Huan Strongarm: A Bartfort Folktale

by Vergil Creiger

In which a simple delivery to Holfort goes horribly horribly wrong.

15. The Blood Barrier

Huan and his bipedal cohorts had only a short way to go before they reached their destination. For a country with such resources as was provided by the dungeon, Holfort saw very little threat in the Ork presence. The Blood Barrier, while considered a mountain range, formed a surprisingly tight ring around the Orklands. This left them so small that Huan's party - provided they began at Thasch Mountain - could have reached the Monastery in a few hours provided they met few obstacles and knew where they were going.

This then presents an obvious problem: if the Ork population on the landmass was so small, why then didn't the Holfort military simply wipe them out? One could argue that the reason involved the treaty with the Monastery of Canaria, but this would be circular reasoning: the entire reason the monks built their home where they did was because they knew the Orks would protect them. Clearly there is something more to the story.

Of all places, it is in the Temple that I learned the truth. Long ago, when the Saint was still alive and the Keep was still the Eastkeep and used by the Five Adventurers as a seat of power, she found that the landmass was dotted with small ecosystems of monsters based around naturally occurring vents where the dungeon breached the surface. A large part of the colonisation effort involved placing these infestations under control, and naturally the Orklands were one of them.

The Saint devastated these ecosystems one by one, installing roads and a military presence to control and regularly cull the population. She did this with the aid of her familiar, the legendary White Dragon from the temple's scriptures. When they reached the Orklands she ordered her pet to keep watch, preventing the Orks from venturing out into human lands. The White Dragon did as she asked, and the mountains where it took up residence came to be known as the Blood Barrier: because any Ork trying to escape through it died.

Much, much later - when Huan passed through - it would be the second Elder Dragon he encountered.

Huan Strongarm: A Bartfort Folktale, by Lufas Maphaahl

A new day had dawned by the time Leon reached the outpost. Birds were singing in the cheery sunlight; he could almost cry he was so grateful, having spent the night walking through dead silent woods picked clean by the Warspawn.

There were only a few buildings: a small building with a sign that read 'Provisions' and a small barrack built into the crumbling remains of a wall, which was made of white stone and looked like it used to belong to a fort of some kind. A large stone polished smooth by the wind had been set up between the two structures as a makeshift table; there a young man sat on a log bench, eating a breakfast of field rations. He glanced at the carriage as it rolled up, then did a massive double take when he saw it was being pulled by a dog the size of a horse.

Leon recognised him from the game. Clearly, he was the contact who Julius and Jilk had arranged to meet.

A dilapidated bell tower sat just in front of him, so for lack of a better option he parked himself beside it. The three teenagers had been awake for only a short while, and already they had started to argue.

"Are you really better now?" Julius was asking, too young and horny to realise he was smothering her. The carriage door slammed open as Olivia stormed out.

"I'm not staying in the wagon!" she snapped, her usual sweet demeanour nowhere to be seen. "Stop asking!" Her face softened into a smile as she saw Leon, approaching him so she could run her fingers through his fur. "Hey, Huan! Not tired?"

"Not even a little," he admitted. "You were right though. I know I suggested it, but being treated as a beast of burden is really degrading. Do you think you can get this off me?"

"Sure!" Unfortunately Olivia knew very little about carriages, and after a bit of fumbling she had to step aside so that Jilk could finish the job. As soon as the harness was gone he shrank to his normal size, padding between their legs and sniffing the air inquisitively. Leon immediately knew the exact location of every living thing for miles in all directions, which he began individually analysing in case they were a threat. "Look! A human!"

Olivia had spotted the young man, skipping over to him as the boys followed. Leon strained his ear one last time before following. "Chris," greeted Julius. "How have you been?"

The young man was extremely good looking, with short blue hair and glasses that he pushed superciliously up his nose. His name was Chris Fia Arclight, and he was the third of Olivia's canonical love interests. Much like the first two, Leon already hated him.

"Your Highness," he nodded courteously. "Welcome to Thasch Mountain. I… I must admit, I wasn't expecting to see you here. Do you have business in the area?"

"In the Blood Barrier," nodded Julius. "Do you know how far it is?"

Chris flinched when he heard their destination, but gave them an honest answer. "It's only a short distance on horseback, Your Highness. I am afraid you may be better off without the carriage; it would be a tempting target to Ork Marauders." He shot a concerned look at Olivia. "It may not be the safest place for a lady, if I'm honest. Fair Lady, you should seek protection from a proper man in these dangerous surroundings."

"I already did!" Olivia grinned. She gestured dramatically towards Leon, who wagged his tail in greeting. "This is Huan, my knight in shining armour! He's cute, he's cuddly and he's almost completely invincible!"

"That's me," grunted Leon. "Warning you now, but if you touch my ears then you will lose a finger."

"It's… uh… nice to meet you," the noble nodded uncertainly. "My name is Chris Fia Arclight, swordmaster. At your service, fair maiden." He bowed in a way that Leon knew his sisters would have liked. "And you are?"

Olivia curtsied, gracing him with a beautiful smile. "I am Olivia." She vaguely remembered what Leon told her about middle names in Holfort. "What's a nobleman like you doing in a place like this?"

Chris smirked and tousled his hair in an attention-seeking sort of way. "My father put me in charge of observing the Ork Tribes of the Blood Barrier."

"Wait, so you've travelled through it?" Leon blinked; as far as he knew, the only love interest who was supposed to have seen real combat at this point was Greg. "Wait, is he supposed to be your guide?"

Olivia gasped excitedly. "Do you think you could guide us through?"

Chris flinched, causing Leon to realise that he hadn't seen real combat: when he said 'observe' he probably meant from a distance. "I w-would, but… but now I have to return to Holfort. There has been some unrest amongst the Zholochai Tribe, which must be reported to King Roland immediately."

"Oh," frowned Jilk. It seemed unlikely that he would want to join them, which Leon probably would have argued against anyway. "In that case we had best get moving. We have no idea how long until the next Warmother attacks. We should finish this as quickly as possible so that we can start hunting Elodach down."

"Who is Elodach?" Chris frowned. "Also, what's a Warmother? What's going on here?"

"No time to explain," said Julius quickly. When it became clear that Chris had other priorities he had run back to the carriage, and had just returned with their gear. "C'mon, let's go."

Chris rose to his feet as the three bipeds began strapping on their packs, stumbling a little in his haste. "W-Wait! I know a little about the terrain behind the Barrier, so y-you know, maybe I can help?"

Julius sighed, looking a lot like Leon when he and Jilk were pestering him during the Oak Leaf Contest a few days earlier. "Chris, I'm sorry, but this is really dangerous and you have a job to do, so…"

"I saw a massive beam of light split the heavens last night!" Chris interjected. "You can't just not tell me!"

"Hang on," interrupted Leon. "We can have him send a message back to the palace. Olivia, give him a quick rundown."

"Right," she nodded. "So, Elodach is a man who has been turning fairies into hideous monsters called Warmothers, and because I'm a fairy he wants to turn me into one. Huan over here was originally a powerful adventurer called Strongarm, who killed one of Elodach's monsters before challenging him to single combat. He won, but has been cursed to become a dog."

Chris adjusted his glasses, which had become crooked at some point during explanation. "Is she being serious?" He looked at Julius, then Jilk, then Leon, who nodded solemnly.

"What you saw last night was a battle between Huan and the Warmother," she went on. "It turns out he's not just a dog, but a mega dog! We want to send him to hunt down the bad guy, but we have a limited window to find him a cure: a man called Zefnat wants a book from Canaria Monastery, but because he's super unstable we need to get it as quickly as we can before he snaps and kills himself. Once we have the cure we can beat up Elodach, kill his monsters and save the world!"

Olivia folded her arms, looking deeply proud of herself.

"Do you want to help us out?"

Chris just stared. "I'll be right back!" As they watched in confusion he dashed into the barracks, emerging not long later decked in stylish armour that matched his hair. A long sword was strapped to his side, and he had a pack full of provisions on his back. "Okay! Let's go!"

"Wait, what?" Jilk's brain seemed to have shorted out from his friend's stupidity, which was odd because he had done the exact same thing himself only yesterday. "Didn't you have an important message to deliver?"

Chris scoffed. "Of course, this is way more important than some errand! You need a guide, and clearly lives depend on the success of your mission! Obviously, I'm going to help!"

"But we need to send a message!" Julius insisted. "My parents don't know how bad it is! If you don't, who will?"

The freezing axe fell out of the sky, embedding itself in the ground and scaring everyone except for the wolfdog and the fairy. "W-W-W-Wha-Wha-Wha-Where did that come from?" Chris stammered. Olivia looked at it thoughtfully before turning to meet Leon's eyes.

"No," he said firmly. "We need him."

"It's worth considering," she pointed out. Chris took a moment before he figured out who she was talking to. "This axe can make it back to Holfort pretty quickly. It can even bring a return message, if it had to."

"The White Dragon still lives in these mountains," remarked Jilk. "It's usually pretty tolerant of humans, but it's famous for disliking foreign entities in its airspace. If we keep using it as a scout then we might be opening ourselves up to an Elder Dragon attack."

This made him pause. While the White Dragon never physically appeared in the game it was rife in the item descriptions, which painted it as the Kingdom's apex predator. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that it could dismantle Eddy the Ceadeus with ease.

"How about a compromise?" Olivia suggested reasonably. "We write the message now, but wait until we reach the Monastery to send it. That way if we get a reply the axe should know exactly which route to take."

Leon wasn't above admitting when the other person was right. "Fine. May as well."

"Okay!" Julius grinned, yelping slightly from the unexpected cold as he yanked the axe out of the ground. "Why is this thing so cold?" He placed it on the table and began fishing in his pack for some stationary. Chris was coming to the uncomfortable conclusion that the shapeshifting dog was their leader. "Here! Now you write something down and…"

His smile fell as he realised why Leon wasn't taking his pen. "I have no thumbs, Jules."

"R-Right," he blushed. "I'll just… I'll just do it myself."

"Moron."

Chris guided them through the mountainous terrain, and soon they were passing through a narrow valley that passed between two mountains. The Blood Barrier had a fairly non-indicative name, as it was filled with lush greenery and thriving wildlife. The four bipeds were clearly enjoying this stretch of the journey, marvelling at the beauty all around them; only Leon knew the truth.

He knew from the smell that the ground beneath them was an open air mausoleum of Ork skeletons; there must have been thousands of them, built up over centuries and bound together by a gradually built up of dirt and moss. He could only assume that they were the many foolish souls who thought to see the world outside the Orklands, only for the White Dragon to stop them in their tracks. The Blood Barrier was so vibrant only because it was fed on the flesh and blood of entire lineages of Orks.

At one point Olivia tripped on a tusked skull, but Leon managed to run to her side and divert her attention under the guise of helping her up.

They were just children, really. Let them remember this as beautiful.

After penetrating the Blood Barrier they found themselves in the Orklands proper; vegetation was sparse, the craggy, barren rocks covered here and there in unseasonal snow. Deep chasms dotted the landscape, only crossable by narrow, naturally occurring bridges.

At one point Jilk slipped and fell, only surviving as Leon caught his collar between his jaws. While he was able to yank the Green fool to safety he wound up falling in; despite the anguished cries of his companions the pointy rocks at the bottom snapped against his hide and he was of course perfectly fine, hopping up the craggy cliffs to rejoin them without a scratch on him.

Chris just stared in disbelief. "Oh yeah," smiled Julius. "This is the first time you've seen this, isn't it?"

They were almost at the Red Lake when they finally encountered the Orks; they had set up a camp on a narrow ridge, and were performing bizarre rituals before a totem made of bones. They had green skin and tusked mouths; most of them wore battered armour, except for one wearing robes.

"Can we go around them?" Jilk asked.

Chris shook his head. "The Red Lake is blocked on all sides by impassable crags. It only really has one shore, and they're sitting on it."

"How long might this ritual take?" Olivia asked. He adjusted his glasses as he thought about it.

"A few minutes. A few hours. Days, at the most."

"Nope," woofed Leon. "We don't have that much time. You guys wait here, I've got this."

Chris tried to stop him as he got up to leave their cover. "Wait! There's too many of them, we need to…"

He trailed off as Leon placed a paw on his shoulder. With extraordinary strength he forced Chris down, maintaining eye contact for an intimidating few seconds before continuing on his way.

"He says," translated Olivia. "Sit."

Leon grew in size as he padded his way down the mountain, and by the time the Orks noticed him he was enormous. They began shouting and arming themselves as he approached, and oddly enough he found he could understand them.

"A spirit!" the shaman roared. "A black spirit sent by the Dragon Reaper to hunt us down! Fight back, brothers! Fight!"

Leon rolled his eyes and ignored them as they began futilely attacking his ankles, wandering past them to their camp. As soon as he was within range he flopped onto his belly, disrespectfully rolling over their tents and destroying their supplies.

"I'm not going to kill you when you're just minding your own business," he said firmly. "Just walk away."

The Zholochai, according to Chris, was the most bloodthirsty Tribe in all of the Orklands. Apparently they had a reputation for capturing any human on their lands and releasing them into the caves to be hunted for sport. This was a relief, as it meant Leon didn't have to feel guilty about being a dick.

When the encampment was well and truly destroyed he sat upright, noticing the Orks were still attacking him. He casually wagged his tail, sending everyone trying to flank him flying into a ravine. "Whoopsie daisy."

"He shames us!" bellowed the shaman. "Show that mangy cur-"

Leon swatted him with one paw, slamming him face first into a puddle. Leon stared him down as he rose, sputtering, to his feet. "You were saying?"

"Do you think this is a game?"

Leon hunkered down low with his ass in the air, his forelegs splayed as his tail wagged furiously. "Sure do!"

"Why isn't he killing them?" Chris demanded. "He clearly has them at his mercy, why doesn't he just…"

"I think he just doesn't like killing," remarked Julius dryly. "When I first met I saw him fight off about fifteen men and didn't kill one of them. He's certainly capable of it, but…"

"Where is the honour in this?" Chris clearly thought the Orks deserved better. "Lady Olivia, don't you agree…"

He trailed off, seeing from her fond smile that Olivia was firmly on Leon's side.

"He's a good boy."

The atmosphere changed. The Orks gaped at something over his shoulder. They were so afraid that it reminded him of frogs staring down a snake. Of chickens staring down a fox. Of rabbits before the raptor. Of animals looking their natural predator in the eye.

"It's right behind me isn't it?"

"It's the Dragon Reaper!" screamed the shaman, the entire Zholochai Tribe fleeing for the hills. "Run for your lives!"

Leon turned, immediately spotting the Elder Dragon as it flew toward him. Its wings were white and webbed on the underside while the back was covered in golden feathers. Its body was shone with whitish-gold fur, extending into a long, bushy tail with four long feathers flapping like pennants in the wind. Its scaled legs ended in large clawed paws, making Leon's own look like those of a kitten.

Its face was both draconic and leonine, reminding him uncomfortably of the manticore that attacked on the day that Aesik died. Its narrow head was coated with white fur that extended down its neck in a great mane, while four horns decorated its head like a crown: the two smaller ones swept back over like a goat, while the larger two curved around its face like huge tusks.

Leon braced himself for its attack, but the incredible beast simply landed with a crunch on a flat expanse of rock. It roared, and the sound was like a dragon, a lion and a wolf all at once. This was no mere attack: this was a challenge, in its most primal form.

This was it. The Elder Dragon. The Warden of the Blood Barrier. The Final Weapon of the Saint. The Dragon Reaper.

Versa Pietru, the White Dragon.

"Uh…"

The dragon didn't wait for him to finish the thought, lunging with a flap of its wings to propel itself forward. His battle with the Warmother the previous night had prepared him well; just as he had done to the alien scorpion's tusks, Leon grabbed its horns between his jaws. The force of the charge sent him skidding back, his paws carving great rents in the ground as the area behind him was completely destroyed.

While he had been able to bite the Warmother's tusk clean off after reaching his maximum size, the Versa Pietru's horn remained stubbornly intact between his teeth. It began snarling and biting at his neck as it tried to force itself closer, its huge paws tearing chunks and gashes out of his sides that healed almost instantly. Leon found himself awestruck by the Elder Dragon's raw power; it was his equal, if not his better.

With a twist of his neck, the wolfdog threw the White Dragon over his shoulder; with astounding grace it landed on the tip of one paw, pushing itself into the air where it hovered in place with long, slow beats of its wings. It took a deep breath, puffing out its chest and pulling back its head before spitting out a car sized sphere of crackling blue and white energy.

Leon leapt aside, causing the sphere to hit the fleeing Zholochai and blow them apart into cauterised chunks. He shrank in size and began to race along the rim of the valley as the Versa Pietru began spitting a rapid hail of energy balls, causing a trail of mayhem and explosions that followed him as he ran.

"Why?" he sobbed. "Why are you attacking me? Weren't you only supposed to go after Orks? And how many Elder Dragons did the devs steal from Monster Hunter anyway?"

Ahead of him was a large rock formation with a small opening at the bottom; the wolfdog ducked inside for cover only for it to immediately collapse on top of him as the Versa Pietru continued its assault. A huge cloud of dust was kicked up as it continued to fire at his last known location, apparently wanting to be sure beyond sure that he was dead.

"Holy crap!" Chris croaked. He hardly dared to look from behind his cover, his hand shaking on the hilt of his sword. "Is he dead?"

The other three actually laughed a little. "Nah," said Julius. "Prolly not."

After either getting bored or in need of air, the Versa Pietru finally stopped attacking and hovered in place. It eyed the dust cloud pensively, its caution quickly justified as Leon leapt into view at his maximum size. Before he could get close he was blown out of the air by the White Dragon's breath attack, which this time took the form of a sustained beam of white lightning. The colossal wolfdog slammed into the mountainside, pinned in place by unbelievable force.

"Okay," he rasped. "I admit it. That hurt." Slowly, Leon picked himself up from the crater. The Versa Pietru kept its beam trained on him, burning into his side and forcing him down. He fought desperately against the pressure, slowly rising to his feet. "But it's nothing… I haven't seen… before…"

Without warning his body gave way, a massive hole opening in his side as the beam penetrated his body and emerged from the other side. When the Dragon Reaper finally stopped there was an enormous hole going through the centre of his body, his internal organs gone and the wound cauterised and smoking. Leon's jaws gaped as he gasped for breath, part of his lungs now vapourised into nothing.

Before their eyes, his organs began to grow back. He took in a shuddering breath as his lungs returned, joined by his brand new digestive system. A network of veins and arteries grew in to cradle them, soon hidden from view by fat, muscle and other forms of flesh that the bipeds didn't have a name for. Bare skin grew in to cover the wound, and after his hair finished regrowing it was like he was never injured at all.

Leon stared the Elder Dragon down, and for a moment the Versa Pietru looked just a little intimidated. "I'm guessing from the look on your face that you can't do that."

The White Dragon swooped down to land in front of him; both beasts arched their back, bearing their teeth menacingly. "Not bad," hissed the Versa Pietru, and he could tell from the voice that she was female. "I don't usually get this much resistance. You had my interest, but now… now you have my attention."

"You're usual prey is Orks, right?" Leon taunted. "I'm guessing you're not used to picking on someone who fights back."

The corner of the Versa Pietru's mouth curled up, exposing her razor sharp teeth. If he didn't know better, Leon would suspect her of smiling. "Don't flatter yourself. You have yet to land a single hit on me, land dweller. Know your place."

Leon snorted. She was a lot less scary once he knew she talked like an entitled noblewoman. "Girl, you need better lines. Everything you've just said is something I've heard before-"

The Dragon Reaper lunged at him before he could finish the sentence; they tumbled across the ground, biting and clawing at each other like the vicious animals they were. Her horns were a constant threat, and several times, Leon screamed in agony as they stabbed into something important.

With a final kick the Versa Pietru pushed him away, flapping her wings as she took once more to the skies. She was now mixing up her attacks more intelligently, swooping in close while spitting a rain of energy spheres to cover her approach. The strategy was simple, but left very few openings for someone with only fangs and claws to retaliate.

"Don't try to brute force it," Leon told himself, remembering the previous night. "Think around it. What would Jojo do?"

The next time the Versa Pietru dive bombed him he abruptly shrank himself, allowing the energy blasts to pass uselessly overhead; as the White Dragon flew over him he lunged, returning to full size and clamping his jaws around her throat. She screamed in pain as he bit down, but her powerful claws were already kicking at his vulnerable underbelly. Leon knew that he would weaken faster than she would.

With a grunt of exertion he flipped her onto her side, slamming her into the rocky ground. He released her neck, then savagely attacked her wings while she was stunned. By the time the Elder Dragon had escaped he had ruined them both; clearly, she would never fly again.

"Ha," Leon coughed, now suffering a nagging pain in his jaw. Even now he felt fresh, apparently immune to all exhaustion. "Who's the land dweller now?"

The Versa Pietru roared, her body glowing with white light. Before his eyes her wounds healed: the bite marks, the claw marks and even her wings were restored to perfection. For an awful moment, Leon was on the receiving end of his own most unfair trick.

"Now that's just not fair!"

"Isn't it?" she gloated. "I can do whatever you can and more! Did you really think I couldn't heal like you could? Of course I can! I had almost forgotten I could, so long it has been since last I was injured!"

"Until I came along," he couldn't resist pointing out. Her lip curled, but she begrudgingly nodded her head.

"That is true," she acknowledged. "I commend you. It has been a long time since I have last faced an adversary such as yourself. I must thank you, for you have alleviated my many years of languor."

Leon wagged his tail hopefully. "Does that mean you'll let me go?"

"Let you- What?" Clearly, the request did not compute. "Why do you want to leave? Aren't you here to take over my territory?"

"No?" said Leon hesitantly. "Why would you think I wanted…"

"Well, what else was I supposed to think! A giant… I'm sorry, what are you?"

"I identify as a wolfdog."

"When a giant wolfdog comes into my territory and starts messing with my food supply, I think that's a pretty fair assumption to make!"

He hated to admit it, but Leon sort of felt she had a point. "I… I realise, you know, when you put it like that, why I might have given you the wrong idea. I'm just gonna go right ahead and say that this one's on me: I apologise."

The Versa Pietru almost couldn't believe her ears. "Okay, let's just… let's just hold on now!" She folded her wings and sat down, and when he realised how awkward it was to be the only one standing Leon followed suit. "So you just… y-y-you just wandered through for no reason?"

Her sheer incredulity was starting to make him feel self-conscious. Leon's companions had noticed the violence had paused and were starting to wonder what the hell was going on. "Well, there was a reason, but it's kind of a long story."

The Elder Dragon gave him a flat look. "That's good, because now that our epic fight to death has fizzled out, I find that my whole day has opened up. Let's hear it."

Leon decided that sometimes, honesty really was the best policy. "So, first of all, let's get this out the way: I'm actually human."

"Bull fucking shit." The Versa Pietru had an incredibly elegant, womanly voice; combined with her angelic appearance it made the sudden vulgarity incredibly jarring. It wasn't as bad as if Olivia were to say it, but still. Goddamn. "You're too hairy and have no thumbs. Pull the other one."

"No, really!" Leon insisted. "I was cursed into this only the other day!"

She seemed to frown. Leon could hear the four bipeds arguing over whether or not they should come closer. "Go on."

"There's this guy who might know a way to turn me back, okay, but he wants something in exchange. There's this place called Canaria Monastery, and-"

"As in those little bald humans near the Red Lake?" She blinked as she put the rest together herself. She looked at the shore; they were both large enough that they could easily see it from where they sat. "So when you got here and saw the blackfurs sitting in your way…"

Leon blinked at the unfamiliar term. "Blackfurs?"

"It's just something I call them," she explained. "Most of them have these little fur ruffs around their necks. There's a chance it's part of their clothing, but I don't have the right claws to check." She held up her paw ruefully. "You get other dragons who almost have fingers, and then…"

Feeling a sudden surge of kinship, the wolfdog raised his own foot in return. "Preaching to the choir."

They both laughed then, the Versa Pietru's large, fluffy tail starting to gently wag behind her. "While we're on the subject, is there a reason you refused to kill any of them?"

Leon shifted awkwardly. "I… uh… didn't want to. I don't… I really don't enjoy killing, even when it's an Ork, so given the option I choose not to."

The Versa Pietru cocked her head. "How odd." A thought seemed to occur to her. "How were you planning to communicate with the bald ones? I tried to speak human once, but it turns out that mouths as long as ours really can't form the words."

Leon suddenly realised that he had totally forgotten about his companions. "Oh right. How silly of me." He turned and barked at the four bipeds, scaring the crap out of them. "Guys! Get down here, she's cool!"

After Olivia had relayed his message they nervously approached, cringing as the legendary dragon eyed them curiously. "Hello!" Julius squeaked, then deliberately deepened his voice when he realised how girly he sounded. "I mean, hello. I am Julius Rapha Holfort, Crown Prince of Holfort."

"Jilk Fia Marmoria."

"Chris Fia Arclight."

"Didn't I once see a kid like you trailing after the Saint?" The Dragon Reaper now had a definite, amused lilt to her voice. "Actually, the two with the fluorescent hair look familiar as well. Are you their descendants?"

"They can't understand us," said Leon flatly. "If you want a conversation then talk to this one here. She's a fairy."

The Versa Pietru's eyes widened as Olivia met her gaze. "My goodness," she breathed. "I haven't seen something like you in a while."

Olivia's breath seemed to catch in her throat. "So it's true? The Saint was the same kind of fairy as I am?"

The White Dragon nodded solemnly. "She was like you, in both her powers and her appearance. Within you I can sense the magic of light and of barriers, of healing and emotion. She was much older than you, and her powers much greater."

Chris was positively vibrating with excitement. "So you knew them?" Evidently, the stately nod had been enough for him to infer her answer. "The Saint, and the Five Adventurers too?" Leon was starting to believe that his cool and collected exterior was all a lie, and he was actually the hot blooded one of the team.

"You could say that, yes," she nodded, which was enough of a confirmation for all three love interests to squeal like the giddy fanboys they were.

"So you were her familiar?" Olivia clarified. "You must have been there for all the adventures she had with the other five!"

"No, I wasn't," said the Elder Dragon flatly, instantly deflating the epic atmosphere. "Where on earth did you get that from?"

Olivia was slightly taken aback by the claim. "I… I-I-I mean… I heard it was a local legend! Those two told me on the ride over!"

"Told you what?" Jilk asked blankly, but figured it out based on her previous remark. "Wait, so the legendary Versa Pietru was never really the Saint's familiar? So then why has she been keeping the Orks inside the Blood Barrier for so long?"

"Well, for starters, I live here," she chuckled. Leon could understand why; they were starting to remind him of children being told that Santa wasn't real. "Born and raised. Secondly, that Saint of yours compelled me to do it; my job was to keep them from ever leaving, and to never harm a human soul while doing it."

"Compelled you?" Olivia repeated slowly. "So… So all this time, just because she forced you…"

"Don't overthink it," said Leon quickly. "Just because you're the same type of fairy doesn't make you the same type of person."

The White Dragon swished her fluffy tail back and forth, glancing between the wolfdog and the fairy. "He's right," she said eventually. "But please bear in mind; power of the minds and emotions is tantamount to power over life itself. There is a dark side to what you can do. You should acknowledge it, even if you never embrace it."

Olivia frowned, clearly taking the advice seriously.

"But you still met them, right?" Julius asked hesitantly. "You know what they were like?"

"Sure did!" She puffed up proudly. "All nine of them!"

There was a long moment as Leon and Olivia stared at her in shock. The three humans looked between them and cursed the language barrier under their breaths. "Nine?" Olivia repeated. "There were nine people in the party? I thought there were only six!" She turned accusingly on the Prince. "You said there were six!"

"There were!" Julius said hastily. "The Saint and the Five Adventurers! One plus five!"

"You're forgetting her sister," said the Versa Pietru dryly. "That's why they called them the Twin Saints."

"Twin Saints," whispered Olivia.

"TWIN SAINTS!" Julius almost screamed.

"The eighth person was their mutual lover," she continued, and Leon saw in her faux-casual mannerisms a sadistic glee that he usually only saw in the mirror. "He was the leader of the entire group, actually."

A scandalised blush crept its way over Olivia's cheeks. She saw the boys looking at her. "I'm not going to tell you who the eighth person was."

"Why?" Julius suddenly began looking back and forth between the fairy and the wolfdog. "Was there last name Bartfort? Were they Leon's ancestor?"

"Shut the fuck up, Jules! Where the hell did that even come from?"

"Bartfort?" Chris was looking around in bewilderment, but everyone was ignoring him. "Guys, w-what am I missing here? And who is Leon?"

"The last man never spoke, and never removed his armour," the Elder Dragon went on. "I'm fairly certain he died while they were investigating the Red Lake, because he wasn't with them when they came back."

It was at this point that Leon remembered why they were actually there. "Oh, right! The Red Lake! We… uh… were supposed to be hurrying, weren't we?" He shrank down to his natural size, which the White Dragon observed with interest.

"Fascinating," she remarked. "Is this how you do it?" She abruptly shrank until she was the size of a large cat, her fluffy tail reminding Leon of two cats called Eevee and Yoshi who he used to follow on YouTube. She fluttered onto his back, which he allowed. "It is weird how easy that is."

"Not a day goes by that I don't think the same thing," admitted Leon. He began trotting off towards the Lake, the four bipeds trailing after him. "I go by Huan, at the minute."

"I'm Olivia. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too." The Dragon Reaper cocked her head thoughtfully. "Your ancestors called me Versa Pietru; I suppose Pietru will do well enough as a name. You may call me that if you wish."

"Excuse me!" Chris was struggling to keep up with Leon's pace; Julius and Jilk were getting used to it, and were clearly seeing the funny side now that it was happening to someone else. "A-Are we really-" He tripped and had to start again. "Are we really going to just bring the ancient dragon of unfathomable power along for the ride? She was trying to kill us just a second ago!"

"This is cool," grinned Julius. "Huan is walking too fast, someone starts talking, they trip and they need to start again! It's the same as always except for once it's someone other than me! Isn't that awesome!"

"Seriously now," insisted Chris. "They really did a number on each other! The dragon's wings were in shreds and the big dog guy had a hole blown through him!"

"Point out either of those injuries to me and I'll concede your point," said Leon blithely. Pietru snickered on his back as Olivia translated, causing Chris to whine something about that not being fair.

Past the ridge where the Orks had made camp was a huge chasm surrounded by vertical rock walls on all sides; on one of them was a carving resembling an ugly, Orkish face, with two outcroppings beneath it resembling stubby arms. Dozens of waterfalls trickled down the rocks, feeding the immense Lake down below. The Red Lake was so large that only Leon had eyesight strong enough to see the opposite side, its waters turned thick and red by the red stones that they could see glowing on the lake floor.

Huge formations emerged from the water like elevated islands, with buildings and the telltale movements associated with human life visible at the peak. The monks had levelled the tops of the rock pillars flat and built their monastery on top of them, connecting each island with gorgeous stone bridges. The closest rock formation had a wooden lift leading down to a small beach, guarded by a huge golem.

Leon knew from the game that these golems were the main reason the monks had survived in the Orklands. That said, now that he had seen the sheer numbers possessed by only one of the Orks tribes, he felt like having Pietru there to thin the herd probably helped.

The group looked pensively at the goopy, disgusting red water. None of them wanted to be first to jump in. "Now what?" Jilk asked lamely.

Leon grew in size and experimentally stretched out one paw, but the beach with the elevator was too far away for him to reach. He looked down at the bipeds as Pietru began to squeal and roll around between his shoulder blades, but decided that letting them ride on his back ran the risk of them losing their grip as he jumped across. In the game he had always just used an expendable magic item to walk across the water, but with all the drama leading up to the trip he had forgotten to buy one.

"Well, I'm out of ideas," he declared, only to find that the Prince and his lackey were way ahead of him.

All four bipeds were levitating into the air, suspended by a magic orb held in Jilk's hand. Leon's head turned slowly as he tracked their movement, watching in bemusement as they hovered over the water and landed gently on the beach. Julius waved cheerfully. "Come on! We're almost there!"

"I guess they really are descended from adventurers," he remarked ruefully. If he still had a human mouth he would have been smiling. "Pietru. Hold on to something."

"What?" She poked her head out of his fur, which she had been giddily playing with the entire time. "Could you repeat-"

The question dissolved into a scream as Leon launched himself through the air, causing the four bipeds to instantly panic as the colossal wolfdog came hurtling towards them. They scattered as he landed paws first, kicking up a small explosion of gritty red sand from the impact.

"Pietru?" Leon called. He couldn't see her while she was on his back, so he wasn't immediately certain if she was still there. "You okay?"

She stuck her head out of his fur, her horned face now slightly frazzled. "That was awesome!" Pietru gushed. "Can we go again?"

"I don't see why not."

The bipeds watched with amusement as Leon hopped back and forth across the water, the legendary dragon clinging to his back and squealing like a kid on a roller coaster. Eventually she got bored, and they were finally able to approach the golem.

It was made of smooth, polished stone of a grey so dark it was almost black. It had a stout body and stumpy legs that must have made walking incredibly time consuming, while its arms were long and thick enough that it could have ripped a human being in half with ease. Very little effort had been placed into its head, which was essentially just a nub with two glowing green eyes.

"Hail, wanderers!" It had a deep, gentlemanly sort of voice that brought to mind an elderly, overweight concierge. "Do you wish to ascend?"

For a moment they all just stared dumbly. None of the bipeds had ever seen a golem that wasn't hostile before, while Pietru had just never flown close enough to get a decent look. Leon of course had seen the lift golem often enough in the game that he was sick of it, but because he couldn't speak human he was forced to wait until someone else answered.

He began to wag his tail impatiently.

"Yes?" Julius replied hesitantly.

"It shall be my pleasure to serve you," the lift golem bowed graciously. "Please enter the elevator."

The group filed nervously into the lift, jumping a little as the golem slammed the large wooden gate closed behind them. It lumbered slowly to a large pulley system, which it grabbed onto and heaved. The elevator jolted upward, rising bit by bit toward the Monastery.

"Almost there," Leon told himself. "Just get the book and get out again. Cake."

Quest: The Blood Barrier

Most of this chapter deals with the events immediately following Geron and Nuri's encounter with the UnFae. Instead of Chris they meet Sir Bogumil Wrathling, who of course does not join their party. Like Chris he is in charge of observing the Zholochai, but is much more committed to making his reports.

Geron is forced to use much more circuitous methods to navigate around the Orks, because of course there are no dragons in Chains of Satinav. The Versa Pietru is another Elder Dragon from the Monster Hunter series, and exists here largely because of the lack of a proper Holy Beast in the original novel. It's a common plot point in the Otome Saintess niche for the Saint archetype to have a Holy Beast of some description, and considering the whole concept of the Saint of Holfort is based around mind control it's weird that it didn't come up in canon.

Versa Pietru originated from Monster Hunter Stories. I understand it's getting a remaster for the Nintendo Switch, if any of you are interested in playing it.