A/N:WHAT'S UP, MUCKACHUNGAS!? It's Travez! And I'm here to bring you the first chapter of the next arc of our journey! So for the previous arc, I decided to name the previous arc the "Flowers for Algernon" Arc. And this next arc is going to be called "Red vs Blue" and I think you guys can guess what this one means. Now before we begin this arc, I am going to reiterate that for each Arc, I will solemnly swear to do my best to make each Session in each Arc be at least 5,000 words long (not counting the Author's Notes), and each Arc being at least 3-5 Sessions long, at minimum.

On that note, I need to bring up that I recently obtained the new book for 5E called "Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse", which brings in a huge cubic buttload of new rules for most of the races and the more iconic monsters. As such I will be changing the character races from the Legacy Versions to the Modern Versions.

However, I am also planning on getting the book "Spelljammer: Adventures in Space" for the new races and backgrounds. But that is for another time! Anyway, thanks to me obtaining "Monsters of the Multiverse" I can now modify the characters, and bring in two new ones that I wanted to do but I couldn't due to one of them being a Kenku, and their speech problems driving me crazy! So be prepared for two more players!

One more thing I need to bring up, in this chapter, I will be bringing in 3 new characters into this story, in which I don't hold all the credit for their creation, so instead of introducing the characters here, I will bring up their people of Origin. First off is a new Fanfiction user by the username of Rune20006 he has been a friend of mine for about a year now and it's thanks to him I actually came up with something interesting for his character, and for the record he is a Drow-Simp, so if any of you guys don't like the Dark Elves, please walk away now. Next is Evowizard25, they are another good friend of mine whose first and only D&D Character inspired me to create one based on them, though i hope to give them a better ending, or at least a better death, in this story! Finally there is D3lph0xL0v3r, and they have been an acquaintance of mine for about a year or two, and they are a fan of my My Hero Academia stories, and once I promised them to create a D&D Version of Fumikage Tokoyami, so here I am, keeping that promise as best as I can, though I hope that I do a good job imitating that edgy character.

So anyway, let's get down to brass tacks… So the next step on our journey begins, and I am sure you're going to like the two I will be bringing up in a little bit. So I guess that's enough out of me for now! Please be sure to Follow, Favorite, Review, and Share This story with any and all of those you know who love Dungeons and Dragons! Catch ya on the Flipside! NAT 20!

Session 3: Return of an Old Friend

Our Story began when a young human from the Realm of Earth, Traves Medina, had died in his own world and his soul, though heavy with the sins of his past, had been summoned to Mount Celestia. Confused and terrified that he was to receive punishment, Traves started questioning his presence there, only to be met with the Platinum Dragon God, Bahamut, and his Seven Golden Guardians. Upon being told that the World that Traves had forged was under threat of being destroyed, Bahamut offered the human a chance at redemption for his sins in exchange for saving the world he saved, and possibly a true chance at happiness should he accept. After some banter and thinking over the offer, Traves was reborn into the World of Anora as a Sapphire Dragon named Drugo'Naigo, the Son of a Sapphire Greatwyrm and an arrogant and foul dragoness.

Upon completing his backstory and finding himself in the Material Realm, Traves felt ill, so much so that, like George of the Jungle, crashed into a tree. Injured and losing consciousness, a winged figure found the dragon and brought him to his campsite, where, upon waking, was introduced to Drugo as the Tiefling Cleric named Damosarion. The two spent a good hour or two conversing and getting to know one another over some roast boar, and soon made their way to a town named Long River, where they learned of a party that was being formed to take care of an ongoing giant rat problem. Joining them was a Druid named Ember, a Blood Hunter named Annamina, a Soulknife named Fiona, and a Ranger named Longclaw. Drugo quickly became the center of attention for two of the ladies as Ember had found the dragon to be adorable, whilst Fiona studied him as if appraising a gemstone. The group quickly got to know one another, and Drugo actually bonded with Longclaw's Drake companion, Ghost.

Unfortunately, the group was unexpectedly given some powerful mead, in which the group found out that Drugo couldn't hold his liquor and nearly attacked his new party members. Thinking quickly, Damos knocked out their belligerent comrade and cured him of the drinkable toxins flowing through his body, and the other set out to work. Damos, Longclaw, and Fiona found their way to the Temple of Obad-Hai, where they not only learned about the backstory of the Wererat that was causing trouble, but also that the Ratman may have been slowing down a possible Abyssal Invasion of the town by forcing the farmers to destroy the crops they were growing in the tainted soils. Meanwhile, Mina and Ember were investigating one of the farms when they were suddenly ambushed by a pack of Abyssal chickens. If not for the timely arrival of their black sapphire companion, who nearly gave his life to save his new friends, then Mina and Ember would have been eaten alive by the demonic poultry. With the timely arrival of the guards to clean up the mess and tend to Drugo's injuries, an imp messenger informed the group of what Team A had found out.

After discussing their findings that night at the Inn, the group discovered the Ratmen Leader, Algernon, the son of the town noble's daughter and a powerful Archdruid, turned Wererat, had been trying to avenge his father who had been unjustly burned alive by his grandfather, and save the town from the demonic plot to open a portal into the Abyss. Thankfully, with the commotion that Mina and her group caused, the Town Guard had been spending the rest of the day cleaning up the abyssal chickens that had been hiding in the farms, and quickly formed up, along with the Ratmen and Priests of the town to deal with the Abyssal Threat. After storming the manor, our heroes discovered that the Noble Lord of the Town, though angry at his daughter's recklessness, was going to allow the marriage between his daughter and the Archdruid to happen, only for the man to become possessed and devoured by a Glabrezu Demon. Fortunately for our heroes, the Glabrezu had sacrificed much of it's power to find Algernon and infect him with Lycanthropy, so as such, he was nowhere near his full power.

A brief but fierce battle ensued against the demon, with Ember opening up with a Faerie Fire Spell that granted Fiona the necessary opening to deal a heavy blow to the demon, though the spell was ended early once the Glabrezu realized what was going on. Shortly after, everyone joined in, with Damos declaring the Oath of Conquest to unleash a powerful Guiding Bolt at the Demon, joined soon after by Mina whose training had caused her to unleash a fierce bolt from her Dragon Wing Hand Crossbow. Their enemy brutally beaten and nearly dead, Ember revealed herself to be Anastasiya Elin, the Heir to the Throne of Suncradle's Empire of Russia, to which she beheaded the demon. The Celebrations taking place the next day saw everyone grow stronger from this, and as a show of gratitude by Algernon and the People, the party was given much in gold and gemstones, with Drugo receiving a great reward in the form of a Skull Bowl and Skull Cup made from the skull of the Glabrezu, the very first additions to his future hoard… Now, as we end the Flowers for Algernon Arc, what new adventures await our heroes…?

It has been three days since the group had defeated the Glabrezu who had threatened the town. Over the past few days, Damos, Father Dorian, and Ember have been working on cleansing the land of the demonic corruption caused by the Abyssal Portal, using a combination of holy water and druidcraft, the river and the fields have been purified and made clean. Once cleared, Drugo did what all Sapphire Dragons do best and started utilizing his natural affinity for digging to plow the fields for the farmers, as Longclaw aided in planting the seeds and getting the first sprouts blooming with his own Druidcraft, whilst Mina and Fiona focused on keeping watch over the town, as well as rooting out any remaining Abyssal Threats. Over these past few days, the group has been working together with the townsfolk to get them back up and running, the People of Kyiv smiling as their saviors do far more than their duty required of them. However, after the Third Day, the group decides it is time for them to move on, in which they then take notice of a man in blue robes sitting at a table within the Inn they have been calling home for the past few days.

"Please, somebody help me! My home is being beset by a dragon!" The Old Man says, looking at the people who are trying to eat.

"A Dragon you say?" Drugo asks, walking over to him, "What Kind of Dragon?"

"It is a Red Dragon! It's taken up residence at Moldoveanu Peak!" The Old Man says, "It's terrorizing the villages north and south of the of said mountain!"

"Wait, you came all the way here from Romania?" Annamina asks, to which the man looks to her and kneels. "Wai-"

"Princess Annamina Van Helsing! It is you! I was hoping the rumors were true that you were spotted here!" The old man says, "Please, we need the help of you and your party to deal with this dragon!"

"Wait a minute! I'm still hunting the vampires that slaughtered my mother and father! I-" She stops herself as she remembers a lesson from her mother, and she clenches a fist, "Alright then, but we won't be able to make it back to Romania for well over a week even at a fast pace!"

"I have just the thing!" The Old Man says, bringing the party outside as what appears to be a carriage built of black wood and steel, and Drugo looks at the thing, wondering something. "What do you think, your highness?"

"Simple and functional, I like it!" Mina says, but then Drugo walks around it, examining it. "Drugo?"

"I don't know why, but I feel something beyond the doors of this carriage…!" He turns to the old man, "Is this thing enchanted?"

"I am happy you noticed!" The Old Man says, I may be an old man, but back in the day I was one hell of a wizard! I still am, but I've grown too old and frail to be able to battle a dragon, even one as weak as the one terrorizing the village. So I designed this carriage for you all, so that it can comfortably fit up to 6 people inside with a driver and some horses to pull it along! Not only that, once each day, you can use this to cast Magnificent Manor and Hero's Feast, allowing you to be somewhere you can eat and sleep!"

"Can the food be brought out so that I can eat as well?"

"Of course it can!" The old man says, smiling at the dragon. "Though I am not sure if a single dragon wyrmling can pull this thing with so many people! This carriage was designed to utilize four horses…"

"Shall we give it a test?" Drugo asks the old man.

"I suppose…" He then sets about trying to hitch Drugo to the Carriage… and failing miserably, as he is shaking too much to try and get the straps on him properly. Mina steps in, helping the old man adjust the harnesses, straps and breeching to be able to fit for Drugo… It doesn't work… the main problem is that Drugo's tail is much longer than the current breeching will allow, whilst the straps and bands aren't fit for a Dragon. However, the stable master and blacksmith, who happen to be watching, offer to help adjust the carriage's breeching, straps, bands and harnesses for about 2 days of work and about 200 Gold. Finding this reasonable, Mina actually pays for this to be done and the men set to work, measuring out Drugo's body, whilst taking his tail into account. Thankfully, Drugo's body, sans his tail, is around the right size for that of an average draught horse, though the old man says that, based on his experience, Drugo is actually better than any horse he has ever seen, with the only horses coming close to matching Drugo being that of Nightmares, Pegasi, and Unicorns, and even then it's cutting it close.

Two days later, Drugo is hitched up to the Carriage, but thanks to the old man's magic, it has similar properties to that of a Cast-Off Armor, and so with but a word, Drugo can hitch and unhitch himself from the Carriage with no trouble. Finding this to his liking, Drugo uses the magic to hitch himself up and test his abilities with six willing volunteers.

Making a few pulls to adjust to the weight, and to gauge his strength… Drugo manages to get the carriage moving, and despite lacking the speed of a horse, he actually manages to pull it at a decent speed, and… Actually manages to make the turns both at speed and with precision, if just barely. "Amazing!" The old man exclaims, that was quite impressive for a first go at it! Actually if you manage to utilize your wings when you need to make jumps, you may be able to gain more height or soften a landing!"

(A/N: In game terms, if he utilizes his wings to for jumps or landings with the Carriage, he can give the carriage the benefits of his long or high jump, and give the carriage resistance to fall damage for falls of 30ft or lower.)

"Interesting!" Drugo exclaims, smiling. "By the way old man, what's your name?"

"Oh how rude of me! My name is Saephyros!" The man says, to which Drugo thinks on that name and his eyes widen. "Oh you know me?"

"Know you!?" Drugo says, smiling, "You're my brother!" The old man smirks as his body shimmers, revealing an elderly man with a broken dragon horn and a draconic sapphire tail with cracks and scars in it.

"Very knowledgeable of you!" Saephyros says, smiling. "How did you learn of me?"

"The Priesthood of Eilistraee! It's thanks to you that their goddess actually took on the Sapphire Dragon as their second sacred creature!" Drugo explains, excitedly. "They saved me after my mother and siblings kicked me out of the nest!"

"Oh! That is truly amazing!" Saephyros says, smiling at his younger brother. "Truly fascinating!" The Elderly Wizard then waves his hand and holds his chin. "Funny… Despite that thing weight well over a thousand pounds with full occupancy and cargo capacity, it's like it's weight means nothing to you!"

"Huh?" Drugo asks… Only for his eyes to dawn with horror and righteous indignation. 'BAHAMUT HAS PLACED ME UNDER THE "NO ENCUMBRANCE" RULES! HE TURNED ME INTO A FUCKING PACK MULE!' In the sky the image of the doddering old fool is laughing at the dragon's realization.

(A/N: D&D Beyond has a feature in it that relates to the Encumbrance Rules called "No-Encumbrance"... I don't remember if it's a rule or if it has to do with the display of Encumbrance, so I'm going to say it's the Former and leave it at that)

"Brother?" Saephyros asks.

"It's nothing…" Drugo says.

"Okay? Well I never got your name, little brother! Would you tell me what it is?"

"Drugo'Naigo…" Drugo explains.

"Sheesh, your mother must've really hated you…" Saephyros says.

"Tell me about it…" Drugo explains, but then Saephyros brings out a book on Draconic, and Drugo tilts his head. "Saeph?"

"I think I might have a new name for you! It will sound similar to your current one but I think the meaning is better!" He then uses his staff to draw out the draconic runes for them. Durgaul'Nurgahl: "Honorable Dracolich" and "Mask of Night".

(A/N: To my understanding it is pronounced Doo-r-gall Ner-gal)

"Durgaul'Nurgahl…" Drugo says, repeating the name out loud.

"Yes, the new you…! You may still use the name Drugo'Naigo as a means for others to recognize you and your deeds, but it no longer marks you for what your mother believed, but now you can carve your own past. You mother and siblings think you dead, let them grow envious of your honorable reputation!"

"So basically, you see me as a Dracolich?" Drugo asks, "What about the Nurgahl part of my name?"

"That's simple!" Saephyros says, "Your coloration makes you look like a living piece of the night sky!" Saephyros says, smiling at his younger brother, while Drugo sees his brother's point. It takes the group a good week's worth of supplies, along with several healing potions, holy water, among other things leaving each member of the party with their 3 Platinum and 50 Gold each. On the dawn that they are leaving, Drugo hitches himself up to the Wagon with a smile, and as everyone piles in, Drugo… Take notice of the fact that as his friends pile in, he doesn't feel them piling in, but then notices somebody sitting in the driver's seat… No Two people! It's Ember and Longclaw, the two of them smiling as they give him a nod.

"To the people of Kyiv! Thank you for your hospitality, it was our honor to serve you!" Ember says, to which she looks at the people who have gathered round.

"May the Old Gods favor you all in the days to come!" Longclaw shouts, in which Drugo roars as he charges forward, the two riders in the driver's seat holding out their hands as they glow with natural energy, causing every seed to grow and bloom around them as they pass down the trail, causing the wheat and produce to grow, their flowers blooming, to which Ember stands up and waves back to Algernon.

"These flowers are for you Algernon! Do your best from here on out!" Ember calls back.

"GOOD FORTUNE ACCOMPANY YOU!" Algernon calls back, the wererats screeching with joy as the people cheer. The Cheers quickly fade as Drugo charges on, with Mina looking out the window.

One Week Later, Dawn…

Drugo wakes up with a yawn, sitting up from his position right next to the Carriage, smiling as he shakes himself off… The group had decided to take a more southern route from Kyiv, and now the group was taking a rest near a lake, in which Drugo decided to make his way down there to get a drink of water. As he makes his way down there, he hears a bit of splashing as the lake seems to steam up, the dragon deciding to take more cautious steps towards the lake… Whatever is there doesn't notice him, and upon reaching the edge of the water, he starts lapping up water for a drink. However… He notices movement in the water, seeing a shadow in the mist ahead of him, a feminine figure, and if his eyes are correct, which they are, he can see this woman is naked and is cleaning her body. Continuing to drink, but keeping his eyes on the woman's shadow in front of him, the steam begins to clear, revealing it is Ember… Who doesn't see him, and is running her hands along her body, cleaning under her breasts and along her buttocks, her back turned to the dragon as he can't help but stare at her.

Unfortunately, as he attempts to stealthily back away, his foot snaps a large fallen branch, catching the Genasi's attention as she covers herself, throwing a ball of flame in Drugo's direction. Drugo, seeing this, doesn't have enough time to dodge and snarls in pain as the flame hits his chest, "PERVERT!" Ember shouts, throwing another… Only for it to… Burst and singe her hand, "Ow!"

"Ember!" Drugo says, hearing her yelp, rushing to her… And despite finding it difficult, manages to swim to her, grab her, and bring her back to the shore… The Genasi is blushing as this is happening and her naked body is exposed to the dragon as he gently takes her hand in his mouth and lowers it into the water, the coldness of the morning lake slowly ebbing away the pain. "I'm sorry about that, I just came for a drink of water, only to find you here… And…' His cheek stars turn red, "I was entranced by your beauty…" Ember looks at him with cautious eyes… But finds no deception in them, only the honest truth, and the Genasi Woman's eyes soften as she looks at him. "I'm truly sorry for scaring you like that…"

"No… I am sorry… I shouldn't have reacted like that…" Ember says, "Besides, what man would want a violent woman like me who has no features any man could desire…?"

"Don't say that!" Drugo says, "You're beautiful!" The Geansi looks at the dragon wyrmling, stunned, and merely blushes at his declaration.

"You're sweet, but you're only just a kid…"

"Only physically…" Drugo mutters.

"What was that?" Ember asks.

"Gck!" Drugo says, stunned, "Nothing!"

"I heard you! What did you mean by "only physically"?" Ember asks, having seen through his bluff. Drugo… Weighing the odds, sighs as he looks down then looks into her eyes as he tries to find a way to word it properly. "I'm waiting…"

"Well it's not as easy as you think to tell the truth!" Drugo says. "Okay… So let me explain this, this isn't my first life… I used to be a human before I was reborn as a dragon…"

"Reborn?" Ember asks, to which she brings out a book, "I see… Please go on!"

"I…!" That is when there is a snap of a twig, and Drugo leaps at the source of the sound, in which someone jumps away, flipping backwards, and the violet colored skin causes the dragon's eyes to narrow… Only for his eyes to notice a pair of pointed ears, emerald green eyes and white hair. "What the?"

"Long time no see, Drugo!" The Elf stands up, but Drugo thinks back… And His crystal horns spin with excitement.

"Eryn!" Drugo says, leaping at the Half-Drow, who laughs as the big brute pins him down and purrs as the two reunite with a smile. Ember, taking this chance to try and sneak off to change her clothes, only for the Drow to cat-call whistle at her, only for Drugo to extend his claws whilst placing a hand on his old friend's chest.

"I would turn your eyes away if I were you…" Drugo snarls threateningly, his old friend gulping as he turns his eyes away out of fear of the wyrm's temper. Drugo looks to Ember and gives her a nod, and while the Genasi would like to learn more about her draconic friend, she merely blows him a kiss and goes to get changed. "Now…" He backs off his friend, who gets up and dusts the leaves off his body. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you just came here to get a look at a beautiful naked woman?"

"No, actually, I was looking for you! My party members and I need your help!"

"Mine?"

"Yeah, a little town nearby, one which my party is staying at, is actually under attack by a pair of Red Half-Dragons!"

"What?" Drugo asks, to which Ember comes back around the corner hearing this. "And you came looking for me, to see if I could help you…"

"Yes!" Eryn says, "My team and I are only three people, we're not strong enough to take on these bastards alone!"

"How far are we from this village?"

"A day's ride in your carriage if we move quickly!" Eryn says.

"Let's get the others up, fed, and prepared!" Drugo says.

One Day Later…

The group arrives at the village known as Summer Lake, and thankfully, as they enter, Longclaw looks out the window as Drugo comes to a stop. "Here we are!" Drugo says, via Fiona's Psychic Whispers. "Everyone out…" They all depart and Mina jumps out of the driver's seat, whilst Drugo unhitches himself from the carriage. As the six of them get prepared, Eryn looks around, and notices two others come out of the shadows. "Friends of yours, Eryn?"

"Yes, good friends of mine, in fact!" Eryn says, to which everyone notices there is a Kenku in a martial artist's gi with a hooded cloak, whilst next to him is a Tiefling with impala-like horns on her head with a supple and voluptuous body. Drugo shakes his head before he starts to stare and looks around the Periphery of his vision… Fortunately, he notices that, while there is the stench of beings with Red Dragon Blood in them, the best he can tell is, at most, there are only three here. Even so, Durgaul'Nurgahl knows that Two Half-Reds are still going to be a tough pair of nuts to kick, and this third individual smells bigger too, bigger and meaner.

They park the carriage somewhere out of sight and everyone gears themselves up as they prepare to go to the Inn to rest up, thankfully though, with Eryn doing most of the talking… He manages to convince the inn's owner that Drugo would be best served inside, and Drugo even offers to sleep in the basement if need be. Thankfully, due to the Half-Dragons terrorizing the town, the people have no loyalty to these half-breeds, and, in fact, they actually worship a Greatwyrm. "A Greatwyrm?" Durgaul asks.

"Yes, his name is Klauthiym! He's a Sapphire Greatwyrm!" The Innkeeper says, to which Durgaul backs away, shocked.

"Drugo, what's wrong?" Eryn asks, Durgaul's breathing becoming frantic as he tries to calm down. "Drugo?"

"Klauthiym… He's my father…!" Drugo says, only for the doors to fly open.

"I knew I smelled an intruding dragon around here!" A Red Half-Dragon says, looking at him, "And it is to our surprise that it is one of Klauthiym's spawn as well!"

"What should we do with them, brother?" the second Red Half Dragon asks.

"We'll capture him and see if we can get a ransom off him!" The First says.

"You really think I'll be of any value to my father? He abandoned me after he impregnated my mother, and I was driven out by my own siblings, so you wouldn't get anything out of my father to save my hide!"

"You've sure got a big mouth on you!" The Second Red Half Dragon says, growling.

"And it's not just him you're facing!" Eryn says, as the group picks up their weapons and gets ready for a fight.

"Oh you want a fight huh? Let's take it outside, so that way we don't have to hold back!" The First Half Dragon says.

Fiona, looking at them, can't remember all of the lore her master taught her, but she remembers these words, 'A Dragon though more powerful in it's lair, will often refuse to fight in it, for they shall risk destroying their hoards…' Fiona thinks as she remembers these words, and swings her arm, throwing a psionic knife at one of the Half-Dragons, hitting him square in the forehead. "Don't Let them lure you outside!" Fiona shouts, "If they get anywhere with enough space, they'll loose their breath weapons!" Everyone hears the rogue's words of wisdom and all begin to move into position around the half-dragons,"Sir, whatever the damages, we will pay for them later!"

"Just get rid of these bastards if you can!" The Innkeeper says, taking cover.

"You damned rat!" The First Half-Dragon shouts, to Eryn's eyes turn violet as his hair stands up, glowing with an ethereal flame, and when he swings his arms, he sends out orbs of these flames to wrap around the two Half-Dragon's. The second of these two, the much larger one, puts his hands together and focuses his mind, banishing them from his body with a shout, whilst the smaller one becomes wreathed in them.

"Is that all, a little Faerie Fire?" The Second Half-Dragon shouts, only to notice a shadow appearing over him and coming down towards him with a long whip-like appendage swinging down towards him. "Whoa!" The Half-Dragon shouts, leaning back to dodge it as Drugo lands before the half-breed. "You little!"

"Try this!" Longclaw shouts, swinging his talons as he leaves a glowing scar upon the Half-Dragon's chest, the acid burning through the man's armor enough to leave it. "Ghost!" The Little Drake leaps out from Longclaw's shoulder and flips over the Half dragon, biting down on the end of the bastard's tail.

"YEOW!" The Half-Dragon shouts, lifting his tail as Ghost hangs on. "Get off you little pest!" He swings his tail, to which Drugo and Longclaw dodge as Ghost let's go and lands back on his master's shoulder. Seeing an opportunity, and taking advantage of the Faerie Fire, Damos charges in with his scimitar, but despite his best efforts, the Half-Dragon catches the sword between his scaly hands, and turns, kicking the tiefling away, only to be met with an orb of flame to the face.

"I hit!" Ember says, smiling, only for the smoke to clear and only a faint dusting of soot being on the dragon's face. "Uh oh…"

"Thanks, my scales were getting a bit itchy…" The Half-Dragon says, "I'll breed you last!" This elicits an angry snarl from Durgaul, who now wants to kill this bastard, however that is when a pair of clawed feet kick out at the side of the Second Half-Dragon's face, causing it to turn slightly from the impact.

"Ha! And here I thought you were a couple of half-dragons, I guess you guys were just half-braggin!" Evolyne viciously mocks the larger half-dragon, who snarls at the Tiefling, clenching his fist so tightly that his talons dig past his scales and his nose bleeds. 'Okay that barely did anything, but at least, this might prove to be useful.' Mina, in her position, thinks about something and decides to wait, keeping her eyes trained on the first of these two half-dragons, thinking it might be the last to fall.

That is when the two dragons give each other a look, and they both open their maws, unleashing fire upon Durgaul, Longclaw, and Ghost, in which all three are heavily seared by the dragons, but as they recover and catch their breath, everyone's eyes turns towards a charred body on the floor, and Longclaw drags his wounded body to the little cat-sized corpse lying on the ground. "Ghost…" Longclaw says, gently picking up the charred body, and howls in sorrow and pain.

"Heh! A little drake like that shouldn't be involved in a man's fight…!" The First Half-Dragon says.

"And if you don't surrender peacefully, that will happen to you too!" The Second Half-Dragon says.

"Oh my gods…" Eryn says.

"They killed Ghoostie!" Ember says, tears falling from her eyes, and despite the sorrowful looks on everyone's faces, the Half-Dragons are surprised to see not fear but fury in their supposed victims.

"YOU BASTAAAARDS!" Fiona roars, her eyes glowing red as she bares her fangs, brutally slashing at the first half-dragon, landing in a dabbing position. Silent as the grave, Eryn raises one hand as his magic picks up a tankard, and with a mighty thrust of his arm, bashes in the face of the second Dragonborn with a Catapult Spell. Feeling his power surge through him and into his throat, Durgaul's sapphire markings glow a bright blue as the Half-Dragon utilizes his breath weapon twice in a single instance, unleashing a deafening sound that causes both Half-Dragons to scream in pain as their ears bleed and their bones creak heavily from the strain of the magic being forced upon them. That is when a wolf's howl is heard as a pissed off blur of movement slashes through one of the Half-Dragons and a fanged burst pierces the other, with everyone seeing Longclaw in his true Shifter Form…

(A/N: If you want to see how I view a Shifter in their Shifted State, think more along the line of the Werewolves from "The Wolfman" the 2010 version. That is a good example of how I view a Longtooth Shifter, they are werewolves that are more men than beast, and thats how I view shifters once they transform, where as Lycanthropes are more beast than men. Also, for Long Claw's instance, think of him as turning into an Albino Wolfman)

The Second Half-Dragon snarls as he gets ready to counterattack, only to find a Scimitar slash across his face, with a Baator-born Tiefling shedding tears, showing that even a devil may cry when he loses a loved one. Ember, seeing the little drake's corpse, is filled with so much fury that she forgets the one thing she fears the most, and calls upon it to aid her in this time of crisis, transforming into a Giant Spider, and leaping at the Second of the Half-Dragons, viciously biting deep into it's flesh and filling him with as much venom as her current form can muster.

"Brother!" The First half-Dragon says, to which he snarls and let's out a roar at the top of his lungs… Everyone, fueled by their rage, are ignorant of the slight shaking of the ground, but he keeps his mouth shut for now, hoping it isn't what he fears it is, and rushes to the remaining half dragon as his eyes glow with a dark aura.

"It's time to end this…! DARK SHADOOOOW!" The Kenku shouts as a pair of taloned fists appear out of the ki that emerges from the darkness for his cloaked body, and releases a black aura of ki energy that wounds the Half-Dragon, but as the creature opens it's mouth to shout in pain, a pissed off flash of light flies through the dark aura, carrying some of the dark energy with it and pierces the open mouth of the Half-Dragon and impales it's brain. Nevermore, the Kenku, takes a moment to feel the motion of the ground as Evolyne rushes to Durgaul and Longclaw, healing their injuries as best as she can with a flourish of her sword.

With this, everyone decides to catch their breath, only for Eryn to notice Nevermore keeping his hand on the ground. "Nevermore, what's wrong?" Eryn asks as he and Mina go to see what the Kenku is sensing, only for the Kenku to look out the window.

"EVERYONE, GET AWAY FROM THAT WINDOW!" Nevermore shouts, to which everyone manages to dodge out of the way, save for Eryn and Mina, who both get a full blast of the flames that erupt through the window and wall, which has been burned and broken. In walks in a hulking Half-Dragon, red in coloration, but more muscular and in less armor than his compatriots, the creature looking to the side as he sees his two fallen comrades.

"You will burn…" The Creature says. Fiona, dumbstruck with what she is seeing, decides to take cover and hide, to await for a moment to strike at this creature. Eryn, barely picks himself up from the burns on his back, glares at the Half-Dragon in front of him.

"Of course those were just the small fry…" Eryn says, steadying himself with his spear, and looking at the creature, before him, his body glowing with a psionic, eldritch aura as what appears to be a suit of armor made of magic flows over his garments. "Well, let's get busy…" He then swallows something… A Chili Pepper… And as he does so, a frigid mist flows up his esophagus and out of his mouth, to which Eryn opens his maw wide to release a loud burping sound, with a frigid mist being unleashed on the Half-Dragon, who takes the attack by holding out his shield in front of him, which only prevents the frost from touching too much of his body, but still inflicting damage upon him.

"That was a neat trick boy… Thinking you can imitate us dragons like that…" The Half-Dragon says, smiling as he glares at the Sorcerer. "Well now I'll have to kill you for wounding my pride like that."

"NOT IF I KILL YOU FIRST!" Drugo roars, his mouth glowing with sapphire blue energy that causes his teeth to vibrate intensely. Biting down on the dragon's sword arm, he clings on as best as he can to try and hold the creature down. Longclaw follows up his ally's attack with a swipe from his claws, landing a deep cut on the Half-Dragon's face, who just smirks as he remains focused on his target. Throwing Drugo off and onto a table, which breaks, the Half-Dragon Gladiator swings his spear three times, the first two intentionally missing their mark so that the third can land a mighty hit, impaling the Half-Drow through the chest, missing his heart and lungs, but dealing near lethal damage. Durgaul, recovering, looks in horror as he sees his friend hanging limp, bringing him back to another time this had happened…

He remembers terrifying eldritch pods holding prisoners inside, Eryn being one of them. Humanoid Aberrations walking towards Eryn with a tadpole in their hand, holding him in place as it is inserted into his eye… These bad memories bring back the horrors, trauma, and trials the two had suffered together, becoming like brothers in the process, and the Dragon roars in fury and sorrow as his friend is tossed off the spear to bleed out. Damos, seeing the pain and anger his new friend is suffering, feels his own rage boil up as he, once again, speaks the Oath of Conquest in Infernal, charging up his Guiding Bolt, and unleashes it with the fury of his siblings behind him, his rage fueling and strengthening his bond with his father and siblings. This fervor carries over the Ana, who jumps at the gladiator as well, sinking her fangs deeply into it, envenomating him. Throwing her off, the half-Dragon, poisoned, wounded, and weak, falls to his knees as he sees, dead ahead of him, an angry bird glaring at him with glowing red eyes whilst his feathers stand up in a spiking formation, and the arms he summoned become engorged with ki. "You… FIIIIEEEND!"

The Bird, in a flurry of enraged dark energy, starts unleashing blow after blow after blow at the Half-Dragon Gladiator, who roars in agony as he is beaten to the brink of death, only for vines to entangle and restrain the birdman, who is roaring in anger. Durgaul walks past them and steps up to the Half-Dragon, who laughs weakly as life begins to pass from him. "So it seems we have some decent opponents… But it won't help you much when you go against our father, Vermithor, in Romania…" the Half-Dragon says, "Enjoy your victory while you can… It is only the calm… before… the storm…" Durgaul, not wanting to hear anymore, bites down on the Half-Dragon, and rips his head off, a roar of fury and triumph escaping his maw. However, the victory is short-lived as the people rush to the inn, finding the ones who saved them desperately trying to recover. Thankfully, the Innkeeper, having snuck out the back during the fighting, had found a Cleric in the nearby temple and they bring Eryn to a room upstairs, where they work on healing the Half-Drow's burns, whilst Durgaul sits in the room, constantly watching the door.

A Few Hours Later…

The majority of the group sits in the lobby of the Inn, all of them silently praying to whatever god or spirits they hold in their hearts to spare Eryn's life, in which none of them have seen Durgaul since the healer took the young half-elf away to be tended to. However, their thoughts are interrupted as a man walks down the stairs, the Cleric, who smiles at them. "Your friend is in the clear, he's stable and will make a full recovery in a few days!" Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. "Though there was something I found rather odd about this whole thing…"

"What is it?" Damos asks.

"Aren't Sapphire Dragons and Drow usually at each other's throats? I mean Sapphire Dragons eat spiders, and Drow worship spiders."

"Apparently they became friends while escaping the Underdark…" Ember explains, "But that's just about all we know…"

"Well I think it's safe to go upstairs and talk to that dragon friend of yours! So why don't you go ask him the details?" The Cleric suggests. Everyone, looking at each other, decides to go upstairs, and it doesn't take them long to find the room that Eryn is located in, and the Dragon is watching over his friend like a hawk, but when the door opens, he tenses for a moment, but calms down when he sees it's the rest of the party.

"Hello… Is everything alright?"

"It will be now…" Durgaul says, breathing a sigh of relief seeing it's the party.

"Uhm…" Everyone gathers as Ember speaks up, "You never told us in full detail how you two met and what happened to make you friends…"

"Well It's a long story but…" Durgaul says, but smiles.

I guess I can take you back to when we first met… It was no more than a few days after I had been banished from the nest that I was traveling through the passages of the Underdark and took a wrong turn… This wrong turn nearly had my brain taken over by an Intellect Devourer, in which I had barely time to kill it before I was taken by… Them… Illithids… Mind Flayers… Aberrant Humanoids from beyond time that captures mortals, feast on their brains, and use them as both slaves and as a means for their reproduction. I was stunned and taken into their colony to be experimented on, only for my stupidly good luck to save my hide as I broke free of my mental shackles, somehow, and blundered my way into the Transformation Chambers, where they were in the middle of changing prisoners into their own kin. Thankfully, using my breath weapon, i managed to interrupt the ceremony, and a revolt began amongst those captured. Eryn was the last to be implanted, and when we escaped, Eryn lead the way to the surface.

It was by sheer luck that we managed to evade the many dangers of the Underdark, and in the coming week, we barely managed to escape, collapsing from starvation once we entered the surface. Thankfully, some Selandrine Drow who worshipped Eilistraee found us, brought us back to health, and their clerics actually discovered that the Tadpole that had been implanted into Eryn's eye had not begun the process of eating Eryn's brain. What we found was that the Tadpole itself was of a rare sort that Illithids generally try to ensure don't survive, a Zeothilid Tadpole… These rare Tadpoles are even rarer that Ulitharid Tadpoles, as Zeothilids are not evil by nature, they are infact good-aligned Mind Flayer Tadpoles, and are generally destroyed on principle.

Zeothilid Tadpoles, as we learned, form symbiotic bonds with their hosts, granting them a portion of an Illithid or even, on rare occasions, Ulitharid's powers, turning their hosts into Aberrant Mind Sorcerers, granting them the powers of both Magic and Psionics. However, this isn't done for free, as the Zeothilid still requires sustenance in exchange for this power, and this sustenance comes in the form of Psionic Energy from other beings, which the Tadpole passively absorbs from others the host draws near, but feasts upon the psionic energies of those it's hosts harms and kills when it uses weapons or spells, ripping away negligible portions of psionic energy that don't harm their opponent, but are enough to feed the tadpole.

However, all good things will eventually come to an end, and the Tadpole will someday finish the transformation it should have started, however, it will only begin once it's host has decided it wishes to die, in which the natural Ceremorphosis Process shall be accelerated to compensate for it's dying host, and, unlike the usual case, the host will be put to sleep as the transformation begins, to avoid bringing them any agony as they die and pass on from this world. What will be left in Eryn's place when all is said and done will be a Zeothilid, an aberration that hasn't been seen in hundreds of thousands of years… However, the Zeothilid will be as powerful as an Elder Brain, but without any of it's inherent wickedness…

After we obtained this information, I was a bit conflicted about the fact my friend was hosting an aberration's tadpole in him, but then again, it is extremely rare that any Aberration is good, with my only example being that of the Flumphs, and that is generally the only known Aberration that is good. So deciding to put aside my doubts, Eryn and I continued our friendship, and we even became able to speak telepathically with each other, and with the Tadpole, whom Eryn named Venom. After a time we spent together, Eryn went off to have adventures of his own, and not long after that, I ran into Damos!

"And that is about it!" Durgaul explains, having told everyone his story telepathically so as not to disturb the sleep of his closest friend. Everyone seems to nod as they think on this, and while it does disturb them that their friend is hosting an aberration, with the information they learned about Zeothilids, it puts them at ease. After this, Damos decides that everyone should get some rest, as they now have to plan on how to deal with an angry Adult Red Dragon soon, and as much rest as possible would be helpful. Ember, however, decides not to leave the room, and lies down next to Durgaul, and looks into his eyes.

"Durgaul… I want to continue our conversation from earlier today, if you don't mind…?" Ember says, looking into his eyes.

Of course… Now… Where to begin…?