Chapter 4: Renewal
"Sophia. Fae. We must go. Get up and prepare your things."
"Wha? Uncle... Delarin, what are you talking about?" Mumbled Fae as she slowly rubbed her eyes, sitting up. A grim, cloaked old man sighed as he scooped her up into his veiny arms.
"Hush my sweet. Where is Sophia? Has she left already?" He inquired in a soothing tone. Fae slowly yawned as she locked eyes with him, staring into his dark eyes.
"Fae saw Sophia go south. Fae don't know why, Sophia wouldn't say. She never tell Fae anything anymore.." pouted the young dragon. Delarin smiled slightly as he placed the young dragon down, nodding.
"Go wait outside. I need to dispose of our quarters. You have everything?" He asked as his hand rested on a small red stone. The young manakete nodded, before rushing back in. She snatched up a small doll, The hero of legend Eliwood, before scrambling out. Delarin chuckled before clenching his fist around the stone, slowly changing form. An imposing fire dragon had taken his place, it's beady eyes glaring at the small wooden house. It was unimpressive, the wooden beams infested with rot and maggots - it had almost collapsed several times. Yet it was discreet and covert, being located so far out in the desert. The sand shifted beneath Delarin's clawed feet as he reared his head back. Fae cowered slightly and soon the house was engulfed in Del's flames. A crackle was heard and smoke soon filled the pitch night. Delarin morphed back into his human appearance, grunting with exertion.
"Don't cower, sweet. Delarin might be a large dragon, but I shan't ever harm you. See the world burn first." Grinned the old Manakete as he slowly took Fae's hand, eyes gleaming. The divine dragon giggled slightly before running off, dragging the man behind him, his red cloak billowing in the air. The two were set to find Sophia, a half dragon, and their fellow companion. Unlike the two of them, Sophia could not transform - instead mastering the art of dark magic. She aged slowly, and having lived for many years had by now surpassed many of the legends in skill. Some scholars would argue that she had indeed grown more powerful than Brannimond itself, although this way a hot topic for debate. The three of them had grouped together due to circumstance. With Igrene unable to care for Fae, Sophia had contacted Delarin, and put the girl under his charge. Sophia refused to leave her young friend behind and travelled with them as well.
"Fae been wondering Delarin… how old are you for a dragon? Cause you look real old.." She questioned, looking behind at the elderly dragon. A dry smile creased his worn face as he softly shrugged his shoulders.
"Near the end of my time. Soon I shall die. But do not worry my dear, I will see our work completed. There is life in these leathery wings yet." He remarked as he slowly tousled the girl's hair. Fae whimpered slightly as she leant into him.
"Fae doesn't want Delarin to die…" She pouted before pointing forward. "There's Sophia! What is she doing?" Fae asked, quite confused. Delarin didn't answer as his footsteps grew rapid - darting towards the young druid. Fae struggled to keep up, but soon the two of them were next to Sophia.
"No!" Delarin roared, anger creasing his face. "She's been wounded. Lance marks... In the desert?" Delarin ruminated before scooping her up. "We are heading to the Dread Isle. It's time to finish this." He stated flatly. Fae continuing to follow behind him. Confusion clouded her face but she kept quiet as the two manaketes journeyed through the desert. Soon, however, curiosity got the better of her and she piped up.
"Delly, what's wrong? Who hurt Sophia, and why are we going to the Dread Isle?" She asked, shivering softly. Del shook his head as he kept walking, before releasing a heavy sigh.
"You should know. The continent of Elibe is engulfed in war. An engineered war. For what purpose I am not sure. I merely have theories. As to who engineered it, again I am not sure. Many theories. It's time to test them." He replied as he looked down at Sophia, frowning. "But first, we must find a healer. Sophia will die soon if we do not hurry." Said druid rested heavily in Delarin's arms, a large wound on her shoulder leaking crimson. Her purple hair seemed to grow pale - much like her face - with every passing step. Delarin would not allow her to die, not his charge. Yet it seemed that the desert went on forever, and his resolve was slipping.
"Del, we gotta go to Arcadia! They'll have healers there, and people like us!" Fae chipped in, running in excited circles. Delarin smirked slightly before nodding.
"To Arcadia, then."
The village of Arcadia had managed to avoid the effects of the current events transpiring across the continent. This could be attributed to their isolationism. It certainly helped that their guardian, Igrene, had kept a steely eye on events and prepared accordingly. Travellers were no longer permitted in the Nabata desert, a shoot on sight policy was implemented, and the humans who were currently in the village were prevented from leaving. Many other villages might have found this level of security oppressive or unnecessary, but Arcadia almost welcomed it. Safety was indeed paramount - and after all Igrene did know best. Certainly with the flames of war being fanned across the continent this seemed to be a logical choice. There were also rumours of wild manaketes roaming the desert, but they had never surfaced. Until today.
"Igrene! There are people at the gate, what do we do?" yelped a young man from the shoddily-built wall. A tent flap rustled open as the grey haired guardian stepped out, a gleaming arrow already notched. Igrene said nothing as she brushed past him, knelt down and prepared to shoot.
"Young Lady, Have you not learnt respect? Stand down to your elder." A look of confusion washed over Igrene's face as she tensed. Yet she did not loosen the slack of her bow. With a growl a red robed man stepped forward, pulling his hood down. "Kill me, my dear, and little Fae will be most upset. I would also be most upset to have to kill the desert guardian." drawled Delarin as Fae ran out from behind him.
"Igrene~" Squealed the little dragon as she lept into the arms of the archer. Delarin looked at the woman with disdain, before softly walking into the village. He turned and looked down at a citizen. Sophia was gently placed into the citizen's arms. The man understood immediately, and ran to get the nearest healer. With a shake of his head Delarin glared at the town. "Such decadence. The old ways torn down in place of this... blending." He almost hissed. Igrene looked at the aged Manakete, before placing Fae down. She motioned for her to head into the village and play. With a slight nod and giggle Fae bounded off. The guardian of Nabata then turned to Delarin, placing her hand on her hip.
"Such decadence might just save your friend. You'd do well to be grateful." growled the weathered woman, her skin almost like leather. The elderly manakete turned, a hefty air of gravitas about him as he looked down at her.
"Decadence indeed has its uses. But you perhaps are the most deplorable type of person. To guard such decadence willingly.. and proudly. Manaketes should not be near all these.. humans." He paused before continuing. "Sophia is an exception, before you attempt to catch my fallacy. Half dragon, and not prone to the ill behaviors of man." lectured the manakete. Igrene looked back at the dragon and almost laughed before shaking her head.
"Decadence? No, progress. Dragon kind isn't as perfect as you'd make believe. I've seen the way your kind-" she almost snarled that word. "-Acts. Hateful. Spite driven... regardless, this place is a safe haven. For humans and manaketes alike, and I will not stand to see some old wyrm enter my home asking for help, and then going so far as to insult it!" She yelled, her voice having steadily risen during the whole speech. "As it stands you find yourself incredibly lucky to even be allowed with the boundaries of this land. As soon as Sophia is patched up, and I say goodbye to Fae, you will leave. Never come back. Understood?" She growled. Delarin looked at the woman with a mix of bemusement, anger, and confusion, his red robes ruffling in the wind. With a hefty shrug he turned and looked up at the stars. No words left his mouth, as he waited for the young Druid to return.
"Fae? Is that you?" Hummed an excited, youthful voice. "It is! Fae, it's been so long!" Squealed the voice. Fae laughed joyously as she entered the building. Inside the worn building was a small wooden table. Dust had gathered on it from a lack of use, alongside an array of bowls and cutlery. A wooden chair was against the wall, and sat in said chair was a youthful looking woman. Purple hair rested upon her head, and two eyes - one red, one green - filled her skull.
"Idenn? Fae missed you!" Fae yelped before propelling herself into the lap of the other dragon. Ideen laughed with joy, running her fingers through Fae's hair.
"I've missed you as well, Fae! You been having fun with Sophia?" Asked Idenn softly as she held her friend close. Fae nuzzled against the woman before nodding.
"Sophie's taken me to lots of nice places! Pherae, Erturia, even Bern! But then wuncle Delarin said we had to hide… something bad was coming.." pouted Fae. Idenn tensed before looking the youth in the eyes.
"Delarin?" Idenn inquired softly a slight hint of tension in her voice. Fae nodded as she immediately began talking.
"Uncle Delarin! He's like a really old dragon… he's older than you! He took me and Sophie to a nice house in the desert. Said we have to hide... and someone bad was coming!" she exclaimed. Idenn continued to tense up but she softly placed Fae down.
"Why don't you do me a big favor and go get Uncle Delarin for me, sweetie? I think I know why he wanted you to come to Arcadia." She asked softly. Fae nodded and dashed out of the room heading back to find Del. As soon as she was sure that Fae had left, Idenn abruptly stood up. Shaking she stepped over to her bookcase before gripping it. Within in the second the bookcase was slammed to the ground, Idenn shaking with rage. "Of course… he's back. Why.. wouldn't he be.." She panted before sitting back down. No point in getting angry now. Can't let him get the upper hand. With that in mind she simply sat, and waited.
"Shit. Boss ain't gonna be happy with this…"
"Acute observation, Rigros. He assigned you the job to find Delarin, and what you've found is a burnt out shack. Oh, and maggots." tutted the woman standing with him. "We have quite the task on our hands now."
"Lyra. I have my doubts that it'll be difficult to find a dragon. They don't, well, exactly blend in now do they?" snapped back her male counterpart. Lyra leant in with a very wide grin.
"Rigros. I have my doubts that you can do any job… remember how sloppy you were with Roy?" She asked him in an almost sickly sweet voice as she went back into her normal pose. Rigros would not be cowed as he snapped back.
"And I remember how much you enjoyed stabbing yourself. Gives you a rush, don't it?" He sniped getting into the female assassins face. With a curt smirk Lyra leant back, and then simply headbutted the man. Rig grunted as he fell to the ground in a heap. Lyra span on her before sighing.
"Get up. We need to report to the boss. Luckily for the both of us, I have an idea as to where they went." stated Lyra coldly she began to walk through the desert. Rig muttered to himself as he stood up, dusted himself off, and followed after her. All that could be heard in the desert for a while was the trudging of the assassin's black boots, and all that could be seen was their billowing longcoats. Eventually they reached an old ruin. A circular building with a dome roof, it seemed to have been created at the very beginning of Elibe. Vines curled all around it, blanketing the structure. It was clear that it had not been used for many years. There did not seem to be any means of entry, but Lyra stepped forward regardless. A small rectangular shape extended out of the wall, with a round almost bowl like hole. Rigros mumbled under his breath as he watched her.
"Get your jollies then. Cut yourself up… freak." He grumbled as the female assassin carefully placed her arm over the bowl. With a quick flick of her other hand her dagger was poised over the arm. With one swift movement a trickle of blood sprung forth, filling the bowl. Lyra then stepped back, rolled her sleeve, and waited. With very little ceremony the door opened and the two assassins stepped inside.
"No. That can't quite be right… can it? Tch. Welcome back, Rigros. And Lyra. I presume you have good news for me?"
"Of course. Lyra will report the findings to you." replied Rigros tensely. If looks could kill, the glare that Lyra gave him would have been fatal. Nonetheless, she launched into her findings.
"Peraforth. We found the shack that Delarin was reported to have been living in. However, it was burnt down. I assume that the beast is trying to hide his tracks. The logical conclusion is that he is heading to Arcadia. Likely due to you wounding Sophia. Arcadia has healers, and as such he will be heading there. Rumors are abound that Fae, and Idenn are present." She reported. "And sir. If you could activate the lighting, that would be desireable." She added to the end of the report.
"Of course, I can do that. Excellent work on your findings." replied the man. There was a loud click, and suddenly the room was engulfed in light. The interior of the building seemed to be a mixture between a library, alchemy lab, and a home. A large bed rested against one of the far back walls. It was a simple, single bed, with a woolen blanket. In the center of the room was a large wooden table. It encompassed about half of the space with many scraps of papers and various books littered across its surface. The rest of the room was filled with glass tubes, bubbling liquids, and other chemical constructs. Standing at one of these many glass tubes was a tall man. Lengthy grey hair which trailed down to about his shoulder, paired with piercing blue eyes. A physique that could only be described as lithe yet muscular, coated in worn black robes. In the annals of history this man would be known as Peraforth. "We must move immediately. Rigros, prepare the men. Lyra, stay with me." Commanded the man as he turned from his experiments. Rigros did a mocking salute before walking off, leaving the dome. Peraforth then nodded to Lyra. "We will attempt diplomacy first. All that needs to occur is related to Delarin. We must cultivate an air of… civilization amongst the locals. No need to turn them on us. Understood?" The female tutted, but nodded. With that Peraforth rolled his shoulders, pulled his cloak up, and exited the dome.
"No. I won't help. Rather, you can help. Here is what I need you to do. Leave Fae and Sophia with me. Leave Arcadia. Head back to that shack of yours. And just die. Wither and die. You shan't be missed."
"... Delightful. It is nice to see that you have not changed, Idenn. Still the young powderkeg. Always spoiling for a fight.. always ones you won't win, too. Losing to that boy, Roy. Shameful. And now you choose to waste away in this… abomination of a town? Such power being squandered."
"Yes, Delarin. Such power squandered. For the safety of all. I cannot, and will not, allow my powers to run wild. I am never losing control again. To ask me to fight for the reasons you ask? Never." Growled Idenn as she sat across from the elderly manakete. Delarin merely chortled, before leaning in closely.
"Then when the world burns. When the world is torn asunder. Death and decay will be the norm. It will be your fault, Idenn. The Dragon who fiddled whilst Elibe burned." retorted Del. Idenn merely leant back, cocked her head and laughed, almost in hysterics.
"Rich. This comes from the dragon who watched as I was forced against my will. Who saw what Roy was trying to fix and didn't help. A dragon of your caliber could have solved it in a flash. Far less bloodshed, less misery, less suffering. I forgot though. A bigot would not care about that. After all.. what are humans to you? Food? Pawns? Toys?"
"Irrelevant. The manakete race was important. It would have been at more risk had I gotten involved. I could not intervene, and you full well know why. Now, you ignorant little girl. You will fall in line. You will create more war dragons, so that I can stop the evil that is set to DESTROY OUR ENTIRE WAY OF LIFE!" Roared the normally reserved manakete, the veins bulging on his face. Idenn watched this and with a rueful laugh shook her head.
"No. I will not create any more of those... things. The fact that the only war dragon with emotions is still alive disgusts me. You were gifted the power of emotion that your brethren were robbed of. Yet you use it to spread venom and hate. You are the greatest mistake to come out of the manakete race. Step outside the tent. Leave. And never RETURN!" Snapped the mage dragon. Delarin's face morphed into one of rage and a glow enveloped him.
"You've made a mistake, Idenn. A fatal one." He gurgled his voice growing more and more guttural. Soon a towering red dragon had taken his place. "Now you will face the consequences of your impu-" Just as Delarin was about to finish the tent was rocked and a large explosion seemingly rippled through the desert. He paused, looking around to locate the source.
"Shame. Democracy had to fail. These people could not just hand him over. Rather they lied about housing him… fools. Now I must make an example. Lyra. Lead the mercenaries. Spare Children. Not the women. Rigros, you are with me. We find Delarin, apprehend him, and return home." growled Peraforth. "Everyone. Please prepare. I am deploying the Falsuremorg engine. It will weaken any war dragon in the nearby vicinity. It should do no harm to you." With that a small square device was taken from within Peraforth's robes. With one swift movement he crushed it within his hand, releasing a pulse of magical energy. A split second later an explosion rippled out from Pera, travelling into Arcadia. Unfortunately, one mercenary screamed before dissolving into sand. "Tch. Unlucky… need to refine the process. Shame." With a spin of his hand a long black halberd flickered into existence. With an almost primal roar Peraforth charged forward. Lyra however would not follow her leader. Hunching over slightly, she moved to the nearby wind-worn walls of Arcadia.
"Time to let go.." She muttered before sinking one of her knives into her lower stomach. The pain rippled through her body as she shuddered. "Yesss… let's dance, pretties." With that, she tensed her knees before springing up and grabbing onto the ledge. With a grunt she managed to drag herself atop it, blood trickling down her all the while. It seemed that the people of Arcadia had not had a chance to man the walls, the charge of the mercenaries taking them by surprise. From her vantage point Lyra could see the destruction in all it's glory. At the back of the town was their target Delarin. His reputation was well earnt as he tore through ranks of men with ease. But something was wrong with him, his form fluctuating. Perhaps age had gotten to him and his mastery over his form was slipping. Igrene that fool was in the midst of the battle, doing her best to stop the many mercenaries. With a self content sigh Lyra brought both of her hands up to her shoulders. Knives glinting in the moonlight, she lept from the ledge, spinning as she fell. Her knives tore apart several defenders, their blood mixing with hers as she hit the ground. She giggled as she looked at the bodies piled around her, blood draining onto the sand. With an almost slasher esque smile she continued to carve her way through the defenders - rolling, jumping, and lashing out at anything that got too close. Cut by cut, man by man, she made her mark on the defenses.
Elsewhere, however, the fight for Arcadia was not going so well for the aggressors. The squad of mercenaries headed by Rigros had hit heavy resistance. Igrene had selected this squad to personally take out, and the guardian of Nabata would not fail. Ducking in and out of buildings, a slight flash would be all that was seen by the mercs, before an arrow housed inserted itself into their gullet. Morale was low in the unit, and it was certainly not helped by their leader's reaction.
"Keep close to me! We are to retrieve Sophia, regardless of how many of you shits die!" growled the assassin. The only redeeming factor was the fact that Rigros was at least able to carve a path. He was far cruder in style than his female counterpart, with sloppy slashes that relied on his raw power. Yet despite this the defenders of Arcadia gave it their everything. Manaketes and humans fought as one, giving their everything to delay the mercenaries progression.
"Rally to me! People of Arcadia, we must drive back this foe! Today we stand defiant!" Yelled Igrene, her bow still reaping a bloody harvest. Next to her stood a youthful girl, silver hair long covering one eye. A simple understated ribbon resting in her head.
"Madam Igrene. Is there hope for us to win?" Asked the young girl as she too calmly notched an arrow before letting loose.
"Bya. So long as you and I still draw breath, hope still exists." She replied before frowning. "But we must move quickly. Idenn and Fae are in need of our assistance. Move." She barked, commanding the girl. The two nodded, before taking a deep breath. With that they burst out from their cover, firing off a volley, and rolled into the next building. Rig scowled, watching the two.
"You, men! After the big beast. Kill it, if you can. I've got two archers to hunt." He growled before shooting off to the left. With a grunt Rigros slammed his shoulder through the brittle wooden door of the building the two archers had ran into, his cleaver glinting in the moonlight. Stairs immediately to his right, but the roof itself had crumbled so much from the collateral damage, that simply walking up was also an option. With a guttural yell he flung himself as high as he could, clasping onto the roof. Pulling himself up, he saw that only Igrene was upon this roof. The other archer was nowhere to be seen. It would do. Darting towards her, he slashed horizontally. It was at this moment that Igrene turned around. It seemed age had dulled her reflexes and her eyes went wide, the cleaver tearing a hole in her stomach. She fell back, falling hard against the building.
"This is it… the desert guardian about to die… by my hand! MINE!" Roared Rig in a jubilant voice. Igrene's bow laid to the side, and Rigros squatted, pulling out a much smaller knife. With a crooked grin he plunged it into the woman's left eye, quickly yanking it out. "Don't worry dearie.. you'll live. Have to take you back anyhow~" He mocked in a singsong voice.
"One more move… and regardless of who you are, I'll have you f-f-feathered" panted a female voice from behind him. Rig turned his head slightly, still squatting. When he saw who it was, the assassin turned his one good eye reading over the woman. It was the silver haired archer. Perfect. Two in one. "Stay back!" She yelled, her nerves betraying her, panic evident in her voice. Rigros was not deterred and continued to advance, humming to himself.
"You won't shoot me. Greenhorn.. it's different, isn't it. When the person is close to you, in your face.." He laughed, a wheezing aching laugh. "When I gut you… I'll carry a lock of your hair." He was almost close enough to slash her now. "I will tre-" A loud thud was heard, Rigros falling hard on his back. An arrow was lodged between his now empty eyes, as Bya shook. With shaky step, she moved to Igrene. Would there be time to save her?
"Fae! Stay close to me Fae, it's going to be alright!" Yelled Idenn as she held the small manakete close. She had hoped that it would not have come to this. Luckily for Idenn, Fae had not been fair. Indeed ,she had just been in the building across from were Del and herself had their altercation. Shortly after everything had kicked off, Idenn had headed there with all haste. The young manakete was now safe, and curled up next to Idenn who was still yet to transform.
"Idenn! We nweed to get Sophia!" exclaimed Fae, the worry and panic evident in her voice. Idenn cursed under her breath. Sophia had been housed in the medical bay which happened to be at the other end of the town - where most of the fighting was.
"Alright. Stay close to me.." Idenn sighed as she took a deep breath. In a flash the young woman was gone, replaced with a towering dragon. Not quite the size of Delarin, but to her opponents it made little difference. All they would see before they died was a purple dragon rampaging through them, and a tiny girl secure on the dragon's back.
"There! I see her, Idenn!" Yelped Fae as she pointed to the medical building. It seemed to have managed to avoid any damage as a result of the fighting and there was no sign of any fighting inside. With a growl, Idenn shifted back to her human state as she advanced towards the building. Just as she got close enough to open the door, a loud thump could be heard, and a hooded figure garbed in black was sent flying through the wall.
"He..he..he. Don't you get it, darling? Pain doesn't slow me down~" exclaimed Lyra as she clambered up, shaking off a coat of dust.
"Well, I'm sure death will." was the understated reply from the unseen person. Idenn vaguely watched the scene, before bursting into the room.
"Sophia! Let's go!" She snapped before seeing who that unseen person had really been. Purple hair and cloak billowing in the wind, eyes glinting with steel - Sophia stood calm and confident, dark energy crackling at her fingertips. She briefly cocked her head, acknowledging Idenn and Fae before turning back to Lyra.
"We'll leave when I'm finished, Idenn. Get yourself and Fae out of the gates. Leave Delarin. Lost cause." She stated sharply and bluntly as she watched her assassin foe. Idenn nodded, grabbing her young charge, and booking it to the town exit. Content that her friends were safe, Sophia was now ready.
"Such a pretty darling like you.. you'll make a fine dinner." Hissed Lyra as she advanced on the Druid, her knives now stained red. Sophia just smiled softly to herself and waited. Lyra would not waste any time. With a hiss she lept forward, rolling to the side in a preemptive attempt to dodge, before attempting to stab Sophia. For her effort, Lyra found herself caught in Nosferatu stuck and bound. Sophia calmly completed the spell, Lyra's energy becoming hers, then flinging her hard into a wall. Slowly turning she stepped over any rubble, heading towards Idenn and Fae. It seemed, at least, that the dragon trio had made it out.
Delarin's jaw clamped down, cleaving the poor man stuck in it in half. The hand made a soft splat as it landed in the sand, and Delarin's work continued. A swing of his claw decapitated several men, limp headless bodies falling. Moral was undoubtedly low for the attackers. About half of the force attacking Arcadia had been dedicated to felling Delarin and about half of the force had been felled by Del. It seemed the elderly dragon would manage to ride this out.
"Men! Fall back! I shall handle this now. Delarin, I appeal to your honour! I challenge thee to a one on one duel! Surely a beast like you can handle a pitiful human like me!" Roared Peraforth, commander of the forces, as he finally arrived. Del wanted to reply. Yet he was too focused on maintaining his form. Whilst to the outside eye it may have looked like Delarin was having no problems with this fight, something was wrong. He had been having major trouble sustaining his form. It was minor things, but he'd flicker almost returning to human before he pulled himself back. So when Peraforth issued the duel, it was all he could do to nod. With a cocksure grin, Pera span his halberd before laughing. "Just.. one strike." He muttered to himself. Delarin opened with a left swipe of his large claw, which Peraforth rolled under. The next move was an attempted bite. Perafroth simply jumped back. As Delarin went to breath fire it finally happened. He could not hold the stew that was his racism, his anger, and holding his forming together and so it boiled over. With a shudder, he shifted into his human form. Peraforth saw his chance, and claimed it. The halberd sunk deep into the elderly dragon's neck, and just like that it was over. Such a beast… felled so easily. "Harvest him. Burn this place, and harvest anyone left. Then salt the earth." Commanded Peraforth. It seemed that now the flames of destruction were crackling.