The Commander and the Survivor

      "I want you to return to Duran, and report anything different. Search for anything we could use for future projects."

      Xac raised his head, his pale yellow eyes glowing in the dimly lit room, and replied, "Yes, Lord Xero. I shall search every inch of the city and report any abnormal behaviour. Any survivors will be brought before you should I find any."

      Xero nodded, waving his hand to dismiss his prized soldier, then turned toward his husband - a Techo covered in sleek, light silver armour - and spoke.

     "Survivors...Do you think there would be any after his attack?"

      Destructo glanced toward Xac, then lowered his chin toward one hand and replied, "Perhaps. I know the kingdom is unpredictable, and it's only natural the the citizens are able to survive through anything within their own element."

      "Hmm..." Xero simply said, before muttering, "I do recall the King having a skilled army...Perhaps..."

      He trailed off and shook his head, before standing up and gesturing for Destructo to follow him, to which he did, and left the room.

     The two went into a large area, in which a massive control panel was laid, and many capsules were placed against the walls behind them. Xero walked up to the control panel and pressed a button, to which the giant screen above flashed on, revealing multiple lists of worlds that they had studied over time.

      "This one..." he muttered, tapping another button and opening a file about the world's military, "Duran."

      Destructo watched intently as Xero scrolled down, browsing through paragraphs upon paragraphs of intel, before finally stopping on one.

      "I thought so." Xero said, "They have this."

      He stepped back for a moment, and Destructo read the information he left on the screen.

     "Duran is one of the only planets to have an army of Dragoons. These soldiers are able to control and summon Draconian Neopets. Only the strongest and wisest are able to truly control any species, but only the Masters can fully control an adult Draik.

      Whether or not the soldier can actually summon one of these mighty Neopets doesn't affect their skills as a warrior, however. The Duran Dragoons are armed with various skill sets, including super stealth and wielding spears with ease. One of these soldiers is Head Leader Cri-Dra, and they are known not only for their swift speed and stealth, but also their skills with their signature weapon."

      Another soft "hmm" from Xero, and Destructo turned toward him, eying him curiously.

      "You don't think that..." he began to ask, but Xero's stare said it all: It was very possible that there could be a survivor, and Cri-Dra was it.

      Xero stared at the picture on the screen beside the information about the Dragoon warrior, and nodded.

     "Yes. I have the feeling that there will be...A very rough encounter."

      |||

      Xac returns to Duran, and gets to work right away. He kicks around pieces of broken machinery, letting out his signature huff every few moments as he takes note of the kingdom's state.

      "Still as pathetic as when I first left." he muttered, crossing his arms and tapping one hand's claws against his armour, "But it is a lot quieter. Heh..."

      He continued onward for a moment, then sensed something moving underground. Despite being on the land itself, he could hear and feel things happening from farther away, a tactic he relied on when it got to sneak attacks. It's because of this ability that he conquered multiple worlds by himself, and the fact he was also a skilled and lethal soldier added to that effect.

      "A survivor."

      Xac unleashed his wings, of which were intended for stealthy air strikes, and flew over the ground, following the sounds until he found a large hole between the volcanic castle and destroyed buildings, covered in metal pieces to block out the entrance and otherwise act as a disguise. He landed a few feet away and decided to lure his prey out by extending his claws and scraping them against more metal pieces that lay around.

      The screeching of metal on metal was strong enough to even reach the one hiding underground: A Meerca clad in sturdy, magma armour with a retractable spear in place of one of their limbs. This was the one Xero and Destructo predicted would survive the attack, but not for the reasons they believed...In fact, they were on a mission during the invasion, and by the time it had happened, communication between them and their kingdom was cut off and there was no saving them from Xac and his elite soldier.

      Cri-Dra took no time in swiftly locating the source of where the sound was coming from, then extended their spear and leapt out of the ground, thrusting it through the magma before nearly striking Xac as he leapt out of the way.

     "Heh...So there's someone left." Xac chuckled, unaffected by the surprise attack, "I wouldn't expect anyone to remain after I came and crushed this place."

      Cri-Dra aimed their spear at him, demanding, "You?! You're the one who destroyed my home? What gave you the idea to do something like this?!"

      Another chuckle, and Cri-Dra watched as Xac came up to them, uncrossing his arms and flicking one wrist with a smirk.

      "I've ordered to conquer every world in my great Lord's name." he answered, knowing that he was more than able to give info due to his plans, "Those deemed unworthy, however, are subject to be destroyed. Your...Precious kingdom...Got lucky. Due to all the mechanical resources you have available, we decided to let it remain, but under our control."

      He then laid his hand on Cri-Dra's spear, lowering it before getting his face into theirs and whispering softly, "Isn't that...Wonderful? Feel free to thank me now, while you still have the chance."

      Cri-Dra backed away, yanking their spear out of his grip and shouting, "Why would I thank you?! Because of you, my home is a wasteland and my King is gone! I never got to admit my feelings to him, that I --"

      Xac's face was back into theirs, stopping them short, and he grabbed their shoulder with one hand while raising the other hand's claw to their chin.

      "Good. Your King was annoying. I don't know how you were able to deal with someone like him, but quite frankly, I don't care. Now, it's time to head back...To my kingdom -- And I'm sure you'll find My Lord far...Superior to King Hothead."

      Cri-Dra tried to speak again, but Xac unleashed a giant bolt of electricity into their body, paralyzing them, before creating a portal and heading back to the kingdom, where Lord Xero awaited his arrival.

      |||

      Xero stood before Xac and Cri-Dra, studying the latter with an intense stare. He paced around the two, taking notice of Cri-Dra's attempts to escape paralysis, before finally giving Xac his next orders.

      "I want you to train them along with your army." he flexed his fingers, extending his claws slightly, before adding, "Wipe out their memory, and make sure all the info on their home world - including military status - is forgotten. I want them to start off from scratch, so they can learn how we function instead of using their army's silly strategies."

      Xac bowed and replied, "At your command, My Lord. I shall ensure they obey every order that they receive not only from myself, but from you as well."

      Cri-Dra glared at them as they continued, then growled, "You won't...Get away with this..! I will...Avenge my King!"

      Xac turned and glared at them, but Xero walked up and he backed away in response. He grabbed Cri-Dra's chin and gripped it tight, his claws digging into their armour.

      "We'll see." he sneered, "Or perhaps you'll join him if you don't admit defeat here and now!"

      Cri-Dra grunted, but otherwise didn't speak and glanced away from Xero, their eyes then meeting Xac's, of which flashed red in response.

      Xero gave Cri-Dra a shove, then motioned for Xac to do what he needed to do, and dismissed the two with a final remark.

     "I'll come check on you later. You'd best be following orders...Or I'll make you regret entering my sight."

     Xac took Cri-Dra's arm and hauled them away, taking them to get their memory wiped, and a light mutter could be heard from the Meerca once they were out of Xero's throne room.

     "It's not like I chose to come here..."

     When they entered the room, Xac threw Cri-Dra onto the floor and snarled, "Look, I hate dealing with you as much as you hate dealing with us, but guess what? Your precious kingdom is never coming back, and you have no choice but to serve us! If you want to go run out and rebel against Lord Xero, be my guest...But don't think that he won't crush you first thing, after giving you your first and final warning. You'd just best get used to it...Because I won't hold back against soldiers who turn against myself either!"

      A flash of his claws, and Xac glares at the still-angry Meerca, daring them to challenge him. After their head lowered in defeat, he finally hooked them up to a device to have their memory wiped -- military strategies and all.

     From this day onward, Cri-Dra since became a worthy ally of XEROKING, and even re-learned how to use their signature weapon in order to fight for their new kingdom. While they never were able to summon a Draik - despite having a new head leader - they grew close to other allies, all of whom were admittedly much more powerful than any Draconian Neopet could ever be...Including Commander Xac himself.

      Due to this success, the army also gained a few new positions, including one of which Cri-Dra trains: Dragoons. And these were even better than the ones Duran ever had.

      Why?

      Because they were ruled by Lord Xero, the most powerful ruler in all existence...

      ...And when in his mighty kingdom, there are mighty rewards for those who followed him.

      Cri-Dra knows this themself, and they grew even stronger over time - stronger than they ever were in their home - all because of the guidance of two powerful leaders.

     The End.

      Writer's Note: For more info on each character involved, check out /~Firnontor . This was my very first story submitted into the Neopian Times, so I hope you all like it!