lazy old dragon is awoken by Alia, telling him nothing more than "It's urgent". After slowly making his way to his friends, he stares into the distance. What he mistakes for a large bird shows itself to be anything but. His son, Valarnyx comes into view, hitched wingbeats and all, but riding the wind nontheless. Valar lands a little infront of Val, and the anger which clearly muddled his features instantly melts away when he sees the scars adorning his father's body, almost as numerous as his faded, ashy scales. The two meet once again after 141 years, and the entry ends with Val being held by his son, both of them being unable to stop the tears from flowing.
Krek freed the old dragon from both his physical and mental dungeons, but how long will Val be free from the physical and mental torments that have plagued him for nearly his entire life...?