Greedy fools, all of them!
Vainqueur could smell their treachery. They all lusted for his hard-worn gold. “Minions, get out!” the dragon called from outside the pyramid, crushing the statue of the vile Furibon underfoot. “Minions! Minions!”
He had activated the Blinkblink ring, turning invisible to catch them in the act of stealing. For the dragon knew, deep in his heart, that they were busy pilfering his treasure.
Why, they even dared not to acknowledge their emperor’s order!
“Minion!” Vainqueur summoned his friend to his side when no one answered. Manling Victor appeared next to the dragon, a strange, worried look on his face. “Here you are!”
“Y-your Majesty.” The dragon sensed hesitation in his voice, as he looked for his master. “W-where are you?”
“Shush, minion,” Vainqueur said, his lackey looking at his general direction. “I’m using my Blinkblink ring to surprise them.”
“Them?”
“The traitors! Tasty Malfy, Untasty Allison, they are traitors and thieves! I can feel it in my bones!” The very thought infuriated him. “But you… not you, my chief of staff. You are the only one I can trust. Because you worship me more than anything. You still love me, right?”
“Y-yes, of course!” Manling Victor reassured his master. “I owe you my life!”
“Yes, you do. That is why I can trust you. Because you are my friend. Not like the others, those ingrates. Now, where are they?”
“I, I do not know!” Manling Victor said. “We separated earlier to look for Furibon!”
“A mere excuse to hide their duplicity!” Vainqueur illuminated his minion’s mind, dispelling his idealistic delusions. “They must be stealing as much gold as they can before they escape! We must find them!”
“I—I heard them talking about another temple in the city!” Friend Victor said, remembering an important piece of evidence. “I can lead you—”
“LEAD?” Vainqueur’s roar made his friend stumble. “Where?!”
“It’s, it’s the verb, Your Majesty, the verb!”
Vainqueur calmed himself, but only barely so. “Minion, do not play tricks on me. My patience is at an end.”
“Certainly, Your Majesty…” Manling Victor cleared his throat. “I can guide you to the temple and then we will interrogate them.”
“I will have them kiss my finger,” Vainqueur said. “If they love me as you do, they will. Not like the others.”
“About that…” Manling Victor trailed, as if afraid of the answer. “Where is Chocolatine?”
The dragon briefly hesitated about sparing his friend’s feelings but decided he should better be warned of what they were up against. “I had to do it, minion. She was fifty.”
“Fifty what? Years? Werewolves live that long?”
“Fifty kilos,” Vainqueur explained.
Manling Victor opened his mouth, before noticing her near the plaza.
The gold statue of Chocolatine, still holding the treacherous Felix in her arms, and that greedy look still on her face.
“I had to do it, minion,” Vainqueur told his friend, who looked at the statue in horror—horror at her treachery. “They lusted for my gold with their greedy eyes, then tried to turn me into treasure… after I gave them a minion job! Do you know the unemployment rate among your kind, Manling Victor? You do not, and you do not want to know. While I achieved full employment!”
“I…” Friend Victor was speechless at the revelation.
“She was full of lust for my gold!” Vainqueur ranted. “She would have turned you to gold too, but I saw it coming! I saw them both coming, her and that money-grubbing cat! How you may ask?”
Manling Victor said nothing, listening to his master’s wisdom.
“I have a sixth sense to detect a minion’s inner shininess: the Shiny-ing!” Vainqueur ranted to his servant. “I can tell how much they will weigh in gold! I can! Because I am wealthy in gold, but poor in minions! Do you know how much a kobold is worth?”
Intelligence check successful!