Jade dragons are rare and that was before many were recruited to fight against demons or slain so those who know how to use a strange magic that captures demonic taint and destroys it. While the home of a Jade dragon cannot hold against the full might of the demons, anything short of an army will never reach the dragon itself. Now they are more reclusive than other crystal dragons or may have become extinct. Regular Jade can be used for the same magic but does not work as well as those the dragons grew and treated. Ironically it was the dragons themselves who taught other the magic they were hunted down for.

Adrian

I leave the journal to seep in the spilt blood while we begin to gather anything that can be of use. I make sure to strip our vampire captives of their equipment before placing them in Void Cache as well.

After a few minutes, I am pulled to another room by Ria to see dozens of cages with goblins and orcs inside. Set up as a blood farm like the one I saw in Kansas City. On a worn but relatively nice table is a book.

Ria passes me it and I skin the contents. Beginning research notes on goblin metabolism and why they are able to grow larger than the volume of what they as a group consume. Interesting stuff, I wonder how these results are right but this isn’t time for that.

I flip to the front to see a ledger and a single name on the outgoing shipments jumps out to me, Anath Ravnos. Meteus told me the truth, this vampire has dealings with Ravnos. I should be able to get information out of him. I already have an address here but just knowing stuff was being moved to this address won’t be enough.

I go to the more recent activities to see logs of meetings with the US government and more shipments to Anath, a lot more. There aren’t any notes on the meetings but if there was more than one they’ve recently started colluding and that means I can’t let the government know where I am anymore.

This vampire has deals with both, the Ravnos were looking for me. That’s why dad isn’t with us anymore. The government has been trying to keep tabs on me. Are they also working together? I can’t risk it. I can’t let the government know anything anymore.

Anath will learn soon enough that I went after the vampires here if I return. Then he won’t be surprised when we attack him. I need new plans, faster plans. I can’t sit on this information for long or it will become a trap.

“Are you okay?” Ria asks me, worried. I think she can feel me over the bond she made.

“Yes, thank you. We are just going to not get much rest for a while” I answer her as I pull her into a hug.

She smiles and licks my cheek, I repeat the action even though I would rather kiss her. It’s some display of affection for her.

“Let me know if you find anything else.”

I return to the main hall, the journal is probably soaked enough for whatever reason my dad wanted me to do this. When I pick it back up it opens on its own revealing a message in his hand.

When the others take everything from you before using you in a ritual, remember to resist. I’ve altered what their spell will do. You may lose yourself for a time but it is all I can do for you. I love you son, please find happiness when this is all over.

I stare at the page confused but somehow I know this is the last thing I’ll ever hear from my father. Advice I carve into my mind even as the book that holds it ignites in scarlett flame. A few tears fall before I join the others in gathering everything we can possibly use.

I look in my vampire victim's eyes for one last time before burning him. Neither of the two would say much of anything and we don’t know any magic that could compel them.

“At least we learned Anath will be alone” Bryan states, apparently vampires don’t count any more than a demon in his patron's eyes.

“It is better than nothing” K says trying to cheer me up. She enjoyed watching the two vampires suffer but no one else did. Well Ria liked knowing they were in pain but not watching.

“We also need to worry about the US working with him though” I mention.

“You found something?”

“Ria did, the duke had dealings with both our government and the Ravnos. Althaen too for a while but that’s not what matters, the chance that they are talking can’t be risked.”

“If so why haven’t they just captured us?” Bryan asks.

“They want to do some ritual and use me in it, it must not be ready yet.”

“Then we must destroy it” K says.

I nod, we are in agreement. The twins and Ria will agree and so will my mom.

“Let’s continue on I have an address to where a lot of expensive things were be shipped to.”

“I’ll let the others know” K says before leaving.

Bryan looks down for a moment, “I’m worried about Abagail. She almost died today and I don’t think she can handle a fight like we will probably have.”

“If you need to leave to protect her go. I’m your friend but she’s basically your wife.”

“Yes, you’re my friend and you need me. Also don’t tell Abagail this but when I burst into darkness, that was me dying. That vampire cut my heart, so my lichdom is a success.”

I just look at my friend for a moment, “I’m sorry. We’ll leave Abagail behind but you have to convince her.”

He sighs at that but says, “thank you.”

When the two of us get back to the main hall everyone else is there waiting for us. Bryan pulls Abagail aside and they begin whispering to each other before she begins to very quietly but viciously scold him. I guess she isn’t agreeing to not risk her life.

Lysan walks up to me and pulls a book from the magic satchel and says, “there are a few bookshelves worth. I want you to have them, I can’t read the language.”

I smile, I can sort of understand the title. It’s Latin but I have my mother’s books of I ever need to translate it. I’m sure there is at least one translation guide in the small mountain of books sitting in Void Cache even if she doesn’t have one.

No one says anything as Bryan with his head down follows Abagail back to us and my mother pulls out a map of the sewer system and the city itself.

“Where” is the only word she says and I answer with the address for Anath's property.

After a short search on the map she begins to guide us through the tunnels. It takes us a few hours to get to the nearest exit and Lysan and me spent the time skimming over the titles of the books as she passes them to me.

Once outside and covered by what illusions we can manage, we quickly find ourselves in front of a large and spacious albeit old house. I’m starting to think everyone I end up fighting against prefers older architecture. I don’t use any of my magics to detect if anyone here but Ria does.

She holds up 3 fingers, we have a numerical advantage then. Hopefully that will be enough. It’s more likely to if we manage to remain undetected so we continue past a rather creaky gate and are most of the way to the front door before I notice someone else playing with the fabric of reality.

It took me a moment and that moment cost most of us our opportunity to get a cheap shot in. Several men and women I’ve only seen in family photos teleported in. It was all a trap.

I throw a bolt of lightning at the nearest but it was already too late, my attack is blocked but I smile that it took more than one to block it but that feeling does not last long.

Blasts of energy hit us along with bullets out of firearms from those Ravnos that felt really weak to me. Abagail lasts only a moment before a bullet passes through her head even as I try to suppress the ability for the weapons to fire. Their collective might is too much for me to overcome.

Bryan goes berserk teleporting through shadows as he butchers the man who shot Abagail. Too much is happening at once for me to keep track of, K takes several bullets as she shifts into her hybrid form to maul another. I can’t see the twins, Ria or my mother from where I am and can only hope they survive.

I manifest my claws and release a Radiance Breath at the strongest of the Ravnos here, it catches him by surprise as it wasn’t a power they were expecting. That man dies and I reach another and claw my way through his face before someone stops me with a strike to my ribs with either telekinetic force or compressed air.

My Ravnos magic is still suppressed but I manage to heal myself enough that breathing doesn’t hurt much and charge at my nearest enemy. The faint ball of emotion in the back of my mind goes faint and I turn my head to see Ria knocked down to the ground and shot while only the chaos of melee is keeping the twins from suffering the same.

My mother shifts into her dragon form the superior size allowing her to kills several as once before she dies via bullets through her eyes, their magic apparently ineffective against her. I roar in rage and their attacks pass through me or around me in some trick of void magic as I rip one of my uncle’s in half. Flickerings of darkness alert me to Bryan exploding in shadows as he dies and revives again just outside my sight.

Just after more people teleport in K stops moving and the twins collapse, most of the Ravnos had died but now there are six more before me. One if them is my grandfather who smirks and covers Bryan in a sphere of light before he is shot. This time my friend does not reappear out of the shadows and I fall to my knees as the full force of these six's ability to bend reality to their will is slammed down on my own.

I can’t move, each of them are as strong or stronger than me. All I can do is glare in hate as tears for my dead and dying family and friends fall. I shouldn't have lead everyone into this, they are now all dead because of me. I promised myself not to allow anyone else I cared about to die but ruined it by my choices. . .

“He us much stronger than expected, was this really worth it Geldath” asks a man I don’t recognize towards my grandfather.

“Of course, when the ritual is done none of this will have happened. We can’t afford to do anything less now” my grandfather answers.

“Only because you had us spend most of the family's lives capturing him. Let’s just get this over with, I’m missing my shows for this” interrupts my aunt.

Geldath nods before walking towards the mansion, the others follow him while I am dragged by whatever bonds are holding me.

I don’t pay attention to the furnishings of the building as I am effectively dragged to the basement. Despair, sadness and rage swirl in my mind before I am brought to the center of a large set of runic circles.

The last words from my father run through my mind for an instant but they are still confusing. How can I be happy with all those I care about dead?

My bonds disappear as they are replaced by those this place puts on me. I push against them to the amusement of my captors but the last words of my father and my nature demand I resist.

The pressure I feel grows and turns to stabbing pain before Iscream out as something strikes at my mind and I hear shattering glass as everything goes dark.

I find myself in the comforting emptiness of the void as I am slowly moving in some direction.

Why do I feel sad? Am I missing something?

No answer comes to mind as I continue to drift for what feels like both a moment and also forever. Then all of a sudden, I can see once more, I am lying in a forest. Birds are chirping and I see a setting sun from the base of the tree where I lie. I feel tired and fall asleep.