Adder's gaze was locked on the encroaching sight of the empire's capital, the great city of Kalynn. Her mighty red walls decorated the sky with the valor and passion that Nalice was known for. Even after all this time, Adder still felt awestruck by what was once his home city.
It had been a little over two weeks since he left the frontier town of Cromb, with him having to play baby sitter for the few surviving members of the Army of Vermus, Igash and Lyrdell included. But as the Serpent King made it closer to the majesty of Kalynn, and soon it would be his time for the Serpent King's performance.
…
In the streets of the capital people could not help but turn their heads to the defaced war wagon that made its way through the fear stricken people. With the cloaked driver who hid his eyes behind bizarre crimson glasses, only brought more attention to the worrying sight.
And as the brave few followed the wagon, the realization of the wagon's destination made those brave enough to become even more worried. And with a growing crowd of worried people following the besmirched wagon, as it made its way to the driver's destination.
The Arodough plaza, one of the oldest surviving pieces of the empire. Made of opalite stone and created in the style of the ancient kingdoms of humanity, with arches and pillars that stood triumphantly grand even in this age of turmoil for the empire.
It is here that the driver stopped the wagon, and pulled out two people from the wagon. The two's faces were covered with sacks that were covered in the imagery of mice, rats, and other similar animals. And the hooded man strode bravely to the main platform, before dropping the two bound men and looked to those brave enough to follow him.
Those brave people felt the hooded man's attention, it burned them with its intensity. Even with his eyes fully hidden behind those glasses, each and every one of those brave people knew. That they all were there to witness what would happen next.
…
Adder watched as the ones who followed him, got themselves seated and waited for his performance. Adder felt lighter than air in that moment, his heart seared with emotion and buckled under his worry. Yet he still took the deepest breath of his life before roaring into the sky.
"What has happened to the greatest empire?! Why has the heart of the empire Kalynn devolved into paranoia and fear?! Five years ago, this was the home of enlightenment and nobility. But now? I see grown adults shudder at shadows, even the capital guard, the people that were once touted as bolder than any knight family. Would not come to investigate my wagon, I have strolled into the heart of the Empire!"
Adder threw his arms open, his tone burned with passion yet twisted by an underlining madness. The crowd seemingly grew with every sentence, out of interest, anger, or shame. But the disguised Adder continued his complaint filled speech.
"What has happened to my birthplace? Because of the small and the pathetic few not wishing to share in Nalice's glory. Throwing a tantrum on an imperial scale, and this is your reaction? To cower to those barely able to hold on to their power, to bend the knee to those who have nothing but cruelty, gluttony, and greed in their hearts?"
The hooded man's screams seemed to travel farther and farther with each word said. But then Adder couldn't help but laugh, before continuing his speech.
"But how can I blame you? For it's not you that I'm burdened with fury and disappointment, it is your supposed protectors that I find my ire being drawn to. Where is Fredrick Gol and his imperial knights? Chasing down Igash and the Army of Vermus, wishing to avenge their slighted pride then keep their oaths of protection to the Empire. Demmas Mulg and the capital guard? Everything that they have done has only whipped the capital into a whirlwind of paranoia and despair. And then there is Kerish the fraud and band two faced brutes, who used both Beautiful Nalice and those vile traitors for his own gain before disappearing into thin air!"
The Imperial Triumvirate, made up of the Imperial Knights, the Capital Guard, and Civil protection. Once the most well respected faction just below the imperial family, and those meant to guarantee the protection of Nalice as a whole let alone their home city of Kalynn. But in these last four years, the people of Kalyyn had watched in despair as the three greatest forces of the Empire degenerated.
Now it was time, the hooded man grabbed the collar of the largest bound man and ripped off the sack hiding his identity. Before revealing the identity to the ever growing crowd of witnesses, many of them went from indignant shame to shock and in special cases cathartic glee at the reveal of Igash bound and beaten.
"You all know him in one way or another, Igash the Wretched! Who burned Westport to the ground as he and his Army of Vermus danced on its ashes. The one who slaughtered the innocent people of our country because he felt he was slighted for not receiving a reward he had not earned. The monster who has used this time of chaos and pain, as a platform for his ambition and cruelty.
Adder slammed the despondent general so hard that the audience swore that they saw the plaza shake. Before grabbing the smaller man and similarly ripping off the sack. But unlike Igash, very few recognized Lyndell, a fact the speaker seemingly already thought of. His voice still carried the same fervor and rage he had spoken with when listing off Igash's crimes.
"Lyndell Wyst."
The stranger named the small meek man that he held in his clutches, showcasing the man like one would a dangerous animal to those unaware of its danger. Holding the pathetic letch by the neck as Lyndell failed to break from the cloaked man's grasp.
"One would call him the brains of the Army of Vermus, the one who weaved those wicked webs that led to the loss of Westport and the slaughter of thousands with the breaking of Croyler Bridge. This pathetic small man is responsible for the deaths of so many…"
He laughed, his laughter seemingly pierced through the audience's souls. He slammed Lyndell so hard, his body bounced as it made a sickening crunch. Adder scoffed as he watched the slowly dying Lyndell, at the snap of his fingers glims were created and flew to Lyndell's shattered body.
"It's maddening."
The man spoke in a beastly tone tinged with madness, before redoubling his focus to the audience. He once took another deep breath as he straightened his clothes, obviously trying his hardest to regain his composure.
"But now here comes the question, the one you all must have had since the moment you saw me in that stolen cart. Why am I here? Why are the champion and the mind of the tyrannical and infamous Army of Vermus here with me? It's because along with the seven survivors that are still bound in the wagon are the only ones left of those horrid brutes. The rest of them? Their corpses and blood litters of the forest near Cromb. And who did it? I did, I have slaughtered that horrid army and have taken the few pathetic survivors to say one thing."
The crowd laid silent, some started crying at their old wounds being once again open. Many of the survivors of Westport and the Croyler Bridge disaster. Having lost family or their homes, ended up in the care of Kalynn, having nowhere else to go. But others who also laughed as their tears burned their eyes, many of them felt a great weight lift from their souls.
The stranger smiled, wanting to bask in this moment. The stranger put his hands on his hips and placed his foot on Igash. Taking the pose of the triumphant, before exclaiming his intentions for the capital for all of them to hear, as he ripped off his cloak showing off his intimidating figure.
"I have come to save Nalice from these Vermin of Vermus! For only I, Adder Serpens the Serpent King can rid our nation from rats!"
Serpents of all shapes and sizes bursted from the war wagon behind him, this also marked the moment that the capital guard had finally decided to try and see the reports of a potential invader. With them catching a view of the mad scene, and the audience somehow caught in the middle of it all. They all knew that this was the event that would sweep up the empire.
…
Adder sat in the dungeon with a big stupid smile on his face, chained to his chair and table laid in front of him. The hundreds of serpents that came with him from Cromb slithered and hissed along the walls and floor of the dungeon. Of course a foolish Capital Guard captain tried to kill one of Adder's subjects, only for him to find that the Serpent King had somehow gotten hold of his sword. And watched in shock and horror as Adder broke his enchanted iron sword with his bare hands, after that Adder happily allowed himself to be detained and not a single capital guard even looked at a snake, let alone with a sword in hand.
Then the man Adder had been waiting for had finally arrived, the head of Capital Guard himself. Demmas Mulg, the man entered Adder's dungeon as he was lord of all the known realm only to be frozen in his tracks when faced with Adder's cellmates. Adder laughed and with a nod from their king the serpents parted a path for the terrified Demmas.
Demmas did not stall in trying to regain control and show his authority walking into the room like a sovereign would.Though those who were meant to follow him and help him with this interrogation ran for the hills when they laid eyes on Adder and his subjects. Demmas now alone with Serpent King, grabbed a chair and sat in front of the chained Adder.
"Hello Demmas, it has been an age since we last met."
Demmas didn't even react to the Serpent King's words, instead he stoically read out the many charges that had been issued to the mysterious invader.
"Elegal entry, inducing panic among the people, holding prisoners of war with out correct authorization, inciting a riot, defamation of nobles, ownership and moving a large group of animals without a permit, and of course threatening one of my men with violence."
"You forgot the destruction of one property."
Adder retorted with not a worry in his mind or heart, his smile still wide and undaunted. But Demmas found no need to be swept up in this stranger's mad energy. He slammed his fist into the iron table that sat in front of both of them.
"Along with using the identity of a noble, and using said stolen identity for social gain!"
Demmas roared, slamming his fist into the table. But Adder still stayed staunch in his jovial mood, still smiling all the way. A fact that drove Demmas to fury. He already felt the disapproving eyes on him for this event happening, let alone that this stranger made it known to the entire capital. Demmas knew that this was getting him nowhere so he changed tactics to something more than muscle and fury.
"I knew Adder, the real one. That pipsqueak could never reach your size and build, not even with a miracle. Let alone have the strength to subdue an army with strength in the hundreds."
Demmas had known Adder for a long time, him being the head of civil protection Demmas of course familiarised himself with the Empire's only bearer. The weak willed boy's pathetic visage is something that he wished he could forget, yet somehow that brat's frail body somehow helped him.
Adder laughed at the provocation but his smile disappeared, his eyes laid upon the table as he spoke nothing but the painful truth.
"Who would ever want to be an Adder Serpens?"
Now it was Demmas turn to laugh, finding what he assumed was the stranger's attempt of a joke. The warden could not help but admit it was quite humorous, because who would want to be that poor basterd.
"Well now, we have a comedian in our midst, allow me to help verify your identity…"
Demmas ripped off the young man's crimson glasses, expecting brown, blue, maybe even green or gray. But what he bore witness too, made his blood run cold and made him stop in place still as a statue out of pure fear alone.
Those eyes, those crimson eyes bore into Demmas, those blood red pools dug into him in a way that he had never experienced before. The snakes and serpents that surrounded him became seemingly deafening Those eyes brought up things that Demmas forgot he knew.
'Oh woe those who have seen and lived.'
Adder interrupted Demmas' internal mental breakdown, his tone now world shaking and impossible to ignore. Adder met Grand Warden Demmas eye to eye as he spoke his commands.
"Now you will treat those with care warden, those glasses mean a lot more to me than your pitiful life and if something happens to them while they are in your grasp. Not even the serpents will know what has happened to you."
Demmas carefully placed the crimson glasses back onto the Serpent King, failing to notice he had broken into tears. Before lifelessly falling back into his chair, all his bravado and energy drained from him.
The Serpent King his more jovial nature, and Adder had an incredible one sided conversation with the unmoving warden. But before their conversation could drag on, a messenger from the imperial palace came and before the two read aloud the decree's contents.
"Adder Serpens, upon the eleventh hour of what should have been your victory you have been imprisoned and your identity questioned. The accusations made against you have been voided and those responsible for your arrest and interment will be punished in a more peaceful time. With this you will be handsomely rewarded for the act of capturing the survivors of the Army of Vermus and you will receive an additional reward for staying true to your loyalties when others above your station have not. Due to these incredible achievements you have been invited to the Imperial Palace to better support the Empire in her time of need"
Two members of the Imperial Guard made their way into the dungeon and freed the Serpent King from his chains. Before ushering Adder and taking Demmas to the Imperial Palace.