Towards the Sky
By Ryoken
All was peaceful in the citadel where the humans dwelt. Until one day, that peace was broken by a fairly large disturbance, one even greater than the vampires of Nosgoth. The graceful beast glided over the walls and almost instantly, the houses were engulfed in flames. People ran in terror towards the safety of shelter as the monster landed on the tallest tower and raised its head in a triumphant roar, and then flew off out of sight.
"What devil have our gods brought upon us now?!" Yelled the priest as he flung open the doors of his cathedral. "First it's vampires, now we must be infested with DRAGONS?!?! Commander Weisfield, report!!"
"Sir!" The leader of the hunters saluted. "This dragon seems to have only come alone, my lordship. Everyone has been evacuated into the inner sanctum and there haven't been any casualties."
"Excellent." The minister sighed as he promptly slouched in his chair at the head of the table. "I'm getting too old for this kind of thing..." he murmured.
"Sir? If you like, we can send out troops to find the dragons whereabouts."
"No. The last thing we need is to lose more soldiers. Instead, find out what you can about slaying dragons from the books in our library. Hopefully the vampires haven't stolen any books containing information we could use." Weisfield saluted again, and left the pastor to think about this new catastrophe. "What would a dragon be doing in Nosgoth...?" He thought. Little did he know that the pair of eyes that had been watching him slipped quietly out of the room.
"I must see our Lord Kain. Immediately!" The vampire told the guards.
"What business do you have with the master?" They asked.
"There's something that he ought to know."
"Tell us and we'll tell him."
"Hrmph, if I told you, you wouldn't tell him the correct information!!" He scoffed. The two guard growled, and proceeded to open the gates to the Sanctuary of the Clans. Another guard followed the vampire until they reached the doors leading to the meeting hall. The vampire hesitated: he remembered that Lord Kain and his lieutenants were meeting there, and wasn't sure whether they had finished or not. But the guard nodded to him and he proceeded to open the large doors. He looked around inside to find the lieutenants talking amongst themselves, but Kain was no where in sight. "Pardon the interruption, my lords, but I need to speak with the master." The lieutenants pointed upwards and the vampire looked up. Kain was sitting upon one of the Pillars, obviously in deep mediation. Bad timing, he thought. One of the lieutenants walked over to the spy.
"What is it that you must report and we will tell the master," Turel grinned.
"Of course." He agreed. "I came to tell thee that a dragon has come to Nosgoth!" The lieutenant looked awkward for a moment and then laughed.
"I think you've been drinking a bit too much!" He chuckled.
"I have drunk none, I was listening in on the priest of the citadel and I saw it with mine own eyes!!" The vampire argued.
"He is correct, Turel." Came a voice. It was Kain. "What else did you learn?"
"That they are trying to find a way to slay it." Kain smiled.
"Excellent. Give me your name, young fledgling."
"I am Dromiador," he told him with a bow.
"Go back to the citadel and see what else you can find. But please be careful. The humans are sure to be extra careful, what with a dragon now to terrorize them." Dromiador nodded and exited the throne room.
"How did you know that there was a dragon in Nosgoth, father?" Raziel asked as the other five lieutenants came up to him.
"Simple. I could hear him, couldn't you?" He laughed. The eldest tried not to make eye contact with his maker. "Unless this dragon decides to threaten us or our way of living, I suggest that you all stay away from it, you will make sure to tell your kin of that." He ordered as he paced. "Otherwise, pretend that nothing ever happened. Understood?" They nodded. "Good. Dismissed." And Kain vanished.
"Well, this should make matters interesting, should they not, brothers?" Dumah grinned madly, rubbing his hands together. "Perhaps this dragon will be strong enough to be a challenge for me!"
"You heard Kain, Dumah. We aren't supposed to go near that dragon. Besides, if you got too close, it would probably burn you to crisp!" Rahab pointed out.
"Bah, you worry too much!! I could take him on with one claw tied behind my back!!" He boasted.
Zephon smiled. "Have you forgotten the last time you tried that, brother? I do believe that you couldn't sit down for about two weeks, am I correct?" Dumah punched his younger sibling in the face without even looking as the others laughed.
"One more 'ha' out of any of you and I'll punch your face in!!" Silence. "That's better." They knew he meant it.
"Come on, we had better get back to our clans tell them what's going on," Rahab said, trying to change the subject.
"True," Raziel agreed. "I suggest we meet else where afterwards and talk about this." They agreed. This matter wasn't your everyday problem. The six powerful vampires separated and left to their territories to spread word of the dragon.
"Father Jothn!!" Weisfield burst in. He carried with him a rather large book.
"Have you found something?" He asked. The commander nodded.
"We've found a section in 'Mysteries of the Unknown' that mentions dragons!" He said as he plopped the book on the table and opened it to the bookmark. "It says that dragons are rarely seen anywhere anymore. Many of them were slain by wizards and warriors and the like many years ago. The few that still live hardly ever make their presence known. Their breath cannot be quenched by water, nor are they harmed by it. It says that they even dive into the seas to catch fish at times."
"Anything on slaying?"
"Well, it says that demons have been known to take possession of them. Perhaps this is why this dragon has made itself known?"
"That's the last thing that we need. Keep searching."
"Yes sir!!" And he jogged out of the room.
"Dragons and demons and vampires. With all of this going on, you would think that Nosgoth was about to meet its end." The preacher thought and he return to the alter to pray that the dragon would bring no more harm.
By Ryoken
All was peaceful in the citadel where the humans dwelt. Until one day, that peace was broken by a fairly large disturbance, one even greater than the vampires of Nosgoth. The graceful beast glided over the walls and almost instantly, the houses were engulfed in flames. People ran in terror towards the safety of shelter as the monster landed on the tallest tower and raised its head in a triumphant roar, and then flew off out of sight.
"What devil have our gods brought upon us now?!" Yelled the priest as he flung open the doors of his cathedral. "First it's vampires, now we must be infested with DRAGONS?!?! Commander Weisfield, report!!"
"Sir!" The leader of the hunters saluted. "This dragon seems to have only come alone, my lordship. Everyone has been evacuated into the inner sanctum and there haven't been any casualties."
"Excellent." The minister sighed as he promptly slouched in his chair at the head of the table. "I'm getting too old for this kind of thing..." he murmured.
"Sir? If you like, we can send out troops to find the dragons whereabouts."
"No. The last thing we need is to lose more soldiers. Instead, find out what you can about slaying dragons from the books in our library. Hopefully the vampires haven't stolen any books containing information we could use." Weisfield saluted again, and left the pastor to think about this new catastrophe. "What would a dragon be doing in Nosgoth...?" He thought. Little did he know that the pair of eyes that had been watching him slipped quietly out of the room.
"I must see our Lord Kain. Immediately!" The vampire told the guards.
"What business do you have with the master?" They asked.
"There's something that he ought to know."
"Tell us and we'll tell him."
"Hrmph, if I told you, you wouldn't tell him the correct information!!" He scoffed. The two guard growled, and proceeded to open the gates to the Sanctuary of the Clans. Another guard followed the vampire until they reached the doors leading to the meeting hall. The vampire hesitated: he remembered that Lord Kain and his lieutenants were meeting there, and wasn't sure whether they had finished or not. But the guard nodded to him and he proceeded to open the large doors. He looked around inside to find the lieutenants talking amongst themselves, but Kain was no where in sight. "Pardon the interruption, my lords, but I need to speak with the master." The lieutenants pointed upwards and the vampire looked up. Kain was sitting upon one of the Pillars, obviously in deep mediation. Bad timing, he thought. One of the lieutenants walked over to the spy.
"What is it that you must report and we will tell the master," Turel grinned.
"Of course." He agreed. "I came to tell thee that a dragon has come to Nosgoth!" The lieutenant looked awkward for a moment and then laughed.
"I think you've been drinking a bit too much!" He chuckled.
"I have drunk none, I was listening in on the priest of the citadel and I saw it with mine own eyes!!" The vampire argued.
"He is correct, Turel." Came a voice. It was Kain. "What else did you learn?"
"That they are trying to find a way to slay it." Kain smiled.
"Excellent. Give me your name, young fledgling."
"I am Dromiador," he told him with a bow.
"Go back to the citadel and see what else you can find. But please be careful. The humans are sure to be extra careful, what with a dragon now to terrorize them." Dromiador nodded and exited the throne room.
"How did you know that there was a dragon in Nosgoth, father?" Raziel asked as the other five lieutenants came up to him.
"Simple. I could hear him, couldn't you?" He laughed. The eldest tried not to make eye contact with his maker. "Unless this dragon decides to threaten us or our way of living, I suggest that you all stay away from it, you will make sure to tell your kin of that." He ordered as he paced. "Otherwise, pretend that nothing ever happened. Understood?" They nodded. "Good. Dismissed." And Kain vanished.
"Well, this should make matters interesting, should they not, brothers?" Dumah grinned madly, rubbing his hands together. "Perhaps this dragon will be strong enough to be a challenge for me!"
"You heard Kain, Dumah. We aren't supposed to go near that dragon. Besides, if you got too close, it would probably burn you to crisp!" Rahab pointed out.
"Bah, you worry too much!! I could take him on with one claw tied behind my back!!" He boasted.
Zephon smiled. "Have you forgotten the last time you tried that, brother? I do believe that you couldn't sit down for about two weeks, am I correct?" Dumah punched his younger sibling in the face without even looking as the others laughed.
"One more 'ha' out of any of you and I'll punch your face in!!" Silence. "That's better." They knew he meant it.
"Come on, we had better get back to our clans tell them what's going on," Rahab said, trying to change the subject.
"True," Raziel agreed. "I suggest we meet else where afterwards and talk about this." They agreed. This matter wasn't your everyday problem. The six powerful vampires separated and left to their territories to spread word of the dragon.
"Father Jothn!!" Weisfield burst in. He carried with him a rather large book.
"Have you found something?" He asked. The commander nodded.
"We've found a section in 'Mysteries of the Unknown' that mentions dragons!" He said as he plopped the book on the table and opened it to the bookmark. "It says that dragons are rarely seen anywhere anymore. Many of them were slain by wizards and warriors and the like many years ago. The few that still live hardly ever make their presence known. Their breath cannot be quenched by water, nor are they harmed by it. It says that they even dive into the seas to catch fish at times."
"Anything on slaying?"
"Well, it says that demons have been known to take possession of them. Perhaps this is why this dragon has made itself known?"
"That's the last thing that we need. Keep searching."
"Yes sir!!" And he jogged out of the room.
"Dragons and demons and vampires. With all of this going on, you would think that Nosgoth was about to meet its end." The preacher thought and he return to the alter to pray that the dragon would bring no more harm.