The sky began to grow dark above the cooling desert. No moon was visible in the blackening sky, only a few bright stars. There was only one other light source; a city. The city was built along the outskirts of the desert. To the south was a large range of mountains, a wide river cutting off the city from the range with a lake forming just outside the city walls and then going on. Some water came into the city to form in the center. Walls separate each of the five districts, one wall on each side of the small flow of water.
All but the east wall were built straight, the east wall being curved. The entire wall formed a hexagonal shape of one-hundred and eighty kilometers. Three gates are built into the walls. One at the west, one at the south and another at the north, the north being the largest.
This is the city of Madrigal. Jewel of the Hovill desert. Home to the great explorer Arjen Brus.
A lone city in a vast desert.
Far from the city, from over the dunes merchants and caravans of performers and artists came for some of the riches Madrigal held. Such as the chitin of rare creatures of the deserts, Capable of tearing a dreamkeeper in two, and drag them into the depths of the sand. Rarely ever seen by the living.
Across the cooling desert a small caravan made their trek. Three covered groundcars, two with passengers and one with supplies. Drawn by manekales, four-legged animals capable of pulling large weights. In one of the groundcars, a cloaked figure was seated in the back. This figure had a purpose for coming. For they had a contract in Madrigal.
The caravan had come a long way. The cloaked figure had paid for the ride with the merchants, keeping to themselves.
The caravan neared the north gate before being approached by a small band of guards, at least three. The lead car's driver pulled on the reins to bring the manekales to a halt, the other drives doing the same. One of the guards hailed the lead driver, asking questions.
The guards wore brass-colored light metal armor, with ridged engravings travelling down the front and a brass-colored metal helmet with curves at the back. Two wielded halberds, a pole weapon with an axe-shaped blade and a spike above the blade. The last, the one to approach the front car had a sheathed sword and holstered springer pistol. On the right shoulder the guards had a shield shape engraved into the metal armor, the shape of two mountains and a curving dune-shape in front in the shield engraving. A flag atop the gate had the same engraving, only colored with the mountains grey, the dunes a sandy yellow and the space between the dark blue of night, all of it surrounded in a white circle. The flag of Madrigal.
The cloaked figure watched as a guard went by the rear of the car, looking at everyone in it. The cloaked figure would have stood out, if it wasn't for the risk of sandstorms. A cloak would protect one from sand flying up at ones face, so it was reasonable to wear.
The lead car driver soon gave a card of ID, proof of their occupation. The other two guards went by the other cars, looking in. But never going in. Once the front driver's ID was checked, they were waved on through. The inspection was done.
The cars moved on ahead through the bustling street. Not many came through the entrance, due to the distance from Madrigal and any other settlement. But inside, it was full of pedestrians across the sandy dirt roads. A few ground cars line the wide open entry road, some covered with tarps and some filled to the brim with crates, the drivers talking with guards about how they have no illegal wares. The caravan move further on through the city of Madrigal, deeper along the wide road till they come to the busiest place of the city.
The markets, filled with covered stalls and stall owners beckoning over customers to come to see their wares of exotic foods and minerals of the mines under the sands. But the cloaked figure paid no mind to them as they jumped off the back of the lead car. They held the cloak with one hand, hiding their face. No one gave any attention to the mysterious traveler, cloaked figures were a common occurrence, to hide themselves from the heat or cover them from the common occurrence of sand storms.
The traveler passed up the side of the main road through the markets as the cars continued on. Before turning off the road, they tossed a leather pouch up to the lead car driver. It jingled as it made contact with their hand. They did not wait around to see the driver check the contents, then count the coin. Their job was done.
Pushing by pedestrians and shoppers the cloaked figure moved through the markets, searching for their target. It took a lot longer than they had at first hoped it would but it was an especially busy day. A couple of stalls down was a rather poor looking red raccoon. The raccoon was leaning against a post of a stall, looking quite nervous. Good. That meant he had something worth being nervous about.
The cloaked figure approached, cautiously looking about before reaching the raccoon Dreamkeeper then leaning on the same post, arms crossed.
"It is a dangerous move to be meeting out in the open like this" the cloaked figure said rather casually, gesturing to the area around.
"These people don't care what they hear. They could pass by two planning to kill the Viscount, and they would go about th-"
"That's not why." The raccoon looked up at the cloaked figure. He could just barely see the scaled snout of the Dreamkeeper underneath. "Don't stare too long, you may find something you don't like." The raccoon turned away, looking a bit awkward now, and slightly more nervous.
There was a moment of silence. More civilians walked by, and a couple of guards that eyed them curiously. The cloaked figure bent his head down a bit till they passed.
"Do you have somewhere more...quiet?" The raccoon nodded. He pushed off the post then began moving through the crowd. The cloaked figure followed, right on his tail. They had to forcibly push some out of the way, though the raccoon made it through rather easily. They were built like a child with an aged face.
The raccoon brought them down an alleyway between two buildings, just outside the boundaries of the marketplace. The cloaked figure looked behind them, peeking around the corner as they began their questioning.
"So, this thing. What did it look like?"
The raccoon sat down. He was glancing up to the rooftops occasionally.
"It was dark...howling...and cold."
"I meant the creature, not the scenery and the night!" The cloaked figure snapped. The raccoon shook his head.
"No, that was the creature. It was cold when it gripped me. And dark, almost unseen. Like something from a child's nightmare." That word seemed to make the cloaked figure flinch. "It crawled along the walls. Had a rather long tail. It's skin was...leathery almost." The raccoon Dreamkeeper shivered at the thought. The cloaked figure turned to look down at them.
"How long ago was this?"
"Three days, give or take. It was about midnight."
"Where?"
The raccoon pointed toward the north, "Down about three blocks. An alley. Can't miss it, as their are some big scratches along the walls." The cloaked figure turned away, back to the passing pedestrians outside the alley.
Then, after some time thinking, he stood up straight.
"That should be it then." The raccoon looked up, and he seemed almost grateful. "You won't need to worry about it again, I can promise you that." After a moment, there was a flash in the alley. Then the figure walked out, joining in with the bustling market place crowd.
"Viscount's office is two blocks ahead." The reptilian nodded and went on their way. That guard was the third they had asked, and it had taught the visitor to the city that the guards were weren't the most friendly.
The reptilian had a frill around their neck of skin and yellow eyes. They was of a brown color, wearing a desert tunic with leather strapped armor over it. Yellow eyes peered out from beneath the cloak worn over the tunic. Their tail slowly swung about from behind.
The lizard approached what looked like a steel barred gate, attached to tall sandstone walls. Multiple guards stood at attention, on either side of the gate. The lizard approached, keeping their hands tucked away under their cloak. One of the guards stepped in his way, they looked rather bored. When they got a closer look, they smirked.
"Hey, bug out. Viscount isn't seeing anyone today" they said, leaning on the spear he held. They were more armored than those at the city entrance, which made sense. These guards protected the viscount.
"I have an official notice to see the viscount." The reptilian retrieved a data scroll from somewhere under his cloak then activated it. It showed a notice, a letter signed by the viscount himself. But the guard shrugged.
"Like I said, he ain't seeing anyone today. Now, get lost" the guard responded, their tone threatening. The lizard snarled under his cloak. They started clicking their claws together. The other guards snickered among themselves. The lizard very much wanted to teach them all a lesson before there was a voice through a speaker on the outside of the gate.
"Let him through. The viscount is expecting him." All the guards shut their mouths quickly. The threatening guard, not happy with this at all, grumbled something as the gate opened. Begrudgingly they moved aside for the frilled lizard, and the lizard passed right by. But not before giving the hint of a mocking grin under the cloak. The lizard headed up the path toward the viscount's house. It was a large area, almost seemed like an unnecessary amount of space for the mansion in the middle. Even though the building was large, the area around it was twice as large.
The building itself had outer walls of smooth sandstone. It had a domed roof over the front-middle of the building, made of a thin layer of marble and a pyramid roof on the east-mid section also made of marble. To the west looked to be a skylight, perhaps a rooftop garden. It stood to at least five or six ideas, judging by the amount of window rows.
The lizard moved up along the sandstone-bricked path. It all looked rather expensive and must have taken a lot of time.
They reached the door, opened by a guard waiting further up the path. Inside a butler, by the looks of it, greeted the cloaked lizard.
"Mister Drake, I presume?" The lizard removed their cloak and handed it to the butler. His frills fell out to the sides of his head.
"Drake, yes. The viscount, he isn't in a meeting already, is he? I would hate to make things...awkward." The butler shook his head. He guided Drake with a hand to the stairs. But Drake took his time, looking about the place. A glass chandelier hung from three stories up, glistening from the sun shining through windows at the same height.
"His office will be on the third floor, down the left. Be aware, Mister Drake that on the way, you may come across a room that...well, some don't find it to their tastes" the butler warned.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind" Drake replied, waving a hand dismissively. He continued on his way in the direction that the butler showed. Up another set of stairs, then left. He came upon a double wooden door. And on the other side heard...giggling? He wasn't sure what that was about. But, whatever it was, he was sure he could get past it. A guard stood in front, and they looked to be a bit uncomfortable. The guard blocked Drake's path with a sudden downcast movement of their polearm.
"Have you been requested?" Drake nodded. The guard looked him over, then shrugged. "Just so you know, Karma is has gotten rather aggressive recently" the guard said with a casual wink, which Drake had no idea how to respond. The guard lifted his pole arm, allowing Drake to push open the door and move through.
He made it a few steps into the room before hearing a noise to the right. He turned his head quickly, taken by surprise. Only to find four scantily dressed women, sat around a mass of cushions. Drake shared a glance with each one, then shook his head. He didn't need this right now, he had work to do. He ignored their beckoning and continued onward, even when one of them stood up and grabbed his hand. She was a pale winged reptilian, with glowing red eyes.
"Where you goin', hun? No time for us?" He glared over at the one who had grabbed his arm.
"Let go of me now...or you'll regret what happens next." It was either the malice laced in his voice, or the dangerous look in his eyes that made her shrink back in fear. Drake turned away and back to the door he was headed for. He knocked, and it was opened for him by a guard on the other side. They allowed him passage, then closed the door behind.
"Welcome, mercenary! You finally answer my call" Drake heard.
He looked across the large room to a desk, behind it a large window where light bathed the area around the desk. Behind the desk sat a maned lion Dreamkeeper, who stood from the desk and came to the front side of it. He waved a hand to the guards, dismissing them from the room.
Drake stood still, examining the room. He could very much tell that this Dreamkeeper was rich. And for them being a viscount, that was no surprise.
Drake approached the viscount, and when the lion extended a hand to shake, Drake merely pushed the hand aside.
"All right, not the hand shaking type, I understand. So, straight to business?" he asked as he went around to the seat behind the desk. The viscount brushed a hand over some papers as he went by, then took his seat. "I am sure you have heard of the happenings in this 'usually' quiet place." Drake scoffed at that. He may have barely been here, but he could tell that things were rarely quiet.
"If I hadn't, I wouldn't be here." Drake gave the top of the desk a quick look over, the Viscount did not seem to have been so busy recently in the past few days. "I've done some of my own...investigating. I know whereabouts to start my search."
"Well, that's great! I shall have a room booked for you at the best inn we-"
"No, I'll be fine. This'll be done with quick and easy." The Viscount looked over Drake suspiciously, then shrugged.
"You are the expert here...well, off you go then." The Viscount waved dismissively with a hand, then went back to shuffling papers.
"Not just yet. Power usage, anything like Anduruna?" The viscount raised his gaze for a moment, then nodded. "We aren't as strict. Besides, we are split from them. But, since you are hired by me, I would rather you be discreet." Drake nodded then turned about to the door of the office and headed out.
He ignored the female Dreamkeepers as they attempted to bait him over. In ignoring them, he lacked to notice that one of them was approaching him until they held onto his arm with a light touch.
He whipped his head around to face the female, "Don't you ever lis-" he began, only to see it was one of the others. A winged lizard Dreamkeeper held his arm with a soft touch. "Like I told your friend over there...let go" he hissed. She tilted her head, fluttering her eyes.
"Is that really what you want?" Drake waited for a moment to answer. Then tried to shove her off his arm. He felt a cold touch as their hands disconnected, and a faint semblance of a ring above her head before it was gone. He stared her down until she backed off, an inquisitive grin on her face.
Drake headed on out, putting the females to the furthest reaches of his mind. The guards stood at attention as he passed by, with a set place in mind.
As it seemed, the sky had grown dark, but still held the heat of the scorching desert air. But soon, it would be cold. The streets of Madrigal were lit up by such things as hanging lanterns and street lights.
Drake found the alley as the sun fell beyond the horizon. Just as he had been told, there were large scratches along the walls. Almost three inches deep. There were stains of...something on one of the walls, splattering upwards.
Drake went deeper into the alley to find a tipped over bin down toward the back, bent out of shape as if something heavy had landed on it. To the left were more scratch marks that seemed deeper, and traveled upwards. More streaks of dried blood dripped down from there.
"NOOO!" The scream immediately drew the reptile's attention. Standing up he headed straight out of the alley, and listened.
"Help! Please!" He focused on the direction of the screams, and found it was only just down the street. Drake hurried down, stopping to see someone thrown out of somewhere, right into a stall. In the middle of the street, a hulking beast looked to be feasting upon something. Drake got down behind a stall, intent on observing the situation. Several bodies were thrown about the place. Armored corpses. They looked to be guards.
He spotted the body underneath the beast, and that they were not armored. Perhaps the one that had been screaming.
This is why he had been asked to come. To deal with this beast.
Reaching up on top of the stall Drake took cover behind, he took hold of something round. He then tossed it, which turned out to be a fruit. It hit a wall hard then splattered on the ground. The creature lifted it's head, snarling in the fruit's direction. Drake took his chance to creep out toward a metal pole that had been a part of the destroyed stall. As he picked it up, a blue halo appeared above his head. The pole hummed with electricity, sparking off when it neared the ground. Hefting it over his shoulder like a javelin, and with a simple throw it headed for the target, spearing through it's shoulder.
It screeched, and turned it's head toward him. Arcs of lightning lit up it's dark black form.
"Hello ugly."
The creature screeched a hellish scream. It moved it's hands forward, eyes locked onto it's next prey. It's skin looked almost leathery, shining against the light of the electricity. Drake put a hand under his cloak, his other hand sparking with blue light. As it attempted to move forward, the pole dragged along the ground with it.
"Now...hold...still!" Drake shouted as he blasted electricity at the top of the pole. Electricity zapped down through the creature down to where it connected to the ground. It screeched again in pain, roaring as it lashed it's clawed hands forward for Drake.
While it was distracted with the pole, he ran forward and leaped into the air, kicking down against the pole to pin the beast down. Luckily for Drake, his own electric energy did not harm him.
The creature was not going down easily, however. It thrashed it's body about, back and forth.
"Go...down!"
But the creature wasn't having any of that, as it began to shrink in size and change it's shape. With all the thrashing and the growth in side, the reptilian dreamkeeper was thrown off balance enough for the beast to reach up with a now skinny clawed arm to grab him by the leg, then toss him. Drake went flying into an unbroken stall, it's roof falling upon him.
Drake managed to lift the roof off of himself to see the beast had changed. It looked smaller as well as slimmer. It began to approach, stalking towards it's next victim, till it was startled. It's gaze turned down the street, then it turned to Drake and leaped in his direction. Only to latch onto the building behind him and scaled upwards.
Drake watched as it moved upwards. Then he heard what had startled it, turning his gaze downwards to catch sight of armored guards arriving to the scene. They checked over the bodies as Drake got himself up, dusting off his outfit and checking himself for wounds.
"You! Stay where you are!" Drake stopped brushing and glanced up, eyes shifting from one guard to the other.
"Let me guess, you th-"
"You" one of the guards snarled. "Arrest him!" Drake rolled his shoulders as he stood up, the guards approaching him with halberds down. He remembered the lead guard now, from the gate. He had a springer pistol by his belt and a curved blade. The guard drew out his pistol and aimed it toward Drake. Drake stood up, hands raised.
"You that stupid?! Did you not just se-"
"Shut up, you! You are plenty of trouble, I could see that as soon as you arrived to that gate" the guard shouted. "Now, on your knees!" Drake was fed up by now. He'd been tossed into a stall, clawed at and now threatened with arrest by perhaps the most ignorant guard he had ever...actually, now that Drake recalled, there had been more ignorant. But that was besides the point, because he was fed up.
He did as he was told, getting to his knees as the other two guards came to his sides, aiming halberds at him. One of them lifted theirs up to take in hand their handcuffs, moving behind Drake.
But as soon as a hand was laid on Drake's arm, he went into action. His tail flicked out around the halberd of the guard to his right, and a clawed hand gripped the other by his hand. He spun on a knee, twisting the guards arm while pulling with his tail to disarm the other.
The lead guard tried to keep his pistol trained on the dashing dreamkeeper, but Drake was always quick on his feet. Pulling the guard down to the ground, he then moved his other hand over their neck, and his tail wrapped around the other unarmed guards throat. Only anger and rage was displayed upon Drake's face.
"One more move and I swear to whichever Spirit you fear most, I will end them" he warned, ending it with a hiss.
Drake's captives continued to struggle in his grip, unable to fight back as they began to struggle for air. Drake pulled on them as a signal for them to stop, and they did as the grip on their necks tightened.
Drake snarled at the lead guard to back down. The guard snarled back, yet they did lower their weapon. That changed Drake's snarl into a grin, and he started to stand up straight. That was till there was a twang through the air, and contact made against his shoulder. He heard the twang before the contact, giving the lizard just a moment to move before something flew by, grazing his shoulder with a cut. It stung the lizard, and he put his spare hand to the grazed wound.
Turning his head he spotted two more guards coming their way, armed with crossbows. And they were getting ready to fire again. Lifting the guard in his tail's grip, one shot cracked through their armor around their lower chest. He threw them to the ground and ran at them, pouncing just as they fired more bolts. One hit, ripping through muscles of one of his legs and lodging in it. But he was already moving through the air, landing on one of them hard. He punched them in the face while using his tail to trip up the other crossbowman.
All the while, the lead guard took hold of their springer pistol, preparing to fire. They fired. The shot whistled by Drake's head, and the guard earned a very pissed off glare. Drake went into a sprint their direction. Once he reached them, he went to claw the weapon from their hand, but they had held it too close to their face. Next thing he knew, Drake's claws were dripping with red liquid, and the guard left with a rather damaged jaw. This did not faze Drake as he picked them up by their collar.
"Mess with me again, and I will not hesitate! I will not be so kind!"
He prepared to knock them out with a headbutt, but instead felt a thud against his side, followed by a great deal of pain as he collapsed on his side. Looking down he spotted an open wound, and the guard he had been holding around the throat, that he had also dropped, holding their broken arm. Guards still standing began to kick Drake down, and the lizard began slowly passing in and out of consciousness.
In the distance was a figure. Approaching. So distant...So very far away...Those were Drake's last thoughts before darkness took him.