Targaryen Who Turned Dragon

Chapter 80 - The Home That Once Was

There was no such thing as the Noble Rogue Sect, unless you counted its ruins. Aerion did not recognise this place, it was foreign to him. Everything was destroyed… everything.

He observed silently, while his Dragonsguard reacted to the scene before them. Tai Shu gripped the hilt of his sword, tightly. "The Saint Emperor… he did this?"

Aerion nodded. "It was him, there is no doubt in my mind."

"Then…"

"I'll make sure he pays for his sins." Aerion reassured Tai Shu.

Aerion wanted to see if there was anything left, so he did a bit of exploring.

The Training Pavillion, no more than a pile of stone. Most of the Fortress was no more than a pile of stone, as well. Even the most coveted place of all, the Library, was burnt to the ground. No books remained, to Aerion's disappointment. But the Grandmaster was probably wise enough to take them before Rotias came.

This scene fills me with sorrow… nevertheless, I must move forward. This was my failure… and so, it is my duty to amend all the wrong Rotias had done.

A man among the rubble awakened as he heard the group.

They had finally come My Lord must know of this!

The follower tried to escape the castle but his steps caught the attention of Izanami.

"Who are you?"

The follower continued down his path, but, this time flying instead of walking. A foolish mistake. Izanami caught up with him in mere moments, sending him into the ground with a mighty kick. In the blink of an eye, her blade was inches away from his neck. Aerion came over to see what the commotion was about. Soon enough, everyone had assembled. Probably because there was nothing else happening.

"Who are you?" She asked again, this time with a far more threatening tone.

"The Lord's Chosen." He calmly replied.

So calm… it seems that he doesn't care about his life, how typical of a follower of Rotias. "He chose you to inform him of my arrival?" Aerion inquired.

It's the only reason why he would leave anyone here… he knows that I will return to the Noble Rogue Sect, even if it is destroyed.

"Yes, the Lord chose me to do so."

Aerion smiled. "Then I shall allow you to complete your duty. Go and inform your 'Lord' that a King shall visit his Sanctuary and burn it to the ground. This King shall not be particularly kind or merciful, for all who stand in his way shall eventually fall. You could view it as a warning or a threat, I do not care, so long as your 'Lord' knows that I am coming. Do you understand?"

"... Yes, but the Lord won't see his own Sanctuary burn… he will kill you before you can even think of desecrating his lands."

"Hmph, let the fool go."

Izanami sheathed her katana. The messenger jumped up and swiftly continued in his path. But he didn't go far.

"Wait, I changed my mind. Dragonsguard, restrain him."

"It will be done, Your Grace!"

Fen Juecheng was first to chase after the messenger, followed by Mo Yi and Tai Shu. Fire burst from Fen Juecheng's blade towards the messenger, burning his back. He slowly fell, with a face of disbelief.

"Agh… I thought...."

"Die!" Tai Shu aimed to kill the messenger, his blade thirsting for blood but Fen Juecheng blocked his attempt.

"Stop, you fool! Don't you know what restrain means? Are you deliberately disobeying our Master's orders!?"

"I…"

"Answer!"

"It's fine, Tai Shu. I understand how you feel, but killing him is meaningless. He is nothing more than a pawn." Aerion walked closer to Tai Shu.

"You are right… forgive me, Master."

Mo Yi broke the messenger's profound vein and bound his hands with a rope. This was to ensure that he would not escape. Aerion ordered the Dragonsguard to patrol the entirety of Oldtown and find any more of these 'messengers', if there were any left. It turns out that there was only one, the one that they had already captured. Night quickly fell and so, the group camped on what was once the Dragon's Palace.

"Why keep him alive?" Cai Rong asked.

"Why not?"

I want to find more about these cultists, how Rotias converts them and whether or not their loyalty is absolute. But if I were to say that my intentions out loud… that messenger would overhear and that might stop him from revealing any information.

Aerion blanked out for a few moments as he stared at the flames. He returned once a huge piece of meat was placed upon the fire. The Heavenly Fire Demon had voluntarily gone out and caught a beast.

"What are we going to do after this?"

Tai Xia answered for Aerion. "Slay the Saint Emperor, isn't that right, Husband?"

Aerion slowly nodded. "I will do that. But first, the safety of the Noble Rogue Sect's disciples and masters must be ensured. The Wasteland of Death, was it?"

Tai Shu nodded. "But all of us going won't be necessary. We can split into two groups."

"That's a good idea." The Heavenly Demon agreed. "I will go to this Wasteland of Death while you go to the Absolute Monarch Sanctuary."

But what if Rotias is somewhere in the Wasteland of Death… not the Sanctuary? Then I will be far away from the others… the Heavenly Fire Demon, despite his great strength, would easily fall to Rotias.

"Oi, messenger boy. Where is your master?" Aerion didn't expect a truthful answer, but it was worth a try.

"You think I'm going to tell you and betray My Lord? Hahahahaha... "

"So be it."

I won't take any risks.

"We are all going to the Wasteland of Death first. Then I shall make my way to the Absolute Monarch Sanctuary, alone, while everyone else awaits my return. Once I am done with the Saint Emperor, we will proceed towards the reconstruction of the Noble Rogue Sect."

Aerion stood up. "Any objections?"

There weren't any. Aerion walked away on his own without eating anything.

"He seems to be a bit cold today." Sun Lin stated.

"Leave him be, he wants some time to himself." Izanami replied.

Aerion continued down the hill and walked around Oldtown, aimlessly while in deep thought. He eventually walked all the way to the arena, where the Assembly Tournament was held. Memories of the many fights left him feeling mellow. He had even seen himself for a second. A younger, less experienced Aerion with Sky Piercer in his hand standing against Tai Quin.

How things have changed… those were the simpler days.

He resolutely stood up, the ice in his eyes had melted. The ice was quickly replaced with fire.

I will make sure to punish Rotias… and make sure that the Noble Rogue Sect is rebuilt, greater than ever! It shall become the one and only Sacred Ground! A true powerhouse that looks down… no, looks over the World!

The city that was once called Oldtown was truly isolated from the rest of the world. It is rather strange for a place once buzzing with life and human activity to end up like this. Truly, it is the strong who rule this world. One man, if stronger than everyone else, is able to dictate what happens to towns, cities, Kingdoms and entire Empires. It seems to me that cultivation is either a blessing or a curse, depending on whether or not you are strong. The strongest control everything while the weak have no choice but to submit… it is a cruel world, indeed.

~

Sun Lin spoke, breaking the long chain of silence.

"Why haven't we seen anyone?"

Aerion shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe because it is the Wasteland of Death?"

A few days had passed and they were fast approaching their destination. Aerion hoped that Rotias didn't discover the Noble Rogue Sect's hiding place. Because if he did, it would mean that they're dead / taken as hostages. Now, taking tens of thousands of people hostage isn't exactly practical… so most of them would be killed either way. That is, if Rotias discovered them.

"Still, many people come here all the time. We should have met at least one of them."

"Maybe we're just unlucky." Mo Yi countered.

Aerion continued forward, could Rotias have… no, he couldn't have!

Aerion increased his speed, reaching the first of the outposts. The entrance was that of an ordinary cave. It was not large, nor small… but it had a secret activation mechanism. In order to reveal the entrance, one must strike a specific point with the power of the Wind God's Art. Any of the profound skills can be used to do this. This one was quite special as it had two steps… the blood of a Tai must be spilled in order to complete the second step. You didn't need much, only a single drop. The entrance itself was protected by an extremely powerful formation in order to prevent unauthorised access.

"Who wants to have the honour of opening the entrance?"

Aerion laughed, this was one of the rare times he couldn't help. Well… he, technically, could smash through the formation.

"Go ahead, brother."

Tai Shu nodded in the direction of Tai Xia. But, before drawing his blood, he noticed something. "The formation… wait, there is no formation!"

Aerion noticed it as well. "Could it be…!?"

The messenger, prisoner now, laughed. "It seems that My Lord got here first!"

Bang.

Tai Shu punched the tied up prisoner straight in the face. "Shut your damn tongue, before I cut it off."

Aerion smashed through the entrance with sheer speed, ignoring everything else.

It can't be….

The Dragonsguard hurried behind him, trying to keep up.

Soon enough, they reached the core part of the outpost, where the members of the Noble Rogue Sect should be.

Aerion breathed a sigh of relief and smiled once he saw dozens of disciples walking around. The Dragonsguard caught up at last.

"I've never been to an outpost before… it is as they say, they are small underground fortresses." Cai Rong stated.

The messenger laughed again.

"What's so damn funny to you?" Tai Shu was about to strike him again.

"Nothing, please, don't strike me again."

Everything seemed to be normal. They walked through the outpost and were greeted warmly by the disciples, masters and elders alike. Aerion knew a few of them, more than he expected. The General of the Blades was one of the familiar faces.

"My vice-general… ah, I forget, you've been promoted!"

"It is good to see you, General. Might you know where the Grandmaster is?"

"In his headquarters… Do you wish to see him?"

"Yes."

"The General himself… it is an honour to meet you!" Sun Lin bowed, but Qiang Shi didn't seem to acknowledge his existence.

It only took a few minutes to walk to the Grandmaster's headquarters. Beside him stood Tai Quin, who seemed rather focused. It looked like they were handling a matter of great importance.

The General cleared his throat. "Grandmaster."

"Oh?" Tai Wentian looked up and upon seeing his visitors, he stood up. He walked closer and hugged his children "Xia, Shu, oh how your father has missed you two."

It was a heartwarming scene, to say the least. Even a man as cold as Tai Wentian can display warmth… or is he no longer cold?

"Oh, how could I forget about my dear son-in-law?"

"Wai-"

Tai Wentian hugged him as well, it was a strange feeling. Tai Quin also missed his siblings dearly. The rest of the day passed quickly, as Aerion spent most of it catching up with the Grandmaster and Tai Quin. It seemed that the Noble Rogue Sect had prepared well for a calamity, they could last at least another three years just on their current supplies alone.

"The outpost is nice and all, but I want to go back home… but that so-called Saint Emperor destroyed it, didn't he?" Despite Tai Quin trying to conceal his anger, Aerion could see it clearly. And he felt the same way.

"He did." Aerion replied, feeling a drop of guilt seep into him.

Tai Wentian sighed. "It is unfortunate that I was the one and only Grandmaster who failed to protect the Fortress and the people of Oldtown. But… it can all be restored."

He stood behind Aerion, who was sitting at the table, enjoying some wine.

The Grandmaster drew his sword.

Slash.

A horizontal slash was made across Aerion's neck… by the Grandmaster's sword.

What… happened… why is my neck spilling blood like a fountain….?

Aerion's head banged against the table. His eyes slowly closed...

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA…." A mad roar of thunderous laughter filled the hall. It was an unusual thing, seeing the Grandmaster laugh so loudly. The Heavenly Demon rose and drew his sword, faster than lightning. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?"

"Father… why…"

Tai Quin smiled. "It is all in the name of the Lord, sister. He showed us the light."

"The light… What nonsense! You allowed the murder of your own brother-in-law!" Fen Juecheng drew his sword as well.

Tai Xia was shaking from shock. "Father… why…."

Tai Shu and Tai Xia felt conflicted but they stood on the side of the Dragonsguard. Something wasn't right. The prisoner was released by one of the disciples and he had one of the widest grins in the world. He kicked Aerion off his chair without any fear of the Dragonsguard.

"Serves the bastard right for taking me prisoner… he even tried to turn me against the Lord!"

Aerion slowly began to lose consciousness.

It… was... a… trap…

"My dear son and daughter, why do you stand against me? The Lord can restore the Noble Rogue Sect… no, he can make it into the strongest Sect of all time! Even stronger than the Sacred Grounds!"

Tai Shu couldn't believe it. "That Saint Emperor… he even turned father, brother and the rest of the Noble Rogue Sect against us!"

The wound on Aerion's neck began to burn.

"Everyone, we must make our own exit… scatter!" Izanami ordered as she took a smoke bomb from Tai Xia and smashed it against the ground. She grabbed Aerion's body before anyone else could.

"NO! Don't let them escape… the Dragon is a priority, don't let them take him away!" Tai Wentian gave his own orders as he waved the smoke away.

BANG.

The Heavenly Demon blasted a hole in the outpost, one that led directly into the sky. The Dragonsguard flew through that hole. The Heavenly Demon showed no mercy as he flew even higher and prepared an attack of great destructive power.

"Scatter!"

A ball of fire emerged from the profound energy generated by both of his hands. This ball of fire was sent down breaths later, burning many of the pursuing disciples. A figure dressed in black and green stopped the fire at the lowest floor of the outpost with a simple wave of the hand.

"You have done well." He announced.

"Yes, My Lord! Your sword..."

The Grandmaster bowed and presented his sword to him. The figure took the sword. "Continue the pursuit of Aerion Targaryen, even if you must die."

"As you command, My Lord!"

The figure looked up at the clear night sky.

"You have finally come, Little Dragon. And straight into my hands, as well…. Hahahaha."

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