“There you go, Raghes. Now don’t be so clumsy next time!”

It was a quiet day in Westedge. Not a cloud in the sky, and the grass was losing its crystalline coat. On a property nestled by the Grand Shrine, some of the unluckier dragons were recovering from their ill fortunes. A fresh breeze had set in; it was a perfect day for the sick and injured. In the yard, two dragons were arguing, one rubbing a sore foot on the grass.

“You speak as if I stumbled over that pebble on purpose, Divinity be damned. As if I haven’t been injured enough as is!” said Raghes, shaking his head. The black dragon at his side threw up a throaty laugh, his tail drumming on the grass.

“I was only joking, Raghes, nothing more. But you have to admit, it’s quite funny how you find something new the moment the neck’s old news!” The doctor buried his bared teeth under a claw. Raghes growled in disapproval.

“Damn you, Novekk… it’s not a joke. I almost lost my life back there, so I would appreciate a little more seriousness coming from you” Or better yet, you can start acting like an actual doctor, you damned fool.

Novekk opened his wings slightly. “Hey now, Raghes. My motto is to make the best out of the bad, you know that. No need to be so grumpy, you’ll be fully recovered in no time, a scar aside, perhaps,” he said. “It’s a beautiful day today, you ought to enjoy it.”

Raghes groaned. “Alright, alright.” Blegh, that rolled off him like water off of a roof... “Well then, I must say, you have quite the garden here.”

The black dragon’s red eyes lit up. “Beautiful, isn’t it? Lord Lothar had his doubts with my suggestion to turn them into a shrine, what with the Justitians having built it and all, but everyone loves it. Quite funny how that old baron was responsible for building it all. Why did no one in the old kingdom think of doing something similar?”

The blue dragon tilted his head towards the city behind. The sounds of commerce filled the air as the rays strengthened; the streets were filling up with Draconists on the way to the shrine, and people going about their daily routines. Raghes watched on, blue eyes blinking calm for a few breaths.

“I’m afraid I do not know. None of the governors seemed all too interested in projects such as those, as far as I’m aware. It’s quite a shame.”

Novekk scratched at an itch behind one of his horns. “Oh well, the good news is that we can always improve it. Did you know what the shrine originally-”

“...looked like? All the plaques to foreign fairy tales? Yes, I’m quite aware. We gave all that nonsense to a local blacksmith, and turned the garden into a shrine. As Divinity always intended,” Raghes replied in Novekk’s stead.

Novekk laughed. “Haha, you are quite the devoted one, Raghes.”

All Raghes had to reply with, was a simple shrug. “As Divinity always intended.”

* * *

Alleyways. The seedy underbelly of any city. A world devoid of decency, camaraderie, and empathy, removed from the prying eyes of the civilised world. Cold, damp, a refuge for the outcasts, the thugs of society, and for those hiding from the powers that be. But perhaps it was that darkness that brought comfort to some. Comfort to reflect on themselves.

“Will, I know what must be going through you right now. There’s no telling what awaits you and the others out there,” the note began. Months of daily slogging had done a number on the paper, alas: The edges were frayed, and the writing had become smudged. Paper was little against fingers brushing by.

“But listen, we have no choice. I cannot rest easy knowing those monsters who murdered Victor are still out there somewhere. Listen, Will. I know there’s a hell of a lot of bravery in you. You can do it, I believe in you-”

The note vanished into a pocket, and was subsequently sealed off with a button. A drip of moisture fell from above onto the button, then down onto the cold ground. It was but another day in the alleys. Wiping the dirt from his face, William made his way back into the light. The day demanded his presence.

With uneasy breaths, William maneuvered his way through the crowds, ending up at a simple building by the Grand Shrine. Novekk’s own medical facility. The garden was as pleasant as it was two days ago, when William was here for the first time. But now that there was no emergency at hand, one could enjoy it for what it was. Given the two other dragons in the garden, he wasn’t the only one with that idea.

“Oh, Will’s here. Hello there!”

William put his hand up. “Hello, Novekk.” Novekk was as jolly as ever, his tail tip twitching back and forth as the blond head approached. Raghes struggled to tilt his head up, even though he didn’t appear to be in much pain. A thick coat of bandages rested on his wounds, pinned down to the hide by some sort of serum.

“My goodness, Will, where have you been? So much happened these past few days! You should’ve been there to see it!”

A claw grabbed onto Novekk’s foreleg. “Cut the hyperbole, Novekk. Before you scare him off.”

“Nonono, this is something exciting, Raghes. I’ve been working on new recipes for a while, and-”

“He’s not here for that, is he? Besides, wasn’t it you who told him to wait a few days before coming back?”

“Well, err, yes...”

“What’s happening?” William ran a hand through his hair.

Raghes cleared his throat. “My apologies for that, Will. Novekk’s a bit of an active fellow, in case you couldn’t tell. Regardless, it’s been an uneventful few days. My wounds are healing well, albeit slowly. I can assure you that it will all turn out quite okay, but,” he paused to groan, “I’m not looking forward to having a giant scar on my neck.”

A toad jumped into a nearby pond, the resulting splash coinciding with William blowing out a sigh of relief. “Thank the gods. Honestly though, I wasn’t quite sure if you’d make it. I’ve seen plenty of wounds like yours, and the end result of most wasn’t so pretty.”

Novekk shrugged. “Well, he’s a lucky bastard, I can tell you that much. If that bear had hit a little higher, we wouldn’t be standing here today, let me tell you. But thankfully, that beast’s aim was terrible, and I could do my magic unhindered,” he said, finishing off with a wink.

Raghes rested his head against a claw. “Blegh, spare me the details. I’d rather not have the image burned into my brain, if you please. But good, I’ll recover, and that’s the important thing. It’ll be another week or so before Novekk feels comfortable letting me out of here, so you’ll have to keep practicing by yourselves until then, I’m afraid.”

William began to pace around the garden, a somber look on his face. “Okay.” The toads nearby happily played around in the water, little spatters flying onto the tip of William’s boots.

“Is there something wrong, William?” Raghes asked.

“Nothing, it’s just...” William lowered himself against the walls of the clinic building. “I’m feeling a little lonely, that’s all.”

“Well, why is that? Your team is there for you, are they not?” Raghes said from the other end of the garden.

“They’re really not, Raghes. That’s my problem to begin with. I can’t give them orders. Everything I say comes off as a suggestion more than anything, they can sense it. I’m not a leader, and I doubt that I will ever be one.” William shook his head.

Raghes raised a talon to his lips. “Patience, young one. It all comes in due time. Once these bandages come off, I’ll lend you a claw in the matter,” he said, then scratched at the green edge of the white bandages. “Divinity damn this serum...”

Novekk let out a short groan. “Raghes. How many times have I told you to keep your fingers off? It’ll go away eventually, just bite your way through.” The blue dragon bared his teeth in response.

“You blithering bastard, have you got any idea how badly this serum of yours stings? What in all of Terris did you stuff in there? And what is it even needed for?”

The black dragon scoffed. “Well Raghes, if you truly desire to catch an infection that badly, then I surely wouldn’t have any issues leaving the serum out next time. Oh, and it also helps the bandage stay put, but I guess that’s no good either.”

The two continued to bicker. Novekk didn’t appear bothered in the slightest by Raghes’ repeated attempts at slander; the little chuckles spilling from his maw at every twist and turn made that clear. Alas for Raghes, even though Novekk’s treatments were unorthodox, there was no denying their effectiveness.

Meanwhile, William kept to himself watching the toads jump around in the pond. It was quite curious how the creatures hadn’t taken notice of the coldening weather, whereas the toads back home must’ve been preparing for their hibernation by now. William shook his head. The subject was far beyond his depth.

Where on Terris did Victor go to… I haven’t seen him in days now. Raghes is going to send me through the abyss and back once hes healed, and I’m not getting much of a say in it at all. This is going to be the end of me. Vic, come back already…

“William? Is everything alright over there?”

Alas, the nearby future remained a mystery. After that fateful meeting in the gardens, Victor had practically slipped away into mist. Not a scale, not a sound, not a smell left behind, not even a flicker burned into an eye. Even a visit to that orphanage revealed little. He was gone as the winds of a storm.

Why didn’t you tell me anything? Why now of all times? Is everything going well over there, wherever you might be? Gods, how am I ever going to dig myself out of this mess...

“William? Would you mind answering me?”

William took his hands off of his dusty face. Raghes stood before him all of a sudden, curious yet annoyed.

“There you go. What is with the long face?”

The wind fluttered through William’s hair. The toads were caught off guard, hastily fleeing the lily pads for the safety of their hidey holes. “Well then, it appears my work over here is finished. If there’s anything else I can help with, don’t be shy to ask!” said Novekk, as he pushed aside the curtain covering the entrance of the clinic with a claw. Before either had the chance to respond, his tail had already dragged the curtain back to its original position.

“What a piece of work that bastard is,” grumbled Raghes. “But that aside, let’s get back to our little problem here. What is the matter with you, William?”

“Nothing,” William said, one hand snuggling against the hilt of his crossbow, “I’m just a bit tired, that’s all.” He’ll never believe a word of that.

Raghes grunted a tiresome groan in response. “William, you are one impressive hunter, but you are a terrible liar. I can smell the dishonesty from across a field, let alone right here. Tell me honestly, what is the trouble?”

William’s teeth scraped over his cheek. Of course not. “Look. I’m nervous, Raghes. None of these training sessions are helping me out in any way, I wouldn’t know what in...” he paused to take in a deep breath, “...what in Divinity’s name I’m dong. There’s this nagging feeling that I’m wasting my time here, pretending to be something that I’m not. I’m no leader, Raghes.”

A pained frown spreading across his face, William lowered his head. Looking Raghes straight in the eye became a bridge too far. The bridge was far enough as it was, speaking to a creature strong enough to rip his head off by accident. The dragon’s presence alone felt crushing. Then, the sunlight faded. William peeked an eye up, only to see the membranes of Raghes’ wings spread over him as a cloak.

“ No need for fear, Will. A difficult road lies ahead of us, but I know we will reach its end. I will be there with you for every step. Never forget that.”

William laid a hand on the web of bandages. “Thanks...”

Raghes grew a faint smile. “Good, good. Now then, have you had breakfast yet? Because I still have not.”

William shook his head. “No, I haven’t.”

The blue dragon gently tilted his head towards his student. “Well then, would you like to accompany me for it? I could use the company.”

“I suppose. But I’ll have to hurry to training afterwards-”

“And, would you like it if I accompanied you to training afterwards? Novekk’s clinic is a bit too dull for a dragon such as me, you know.” Raghes grinned. A chill went through William’s spine, as the blue dragon’s wings retreated to his back.

“Well, you’re not very healthy-”

“Won’t be a problem.”

“Oh, uhhm...” I don't know anymore… “...sure...”

Raghes’ grin evolved into a hearty laughter. “Hahaha, that is the spirit. Now then, let’s go. Wouldn’t want to keep our bellies waiting, would we?”

* * *

Smoke rose across a blood red horizon. Down on the surface, a small outpost lay asunder. The ground was stained gray and red, a spectacle of war having come to its violent end. Dead men lay stacked by the lazy old pines, twisted and forgotten, their flesh melting away under the oppressing heat. Triumphant cries rang through the skies, as their former quarters underwent the same fate. Dragons all around were counting spoils, a satisfied smile resting on their snouts.

“My, my. How kind of the Justitians to leave such riches for us!” Veraede ran her claw through a small wallet, smiling ominously as the coins glistered in the evening sun’s light. “Hohoho, think of all the possibilities, Merahn. We could build the greatest temples on the carcass of their wretched hives!”

“They stole this from us, Veraede,” Merahn growled. “This wealth belongs in the hands of the people they pillaged it from. That’s precisely who’ll be seeing it. I won’t have it any other way.”

Veraede spat onto the ground beside her. “How do you suppose we punish those filthy beasts? Divinity demands their heads!”

“Easy, sister. Trust the plan. Once our home is free, we will tear their little ‘civilisation’ apart. Nothing shall remain of it in the end. Their riches will become our riches, their soil will be ours, their heresy will be wiped out forever! And the best part? They one hundred percent deserve it.”

“Hah!” Veraede spread her wings fully open. “I’ve waited for far too long, Merahn! We’ve spent years living in the dirt, eating mushrooms and waiting for our time to come. Well our time is HERE! We ought to have slaughtered these animals long ago!”

Merahn raised a claw to shoulder height. “Keep your head cool, sister. Spare your flames for the enemy. Just look at the marvellous sight behind you.” She gestured towards the pyre flickering ever so morose, the souls caught within withering away to their final rest. All around, the beasts of the Hallowed Army were defiling the remains further, spitting pebbles and prodding the bodies with sticks and claws, laughing all the while.

“This is but the first step. Soon, we’ll take Lokahn’s youth under our wings. The green one will only be the first of many. Soon, we’ll bring that fool Lothar to heel, and all the rest of his treasonous flunkies. Soon, we’ll begin to set things right.” The grey dragoness wandered towards the filtered sun, its desperate rays floundering before her feet.

“Justitia will rue the day it set foot on our sacred soil.”