Twilight

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Adventure Quest (Except my own characters). Maria Despair belongs to Xenolord and is used with permission.

Author's note: Also, for those who were confused last chapter, Drake is a dracomancer, which allows him to use a variety of dragon powers including summoning the great dragon Kethorat.

-'Thoughts'

-"Speech"

Ch.4

To Battleon

"Fang?" Drake called into the cave as he sped inside, the scent of blood far more potent than it had been outside. "Fa…. by the creator…" Drake now stood in the belly of the cave and saw the results of a massacre. Bodies and weapons alike lay bleeding and broken on the rocky floor, patches of fur lay strewn about. It took all Drake's will to keep his composure.

"Whine," Drake looked over to a corner of the room and saw Fang cradling another lycan's body and whimpering softly. Drake walked across the room to stand by his friend's side.

"Fang?" Fang did not move, he kept an iron grip on the body in his arms as tears dampened the fur under his eyes. "Your…your father?" Drake said chokingly. Fang did not reply. "What on Lore happened here…?" Drake asked the cavern walls. For an answer, he saw sword, blade the shade of obsidian and a blood red handle.

"Filthy vampires!" Drake spun around and saw Fang on his feet the body laid in a peaceful position on the floor. Fang lifted a bow and quiver of arrows from the floor and slung them over his shoulder. "I'll kill every last one!"

"Let's not put E out of a job now." Drake said, trying to lighten the situation up.

"Get out of the way!" Fang strode toward Drake, sword in hand and pointed at his head. "They won't get away with this!" Drake transformed into dragon form and fixed Fang with an intimidating glare. "That doesn't scare me any more." Fang said, cold fury piercing Drakes golden eyes.

"Fang, don't go." Drake said, almost pleadingly.

"I won't let them get away with this!" Fang shouted back through tears.

"They will get away with it if you just throw your life away! What would 'he' have wanted?" Drake gestured to the body laying in the corner. Fang stopped growling. He fell to his knees and started crying. Drake reverted back to his human form and knelt down to comfort his friend, scratching him behind his ears. A good ten minutes passed and Fangs sobs slowly died away.

"Well, sniff I don't think they got everyone." Fang said looking around the ransacked room. "I think most of them managed to get away." His face suddenly fell.

"What's wrong? Isn't it a good thing if they survived?" Drake asked. Fang suddenly looked lost.

"I don't know where the hiding place is at. The king tells no one where it's at, they just follow him when they need to. And now… I don't know where to go."

Drake patted Fang on the head. "Well, if you've got nowhere else to go, you could tag along with me for a while until things calm down over here and you can go back to the rest of your clan." Drake said and smiled.

"You mean it? I can come with you to see the outside?" Fang said, his tail wagging furiously.

"Sure thing."

"Thank you soo much!"

"Don't mention it, besides, it might do you some good to go on a vacation. Let's get going. I want to make Battleon by morning."

"Okay, but Drake… can I ask you to do me a favor… please?" he glanced up t Drake and then back at the floor. "Father said he never wanted one of those necromancers to get ahold of him if he… if he died. Could you please…?" Drake got the message. They gently carried the body of Fang's father outside. Drake placed him on a small pile of broken branches and set the pile aflame. Fang watched the fire rise up and consume the body. He could almost see it smiling. He turned to Drake when the fire had burned itself out and all that remained was ashes.

"Thank you." He said and wiped a tear from his face. They both nodded and set off toward the east. A red pair of eyes followed them as they left the forest behind them.

"You will pay, Fang. I will finish what I started, mark my words." The shadowy figure receded into the blackness and its huge frame faded away into blackness.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was already on the horizon as the two headed south. They had abandoned Drake's wings due to a massive wind current that had blown them off course. Drake knew they should have been there hours ago, but thought that the wind had just blown them back a little bit. Fang was marveling at his surroundings, looking every direction at once, mouth hanging open. Drake caught him when he tripped walking backwards.

"I think you should keep your eyes on ahead of you for the time being." Drake chuckled. Fang did not move his gaze. He was staring straight over Drake's shoulder. His eyes grew wide. "What…?" Drake did not have time to finish as he saw a massive shadow pass over him. He looked up and saw a huge red dragon fly overhead carrying a struggling figure in its claws.

"Off of me you hideous spawn of fire! Had I my blade with me I would cut off your horns and use them to decorate my mantle!" the struggling figure shouted at its kidnapper.

"Oh boy, Galanoth is in trouble again." Drake sighed. "Hold on Fang!" he transformed and spread his huge wings, crouching down on all fours to allow Fang to clamber on to his back. With a deafening roar, Drake took off. The struggling Galanoth took no notice of them. The red dragon was gaining distance however, and Drake was still tired from last night's events.

"Can you hit him from here?" Drake's voice panted. Fang readied his bow and aimed the frozen tip of the arrow at the retreating red mass and fired. The tip sank into the back of the dragon's neck and it let out a roar of agony. It writhed in midair and was able to tear the arrow out with its thrashing tail and kept flying. But the arrow had done its damage. Soon Drake was flying side by side with the beast that was at least 3 times his size. He looked over at Galanoth.

"How you holding up?" he shouted at the dragonslayer. Galanoth looked up, realizing Drake's presence. He scowled.

"Come to laugh dragonlover? Or are you here to help prepare breakfast?" he spat at Drake.

"Peace dragonslayer, I've come to get you down!" Drake shouted back, sounding thoroughly reluctant to be doing something so generous. "When I say, jump toward me and I'll catch you."

"I don't trust you!" Galanoth cried back. "I trust no Dragon!"

"Then how about a wolf?" Galanoth would have jumped three feet in the air if he wasn't held by the war dragon carrying him. Drake had lowered himself in the air to show Galanoth what had spoken. Sitting on the dracomancer's back was an armored lycan. It waved at the dragonslayer and spoke again. When I say, jump for me, I'll try to catch you."

"Rrrr, very well." He growled back, getting over his previous shock.

"One!" Drake said getting closer to the dragon. "Two!" Fang raised his bow yet again. "Three!" The arrow went straight through the dragon's left eye and out the other. Howling in pain, it dropped Galanoth. Drake swooped low and Fang managed to guide Galanoth onto Drake's back and they headed for the ground. Galanoth jumped off hastily followed by Fang. Drake wandered over to where the dragon was laying, blood running from its now open sockets. Drake put a hand on the dragon's head and stared down at its claws smelling human blood. They were stained nearly as red as its scales. But Galanoth hadn't been hurt. Drake quietly walked back to Fang, took the sword from his back, and walked back to the dying dragon. Drake once again placed his hand on the dragon's head and rubbed it behind its horns. It lowered its shaking head to the ground and with a little nod, old Drake to get it over with. Whether out of respect for Drake or the dragon, Galanoth turned away from the scene as drake brought the frozen point downward.

"Tahnks…" Galanoth said shuffling his steel toed boots into the soft earth. Drake, now back in human form, looked at the ground, a tear clutching at his chin. "That was a very noble thing to do."

"No…" Drake said quietly, "it was the RIGHT thing to do." He looked up, a small smile now on his face, but his eyes still heavy.

"You look like you two could use a rest at the inn," Galanoth said looking at Drake and Fang. He pointed northward, "Battleon's just a short way that way."

The two companions looked at eachother and burst into raucous laughter. They hadn't been blown backward, but PAST Battleon! They finally got ahold of themselves and bade Galanoth farewell.

"What an odd pair those two are…" He said shaking his head and set off back south.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Man, these chapters keep getting longer on me. Things are really gonna heat up next chapter as we get all sorts of mayhem on the city streets. Please R and R.

-Drake