The Hornet's Nest

[Sage]

" We've located the specimen. "

A man robed in dark cloth, adorned with armor that appeared like black glass stood facing the back of a rather eccentric man wearing unusual Torynian garments. The less appropriately-clothed of the two turned from a book he had been poring over, the text of which glowed with an intense silvery sheen, and lit his excited features.

" Did we? Well, that did not take nearly as long as I had anticipated? Where is the lovely creature? "

The man in black lowered his head, slowly, as if to consider his words. He raised it again sharply, causing locks of pale white to fall from beneath a hood that otherwise obscured the upper half of his face.

" ...I've been keeping tabs on Solaris, by your order. The beast is nearby. "

Sieg did not need the hooded man to finish his sentence. He could already see the glistening scales of the dragon as she marched through the darkness of the night, ever wandering toward a nameless goal. He practically squealed with excitement as his glazed eyes saw sights unseen.

" Kalmarden! How exciting! My trips there always seem to be profitable, and well worth the journey. Well done, Talis. "

" ...M'Lord. "

Sieg danced across the floor, the glowing tome now closed and firmly in his grasp. He muttered under his breath as he slid it into a locking pedestal at the center of the room.

" I'll summon Yama on the way, let us be off, there will be no time for flight, I'm afraid, so I'll be asking for your escort. "

" If it pleases, Master. "

The sullen creature called Talis raised his chin and halfheartedly extended a hand into the nothingness before the pair of them. His hood began to slowly slip back as a current of air blew fiercely into the room. The skin around his eyes was revealed to be scarred and stained with brilliant red, evidence of Sieg being ever-present in his mind, looking through Talis' extraordinary eyes.

A vacuous portal of inky black lurched open inside Sieg's office. It churned and sputtered angrily, causing many of the mad inventor's trinkets and papers to be sent spinning about the room. There was an obvious difference in the nature of Oblivion since The End, and it was not so kind to even experienced travelers, such as the pair entering it now.

As they stepped through, a white field crept around their forms, partially obscuring them from sight, and when it completely sealed them off into a pocket, they were through, and it began to immediately disappear. Sieg stretched and groaned, enthusiastic in his surveying of the Kalmarden countryside. They had landed in a wheat field in desperate need of harvest. As the portal slid closed behind them, the dull silence of the night came into full effect, not even insects breaking it.

Less than a hundred yards away was the party they were interested, and she would likely be alerted to their presence with the sudden violent entrance into the realm from the darkness of Oblivion. As the swirling wind and protective white aura around them completely dissipated, a dull roar could be heard from miles to the north, signaling the coming of Yamakage.

[Scarlet]

Being ancient had its perks. Being a dragon had even more advantages. Being a dragon stuck in a human form…that was a huge drawback. Scarlet, her name the product of a gaggle of lackluster humans with no penchant for creativity, wandered wistfully along the edges of the Kalmarden forest. She weaved aimlessly through the trees and wheat field, her fingertips dragging listlessly through the overgrown grain. She had only been in the area for a week, feeding at will on large game, she hadn’t seen a human yet.

What a shame. They tasted so delicious, even in her currently trapped form. You see, Scarlet was something of an enigma, one of the last of her kind and perpetually disgusted with the memory of the mage that turned her human. Of course, when the need arose, she was capable of shifting painfully back into her once beautiful and glorious form. Now, though, she was humbled to the earth by her incredibly handsome features. She hated the way she looked, the way she smelled, the way she walked, and the way humans looked at her. Scarlet was disgusted. In fact, she usually went by the name of Liadan if she had to interact with the human scum.

To the untrained human eye Scarlet looked like a wandering waif of a human woman. She wore a threadbare gown of some sack brown color, shapeless from continuous use, and she had no shoes. She didn’t need any, but that didn’t prevent humans from forcing them into her hands – thinking her some wayward product of a foreign war, down on her luck as it were. In reality, Scarlet was a handsome woman and they wanted to rescue here, bring her into the fold of their world. She was hardly civilized enough by their standards.

Civilization be damned.

Scarlet twisted her bright blonde braid with one hand as she felt the grain. Sometimes the humans were smart and avoided her, knowledge of what she was capable of preceding her. It was then that she felt the disturbance. She jerked her head up to look in the exact direction of Sieg’s presence. She snorted; the scent of Oblivion lingered in the air like the odor of rotting flesh. The sun caught the millions of clear scales covering her body like invisible armor, creating a glistening sheen on her. In certain light, and if it were raining, these scales could cast a rainbow of color.

“What on earth…” Curiosity may have killed the proverbial cat, but dragon curiosity was somewhat legendary. Unnerving ice blue eyes searched the wheat field until they found Sieg in the distance. Scarlet stuck out like a sore thumb among the trees and wheat. She could only hope that the man who had travelled through darkness hadn’t seen her yet.

Then they turned in her direction.

Scarlet cursed and decided to stand her ground, wait for the mage like man to come to her. So help her…if he wanted to tamper with her because he knew she was a dragon…she wouldn’t hesitate to eat him, clothing and all!

[Sage]

The overenthusiastic madman made sure he was well within earshot of the dragonkin before speaking again, as well as raising his hands, palms out, in an inoffensive fashion.

" Such a magnificent and beautiful creature, such a shame to see it bound to a less glorious form than it's capable of. "

His eyes were nevertheless drawn to her shifting silvery scales, enthralled by her, even as she was. To any other human, she would be infinitely more beautiful in this form than as a roaring behemoth, but that was not an opinion Sieg tended to share about any mythical beings.

Talis glared at the creature, his posture neutral, but his straining white eyes were full of nothing but ire for her. When next he spoke, his voice would boom many times louder than he should have been capable of, consisting of snarls and roars his humanoid throat should not have been capable of. He was able to speak the language of the dragons, thanks to a careless Elder Dragon that once flounced about the capital of Talis' homeland. It had always been one of his two most impressive talents to copy the magical powers and learned abilities of others, simply by watching them.

" I can translate for you, if you wish to speak in a tongue more natural to you. My Master has come here to speak of a proposition, if you would hear him. "

[Scarlet]

The guttural sound that escaped the delicate creature near the tree line wasn’t natural. It sounded like a vicious roar that was slightly more articulate than what the creature Talis was capable of. Still, Scarlet was impressed.

“What sort of proposition does he ask of me?” Scarlet moved toward the pair, stopping a short twenty yards from them. Her ice blue eyes locked on Sieg as she spoke to Talis, letting the draconic speech slide to a more common dialect, though her words were accented. Her voice was beautiful, a melodic charm that breathed in the direction of her being an excellent singer.

“How did you find me?” The setting sun flared over the field, casting a myriad of brief prisms of light around Scarlet before slipping behind the tree line. Her eyes narrowed briefly, this creature – this Sieg was staring at her as if he knew what she was. There was no hiding from those that were bent on understanding what she was either, the ones that could tell by looking at her – or those that got close enough to see the scales covering her skin.

Scarlet sniffed the air gingerly, scenting the Oblivion stench about them she snorted and covered her nose with the back of her hand. The gesture was one that was endearing but also showed how quickly she could move if she didn’t judge her movements carefully. Her dialect reverted back to the Draconic that Talis could speak.

“You smell like rotten flesh. Where did you come from?” She snorted again and brushed the tears from her eyes. A wise man would bottle those, the tears of a dragon were insanely rare and extremely deadly to obtain.

[Sage]

Talis emitted his boom once more, causing the delicate grain all around them to rustle slightly under the pressure of his voice.

" Sieg asks that you bind yourself to him, and kill a man. He will see all that you see, whenever he wishes. Doing so will cause you physical pain, and should you break the bond, you will lose your sight altogether. "

Sieg shrugged, as Talis spoke. It was put a little more bluntly than he would have liked, but there was no need to lie here. There was no need for diplomacy. Either she would do it, or she wouldn't. Red Dragons were not famous for being anything less than stubborn.

" You aura, creature. It is fascinatingly, dazzlingly strong. I compared it against Yamakage's, and you were found quickly, because you just so happened to be near a human I have been tracking for some time. "

Brutal honesty would be a theme for their meeting tonight, and given their strict time constraints, Sieg would not put the dragon under any delusions that he was dishonest. She had to be able to trust him, even if she didn't like him. Or he would have to force her to do as he asked...and nothing would hurt him deeper than drawing the ire of such a beautiful creature, so close to being crowned.

Talis shifted his weight uneasily. Being so close to Solaris, in a land famous for things that go bump in the night may not have been a factor to Sieg, but normal mortals had every reason to be afraid of, well, everything here. That was not to say Talis, especially as words magically erupted into the night, was not formidable. But there is always a bigger fish.

" We came from the North, but we traveled through the Infinite Darkness to get here. It is another realm entirely from this one, inhabited by nothing but death and inky, black nothingness. It is understandable why the scent of it might be unpleasant, I can only recommend you do not lay eyes on it yourself. "

" Please forgive my very 'grim' companion, " he spat. The joke would go unnoticed by the dragon, and Talis seemed incapable of laughter, but Sieg himself had no problem howling with laughter all on his own.

" Oblivion is an oddity, to be sure, and trust that it is inhabited, partially by being such as my friend Talis here. But that is not why we're here. " Sieg's eyes widened, as he came to the sudden realization that he had skipped introductions entirely. " Forgive me, dear creature. I have been terribly rude. My name is Sieg Warheight, and my companion here is Talis Rai. What do you prefer to be called? "

[Scarlet]

It was a trait of ancient immortals to be capable of such great stillness. Some of her brethren had been asleep so long, curled around some long lost treasure that they had turned into the hills and mountains of the land. Very few of these dragons were still alive, though the few that were had the capability to destroy that which was built on them. They slept, now, but one day they would rise and create the havoc that they were born to do.

“Oblivion?” Scarlet mused as she kept her eyes on Sieg. Something told her that he was the one she could trust just about as far as she could throw him. Talis was not a concern, though he was a curiosity. She could smell him and tell that he was not a dragon, so the fact that he knew dragon speech was a definite amusement for her.

“I was named Scarlet by a group of men with the mage that trapped me in this form. I have no last name. Humans are so…creative.” Scarlet stepped closer and executed a perfect curtsey, a very amusing sight considering it was a slight mockery of human tradition.

“What do I get in return for…my cooperation?” Scarlet was somewhat unnerving as close as she was. Humans loved the look of her but the predatory nature of a dragon kept them ill at ease. Sieg would probably have no qualms about her; he didn’t seem to be in control of all of his faculties. This country of Kalmarden seemed to produce some vicious monsters of the night. Even now as the humans settled in for the night, Scarlet could smell the dead rising from their slumber. Vampires were an amusement, the oldest ones were the most difficult to manage, but they could be defeated. Everyone died the same in a dragon’s jaws.

So close as she was to Sieg and Talis she seemed oddly at ease. They didn’t seem as human as most so it was easier for her not to be on edge. Perhaps the unhinged demeanor of the man that seemed to be in charge kept her calm.

“You assume, creature of Oblivion, that I need my eyes to see.” Scarlet looked at Talis and smiled. It wasn’t something that evoked great happiness, but rather looked mildly predatory. She laughed, a sound that was pure melody, as Talis spoke of the pain which binding herself to Sieg would bring.

“Have you ever had your body ripped to shreds? Skin split from the inside out? Bones rearranged and replaced, broken and made new? Have you ever experienced shape shifting into a dragon?” Scarlet looked at Talis directly, her ice blue eyes having no hint of emotion in them. “Every time I get angry or have a need to defend myself I experience the same pain. Over, and over, and over again. I have managed to amend my behavior and put a vice grip on my anger, but the mage that bound me wanted to kill me. He faltered in his spell as I vaulted out of my nest, and he created this abomination that I have become. The death spell is wound into my creation, creature of Oblivion.”

Scarlet took another step toward Sieg, curious about his mental health and yet wary of him at the same time. It had been so long since a humanoid had approached her with a proposition that she was sorely tempted to just accept the offer.

“If the benefit outweighs the risk I will consider your offer. “ Who approached a dragon and didn’t offer something in return? Indeed, it was rather foolhardy not to offer some sort of recompense to a red dragon. They could be quite volatile if they thought that they had been made fools of.

[Sage]

A beating of wings sounded in the distance, accompanied by yet another echoing roar as the sun came ever closer to disappearing over the horizon. Sieg's pale skin seemed to match the night, well, and stood in stark contrast to the amber waves shifting lazily around him. His features appeared tired, and sunken, though his expression resembled a gleeful, carefree attitude that seemed to drown out everything scary in the world, if only in his mind.

As the dragon went on about her past, he listened intently, though he checked a small timepiece by his chest frequently, as if worried about falling behind some unknown schedule. Talis, however, glared at her as she spoke of compensation, and began to address her harshly in her own tongue.

" Perhaps...Scarlet, you do not understand wh- "

"Talis!", the madman hissed, lifting his gaze from the small clockwork device in his grasp. " What I offer is simple...you work for me, and you may keep any looted treasures you can carry. If you are in danger, I will protect you, if you are injured...I will heal you. Sieg made a sweeping gesture before him, and then extended a hand toward the girl, as though to illustrate a point. " You will join Yamakage, bound to my soul, until such time as you become more trouble than you are worth. At which time, I will consume you."

Sieg's eyes drew into a dangerous, icy stare that unnerved Talis to his very core, causing him to take several steps backward. " If you are with me, I might be able to return you to your former glory, but a cursory glance at your manifested humanity leads me to believe research will need to be done, it is not within my means to do so now. Decline, and I will take from you what I require to make this a profitable excursion and leave you to your purposeless wandering..."

His hand still outstretched, Sieg flexed his fingers, as if motivating her to make a quick decision. No sooner than he had finished speaking, a great white beast would appear over the treeline at Scarlet's pack. The great white dragon, Yamakage, circled the field above them before landing with incredible before just behind it's soulbound counterpart, Sieg. The plantlife around them shivered and flattened itself, as though frozen, and fell to the ground around their feet. The entire field would be leveled for several hundred yards, and what was left would bend to the sorrowful wail of the dragon as it roared yet a third time to signal it's presence.

His shook it's massive head as it took in the humanoid dragon before them, sniffing the air lightly as it did so. It's voice was a long, drawing echo, reverberating in the very bones of those who could understand it, and shaking the courage of those who could not. It's pale, crystalline scales reflected the now moonlit sky magnificently, striking awe when it flew through the ever-winter sky of Toryn.

"Dooo nooot leeet yoouur priide besst yoouu, Siisster. Coooonsssiiiderr, the offeeer"

[Scarlet]

When Talis started to speak harshly in her own tongue, Scarlet began to bristle. By the time Sieg called him off there were cracks starting to form in the delicate skin covering her arms. Blood was starting to run thick and bright against her pale skin. When Sieg addressed her the concentration on Talis broke and the faults sealed themselves over almost immediately. It was as if a balm had been applied to her body and Sieg was the reason. It was simply that she had been distracted from her anger.

When Yamakage appeared and landed behind Sieg, instead of moving away like any normal, sane person might, Scarlet walked to him. She walked right past Sieg and Talis and stood near Yamakage.

“It has been a long time, Brother.” The snarls that erupted from her throat were softer in cadence than were Yamakage, showing her femininity well. She was a dwarf of a woman next to this majestic white dragon, but she wasn’t afraid. Reds were known for their ferocity and their short tempers. A distant memory surfaced for Scarlet and she shook her head as she reached out and braced herself with Yamakage. The link between them would breed the memory of Scarlet’s past.

Her mate had been a white dragon. The nest she had been protecting, and her mate, had all been killed after her change. Hers was a long and tumultuous past, but she had nothing but happy memories of her mate. The link would be brief before she shut the barrier down over her personal thoughts.

“You suggest I bind myself to this man?” Scarlet twitched her nose at the thought but shrugged her shoulders. “If you can serve him, brother, so can I.”

“I accept these terms. I have no qualms about pain or death. I have lived too long to care about such things.” Scarlet walked to Sieg and stopped, standing right in front of him and of a height of a relatively tall woman. She said nothing about listening to a dragon over her new master. If one of her kind could suffer being bound to such a creature then she could manage herself. Besides, it was the most interesting thing that had happened to her in the past four centuries.

[Sage]

Yama stamped a gigantic claw as he was touched, and the memories flooded into his mind. He saw her life as she had seen it pass by, and was stricken briefly with sorrow, for her. He straightened on his haunches, and blew a cone of frosty cone of winter air into the night sky. Images of his time with Sieg would bleed into her mind as well, a completely voluntary torrent of information showing Sieg's first encounter with Yama up to the present. She would be able to ascertain from them that Sieg was a completely horrid human being, but with a very soft heart and stern reverence for their kind.

She would know that he was ancient, not unlike their own kind. She would see his power over science and nature, feats of astounding magical skill and talent. She would see Yama serving him readily after having been saved by him in his adolescence. And more importantly, she would see the trust they had in each other, and the millions of gifts and offerings made to the Elder Dragon over the centuries, not least of which was a kind hand and word from a dear old friend in times of need.

The images crashed against him as they did her, and he sunk a few feet under their weight, a renewed vigor about him for having re-experienced his relationship with his Master and friend. His voice lowered in tone substantially, practically a whisper versus what he was capable, though the sound still resonated in the air around them, a dull booming that caused the very world to shiver slightly.

" Mind this next part. You must give of yourself freely, but it will be unlike any pain you have endured. "

Sieg stepped forward, his hand grasping firmly on an invisible object before him. He reached into the darkness before him with both hands and drew from it two ornately crafted swords, whose origins were even more ancient and storied than any else for miles. He turned back to face Scarlet, weaving the blades intricately in a strange pattern in the air. Their forms wavered, and began to bleed into one another, melding into one formidable black weapon, so dark it bent the light around it.

The sword was large, though Sieg easily wielded it in his right hand alone. He held it firmly at his side as he plunged his left hand into the Elder Red's heart. There was no wound, however, so long as she accepted his actions. The frost mage reached past any solid matter such as bone and flesh and grasped directly at her soul. He stretched it back through the barrier her body created for it, which would inevitably create a searing and unremarkable pain, which was ever deepened based on the maturity of the soul.

In a dragon's case, the hurt would be beyond indescribable. Firmly gripping the glistening wisp of light in one hand, he raised his sword, and removed a tiny portion of it from the rest of her. The remains would rubberband back into her body, causing a ripple effect which would render unconscious most mere mortals. Sieg, however, had faith that she would still be up for her task once he was done. With the tiny globule of spirit dancing in his hand, screaming to fly back to it's owner, Sieg spoke a very potent spell in his native tongue, almost under his breath as he smiled at the frantic thing.

" vur Protea. "

He devoured the light whole, and shuddered as it's vitality renewed him, causing his entire being to alight with vigorous energy. Talis recoiled at the ritual steadily, before turning to open his stomach to the damp harvest around his feet. Yama let out another roar, this one much more triumphant than the other sad requiems henceforth.

" Welcome to the family, my dear. "

[Scarlet]

There are degrees of pain that a person can go through and survive. As the degrees get higher, the less likely a human can survive without going completely insane. The problem with immortality is that in the absence of death, pain can become infinite. The degrees start to meld together until there is nothing but a sea of agony in a space where time has no boundaries. It was this place that Sieg brought Scarlet as he pulled her silvery soul from her chest. She watched him, disturbed at the sight of her soul laid bare to the world.

It was in this space, the infinite well of dark pain, that Scarlet understood Sieg. Her eyes met his and she watched as he carved a piece of her soul out for himself. Not much, just enough, and as he let go of her silvery soul she snapped back into herself as if her chest itself were on fire. She dropped to one knee, ragged and out of breath. She watched as he swallowed her soul and she grunted against the pain as her sliced soul tried to reorient itself.

It started as a tickle at the base of her spine, a sign that blood was flowing freely. Her arms were the first to burst open, flaying at the seams as muscle and skin reoriented itself. Bones snapped and segmented, lengthened and broadened. Blood pooled around her, defiling the ground and later would provide some of the best crops the lands of Kalmarden had ever tasted.

The whole growth process would take less than two minutes, but in its stead would be a quietly exhausted red dragon of immense scale. Her tail curled protectively around Sieg as she glared at Talis, one icy blue eye the size of his entire frame. She uttered a rumble that shook the earth beneath them that signified that she felt Sieg was her treasure. It was a bit ironic considering that she was now his to command, but it never hurt to have a protective Red Dragon. After a moment she uncurled her tail and raised her head, her long teeth razor sharp and ivory in color. She rumbled again, but this time softer.

“Thank you for the welcome, Master.” She was enormous, larger even that Yama. It was a wonder that a White Dragon had ever mated with her because of her intimidating size, but she was infinitely calmer and easier to handle as a dragon versus a human. She swiveled her head to look at Sieg, expecting him to have something to say to her before he even needed to speak.

“I await your expectations, My Lord.” Scarlet snorted and rested her head a mere ten feet in front of Sieg. That distance would seem pitifully small considering her girth, but she was tame for Sieg’s sake. He was a curiosity still, even as smoke curled lazily out of her nostrils and through her teeth. Her element was raw and vicious fire and she somehow realized Sieg probably knew that before he tried to contact her.

[Sage]

Sieg's plan was a devious one, and would be revealed to her in degrees. The mage carefully illustrated a map of her mission in the air before her, animating tiny figures in the dirt at his feet. It was the same magic he used to animate golems to fight at his side, though he could make much more articulate motion on a smaller scale. Two large dragonhead pieces approached a small cluster of bow-wielding figurines. The piece representing Yama turned away as Scarlet's intimidatingly large token slammed into the tiny cluster of humanoids, and their structures.

" We will infiltrate ahead of you here, and slay as much opposition as possible. You are to eat the corpses. I cannot refresh you before you attack your target, he would sense my magic and retreat to his inner sanctum. There is no hope of defeating him there. "

Sieg made direct eye contact, making sure she understood this key point, before moving on. He weaved his hands gently through the air as the tiny Scarlet continued to cause mayhem on the now-deceased figurine's homes.

" The latent magic of the elven blood should help you to fully regenerate by the time the target arrives. In the meantime, set fire to as much of the structures as possible, and stay to the southwest. The more urgent you make the situation, the less guards he will have time to bring. "

A small fleet of floating clockwork-looking ships approached Scarlet's miniature, much to it's distress. A carefully-planned battle ensued, whereby little Scarlet seemed to be focusing on the smaller pieces first.

" His mind is weak of late, a great deal of damage was done to his psyche after The End. Unfortunately, his element is fire, so he is all but immune to being hurt by it. But his men are not, and he won't be able to use his fire magic to stop you, either, as you assail them. Do so, and he will be forced to close distance on you in order to defend his people. "

Sieg smiled as the larger enemy piece began to dart around to it's tiny minions, taking physical blows from tiny Scarlet as it attempted to defend the peons. His eyes shined with an almost feral glee that sent chills up Yama's spine, causing him to audibly snort and growl.

" Yama will be in place to make sure he does not retreat to his sanctuary, but it is imperative that he is not seen or sensed, either until you have done as much damage as you can. Once he is weakened, I will set my people against him to finish the job. "

Talis began summoning a rift into the Infinite Darkness as Sieg finished his briefing, having regained his faculties from the ritual. " I will help you where I can, but know that it is imperative you get the target as close to death as possible without killing him. We would explain if we had the time, but ending his life before we can get to him is unacceptable, and will set Master's plans back too far. "

Sieg nodded, impressed with his servant. He allowed his tiny animated figures to crumble into dust, as he stepped away from the dragon and toward the portal. Just before disappearing into it's blackness, he turned, almost hesitating to say anything further.

" Do...take care, won't you? If you feel as though you might die, call for me and I will remove you from danger. And if you become confused during the battle, trust Yama. Things will happen that you may not understand, but know that you can always count on him to know the best thing to do. "

He winked, and slipped into the void, followed closely by Talis. It's disappearance was hardly noticed as Yamakage had already begun beating his wings, lifting himself slowly into the air. Their destination lay far to the north, and their window of time was short, closing with the rising sun. The great dragon cried another mournful wail into the cool night air, and another series of images would be delivered into Scarlet's mind as they flew.

The target...

The words would ring in her ears as blurred images spun in her mind, weaving a story. A man in golden armor, younger than Sieg, receiving a crown from a man looking incredibly similar to Sieg himself. Sieg, full of anger, retreating into the mountains. Years later, with Yama, they battled with the man in gold side by side. Nearly triumphant, the man in gold grasps a locket hung around his neck. It explodes into a tidal wave of energy that consumes the man's body, disfiguring it into a menacing black shadow. It grows out of control, swelling even larger than the formidable dragon. The visions become more blurry as he strikes blows against Yama and Sieg, and then a haze of bright orange light dissipates the memory completely from view.

Do not underestimate the Master's brother, he is the stronger of the two...for now...

[Scarlet]

As Yama lifted off, Scarlet followed suit. She stretched her wings wide and pushed her great girth off the ground. The ground would shudder in her wake as she leapt with a cry of sheer exultation. With a few powerful strokes of her wings she shot past Yama into the sky, climbing high, higher than any arrow or magic spell could hope to reach. Then she began to free fall, enjoying the way the wind buffeted her scales and her massive face. At the last possible second she opened her wings and used her momentum to spiral upward in a series of somersaults and barrel rolls that would make any aerial creature envious.

As the sun finally set below the horizon, Scarlet eased into a gentle rhythm next to Yama. Her wing span was as impressive as her length. She was capable of creating enough lift that she didn’t have to beat her wings nearly as much as Yama would have to, despite her girth. She kept her gaze straight ahead but spoke to him telepathically.

Where are we going? The name of the area because I so rarely associate things from the sky anymore. I rarely get to fly.

Scarlet shifted her flight to dip and fly around Yama, circling around him and settling again on his opposite side just behind and slightly above him.

I am to eat many elves, which is fine. I have no issues with elves, they can be a little stringy but they usually taste delicious. However, the man that you showed me, he is Master Sieg’s brother? Why does he want him to die?

So many questions, but then they needed answers.

[Sage]

Yama, being the more slender of the two, slithered through the air with a grace scarcely seen in dragons. He was not as strong as most dragons, but his speed and magical potential were what classified his color, and he was the finest of examples. Despite this, Scarlet wove around him in the air as if he was barely moving at all, due to his conservation of motion, more than anything.

He studied his Sister as she dipped and rose, spun and twirled on the cool air currents high above the cloud banks where other creatures were at their limit for ascension. It was like she was a young drake again, freshly beating her wings as though she had only just learned how. It was a refreshing sight, and a welcome distraction from the task that lay ahead of them. As they passed through a particularly think nimbus, Yamakage groaned softly, his wings spreading wider as he barreled into the clouds below.

The moisture in the air froze and cracked, springing from it's resting state into a light cover of snow which would begin to lazily drift toward the warm sea below. He allowed himself to be refreshed by the cool, airborne frost before ascending to just above the cover of clouds.

Darkwood Forest, in Algeroth. It is the birthplace of the Master.

The bank of clouds expired as they fell in line and crossed over land, their speed increasing somewhat as Yama let go of his playful response to Scarlet's behavior. They would cross momentarily over a corner of Cizok before reaching Algeroth, where Yama would need to break off.

[i]He does not wish to kill his brother...not yet. Sieg's birthright was stolen by Syrus many centuries ago, and it is our job tonight to begin to right that wrong. If we succeed...Sieg will be King by sunrise.

Cizok came and was gone in mere minutes, and they began to approach a lush forest in a more temperate climate than they had seen thus far tonight. Yama began to slow and pitch with his wings, setting him upright in the air as he flew in place. Less than a mile away, the smell of blood was already potent in the air, at least to their finer senses. Yama looked to Scarlet as they waited there, wondering how much she could really understand about this ancient conflict over the course of a short night.

It looks as though many of them have already be slain, you need only takes five or so more. Afterward, burn the structures and devour the bodies, you will not have to wait long for Syrus.

It was in a Dragon's nature to be selfishly absent from the events of the world, especially where mortals were concerned. Tonight, however, they would have a meaningful impact. Their involvement would renew the mortals' fear of dragons, and would likely begin actively hunting their kind again. It was a great sign of Yama's trust in Sieg that their kind would survive after gaining the attention he was forcing on them now.

We'll become something greater, tonight, Sister. Part of a conflict dating back to our beginning. Survive, above all else, so that you may see it with us.