Several days after her arrival in Illingrad it was clear some sort of change had happened. Aside from the army that answered to the prince, there had been reports of knights clad in dark armor patrolling the streets. At first there was thought this was some foreign mercenary group, but it would later be revealed these sightings were a prelude of the events that would unfold.

It came without any warning, an announcement was about to be made to the people of Illingrad. As expected when dawn arrived people started to flock to the streets wanting to finally discover what had been going on. In a spacious plaza a large group, nay calling them a group would be an understatement... There had been legions of the armored knights the people had seen patrolling the streets before. Each of them stood ceremoniously, their features concealed underneath their helmet as each knight gazed up at the balcony of the building the speech would be given from.

Soon the people saw a man clad in an armor that clearly had a dragon-like themed to its design, and beside him she stood, ready to deliver her speech.

"People of Illingrad! Long have you endured in this cold and harsh land! Despite the ill whispers from your neighbors, your faith has been unshaken, and today it will be rewarded! By the grace of his majesty, Igor Illin will the people of Illingrad enjoy peace and prosperity by the protection of me and my kin!"

The citizens whispered among each other, some voicing curiosity, others concern.

"Have you not grown tired of being ridiculed by your neighbors? Of having to rely on the goodwill of the gods and a fragile peace to be able to survive? You deserve so much more! Together we will free ourselves from the invisible threads of servitude the gods have chained us down with!"

The dragon girl gazed down from the balcony, trying to gauche the reactions from the citizen. "But I have not come here today to merely bring you promises... I will bring you action! The Dragon Order will bring you the prosperity you deserve! Today we ride for the Voda River! Let its bounty fill your bellies and the wealth of these that oppose us bring you prosperity!"

As she declared these words the legions of knights brandished their weapons, slamming them against their shields in a rallying cry. As she turned her back to the balcony and marched inside the building the man at her side had a smirk on his face. "Although you call it a order, it is more akin to a horde. Each of these knights, a servant to the Monarch's power, and yet they will serve their purpose splendidly."

Ryuko merely chuckled at the man's words. "It is time for us to put action behind our words Bahamut. First we conquer the river and lay claim to its resources, forcing surrounding principalities to either join us or starve."

It was a cold tactic, but an effective one. Most would have likely expected a war to break out by attacking one of the principalities directly, but by going for their resources in an unexpected sweep the other principalities would be forced to react.

And indeed, as promised the citizen saw that same day the legions of dark armored knights marching toward the river, accompanied by a small detachment of the prince's forces. Even now they weren't entirely certain what to expect. Certainly they had a fair number of forces, but would it be enough to conquer the territory? Then again, what these people didn't know was that the order had a secret weapon: Their name wasn't just for show, a detail they would realize way too late...

----

That evening in the encampment near the Voda River. Ryuko had been looking at the map across the table as the strategist started to explain the various terrains and details of the settlements. However, Ryuko had a different plan. She pointed at a principality further down the river. "According to you this settlement is most likely to rebel against us, correct?"

Ryuko's words made the tactician nod his head firmly. "They hold close ties with Drurigrad. It is quite likely they will be emboldened by this and attempt to rebuke your efforts."

Ryuko's lips curved up into a smirk at these words. "Perfect, rally your men to the outskirts of the village. Meanwhile the order will march along the river as planned."

The tactician blinked in disbelief at these words. "What in the world are you planning? My men alone won't be enough to capture that village." To which Ryuko shook her head firmly. "Nay, you won't do such a thing, you will bear witness to a reminder."

As Ryuko marched toward the exit of the tent she declared while gazing back at the man. "Why dragons are meant to be respected and feared."

The next morning the people of the surrounding settlements were woken up by the arrival of the order's legions, as expected most initially were objecting, but instead each of the village's leaders was invited to come to a particular spot.

That spot? The settlement on the outskirts of the domain of Drurigrad. The leader of the prince's detachment was accompanied by several of the dark armored figures as they approached the local militia of the settlement that had already rallied together, at the head the leader of the village.

"By the benevolence of his majesty, Igor Illin you have been given a choice: Join us in creating an united Pergrande under his radiance or suffer the consequences of your defiance."

The village head glared at the commander. "Have you gone insane?! The Prince is possessed! A madman making deals with equally dark fiends!"

The commander lowered his head lightly. "I... wish it wouldn't have come to this... GIVE THE SIGNAL!"

The militia braced themselves, preparing for the battle but instead a single flare fired up into the sky. The militia thought that this might had been the start of a battlefield, but calling this a battlefield might had been wrong, for the events that unfolded that day were a pure carnage.

In the distance the sight of two giant silouettes emerged, and as they came closer in view the militia clearly became overwhelmed by fear and panic. These soldiers had been taught to fight bandits and monsters, maybe fellow men, but this? Nay, when they saw two giant dragons descend from the sky they knew they were doomed.

Traditional weaponry was useless against dragons, and in the blink of an eye the village elders saw how the entire militia, which had far greater numbers than their entire villages combined was incinerated. These who survived the initial fire breathes tried to flee back to the village, but instead found themselves greet by a blaze of red, a sea of flames.

The militia had been obliterated with not even the slightest resistance made possible, and as the dragons left the burning carnage a feminine voice called out to the village elders.

"This is the fate that awaits these that oppose the prince."

The elders turned around to see one of the dragons having taken a humanoid form, standing confidently in front of them. "So I ask you again: Will you join us, or will you suffer the same fate as them?"

The village elders hesitatingly looked at each other for a moment, after which they bend the knee. "P-please spare our villages!"

WC: 1250/1250