Author's Note: WHAT IS UP MUCKAAAACHUNGAAAAS!? IT'S TRAVEZTY! Welp it's official, I now own the 2024 Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide for 2024 5e! Now I just need to get my hands on the Monster Manual (which, as of writing this, comes out in less than a month), and I've finally updated my D Dragons to match the 2024 Rules, at least as best as I can while trying to maintain balance. So in any case, while my two other stories "A Requiem of Ice and Fire" and "The Terran Dominion" are currently on Hiatus (as I wrote myself into a corner with those ones), I will be doing a D Story to keep my creative juices flowing! Right now I've got the Prologue and Chapters 1-7 finished and I'm currently working on Chapter 8 Right now, but I have to stop for a bit due to the face that I am currently moving. So how about I give you guys something to enjoy while you wait for me to play catch-up? Oh and today you guys get a 2-for-1 special, how generous of me!
So before we begin today's chapter, there are a few people I would like to thank personally:
Wolfflight of ShadowClan (My Girlfriend)
BlackDomus500
TheRealD3lph0xL0v3r
Rune20006
SailorSunPhoenix
Longclaw 1-6
Gamera68
Dracoreaper
Without these guys, I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have now, especially with Dracoreaper more recently, he managed to get my butt in gear and help me think through my thought-processes and about planning out stories in the future with his feedback, as well as help me create more dynamic stories thanks to him pushing me to write "The Terran Dominion" and "A Requiem of Ice and Fire", as well as help me think things through with what I wanted to do. So this is my first big project without his help and I really appreciate it, so thanks Reaper, I am truly thankful to have you as a partner in writing!
Oh and one more thing, for the majority of this story, after the prologue and up to Level 5 or 6 for my MC, I will be using two different Character sheets to try and ensure he's not OP early on, one sheet will be his True Form and the other will be his Humanoid Form, as to replicate what happens when a creature, like dragons, uses the Shapechange spell or their Change Shape ability, but with a few modifications. Other than that I will have done the following for my MC:
A) I took the Average of the Ability Scores of a Bronze Dragon Wyrmling and a Young Bronze Dragon. Yes considering the context, it would've been better to do only the Bronze Wyrmling Stats, but considering when he would begin his adventures, this seemed far more plausible and fair, which weakened the Young Dragon stats by averaging them with the stats of a Wyrmling. However, one stat couldn't be achieved through rolling or manually inputting them on D Beyond, but I found a work around.
B) I took the Sailor Background for my MC, mainly due to the context on which you will find out shortly, but also allowed me to gain that coveted 1 to Strength that I needed, and then i put the remaining 2 into Wisdom cuz he is gonna need it after the prologues.
C) I will be using the 2024 Monk because… YES! They finally fixed it and now Ascendant Dragon Monk is usable for 2024 Monk! Anyway, this will become apparent as to why in Part 2.
D) Finally, Rahab's Humanoid Species form will be that of a Human, and the skills and extra feat he will gain will be added onto his Dragon Form as they will not be skills he naturally has starting out, but skills and feat he has learned. You will find out why in Chapter 1.
Other than these changes to my MC to fit the context of the story, I have done everything else legitimately. Oh I will also be including 2014 and 4e Draconomicon Adventures into this story to help flesh things out a little bit. So I hope you guys can enjoy the story as it goes on! In any case, that is enough out of me! 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!
Prologue Part 1: The Adventure Begins
A Tightness that one cannot describe, a feeling as if one's entire body is being compressed in a sphere… Unable to move, unable to breathe… 'Is this hell? It's not as hot as I imagined…' A voice thinks, 'And it is so much… Darker… More compressed…' A voice thinks as it tries to process where it is, only for it to see something, a small speck of light… 'What? Light? In Hell…?' He thinks, hope filling his being as he looks at it, but his mind comes back into focus as he realizes he isn't in Hell yet… But Maybe… He pushes as hard as he can, eventually breaking out of whatever is containing him, and he rolls out of what it is he found himself trapped in. However, there is still something covering his head, and he begins to shake himself off. However, that is when he hears words above him, and he can't understand the language before he looks up, and sees men dressed in what his mind recognizes as what would be sailors, and there is even the rocking of a ship and the smell of the sea air. However, as the soul attempts to stand on his hind legs, he finds his body is not letting him, and he looks at himself, his eyes filled with shock as he looks at himself.
Thinking back to what was happening before he died, he had seen the sneak peak at the Dragons from the 2024 Player's Handbook, and his eyes had laid themselves upon the Bronze Dragon, which, much to his surprise, would then have features that would be more reminiscent of it's aquatic lifestyle, and, to his eyes, he sees the features are much smaller but still there. From what he remembers of the 2024 Bronze Dragons, his body is covered in fins that have similarities to certain Ray-Finned/Spiny-Finned Fish. Starting with the end of his tail, he can see there is a Heterocercal Caudal Fin that reminds him of something akin to that of an Atlantic Sturgeon in it's shape. Extending from there, along the dorsal and ventral sides of his tail, are dorsal and… anal… fins that have fused with his caudal fin, similar to that of a European Conger Eel, but with the physical appearance similar to that of a Banded Tilapia. For the lack of a better phrase, speaking of anal, sitting on his rump, at the base of his tail and just behind his wings are what appear to be the fins similar to that of a Flying Fish. Upon the back of his hindlegs, looking closely at them, he can see there are what appear to be the dorsal fins of a Scorpionfish, with matching fins on his forelegs, whilst, on his chest, there are a pair of pectoral fins that are shaped in a similar manner to that of the anal fin of that of an Atlantic Tarpon. Upon his back his wings are shaped in a similar manner to that of a ray's while stretched across his wingbones. Finally coming to his head, as he looks in a mirror, he sees a large pair of spine-like horns adorning his head, with two scorpionfish dorsals on the angle of his mandible, and, flowing from the back of his head, and flowing down the middle of his dorsal side are the same fins that flow along the length of his spine and connecting to his tail.
However, that is where the similarities to the 2024 Bronzes end, for he has the beautiful yellow-bronze with jade green color that he was used to from the 2014 Bronze Dragons, rather than the metallic brown and blue-green of patina. Finally there is his underbelly, which is a pristine white coloration, with webbing between his claws. He looks at himself and looks around at the sailors, who look at him speaking in a language that he doesn't understand. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE, YOU BILGE RATS!?" A voice calls out in, apparently, English! "I thought I told you the cargo was to be brought below deck and-" The voice is feminine as someone dressed in rather fancy garments, an officer's coat with a uniform upon it, in which the woman, an elf, with widening eyes, looks upon him and sees one of the crates was knocked over, with it's lid popping off, and the pieces of shell all over. "A Bronze Dragon?" She looks to the crew, "Okay who tried to smuggle a Dragon's Egg on my ship!?"
"C-Captain!" A crewman says, "That box came from a man in a hood and cloak, he said he'd pay for the ship's repairs if we delivered the crate to our next destination!" He is shaking in terror, standing at attention.
"You took a deal behind my back to get my ship repaired… And now we've been saddled with a Wyrmling Scurvy Brat!?" The Captain asks, angrily, "ARE YOU INSANE!? AS SOON AS MAMA STARTS LOOKING FOR HER WYRMLING, OUR HEADS ARE GOING TO ROLL!"
"I had no clue what was inside the crate, captain!" The Sailor says, his voice going up a few octaves in fear. The Captain snarls as she looks to the soul, who is slowly trying to sneak away to find a place to hide, only for his tail to poke out from behind a barrel. She then walks over to the Wyrmling, who looks at her with terror, the rage in her eyes slowly fading away and giving way to compassion. The creature, despite trying to make itself as small as possible is, unfortunately for himself, about the size of a man, being 5ft 7in tall at his shoulder, and, from what she can tell he is around 27ft 11in long with a wingspan of 55ft 10in. A bit on the short side for a Wyrmling, as most Wyrmlings are anywhere between 5-7ft tall at the shoulder. The Wyrmling looks at her, terrified as she looks up at him and gently reaches for him and pets his face. "It's alright, little one… You're safe here… I don't know who your mother is, but I assure you, we will help you find her, someday."
The Soul, now Wyrmling, looks at her, remembering the trauma he had felt in his previous life from the screaming and anger, trying to keep himself composed as he looks at her, and remembers the brunette hair and blue eyes, they remind him of his mother from his past life, and he begins to calm. "Until then, you're a crewmate! Understood?" The Wyrmling nods, "We'll educate you as we can so that when you turn 17, you will be able to set out on your own." The Wyrmling nods, "ALRIGHT, YOU SCALLYWAGS! LET'S GET THE REST OF THE CARGO LOADED UP AND LET'S SET SAIL!"
"AYE AYE CAPTAIN!" The sailors shout, getting the rest loaded up as the Wyrmling looks around, wondering what he could do.
"As for you kid, until we find your mom, we'll need a name to call you…" She then starts thinking as suddenly, a pair of celestial wings appears on her back and the Wyrmling looks at her with awe in his eyes. "I shall name you Rahab, after the Angelic Prince of the Primordial Sea."
"R… Ra…" He says, trying to find his voice. "Rahab…" He says, liking the sound of that, as he remembers his favorite vampire from a game series in his previous life. "I… Like… It…" His voice, shockingly to him, is similar to that of Rahab's if his memory was correct, and he actually liked that. He smiles as he looks to see some of the men beginning to pull up a heavy crate, in which he jumps over the men and lends his body into the push, moving the heavy crate easily with his strength. The Men, looking at him in awe, smile as they see how useful a bronze dragon wyrmling could be if given the proper motivation.
Hours Later
As the ship sails over the open seas, Rahab does his best to aid the other sails in whatever chores he can, knowing that there is little he can do with what his situation grants him. Unfortunately for him, his wings, while fully grown despite his young age, aren't strong enough to allow him to fly, and even though he knows he can swim, he's not fast enough to keep up with the ship. He looks around as he looks at most of the crew, seeing that most of them appear to be of oceanic species, namely Sea Elves, Tritons, and Locathah. However, it is the Captain that catches his attention, from what he could observe, he is a Dhampir, a half-vampire, and a fairly strong one at that if everyone is terrified of her when she bares her fangs at them.
Rahab, though, looks around as the crew goes about the business and soon, they are happening upon what appears to be some kind of… It looks to be some sort of structure of some kind. "Captain? What is that?"
"That, kiddo, is one of a great many sea forts that dot the Sea of the Whirlpool God… Those places are full of treasure, but I wouldn't recommend attacking them, they're filled with nothing but ghosts… And I highly doubt you have the capacity as a newborn to take them on."
Rahab looks at his mentor and attempts to recall the knowledge from his past life about ghosts. He died before the 2024 Monster Manual came out so he doesn't know if this world follows the 2014 Rules or 2024 Rules, but if his gut is right, only magical damage could reasonably harm any spectral enemies. Thinking about this, he decides not to push it. "Funny, I thought a little one like you would go nuts at the prospect of treasure."
"W-well if you don't recommend it, I don't see a reason to argue… There are surely easier ways to get treasure…" Rahab says, trying to be reasonable. She gives him a discerning look and if Dragons could sweat, he would be right now, for he can tell she sees right through him, but she smirks.
"It's good that you're smart for a newborn! Makes it easier to teach you, boy!" The Captain saye, smirking knowingly. after they pass by the fortress, Rahab looks up into the distance… To his surprise he sees a large flock of seagulls.
"That's an awful lot of seagulls…" Rahab says.
"Means a Shipwreck is nearby, and that means some easy loot!" The Captain says, and starts shouting orders to the crew, who get excited as they get ready to make a small detour.
"Is going after a shipwreck in open water a good idea, Captain?" Rahab asks.
"There are two kinds of shipwrecks, Rahab, the ones that have run aground on the ocean floor, and those who have enough buoyancy that they remain above water for an extended period of time. The trick is discerning which is which and then weighing the risks to see if it is worth it. If it is merely a capsized vessel, Then there could be a bunch of loot, but it could also be a trap. If it is a floating vessel with part of it sticking above water, then it is likely a trap. The first part about investigating a shipwreck is to determine how the ship sank first and keep an eye on the surroundings. Once that's done, then we can send people out to loot the place. That is why my crew Is mostly made up of those who are of sea-faring races. BOSUN!"
"Captain?" One of the sailors asks, he is a lionfish Triton who salutes the Captain.
"Prepare the scouts, we're sending the kid with them into the investigation! This will be his first mission, but it will give him some good experience!"
"Aye, ma'am!" The Bosun says, "Rahab, follow me!"
"Coming!" Rahab says, following close behind the lionfish triton to the group, where he finds himself among a group of Sea Elves, who are getting their armor and gear ready.
"Men, you all have yet to meet Rahab, but he will be joining you on this dive! Keep a close eye on the kid and teach him well!"
"Aye, sir!" The Leader of the Scouts says, looking at Rahab. "Good to have you joining us, kid, name's Malek!"
"I'm honored to join you!" Rahab says.
"Since you're new here, kid, we will be forming a diamond formation around you so you can watch and observe us, but you will also be helping us investigate, to determine how the ship sank. Now while we aren't part of the looting team, as we are going in first, our job is to locate the loot and, before leaving, take our hazard pay from among the valuables before we inform the looting team of our findings. So if you happen upon anything that strikes your interest, kid, make sure to mark it first, so that when the looting team finds it, they know it's yours." the Scout Leader says.
"Speaking of which, you'll need to show us your Claimant Mark before we go under, it will help us identify what belongs to who." He then shows a chart of the marks of the scouting team which Rahab carefully looks at each of them and smiles as he makes a "T" shaped mark, but with the line going down stopping part way before taking on an "S" shape. "Ooo now that is very interesting!"
"Alright, lads, enough chit chat! Let's get ready to scout! We'll be coming up on the Shipwreck any second now!" The Lead Scout says, everyone nodding as the ship raises it's Sails, slowly coming to a full stop 30ft away from the Shipwreck, in which the Leader Dives off the edge of the ship with the others following suit, whilst Rahab gives them a chance to get some distance before he jumps in… Only for him to accidentally spread his wings and to belly flop into the water.
'Ow…' Rahab thinks as he slowly sinks into the water while trying to adjust to the pain. it takes him. Moment to readjust himself as he sees the scout team looking around as they patiently wait for him to catch up, something Rahab is beyond thankful for. After this little bit of comedy, the team swims out towards the floating shipwreck, in which… There appears to be no reasonable damage, at least at first, as the Bronze Wyrmling's eyes scan over the shipwreck, however, the leader signals them all to stop as he looks around with a discerning eye. Looking around once more… Rahab doesn't see what has his team leader on edge… And while he is older and smarter, or at least he thinks he is considering he has lived two lives, he begins to make a move forward before the leader glares at him, shaking his head.
Looking into the man's eyes, he sees there is no room for argument as he holds his position. However… That is when he notices something out of the corner of his eye, and he leans forward and squints his eyes to get a better look… His eyes then widen as he sees somebody through a glass window in the ship, and he points it out to the scout leader, and he nods. "I see it… But there is more here…" the Leader says, his voice echoing through the water. "Can you spot it?"
Rahab takes another look at the ship and now he can see things more clearly now, realizing that the ship has damage to it, yet it is still somehow floating! "Cannonshot… Somebody tried to sink this ship… Which means there is something on it that they didn't want to get off, or this is a trap." The Leader says, to which Rahab gulps at the thought. "You go inform the Captain of our findings, the rest of you, with me, we will do this carefully… Rahab, I want you try and see if you can get a closer look at what is inside that cabin."
"Aye sir!" Rahab says, swimming over slowly. As he makes his way towards the glass, he notices there is somebody swimming within the flooded cabin, Somebody dressed in fine clothes, with beautiful features, and… She is enchanting as she places her hand against the glass, and her glowing blue eyes are seen inside the room as she leans in close, smiling at him.
"Let me out, mighty dragon…" She says in Draconic, and rubs her swollen belly, "I need to find land…" From what he can tell, she is a mermaid who is already deep into her pregnancy, but her teeth confirm to him that she is no normal mermaid, nor does her near-human appearance. "Set me free to birth my daughter… And I swear all the treasure in here will be yours." He looks at her, realizing what she is… But her words are more than tempting… And he finds himself unable to resist… He swings his tail hard as he breaks the glass, getting the attention of the Scout Leader, who rushes over. "Very good… Now let me give you a kiss… Before you collect your… reward…" She says, only for a javelin to nearly hit her as she tries to draw near to Rahab.
"SIREN!" The Scout Leader shouts.
"Tch… I suppose my freedom is better than nothing…" The Siren says, holding her pregnant belly, "I better split while I can… Keep him occupied, will you?"
"Of course…" Rahab says, charging angrily at the Scout Leader, roaring. He aims his maw at the Scout Leader, his fangs crackling with lightning, only for the far older and more experienced Sailor to dodge the attack and slap Rahab across the face… That sharp sting across his face snaps Rahab out of the charm, who shakes his head as he rubs his cheek.
"Of course it had to be a fucking Siren…" The Scout Leader says, "This almost turned me into a disaster…"
"Forgive me sir…" Rahab says.
"No, lad, the fault is mine. I sent you into investigate it since you spotted it first, and I didn't realize what it was that I sensed sooner." the Leader says, petting the Wyrmling's head. "Just remember, you're a newborn Wyrmling, so don't go thinking you can do everything just yet, kid." the Scout Leader says, smiling, but then… Out of the corner of their eyes, they see what appears to be a treasure trove inside the Captain's Quarters. "Holy Sh-!"
A Short While Later…
The sailors are cheering as they bring aboard treasure after treasure onto the ship and many of them are happy as they look at the haul they got! It wasn't a bad one either, they had gotten a few chests filled with 150 two-pound Silver Bars worth 10 gold per bar, a three 5lb crates of silk worth a total of 150 gold, and even quite a 3 large sapphires that were of a size and clarity that they could be worth as much as a ruby each, meaning each sapphire was worth around 5,000 gold each.
However, one of the biggest prizes came from Rahab picking out a chest for himself, in which the Wyrmling was shocked at what he had found inside his chest, which was revealed to be filled to the brim! Inside was, after it was all counted 7,200 Copper Coins, 3,600 Silver Coins, 240 Gold Coins, 8 Gold Rings Set with Bloodstones worth 250 Gold each, 14 different colored, and perfectly spherical pearls worth 100 Gold each, and 11 Moonstone worth 50 Gold each. Rahab's eyes bug out as to how a chest could hold so much treasure in it, in which the Captain simply told him that a proper treasure chest that, if filled optimally, can contain 15,000 coins in it, and by the looks of it, only contained 11,040 Coins Of various types, and so the rest of the space was filled with smaller items that barely weighed anything.
However, all good things come to an end, for as they set sail, Rahab stands in front of the Captain with the Scout Leader, the woman glaring at them, "So let me get this straight, you send a newborn Bronze Dragon to investigate a person trapped inside of that sunken ship… Even though your Divine Sense had caught the Foul Scent of Evil coming from that part of the ship…" The Captain says, "And it turned out to be a FUCKING SIREN!? A FUCKING TRUEBORN VAMPIRE!?"
'Trueborn Vampire…?' Rahab thinks, but then it hits him! 'NO WAY!?' He remembers… In his past life he was a Dungeon Master who liked playing Dungeons & Dragons by himself to write stories, stories that he would post on fanfiction sites. Not only that, when he had discovered the Planescape Vampires and got his hands on Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, he had developed two unique factions of Vampires. One faction were the original Undead Monsters created by the Demon Lord Orcus, the Lord of the Undead, known as the Purebloods. The other faction was one created in retaliation against the Demon Lord by his sworn enemy, the Raven Queen, the Goddess of Death. These Vampires and their children were created from living mortals, and thus, while they lacked the immortality and most of the powers of Orcus's brood, what they gained in exchange were extended lifespans, a secure trip to the afterlife, and none of the weaknesses of the Purebloods, allowing them to go where the Purebloods couldn't. These Vampires were known as the Trueborn, and one of the Clans of Trueborn Vampires were inspired by Rahab from the game Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver; the Sirens, an analogy to how Mythology originally viewed mermaids and married them to their vampiric counterparts of "Rosario Vampire". They differed from the Merfolk of Dungeons and Dragons by appearing almost entirely human, save for their lower bodies and a few fishy traits on their upper bodies, whereas the Merfolk of D were almost entirely adapted to aquatic life and had the traits to prove it, at least when it came to the 2014 5th Edition Merfolk, the Sirens looked more akin to the 4th Edition and Earlier forms of Merfolk which had more human traits. Best of all, Sirens could take on human forms on land, and their Dhampir Children were born with an innate swimming speed. 'Okay so I was reborn into one of the worlds I created that has references from different video games, movies, tv shows, and novels I've seen, played, and read. Great, at least i know where i am, approximately at least, as I have created multiple failed worlds. But at least, for now, I can relax a little bit."
"It was a lapse in judgment, Captain, I had thought it was a relatively weak underwater monster… Possibly a Seaspawn at worst." The Scout Leader says, Rahab's train of thought being broken and brought back into the conversation, "I had overestimated Rahab's powers, and if I hadn't intervened, I would've regretted my actions for the rest of my days."
"You're lucky you intervened! Rahab, despite how smart he is… He's still an infant! Barely half a day old!" The captain chastises her scout leader.
"I got overconfident in my experience, and I overestimated the lad's abilities and strength, this will not happen again!" The Scout Leader says.
"Captain…" Rahab says, getting the Captain's attention, "I am also at fault for overestimating my abilities as well, so we are both at fault here."
"Very mature of you, a little… Too Mature…" She then sits down in a chair and looks at Rahab. "So explain to me, how is it that you are so smart and mature for a wyrmling?" She looks at the Bronze Dragon Wyrmling, "Your manners and way of thinking are far more of what I would expect of an adult human…"
"Uh…" Rahab says, in which he would start sweating if he could. "I guess all I can say is that you wouldn't believe me even if I told you…" The Captain looks in his eyes, studying him carefully, he is absolutely terrified, but she can tell he has absolutely nothing to hide at this moment, and so she takes a sip from her glass.
"Try me…" The Captain says.
"Well… Have you ever heard of Reincarnation?" Rahab asks.
"Yes, it's a fairly powerful spell, available only to Druids capable of casting 5th Level Spells…" The Captain says.
"No, I mean the Process of Reincarnation, as in the process of your soul transferring from your older dead body into a newly born one? Possibly with all of your memories intact?" Rahab asks.
"Hmmm… Go on…"
"Well I'm not technically from this world… I was actually a human in my previous life in another world… I was reborn into the body of this Bronze Dragon Wyrmling… Honestly, I thought I was going to be sent to Hell for all of the sins I had committed in my past life." Rahab says.
"Sins? But you only go to the Nine Hells if you are a Lawful Evil person."
"Where I come from, going to Hell is a different concept, where your soul is judged not based on your alignment and the gods you worship, but by your actions in life, whether you did more good or evil in your life, if you commit too many evil deeds, you get sent to Hell. I had committed quite a few evil deeds in my youth, of which I could never atone even as I tried to turn things around…" Rahab explains, "Yet somehow I lucked out and was given a second chance and was reborn as a dragon." The captain carefully listens to his story, picking apart his wording and the tone of his voice to discern a lie, but she reads him as being honest, and not just honest, he actually believes everything he is saying. Then again, now that she thinks about it, a Wyrmling Maturing as fast as he has in a matter of hours, as well as showing restraint in his desire to go plunder a Sea Post full of ghosts actually makes so much more sense now. She then completely finishes her glass in one go and then takes a deep breath. "Captain?"
"Welp… Everything that's happened today makes so much more sense now, how a Bronze Dragon like you could be as mature as you are, as well as your restraint, though, there is one thing I need to know. How is it that you know about ghosts so easily?"
"Well that's a bit trickier to explain… But suffice it to say that while I don't recognize your face, I know the term Trueborn Vampire anywhere…" The Bronze Dragon says, hesitating, "That was a term I developed for the Mortal Vampires who were created by the Raven Queen, and their enemies, the Purebloods, the Undead Vampires who were created by Orcus." This causes the Captain's Eyes to widen.
"Are you saying you created this world?"
"Well… I did, but the problem was that the world never came into fruition so I abandoned it… I never thought it actually ended up developing on its own based on the concepts I created."
"Wait so you're basically Go-"
"Don't utter another word!" Rahab says, terrified by what the Scout Leader is about to say. "I'm not a god, I'm an ordinary human who basically tried to create an entire fictional universe and it ended up spawning a real one as a result…"
"Well regardless of who you were back then, it no longer matters… You're part of the crew until you come of age, and I'm going to whip you into shape, kid! So get ready for an education!"
"Aye aye!" Rahab says, smiling at the Captain, "I'm ready to learn!"
6 Years Later…
Six Years sailing on the Seas, Rahab has grown to be fairly well as he is growing close to leaving the Wyrmling Stage behind, the Bronze Dragon slowly walking off of the ship he has come to call his home for the past 5 years, the Stormrage, a beautiful Brigantine as he smiles, looking at the people he has come to call a family for some time now, a smile on his face as they make port for the very last time before he is to set out on his adventures. However, when it comes to his personal Hoard, the one he had obtained from his very first outing with the crew, that has been brought to a very secure bank and placed into an account that was placed under the a Pseudonym that was linked to him by those who know of him, Rahab Stormrage. There the bank would hold his treasure and transfer any other treasure he came across into multiple chests until he decided to one day draw it out in order to establish his lair and hoard. He was also given the option of selling his art pieces in exchange for their gold value, but he chose not to, wanting to actually keep his treasures secured. However, he would come back often to deposit his gold and treasures into the bank should he ever decide to.
"Welp, looks like today is the day that I set off, Captain!" Rahab says, looking at the Captain and her crew, "I want to thank you for the past 5 years of keeping me on my toes and preparing me for the road ahead!"
"You're still a kid you know, you should really take the time to be a kid!" The Captain says, "However, if I've learned anything about you ever since your egg hatched on my ship, it's that once you make up your mind about something, it is next to impossible to change your mind." She smiles as she wipes away a tear, "However, we can't let you go just yet! I think it's time we actually celebrated your sixth birthday today, as well as your going away party!"
"Yeah, kid! The Mantaruva's Scouts will never forget their most valued member!" The Scout Leader says, smiling at his little brother figure.
"Guys… Alright then… LET'S PARTY!" Rahab says.
"YEAH!" The Entire crew shouts in agreement, in which the group makes their way to a nearby Tavern. There, the Captain rents out the entire tavern for their celebration and invites anyone who is willing to join them for the celebration of Rahab's Sixth Birthday and his last day as a member of the Mantaruva's crew, in which everyone cheers as the Captain pays for the first round of drinks. Rahab gets all the choice cuts of meat he could stuff himself with and the drinks he can stomach. However, biggest of all, the entire crew had managed to work together to get the now Young Bronze Dragon a backpack full of the essentials, as well as scrape together about 41 Gold Coins, a set of brewer's supplies, but not as one thinks, this is brewing supplies for coffee since, as it turns out, the little dragon loves a bowl of coffee whenever he can get his hands on it, but he has learned to use the tool to actually learn how to develop antitoxins and mix them in with his coffees to make them taste better. Not only that, thanks to the Captain, he gained training in the use of Navigator's supplies, making it easier for him to avoid getting lost, even if he is a bit bad when it comes to survival.
Aside from that, the group had managed to actually find a farewell gift that they had dug up from one of their former missions that had intrigued Rahab when they had found it, it was an old antique key, on which was uniquely designed. It was a 3 inch long key made of solid gold, however the metal, from what Rahab could tell, from his discerning eye when he found it, was not entirely made of gold. Not only that, it was unique as it was designed in the shape of a dragon's body taking the form of the bow, whilst it's head is viciously biting down on the shaft, with engravings shaped like lightning flowing through it, filled with aquamarine crystals as a setting. The end of the shaft comes to a sharp point, with the bit being shaped like four dragon teeth. They had found this key a few days ago after their last job together, one that required them to raid a fort that was abandoned. Though it didn't give them any loot, they had found dozens of treasure maps, and the key, along with a written note next to it saying: "I open the Dragon's Bastion…" Rahab looks at the Key as it is brought to him upon a sturdy chain that he can wear around his neck without causing him any duress.
He smiles as he makes the most of this night one last time before everyone goes to bed. The next morning, just before dawn, Rahab smiles as he sneaks over to the Captain as she sleeps and gently and carefully licks her cheek. "Thank you for everything… Mom… I love you… Goodbye…" Rahab whispers, before carefully walking out, the Captain shedding tears silently, having quietly woke up as she covers her mouth, sobbing as she realizes that she had come to see the boy as her own son, but knows this is the best for him. Making his way through the streets and to the entrance of the port town, he looks up at the stars and begins to set his course as he follows the trail towards the North, following wherever the wind takes him, lightning crackling between his teeth as he smiles.
However, little does he know but watching him from above is a raven, one who blinks as it looks at him, before flying off towards what appears to be a portal that flies over vast dark forests that stretch through a nearly eternal dark and bleak landscape. Slowly, the Raven makes it's way towards a great black fortress, one that is filled with overwhelming sorrow as souls from beyond the stars flow towards it as they pass through the veil of mortality and into the Shadowfell. There sitting upon a black throne made of ice, sits a woman dressed in dark garments, with a mask upon her face as she looks towards the bird flying towards her. The Raven croaks and warbles as it delivers it's message before flying off. "The Board is now set…" She turns to what appears to be a small square table to her side where there is an obsidian plate with a 26 x 26 grid upon it, and she smirks as she takes a raven quill pen and smiles smiles as she draws out a map upon it, changing the color of the ink flowing out of it as she quickly finishes drawing map with a smile on her face. "The Pieces are moving…" Then from one of the squares, a figurine slowly rises out of the obsidian, covering one square, being shaped like Rahab. "Now… What could possibly go wrong?" She smirks as she picks up an obsidian d20 and a bronze d20 and rolls them, only for her to slam her palm against her mask, as she sees the results, "GODDAMMIT BUBSY!" When one looks over the Raven Queen's shoulder, they see that obsidian die had rolled a Natural 1, while the bronze had rolled natural 20.
Part 2: Sin-Eater
Walking along the path, the sun slowly begins to rise as Rahab makes his way forward, not knowing what is going to be waiting for him down this path, his eyes carefully watching his surroundings. Honestly, right now he wishes his wi as we're strong enough to allow him to fly, but all he has ever managed to do was glide, though with some pain associated with the landing. However, deciding to just sit down and contemplate what to do next, he sits down under a tree and wonders what it is he is going to do.
That is when a screen appears in front of his face, revealing something he recognizes intrinsically: a D Character Sheet. 'Wait, how is this here?'
"Hello there, young one." A voice says as an old man says, appearing out of nowhere, seven golden canaries flitting about him. "Is this seat taken?"
"N-No!" Rahab says, moving his tail, his knowledge of the Gods instilled in him by his adopted mother coming back to him. Forming inside him is a great fear that he dare not put a name to, but he can't help but remember who this is. "G-go right ahead, L-Lord B-B-Bahamut!"
"Oh? Do you recognize me? Then again, how couldn't you?" He sits down next to the young man, "How couldn't any Metallic Dragon not recognize their god? But then again, I sense no reverence from you, but great fear. Why is that?"
"W-Well…" He looks down, "I'm not a normal Metallic."
"Ah, I see." He says, smiling, "You reincarnated into this world as a Metallic Dragon."
"In all honesty, I should have been in Hell long before now." Rahab says.
"Well that is the trick with Reincarnation, if the good and evil within you have come into balance with One Another, then you are granted a new life to prove whether you deserve to go to Heaven or Hell." Bahamut says, "Whatever evils you committed, you had redeemed yourself enough to prove you deserve a second chance, though probably just enough not to be born a mortal, but a monster instead."
"If that is true, then I shouldn't squander this chance, but…" Rahab says.
"Rahab… Everything after the word "but" is bullshit." Bahamut says.
"Is that the language a god should use?" Rahab teases.
"Only when someone has too thick a skull for flattery to work!" Bahamut says, smirking at the Bronze Dragon, who laughs with the Platinum Dragon. "You've got a long way to go, Rahab, but I am sure you know where to go next!" The old man stands up and continues on his way, with Rahab smiling as he stands as well and makes his way down the path once more, smiling.
However, after a few hours, Rahab finds something is amiss… Almost as if he is being watched, his eyes scanning the region carefully before he notices something… A Hyena lying on the ground, thrashing around in pain as it's belly is bubbling as it turns red. Rahab is unable to recall what this signifies, but he remembers something about what he must do if he sees something like this: kill it before it is born… But whatever could that mean… However, he gets his answer soon enough as the Hyena's body is torn open in a frenzy of claws and blood as a large humanoid Hyena comes out of it, and Rahab immediately recalls why: There is a chance that a Fiend known as a Gnoll can spawn in the material plane through the body of a dying Hyena, and it is one of only a few ways demons can appear in the material plane without opening an Abyssal Gateway. The creature looks at Rahab, who quickly snaps out of his stupor and decides to start off with a big opening strike, knowing that this thing is stronger than he is, if he doesn't deal large enough damage to this creature early on, he will end up paying for it. Thankfully this creature has no armor or shield, so he stands a practical chance…
Charging forward, Rahab opens his maw and bites down upon the newborn Gnoll, roaring as his fangs sink deep into it's bloody hide. As his fangs sink deeply, lightning courses from his maw and into the gnoll, dealing a significant amount of damage… Withdrawing his maw from the beast, he quickly spins with a secondary attack and lashes with his tail, sending the demon flying into a nearby tree, in which he feels it's broken bone piercing it's vital organs as it starts to disintegrate into nothing as it returns to the Abyss. Snorting loudly, Rahab feels the tension leave his body as he realizes he had just defeated a gnoll all on his own, and he can't help but swell with pride in himself.
He smirks and then decides to continue on his way, slowly following the path for several days… Before happening upon what appears to be a ruined temple, with plants growing throughout it, and in which there is also a smell of rot and decay within, as well as the sound of teeth tearing into flesh, in which Rahab slowly approaches as he enters the temple and looks inside… What he sees is a terrifying creature, humanoid in shape with gnashing sharp teeth and razor sharp claws as it is eating the leg of a person, who has put on a tourniquet on his injured leg the creature feasting heartily on it's meal. However, as Rahab approaches, the creature is finishing up the leg with a hungry grin. "No! Go away! Go away!" The man says, speaking in terror.
"BACK OFF!" Rahab shouts, angrily and roaring, the ghoul turning around and then looks between the two before deciding to attack the dragon, reaching forward with it's claws, only for the sharpened nails to glance off the scales of the Bronze Dragon, who feels a sensation trying to reach in but not finding purchase, and Rahab realizes what this creature is: a Ghoul, an Undead creature that devours corpses. Seeing how it attempted to paralyze him just now, Rahab sinks his teeth into the Undead Monstrosity, sending a Lightning coursing through the Monster, who reels from the pain, but deciding it was not a good idea to let this creature continue it's Unlife, Rahab opens his mouth once more, unleashing a bolt of lightning from his maw. The creature, seeing it coming, dodges out of the way, taking full blast of it with a snarl on but having braced for the attack, reducing it's effectiveness. The creature attempts to strike out with it's claws one last time in an attempt to paralyze it's prey, but, unfortunately, they all glance off the dragon's hide. Rahab, glaring and swinging his tail one last time, uses his scales to rip the ghoul into two pieces, the force of the strike tearing apart muscle and shattering bones as the Undead lies on the ground. Turning to the man who is up against a wall with a severed leg, he walks over. "Are you alright sir?"
"Thank you for your assistance… if it is no trouble, could you perhaps cauterize my leg with your breath or fangs, young one?"
"Are you sure, sir?" Rahab asks, to which the man nods, and the dragon gently takes the man's stump in his mouth and clamps down. The man screams gibberish as he shakes and confuses slightly, but the injury is soon cauterized and the man is breathing hard. "Thank you."
"Where are you headed? I could give you a ride there."
"I am actually on my way to Skyhaven Temple, it is a monastery that is situated in the mountains a few more days away!" The man says, "I was gathering supplies for my fellow monks there, until I decided to stop and rest here and… Well… You saw the results…"
"I understand, I can take you there if you lead the way!" Rahab says.
"I would greatly appreciate it! It is honestly much safer having a mighty dragon at my side rather than facing everything out here on my own whilst missing a leg." The man says, in which Rahab lowers himself to the ground and allows the man to climb upon his back, clumsily, but he does so.
Mallow Village
It takes the pair a few days of traveling, but they soon happen upon the mountain village at the base of the Mountain that contains the monastery. "Here it is, my friend! Just up the mountain and we'll be there!" Rahab looks up the mountain's slopes to see if he can find it, and sure enough he does! There is a rather larg door situated in the mountainside itself, and seems to be carved in the form of a cathedral, one with a Gothic theme to it, stained glass windows, and even beautiful rosewood doors.
"I see it!" Rahab says, smiling as he walks towards the village, where there are men and women going about their day, with people gasping as they turn to the Monk.
"Gregory!" A woman says, rushing over, but then gasps as she sees his leg missing. "What happened?"
"A Ghoul attacked me and took it off, Roxanne. If it weren't for this young dragon here, I'd be dead." Gregory says, looking at the woman.
"Thank you, young dragon, for saving my husband! I am in your debt!" The Woman says.
"Please, ma'am, you don't owe me anything, other than a hot meal and a place to stay for the night so I can help Gregory make his way up the mountain to the monastery." Rahab says, smiling at the woman, who nods at the Bronze Dragon. The rest of the people come to look at the Bronze Dragon so far from the Sea as they wonder how it is he has traveled so far. Rahab, for his part, is a bit uncomfortable being the center of attention, and shifts a bit as he is brought to the house where Gregory and his family lives.
"So kid, I never asked this while we were traveling here, but what is your story?"
"Not much of a story to tell, I was found inside of a collection of crates as an egg, where I hatched immediately after and was then raised by the Captain of the Mantaruva as her adopted son. I only recently entered the Young Stage of my life and so I decided to leave the Mantaruva to make my way in the world."
"Huh… That is interesting, but I doubt your birth mother would have allowed you to be born outside of her nest if she knew you were taken." Gregory says, "Bronze Dragons are particularly protective of their young."
"It has puzzled me for years as well." Rahab says, holding his chin as he shakes his head, however that is when he notices Gregory's wife, Roxanne as he had called her, and Sees her bringing out what appears to be a large circular feather mattress and places a blanket on it.
"Here you go! You can sleep on this tonight!" Roxanne says, in which Rahab immediately leaps for it and starts to snuggle upon it, purring loudly.
"A real bed! Oh Gods above, it's been days!" Rahab says, smiling as he lies down on it. "Thank you!"
"It's the least I can do kid!" Roxanne says.
"Now tell me kid, do you know how Dragons work?"
"Not really, I've been raised by a cargo crew most of my life." Rahab explains.
"Well look no further because I am actually a Draconologist! Studying Dragons is my specialty. Now most Dragons your age would already be able to fly, and yet you remain grounded… This leads me to believe you are a Dead End."
"Dead End?" Rahab asks.
"Simply put, they are Dragons who are born different from other Dragons, this often ends up with them Dead on the ground. Dead Ends can't fly and have weaker, more limited breath weapons during their young and wyrmling stages. However, what they lack in the natural talents and weapons of most other Dragons, they more than make up for in their versatility and rapid growth. If a Dead End makes it to the end of their Wyrmling Stage, they experience a period of Unprecedented Growth and Evolution, allowing them to become stronger faster than most other dragons their age." Gregory explains, "However, while normal dragons are not so easily understood, Dead Ends have been studied, by willing individuals while they were alive, as well as Dead individuals who donated their bodies for study, and what was found is that their internal workings are different from that of normal True Dragons."
"How so?" Rahab asks, interested.
"Well for one, most Dead Ends don't live long enough to fly, but those that do can do so as if they had done so all their lives. Not only that, thanks to an evolutionary trick, Dead Ends are far more agile and dexterous than normal dragons, and this is due to a pair of organs in their chest that is linked to their stomachs. This pair of organs, a two bladders, absorbs hydrogen gas produced in their stomachs, which when full, allow for a Dead End to be a much more dexterous creature, making their bodies lighter than most other dragons of their size. It also lends itself to them while gliding from great heights, slowing them down and softening the impact from landing." Gregory explains, "But this isn't all there is, for just like normal dragons there is a third organ in their chest reminiscent of that of a Dragon's Upper Gizzard. This organ also siphons off a portion of the hydrogen in the stomach, where it is stored."
"This tertiary bladder houses a portion of the Hydrogen until it is ready to be unleashed. When a special tube connected to the organ opens, a portion of the gas is released. How it comes out as magical energies hasn't been figured out, but it is theorized that for lightning, when the Hydrogen comes into contact with air, the impact of the gas and the air being so violent it produces lightning. Not only that, sometimes this gas leaks out of the mouth, and it actually generates sparks of electricity as you open and close your mouth, causing the same reaction on smaller scales, causing small arcs of electricity to form when you bite something."
"Fascinating!" Rahab thinks as he presses a paw against his chest, fascinated by the idea of this. "What about Fire, Ice, Poison, or even Acid?"
"Those ones are a bit easier to explain, as it follows the same process but at a much less violent rate than it does to create lightning. Ice, however, is produced when the hydrogen is cooled by the magical energies present in the Dead End's body and then unleashed into the air, where it freezes the water around it. As for Acid, it is believed that a secondary gas is mixed in this bladder, where they condense and then are violently launched out. As for poison, the gas is produced at a greater rate and volume than the others, creating a thick cloud of hydrogen gas that, if inhaled, will momentarily asphyxiate the victims, similar to most who breathe in toxic gasses, as well as cause symptoms like dizziness, headache, weakness of the body. It's not inherently toxic but it can cause similar injuries to that of a green dragon's chlorine gas breath."
'I remember now, "Dragons: a Fantasy Made Real" and "Flight of Dragons"! I used and expanded upon the explanations for Fire Dragons in that documentary and movie, then gave my fire dragons their own little twist on the matter!' Rahab thinks, smiling as he listens, "Though I had to create some limitations to make things a bit easier for the players…' he then gets an idea, "Is it possible for a Dead End, like me, to learn how to utilize the other draconic elements?"
"There is a way, and you're actually in luck, for the Monastery is actually devoted to the Platinum Dragon God Bahamut, and they could teach you how to access those other elements if you go to see them!"
"I would actually like to meet them if it is at all possible!" Rahab says, smiling at Gregory, the Monk nod, and as they sit there chatting, Roxanne soon comes with the village's doctor, who has prepared a prosthetic leg for the man, in which the Monk carefully has it set in place as he starts training to use it while Roxanne gets started on dinner as she looks at her husband. The Doctor, however, looks at the Bronze Dragon with a look that Rahab doesn't recognize, the dragon tilting his head as he looks at the man. The Doctor soon finishes his visit, giving Gregory a small pouch, which there is a scent coming out of it that Rahab recognizes and flips it out of the doctor's hand.
"Rahab!?" Gregory says, in which Rahab swallows the supposed medicine… Only to immediately regret it. He begins hacking and coughing as he vomits up blood, "POISON!" The Doctor growls as he draws a knife.
"FOR THE DRAGON QUEEN!" The Doctor shouts, drawing a dagger as he charges at his patient, only for the Monk to slam his fist into the Cultist's face three times, sending him backwards. Rahab, snarling, charges forward, joining his benefactor in this battle. Rahab attempts to bite down on the cultist, who deftly dodges to crackling jaws, only for Rahab, to swing his right foreleg and land a decent punch on the Cultist, sending him skidding back five feet, before swinging his tail in a maneuver he wasn't able to pull off until now, and strike at the cultist hard. "Filthy Metallic!" The Cultist Fanatic shouts, charging forward with his Pact Blade, raising it high, only for a maniacal laugh to be heard as a black aura wraps around the Cultist, his own blade slipping from his hand and grazing his arm, but immediately causing decay to be seen where the blade cuts. Gregory charges forward once more and all it takes is one more punch as he slams his fist against the cultist's cheek, knocking him unconscious.
"Filthy traitor!" The Monk says, looking at him as he ties him up.
"That's the second time you have done right by my family!" Roxanne says, smiling as she hugs the dragon with tears, "I almost lost my husband twice, and once before my eyes. Thank you so much Rahab!" Rahab purrs as she hugs him.
The Cultist wakes up, finding himself in a cell where he is bound and gagged by the local authorities, who look at him as Gregory and Rahab look at the Cultist Fanatic as they walk away. "Thanks again for that, kid. I owe you twice now." Gregory says.
"Don't worry about it, Gregory!" Rahab says, smiling at the monk, who walks on his prosthetic leg with a smile on his face next to the bronze dragon. The monk pets Rahab on the head, causing a purr to leave the dragon, and soon they go back to Gregory's House and they begin to relax and go to sleep.
In the Realm of Dreams:
Rahab looks around as he finds himself floating in a sea as his old self, a Salvadoran-American with glasses, albeit as a 6 year old, floating in the sea as he sees a little girl swimming in the distance, humming as she plays with a dolphin. She turns to him as he floats there. "Oh! Hello!" She says, smiling. The very appearance of her reminds him of the Siren he encountered five years ago, only She appears purely innocent and without the hunger and wickedness hidden behind her eyes.
"A siren?" He asks with his childish voice.
"Yup!" She says, giggling. Her giggle sounds to him like the ringing of bells, causing Rahab to blush. "What's your name?"
"Rahab, and who are you?"
"Seren!" She says, smiling. "So, how did you end up in my dream?"
"I don't know…" Rahab says, "I just fell asleep after helping to defeat a cultist."
"You beat up a cultist? Wow! You must be very strong!" Seren says, smiling, causing Rahab to blush more.
"Y-you think so?" He asks, to which Seren nods, smiling big. "Th-Thank you." That is when the sea becomes brighter and he looks around, before noticing something below them, a pair of glowing blue eyes glaring up at them. "What the!?"
"Mommy!" She says, smiling as she swims down to the eyes, who take the form of somebody that had haunted his nightmares for the past five years.
"You!" Rahab says.
"Hello, little dragon." The Siren says, smirking at him. "I apologize for what happened last time, but thanks to you, I managed to regain my sanity by finding food and I was able to give a safe birth to my little girl."
"Dragon?" Seren asks cutely.
"Yes, this boy in front of you is a mighty Bronze Dragon, a warrior of justice!" She then waves her hand and Rahab groans in pain as his dream self begins to transform into it's draconic form in reality, before unleashing a roar of pain once his transformation is over. The little Siren's eyes gleam with wonder.
"Ouch…" Rahab says, groaning.
"That's much better…! In any case, no hard feelings from a starving, pregnant mother?"
"Only if you tell me how you got into that predicament, then we'll see…"
"Not much to tell, honestly, the entire ship was attacked by a group of Pureblood Vampire Pirates who didn't realize I was a Siren as they locked me inside the captain's cabin and sank the ship, I barely managed to survive on what food I could find in the quarters until you showed up. That was when I managed to place you under a charm to help me escape." the Siren says, "I apologize if that put you at odds with your crewmates, but my daughter came first."
"I guess I can understand where you were coming from at that point in time. So I guess I can let it go." Rahab says, finding no lies in her words, only the honest truth.
"Thank you for understanding!" she then looks up, "It seems the dawn is coming, and we are about to wake up. So I hope we get to see you again someday under better circumstances, Rahab."
"Bye bye, Rahab!" Seren says, waving goodbye as the world becomes dark once more.
The Waking World
The next morning, Rahab awakens and finds himself looking as Roxanne brings him over a bowl filled with plenty of eggs and even slices of roasted meat. "Here you go, little one!"
"Thank you!" Rahab says, smiling as he eats his breakfast, cleaning his bowl of every last scrap of egg and meat. "Is there any kind of chores you need done before we head out?"
"Actually there is something I would like your help with…" Roxanne says, "There is actually a small marshy area a few miles east of here that grows a particular fungus that I use as an ingredient for my business, but unfortunately, recently, people have been going missing in the marsh, so I have been worried that something terrible has been happening out there." She then shows Rahab a book that contains the image of what appears to be a type of fungal pod that is white and poofy on top while there are what appear to be some sort of brown leafy roots underneath it. "I need you to gather as many of these as you can before you need to head out. Can you do that for me?"
"Sure! Shouldn't be too hard!"
"Thank you, and again, be careful, little one. You're still a kid, so you should be prepared for anything!"
"Understood!" Rahab says, in which he exits the house with Roxanne's help and turns eastward. Though he had barely any time to read the book, he did notice that the illustration showed the fungus growing along the water's edge, so he knows where to start looking once he makes his way to the marsh, but, for now he just has to get there. Unfortunately, as he has never seen a marsh in person, he doesn't know what he is looking for, but, thankfully, he does have a direction to go and begins making his way there.
The Black Marsh, 30 minutes later
In all honesty, he had forgotten he had seen what a marshy area looks like, he had seen them in his previous life, so he should have expected that the water flowing through here would be slow and cold, but, more than that, there were plenty of marshy plants here like reeds. However, finding the fungus pods, that turns out to be a completely different story. Honestly, how hard was it to find just a couple of those floofy Pods out here?
Well pretty damn hard, as it turns out, because while he could find the base Parts for the pods themselves, all of them had been picked clean, and that means somebody was either harvesting them in large numbers, or something else was here, eating them. Looking around, Rahab does notice something in the marshy ground below him at the water's edge… That is when warning bells go off in his head, these aren't ordinary animal tracks… This is…
That is when suddenly, his frill stands up as he reacts just in time by leaping backwards, and his eyes widen in shock as he sees something he never expected to see… A Black Dragon Wyrmling, who was snarling at him, having just missed their first attack. That is when something rises in Rahab, a burning hatred he never knew he could feel as it takes over his mind, and he roars at the Black Monster, who roars back and battle is joined…
Despite the enemy getting the first strike, Rahab lashes out first and bites down on the Chromatic's neck, biting down hard as lightning courses through the black dragon, the creature shaking off the Bronze Dragon before getting struck upside the head with a swipe from his paw. The Black Wyrmling roars back and lashes out with his breath weapon, launching a torrent of acid from his maw. There is an intense burning sensation as Rahab had barely managed to brace himself for the blast… Some of his Bronze scales are tarnished by the hydrochloric acid, leaving an easily identifiable scar on his chest. Roaring in rage and agony, Rahab charges in to finish this, biting down on the wyrmling's neck once more, the creature roaring in pain as it struggles to get out of Rahab's grip… Unfortunately for the obsidian menace, everything falls silent after an audible cracking and snapping of vertebrae and the Black Wyrmling's body collapses to the ground in front of Rahab, who is breathing hard, despite the pain ripping through his chest…
However, before he recovers his senses, he unleashes one last mighty roar at the top of his lungs, the sound echoing for miles as the adrenaline finally leaves his system. He looks down at the Black Dragon, almost shocked at how quickly the creature fell to him… He also feels a sense of disgust so palpable that he can barely contain it. This wyrmling wasn't much older than him, and yet he felt an unbridled hatred towards the pitiful creature that he lost all sense of reason while fighting it, almost as if something primal had taken over him. The disgust he felt was not at the Chromatic, but at himself, and all he can feel is shame for having killed this poor creature, even if he was defending himself.
However, as he turns to leave, he looks down at the creature as he feels a sensation in the back of his mind: Hunger… For some reason, he wanted to eat the corpse of this creature, not out of a sense of actual hunger, but almost as if… He doesn't know what this feeling is… But he feels obligated to do so, almost as if he were to show respect for his fallen foe by allowing them to become part of his flesh…
Dragging the Wyrmling's corpse onto the shore, he unleashes a concentrated cone of lightning, scorching the Black Dragon's body to a fine char before… He takes his first tentative bites into his fallen opponent. He doesn't know how long he had been there feasting upon the Black Dragon's Corpse, but by the time he comes out of his food trance, he sees the skeleton of the dragon on the ground, picked clean of all of it's flesh, not even the organs were left behind. He looks at the Bones of the Black dragon and brings them to a tree where he does his best to move them into the hollow beneath to let them find peace as he makes a quick prayer.
"My, you seem to have been busy!" A voice calls to him, in which Rahab turns to see Bahamut walking over to him in his human form.
"Lord Bahamut…" Rahab says, looking at him, shocked, to which the God notices the corpse of the Black Dragon Wyrmling, picked clean of all of it's Flesh. "I…"
"Have nothing to explain to me, child." Bahamut says, "What you did was only natural, at least under ordinary circumstances."
"What?"
"Though Metallic and Chromatic Dragons hate each other, they do not hesitate to eat the corpses of their foes after they kill them, to us Metallics, it is a show of respect to our enemies for their strength as we take it into ourselves, though for the Chromatics, it is more of a display of dominance." Bahamut says, "What you did is natural, but unlike most, you are a Dead End, so killing and eating a Dragon of the Enemy Faction has other benefits."
"What kind of benefits?" Rahab asks, and, as if on cue, a dribbling of liquid flows out of his mouth and hits the ground, startling Rahab, and he looks in shock. "Did I just drool out acid!?"
"Indeed you did, by eating a Black Dragon as a Dead End training to be an Ascendant Dragon, you gained the power of the Black Dragons, namely their ability to utilize Acid, combine that with your natural talent for Lightning and it is a deadly combination if you know what to do with it." Bahamut says, smiling, while Rahab looks in shock at this. "However, if you are still unsure about this then let me tell you something that the First Metallic Dragons believed way back when they first started eating their enemies." He sits down On a nearby log as Rahab lies down. "During the Early Days in which I was a young god, there was a group of Metallic Dragons who were idealistic, and missed the days when we lived in harmony with our Chromatic counterparts. They began wondering how they could reunite with our evil brothers and sisters in harmony, with many attempts failing, until, one day, a Metallic defeated a Chromatic in battle, in which he lay dying. "Why do you eat our kin when you defeat them" the Metallic asked, "Is it a show of dominance, a display of your might and vanity"."
"The Chromatic looked his opponent in the eye as he lay dying, and had no reason to lie, "It was so that I could be with you all again" He said weakly, "By eating Metallics, I could take in the essence of Metallics as well, and I could be accepted by Bahamut again… I don't want to be evil… I want to be good again" the Chromatic would tell the one who defeated him, "If I took in enough Metallic Essence, maybe I could've become Metallic myself ".
"The Metallic would shake his head,"You are a misguided fool" he would say, "However, perhaps you are onto something… I will eat you now… And I will not leave a piece of you behind, not a scrap of muscle or a string of sinew, and if what you say is true, then if Lord Bahamut permits it, you can be redeemed and we can take the souls of the other Metallics, as well as you, to Mount Celestia, To the Dragon's Eyrie. If this works, I shall vouch for you… Worthy Opponent" The Metallic said to his opponent, and true to his word, he left not a scrap of flesh or a string of sinew behind, and brought his opponent's bones to his lair to keep him close." Bahamut says, "When he died, it was not only his soul that rose to Mount Celestia, but every Metallic Dragon his enemy ever devoured followed close behind, alongside his Chromatic Enemy who inspired the idea. Ever since, all Metallic Dragons eat the corpses of their fallen chromatic opponents that, when they die, they can rise to the Dragon's Eyrie on Mount Celestia and to eventually be reborn as Metallic Dragons themselves. Thus began the practice of Sin-Eating."
"Amazing!" Rahab says, clapping his paws at the conclusion of the story. "Is it true though?"
"That, my young friend, is something you'll have to find out for yourself!" Bahamut says, before setting down a bag. "You should take these with you! Good luck, and safe travels! Oh… And from now on, call me Fizban!"
"Yes, sir!" Rahab then opens the bag to find fungal pods inside. When he looks up again, Baha- Fizban is gone.
Mallow Village, One Hour Later
"Where is he?" Gregory asks, tapping his foot, "It shouldn't take that long to get some Fungal Pods."
"Well you forget people have been vanishing in the Black Marsh recently, so it's been a bit dangerous."
"And you sent the kid out there on his own?"
"I would've sent you with him, but you're still not used to that new leg of yours!" Roxanne says, being honest, "In any case, I think you are worrying a bit too much!"
"I worry just the right amou-" Gregory says, but then notices the sound of footsteps heading their way, in which he looks to see Rahab walking over to them limping as he groans in pain, and Gregory sees the injuries, "Oh dear Gods, what happened!?"
"I found the one responsible for the people disappearing…" Rahab says, groaning in pain, "It was a Black Dragon…" He then brings forth the bag of bulbs, "Here, Roxanne!"
"I'll worry about that later!" Roxanne says, examining the damage on his chest. She looks at it carefully, "You really took a beating from that Black Dragon…"
"Had I been one wit below my abilities, he would've killed me outright with his breath attack…" Rahab admits, "I barely managed to brace myself in time for the attack…"
"Well I can easily patch this up, but it is going to leave a scar." Roxanne says.
"I'd rather have the scar, it will remind me of my first real battle against a Chromatic Dragon." Rahab says, smiling, "Right…? Jet…?" He says, smiling as the name comes to him, almost as if it was in the back of his mind, and the scar itself seems to radiate a black aura from it. Roxanne, seeing it, begins channeling a golden light from her hands and slowly, Rahab's injuries begin to heal, with the scar warping itself in response to the magic, taking on the form of a hawk's silhouette with it's wings spread and it's beak at the base of his neck. He smirks knowingly as he looks at the scar turned tattoo upon his chest with a smile on his face as he feels his strength fully return to him.
"At least you came back to us in one piece, and now we can make our way up the mountain to the Monastery, where you can officially introduce yourself to the Monks!" Gregory says, in which he smiles as he shoulders a large backpack with a smile, "So shall we?"
"Lead the way Gregory!" Rahab says, smiling as he looks at the older monk, who nods as they begin the trek up the path to the north, which leads past the houses towards the foot of the mountain and leads up a long winding path up the mountain.
Dragon's Reach Monastery
It took the remainder of the afternoon to reach the top of the steps leading up to the monastery, but upon arriving at the main gates, Rahab looked up with a pure look of awe. He had not seen Notre Dame in person, but from what he had seen of it from pictures, movies, and TV shows, seeing an actual cathedral like this was awe-inspiring… The Architecture, the design, all of it, but most inspiring of all is the great stained glass window that depicts a Platinum Dragonborn with Five Hands, each holding one of the five Chromatic Elements.
Entering the Monastery with Gregory, they are slowly approached by someone with a high official standing. "Gregory! You're late… What happened?"
"Got the supplies, was attacked by a ghoul… Lost my leg." Gregory says. "And nearly got killed by a Cultist when I got back. I doubt I would've made it here if not for my new friend."
"Oh?" The official says, turning to Rahab. "Oh I know you! You're Rahab, the Bronze Dragon of the Mantaruva, Correct?"
"I was but do I know you?"
"You probably don't recognize me, but I was actually the one who officially turned in your records and blessed you after the Mantaruva made port after the salvage expedition that made your birth famous! So you wouldn't recognize me!" The official says, "In any case, what has brought you here?"
"I… I need your help…" Rahab says as he goes to describe his encounter with the Black Dragon Wyrmling and how he was hoping to train under the Monks in the Way of the Ascendant Dragon, which the official nods as he listens.
"I see… That is quite the predicament… Still it is good of you to come when you did, unfortunately, training will take 10 years at least." The Official says.
"Why 10 Years?" Rahab asks.
"Because you're not just going to be learning how to control your powers, but seeing a Bronze Dragon walk into a town is going to be something that will cause quite a bit of problems for any party you join, for if you wander into the territory of a Chromatic Dragon, regardless of your skill level, all of you will be targeted and killed. Thus we will be training you to take on a humanoid form to better hide yourself from other dragons."
"I can see your point… So you're basically going to be putting me through boot camp to get me ready for the outside world?"
"I don't know what you mean by that, young dragon, but let's go with that analogy then." The Official says, chuckling. "Oh and before we begin, I think it would be a good time to introduce myself!" He then smirks at Rahab, "I am Abbot Grigori Rasputin. A Pleasure to meet you!"
"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Rahab!" Rahab says, smiling at the man. With this, the doors to the Monastery slowly close… In which Rahab hears a raven and turns to it.
The Fortress of Memory, The Shadowfell
The Raven Queen smiles as she looks at where the pieces fell upon her board with a smile on her face, smirking as she looks upon the map and begins to wave her hand to allow time to pass, in which she smiles as she summons an obsidian tablet to her hand and begins tapping on it, making some adjustments to what is on there with a smile on her face as she smirks. She changes a few things about the young Metallic Dragon with a smile on her face, namely modifying his actual dimensions, increasing his physical height to 6ft, length to 30ft, and wingspan to 60ft, smirking as she looks at the modifications she made, smirking under her mask. However, that is when she smirks, "There is no rule that indicates in this version of the Dragons that indicates they can take on a human form… So…" She smiles as she taps a piece of the pad and opens up a new tab and opens a new character sheet with a smile, "I will be making a copied version of your current abilities onto a new body, one that will match you in every way, and both forms of you shall grow stronger together…" She smirks, "This isn't how it usually works for a dragon's Shape Changing abilities, buuut I think this time an exception can be made, especially if I write it up as Divine Bullshit!" She cackles as she places the pad down and then rolls the two dice again. "Now what could possibly go wrong?" The dice land and, once more, she facepalms, "Oh goddammit Bubsy!"