A/N: WHAT IS UP MUCKAAAACHUNGAAAAAS!? IT'S TRAVEZ! Today I bring you guys in on a bit of a new chapter that we will be undertaking throughout this campaign! These will be side missions that will take place between the Adventures Listed from the Tales from the Yawning Portal, and they will all be plot relevant for the entire party and the story going forward! As stated, they will be taking place between the Events of the Adventure Modules, but they will all be important in their own right, but for now, this will just be the kindling that lights the bigger fire going forward, for today we are literally lighting the Bonds of Flame, and starting by introducing everyone to their initial Character Arcs! I don't have much else to say other than this is technically Chapter 2, but aside from that, I have a new Co-Author who will be helping me from here on out, my very own girlfriend who goes by the PenName of "Wolfflight of ShadowClan". She will be helping me write out the scenes where it is just the MC and his Love Interest whenever they are alone, and enjoying some quality time together. So I hope you guys enjoy the scenes where the two of us work together to bring you some cinnamon roll sweetness and spice into this story! Other than that I have not much else to say, other than in the next chapter, we begin our first Adventure Module! As Scar would say: Be Prepared! In anycase, that is enough out of me for now, please be sure to Follow, Favorite, Review, and Share this story with anyone and everyone you know who likes Dungeons and Dragons Content! Catch ya on the Flipside! NAT 20!
Bonds of Flame: Kindling
I would land before the Lord of Evenfall, landing with a heavy thud as my feet touch the ground… An Aging but powerful Dragonnel snarls at me as I merely glare at it and flair my nostrils, breathing a puff of smoke in its face. The Dragonnel merely shakes it's head in annoyance, I know this old creature is powerful in its own right, and could easily take me if it so desired, but airs need to be put on before a nobleman. "Well well well… It's odd to see one of your kind so far out of the Alley's mountains." Lord Hesperus would say, "I am Hesperus Evenfall, Lord of Evenfall City, and Vassal Lord to the Emperor of Izmir!"
"I am Klauthiym, an adventurer, though I had only recently arrived…" I would say to Lord Hesperus, looking at him, "I mean your people no harm…"
"I will be the judge of that…" Lord Hesperus says, looking at him. "Now let me ask you, what are you doing here?"
"I had been making my way here intentionally…" I would say, "I had come to meet up with my rider and possibly become an adventurer to start a hoard of my own, and possibly find a lair that suits me." He looks at me, looking me in the eye.
"Have you found what you are looking for?"
"Honestly? I wanted to choose something a bit more defensible… But…" I look back at the castle, "I had a vision of this place when we entered it's gates, and… There are memories here… Memories that I can't help but feel drawn to…"
"Like a moth to a flame…" The Lord of Evenfall would say, but then he would look at me, "Question… Can you take human form?"
"I can, why?"
"A Warrior is able to communicate through their weapons and fists…" He dismounts from his dragonnel, leaving his sword in the saddle before taking a stance, one that indicates skill in fighting with his fists. I would look at Clarity, who would shake her head, encouraging me not to, but… I had to honor this man's courage in which I took on human form and would take my stance as well…
He would move first, extending one fist towards me… The Fist would glide against my transformed skin, but that is when he would strike me across the face, before pulling back into a defensive stance. The Force behind the punch really caught me off guard, I felt like my head was spinning, but I decided to pursue the fight, not wanting to look like a coward… Deciding to go in with a flurry of blows, coated in lightning to take advantage of his armor, I would unleash my blows at high speed, only to find that, despite what I had done… He barely flinched. "No way!" I would say and he would strike me again, this time, kneeing me in the stomach, in which, even though the air got knocked out of my lungs, I would dodge his second blow… Only for another strike to hit me, an uppercut to the jaw that sent me reeling… I knew I was losing this fight, but I had to make a good impression on this old warrior, who was more than 5x stronger than I was, apparently… Unfortunately… My first strike merely slid off his armor due to how weak I was feeling… But in a last act of defiance, I would aim my free hand right between his legs with all the power I could muster, the Lord of Evenfall gasping at the impact, but remaining composed… The Majority of his men, however, crossed their legs, putting one hand between them out, with pained expressions… The Lord of Evenfall, not showing any signs of pain, would give me a look of sympathy before chopping the top of my head, in which I would hit the floor, my world going black.
I would wake up, but I would find myself lying on the treasure hoard, the incense having burned down already, but I would find Clarity sitting next to me, gently patting my head. "Clarity?" I would ask, looking at her.
"Hey, knucklehead…" She would say, smiling before hitting me on the top of my head.
"OW!" I would say, looking at her. "What the hell was that for!?"
"I silently told you not to challenge that guy! He's way too strong for any of us to challenge!"
"But…!"
"No buts! I know he challenged you, and you were compelled to battle him, but when it comes to other opponents out there in the world, don't you dare think you can take them on just because you're a dragon! If it hadn't been Lord Hesperus, who had claimed he had "seen into your soul" then I would have lost you!" Clarity says, holding her arms, "And I don't know what I would've done if I had lost you!"
I would look at her as I rubbed my head, "I guess I deserved that…" But I would rub my head against her chest to calm her as she would begin to look away. "Clarity, what's wrong?"
"It's… Nothing…" Clarity would say, shaking her head.
"Clarity… Please…"
"It's just that… During that fight with that Green Dragoness, Bloodbane…" That would be when I snarl at the mention of that bitch's name.
"I'm so glad I broke her neck when I had the chance…" I would say to her, before calming down, "What she said only stoked my fury... And when she tried to tempt me... It was only because I wanted to be with you that I was able to resist…" I would then hang my head in shame at the thought of being reminded of my near failure, "But I won't lie to you and say that it was easy to do... It wasn't... Her words and actions nearly broke my resolve... I only managed to resist because I couldn't think of a life without you."
"Why? She's right about me…" Clarity would say in a moment of weakness, shedding tears, "I'm not the most beautiful half elf, you can do better than me…"
"You want to know why?" I would ask her, taking my humanoid form as smoke engulfed me for a moment, in which I would gently take her hands in mine… "It's because I gave my heart to you as we were growing up together... Besides, you're more beautiful to me than the most tempting of creatures from the outer planes..." I would run my hand through her hair, "Your amethyst hair..." Then down the side of her temple and along the edge of her eye socket down to her cheekbones "Those matching eyes..." Ending with my taloned fingers gently brushing against her lips, "These full beautiful lips that have a matching coloring..." He smiles at her, "I could see you as a beautiful amethyst dragon if I were a fool... But you look more like an actual amethyst than anything, more so than any earth genasi... You're my treasure, and I gave you half-my heart the moment we met as children..." I would then smirk as a memory came to my mind, "Even though you nearly pulled out my horns more than a few times."
"That's your fault for poking me with them!" She would say with a blush to her cheeks, before starting to giggle, her voice sounding like the chiming of bells to my internal ears. I would then chuckle as well, before gently kissing her hand, a smile returning to her face.
"I will never abandon you willingly... It will take all of Tiamat's followers to separate me from you, even then I'll fight to the bitter end to reach you." I would tell her, and she would give me a genuine smile as I would lay my head down on her lap. "There is also something I wanted to try with you when we next get a chance to be alone… Would you like to go out sometime, just the two of us?"
"I would love too… How about tomorrow… At Sunset…?" Clarity would say, gently patting my head and rubbing the base of my horns, a purr escaping my throat from her touch… I wouldn't have thought that a proud red dragon like myself would fall in love with a mortal, but I have, and… I will not allow anyone to bring her harm, any who try will feel my fire…! The morning would come and I would awaken on my pile of coinage as I would shake myself off and fly over to the river to have some breakfast and a drink before cleaning out my teeth. With that settled, I would decide I would need to get myself ready for the date, but I still had a lot of time to kill, as such, I would decide to go around town and see what everyone is doing. Thinking carefully… I would decide that I would begin to make my way towards the Temple of the Primordial Fire… As I traveled through the streets, I would begin to think about what I had read about the temple.
According to the history of the city, the Temple was created just before the Kingdom of Evenfell annexed the Kingdom of the Golden Fields… And the three primary deities who are exalted in the temple are three lesser dragon gods who had obtained their status through their deeds in putting down Ego Draconis, recognized by Bahamut as his truest chromatic servants, and were exalted. Now they are worshiped, primarily as Gods of the Light Domain, but each of the three gods have their own domains… However, that is when my thoughts are interrupted as I would hear something from nearby… Someone muttering…
"-and may prove worthy of the blessings you have given to me…" I would hear Damosarion's voice say, in which I would turn to him, seeing him kneeling before what appears to be a statue of a dragon.
"Damosarion?" I would ask, walking over.
"Oh, Klauthiym, good to see that you're up and about!" Damosarion says, "I'm just… Praying before I go about my business for the day."
"I can see that… Tell me, are you a Paladin of the Platinum Dragon, Bahamut?"
"Uhm… Yes but…" He says, looking to the side.
"What's wrong?"
"I… I think I've chosen the wrong Oath to swear to Bahamut…"
"Really? Why do you think that?"
"Well… Bahamut is the God of Justice and Law, whose domains are Knowledge, Life, Nature, Order, Peace, Tempest, and War… Most Paladins who swear themselves to him are that of the Oath of Devotion, Oath of the Crown, and Oath of the Ancients, though the latter is rare… I am the first to have chosen to swear the Oath of Redemption, following the Peace Domain in spirit." Damosarion would say, "However… I…"
"You tried to convince the Green Dragon, and it didn't work?"
"Yes… I… I think I may have chosen the wrong oath to swear…"
"I don't think so!" I would say to him, smiling. "Let me ask you, was it your first real fight after swearing your oath?"
"I… Yes…" Damosarion says, looking down in shame.
"Then there is no shame, Damosarion…" I would say, placing a hand on his shoulder, "There is a first time for everything, even failure. Trust me, failing so much has led me to learn much better than my successes had, next time you'll do much better!" Damosarion looks at me with hopeful eyes and smiles, nodding. "Just remember, some people can't be reasoned with, but those who can, they are worth trying to redeem!" I would then walk away, leaving the Dragonborn with his thoughts, but I could see the faintest hint of a smirk on his face.
I would continue to walk into town, smiling as I would think about where else I could find the others… And as I wander the city for a few minutes, I find what appears to be a manor, which reads the name "Cavalias'' as the name of the family that lives here. However, as I'm about to turn away, I hear the sound of whip's cracking and what sounds like a scream, a scream I recognize. "Eryna!" I would shout, jumping over the gate and landing after a frontflip, kicking off the ground as my talons would sink in the stone, leaving little trails of fire behind me as I would rush towards the sound of a second whip-crack and scream. The Guards, notice me rushing in with a trail of fire behind me, rush towards me and try to grab me… Only to dodge each of their grab attempts to run towards the back of the manor, where I picked up the scream coming from.
That is when… I saw… Eryna strung up by her wrists and I would see a maid holding a whip in her hands, and Eryna herself barely standing on her toes, dressed in clothes that could only be described as… Skimpy… Which mainly exposes her arms, legs, and stomach, whilst the rest of her body is sufficiently covered in boiled leather armor… However, her body was covered in bleeding cuts caused by the lash of a whip in the exposed areas of. "ERYNA!" I would shout.
"What the- Klauthiym?" Eryna would ask, looking at me, then sees my eyes glowing, "Wait no, this isn't what you-"
"FIRE DRAGON-!" I would breathe in.
"Camille, get down!" Eryna would shout.
"ROOOOAR!" I would shout, unleashing my fire breath, the maid screaming as she covered her head with her arms and would shake in terror as she looked at me approaching her, the ground drying up and catching ablaze with each step.
"You filthy bitch, how dare you attempt to-" I would say, walking to the maid with my hand burning with dragon fire.
"Klauthiym: Be still, the Pain Conqueror Speaks!" Eryna would say, and I would feel a rush of magic flow into me and, to my shock, my anger would begin to cool. However, that is when a great weight would be pushed onto me as the guards would catch up and pin me to the ground.
"Lady Eryna, are you alright?" One of the guards says, "This bastard got past us and then we saw the fire!"
"I'm fine! But please, release him, I have him under Calm Emotions… Camille, please let me down and fetch me some cover…" She would say, and notice the men ogling her body with wagging tongues.
"Yes, milady!" The maid would say, undoing her bindings and wrapping her in a cloak from out of nowhere.
"Please, let him up, I think an explanation is in order…" Eryna would say, in which the guards would let me up and Camille, the maid, would bring two chairs for us to sit in. Though I know I was under a spell, I decided to refuse trying to resist, as, thinking about it clearly, I would realize that I had been acting rashly… So I hoped this explanation would be good. Camille would then pour each of us a cup of tea as Eryna would look down, before thanking the guards for their continued support and loyalty before sending them back on their patrols. "So that happened…"
"Yes…" I would say, "So what was that all about, Eryna?"
"Well… You remember how I told you a few days ago that I had an illithid tadpole in my head?"
"Yes, I remember." I would say.
"That's not exactly the whole story… As you can see, I'm Half-Drow… And… The reason why I live up here and not in the Underdark is because of a few reasons… The First is that my father's family, the Cavaliases, are a powerful noble family that, for generations, have protected the southern flank of the Izmiri Empire, and, because my father refused to take any wives or even mistresses to keep the bloodline going, they were more than ecstatic to learn I was born, and raised me with all of their love and care. The Second is because of my mother…"
"Your mother?"
"Yes… You see, my mother, Ereldra A'Daragon of House Xaylth from the City of Undraeth, which exists in the Underdark far beneath this very city… She fell in love with my father and began to hear the whispers of the Lady of the Dark, Eilistraee… Thus my mother had attempted to flee with my father to the surface, both of them fully intent on marrying… However… The Lolth-Sworn found out, and, thus, my mother created a distraction to buy time for my father to escape with me… Years later, as a little girl, brave and stupid that I was, attempted to follow the same path my father did to rescue my mother… But… I ended up making a wrong turn or two, and ended up in a Mind Flayer's nest…" Eryna would say, "I don't know how long I was down there, but I do know that they prepared me to become one of their own… So the Tadpole had been implanted into me… But… Something went wrong… and a Sapphire Dragon burrowed into their nest, which caused a huge panic, big enough that i broke free of their mind control and barely escaped with my life…"
"By the Greatwyrms!" I would say, shocked.
"I barely managed to make my way back to the surface, barely surviving on what I could manage… My father found me near the entrance to the cave and took me to a powerful cleric he knew who could remove the parasite… However… He couldn't remove it, but not for the reasons we originally thought… You see, there exists a rarity amongst Mind Flayer Tadpoles… Most of them will turn their hosts into common Illithids…" Eryna would explain, "A rare few will create what are known as Ulitherids, or Noble Devourers, which have the potential to become Elder Brains in the future… My tadpole, however, was among a rare handful that only pops up every ten thousand births and has even lower odds of surviving to maturity… Mine was a Tadpole that creates a Xallithelid, which translates to either "Pain Eater" or "Pain Conqueror"."
"That is why you were having your maid whip you like that?" I would ask.
"That is right… You see, there is another name for a Xallithelid, and that is "Mind Flayer Arcanists". They are Mind Flayers who supplement, or even empower, their natural psionic abilities with Arcane Magic, either from study of wizardry, or being born as Aberrant Mind Sorcerers. However, Xallithelids come in two varieties: Completely Humanoid, or Completely Mind Flayer. The Latter Case, the Ceremorphosis Process takes place, but the Illithid retains their personality and individuality from before their transformation, whilst the Former simply has the tadpole penetrate the brain and merge with it's host's nervous system in a symbiotic relationship. " Eryna would continue, "In either case, Xallithelids are not beholden to the Elder Brain, and thanks to the magic running through them, can resist the Elder's commands and even think on it's own."
"Amazing!" I would say, my eyes lighting up.
"There is a catch, however… A Xallithelid can't regain their magical and psionic resources as easily as most Mind Flayers, or even other mages, can… In order to recover arcane and psionic energy during times of rest, we need to either inflict or endure pain… I don't know how it works, but I have a theory that seems to indicate that when a Mind Flayer eats a brain, they devour the thoughts, emotions, and feelings of their target, which seems to not only give them information, but fuels their abilities… Xallithelids, on the other hand, feed on only one thing: Pain… Inducing it on others, or having it induced on them…" Eryna looks at me, as she sips her tea, "Doing so during times of great rest allows for the magic in a Xallithelid to restore itself in a similar manner to that of eating a brain…" She then looks down at her tea, "It also isn't limited to physical pain, but physical pain is the fastest way I can recharge my spells and abilities…"
"I… I see…" I would say, shocked at this, but then I would drink my tea in one gulp to calm my nerves. "Why do you act the way you do?"
"Oh that? Well, I've always been kind of a masochist…" Eryna would say, "After I have non-lethal wounds induced on me, the residual pain always sends a rush through my body, so if you see me acting slutty, it's because I'm deriving pleasure from the pain of my "recovery wounds"."
"I see… Well… To each their own, but I have one last question though… What do you do on missions that don't end up causing you to scream in pain?"
"Oh that, I actually have something for that!" Eryna would explain, bringing out a set of jewelry that… Now that I think about it, she was wearing during our last mission. "I'm allergic to silver, so when I put it against my skin, it causes a painful burning sensation, as such, during rests, I always make sure to have silver jewelry on hand to wear so that I can recharge my spells during a rest when out on an adventure! However, I am very careful not to bring any piercings, for if the metal punctures my skin, it will end up causing an infection."
"I see… Well I'm sorry for interrupting your recharge… I'm heading out now…" I would say walking away. "Also, please make sure to tell the others, I don't want to end up in a situation like this again."
"Noted!" Eryna would say, and I would walk out, pinching the bridge of my nose, as I heard the whip cracking again once I left the manor, Eryna's screams followed by moans of pleasure. I would then run out of there as fast as I can… Soon I would find myself in what appears to be a blacksmith's shop, where I would see a familiar white wolf covered in red tattoos lying down in the front.
"Oh hey Ghost!" I would say, and the animal would rush over to me, wagging his tail happily as I would pet him and rub his belly. Coming out of the shop would be Baelon who would smirk slightly as he would see me. "Baelon, so you're here as well! What brings you here today?"
"I could ask you the same thing, comrade." Baelon says. "I was asked by our leader, Clarity, to bring the bones, horns, scales, and teeth to her favorite blacksmith and request they be made into weapons and armor that might be of some use to her going forward."
"Oh?" I would ask. "That's so spiteful that it's just amazing!"
"It is, but I wonder, how do you know Clarity, personally?"
"We grew up together in the Darkwood Village, I was sort of her babysitter and we grew close during our years together!" I would say to him.
"Interesting… In any case, I'm also here to get gifts for my siblings."
"Siblings?" I ask cautiously, "Don't tell me they're bullying you into it."
"No no, nothing like that! Why do you say that?"
"Let's just say my own siblings had tried to kill me less than a year out of the shell…" I would say to him, "Sorry for assuming."
"Well, to tell you the truth, my siblings are actually Half-Siblings… I'm a bastard…" Baelon would say. "My father managed to have a successful request be made that my name be a Trueborn's name instead of a bastard's… Still, it doesn't change what I am."
"Really? Who are your parents?" I would ask.
"My father is Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, which is situated in the Northernmost parts of the Empire… I never knew my mother… I was raised amongst the Stark household ever since I was born." Baelon explains, "My stepmother, she treated me as all nobles of the southern regions treat bastards, with contempt and suspicion, where as in the North or in the Desert Regions to the East consider bastards children born of passion and should be treated with as much respect as trueborns."
"Well I would think the same as your home culture." I would say, "No child is born evil, it's how they are raised…" To this, Baelon would smile at me and nod. "So tell me about your siblings!"
"Well there is Robb, who is the heir to Winterfell, the two of us would always spar or get into all sorts of trouble. There is Sansa, my younger sister, who, though she and I get along well when her mother isn't looking, when she is, she treats me just the same as her. I know she's only doing it to stay out of trouble, so there is no bad blood between us." Baelon would say, a smile on his face, "My second sister, Arya, she's quite the hellion let me tell you, though she was born with this unusual ability to transform into other people. Then there are my youngest siblings, Bran and Rickon, with Bran being a natural in the Druidic Arts, and Rickon being a Barbarian through and through, but one who is just as smart as he is instinctual."
"Okay, now I'm jealous!" I would say, looking at him, "I wish my siblings were like that."
"I would like to know about your siblings, truth be told, even if they are bad, there should be things about them that you admire!"
"Well, in that, you'd be correct, I admire and respect them, but I still hate them for how they treated me. The oldest of my siblings was Voargolos (Deathwing), and while I admired his strength and leadership, he was my most common bully, and would often attack me whenever he got the chance. Then there was my younger sister, Sygax (Victory), who was almost always victorious no matter which one of us fought her, as she would often fight us tactically and would outmaneuver us when she could, then stonewall our assaults and turn our assaults against us." I would explain, admiration and venom in my voice, "Following her was Rithux (Ruin), who was a great warrior, but he preferred drawing out our fights so that we could get tired and he'd beat us once we were exhausted. Finally, there was Quirin (Glittering) who was the most beautiful but the smartest of us, often talking his way out of "sparring" sessions with others, but would often just dodge attacks to make us waste energy trying to hit him."
"And what of you, how did you fight them?"
"I was the runt of the litter despite being second born… I was often their target whenever they got the chance to pick on me, they would." I would say, snarling a bit at the thought. "However… I did pick up bits and pieces from all of their personalities as I grew older… Though I wouldn't forget one thing…"
"What was the one thing you wouldn't forget?"
"The name my mother wanted to give me…" I would say, ""Klauthiym" is a name I chose after I had fled home, but the name my mother wanted to give me, it was beautiful, but also appropriate to how my life has been going…" I would smile as I think about it, "The name she wanted to give me was… Umeruseir (Mountain Path/Traverse)..."
"Umerus, the Bridge or Path?"
"She always said she liked the name "Travis" that some humanoids had, saying that it's meaning of "Traverse", a type of mountain path that either ascends or descends down steep mountains, was the perfect way to describe my path going forward… There were times where I was tempted to take that name, but I thought Klauthiym would be perfect instead, mostly because I wanted to let go of the past… But…"
"You still want to claim that name?" Baelon would ask, but then he smiles, "I don't know how this will help, but I promised myself that, no matter what I found out who my mother was, and what her family it would be like… I am both a Stark, and whomever my mother is… It will just take me time to find out who my other half is and to learn how to be like them. So I think the same thing applies to you… You don't need to choose… You are Klauthiym… And You are Umeruseir…You just need to decide who Umeruseir would have been, had you decided to embrace him… And how he will shape you going forward…" I would look at Baelon, looking down in thought, and then I would smile…
"Klauthiym… and Umeruseir…" I would say, "Yes… I think I will take some time to discover who Umeruseir was when I next get a chance to… Thanks…" We would then shake hands, but as we did so, I would feel something in Baelon, something that I would only feel towards Clarity… An attraction… Not the same kind that gave half my heart to Clarity… But… It is more like… What we felt when she first mounted me and rode on my back for the first time… Though… How is that possible? We would then let go, and I would walk off, thinking of who Umeruseir was as I wandered around more, eventually finding the market… There I would find Fiona gathering supplies with a smile on here face.
"Ah Klauthiym, nice to see you around here!" She would say, "What's up?"
"I don't know, take a look up and you'll see!" I would say pointing up, to which Fiona would titl her head and then look up.
"Oh I got ya!" She would say, laughing, "In any case, what are you doing here?"
"Oh just getting ingredients for dinner!" I would say, "I got a date tonight!"
"Oh! You're going to be cooking for Clarity? Now that's romantic? What are you planning?"
"To be honest, a simple hot meal will be special once I can find the ingredients!"
"What are you planning specifically?"
"Uhm… It's actually a fairly common food back in Darkwood Village, Curry on Rice with Pork and vegetables fried in garlic butter… The only problem is that I'm having a hard time deciding what I should serve as a drink since Clarity is allergic to alcohol." I would explain to her.
"Oh then that shouldn't be too hard, I actually know how you can make her a delicious drink that will be delicious for her!" She then smirks, "I know milk is hard to come by in certain areas, but did you know you can crush wild berries and then make them into a delicious juice that can be drank?"
"I know that? Why do you ask?"
"Funny you should say that, I actually happen to know that there are wild berries growing at the foot of the hill, and I know they are blackberries, so if crush them, then strain the juice out, you'll have a tasty drink to have with your dinner!"
"Alright!" I would say, smiling, but then I look at her, "Speaking of my reasons for being here, why are you here?"
"Well to be honest, I was hoping to catch wind of some rumors… You see… A Long time ago… When I was still starting out as an adventurer, I had went with a group of friends to a ruined city called Tamoachan… There my friends and I had run into a powerful vampire… And… I was the only one who escaped alive… Not long after that, I had transformed into a Dhampir thanks to my natural resistance to the Curse of the Vampire… Unfortunately though, thanks to that, my goddess, the Raven Queen, turned her back on me. Now I need to find out where Tamoachan is, and put an end to the vampire…" Fiona looks down, "I'm hoping to put an end to the vampire and then, hopefully, I will be able to face my Queen and beg her for forgiveness…"
"Well if we ever find out where Tamoachan is, you can be certain that we will be by your side when we go to face this vampire with you!"
"Thanks Klauthiym… Now you should go and get your ingredients and then prepare for your date tonight, and take a bath before it begins! If I see Clarity, I'll tell her to meet you at the ruins!"
"Thanks, Fiona! See ya later!" I would say, rushing off. Thankfully, finding the ingredients wasn't that hard, and it cost me all the pocket change I had on me, but it wouldn't matter once I got started on the cooking. I would soon rush back to the ruin as fast as I could, and by the time I was there, the sun looked like it was already getting close to where it would sink below the horizon. That would be when I had decided to find the most intact place to set up and, thankfully, there was still one building that was still in relatively good condition and, with some cleaning, it was as perfect as I could get it…
By the time the sun had set, I was using an old mirror to make myself look presentable, the dinner was ready, just needed to be served, the juice was made and in a nice pitcher I had purchased… I would breathe deeply to gather myself… That would be when I would hear footsteps approaching. I would walk out, seeing a beautiful sight before me… I would see Clarity walking over to me, dressed in a beautiful dress, one that has slits that run up to the top of her hips, whilst having just as large a slit that runs down the center of her chest, her shoulders and arms exposed, whilst there is a strip of cloth that wraps around her neck, holding the dress up, which was covered by a large necklace covered in gemstones with her amulet of a silver crescent moon on a golden sun, arm silver manacles around her wrists and anklets round her ankles, whilst wearing rather beautiful shoes… However, what really caught my eye is that her hair is allowed to flow freely down, but was decorated with a circlet that also carried the silver crescent moon on a golden sun as she would step forward. "Wow…" I would say, looking at her, my cheeks turning as red as my scales.
"I was wondering where you ran off to!"
"I… Was preparing for our date tonight… I don't know the first thing about dating, so I thought… Why not something simple, here at my place, a nice dinner under the setting sun and fire light, catching up from the time we parted to now, and maybe watching the stars afterwards before turning in?"
"I would like that…" She then sniffs the air, "Is that curry I smell?"
"Indeed it is!" I would say, serving up dinner and drink, in which we would sit down, and say our prayers before digging in with the only light in the little hut being that of the fire place. "So tell me, how did you meet our ragtag group?"
"Well it is funny you should say that… It was around the time that I first came here after you left that I actually ran into the others by pure accident. Turns out the group, thanks to Damosarion trying to do what Paladins do, had run afoul of a criminal organization that was in town, causing trouble. It was a cult of some kind that was, for the lack of a better term, fantasizing about a world ruled by Chromatic Dragons, and how those who bent the knee to them would be spared their deaths and elevated to the status of nobility. Unfortunately, the criminals were deep in the cult's pockets and actually thought they could earn a bit of coin by helping the cult."
"Sheesh…" I would say.
"Thanks to Damosarion actually making some headway with one of their lower ranking members, they got framed for a crime they didn't do and their contact got whacked… So I helped them get out of that jam, and, over the next several months, we worked on trying to expose the cult and their criminal ties, which, thankfully, we managed to do after we learned they had been breeding Guard Drakes to serve the purposes, and, unfortunately, while we managed to stop the illegal breeding and expose the cult, the leader of the cult, known by his callsign of "Dreadwing" had escaped… And the remaining Guard Drakes were set free in the countryside. We had managed to kill most of the guard drakes, and it was around that time you showed up and we found that a Green Dragon had taken control of what was left of them."
"Yikes… Well thankfully I joined up when I did!"
"Now, tell me what happened at the Monastery you were cooped up in for the past few months!"
"Well, plenty of interesting things happened, I mean for one, I learned that I could actually channel my draconic ki not only through my fist, but my teeth, claws, and tail spikes as well, but I haven't mastered that part yet, but I also learned from Master Natsu Dragneel that I could actually transmute my natural breath weapon with my Ki to match the element I'm channeling, thus increasing it's power in the process…"
"Wow!" Clarity says, "That's amazing! I heard that the Ascendant Dragon Monks could only choose to strike with their fists or their elements!"
"Well Master Natsu found a way to do both at the same time, especially with Natural Weapons!" I would says smiling. "Though he has said doing so gave him the sense of an actual dragon, and doing so makes him extremely motion sick when he sets foot on vehicles, moving platforms, or being carried by people, but it doesn't count when animals move him though. He also had a Tabaxi friend with him who was a Dragonblood Sorcerer, named Happy!" I would then go on to tell her about my training sessions and how rigorous it was. "But there was this one time that I would always remember during my training that just never fails to draw a chuckle out of me!"
"Oh what is that?" Clarity would ask.
"The time I met my master's wife!" I would say, "It was during one of our training sessions that we were to fight whilst moving on Lotus Platforms that Happy would "accidentally" activate a switch that got the platforms to move, causing my master to get extremely motion sick and fall into the water… Water, mind you, that was filled with Quippers."
"Ooo, that's gotta hurt!" Clarity says.
"Oh it looked like it did, because Happy and I had to fish him out of the water, and he was covered in bite marks after that!" I would say, smiling, "After we fished him out and dried him off, we were about to tend to his injuries when his wife walked in and, out of nowhere, would begin biting him in the exact same spots where he had been bitten by the feeshies!" This would cause Clarity to let out a giggle that would sound just like bells to me, and I would smile at her giggle.
"Why would she bite him though?"
"Well that's the thing, I wouldn't find out until the sun fully set, but, as it turns out, Lady Rini was actually a Lunar Dragon." I would say, " From what I understand, it seems she's got a bit of a jealous streak, since, from what my master told me, Moon Dragons tend to bite each other as they mate, similar to how sharks do, as they are pretty much under the effects of weightlessness, and their claws are "busy" with "tasks"."
"Oh I see!" Clarity would say, blushing a bit, things getting a bit awkward, but then we would continue to talk about other things, and I would tell her about a few things I learned about the others, especially when it came to Eryna and how she restores her magical powers.
"And you thought, thanks to her screaming, she was being tortured, and you ran to help her, finding her dressed in such articles of clothing?" Clarity would ask, giving me a look.
"Yes…" I would squeak out.
"How exposed was her body…?"
"Only her legs up to her thigh… Her arms down to her shoulders, and her stomach were exposed, the rest of her was actually fairly well covered by boiled leather…" I would explain, getting scared… Only for Clarity to round the table and hug me, with my face firmly between her breasts.
"Then I forgive you… Eryna likely knew what she was doing… But next time you go visit her, I want to be there to confront her about it. Deal?" Clarity would ask.
"Deal…" I would say, taking in Clarity's scent, purring as she would hold me, and I would hold her close… "Clarity… There is one other thing I need to tell you…"
"What is it?"
"I have another name… One my mother wanted to give me as soon as I was out of the shell… But I rejected it after I escaped because it forced me to remember my past… But… I want to accept it now…"
"What is this name?"
"Umeruseir…" I would say.
"That is a beautiful name, Klauthiym…" Clarity would say, smiling, and soon after that, the two of us would find a nice and comfortable patch of grass in which to look at the stars, the two of us resting in each other's arms. However… After a short while… Our peace would be disturbed by the sound of something beautiful… A Flute… Accompanied by drums and string instruments… "Do you hear that?" Clarity would ask, looking at me.
"I do!" I would say, and we would get up and follow the sound of the flute music, which… After a bit of searching, it would lead us to my lair and... Before it, they see a man dressed in royal garments playing a flute, but he seems... distant, as if separated by a veil, and yet they can clearly see him... There are many people gathered before the tree, praying, and there are soldiers playing instruments in conjunction with this man, almost as if in a trance… Clarity would blink in surprise, but I would recognize this man, he is an older version of the man I saw in the vision I had when I first entered this ruin…
That would be when the man finishes his song in a beautiful solo, and he turns around towards the two of us. "I was hoping that I would see you again one day, but I had hoped that I would see you in the flesh, not as an echo of the future, and not when I became a spirit." The man says, turning around, his features almost identical to my own, but much older, battle worn, and his robes are open with a huge demon shaped scar on his chest, whilst having features that appear demonic in nature.
"Who are you?" I would ask... "You seem... Familiar..."
"We've never met before..." He then smiles sadly, "But a grandfather never forgets his grandson's face..." My eyes widened in shock as my mouth would hang slightly open in a silent gasp, Clarity looking between us in surprise. That is when the man, apparently my grandfather, transformed into the spectral form of a Red Greatwyrm, his eyes glowing with a demonic malevolence, but all one can see is genuine kindness and love in his eyes, and his scar is pulsating, as if something is fighting to break free of it... "My name is Ashardalon... What is your name, blood of my blood?"
"K-Klauthiym..." I would say… "Though my mother… Wanted to call me Umeruseir
"Adamantine Thunder… and Traverse… Handsome names for a handsome grandson..." He looked at Clarity, "And it seems your woman has good taste... And you have good taste in women as well... I saw how you two handled that damned green-scale who made this sacred tree her lair... Congratulations on showing the lesser species of dragons their place and what it means to cross our line..." He says, smiling, Clarity's cheeks turning red slightly at the compliment, "However, there is still much to be done, Klauthiym, and... time is running short for me..."
"What do you mean?" I would ask.
"I have been bound to the Material Plane for too long... I will soon pass on to the Afterlife... But I will not leave my grandson and heir to my kingdom high and dry... This castle, and if you can reclaim it, my entire territory, is yours... But there is one thing I need to ask of you and your companions..."
"What would that be?" Clarity would ask. Ashardalon looked down, his head hanging in shame.
"My friend, Gulthias... I need you to put him to rest..." He then touched both of our heads and our minds would get flooded with memories, that of a handsome human man, a Cleric of Pelor, the God of the Sun, riding upon Ashardalon's back as the two of them burned their enemies to ashes... The two of them are sitting around a campfire with a group of companions, eating, drinking and telling stories... Then how Ashardalon would forge a kingdom of his own in his flames, creating a kingdom surrounded by golden fields of wheat, much like Evenfall today, and where Gulthias became the high priest of his church that he set up within the city limits, only to one day be attacked by surprise by a creature that seemingly killed Gulthias...
However, Ashardalon would return home one evening to find Gulthias having killed his wife, draining her of blood, driven mad by hunger... For Gulthias to flee into the darkness as Ashardalon mourned his wife... Then, years later, when Ashardalon's children had grown into their Adult Stage, Gulthias would return, and would lead an army of vampires and young dragons to burn the kingdom to ashes, and a fierce battle would ensue, leading down into the depths of the ruin's basement, and where Ashardalon would pierce himself and Gulthias with a stake. The resulting explosion from Ashardalon's death would send the remains of the stake flying into a cave that would be forged from the flames... The stake would eventually take root in this cave, sinking below the ash rich soil, where the surviving soldiers would bring Ashardalon's charred skeleton to rest with his hoard, and they would leave with the civilians to settle in Evenfall... A great tree would grow where the stake took root, and thus the Blights that plague the Darkwood would be born of it... And it still exists there, feeding on the blood and fleshy leftovers from the drakes and Skarrakkan's meals, feasting on the blood and innards of the corpses…
Determination would burn in Clarity's eyes, but I would then feel those eyes fall upon me as I would begin to break down… I would be feeling so much within me: Sorrow, Disgust, Betrayal, Rage, Hatred, Despair! I actually saw my mother before she had me, and saw that I had uncles, a grandmother, a home... Innocent people... put to the torch or eaten alive, and I would begin to break down... I could feel it, the eggs of my siblings and myself were laid not more than a few days before this battle... I lost everything that would have been important to me while I was still in the shell! Clarity would wrap her arms around me and hold me close as I collapsed in her arms, crying wailing like a lost child and mourning those who had died due to Gulthias's Betrayal… However… I know in the depths of my soul it wasn't his fault…
The Curse of Vampirism that is inflicted upon one who is unwilling will have their morality flipped to the polar opposite of who they were as mortal beings, and I could see that Gulthias, before his turning, was a good and noble man who slaughtered many an undead with my grandfather at his side… Whoever had cursed timed it perfectly so that Gulthias would attack the first person he saw when he first emerged… My grandmother had been unlucky… Gulthias was a good man once, and my grandfather failed to save his soul… Now it was time for him to be put to rest… Clarity, would gently begin petting my head, which would slowly cause me to calm down with purring escaping my throat as I could feel the coldness of a phantom trying to do the same… Only for a sorrow to seep into me that wasn't my own…
"Take care of him... I don't know where his mother is, and... His father and siblings will kill him if they find him... And I have no more time left..." My grandfather, Ashardalon, would plead, looking at Clarity…
"I'll take care of him, I love him too much not to…" Clarity would say, smiling at me.
"Then may the Bastion of Unborn Souls bless you with children worthy of your love..." He says, before playing his flute again before fading away with every one of his subjects, his song still playing in the wind until it is over… I would soon fall asleep… Soon, morning would come… And I would see that Clarity had moved me to my treasure hoard once more, I would then walk outside, still processing what had been running through my mind… However, I knew what I had to do now as I looked to the Citadel that stood within the city, my claws coming out and digging into my hand as I would see Clarity walk out to me.
"Klauthiym? Are you feeling any better?" Clarity would ask.
"No… I am not… I won't be until I take care of Gulthias… What happened was not his fault… But… I am going to kick his ass when I find him…!" I would grit my teeth as my fist would ignite with flames, and my eyes would glow as I turned to her, she would look startled at first, but it would not be rage in my eyes, but determination. "It's time I put the fallen Cleric of Pelor to rest… My grandfather will never find true peace in the afterlife without his rider… So I will make sure that he does…" Clarity would smile as she walks over to me and places a kiss upon my lips.
"We will help you… Take me to my place so I can get changed… Then… We'll prepare to take on the dangers inside there…" Clarity would say as she nodded towards my family's citadel, and I would nod. We would then turn towards the gates leading out of the city, and I would turn towards the Citadel one more time, finding a fire in my belly for the first time in a while…
What happens after that… Is a story for another day…
