Dalengor, Dotan, and Tantu pursued Ank-tu to the Drow sector of the camp. Tantu managed to get the two Shadow Dragons inside and they searched the camp. They heard snippets of conversation as they searched. “Toka natar trakata,” scoffed a Drow woman to her friends. “Oyet ita kraktayer.”
“Oyet etret akal,” replied the other woman. “Kotan era trukan!”
“Truka? Shak. Estrash en urka!” The two women then laughed at the pun. Tantu rolled her eyes at how awful it was. The group then passed a trio of Drow men.
“Fentur ratun malko,” grunted one. “Tantu rak fekantu!”
“Tantu trentak Talenkor,” argued another.
“Talenkor eyantrek Realmfleet ikanto!” protested the first.
“Ukanyek!” called the third. “Talenkor trak yakal. Emorkaket yatun.”
“Talenkor utinka rantik!” called a woman’s voice. Tanta then arrived. “Talenkor fekto natyun! Tantu, ratkil!”
“Tantu, ratkil?” repeated the first man. “Molkatra?”
“Ank-tu fikun tarye yantrekta,” revealed Tanta. “Talenkor, Totan, un Tantu kafkantrak.”
“Uh oh,” gulped Dalengor.
“Ank-tu already spoke to her,” growled Dotan. “Typical coward!”
“Kokan thato!” ordered Tanta. “Eklarnak tenant fatunko!”
“This is bad!” signed Tantu. “My sister’s going to eviscerate you lot.”
“If she tries, Mordek will bring her to account,” assured Dalengor.
“Brink me to account?” called Tanta’s voice. “Mortek treatans all Trows!” Dalengor and her allies turned to see Tanta pointing out their position. Dalengor approached Tanta.
“Priestess Tanta, I beg your ear,” she pleaded. “No Drows need be hurt.”
“Mortek woult hurt all Trows! He mate his intentions plain to me! In te Final Aesh of Unity, Oyet will rule!” Tanta turned towards her soldiers. “KANAKET!” The Drows then leapt onto the Shadow Dragons. They were knocked away as Dalengor singled Tanta out before shifting to her humanoid form. She stayed on the defensive as Tanta attacked with her knives. Tanta threw a few at Dalengor.
“MOKATET!” shouted Dalengor as she held her hand up. A runic circle made of purple light then appeared around each knife and halted them in their tracks. Tanta goggled at the whole thing.
“You’f learnt Trow Spells?!”
“Studied them directly from your teacher.” Dalengor then swung her arms and the knives turned around and buried themselves in the ground around Tanta.
“…You lack confiction! You ton’t kill when you haf te shans!”
“Killing’s way too easy for me. I won’t damage my soul like that.”
“Tamashe?! Killink HEALS te soul!” Tanta charge wildly her fist pulled back for a punch. Dalengor then swung her fist into Tanta’s face, bloodying the nose and knocking her to the ground.
“Hear me, Priestess Tanta. I speak truth.” Dalengor then turned to her allies. “Tantu! Dotan! Stand down!”
“With the Drow race trying to kill us?!” argued Dotan.
“No, it won’t,” called Tanta. She turned to her soldier. “Trowma! Mi zel na kanto!” The Drows stopped and arched an eyebrow.
“Kolak manu reymak?!” protested a soldier. “Tantu lak…!”
“MI ZEL NA KANTO!” Tanta would have her way, one way or another. The Drows lowered their weapons but didn’t put them away just yet. Tanta turned to Dalengor. “Speak, Talenkor. You’f earnt te shans.”
“Oyed made plain his intentions to pit all races of all Realms against one another forever,” said Dalengor. “For what, the honor of amusing him? I woke up before anyone else and have learned that it’s best to work WITH other races, not against them. Imagine how great the Drows would be if they help Falnimam and her family!”
“Falnimam callt us museum pieces. She sait as mush to my face!”
“Join me and my people. We can get a place at the table for both of our races if we talk to Orbak Emboramii!”
“Emboramii?! Tat blootline still lifes?!” The Drows growled at that.
“They’re not the tyrants Intrag was. Orbak is actually one of the friendliest of people when you know him personally! He cares about the Under-realm! He’s settled all sorts of disputes between races! Your grudge against Falnimam weighs you down, doesn’t it?!” Tanta growled softly before she moved her gaze downwards.
“I haf no choice but to keep my grutsh alive.”
“Orbak can offer a better way. We can both become as great as anyone!” Dalengor paused for effect. “Which would you rather be, Oyed’s vassal or Orbak and Falnimam’s trusted ally?” Tanta considered Dalengor’s words.
“…No one has efer mate te Trows sush an offer. But tese are YOUR worts, not te worts of tis Orbak you speak highly of.”
“Join my cause and we can ask him together.” Tanta considered her words again.
“…He offers less, I slit his troat.”
“He offers less, Priestess Tanta, I’ll give you the knife.”
“DROWS HAVE NO LOYALTY!” roared a voice. Ank-tu slithered up to the group. “You dare side with those who enacted a coup against me?!”
“Her worts haf weight,” answered Tanta. “We cannot affort to fight against oter races!”
“A bastard child DOES use conflict to hide the truth,” muttered Dotan.
“…Bastart shild?” asked Tanta.
“I told you, it doesn’t matter!” roared Ank-tu.
“The midwife that helped his mother give birth revealed that the wedding to Lak-tu was two years after he was born,” revealed Dotan.
“Is tis true?!” growled Tanta.
“Who cares if it’s true! I’m still the rightful leader!”
“I ally wit no bastarts!” Tanta threw a knife at Ank-tu, but Ank-tu ducked and it buried itself into one of his soldier’s heads. The soldier fell to the ground, dead, and Ank-tu roared in rage.
“Shadow Dragon blood has been shed! Our alliance is over! You will atone, you semi-sapient dirt eater!”
“Were you not warnt against lyink to me?! It’s as I’f sait my entire life, bastarts are all mout ant no ears!” The two then leapt onto each other, claws and knives flashing in the afternoon sun. It became obvious that Ank-tu did not have much combat experience when it came to smaller foes, nor did he wish to shrink to humanoid form, giving Tanta the upper hand…until a knife pierced her shoulder. Ank-tu threw her off and followed the knife’s trajectory to see Ektar draw another knife.
“Te Priestess tares to betray Oyet?!” he shouted.
“Tis comink from te one who stabbt me?!” retorted Tanta.
“She’s got a point, there,” remarked Eltum’s voice as he approached the assassin. “What say we skip the preliminaries, and you Ank-tu supporters come with me? We’ll have a nice, friendly chat with Tanta once she’s healed.”
“Tere will be no chat, broter!” snarled Ektar. “You will join us!”
“You want a crossbow-slinger, get someone else! I’ll stay with Tanta!”
“Your heart beats wit loyalty?”
“My ass wants to get paid.”
“Ant I wish to fight forefer!”
“We can’t affort tat!” argued Tanta.
“Ten farewell, my former master!” Ektar then surrounded himself, Ank-tu, and their followers in a cloud of mist.
“…It woult seem tat we haf a shans to talk to Mortek,” mused Tanta. “Tantu, you are to accompany Talenkor and help her confins Realmfleet tat we shall join tem.” Tantu nodded her obedience and Dalengor grinned.
“Priestess Tanta, you won’t regret this, I promise,” she said.
“I hat better not,” warned Tanta. Dalengor grew to her bestial form and allowed Tantu to mount her before they took to the air.
“Dalengor, I hope you know what you’re doing,” sighed Dotan.