Tales of the Pearly Kingdom (Pearly Tales Vol. 2)

44. Dravenkin Rituals: Conversation

In the morning Shayley dressed ready for battle. One thing about being a Warrior Queen was that she only needed the minimal amount of security. She temporarily enlisted Gerald for this job since he was the only one really qualified since she had snuck about the Nightmare and hadn't brought any of the Knights with her. Gerald readily agreed and with his old uniform and mannerisms he fit the role perfectly.

Shayley knew that the only way for her plan to work she had to get to Selene before she got to Cal.

Shayley climbed the stairs and walked passed a large courtyard, probably for large ceremonies where they have to gather as much as the city as possible. At the end of the courtyard was a large temple behind tall red arches that served no purpose other than decoration and minor spiritual wards.

"I'm going to be a bit louder than normal, Gerald. Just make sure nobody strikes me from behind." Shayley cracked her knuckles as she stood in front of the door for the house and shrine. She had it on good authority that Selene would be here for the morning training.

"You never told me what you were planning, your highness." Gerald stiffened his back and had one hand on the pommel of his rapier.

"I'm going to pull a Calloway." Shayley popped her neck and then shook out her fingers as she hopped on the balls of her feet for a second.

"You don't really mean?" Gerald paled as he remembered the first time Cal had showed up at the Fluffy Dragon.

"Yep, it feels appropriate for the situation. Plus I really need to hit something this morning." Shayley swung her leg back and then with as much strength as she could safely muster she kicked the door down.

WHAM!

Gerald wanted to facepalm, but it was too late for that.

"What up Bitches!" Shayley shouted at the shrine maidens. She pulled her sword and pointed it at Selene.

What stood before Shayley was not a room of ceremony like she had previously expected. The dainty frightened woman she had expected to see were not here. Instead this was a room filled with warrior priest and priestess and their avatar dragons. The youth were lined along the far sides of the room. Selene, her daughter, and another youth sat directly on the opposite side of the room from the door Shayley had just knocked down.

"Me and the Priestess of hags need to talk!" Shayley growled.

Instantly, the students stood up to face her. Achilles snarled and reached for her sword. Selene put her hand out stopping her and her class.

"I've been waiting for you, however I expected a little more tact in this matter from the Queen." Selene said, her face was a mask of propriety.

"When you've been around Cal as long as I have a few things rub off. I thought you'd know that, seeing as we are in love with the same man." Shayley bounced the sword on her shoulder a couple of times.

"So that is what this is about."

"That's what this is about." Shayley allowed her thin sword to make an impossibly loud thud on the ground.

Selene picked up her giant sword and met Shayley near the middle of the room. "And what do you hope to accomplish, I believe my relationship with Callow is between me and him."

Shayley clicked her tongue. "And as his fiancé, I say it involves me."

"Do you fear I will steal him from you?" Selene smiled at Shayley arrogantly.

"You obvious know very little about the Dravenkin, little lizard girl. Let me educate you." Shayley's feline eyes glowed. "The Dravenkin only respect strength, we challenged our own gods and won. We also don't wait for the men to cherry pick us a husband, we viciously mark and hunt our mates into submission. Cal is my prey, and as long as you can't defeat me you'll never be able to steal what I have marked as mine." Shayley let her fangs show in a toothy grin.

"So you want to kill me." Selene drew her sword and threw the scabbard behind her.

"Foolish lizard. I am a huntress, if I meant to kill you, you would already be dead. The only thing you'd even feel is my teeth in you neck squeezing the life from you." Shayley showed her fang and her huntress marks began to glow.

"Then why are you here!" Selene made her blade glow blue.

Then Shayley was gone. Selene spun around to catch Shayley's impossibly heavy blade with hers.

"Make no mistake, this is a war over territory between one predator and another. Our nations and responsibilities have no place in this battle. Strength. Show me you are worthy for conversation with your strength. I will not negotiate with the weak. Show me the strength of your love for Calloway Calphius or I will kill you, and if you would forsake him again I will kill you. Fight me! Or I will Kill you!" Shayley fully activated her Huntress marks with a blood red light. With a single swing she sent Selene flying through the door into the courtyard.

Selene barely had enough to block the next attack from the ferocious huntress. She activated her Blue Blade, which buffed her attack power and defense. It took her a moment to summon her avatar. A large blue oriental dragon sprouted from behind her as the flourishing tattoos on her body and her eyes glowed blue.

"I accept your challenge!" Selene used her small body to swing her large sword while her dragon. Spun around her following the swings of the sword. Simultaneously attacking Shayley with dragon and sword.

With a jump and spin over the dragon as it attacked her. The she brought her sword down on the head of the dragon smashing it into the ground. She dashed along the whipping length of the lizards body before it could recover and swung at Selene with animal-like ferocity.

Selene easily swung around the giant blade to parry and attack Shayley. This huntress woman fought like nothing she'd ever faced before. She was a fluid as a snake, as strong as a beast, and as fast as a hawk. But she was no pushover either, she was faster and better trained. She also had better magic.

She wreathed herself in blue fire and it formed whips that struck out at Shayley. When the dragon regained it's bearings it turned around and breathe fire on Shayley's position. She dodged as the fire licked at the ground without harming Selene. Everything else the fire touched blackened and charred.

The Priestesses and priests of the shrine ran outside to watch the two titans battle. At first, they thought it was going to be a one-sided massacre on Selene's side but that was not the case for long as the glowing redhead swatted the dragon away like it was a pest. They had never seen anyone fight like her. She danced like a feral animal. Her wild and untamed ferocity challenged everything they knew about fighting.

High Priestess Selene and the blue dragon danced with each other when they fought. Achilles hybridized her swift samurai blade with the tricky pirate blade creating a new style the armed forces used to stay a step above the other nations. But it was especially effective against the ghost pirates, the only problem was they kept coming back after a set amount of time. It wasn't an effective style against someone like Shayley.

But Shayley was the perfect huntress. Each attack was aimed to kill. Every stroke of her blade whistled through the air. And every time she struck something, the very ground shook. Aside from the trickery focused style of the Pirates, Shayley's sword was honestly straightforward and packed a punch.

Shayley was getting tired of the distracting dragon, some of the other races may have struggled but Shayley was a Dravenkin.

She hoped fifty feet straight into the air. The dragon took the opportunity to strike.

"Got her." Selene smiled. But then her smile faded when she saw the red-haired woman on the dragon's head.