Vainqueur was livid.
First of all, the bats had struck at his second-most prized possession: his one and only friend. They had trashed his house, leaving only a pile of rubble before which the dragon and his minions stood. They had caught the souls of his prized lackeys—thankfully none of whom Vainqueur knew the names of—and wounded Sweet Chocolatine.
Second, these savages didn’t appreciate the taste of dragon blood. A half-dragon, but dragon blood still! This affront to his species' honor would not go unpunished!
And finally, the bats now threatened his niece.
“Fetch me any vampire you find,” Vainqueur ordered the Kobold Rangers, who had survived the assault, albeit not without wounds. “So I may eat them myself!”
“What do we do with her?” Knight Kia asked, holding the treacherous Savoureuse while keeping her sword at her throat.
“How could you?” Vainqueur lambasted her. “How could you betray me? Why have so many minions betrayed my trust after I gave their lives purpose? After I made you more than food, namely, emergency food?”
“I care more about my life than a purpose?” Savoureuse proposed, unashamed and unrepentant.
“Sav, this doesn’t have to be,” Manling Victor said, composed and dignified as befitting Vainqueur’s chief of staff. “I asked Kia to send a magical message to her old party member Nostredame days ago, on your behalf.”
“I asked Kevin to set the authorities on the Nightblades in Noblecoeur, your home city, and to safeguard your family,” the paladin said. “If you cooperate with us, we can ensure your safety from reprisals.”
“But that would make me a snitch,” Savoureuse protested. “I would have to go back on my honor as a professional thug-for-hire and assassin.”
“The only honor in life for a mortal like you is to do as a dragon tells you!” Vainqueur responded with peerless logic. “The life of a wyrmling is on the line! Will you keep serving as the minion of creatures who will sink so low? Or will you choose to serve the best, most merciful, richest dragon in the world? Are you a Bella, or a Renfield?”
“I…”
“I am a dragon,” Vainqueur cut her off. “And I am also an uncle. Anything that stands between me and my niece’s safety is not food. It is ashes. Are you ashes, Scaly Savoureuse?”
Charisma check successful! It’s a critical!