And another!

Enjoy. :)

Obligatory Disclaimer: I own nothing.


The Journey Ahead

"Endrivan . . ." Yu breathed, still staring after the dragon as it flew away.

"D-d-d-did you see that?!" Chie demanded, pointing after the great beast, "Did you see it?!"

Nyras calmly nodded, amusement flickering in her eyes, "Yes, I did."

"Y-you're taking this way too calmly!" Yosuke accused her, throwing his arm out in the dragon's general direction, "A fucking dragon just flew by, and you're acting like it's no big deal!"

"Are . . . are they all that big?" Yukiko wondered, looking slightly afraid. Yu agreed with her sentiment. He did not want to be meeting dragons anytime soon if they were that enormous. Maybe it was just better not meeting any dragons, period.

"Some dragons are," Nyras explained, completely and disturbingly unruffled (which was quite unfair, in Yu's opinion), "But it takes many centuries to reach such a size, and since much of their lives is fraught with territorial disputes and battles, few do. The one you just saw has made this lake and the land surrounding it her warren, and has ruled it successfully for many decades. As such, she has grown to quite the enormous size."

"Her? So it's a . . . girl dragon?" Kanji questioned, looking puzzled.

"How would you even know something like that?" Rise wondered, looking skeptical, "You can't just go up to it and find out . . . can you?"

"As a matter of fact, you can," Nyras said, "Dragons are not stupid animals. They are highly intelligent, and are more than capable of holding a conversation if they so desire."

"Wait, dragons can talk?" Yosuke shouted in disbelief.

Nyras nodded, "Yes, they can."

Yu finally turned his head to stare at the woman, the dragon having vanished and finding his mind plagued by curiosity, "Have you talked to her?"

"On occasion," Nyras replied, "We-"

If she was going to say anything else, it was drowned out by his friends amazed exclamations.

"Seriously?!" Chie.

"Wow!" Teddie.

"You talked to a dragon?" Yosuke.

"How did you even do that without getting eaten?!" Yukiko.

"Please, calm down!" Nyras said, waving for silence. When at last it came, she carried on, "Yes, we have spoken to this particular dragon on more than one occasion, but I can assure you it was far from unpleasant. Tiruviel is a Metallic dragon, all of which share a core creed of goodness and compassion. It is why I did not tell you to hide when she appeared, for whether she saw you or not, you were in no danger. The Chromatic variant, on the other hand . . ."

She broke off as a commotion drew her attention back to the Underdark entrance, a pair of arguing voices floating through the gap.

"Put me down! Put me down!" Tirin, voice pitched high and sounding a little desperate.

"Quit whinin'! If you weren't such a baby about the sun, I wouldn't have to drag you out here, would I?" Korval, sounding aggravated and annoyed.

The two appeared through the crevice, and Yu had to blink at the odd sight that greeted them. Tirin was tucked under one of Korval's arms, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else, while Korval didn't even seem to notice the extra weight at all and hauled him along as if he were carrying a pillow. Once they emerged into the sun, Tirin whimpered and wrapped his arms around his head, "Aaaah, I forgot how bright it was up here!"

"Ah, there you are," Nyras said, not even batting an eye, "I was beginning to fear Tirin had slipped away from you."

"He almost did," Korval responded easily, "And then he tried to sic Xirskam on me, the shit."

Tirin was grousing unintelligibly under his breath, possibly a string of curses that were muffled beneath his arms. He hadn't looked up even once, and Yu began to wonder if something was wrong.

"Um . . ." Chie trailed off.

"Is he . . . what's happening here?" Yosuke asked, looking torn between confusion and amusement.

"Something normal, by the sound of things," Yu guessed, staring.

"Ah, pardon the display," Nyras said, turning away from Korval, "Like most beings of the Underdark, gloamings are sensitive to the light. It takes time for them to adjust to the sun's brightness, and Tirin is no exception."

"Is he alright?" Yukiko questioned, eyebrows knitted together in concerned.

"He is perfectly fine, his eyes are just irritated," Nyras replied soothingly, "He will adapt to it in a few hours."

"Few hours too long . . ." Tirin muttered sourly.

Ah, so that was what was wrong. Hm, he guessed this was the trade-off for being able to see in the dark.

"But, why are you carrying him like that?" Rise asked, mystified.

"Cause if I don't, he wouldn't of come out of this hole," Korval replied crisply, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

"And we do not have time to indulge in his antics," Nyras said, "It is important we remain on the move."

With that said, Nyras walked ahead, striding passed them until she stood at the edge of the plateau. Looking back, she jerked her head to the left and said, "This way! The path is less steep."

Everyone glanced at one another before following, reaching the edge and peering over. Indeed, the way down was much less sheer than some of the other sides, sloping down steadily to the grassy ground below. However, some spots still looked a little treacherous, the smooth incline broken up by short, steep drops that would require careful jumping or climbing. He'd have to make sure he helped the others down when they got to those points. At the bottom, a line of trees bordered the edge of the hills just before the lakeside.

"Uh, I wouldn't get close to him right now if I were you, kid," Korval's warning made him to turn around again, only to see that Teddie was slowly inching his way closer to the gloaming, spurred on by a (possibly dangerous) curiosity.

"Ugh, Ted . . ." Yosuke sighed.

The bear paid no heed, instead crouching down and leaning over to try and look Tirin in the face, voice filled with interest, "Do you really not like the sun?"

"Not when it makes my eyes sting like they've got an angry bee in it," Tirin grumbled back.

"It really bugs you that much?" Teddie leaned back, a teasing smile on his face as he jeered, "But I thought you were a big bad shadowdancer! A smooth and daring master of the shadows!"

"Go away," Tirin growled darkly.

This only egged Teddie on, "And to be taken out by only a little sunshine! How un-grizzly!"

Tirin growled again, but said nothing. However, the aura he was beginning to exude . . .

"Uh, Teddie, I really think you should stop," Yu put in.

Teddie turned around and waved a nonchalant hand at him, "Nah, everything's a-okay, Sensei! It's not like there's anyone around to be scared of, after all!"

"Uh-!" Korval started, raising a hand.

His warning came too late. Before he or Teddie could react, Tirin's arm shot out and wrapped tight around the bear's neck, drawing him back into a headlock as he dug his other fist hard into the blonde's head. The gloaming's eyes were tearing up bad, his pupils only razor thin slits, but that did not deter him in the slightest, "'Un-grizzly', huh?! I'll show you un-grizzly, you tral bran-norrs loth CRAZ!"

"Ow, ow, OW! Mercy! MERCY!" Teddie hollered, trying to wiggle free.

"Hey!" Korval shouted, grabbing Tirin's arm and pulling it back.

At once and out of nowhere, Tirin's wings snapped open, feathers slamming into the half-orc's face and making him reel back in surprise, "BAH!"

Okay, this was getting out of hand.

"Everyone, team intervention!" as soon as Yu snapped out the order, everyone was barreling towards the squabbling trio to separate the fighting pair.

Behind them, Nyras pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

It was a mess of shouting, hands, and unintelligible curses, but finally they managed to extricate Teddie from Tirin's grasp. The bear now sat a good ten feet away from the still fuming gloaming (who was glaring daggers at him), scuffed up and sporting a nice new bump on his forehead.

"I hope a lesson's been learned here," Nyras said curtly, and while she was speaking to all of them, her gaze was focused solely on Teddie.

The bear shifted uncomfortably where he sat but nodded his head, a soft 'uh-huh' leaving him.

"Good. Then we may carry on," Nyras continued, turning back to the path, "Stay close to one another on the way down. Take it slowly, and no theatrics."

She began to maneuver her way down, expertly scaling the rock and drops with ease. Korval followed her, face twisted into a scowl that mirrored Tirin's perfectly.

"I told ya not to get close," Korval grumbled irritably as he passed, looking less than amused.

"It won't happen again, I promise," Yu said, bowing apologetically.

When he'd gone, Yosuke spoke up, "Okay, so, new rule; don't mess with Tirin when he's in the sun if you don't wanna get hit."

"Seconded," Chie said instantly.

"Ay-ay . . ." Teddie said tiredly, nursing his bump.

"I think that's a rule we can all get behind after that," Rise said.

"Yeah . . ." Kanji mumbled, frowning at a few scratches that covered his wrists, "Didn't think it'd be that hard to get him to let go . . ."

"Agreed," Yu said, "Now let's go."

Slowly, one by one, his friends began to descend the hill, helping each other out as they maneuvered down the drops until they reached the bottom. The grass that cushioned Yu's feet as he approached the bottom felt no different than any other grass he'd walked on back home. But after so long traversing over cold and endless stone, it felt like heaven at that particular moment in time.

Chie splayed out along the grass, smiling from ear to ear, "Ah, this feels great!"

"I'll say!" Rise cheered, running her fingers over the blades, "Gosh, I never thought I'd miss grass so much!"

"I must agree, I much prefer this to endless corridors of stone," Naoto said with a nod, looking pleased, "It's truly a wonder what we take for granted until we lose it. Like fresh air."

A breeze blew past, and Yosuke lifted his arms up, smiling as the wind ruffled his hair, "Ah, now that's more like it!"

Yu closed his eyes and savored the refreshingly cool breeze as well, sighing as the scent of grass and blossoming flowers graced his nose. It really had been too long . . .

A sharp whistle snapped him out of his daze, and he looked to see that Nyras had pulled out a small silver tube with a narrow slit at the very end. The other end was pressed between her lips, and she blew into again, producing another high-pitched note that echoed over the hills.

When silence fell again, she put it away and turned to Korval, "The saddles are where we left them, yes?"

"Bit hard to check when ya got a pissy gloaming under your arm," Korval replied gruffly, still in a bit of bad mood himself.

"Then put the pissy gloaming down. Wow, now there's an idea," Tirin retorted, arms crossed and frowning hard.

"We'd be happy to oblige you if you promise not to cause any trouble," Nyras replied smoothly, "Or hinder our journey by running back into the Underdark."

"Yeah, I promise," Tirin sighed, "Not like it help much now . . ."

Nyras glanced at Korval, who rolled his eyes and said, "Don't blame me if he disappears."

With that, he set Tirin back on the ground. Freed at last, the gloaming immediately went to the darkest patch of shade he could find and plunked down in it, pressing his head between his knees and staying there. The sight was sad enough that Yu felt a flicker of pity for the man.

Relieved of his burden, the half-orc strode over to a nearby tree with large, curving roots that spread out an ample distance from the base. Crouching down, he reached under the curved arch of one and dragged out two large bundles wrapped in oiled cloth. Patting one, Korval said, "Yep, they're here!"

Smiling, Nyras went to his side and began to pull the cloth away, laying the sheets aside until what lay beneath was finally revealed.

Two saddles sat on the grass, both of obviously high quality despite the signs of numerous use that left scuff marks across the leather. One was black and quite clearly belonging to Korval due to its rather large size, while the smaller set was a simpler dark brown with black cinch straps and stirrups.

"Saddles?" Chie asked, looking on with interest.

"Do you have . . . ?" Yu trialed off when Nyras lifted a hand and gestured with her chin to the hills.

"Look," was her only reply.

He looked, and at first saw nothing. Instead, he heard. A distant but unmistakable drumming of hooves that steadily grew louder and louder as the seconds ticked by. Then, two shapes appeared at the top of the hill that sloped up their left, both racing down the incline and gracefully avoiding the trees until they thundered to a stop before them.

Horses they were indeed, but they were magnificent to behold. The larger of the two easily dwarfed Yu, the top of his head only just meeting the great beast's shoulder. It's black coat shimmered in the sunlight, the corded muscles beneath the skin rippling with vitality and strength. It's large, dense hooves pounded restlessly against the earth, crushing the twigs caught beneath them to powder. It's mane was rough and wild, a tangled mess that whipped through the air as it rose onto it's back legs, releasing a trumpeting neigh that echoed over the hillside. The view revealed a lone white sock that graced the heel of it's back left leg, as well as the fact that this was, indeed, a stallion.

Yu and his friends hurriedly backed away from the flailing hooves, startled by the neighing. Immediately, Korval dove forward, placing a brusque hand against the stallion's shoulder and bringing it down, "Whoa, hey, take it easy, Bone!"

The great horse calmed significantly under the man's touch, craning it's neck to peer at Korval with one shiny eye as it stamped a hoof against the ground.

The other horse, this one much more demure and of slighter frame than it's friend, walked calmly up to Nyras. It's coat was the color of a mourning dove's wing, it's back and haunches dappled with flecks of white and dark gray. The shade darkened significantly as it reached the horse's hooves, the color forming neat black socks on each thin leg. It's gray mane and tail were streaked with silver, the wispy bangs falling neatly between it's large black eyes. Eyes that seemed to hold far more intelligence than that of a normal horse. Reaching out with it's long neck, it snuffled at Nyras' hair, nickering softly.

Nyras smiled, stroking a soothing hand down the equine's nose as she placed the other against it's neck, whispering so softly he couldn't hear a word she said.

Yu had never seen horses in real life before, let alone this close. Certainly on the tv or in magazines, but those were very, very different things.

"Whoa, I've never seen a horse this close before," Chie breathed, fascinated.

"I've never seen a horse ever!" Teddie cut in, bump forgotten as he looked on with excitement.

"They're . . . a lot bigger than tv makes them out to be," Yosuke said, staring at the black stallion with a flicker of fear in his eyes.

"So these are your horses?" Yukiko asked, eyes flicking from one equine to the other.

Nyras looked their way, keeping a gentle hand on the dappled horse's neck, "Yes, they are. This here is Aira. She's been my companion for many years now. The only reason you're meeting her now is because the Underdark is too treacherous a place for a horse to travel."

The horse's ears swiveled at the sound of her name, and she stepped forward with an elegant poise that matched her master's. Curiosity brightened the mare's eyes, and she reached out again towards their group.

Naoto took a slightly startled step back, "Uh, I mean no disrespect, but I do not have any experience with horses."

"Do not be so afraid," Nyras told the girl calmly, "Aira is only curious about you. She doesn't mean any harm."

"I understand that, but-" Naoto's mouth snapped shut when the horse suddenly pressed it's snout against her cheek, whinnying gently, "Ah!"

"Aw, she likes you," Rise cooed.

"Congratulations, Naoto," Yu said with a smile.

Naoto sent them an unamused look as the horse pressed closer, nudging her hat askew as it snuffled her hair. Out of reflex, she placed a hand on top of Aira's head, trying to gently push the horse away. The mare took that as a show of affection, however, and proceeded to nuzzle her hand.

"Ugh . . ." Naoto sighed.

A soft chuckle reached his ears, and Yu looked to see that Nyras has pressed a hand to her lips to hide an amused smile.

A sudden stomping behind him made him whirl around just in time to see the large black stallion whisk his head forward to sniff at Kanji, who reeled back with a startled cry, "AH!"

"Hey, relax!" Korval grunted, lip twitching in amusement, "He's just gettin' to know ya."

"Yeah, well, he don't have to get that close," Kanji shot back.

"So, is this guy . . . your horse?" Chie asked, taking a step back when the stallion's eyes alighted on her.

"You bet! His name's Bonebiter!" The half-orc slapped a hand against the horse's shoulder, "He's a bit rough round the edges, but once ya get to know him, you'll like him."

"Bonebiter . . . for some reason, I don't think I want to know why you named him that," Yosuke said.

Korval answered him regardless, "He bit a guy's arm once and it snapped the bone in half. It was pretty great."

"I literally just said I didn't want to know!" Yosuke protested angrily.

Korval laughed.

"Alright, I believe we've dallied enough," Nyras said, though her eyes sparkled with amusement, "Once we saddle the horses, we'll be on our way. I'm sure you're all looking forward to a bath, are you not."

"You have no idea," Rise said.

Yu nodded, glancing at his friends and dourly noting their condition. Their clothes were all dirty and torn in some places, some even sporting bloodstains like his own collar. Their hair was tangled and unkempt, and if he was perfectly honest, they were beginning to smell a little rank. A bath would be a godsend.

"So, if we're saddling them . . . Yukiko started, a spark of excitement flashing through her eyes, "Are we going to ride them?"

"I call Nyras' saddle!" Teddie shouted, only to whimper when Korval shot him another glare.

. . . that reaction made a whole lot more sense now that Yu knew what he knew.

"Actually, we won't be riding them," Nyras cut in, "For one, they can only carry about two people at a time, so we'd end up leaving a good majority of our group behind. No, we will most assuredly be walking."

"Yay . . ." Yosuke said with zero enthusiasm.

Nyras didn't reply, instead turning to collect the saddle pad and placing it on Aira's back. As she did so, she said, "Tirin, you would do well to get ready as well."

Somewhere in the shade, Yu heard Tirin grumble, "Coming . . ."

The gloaming stumbled out of the copse, holding a hand over his eyes and squinting hard against the sunlight. The poor man looked miserable.

"Poor Tirin," he heard Yukiko murmur to Chie.

"Yeah, it is kinda sad to watch, huh?" the brunette girl replied.

"Nyras said he would adjust in a few hours, so this will not be permanent," Naoto reminded them, quietly rubbing the hand she'd touched the horse with against a pant leg.

"Still probably sucks somethin' fierce," Kanji said.

"All we can do is cheer him on," Yu said. It wasn't like they could make the sun disappear, after all, and it would still be some time before nightfall. Until then, Tirin would just have to tough it out.

Someone shuffled beside him, and he glanced at Teddie. The bear was twiddling his fingers together, a tiny frown on his face as he watched the gloaming stomp ahead. Even though he didn't speak, Yu knew guilt when he saw it.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, he quietly said, "You can apologize to him later."

Teddie looked back at him for a long moment, still looking troubled. Then, he nodded, his frown turning into a smile of gratitude for his understanding. Smiling back, Yu squeezed his shoulder before letting go.

Korval and Nyras saddled the horses quickly, strapping on supplies and saddle bags before putting on the reigns. Well, Korval put reigns on his horse. Nyras left Aira alone.

"Stay close to us," Nyras told them as she angled Aira towards the shoreline, "Just because we are out of the Underdark does not mean we should let our guards down."

"Of course . . ." Yosuke mumbled.

"We'll be traveling along the shore until we reach Sedgeridge," Nyras continued, "I expect we'll make it there by the evening."

Everyone groaned, some glancing at the midday sun with dread.

"Don't worry," Nyras said, "We'll be there before you know it."

With that, she began to walk, Aira treading faithfully after her master with Tirin just behind them. Korval had taken up the rear again with Bonebiter in toe, and slowly, Yu and the rest of his friends set after them as well.

Glancing out over the sparkling water, Yu had to wonder just what other sorts of marvels they would see on their journey.

(*)

Blue flames sputtered in the black iron braziers that lined the walls of the room, casting the stone walls in dark, eerie shadows. If one looked closer, they'd see the skulls of the defeated burning in the flames; human, beast, orc, dwarven, all sorts of fallen enemies who's souls now served as fuel for the fire. Behind each of these braziers, a tapestry was hung, woven rugs that depicted images of warfare and bloody conquest. A pair of double doors wrought with gold and iron lay on one side of the room, each door bearing half the image of a snarling demonic head, while on the other end was an elaborate throne made of pure ebony. The legs of the throne were each carved to resemble the jagged talons of a dragon, the arms a chaotic jumble of spikes with only one smooth patch to lay an arm unhindered. A single ruby was embedded at the center of the throne's head, shimmering like a drop of crimson blood against the black stone.

Sitting upon the throne was a creature the size of a small house, it's body covered in red scales and small horny protrusions the color of slate. It's legs were animalistic in shape, a sharp claw adorning each toe, a pair of black greaves tied tightly to it's thighs. A long, thick tail curled over the side of it's throne, tip ending in a sharp, lethal barb, while it's thickly muscled arms were capped with a pair of heavy, clawed hands, one of which was methodically stroking a jawless skull. One large pauldron of black adamantium was strapped to it's left shoulder, bulging against the muscles. It's bestial face was crowned with a pair of huge black horns that curved upward, metal-shod tips pointing towards each other. It's eyes were deeply set, eyes that burned like brimstone and flame as they stared ahead as if in thought.

It drew it's lips back into a snarl as the double doors across from it flew open, white fangs glinting as a lone figure came striding arrogantly inside. To weak mortals, the cold flames of it's lair would have leeched them of their warmth and their courage, until only shells remained. But the woman coming towards him, who's hands were already covered in the blood of his minions, who's face was obscured by a long plain cloak, was no weak mortal, and so were only candles that gave no resistance to her coming.

Glaring, eyes hot with fury, it growled in a deep, dark voice, the skull in it's hands cracking in it's grip, "And what right have you to come barging into my domain? And you best hope I like what I hear, otherwise a slow and painful death will be what you beg me for once I'm through with you."

Walking until she stood before the throne, the woman placed a hand over her heart and bowed, "Lord Astaroth, Ruler of the Asmodian Isles and Crusher of the Blood War, I humbly request an audience."

"Humbly?!" the demon scoffed, "After you slaughter my minions and brazenly waltz into my throne room uninvited?!"

"Your minions were being rather unaccommodating," The woman replied smoothly, "And unfortunately, I could not send word ahead of time. But, if you will hear me out, I believe I have something that will interest you. After all, you have been quite bored since the World Wound was closed, have you not?"

The demon snorted, but did not yell again. Instead, he settled himself against the throne and barked, "And just what is so important as to warrant my attention?"

"A chance to test you're skills against worthy opponents," she replied.

The demon cut her off, "Tantalizing, but hardly enough to be worthy of forgiveness for your transgression."

"A chance for even greater power than you already have," the woman continued.

"I will attain power my own way," the demon growled, "And not through another's tricks."

"And . . ." the woman tossed something out to him, a circular disk that struck the granite with a sharp ring, "A chance for revenge."

The demon gazed down at the trinket, lip beginning to curl in disgust, hatred flaring in his eyes. As his anger simmered, the woman continued, "Everyone knows of the one defeat of Astaroth the Crusher. The one family who laid an end to your glory in the mortal world."

With a roar, the demon lifted a hand and smashed it into the ground, crushing the offending trinket beneath his fist, "Wretches! Maggots! Filth-ridden mongrels of an loathsome line! If I could, I'd wipe their names from existence itself! Nowhere would their souls be safe from my wrath, my vengeance! Curs!"

"And I tell you . . ." the woman said as the demon panted in rage, "I can give you that vengeance you desire. All you have to do is listen to what I have to say."

The demon glared at her, fuming with an anger so intense the air around him seemed to waver with heat. He remained there for a few moments more. Then, he finally stood up, tearing his fist out of the hole he'd punched in the floor. Reclaiming his seat with a stolid silence unlike his earlier rage, he leaned back and laced his clawed fingers together, red eyes burning.

"I'm listening."


Ooh, looks like the evil's growing. What does it mean for our heroes?

Guess we'll find out!

Rate and review if it pleases you! :)