A/N: WHAT IS UP MUCKAAAACHUNGAAAAS!? IT'S TRAVEZTY! And this will be my last upload for a bit, since I am moving, and I won't be uploading for the next week or two as the internet at the place I'm going to is going to be much less reliable, so things will be a bit spotty, plus we have to move my desk and pc to where the new house is located, and I want to make sure everything gets to the new house safe and sound.
However, I will be continuing the write this story, as, at the end of the most recent chapter I have written, I've finally started taking things seriously, no spoilers though. Anyway, this story has been the most fun for me to write in a while as the new 2024 PHB and DMG play more to my preferred style, and, once I get the new 2024 Monster Manual, I will be updating the Homebrew Dragon Race to make sure I can reflect the new 2024 Dragons, at least to some degree, but retain the idea of Dead Ends being Dragons with Mortal Souls that makes them weaker.
However, I am sure you guys are a bit confused as to what my Dragons are actually like so let me explain what they are like. The Dragons of my 2024 Homebrew are all of Medium Size, though they have the carrying capacity of a Large Size Player Species. Now you must be wondering why I'm having my dragons trapped in the Wyrmling Size Category, well there is a method to my madness, and that is because of two very big reasons.
Firstly, thanks to the Interview about the MM's Dragons with Jeremy Crawford and F. Wesley Schneider, I've learned the exact size of the Wyrmlings, and they said, word for word, "Wyrmlings are the Same Size as you and I", meaning that Wyrmlings fall within the size range of D Humans, at least in terms of Height. So, according to the 2024 PHB, a Wyrmling is anywhere from 5ft-7ft tall at the shoulder, and, thanks to my doing the mathematics (which were confirmed by Reddit user "danysphoenix", as well as using the Measurements of Toothless from the GojiCenter episode of "Can Toothless Survive a Night in Skull Island? Here's what will happen to him…"), my dragon's bodies will be proportioned as such: The Length of the Dragon from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail is 5 times the Height of the Dragon, and the Wingspan is 2x that of the dragon's total body length. So say a dragon were 7ft tall at the shoulder, their body length would be 35ft long from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail, and with a 70ft wingspan. The reason why the wingspan is so big is for one big reason: Dragons in D Have relatively stubby wingspans in comparison to their bodies.
Don't believe me, well then here are the stats of the 5 main Chromatic Dragons at the Ancient Age of the 4e Draconomicon, and let's compare it to Drogon from GoT in Season 6 for a comparison (as Season 6 Drogon is around the same size as these Dragons):
Black Dragon, Height: 15.5ft, Length: 83ft, Wingspan: 40ft-80ft
Blue Dragon, Height: 16ft, Length: 85ft, Wingspan: 40ft-80ft
Green Dragon, Height:16ft, Length: 85ft, Wingspan: 40-80ft
Red Dragon, Height: 18ft, Length: 88ft, Wingspan: 40ft-100ft
White Dragon, Height: 15ft, Length: 82ft, Wingspan: 40ft-72ft
Drogon (GoT Season 6), Height: 16ft, Length: 80ft, Wingspan: 120ft
See what I mean? Now how did I manage to get Drogon's Height when it's not listed anywhere? Well that's actually easy, thanks to MindQ on Youtube, I managed to extrapolate from their measurements of Vermithor from House of the Dragon that Vermithor is 40ft Tall and 210ft long, meaning that he is just 5.25x longer than he is tall, and since the Game of Thrones animators for Drogon had said that a dragon's wingspan is twice the length of their body, at bare minimum, that means that Vermithor's wings would be 420ft from tip to tip.
Now the other reason why I have my dragons be around the same size as Wyrmlings, is mainly due to the new Bastion System in the 2024 DMG. Now according to the RAW, there are 3 different size categories for the rooms inside of a bastion: Cramped, Roomy, and Vast. Each square in a Bastion is 5ft by 5ft, a cramped room is 4 Squares in size, while Roomy is 16, and Vast is 36. Suffice it to say, the maximum size of a Bastion Room limits how big I could actually make my dragons, so if I want to make a Lair-style Bastion for a Dragon PC, I need to limit their size to make sure they can actually fit.
Now aside from their sizes, I made a few other adjustments, which I will be brief on:
1) They have a modified breath weapon that is different from the Dragonborn or True Dragons, I would like to thank Esper the Bard for inspiring it with his Dragonborn Homebrew. Dragons do 3d6 of their associated elemental damage at 1st Level, and every 2 Levels beyond 1st, this increases by 1d6, meaning, by 19th level, they can do a total of 12d6 Damage with their breath weapon.
2) My Dragons do have their canonical 2014 extra movement speeds, but limited to that of the wyrmling levels.
3) Have Natural weapons in the forms of their fangs and claws, with their fangs dealing 1d8 Piercing damage plus 1d6 of their associated element from their draconic ancestry, and their claws dealing 1d6 slashing damage, and they are indeed affected by Martial Arts.
4) My Dragons have wings that, at 5th Level, can allow them to fly at 60ft a round, but until then, they are limited to Gliding which combines the aspects of the Gliding Mechanics from the Simic Hybrids, the Humblewood Birdfolk, and the Hadozee with some traits from the Perfect Landing Feat from the Humblewood Campaign setting. Essentially, when falling a Dragon can use their reaction to outstretch their wings and for every 10ft they fall downward, they can glide horizontally 60ft. When they land from their gliding, they can reduce the damage die of Fall Damage from d6s to d4s instead. However this only work if the dragon isn't incapacitated when they land from their glide. And for those who are wondering, NO this doesn't stack with a Monk's 4th Level Feature of Slow Fall, as both abilities require a Reaction to use, and I utilize the Xanathar Falling Rule of "500 Feet Per Round". Also you are still Prone when you land otherwise this ability would be super op and I've already nerfed this ability as best as I could.
Anyway I think that is more than 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!
Chapter 2: Wave Echo Mine
Mallow Village
The sun rises on a new day as Rahab yawns, his teeth on full display as he slowly wakes up, rubbing his eyes with his claws. He shakes his body as he gets up off the ground, it has indeed been a few days since his encounter with the Troll and the Wyvern, and honestly, he is still feeling the sting from what had happened, especially when that Troll's talons had indeed ripped him wide open and nearly eviscerated him, he was thankful that Seren had managed to close him up when she did… For all intents and purposes, that was the second time he nearly died in battle against a superior opponent due to his recklessness, or rather… The Recklessness instilled by that hate and rage that took over his mind when he least expected it. However, despite that, he remembers something from that day as well, something that dragoness, his… Mother… It still irks him to call her that when she never had anything to do with his life, but he understands that she told him not to hide his true form, knowing his true form is so much stronger than his human form… However… He can't figure out any possible reason why he would take on his true form, at least as far as he can tell, since keeping his true form, as Rasputin said, is only asking for trouble with nearby Chromatic Dragons. Not to mention, she hid her true from him as well, but… Then again…
No better not to dwell on it now, and now that he's in the safety of the village, he feel he doesn't need to hide his true form. Now as to where he is sleeping, he is currently sleeping in the stables as, unfortunately, it's next to impossible for him to maintain his human guise while he is asleep, so it's easier for him to make his sleeping place in the stables, where he can at least have a roof over his head while he sleeps. He smiles as he shakes the hay off himself and walks out of the stables as the stablehand walks over. "Morning, Rahab!" The Stableboy says, smiling at Rahab, "You sleep well?"
"I did, thank you!" In which the stable boy brings over a bucket of water and a bucket of river fish.
"Fish!" Rahab says excitedly and begins eating them, but notices a taste difference, "Mmm! These fish taste much cleaner and less of a briny taste than that of sea fish! It's flavor is much more mild!"
"I'm glad you like it, ever since ya brought back that Wyvern Bulb, the Mayor has made it a point to spray venom around the area to create a safezone, which made it easier for people to fish!"
"I'm glad to have been such a big help!" Rahab says, smiling as he eats.
"Rahab!" Seren's voice calls out as she rushes over, "Good Morning!"
"Morning!" Rahab says, swallowing a fish whole.
"Well, today is the day we finally get paid for a job well done!"
"Yup, and I'm looking forward to it!" Rahab says, smiling, "As well as probably heading out on our next adventure!"
"Well about that adventure, the entire group is actually discussing where we should go next, and they wanted to bring you in on the discussion!"
"Really? Well then let me finish eating and let's go!" Rahab says, scarfing down everything quickly. Seren giggles as they make their way toward the group, and everyone turns when they hear Seren call for them, but then their eyes bug out when they see Rahab, especially Link, who is absolutely confused as he looks at Rahab.
"I-Is that Rahab?" Link asks, "He looks nothing like what the Draconomicons say Bronze Dragons look like!"
"I'm a new breed of Bronze Dragon." Rahab says, "These traits I developed in the shell, possibly to be able to exist in the sea far more easily than the rest of my subspecies of metallic dragon. My fins allow me to glide through the water far more easily than most Bronze Dragons, who look like classic land dwelling dragons rather than sea dwellers."
"I… I see…" Link says, rubbing the back of his head. "W-Well, anyway… Let's discuss where we plan on going next after this, cuz, personally, I don't think we should head to the Capital just yet, since, despite serving my time, I still have enemies in the capital who want my head, and I would like to put as much distance between here and there as I can."
"And that doesn't have to do with your uncle, Lord Lorule, does it?"
"That's… Part of the Reason…"
"Well I'm all for going somewhere else, besides, I would like to visit my hometown, which is actually a couple weeks to the west of here along the road north of here…" Eryna says, smiling as she looks at her friends.
"I'm good going anywhere, as long as I can spread the Good Word of Lady Tamara!" Damosarion says, "Though, there were rumors considering a location along the road north towards Eryna's hometown."
"I'm in favor of going north!" Seren says.
"I have no objections!" Rahab says.
"Alright then!" Link says, "So let's go drop by the Mayor's place and get our reward, gather some supplies, and get out of here!"
"Rahab, don't you think you should take your human form?" Eryna asks.
"Nah, the Mayor knows what I look like, so it's fine!" Rahab says, as they make their way back to the Mayor's house, in which the dwarf smiles as he stands upon a small stage that was set up with people surrounding him.
"Ah, there ya are, kids, come on up here!" He says, gesturing to his side. "People of Mallow Village, I am happy to announce that, thanks to these brave young souls, the Route to the Capital is open to us again!" This causes everyone to cheer loudly, "Now, while this is cause for celebration, we will be needing to thank these people properly for their work, for not only did they clear up the road, but they dealt with a pair of menaces that, even if the road was cleared, would have caused us great hardship and pain had they been allowed to live, and provided our village with some relief from the monsters in the wildlands for a good long while!" His aid then comes over with a pair of bags that he smiles at them, "For your efforts, I have provided two rewards, the first is the initial reward I promised for investigating and clearing the pathway of both monsters and obstructions, 100 Gold Coins!" He hands the gold to Link with a smile, "And this…!" He brings out another bag of coins, "This is only a fraction of the price we could manage to scrounge up from our treasury to pay for the Wyvern Venom. Wyvern Venom, at market value, is 1,200 Gold, but because of how bad our economy has been, we can only pay about 1/6th of the value right now without breaking the banks. So until our town is back on its feet, I hope this is enough for now."
"This is more than enough, mayor, and, if need be, you don't have to pay us the rest, but, instead, you could actually help us in another way…" Rahab says, as he steps forward and presents his key. "Do you happen to know where this key goes to?"
"Hmmmm…" The Mayor says, examining it, but then his eyes widen. "Where did you find this, Laddie?"
"I found it during one of my miniature adventures with the Crew of the Mantaruva… I was hoping it might lead to a place where I could build my lair!" Rahab says.
"Well Laddie, whatever God decided to give you that key, if you were looking for a Lair, I think you hit the jackpot on that one!" The Mayor says, "Keys like this were created a long time ago by the Dragonborn of Ancient Times when they had an alliance with the Dragons. They created secure lairs for certain dragons, and they manned them personally, not only guarding the Dragon's Hoard, but also providing room and shelter for any allies they had with any adventuring parties they had. From what little I know, they each had a specific key built for a specific lair, and if you manage to find it, you'll be able to lay claim to it, and any treasure inside, if there is any!"
"Interesting!" Rahab says, smiling as he looks at the key, the thought of taking over an old lair interests him. However, as soon as the ceremony is over, Rahab and the party gather what supplies they can and slowly make their way along the road Northwards. As they begin to make their way North, Rahab smiles as Eryna is singing a song as they continue through the road, and slowly, the day drags on as they seem to relax. However… That is when something catches their attention…
"What is that?" Link asks as they happen upon what appears to be a statue of some kind, an old and worn one… Rahab, Seren, and Eryna both look at the worn statue in awe but they recognize it's significance.
"It's a Statue of Melio and Krysa!" Rahab says.
"Who?" Damosarion asks.
"The Entwined Lovers, they are Two Gods that take on the form of Sea Serpents twisted and entwined. They are Sea Deities who created the Archipelago Nation of Atlantis by raising landmasses from deep beneath the sea after entwining their bodies in this form you see here." Seren says.
"Though it is odd to see one of their statues this far inland… Do you think this area, considering we're only a few days away from the sea, used to be part of the Atlantean Empire back in it's heyday?" Eryna asks.
"Possibly…" Rahab says, checking the map of the world he was given and finds Atlantis, and he remembers that when he first worked on the world, its borders were indeed further inland than this, so maybe in the timespan between abandoning the project and coming here, the borders had indeed changed. He then walks over to the Statue and places his paw upon it before bowing his head and silently thinks a prayer to the Sea Serpent Deities, begging their forgiveness for abandoning them, and congratulating them on their marriage. Almost immediately, he feels the eyes of the statue upon him, but they do not glare at him, but more they are joyful, a smile flowing across his face. The Entire Party feels like there is a sense of peace and serenity flowing through them as they look at the statue, and all of them bow their heads in respect and speak silent prayers to the statue before Damosarion places an offering of incense at it's feet, showing his respect for the deities.
With this, the group continues onwards, but then Rahab stops for a moment… Behind him are the human images of two people smiling at him. "Good luck on your journey…" The male voice says.
"Thank you for creating us…" The female voice says, smiling.
"I didn't create you both on my own…" Rahab says silently, "I had help from the person I loved most…"
"She knows… And you are not alone in this world…" They both say, with Rahab turning around to try and question them, but they are no longer there, the only trace of them being there is the scent of the ocean on the wind.
"Rahab?" Seren asks, looking at Rahab, "Everything okay?"
"Yeah…" Rahab says, looking at Seren once more, but then he sees, for a brief instant, the woman he left behind in his old life. Now, he didn't leave her behind in the sense that he broke up with her, but his death prevented them from ever meeting face to face, but they were undeniably in love as they chatted online, they had sent pictures to each other from time to time, and it was thanks to her love, as well as his family getting out of that abusive household, that he managed to start turning his life around. However, that brief instance is gone with the moment, and she leans in towards him.
"Really?"
"Yeah…" Rahab says, wondering if what he saw was true, but then smirks with a sense of hope. "I'm just fine!" Seren smirks as she looks at him.
"Good, now let's get going, we have a ways to go!" Seren says, with Rahab continuing on the way with the group as they continue their trek for days… However, by day 5, the group sees smoke in the distance, in which they rush to the site of it… And… When they arrive, the first thing they smell is that of charred flesh and smoke, in which everyone looks in shock as they see people lying on the ground, injured and some of them whimpering from the pain.
"Help…" Somebody says, groaning in pain, in which the group rushes to the sound. They all search thoroughly before finding somebody pinned under a burning cart, which Rahab quickly moves with Link for help as Eryna brings a woman and her child out from under it. "Adventurers?"
"What happened here?" Rahab asks, walking over to the woman.
"Another one?" The woman asks, getting terrified.
"What?" Rahab asks, looking at her.
"You're a dragon!"
"A Bronze Dragon yes…"
"Mommy…" The child says, moaning in pain.
"It's alright… He's a friend of ours." Seren says, with Damos walking over to the child and placing his hand on them, patching up their injuries. "What happened here?"
"It… It came from the North… Crimson Scales… Fire everywhere…" The woman says, "It killed everyone but us…"
"A Red Dragon… How big was it?" Link asks.
"About the size of the average man…"
"It was a Wyrmling then, probably just left the nest and is seeking to make a lair of it's own…" Rahab says, holding his chin, thinking about this. "Is there a settlement nearby where we can take you too?" The woman nods as she looks at Rahab, in which he lowers himself down to the ground, "Climb on, we'll take you there before going to deal with that little brat."
"Wait, are we really going to be taking on a dragon?" Link asks, shocked.
"We can't let him rampage unchecked and unchallenged!" Damosarion says, looking at Link.
"Plus, it could be worse if this dragon manages to get his hand on a horde of kobolds, they will mine and rampage to the will of the Brat's desires." Eryna says.
"Hmmmm…" Link says, thinking, "Wait, something just occurred to me! Dragons, especially wyrmlings who get kicked out of the nest, and young dragons just setting out on their own, don't make their lairs in random spots, so maybe we could get some local lore to see if we can find out where the closest possible location that the lair could be!"
"That's right!" Rahab says, remembering that information he had forgotten. "So what do you say Link?"
"Oh alright, let's do it! Besides, we might be able to get our hands on some treasure!" Link says, smirking, which everyone sighs and they load the woman and her child on Rahab's back and they quickly make their way to the closest village nearby which, much to Eryna's shock, is her hometown, Nightshade! Much to Eryna's horror though, there is smoke coming out of her hometown.
"NO!" Eryna screams as she starts running towards the town, seeing there are fires everywhere and there are people screaming in fear.
"RUN AWAAAAY!" One of the Townsman shouts.
"SOLDIERS TO THE FRONTLINES!" A commanding voice calls out.
"PAPA!" Eryna shouts, rushing forward, holding her staff, in which she sees in front of her is a human with brilliant silver hair and blue eyes.
"Eryna!?" He asks, looking at her, before turning around as the flames move. "ERYNA GET DOWN!" He rushes to the Drow and pulls her to the side as a jet of fire erupts in their direction, the man dodging the worst of the blast, but groaning in pain as some of the flames catch him. That is when there is a roar as Eryna turns to see a red dragon that was much bigger than described, it was much bigger than Rahab, in which the creature laughs as it looks around.
"PEOPLE OF NIGHTSHADE, HEAR ME! I AM SCORCH, THE DRAGON OF WRATH!" The Young Red Dragon calls out, "THOSE OF YOU WHO WILL SURVIVE THIS NIGHT WILL BE ALLOWED TO LIVE OUT OF MERCY, FIGHT OR FLEE AND YOU FORFEIT THAT MERCY!" To which he roars, "PROVIDE ME WITH TRIBUTE OF TREASURE AND WOMEN FOR MY MEALS, AND YOU SHALL ALL LIVE!"
"I don't think so…" Rahab says, roaring as he approaches the Red Dragon, who snarls as he looks at Rahab.
"And who are you to think you can challenge me, whelp!?"
"Indeed I do challenge you, but what point would it be for us to fight here?" Rahab asks, looking at the Red Dragon, "Besides, I actually have something that I could offer you if you were to decide to spare this village and allow me and my party to come to where you live and fight you where you have the advantage?" Rahab looks the Red Dragon right in his glowing eyes, in which the creature gazes upon him, with a snarl, but then his expression softens slightly.
"Oh? And What do you offer?"
"In the Port Town of Kelp, I have established a bank account where I have my hoard stored, leave this village be, and fight me and my party… Defeat me, and you can not only claim my flesh for your meal, but also my hoard as well. However, if you choose to fight now, you're surrounded by soldiers who, though weak, will stand with us in order to fight you, weakening you severely enough that we just might be able to kill you and claim your lair and hoard for ourselves. What say you?" Rahab asks, making an offer to the Red Dragon, appealing to his greed and his desire for a challenging fight to prove his dominance.
"Hmmmm… Alright then, it's a deal then… I will leave… My lair is located within the mountain known as Flame's Shadow. But know that I will not be alone, I already have minions there willing to fight for me, so face me if you dare Bronze… I will be waiting with my teeth ready to strike at your neck!" Scorch says, flying off. Rahab snorts as he looks at the beast, knowing he has likely set them up for failure, but, for now, they have convinced the Red Dragon to leave.
Hours Later…
The People of Nightshade are all mourning those who were lost in the dragon's attack, with Rahab helping those to gather the fallen whilst Damosarion and Seren are working on healing the injured with Link helping to gather what supplies that had survived and help organize temporary housing. However, Eryna is working in the kitchens to help provide food and comfort for those who need it, but her eyes are glazed over as she recalls the events of last night… Her father had been injured by the Red Dragon, and, not only that, she had nearly been turned into shish-kebab by that blast of fire… She grits her teeth as she sees the pain and fear on the faces of her people, anger ripping through her as she hears a voice in her head. "It was not your fault…"
"Shut up, Venom… I need to concentrate…"
"But you're not focusing at the moment, you're merely going through the motions to try and process all of this…" The Voice continues, "Still, you should really speak with your father and your friends next chance you get… They will help you if you ask them…"
"I know they will, but right now, I need to focus on the Relief Efforts while I can…" Eryna says, serving up stew for the people.
"Eryna?" Link asks, walking over.
"Kya!" Eryna screams, "Oh Link, you scared me!"
"I'm sorry but you were talking to yourself, so I was a bit worried."
"Oh, it's nothing… Just Venom being annoying again…"
"Venom?" Link asks, "Whose that?"
"Wait… Oh shit, I never told you…!"
"Told me what?"
"About Me…" A Voice says, in which, out of Eryna's ear, a creature that looks like a purple slime-covered worm with a quadri-tentacled mouth, along with what appear to be claw-like mandibles on with extensions of skin that are positioned around a toothy maw.
"Augh… Ew!" Eryna says, "I hate it when you do that!"
"Would you prefer it if I went through your eye socket?" The Worm asks.
"What is that thing!?" Link asks, shocked.
"Meet Venom…" Eryna says, "The Source of my Magic."
"Wait, does that mean you're a warlock?"
"No no no…" Venom says, "I am a rare breed of Mind Flayer called a Xallitharid, or Pain Devourer… Essentially I am an Illithid Tadpole that manages to enter the brain of a host but I do not devour the brain or transform my host, instead I form a mutualistic relationship with my host."
"A Xallitharid grants it's host a variety of powers that only Aberrations gain access to, and in exchange, they feed off their host, though each Xallitharid is unique in what it takes from their host. For Venom, he feeds off of the sensations of pain that I endure."
"The only time I don't is when she is suffering pain when she hasn't been hurt by an external force, that way she knows something is wrong internally, allowing her to seek aid when she needs it."
"And does everyone here know about… Venom?" Link asks.
"They do…" The worm then moves back into her ear as the drow woman shivers with disgust, "They actually rallied to save me from a nest of Mind Flayers as a kid, so they know I was infected, but was lucky enough to be infected with a Xallitharid Tadpole, so they don't need to worry. The best part is that, as far as magical researchers can tell, Xalitharid Tadpoles are completely disconnected from the Mind Flayer Hive Mind, and can sense other Mindflayers when they enter the vicinity of a Colony. So if we ever go anywhere there have been Mindflayers, Venom will warn us if we do."
"I see, though question… Why did you name it "Venom"?" Link asks.
"They chose their own name, but they kind of liked the idea that they were given to a host who survived in the Underdark by eating venomous creatures to survive." Eryna says, smiling as she looks at Link, who is taking down notes at the thought of this.
"Well that is actually interesting." Link says, smiling at her, "Anyway, we're going to be having a team meeting soon so that we can prepare to face off against Scorch."
"I gotcha, well, I'll be there soon!" Eryna says, smiling as she gets back to work. As the sun begins to set for the day, the group gathers around a fire at the center of town as Eryna's Father, Marick, walks out, using a pair of crutches to avoid using his injured leg.
"Eryna, you and your friends are in the town's debt, without your help, we would've all been killed." Marick says to his daughter. "Although I am nervous to send you all against such an opponent, are you sure you wish to test your luck against that beast?"
"We have to, Papa, if we don't, then the town will suffer more in the near future." Eryna says, looking at her father.
"Then… If you're going to go after that monster, it's only fitting that you are each given something that will help." Marick says, motioning for his men to come over to the group, "These are a few items my friends and I obtained during our adventuring days, maybe they shall be of help to you in your travels to come. Eryna… My dear sweet child… I will give you something your mother gave me a long time ago…" He has his men bring forth what appears to be a ring, but attached to it is what appears to be a menacing purple crystal with the appearance of cephalopoid eyes, tentacles, and suction cups, all of the writhing and shifting within the stone. "This is a Shard of the Far Realm, a Crystal in which had existed within the presence of Aberrations and the Far Realm. I have no clue of what it will do, but I am sure your mother gave it to me because she foresaw your transformation into an Aberrant Mind Sorceress, so I hope you can see this as her providing you with her love and protection."
"I can, Papa…" Eryna says, smiling as she puts on the ring.
"For you Damosarion…" He brings out a beautiful longsword designed with a dragon's head as the pommel, and a rather simple hilt and crossguard, however, there is a single edge blade on it that looks to be made of sharpened crystal. "I provide you with this Crystal Sword, crafted from the Horn of a Crystal Dragon, a willing donation from a friend of ours who showed his true heroism and in service to the Gods."
"Thank you, Lord Cavalias!"
"For you, Link of House Lorule…" Lord Cavalias says.
"Ugh…" Link says under his breath, hating having to be reminded of who he is related to.
"I provide you with this…" Lord Cavalias says, smiling as his men bring forth what appears to be a beautiful golden bow forged in the shape of a pair of dragon wings made of silver, with a black handle that is wrapped in silver wire, "A Dragon Wing Bow… May the fury of the Amethyst Dragons bring down your foes…"
"Amazing…" Link says, holding the bow in his hand.
"For you, Lady Seren…" He brings out what appears to be a set of studded Leather Armor, "This Studded Leather is enchanted to increase your defensive measures, may it protect you as it once did my sister."
"Thank you, Lord Cavalias!"
"As for you, Rahab…" He looks at him, "What I had intended to give you was initially designed for use by human hands…" Rahab nods, looking down, a bit disappointed but understanding. "However… That won't stop me from giving it to you… In fact… I should tell you about who had these before you…" He motions for his men to bring forwards what appear to be wrappings, but as soon as they bring them forward, the wrappings seemingly come to life and then wrap around Rahab's forelegs and hindlegs, creating what appear to be metallic bracers that carefully clamp around his legs, which Rahab looks at them.
"What are these?"
"Wraps of Unarmed Power… They are designed to increase your unarmed power." Lord Cavalias says.
"I appreciate this, Lord Cavalias!" Rahab says, smiling as he looks at him, "Thank you." The Lord of Nightshade Town nods and then gives them directions to Flame's Shadow, do Northwest for three days. Not only that, they are each given plenty of rations, supplies, and, most importantly of all, healing potions, each of them being given 4 to use in case of emergencies. With this, the group would set out once again towards Flame's Shadow, slowly making their way along the roads with one objective in mind: Take down Scorch.
However, almost a day into their journey, the group notice the sound of something, the sound of wings, and the roar of three animals nearby, and Rahab turns his head shocked, "SCATTER!" Rahab shouts as everyone jumps out of the way as a massive creature lands between them with its landing. They look in shock to see a monster with the forebody of a lion, the hindbody of a goat, with the tail and wings of a dragon, the heads of all three.
"CHIMERA!" Damosarion shouts.
Eryna, being the first to react, touches her forehead and then swings her arm, unleashing a mental lash that strikes the Chimera's three minds at once. The creature roars in pain with all three of it's voices as they glare at her. However, before it can move, Seren points her finger and unleashes a Ray of Frost upon the creature, coating it in a layer of ice that will definitely slow it down. The Chimera snarls as it glares at them and looks around, but then notices Rahab, and all three heads smirks as they charge at him, swiping at him with it's claws and ripping deeply into his hide, with Rahab snarling, barely dodging a horn strike from the creature, and again from a bite, with Rahab looking at how the creature is targeting him specifically. Damosarion, seeing what is going on, charges at the creature with his Crystal Longsword and strikes hard against it, his weapon biting deeply as the divine energy rips through it. Link, knowing this is bad, uses the distraction to draw his bow and fire an arrow made of pure magical energy, striking the Chimera hard, Link's eyes widening at how much damage he ends up doing with one shot. Rahab, not appreciating being turned into this thing's scratching post, lashes out by biting the goat head, sending a jolt of lightning through its body before unleashing something he hasn't yet, his Breath Weapon, which sends a blast of pure electricity through the Chimera and electrocutes it, the creature breathing hard as it barely defends against the attack with its wings. The Final Blow comes from Eryna as she sends out a burst of sorcerous energy that rips through the Chimera and kills it.
"Okay this was odd, why is there a Chimera out here?" Link asks, shocked as Rahab lies down to catch his breath. "I know we're in a forest so…"
"There might be a cave nearby where it made its lair…" Eryna says.
"Let's check it out, so maybe we can find some treasure, or maybe something that might help us!" Link says.
"Wait, are you serious?" Eryna asks, "Is this really a good idea?" Everyone looks at each other, but then Rahab stands up.
"It couldn't hurt, I mean if we can find some healing potions amongst it's hoard, we could easily increase our supplies, if anything, we could also find a place to rest for a bit." Rahab says, looking at the group. Everyone thinks about this but then Eryna looks at the Chimera, but then she tells the others to go on ahead.
"I'm going to carve this thing up so we can make ourselves something to eat!"
"I'll stay behind with her!" Damosarion says, "Keep her covered just in case."
"Right, we'll check it out!" Rahab says, in which he begins sniffing the ground and follows the scent of the Chimera towards what appears to be a cave.
"So why did that creature just focus on you?" Seren asks.
"Chimeras, thanks to their dragon head, will see other dragons as rivals, so it is likely it saw Rahab as a rival and thus focused on him." Link says, thinking about it carefully as Rahab leads the way, eventually finding a cave that is actually well hidden by foliage. However, there are indeed bones surrounding and entering into the Lair, which Link nods as he goes in first, taking slow and careful steps as he makes his way into the darkness, with Rahab and Seren being right behind him. Link looks around as his eyes peer into the darkness as they make their way deeper. Looking around, Link sees the entrance tunnel leads into a large cavern supported by a natural pillar of rock and containing three stalagmites. In the western part of the cave, behind a column of rock, are three bedrolls and a heap of ordinary supplies—sacks of flour, bags of salt, casks of salted meat, lanterns, flasks of lamp oil, pickaxes, shovels, and other gear. The supplies looks relatively fresh, and, amid the supplies, he sees the freshly killed body of a dwarf. The timeline of the dwarf's death is indistinct as the Chimera had picked the bones clean of any flesh.
The northeastern section of the cavern has collapsed, forming a ten-foot-wide, twenty-foot-deep pit. A sturdy hemp rope is tied off around a nearby stalagmite and dangles down the side of the pit, at the bottom of which is a rough-hewn tunnel heading northwest and east. "Anything interesting?" Rahab asks.
"This looks like this place was part of an excavation of some kind, or maybe a mine? I don't know but maybe we could take a rest here before we continue on?" Link says.
"It would be a good idea, besides I think we need to get Eryna and Damosarion back here anyway." Link says.
"No need, we're already here!" Eryna says, "So how about we cook ourselves a delicious .eat to get ourselves ready to delve into here? Since we're here, we might as well, since I found some ingredients!"
"Alright!" Everyone says, excited for Eryna's cooking. Eryna gets her tools ready as she prepares a pan with butter and sautéeing some garlic and wild onions while slicing up some of the meat from the lion, dragon, and goat pieces, seasoning them, before tossing them into the pan to cook. While this is happening, he has Rahab put a wire in his mouth to channel His electricity into an iron coil to boil some water, to which she adds in some pasta she got from the village and boils them with salt. After the pasta is ready, the meat is cooked, and the veggies caramelized, she adds more butter and finely Grate some cheese into bowls with pasta noodles and pasta water to get the right consistency, and then adds in the meat and veggies into the sauce and stirs, which Eryna smiles.
"It's ready!"
Chimera Alfredo of Extra Attack
"Alfredo!" Rahab says, excitedly, licking his lips as he takes human form to eat it once they are done. Taking a bite out of it, Rahab is smiling as he eats his portion. "Mmmmm! So good! I love pasta!"
"It is good, though the dragon meat is kind of tough!" Seren says, "But it is also extremely juicy with just the right hint of spicy not to burn your mouth off, but also to give it that pleasant kick to it!"
"That's Red Dragon Meat for you!" Eryna says, "If cooked improperly, Red Dragon Meat is said to be as hot, if not hotter, than Ghost Chilis, that is why Chimera meat is a good practice dummy for making foods with red dragons as their dragon component is exactly the same, albeit to a far lesser degree. I found that by cooking the Red Dragon in the same pan you're sautéeing strong flavored vegetables, mixing it in a dish that uses cheese, or even glazing it with honey will really cut the spiciness down a lot, making it more palatable. However, if you're looking for a spicy broth for a soup or stew, red dragon tails are perfect for that as a single vertebrae can make a delicious stew!"
"How do you know so much about cooking monsters?" Seren asks, "I know you're an enthusiast for this kind of food, but you sound like you're not speaking from your own experience!"
"Good ear, Seren, I'm actually speaking from the experience of my teacher, a dwarf who was among the adventuring party aiding my father. He found and saved me after I escaped from a colony of Mind Flayers, and he taught me everything he knew when it came to cooking monsters, and he even brought ingredients back from his travels for me to practice on whenever he came back to my village." Eryna says, smiling as she takes a bit our of her pasta, "He even taught how to make food that actually heals injuries and grants momentary strength, but I could never figure out how to pull it off personally without the aid of specific ingredients. Though I think I'm close to actually figuring it out!"
"Well I hope you figure it out soon, cuz I think we might need it when we face Scorch!" Rahab says, taking another bite of pasta, feeling his strength returning with a smile on his face. "Are there any seconds?"
"I made enough for everyone to have one more serving before we continue on!" Eryna says, in which the group cheers as they get to continue eating, Rahab's injuries healing as they get ready to dive down. The majority of the group descends down the hole along the rope, with Damosarion going first in case anyone falls and he barely manages to make it down, nearly slipping off a few times. Rahab simply glides down to the bottom, His wings slowing his descent so that he doesn't injure himself as he lands. Together the two stand ready to catch anyone should they fall. Eryna, for her part, practically glides down the rope dancing acrobat, making it seem all too easy and beautiful, with Link having a Similar amount of trouble as Damosarion had, due to the rope having suffered damage from the Chimera, apparently. Seren has some more success than that of Link, but as she finishes climbing down, the rope snaps and thus the group cannot climb back up that way, at least not without Link doing something crazy to secure another rope.
The group notices two different sets of tunnels around them, one leading to the Northwest, and the other to the East. "Which way should we go?" Rahab asks. The group looks at each other and they begin to consider where to go next as they look at the two directions they should go, to this Link, Eryna, and Damos point to the Northwestern entrance, while Seren points to the Eastern one. With this, everyone begins to make their way through the Northwest tunnel, in which they all begin to look around as they start looking around… They see the area consists of numerous intersecting passages. The ceilings here are only six feet high, and several of the passages end in partially excavated rock faces. Rahab himself has to practically crawl in order to try and fit due to the low ceiling, not only that, even Damosarion has to stoop a little due to his height.
"Hahaha! You look like a cat lying down!" Link says, laughing.
"Not funny, Link!" Rahab says, his head raising indignation, only for his head to hit a part of the roof that is… Strangely soft… "Oh Bahamut preserve me…"
"OCHRE JELLY!" Eryna shouts.
Rahab, having felt the creature with his horns, swings his head backwards to headbutt it, but, shockingly to everyone, they see what appears to be a burst of yellow energy erupt from Rahab's horns upon impact with the Ochre Jelly, and, seeing this, Rahab looks in shock. "Holy Shit!" However, because of this, his horns are stuck in the Jelly, "AH NONONONO!" Due to being stuck and too big, he is unable to actually do anything more to fight back.
"RAHAB!" Damosarion shouts, "Hold still!" Damosarion's mouth glows with silver mist as he unleashes a blast of elemental energy from his maw, sending out a burst of ice at the two. As the ice flies towards him, Rahab's eyes look at the energy with shock as an image flies through his head, a memory.
"Master Grigori, is it true what I heard?" Rahab had asked the Abbot of Dragon's Reach Monastery, "You figured out a trick to be able to mitigate the damage of elemental attacks?"
"Indeed, it is true, but it's not a skill just anyone can learn…" Grigori says, looking at Rahab, "What makes you so eager to learn it?"
"I… I have something I need to tell you…" Rahab says, revealing his true nature… He had been in this monastery for almost 3 years now, and he feels he can trust his teacher. "So, what do you think?"
"Hmmmm… That is quite the story, but I can tell you aren't lying about this… With that being the case, it might be possible for me to teach you how, but you must know that if you learn the trick in this way, you will only be able to do this only once in a while, you will require 8 hours of rest before you are able to do so again."
'Meaning I can only do it once per Long Rest… That's fair…' Rahab thinks, "I understand Abbot! When do we begin?"
The Ochre Jelly shivers as it manages to avoid the worst of it, letting go of Rahab's head, but as the frost hits Rahab, the ice stops midair as there is the sound of bubbling as suddenly the ice cloud seems to become liquid before flying towards Rahab's Mouth as he had taken human form and he seems to inhale the ice as if it were nothing… "Thanks… For the Meal…" Rahab says, smirking as he licks his lips, and Damosarion's eyes bug out at that, as the rest of his party look at him in awe.
"WH-WH-WH-WH-WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Damosarion shotus, shocked.
"D-D-D-D-D-DID YOU JUST EAT DAMOSARION'S BREATH WEAPON!?" Link shouts in shock.
"We can discuss that later!" Eryna says, "Right now we have a Slime to kill!" Seren nods as she aims a Ray of Frost at the creature and strikes home. Eryna follows up by placing two fingers on her forehead and pointing at the Ooze, striking it hard with a spike to it's essence, the creature jiggling in pain. Link, calculating the distance between Rahab and the Ooze, he calculates the two are in perfect range and he draws his bow, smiling. He draws the string of his bow and it strikes home with an arrow of pure gravitational force, smiling. The Ochre Jelly jiggles almost angrily as it reaches out with it's pseudopods at Rahab, attempting to strike out at him, only for the Dragon in Human form to duck his head out of the way before returning with a counterattack.
"Careful! It's immune to lightning and resistant to acid!" Eryna calls out as Rahab prepares to attack.
"Thanks for the warning, but I think I've got something better!" Rahab says, the bracers On his arms glowing with raw magical energy, striking it three times with his fists, smiling as the magic rips through the Ooze. "KILL IT!"
"IN TAMARA'S NAME!" Damosarion shouts as he breathes out another blast of frigid energy that coats the entire Ooze. The ice then proceeds to crack as the Ochre Jelly's entire mass deflates as everyone relaxes at this. Eryna smiles as she walks over to the Ochre Jelly and looks at it. "Wait, don't tell me!"
"Yup I'm taking some of this with us!"
"Eeeeeeh!?" Everyone asks.
"You may not know this but a properly processed Ooze can actually be used for all sorts of things, though it's best usage is to make noodles!"
"Noodles?" Rahab asks.
"Yup, by thoroughly washing them with citrus juice and hot water, then using various methods to dry them. Once it is completely dry, the ooze's carcass will begin to coagulate and solidify until it has a texture no different than noodles that are Al dente. Once that is done, all you need to do is choose which pasta, soup, or noodle dish you wish to make, cut them to the desired length and shape, and then just toss them in. The best part is that once it is coagulation, it's naturally acidic nature will keep it fresh for up to three years!" Eryna carefully sets to work on carving up and cleaning the Ochre Jelly with Rahab's help, but then something strikes her as odd. "Wait, Rahab, Damos, Link… Why didn't you guys end up using the power the meals provided you?"
"What do you mean?" Rahab asks.
"According to my master, depending on how you prepare a monster's parts, you can impart some of it's powers onto yourselves for a limited amount of time. Did you feel anything?"
"Hmmm…" Damosarion says, "I did feel a bit of something during my first attack… It felt like I could do more even though I knew that I normally couldn't. I would have questioned it but then Rahab's stunt distracted me, and I forgot about it."
"Well, with a Chimera's Meat, especially after how I prepared it, you three should have been able to strike at least one more time during that fight."
"Now that you mention it, I did feel like my hand wanted to draw my bowstring again, but I had to will myself not to." Link says.
"I even felt like I could throw one more punch, but it felt like something was trying to force me into doing it."
"Well now you know the effect of the Chimera Alfredo of Extra Attack! I'm also sure you guys noticed how, after you ate the Troll Stew of Regeneration, all of your injuries fully healed? Yeah, if I prepare a food item correctly with the right monster parts, I can impart a fraction of a monster's abilities onto you. Though it seems none of you noticed it because I didn't tell you. So I'm sorry about that. Monster Food isn't all that common and preparing it is harder than it looks." As Eryna gets the parts of the Ooze she needs cleaned and prepared for air drying, Rahab has an idea.
"Wait, Eryna, you said that Troll Bone Marrow is used in Healing Potions, right?" Rahab asks.
"I did, why?" Eryna asks, in which Rahab brings out his Brewer's supplies, which includes a Gnomish Mortar and Pestle (meaning it was crafted by gnomes), an Elvish Press (which he can't tell if it is more of a Coffee Press or a Tea Press), a Dragonborn Kettle (basically a fancy tea kettle with a red dragon's head as the whistle), five Halfling Infusers (basically fine wire-mesh Tea Infusers) and finally, five 3oz Dwarven Engraved Steel Shot Glasses. "Is that what I think it is?"
"A set of Brewer's Supplies, though not the kind used to make alcohol, it's more along the lines of making tea and coffee…!"
"This is actually perfect!" Eryna says, "Normally you'd need an Herbalism Kit to make potions of any kind, but with the right monster parts and these instruments, we can make them easily and without all the prep time most potion makers need!"
"Really?" Rahab asks, smiling big, "Can you show me an easy one?"
"Of course!" Eryna says, smiling as everyone gets interested and decides to watch, though Damos says he'll keep watch just in case. "First we start with boiling water, as that is the most important part of this…" Eryna says, putting a pair of wires into Rahab's mouth as he starts getting a coil to heat up to boil some water in a kettle. "Next we take the mortar and pestle to grind up ingredients. Since we're going to be doing a simple recipe, we'll be using something I have on hand!" Eryna says, smiling as she brings out something from within her bag, in which Link and Seren look at her in shock.
"WH-WH-WH-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" Seren asks.
"This here is the Gizzard from the Chimera we killed earlier!" Eryna says, "Though we don't need the entire thing, the lower half of the gizzard is covered in plates that are similar to horns and teeth and the flesh in this part is inedible… However, the upper gizzard is far more usable…!" She then takes out a cutting board and cuts off the upper part of the gizzard, and then starts cutting the relatively small upper part of the organ into smaller more manageable chunks. "Once you cut off the upper gizzard, grind it up into ground meat, but don't use the mortar and pestle." She then quickly gets through that and then pours seeds into the mortar and pestle, "Next grind up some sesame seeds in the Mortar and Pestle until they start to stick together, and then grate up some ginger!" That is when the pot starts steaming. "After that is all done, place all the ingredients into the Elvish Press with some chili powder on top and then pour boiling water in, and stir thoroughly until bubbles form." She stirs quickly and carefully with her spoon, "Once that is done, place the plunger over the top and let it steep for five minutes!" They patiently wait for five minutes as the broth cooks, "And once that is done… Gently and slowly press down on the plunger all the way to the bottom…" She does as she says, "And then pour it into your cups and… It's ready!" What comes out of the Elvish Press and into the Dwarven Glasses is a blood red broth that looks rather spicy, and everyone agrees to that.
Chimera Gizzard Soup of Fire Breath
Everyone looks at the broth that is steaming in such a way that it looks like white hot fire is flowing out of the glasses themselves as the broth itself looks like it is made out of red hot liquid metal. However, as nervous as they are, Rahab picks up his glass and takes a deep breath, "Welp… Bottoms up!" He drinks the broth down in one go and everyone looks at him in shock as he does so, but then, much to the shock of the group, Rahab starts snarling and growling as his veins begin to glow red hot as the soup hits his stomach and spreads from it's location and then traveling across his entire body before flowing back towards where the Black Hawk scar on his chest gains crimson red tails upon it, with Rahab's hands beginning to glow red hot before igniting into flames. "I am the God of Hell's Fire! And I bring you… FIIIIRE!" Rahab laughs maniacally as he feels the flames erupt from his hands, only for Eryna to smack him in the head with her staff.
"Geez, did you lose your head?" Eryna says, "You're as bad as Link sometimes!"
"I… Have nothing to say to that…" Link says, sighing.
"Sorry, the rush of power from the Chimera got to me… I think I momentarily lost myself to the Red Dragon."
"Luckily we're quite a distance away from any dangers, but echoes don't really provide us with any sort of cover." Seren says, puffing out her cheeks. However after this, everyone agrees that heading east might be a good idea, but after about 30ft, they end up finding what appears to be a collapsed hallway. However, Rahab begins to sniff the stale air and picks up something. "What is it, what do you smell?"
"Ghoul Flesh…" Rahab says, snarling, "We got Ghouls some distance away… But I can also smell what appears to be corpses… They seem to be busy eating… However…" He takes another long sniff, "I think we have ten of them 3 close by and 7 further in… What do you guys think we should do?"
"I say we take out the three that are closest, if we try to take out the larger pack, we might cause them to call reinforcements." Link says, "Besides…" He drinks down his broth and yelps as a burst of fire leaves his mouth, "I want to burn some undead bitches!" The others nod as they hear this and they all drink down their broth with smiles on their faces, despite how spicy it is. Following Rahab's sense of smell, they find what appears to be a door leading into another area, one in which, just beyond it, everyone can hear the faint sound of crunching and splintering.
"Alright everyone, remember the plan?" Rahab signs as Eryna translates to Seren via telepathy.
"Get inside and blast the three in here to kingdom come…" Link signs.
"Then get inside and barricade the doors with whatever we can to slow down the other ghouls and prepare for an assault." Link signs with Eryna Translating.
"And trying not to get killed…" Damos signs, smirking.
With this, Rahab smiles as he slowly opens the door, hoping not to make it creak… As they look inside, they see old stone bunks in orderly rows line the walls of this chamber, and a corroded iron brazier full of old coals stands near the middle of the room. The bones of a half dozen dwarves and orcs lie strewn about, clad in scraps of armor. Three gray, hunched figures squat among the remains, pawing at the scraps and gnawing on the bones. These are the Ghouls, and Rahab nods as Link goes in first, getting into position as everyone moves past the door silently. Damosarion goes last, knowing his armor will ruin stealth, but with everyone in position, he knows the linking of his armor is going to be the signal for everyone to blast them. With one step, his armor jingles and everyone breathes deeply as the Ghouls turn around, snarling, noticing the fresh meat behind them as Rahab and Seren unleash their first volley of fire upon the first ghoul, turning him to ashes in an instant, with Link and Damosarion doing the same for the second one, while the Third nearly gets incinerated by Eryna's Blast. Seeing how their plan hadn't gone right, Rahab rushes over with a burning fist, Damos quickly moves to shut the door… But all of their efforts are in vain as the Ghoul unleashes a deathly scream that echoes through the hallway they just came in.
"Shit, here they come!" Damosarion says, as Rahab's fist incinerates the remaining ghoul. Rahab snarls as he looks at the entrance they just came from and notices the Brazier nearby and he smiles as he picks it up with a smile on his face. "Wait, what are you going to do with that?"
"Trust me on this one!" Rahab says, smiling as he brings it over and then brings out the oil from his bag and fills the brazier with a smile on his face. "Damosarion on my signal blast them with your flame, Seren, get a Moonbeam ready, Eryna focus-fire on the first one to get in, Link cover me!"
"Right!" Everyone says as Rahab finishes filling the brazier and gets into a crouching position while holding it. That is when the door bursts open and Rahab tosses the oil in the direction of the first two Ghouls to jump into the room, the two of them getting drenched. Damosarion then belches out his fire blast as his goal is not to hit the ghouls, but to set the oil alight. The two ghouls screech in pain as their fellow pack members try to push past them, in which Eryna blasts one of the two ghouls and destroys it, with Link immediately destroying the other, leaving 5 other ghouls to force themselves inside… Only for one of them to become hit with a beam of pale silver light that drops down upon it, causing it to scream from the radiant energy burning through it, the surprise attack being too much for it as it falls to the ground, immediately disintegrating from the radiant power. With this assault over, they had dramatically cut down their foes from a total of 10 down to just under half, and Rahab smirks as his chest scar glows and he smirks.
"LET'S FUCKING GOOOOO!"
Link snarls as he knows none of his allies are close enough to allow him to deal any truly deadly damage, so he just takes a potshot at one of the further back ghouls, in order to try and pick off any that could pose a serious problem. Thankfully he manages to land a shot, but, this time, takes a deep breath as he steadies himself for his next attack. Following him, the leading ghoul charges at Rahab, who is ready for the oncoming attack, knowing that if that thing manages to slash him, there is a chance he could paralyze him, and he hopes that he is able to resist it. The claws strike deeply into him as he groans, feeling the sensation of what it was that once tried to paralyze him before… However, before the talons sink too deeply, Rahab snarls as he moves with the attack and manages to only get grazed, and focuses his Ki as he unleashes a counterattack right into the Ghoul's face, knocking out many of it's teeth… Unfortunately, the Graze was just enough for whatever causes the Ghoul's paralysis to sink into his skin and his body locks up. 'No! I can't move!' Rahab thinks, but even though he is frozen in place, he internally smirks as the Ghoul bleeds heavily.
"RAHAB!" Seren shouts.
"Don't worry, that bastard's dead anyway!" Eryna says, "And I don't mean Rahab!" She unleashes a torrent of flames upon the ghoul, using up her second to last shot, incinerating the Ghoul. After that, she smirks as she turns to the one, "Link, darling, would you like some help with that one?"
"I'd appreciate it!"
"Then allow me!" Eryna then holds her two fingers to her forehead, the Far Realm Shard on Index Finger glowing 'Mother, lend me your aid in this time of need!' She then points her fingers at the weakened ghoul, causing its head to explode as if a railroad spike had flown straight through it's head. However, that was not the end of it as, from the ring, the Far Realm Shard glows and suddenly a tear in the fabric of reality and, immediately, Eryna knows what this and aims her wrath at one of the remaining ghouls, who skids to a stop as something tries to infiltrate it's mind… And Succeeds as the Tentacle lashes out at the creature, fear gripping at it's heart as it looks at the sorceress who seems so delicious, yet so dangerous at the exact same time.
"FOUL UNDEAD, FEEL TAMARA'S GRACE AND BE FORGIVEN!" Damosarion shouts, charging to the strongest of the remaining ghouls as he raises his crystal sword and swings towards it, its radiant crystal blade unleashing a Divine Smite upon the unholy creature. Rahab, seeing this from his paralyzed state can only smirk internally as he cannot move. Seren, now wanting to end this battle quickly, wrenches her hands in a pulling motion and brings the Moonbeam down upon the remaining ghoul, who is unable to resist the effects of the pale moonlight being brought down upon him, and turns to ashes. With this done, the party all sits down and breathes a sigh of relief… Well… All except for Rahab, who is stuck for the next minute or so before he finally breaks out of his paralysis and sits down, his muscles aching and cramping from being stuck in that position so long… Almost ironically, his body unleashes a cloud of smoke with a comedic poof as he transforms back into his draconic state, and, though nobody was technically injured, they are all mentally exhausted from this battle…
"Hey guys… Who's up for taking a rest here?" Rahab asks, in which everyone groans in agreement, but first, they decide to use the old Brazier as a means to keep the place warm as they all sit down to make a rather simple meal, as Eryna absolutely refuses to use anything from the ghouls to make a meal.
"Ghouls are not one of the undead monsters that I'll make a meal of… There is so little truly known about how Ghouls come into being so it's not worth the risk…" Eryna says, in which everyone nods as they begin to agree with her, however, that is when an idea pops into Seren's head as she moves over to Rahab.
"Hey Rahab, this might be a crazy idea… But, if in your Dragon Form… Would you consider me riding on your back?"
"What?" Rahab asks, shocked, hearing that.
"W-Well, I just don't want anything happening to you and… Well… My mother taught me how to ride on the backs of sea creatures and how to fight from their backs, so…" She blushes a bit, "You know what, never mind…"
"Actually I think that is an incredible idea!" Rahab says, smiling at her, "Besides…" Rahab lowers one of his wings, revealing that they had just undergone a dramatic change since the ending of the battle… His wings have become covered in a thick layer of scales upon them, scales that almost look akin to feathers if one were to look at them from a distance. "I think I can now use my wings, in both Human and Dragon Form, to provide some protection to those who are nearby…" He then looks down, "I think that is what my birth mother did when she attacked us the first time, when Link's sword broke against her wing."
"Well, at the very least you stole the move from her! So now you can use it yourself!"
"True, but that's not the only thing I stole…" Rahab says, his hands glowing slightly, "While I can't do it much, I can, at the very least, patch up an injury a little bit."
"Amazing!" Seren says, with Link looking at the two of them getting along, a bit jealous.
"Jealous much?" Damosarion asks.
"Shut up…" Link says.
"Hey, I get it, Seren is a looker, but it seems she has her sights set on somebody else already. Besides, we have another person who might be up for grabs!"
"Eryna?" Link asks, tilting his head, then looks to the woman using the brazier to make the group some dinner.
"Yeah, her, I know you two got close back in her hometown, and she seems to really like you."
"If she could like somebody like me…" Link says, "I mean I ran away from home and became a criminal to get out of the life of nobility."
"That and you're a kleptomaniac who can't keep his hands off of any clay pots almost as if it is tradition." Damosarion says.
"But would somebody like her want somebody like me?"
"I think that is up to her to decide." Damosarion says, smiling at Link, "You may have done some damage in the past, and you still suffer from your uncontrolled desires to steal, but you are a good person at heart, one who loves so deeply that you love those who you never met and wish to avenge them because somebody took them from you before you could even know what they look like." He smiles at his party member, who looks down but nods with a smile on his face.
After everyone eats, they all settle down on the bunks, however, Rahab smiles as he lies down curled up in a circle, the fin at the end of his tail covering his face as he begins to relax. However, as he begins to relax, he notices somebody snuggling up to him, and he looks to see who it is, and he smiles as he looks to see that it is Seren. He almost can't help it, but he is purring as he feels her next to him, and… In his mind… He can see a possible long future with Seren.