Bral, The First Rays of the Sun

It was noon, when I finally arrived at the hamlet of Blud'Ston. A small town protected by the Lord of Fire like all other land locked communities. It had been months since I received the news of Cynthia's departure. The news of my child being born, and what happened to her family. The only thing that mattered, was that we had a child with draconic blood in its veins. That alone was enough to make the elders curious enough to have me retrieve the boy if he was still alive.

According to the noble I questioned, and was hired by, the child should still be alive. Some kind of monster was guarding my son, and it will be allowed to live when the time comes to retrieve him. Until then it was a leisurely stroll to Eclipse, given the war going on. The hamlet was bustling with activity as soldiers and mercenaries had their wagons along the outskirts of the walls. We weren't too far from the elves, and I couldn't simply fly to Eclipse with everything going on.

Which meant, I was given the opportunityto sample the local tastes, and find a few more women to keep my bed warm at night. Still this place was lacking in defense, since I was just able to walk right past the open gate. None of the mercenaries felt like questioning me, and none of the guards on the walls saw the need to. I could hear the whispers of a 'huntsman' arriving. I suppose I do look the part, with my odd eyes, thick cloak, and grizzled appearance. I appeared as a weathered man, still young and in his prime, a gruff beard, and dark hair tied back.

The humans shied away, most looking at me with respect or fear. Many held a mix of both, but I did not need to pay attention to the views of such insignificant creatures. They were at their best as bed warmers, and paying proper tribute for our protection. Such short, insignificant lives they lead. I strolled through the road, men and women parting before me. Driven on by instinct, as mothers quickly pulled their children from my path.

Looking around, I found the sign that marked a tavern, and I decided I would treat myself to some ale and a warm bed. Upon opening the door, I saw all manner of man pursuing their vice of choice. Some playing cards, while others smoked. Some were told where to go to find a bed warmer, while others indulged in the meager food that was offered. Those sober enough to pay attention nodded at my arrival, before returning to their idle distractions.

I found an empty table, and rested there. A pleasing bar maid approached, ale in her hand. She was clearly nervous, and jumped a little when I gave her my attention. "M-my apologies huntsman, we don't have much ale left with everyone here." She had a decent figure with light brown hair. Her face marred by freckles, but her outfit clung in just the right places.

I gave her a grin, as she set the ale down. Then I gripped her forearm, causing her to freeze. "Is this all you have?" She slowly nodded, while I enjoyed the valley that peaked out before me. She wore a sweet perfume, that hid the sweat she had worked up from serving since morning. I let my words roll off my tongue, "I'll need more. If my drink runs out, maybe you'll sate me in other ways."

She blinked, a blush washing over her face. I met her own eyes, which made her shudder again. She swallowed hard, contemplating my offer, "I-if it would please you, master huntsman. I just hope your coin and tongue are one and the same."

I grinned at her, releasing her arm. She pulled back discreetly, while I slid a gold coin onto the table. She hadn't hoped for so much, but she was clever enough with her words. Perhaps she'd intentionally leave my flagon empty for a few moments, if only to volunteer herself. She took the coin with a curt nod, before tending the other patrons.

I listened to the idle banter, as men talked about more reinforcements coming. They discussed the war, and the fodder sent before them. How some monster known as the Count, or Bloody Death had sacked every village it arrived at. The atmosphere was somber, as many believed this was their last respite before having to face the monster as well. They talked about how the monster was a vampire of all things, and the rumors those that fled had spread.

Quite a few still enjoyed themselves, since vampires only attacked at night. Others spoke about how rich they'd be if they were to attack during the day, and killed the monster in question. Naturally they made their excuses about having more honor than a blood sucker, or how the monster should be weeks away. Others commenting on how it did surprise them how fast it moved. The atmosphere became more enjoyable as a bard entered and began playing his cords.

The magical notes helped to lessen the general anxiety most of the men held. They talked about their marching orders, and how they were going around the curve of the land bridge to prevent the bloody death from taking their land. That they would stand with the others coming to meet the vampire in force, facing against his horde.

It was the arrogance that bothered, when it came to this 'Count.' One monster shouldn't be allowed to push a kingdom this far. Not when the land bridge was protected so well. If the thing did manage to push halfway through, then even the elders might get involved. I weighed my options, deciding that if our paths crossed, I would watch how the battle went. If needed, I would protect the village and fatten my horde for my efforts.

Hours passed by, the bar maid becoming busier as more humans came and went. The clever girl had decided to accept my invitation, leaving my flagon dry for a couple minutes while giving me a sly wink. Everything was pleasant, until I heard the patter of rain hitting the roof. It was sudden, but something felt off. People began screaming outside, while the world suddenly became darker. The scent of blood tainting the air.

Men ran inside covered with the dark red liquid. They cried out that it was raining blood outside, and soon every human was moving. The better trained ones were running outside to get their armor and weapons, while others were quickly asking for a healer to sober them up. I calmly stood up, making my way towards the bar maid with my empty flagon.

She was shaken to her core, tears escaping her eyes. She even jumped as I put the flagon to her bust, getting a nice cup full of them. "I need a refill."

Her face went through a few emotions, before she settled on slapping me. The sound rang out, making the other men in the room look for the source. I smiled, while she held her hand in pain. I stole a kiss, before whispering in her ear. "Don't worry, I won't let this tavern fall."

She smiled a little, taking my flagon to refill it while the men found their backbone. I looked over at one man staring at me, and grinned. "You there, gather the people that aren't fighting. Bring them here, and hide in the basement if there is one."

The man blinked, "S-sir huntsman, isn't the church a better place?"

I shrugged, "I gave my word that this tavern won't fall, and I intend to keep it. Unless you're saying that the church is more able to protect you than myself?" I could hear the sound of combat outside, fresher blood spilling past the gates. The brutal conflict of war brought a smile to my face.

The man paled, running outside shouting at the people to come to the tavern. I briefly wondered how many might listen, while settling down on a table closer to the entrance. The fetid scent of undeath lingered, as it was clear who was attacking the village. The bar maid brought me my flagon, "Will you be able to fight if you drink too much?"

I let out a small yawn, only half looking at the door. "There are vampires attacking, and the ale won't get me drunk. Once they step foot through the door, I'll head outside."

Her eyes went wide, "Why are you waiting until then?"

I tilted my head back, drinking some of the ale. "My fighting style takes up a lot of space. The soldiers outside are supposed to allow the people a chance to get someone safe or run away. When I don't have to worry about killing people I should keep safe, is when I'll actually start fighting." I looked behind her, "Might want to send a few people out to get boards and nails. Cover the windows, block all the doors save for this one. Might want to keep anyone that can actually fight up here in case anything tries sneaking past me."

The bar maid nodded, "Thank you huntsman, I'll get on that. W-what do I call you?"

I raised a brow, then smirked, "You can thank me after everything is over, after all you left my drink empty for a bit. I plan on collecting. As for the name you'll be moaning tonight, let's go with Dagon." I wasn't feeling very creative tonight, and if things got serious then I'd really need to turn into my dragon form.

The bar maid nodded quickly, before getting the others to move. She was very adorable when she blushed, almost like Drake's mother. I wondered briefly if she was killed by the monster, or died to an assassin before the monster got my son. It didn't really matter, she was just another bed warmer that would die in maybe fifty years, but if she was still around I could try for another brat with her. I mused quietly, while the men and women that filtered in started getting to work on the barricades. The smarter ones paid tribute by sliding coins onto the table, and making certain I got all the ale I wanted.

I could hear the people dying outside, I could feel the souls departing. The vampires were in a frenzy, with all the blood raining down. It was an impressive display of power, but I was certain a group of dedicated vampires were used to just keep it going. The strange thing was that the blood that was raining down, was crawling along the edges of the village, before flying back up with the blood from the humans dying outside.

Finally the line broke, and vampires started to filter past the walls. It felt like it had been so long since I saw a vampire. How their souls were held to their bodies by a fragile connection. A banshee scream could probably send the entire army to the afterlife, but we didn't have any of those here. I might try roaring when I'm far enough away from the people here.

The humans finished boarding up every window, and entrance. The women and children went into the cellar, while those that could fight stayed up here with me. There were a couple ladies that stayed behind, clearly adventurers, as well as maybe ten men. I downed my flagon, as the vampires started to approach. In a classic fashion, the leech barged through the door hissing at the people it made jump. I slugged him in the temple, while his brain matter exploded.

I cracked my neck, before stifling another yawn. The body was bleeding on the ground, twitching slightly while I stood in front of it. It was more a pain knowing I'd have to find someone to clean my clothes after this. I gave an over the back wave, before kicking the body out onto the streets. Vampires stopped what they were doing, save for those in the church where people were already dying left and right. The inferior creatures looked at me, different breeds of vampire hissing or yelling their displeasure. Most of them seemed mindless, meaning they were thralls. It really was sad to see how far the human army had fallen. To not be able to even defend against a horde of thralls.

I shook my head slowly, waiting just under the porch of the tavern. I briefly wondered why the humans had so much trouble with these creatures, but just as quickly I noticed the blood was making a thick mist. I could see through it easily with my eyes, but human perception was so very lacking. They couldn't tell if it was someone they needed to slay, or a friend right beside them. I begrudgingly accepted the cowardly action as clever.

The thralls let out inhuman sounds, before charging after me when they finished their meals. My raw strength was enough to cave in their ribs and crush their hearts, or outright separate their skulls from the rest of their bodies. The black blood stained my fists, while I walked out into the bloody rain. There was a leader of the horde here, some kind of vampire that should stand out compared to the rest. If I killed that, then the others should die when the sun comes out.

These same thralls continued trickling in through those defending the walls. They were all probably dead by this point, given how hundreds more entered the village. All that challenged me, were met with a swift end, barely worth recognizing as a threat. Their hands couldn't even scratch my cloak, let alone my scales. Their fangs broke when they tried to bite into my arm or fists. It was extremely underwhelming, but such was the life of a dragon.

I craved for a real challenge, an actual battle. The blood in the air was starting to affect me, as I felt a stronger individual enter my perception. More lesser souls filing in after what was likely the vampire leading this war. I advanced, slaughtering any thrall that attempted to stop me. The tavern would be fine, and if I needed to turn into my dragon form then it would be better where I couldn't be seen. The humans would keep my bed warmer safe, it was only thralls after all.

Finally I reached the wall that had fallen in some spots. Likely an earth elementalist's last ditch effort for culling the attackers. I shook my head at the lack of discipline, and how they made it easier for their enemies to invade. I let out a slow breath, as more thralls filtered in, then slammed a fist towards them. My fire spiraled around my arm, before blasting outwards where the thralls were coming in. The stone itself began to melt, as the creatures hardly had the time to scream.

I lowered my fist, blowing debris away. After all, a dragon didn't need to climb a wall. They walked right through it, and that's exactly what I did with the now gaping hole. The ambient heat causing the blood nearby to cook, while a group of wide eyed vampires stared at me from where they stood. There were quite a few of them, maybe a few hundred, while there were thousands of thralls. None of them appeared to want to challenge me, and started to retreat. The powerful one I felt, looked at me and turned to flee with them.

Then I felt the true leader enter my field of perception. Not a second too soon as I almost threw my fire at the cowards. My eyes moved towards the position of someone that made my wings stiffen. Someone that could properly challenge me. A tall vampire with chiseled features and hair that fell into the shadows of his cloak. His crimson eyes glowing without any pupils or white. His skin a deep gray with a bit of paleness to it, and standing taller than any of his cowardly kin.

He uttered a single word, that rang clear despite the forms gathering around him. "Retreat." They looked at him with shock, but that word carried an absolute weight to it. The thralls stopped their advance, and began fleeing from the village as fast as they could. The other vampires merely nodded when the figure pointed in the direction of another village or town. More importantly the arrogance of the fool was on display. His eyes did not meet mine once, as he merely evaluated my form for a brief second.

Blood moved to the vampire lord's will, circling above him, while my fire spiraled around both arms. I aimed for the retreating forms of his kin, deciding to see if his hubris had any merit. A tide of blood washed in front of my jet of fire, crystallizing before the impact and protecting the inferior creatures. I grinned at the vampire, who lightly stroked his beard. "Interesting fire, you're no mere elementalist are you?" He shifted his entire body, to stare directly at me.

I felt the weight of his will warring against my own. He was making an attempt to dominate my mind, and force me to yield before we even began to fight. The fury born of this outrage had me gritting my teeth, as I shifted into my true form. I roared my anger, watching as more than a few thralls fell before my display. The vampire lowered his head, clearly more upset at the loss of his thralls than my form. He was in the presence of a dragon, and he dared ignore me!? I craned my head back, breathing pure fire at the arrogant monster.

Like a true coward, he did not meet my attack head on. He simply jumped above it, standing on a platform of blood. The vampire turned his back on me, watching his kin still retreating. He dared to show his flank to me, and so he would die here today. I jumped towards the insolent creature, that moved with after images left behind. A jet of blood coming from the orb above him struck the scales on my forearm, enough pressure was used to blast a few of them off, threatening to cut into my muscle.

I swung my neck, biting at the monster, who moved back with a deep frown on his face. I lowered my entire body as another jet of blood threatened to strike my mouth. Blood spikes rose from the earth, crystalizing, but with only enough pressure knock a bit of fire out of my mouth. I rolled with it, avoiding the jets still coming at me. I felt the fire raging in my stomach, as I infused it with my magic. I breathed another gout of flame towards the monster, forcing him to dodge again. Then I swung my head towards his orb of blood, robbing him of his strongest attack.

The bastard rose higher into the air, forcing me to fly after him while he made another orb of blood. He still had the arrogance to look down at me, smaller orbs floating around him. I twirled my body, avoiding the jets, and breathing more fire to stop the others I couldn't. Finally I let the fire in front of me, cover my body while I decided it was time to end this.

The extra speed from my fire armor allowed me to protect my mighty scales even more, while the speed from my magic fueled my ascent. I bit onto the feet of the damned monster, that only let out a soft, "oh,' before my fire enveloped every bit of his being. I let my power burned the arrogant creature to ash, deciding he wasn't even worth eating. I angled downwards, still breathing fire as I landed a good bit away from the wall. The blood rain was letting up, while I walked back towards the tavern to get my fill of ale. The humans could deal with the rest of the army later, I had more important things to take care of.

The Count

Skin and bone melted to nothing, as the dragon's fire flared. My lord's pact activating and a random traitor of my own blood sacrificed in my stead. I sat up on the table, looking at the bodies of those foolish children. The cold air, and darkness a fine tomb for those I couldn't raise properly. The lord sat up on another table, stretching his limbs. "About time, tell me what you think about the dragon coming here."

I lowered my head, as the king swung his legs over the side of the table. I got up, kneeling before him as soon as my feet touched the ground. "A crimson dragon with expert control over fire. It is likely that his bloodline was blessed with the ability to polymorph given that he was in the visage of a huntsman when I first laid eyes on him. Not a true threat to Eclipse, as he appears rather young, but a threat to any that cannot fell a dragon, my lord."

Lord Charles folded his hands between his legs, with a deep sigh, "Which is why I needed you here to make sure that none of my pieces die. Did you fuck up the scales on his arm?"

I nodded once, "I did all you asked, but why not let me kill the creature? What use is it to us?"

A wicked grin spread across his lips, "There are a lot of possibilities here, and no body will know about the event save for the dragons. If we killed him, then those pesky elders would use it as a reason to join the Fire Lord's cause. The war would get uglier, and we don't need that. On the other hand, I want that bastard's arm so I can curse it and use it as proof a dragon came into Eclipse without merit. They are still prideful and arrogant even after we saved their asses from the Jub-Jub and Naga war."

"Of course, my lord, and they tend to 'forget' our aid whenever it suits them. Citing that humans cannot keep proper records, and elves are liars. What is the end goal of all this?"

He leaned back, staring up at the ceiling still located deep inside the Hole. "Showing you a new blood line of vampires that just cropped up because of a bug. The one that you met at the ball."

My eyes went wide, as I tried to remember the creature in question. I stood up immediately, grasping my lord's throat, lifting him with ease while he didn't even struggle beyond his hands upon my own. My voice was low, filled with the mirth as I whispered in his ear. "Why did you not tell me sooner?" I couldn't even recall the creature beyond it looking like a dark elf.

"Harder Vladdy." I released my lord, glaring down at him as he chuckled to himself. "You would have killed her, before she had her second brat. The one I need to bring back my wife. Not to mention killing the bug pisses off a demon that razes Eclipse and kills all of your people. That's why I do the thinking and planning here. I just need you to stick around the woods to the East, and keep your presence hidden. A lot of different things will happen, but I need you there to make sure no body important dies."

I was seething inside, "What about the new bloodline? Are you going to let them die without any guidance!?"

My lord got back on the table, standing on top of it, hands on his hips. He looked down at me, "That's the thing, they won't die because they are connected to the bug. Even the bug won't die if she loses her body, but I need her to have that body so I can get my wife back. I'll explain it while we walk out of here. Especially since you're so fucking marvelous when it comes to detailed reports." He hopped down, and started walking. I lowered my head, following after him.

Oswald's Journal

If there was any race that would inadvertently ruin the world, it would have to be dragons. More stubborn than a Dwarf, and prideful to a fault. It takes the death of another dragon close to them, or someone beating them to near death before they open their eyes to the changing nature of the world. Avoid dealing with them at all costs, because the headache isn't worth it, and they tend to view 'lesser' races as beneath them.

It is important to know that every dragon has a talent, and with their souls they are seen as masters of their magic field. This couldn't be further from the truth, since a lot of them don't understand the nuance of advanced forms of magic and tend to channel raw power until they win. It's extremely lucky when they realize how to cover themselves in whatever power they have, but that's more due to the durability of their scales than actual control.

All dragons have scales that hold multiple layers. They are armored, and appear to shine or glitter in the sunlight thanks to these layers. Should you break past the top three layers of scales to the larger bottom ones, you can start doing damage to them. The large scales take weeks or months to heal properly, and while the dragon will not feel pain from it being damaged it is a weakness to be exploited.

When fighting a dragon, it is important to know that you will not overpower it with the magic it has. Many theories are debated, but the most likely one is that they can channel more Aether with their mass, and souls. Stay defensive, and use your presence to protect yourself. Run if you have to, and never deal with dragons.

As for how they reproduce, typically most dragons are male. The females are exceedingly rare, and typically protected by at least ten of their kind. Because of this, dragons will capture other species to use as consorts or pseudo mates. This usually involves the youngest dragons while they can still be fought off, but killing a young dragon will result in their parents becoming involved as well. As for what the consorts are used for, dragons can breed with a number of different races, and beasts to varying degrees of success. Elves typically sire naga or lamia. Humans are much rarer, but can have hybrids or even dragon born. Dwarves are harder for them to breed with, but typically result in kobolds or even gremlins. I have no idea how it works with beasts or monsters, since there is no conformation. They tend to want more intelligent 'bed warmers' however.

There are some decent dragons out there, and their culture revolves around their council of elders. Do not confuse a dragon with a wyvern, or other scaled beast, since they will either kill or kidnap you on the spot. Dragons have four legs, and a set of wings on their back, while wyvern have two hind legs and a set of wings in the front that function as front legs. Drakes of course do not have wings, and it just isn't worth it to disagree. If you manage to kill one, their bodies are worth a lot. Though make sure you have a good record of the events and why, since more dragons will come if you kill one.