City Laowlee

Her eyes narrowed they adjusted themselves to the dank lighting of the cell room. Jennifer sniffed at the stagnant air, the stink of sweat and urine ruining her senses and wrinkling her nose. Withdrawing her gaze from observing her surroundings back to Domieen, her dark brown eyes were greeted by the sight of his cold metallic claws pulling away loose strands of her fringe.

"No, mage. You're assistance isn't going to be lent to me. I assure you, you're not going to like what I have in mind for you," Domieen murmured, his voice matching their surroundings, devoid of emotion and empty like a void.

Jennifer’s slender limbs continued to hold onto his wrist, but only so much as to prevent herself from suffocating. Trickles of blood pouring from gashes Domieen had created earlier still lined the side of her face. Despite everything she continued to smile at him, her smirk pulled wide across her pale cheeks in an unnervingly delighted expression.

“Torture? Death? Feeling pain and misery is the natural course of life,” she chuckled, her tongue twisting with apparent joy even as his chokehold forced her words to become mere rasps.

She noticed the stony walls passing beside her and realised she was being carried to the wall at the end of the cell. Eventually, her back felt the chilly touch of the black stone behind rubbing painfully against her spine. Domieen's powerful grip loosened their hold then and Jennifer gasped for breath. "Magic and blood. Both are needed to raise him, I'm sure you know of whom I speak of, mage. Our true dragon, our true God. He once was powerful, he once built this land with that power, but he was thrown down into the darkest depths of this world because he had different ideas to the other Gods. However, he sleeps no longer," Domieen explained. A fervent tremble overcame his tone, his ire riled by the injustice within his story. Following this, Jennifer's limbs were pinned against the wall by his dark magic once more, locking her in place.

"Magic comes from those who use it to kill. You've done much for me on your own, mage. However, you're power is raw, unique even. I've never seen such an illusion mage in my life time," Domieen drew is face closer to hers, close enough for her to make out the dimples are his mouth. An alien sensation twisted her chest before she realised it was fear clawing its way into her heart. A fear which sent thrills of excitement rippling across her entire body as his gauntlet enclosed around her chin. "And I assure you, I've lived a long time. Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you, just strip you of your power. Siphon it straight to our God,"

As he said this a sharp sting tore into her neck forcing her gaze to flicker over the black leech-like snake pulsing over her left shoulder. "Pure magic, how wonderful. You should know, using any of your illusions will only speed the process. I don't advise that, unless of course you wish to be a weak human sooner than later," Domieen taunted, drawing her attention once more as he stepped behind the bars, slamming the door shut with a clang. "Don't fret, your assassin will be joining you as well. Don't think I missed that spark of power he possesses now. I don't care how he obtained the vambrace of the dragon God Ieer, all that matters is I will strip him of that new found power and once I'm done with that, I'll bleed him dry. His life will flow into our God and awaken him."

The smile on her face dropped briefly at the mention of Talon, though only for a second. Abruptly, her hoarse laughter bounced across the bland walls and slipped through the gaps in the iron bars, her small frame heaving with each breath.

Jennifer was unable to register the presence of Locien as the dark elf slipping through the doors of her cell. Indeed so effective was his sneaking that she didn’t realise anyone was there until his deep voice whispered into her ears, startling her from her slumber. Brought back to life momentarily, her consciousness swam awake. She looked at the dark elf in a daze, feeling groggy as though she'd been drugged. It wasn't just her mind feeling tired now, Jennifer's arms and legs were growing sore from being locked in an unnatural open position, forcing her to rely on the black magic to support her body.

"Hey Warlock, fancy seeing you here, but seeing these other guys you probably don't look so good. Hang on a sec."

Blinking her eyes in an attempt to focus her vision, Jennifer was only able to respond in a delirious fashion. “Come back for more… you rebels?” she slurred every word. Fighting to maintain her thoughts, Jennifer’s chin bobbed up and down over her chest in a hypnotic trance, her eyes closing and opening.

"Eesh, Okay puzzle time. How to get the webs and ugly off ya, I'd think fire but then there's no torch around. I can't create fire, not natural fire at least. Any suggestions?"

Whilst staring at the man’s hard face, outlines of his high cheek bones and hooded brows eventually began to find definition. The picture of his dark complexion framed within the unnatural hue of his long hair formed fully before her almost like something out of a nightmare. It took precious moments before Jennifer realised that the dark figure was actually Locien. Even then her mind was a wreck. Gazing around slowly, it almost seemed impossible for the rambling doll before Locien to be the cocky mage she was known as.

“Locien? Heh,” she managed finally, scoffing hoarsely at the elf. The motion pulled the air out of her lungs, turning her voice into a series of dry rasps. “You…an expert…in magic now?”

Jennifer’s brown eyes flickered to her left and right in regards to the shadowy braces which held her in place. “Unless…you’re...that gas bag... Domieen…these chains ain’t…coming off,” she smirked.

Jennifer’s body froze like a statue as Domieen’s dry voice cut through the air in the cell room, filling the space with his cold, calculating embrace. The rebel spoke with a calm confidence which managed to unnerve even the illusionary mage through her haze of fatigue. "It seems I may have underestimated your talents, Pride of the Seeker,"

Materializing out from the shadows cast by the dim lights, Domieen’s dark figure stepped fully into view as if he’d been present within the room the entire time. As ever, his true expression was hidden beneath a veil of ambiguity. Even as he raised his hands to summon his nefarious powers, his hood failed to betray the slightest hint of emotion. Jennifer watched as the same magic which held her into place wrapped its way around Locien. The dark elf was seemingly helpless to resist as tendrils of nightmarish origin coiled their way around his legs before encasing his lower body. Only then did the True Dragon turn to regard her.

"It seems you desired to see her. Well then, elf, you get to watch her lose all of her power. Do you think she'll survive from it?" Domieen mocked, moving towards her in a cruel gesture of pure dominance. The arrogance in his tone told her they were his play things, tools to be used and discarded at will. Still bleary from the draining of her powers, Jennifer failed to realise that Domieen had removed the parasite until he dropped it in front of her.

Jennifer’s brown eyes descended to the floor along with the worm in apparent curiosity before Domieen’s gloved fingers wrapped around her jaw again, forcing her chin upwards. "Can't have you dying on me yet, you've got far too much power for that, illusionist. Besides, I have a question for you. Where did that assassin of yours find that vambrace?" Domieen demanded. That assassin. The man's words seemed to jump start her consciousness, as if the mere mention of Talon was enough stir her.

She giggled immediately, her small frame trembling under fits of amusement as her head lulled aimlessly in his grip. “Oh…you poor thing…you're not...stupid enough to expect…me to answer that…do you? You…have nothing…to threaten me with,” she gasped hoarsely, hissing every word out between pauses in her hysterical laughter, “Kill me…torture the dark elf…it’s all the same to me Domieen. You can't do...anything...to scare me!"

Infiltrating Laowlee, The Magi

Magnus’ dark gaze met the invisible horizon of Laowlee with a scowl as he looked ahead. The moonlight rolling over his vacant cheeks, casting deep shadows and battering his exposed skin with cold wind. Soaring over the barren landscape, the red dragons of the Simulacrum guild made their approach in squads of giant ‘V’ formations. The enormous city of Laowlee was only just beginning to settle into view. An ominous black castle comprised entirely on crystalline onyx, it glimmered an exact replica of the starry night sky over featureless surfaces. They were just short of their designated landing zone, set several miles beyond the city walls in order to mask their presence. Flying directly in on dragons would have them immediately detected. From their position behind the hills, they’d follow the river until they reached the city’s sewerage systems.

Purple fire flashed ahead of him. That was Jolie, his second-in-command. The mage was signalling they should land. The other four squad leaders flashed flames of their own, an indication of acknowledgement before they reigned in their dragons and dived. The rest of the task force followed suit, wheeling behind in formation until they hit the ground in puffs of dust. Magnus felt his own body lurch forwards as momentum continued to carry him even though his dragon had stopped. The leathery flap of wings and low hisses where the only immediate sign the rest had landed safely.

Magnus grunted as his padded boots hit the ground with a soft thud. He was probably getting to old for this, he’d be fifty-three two seasons from now. Jolie stood beside him as the other squad leaders formed up, the stick of a man so lean, thin and wiry that his magi robes hung limply around his shoulders. “Sir?” Jolie prodded.

“We follow the brief,” Magnus began, his gruff voice almost steaming the air. “Squad three guards the dragons. The rest of you form up on me until we reach the sewerage entrance. We’re only here to verify the situation, don't commit to anything unnecessary. I don’t believe I need to warn you all of what happens if you don’t return within two hours. You get left behind, kapish?”

There would be no earth magic here, no easy escape if things got bad, onyx was well known for being immune to such manipulation. The other magi simply nodded, too professional to voice their discontent. They all knew what was at stake here.

---

“Ash,” Jolie sniffed, rubbing his finger over the smooth facade of the onyx structure before them. “It’s faded a bit, but the signs are still obvious. Look, there are stacks of rubble over there too.” Magnus' squad were investigating a deserted side street huddled between two double storey buildings, their dark figures hidden amidst rows of piled up rubbish. Barely any light reach the narrow pathway, only the briefest of twinkles from street lamps hanging at either end of the road.

Magnus’ command group had found their way to the surface, emerging out of a man hole which led to the sewers. Their sixth hole now. They’d used illusion magic to disguise themselves as the guards who occasionally patrolled the streets but made no contact with any other beings so far. But more perturbing was that they’d been greeted by the same scenery no matter which location they emerged from. The city was eerily quiet, too quiet almost.

Sighing, Magnus’ brow dipped into a frown at Jolie’s observations. So King Greyor’s reports had been partially correct, Laowlee had indeed been attacked. He was disappointed, not that he particularly cared for most of the feckless inbreeds of Laowlee, but the destruction of his future business was a major inconvenience. Regardless, that officially accounted for all three of the major cities now. The question remained, where were the survivors? If there were any, and what was this dreaded sensation he felt?

Ever since they’d entered the city, they’d all felt it. It was just a gut feeling really, that something dark was being emanated from the city. It gave him the feeling they should explore the city further, even if it meant discovering something far worse. “That’s all the confirmation Greyor should need. I don’t want to linger around here anymore than we have to, shall we leave sir?” Jolie asked agitatedly. “Besides, this place is suspicious. There were so few guards we could’ve almost snuck through the front gate.”

“Maybe they’ve become complacent after defeating the major cities?” Another mage suggested, a young man named Kyle.

Magnus nodded but inwardly wouldn’t hold the idea towards any candle. The whole world knew of the rebels by now. Any sane person would’ve placed more guards in anticipation of some retaliation. Holding his wrist up to his face, Magnus checked the time on his chronometer, a gear driven time keeping device. They had three-quarters of an hour left still.

“Sir! We need to leave now!”

Magnus swirled from the sudden intrusion, though he was hardly alarmed as he recognised the sharp voice of Royce Hampton, sergeant of fourth squad. The man appeared pensive as his head and shoulders took form beneath the man hole.

“By Reev sergeant, what are you doing down there? Where’s your squad?” Magnus blurted out, casting a worried expression down at the man.

Upon closer inspection, Royce’s face seemed to be drained of blood. Though the man was looking up at him, his gaze held a thrill of terror, as if something has scared him senseless. Magnus felt his own features growing serious. “It’s monstrous…those rebels...we’ve never seen anything like this before…” Royce stuttered suddenly, recalling whatever vision it was that haunted him, “Vats, vats, vats, nothings but red vats…So much death, so much blood…”

Abruptly, a yellow fireball scorched the skies above them then. “That’s not a good sign…” Jolie shuddered. The shrieking trajectory exploded like a brilliant firework, showering them in a brief flash of illumination and alerting each and every one of them instantly. It was the signal for ambush.

“Something’s gone awry. Lead Royce out of here sir, we’ll cover your escape.” Jolie grimaced

---

“What a bluster!” Magnus yelled a curse before urging his dragon on with a brisk whip of its reigns, “Faster Yvon! Faster!”

Of the sixteen men they’d arrived with, only seven had survived to escape frantically with him. Magnus could still hear the screams of the red dragons they’d left behind as the beasts felt the excruciating death of their bonds through their links. “Faster Yvon, we need to report this information!”

The rebel did't responded to his question and so Moseun had no choice then to decapitate
him."Killing a bastard like you makes me feel so good."He said then told to Sankar"It does not matter
what happened them now you are speaking with another person."Moseun took an letter from the
ground near the decapitated body and started reading it.On the letter it was specificated that
Moseun must be killed.An order and an mission,but an mission for someone with no experience.
"Laowlee."


He said in his mind. As he whispered someting to the old elf from his clan Moseun took his
claws back and then leaved into another direction.Sankar didn't cared what he was doing and so he
continued to walk again toward Winterfall while Moseun was going to Laowlee.
Several hours later
Sankar was still going to Winterfall while Moseun almost reached Laowlee.He was hunted now by the
cities and by the rebels.While the dragon was flying Moseun asked him"Do you think we are going to
escape from that rebel city once we enter it?His dragon said to him sincerely"No Sir in fact there are
higher chances to die than to escape."


Moseun thinked at the dragon's answer then told"Now i don't
have nothing.I walked on a wrong path and i lost everything.I have one thing to do.To kill Domieen or
at least dying knowing that i tried to kill him."Moseun knew that Domieen was very strong,stronger
then him.Rmembering what he tried to do to Lyuze and Rania but also Locien for him this was the only
way to become a new person and maybe to be forgiven by them.
"This list bringed only death to the peoples who are on it."Moseun told in his mind.He looked at the
sky it was starting to rain,this was something that he didn't liked since it could be considered a sign.A
sign that something evil could happen,but no matter what he was ready to try his luck.


"I hope that maybe i will be forgived for what i did."He told in his mind then started sneaking toward the
fortress.Moseun managed to infiltrate in the fortress by walking in the sewers."So this was the
inn."He told looking at the building in which he was.Maybe he managed to infiltrate the fortress but he
could be discovered very easy.He heard the voice of his dragon in his head telling him "You really want to sacrifice your life to repay for all the deaths you made?"Moseun after a few seconds thinked and told him"I can not make up for the lives i took.Still peoples have the abilities to choose.I choose to follow the good path now until it isn't too late."

Domieen

The Dragon God moved swiftly through the dark corridor of his palace. Down beneath the city he could feel the vibrations of power being siphoned into the vats. The many mages that he'd collected in the past several days and the most recent attack was bringing him closer to raising Barthomel. Already he could feel the dark presence of the old God stirring in the depths of his grave, deep in the territory of the Nephilim. A slow grin spread across his reptilian face under the hood that cloaked him. He'd met with the single presence down there already. One called Thane who'd taken his first lieutenant, Vier to his side. Somehow, that rat of a Nephilim had turned his precious killing machine against him.

No matter, within a day or two Barthomel would raze everything to the ground as it should have been centuries ago. That thought alone allowed him respite against the demeaning thoughts of losing Vier to an outcast. Not to mention that said outcast had some old power that even Domieen was slightly intimidated by. As he was deep in thought he came into a room where all of his books and alchemy were set up. Glasses of liquid substances stood on every corner of every table. Vials of strange herbs or creatures filled every nook of the bookshelves. Some liquid vials were bubbling, others were hovering over open flames, while still others were taking on... different... attributes.

From poisons to making a man go mad, Domieen had created nearly everything possible in the books. However, what he wanted most was the power to raise the dead, and that he'd just about accomplished. With a few more things, Domieen would have the means to fully revive the old dragon. Magic and blood wasn't quite enough to revive Barthomel. The old Dragon would need means of getting back to his spirit back to his body and that was only through necromancy. Domieen ran on silver claw gently across a silver vial. The concoction inside was almost complete.

Across from him, on the other side of the table, was a bowl of murky water that steamed from the magic imbued inside it. The bowl shimmered, the power coming to life as something important was happening. Domieen left the silver vial and went to the other side of the table. Looking into the bowl, the mist on the waters surface parted and revealed a silver dragon bearing a young man with blue-gray hair and eyes. A scar curved along his face, over one eye, and behind him the dark hair of the mage from Ro'ell bobbed.

Domieen's smile grew once more as he gazed at the two who were clearly heading to Laowlee. He couldn't have asked for things to go ever more his way. The final piece to his means of raising Barthomel was coming to him.

Talon V'lyn

Jennifer's words rang clearly at the back of his mind. He had a feeling they were walking into something very deep. He also had a feeling that Domieen wanted them to go to Laowlee, a plan that had probably been in effect since Talon had met the Dragon God back in Skyfall many days ago. It felt like ages had passed since running around the dark streets of his city. The assassin didn't have much time to reminisce about the past as the dark city of the True Dragons rose up steadily before them. From the sky above and below them, Talon caught sight of several hundred dragons. Many of them were bearing riders that wore their armor as assassins, others were most likely that of the Alliance that Locien had spoken of.

Relay to the dragons what they need to do. Open a path for us to the center of the city, Talon told Vy as they approached Laowlee. From the other side of the city walls, hundreds of black dragons were rising up into the air ready to engage in battle. Talon knew the order had been sent out when the dragons around them formed up and shot forwards faster than Vy and his companions. The air sizzled with dragons fire, crackled with mage magic and screamed with the voice of the dragons as they crashed together.

Reaching back, Talon gripped Jennifer tightly to him as Vy pumped his wings hard against the air and looked for an opening. Once the dragon's sharp eyes spotted the small clearing that the Alliance and other assassin's were opening, the silver dragon shot forward and zipped right through it. Talon spared a single glance behind him to make sure that Jennifer was secure and to see if the others had spotted the opening as well. It would be a matter of seconds before they were over the city and from there, it was a straight shot to Domieen.

Vy turned sideways, dodging a falling black dragon, he turned again to dodge another. The ride was less than smooth and though Talon was used to such maneuvers in the air, he was sure that Jennifer was more than just a little sick. The assassin tightened his grip on her from pure reaction as Vy suddenly shot straight up as a large black dragon came right at them from beneath. His reaction was well earned as he felt her slip only slightly, but thanks to his hold, she did not fall. His heart clenched still, at the prospect of losing her.

Vy straightened as they got higher, leveling out and then plunging back into the city. Talon prepared himself as he was sure that Vy wouldn't have time to properly land. The silver dragon swooped low to the ground and touched down for just a moment. That moment was all Talon needed and with a tight grip on Jennifer, he leapt down off the large beast and landed in the middle of Laowlee. Turning to Jennifer, he unsheathed his dagger and looked to the sky as he waited for the others to join him.

"Be ready for anything."

"Anyway my companion it was a pleasure to meet you."Moseun said while wanting to exit the inn he heard someone approaching.He hided into an isolated place from which someone could hardly see him while he was looking to see who was entering.It was a young elf with black robes,an rebel which was carring an crossbow.Looking better at the crossbow he was schocked to discover,that it was Damascus weapon.He had no idea how a rebel put it's hand on it but in that moment angry Moseun jumped at the rebel then stabbed him in the back with the claws.
"How do you have that weapon?"He asked angry.

" I found it near the body of an elf while i was travelling toward Vaye."Moseun realizated that he made a mistake letting the weapon near Lion's body but he was more intrigued about the last part of the rebel's sentence.Why he was travelling to Vaye,and what was the scope of the journey.Moseun asked the young elf and after Moseun obtained the answer to his question he killed the rebel then exited the inn.
"So the rebels allied with Kyle."If Moseun would have stayed too much in Vaye then he would have been attacked by both rebels and soldiers of Captain Kyle.He felt betrayed and alone,the world just changed in one day,in one day so many things changed and he was now alone hunted by the rebels and by the cities.

He took Damascus weapon in order to assure that no one will ever use that weapon.He wasn't going to use it but still he was carring it in order to assure that no will have it and because he hoped that by doing this Damascus will forgive him."Damascus forgive me."Moseun said in his mind."Master what is happening?"The voice of his dragon asked him.Moseun responded shortly telling him that he just found Lion's weapon and that now he is searching the palace.Moseun had an sensation that something or someone was close so he looked at his list,at the name of Talon and Jennifer and informations about them.Strangely their names where near the names of Locien and Lyuze while Damascus name was the first on the list.
"No matter what it takes i will redeem myself,so that i can have a peaceful death here in Laowlee."The elf said.But someone was coming,an rebel was going somewhere so Moseund decided to follow him.When the rebel lead him to the palace Moseun throwed his sword toward him killing him with one strike in the head. Entering the palace he could not believe how many things changed from the last time he was in Laowlee,first Domieen was the ruler of this town for very much time,the location of the palace changed and even the palace itself changed.It was more like a dark and creepy hiding then a palace.
After a few minutes of walking Moseun found the person he was looking for."Domieen!"He yelled toward him then started laughing."I found you."Moseun said in his mind.

Jennifer’s stomach lurched a second time as Vy’s body uplifted, becoming the silver lining in the sky. Amongst the innumerable sensations associated with flight sickness, she could feel Talon’s arm crushing her close to him and issued a silent thanks. Eventually they leveled out, but the reprieve was brief as she looked down and saw the onyx city sprawled out beneath them. Realising what was about to come, a severe case of vertigo suddenly attacked her.

“Oh, I don’t think I’m going to enjoy this,” she confessed just as she felt herself plummeting. The wind rushing to meet her face gained ever more force as they plunged towards the ground, buffeting violently against her tiny body. As they fell, Loawlee rose up rapidly to meet them, a fiery wreck which had been reduced to cinders in comparison to its former glory.

Her breath caught in her throat as Talon leapt off the dragon, carrying her along with him. They hit the ground with a slight jerk, the impact jarring her legs uncomfortably. But, the mage was otherwise fine as she stepped away from the assassin and reasserted herself quickly. Even though sound was muted from within the walls, she could tell the fighting outside was furious. Screams and the resounding roar of reptilian beasts made her skin bristle delightfully whilst a near constant fire seemed to streak the sky. The feeling was elating, even more so than normal. Her senses, driven to unraveling levels of sensitivity from being on constant alert, where frayed and thin.

Just to be safe, she scanned the ruins around them once more, her fingers itching to unleash magic on whatever target was unfortunate enough to cross her path. The stench of death reeked all around them with a persistent aroma. She couldn't explain why but Loawlee felt unnaturally abandoned, decrepit. Like it's inhabitants has long since died off, but such decay took time, an amount of time which certainly hadn't passed since the True Dragons revealed themselves.

"Be ready for anything." Talon cautioned her unnecessarily, already drawing his daggers in preparation.

Looking towards him abruptly, she frowned at his pathetic arsenal of weaponry. “Going to prepare his dinner for him are we?” she leered before outstretching an open hand, “World Fracture!”

A sword shimmered into existence, clearly distinguishable from the glowing outline of its hilt and sheath. It gained form as light particles gathered around it, suspending the object in mid-air. Then, as if to signify the unnatural order of its creation, the sound of glass shattering followed as Jennifer swiped it from the air. Without waiting, she walked towards Talon and offered it to him.

“Something easier to use hopefully,” she grinned broadly, "In the event i don't get to him first of course."

“Going to prepare his dinner for him are we?” Jennifer scoffed as she turned to him and witnessed his withdrawing his weapon. He frowned at her in return to her incessant teasing.

"Really, Jennifer?" He muttered, but even as he spoke her hand had rose up and she summoned her power. The flash of light began to form itself into something resembling a sword, and when she'd finished casting the spell, it was indeed a fine weapon that she swept from the air. The mage took a few steps towards him and offered it to him, the shiny weapon gleamed up at him from her hand.

“Something easier to use hopefully. In the event I don't get to him first of course," she grinned at him. Talon couldn't help but return the smile and took hold of her weapon.

She's thoughtful. You should keep her, Vy chuckled from overhead.

Aren't you busy fighting?

Not so busy that I have to ignore you, my little assassin.

"Thank you, but you know I would have been fine with what I have," he told her, his eyebrow twitching from his dragons teasing, though he was pretty sure she wouldn't hear any of it. Talon tied the weapon to his belt and headed for the doors of the palace as soon as everyone was with them. The black building before him loomed overhead, almost as if it were taunting him with it's mere presence. The assassin frowned up at the castle and ignored the heavy feeling in his chest. Pushing open the double doors he moved inside the room slowly, one hand on the weapon that Jennifer had given him.

There was no light inside and the only illumination came from the opened door behind them. The large room ahead was empty, void of everything except what looked to be destroyed furniture, dark pools of dried liquid on the floor spoke of blood and the railings to the stairwell were broken, shattered into tiny bits. Slowly Talon moved forward, his ears straining to hear something in the dead silence of the castle. Behind them, the door that had been opened slowly closed, throwing them all in pitch darkness. Talon stopped his advance forward, allowing his eyesight to adjust before he took another few steps.

His boots made soft sounds against the floor as he moved. A couple more steps and his body felt as if all the weight in the world had fallen on top of him. With a soft groan, he slowly sank down to his knees, struggling to stay upright. From beneath him, the floor glowed brightly. Strange symbols swirled out from underneath him and their pale blue glow illuminated his pained look. Slowly, his hand stretched for the sword, each muscle burning in protest as he made to draw the weapon. The light expanded a little further around him and then it exploded.

The sound was like a boom of thunder as it went off. The blue light became a torrent of magic that swirled around him, creating a barrier between himself and everyone else. Talon tried to turn to look and see if everyone else was alright or if they were in the same predicament. His eyes spotted Jennifer and the others and it seemed he was the only one to have set off the trap in the center of the room. The light blinded him soon after and he couldn't see anything. Seconds later and the magic faded away, leaving him kneeling on the floor and panting for air.

Talon!?

I'm alright... damn mages...

Be careful... Vy warned.

You really don't have to tell me that.

A hard kick to his side sent him flying into a wall in the darkness. Talon coughed hard and was instantly alert. Getting to his feet he looked to where the attack had come from. He was in a different area than where he'd started and it threw him off slightly. However, what he was more than sure of was who had attacked him. The robed figure before him had the air of authority and power. Talon figured it was Domieen who stood in front of him. Drawing both sword and dagger, the assassin crouched down and then lunged at the Dragon God. Both blades clashed against the man's silver gauntlet, the claws slowly tightened down around the weapons creating a terrible screeching sound that hurt Talon's ears.

Ignoring the sound as best he could, he pulled back, freeing the dagger. With that weapon free he drove the dagger straight at Domieen's hooded face. A soft growl from under the dark hood told Talon that Domieen hadn't been expecting that. The Dragon God moved backwards just enough to where the dagger caught the top of the hood and sliced it open. With the fabric demolished, it fell away from his face, revealing Domieen's lizard like head. Domieen released the sword with a shove throwing Talon back a few steps.

The assassin turned his stumbling into a twist and threw the dagger at the Dragon God. The weapon bounced off of something just in front of Domieen. Talon had to figure that the man had erected some kind of shield to protect against the attack. His eyes narrowed and he drew his second dagger before going at Domieen again. He rushed the Dragon God and swiped at the clawed hand, catching it with the sword. Steel ground once more but Talon had been hoping for Domieen to grab the sword. His body continued forward with his dagger coming around from the side. He thrust the weapon deep into Domieen's side, feeling the knife cut through thick cloth, leather and then skin.

Domieen's mouth opened as he let out a screech of pain and snapped his jaws at Talon's face that hovered inches away. Sharpened teeth clashed together as Talon reeled backwards. The gauntlet tightened around the sword and brought the assassin back in towards Domieen. The Dragon God's other hand snatched Talon's throat and lifted him off the ground. The hold didn't last long, but the crushing power was enough to cause Talon's vision to darken considerably. His body was thrown backwards and he collided with the wall a second time. However, he didn't slid down to the floor from the collision. Instead, his body was locked in one position against the wall.

It took him a moment to realize that he was stuck and when he did, his gaze shot downwards to see that three silver bands were holding him against the wall. One wrapped around his waist, the other around his chest and the third around his right elbow. Domieen walked towards him with an irritated look on his scaly face. Reaching down, he removed Talon's dagger from his side and with an angry growl drove the weapon into Talon's shoulder. The assassin's mouth opened in shock, but he managed to suppress the scream that threatened to claw its way out of his throat.

"To be wounded by a human," Domieen growled in his unnatural voice, "How. Humiliating," each word vibrated the air and with each word the dagger twisted. Warm blood spilled down his chest and side from the deep wound. Domieen reached off to the side with his clawed hand and the hum of power filled the air. A dark snake like creature curled around Talon's leg and made its way up to his other arm with the bracer. Domieen's fingers caught the parasite and with a slight press of his hand, the black mass at its head parted to reveal teeth.

The silver bracer ignited as Talon's thoughts desperately tried to convey that he needed it's power to help him out of the situation. However, Domieen's power countered his and arm and bracer were both pinned to the wall, outstretched from his body. The parasite came next and sank it's teeth deep into his forearm, just above the silver vambrace. Talon winced at the bite, but it wasn't as painful as the dagger still in his shoulder. At least, up until it started sucking on his arm. It wasn't drawing blood, that much he could tell. It was drawing the power that had locked itself inside him.

"I'll drain you of every ounce of magic you've obtained and then I'll see how much blood I can draw from you right after. The brace will be of no use to you, doesn't matter if it belonged to Ieer or not, assassin," Domieen growled, his body and face inches from Talon's.

His eyes were narrowed as he tried to fight off the burning sensation through his arm. It was slowly spreading from the parasite to the rest of him. Breathing was becoming a chore and it hurt to take too much air. His hand clenched and unclenched as he fought back, the silver bracer glowed and started to brighten once more. The power that would have been activated took a turn for the worse and the scream that had been suppressed filled the air. Talon immediately released his hold on the power and slumped forward in the hold of the silver bands.

"The more power you use, the more painful it'll be. How stubborn are you, assassin?"

"Stubborn... enough," Talon panted back and tried a second time, but still gained the same result.

Talon!

The assassin winced yet again as he felt his dragon's body attacked by more than just one black dragon. The claws dug deep into Vy's thick hide and caused a bit of discomfort to Talon.

Worry about yourself. I'll be free in a moment...

The silver light expanded, growing in intensity as he fought back. However, the more power he pushed from the bracer, the more painful it became. Still, he could feel that he was making progress. The bands that held him against the wall were cracking and the little beast hanging off his arm was expanding so much that it looked like it would pop any moment. Domieen, however, didn't look at all afraid. If anything he looked pleased at what he saw. Finally, the silver bands broke and Talon fell forward onto the floor. His body curled in on himself and he reached over and ripped the disgusting little snake thing off his arm. It slowly began to shrink and as it shrank it curled in on itself upon the floor.

"The last piece to my puzzle. My dear assassin, you've done quite well to assist me," Domieen said as he knelt down next to Talon.

Talon turned his head and glared at the man next to him. Domieen reached out quickly and snatched the assassin's throat once more, bringing him close. The sound of something opening filled the air and Talon tried to get free, but his body was numb from all of the pain earlier and he felt as if every limb were like lead. Even the magic in the bracer wasn't responding and each time he tried to call on it his head felt as if it were going to explode from the pounding headache that was steadily growing. He was utterly tired and he wasn't even entirely sure why.

Domieen leaned forward and both men fell to the floor, with the Dragon God on top and pinning him to the ground. Something cold pressed against his lips and a burning liquid followed. As soon as it was in his mouth, Talon coughed, trying to rid it out of him. Domieen's hand clasped over his mouth and nose, forcing him to swallow or fall unconscious from lack of air. Domieen leaned down towards his ear and the God's evil laugh filled Talon's hearing.

"Even your pretty little mage will find this difficult to purge from your body. Enjoy dying slowly and losing your sanity with it. Now," Domieen stood up, raising his hand over Talon's prone form. Magic lifted him up off the ground, his body arching slightly as he went. "Let's go see that mage of yours shall we?" Both Domieen and the assassin disappeared via the Dragon God's magic.

After accepting the sword, Talon secured the blade to his side, "Thank you, but you know I would have been fine with what I have," he said, insisting that he was fine. Jennifer merely flashed a grin as she resumed walking along the trail ahead, “If you say soooo.” Her voice was amused, and she showed no signs of believing a word of his stubborn persistence.

It didn’t take long to reach the archaic palace. Once majestic, Loawlee’s bastion of power had fallen low indeed to the corruptive influence of the True Dragons. The unrelenting black structure was nothing short of sinister. The prospect of entering it alone was sending a shiver of fear up the lithe mage’s spine. Who knew what nefarious traps lay in wait for them. Watching Talon shove open the front doors, Jennifer’s eyes lingered wistfully over his back as she edged closer to him, biting the bottom of her lip anxiously.

The state of the interior was as much of a mess as the crumbling city outside. Scattered furniture and congealing splatters of dark, rancid matter caked every surface. Their sole ray of luminescence melted away as the doors shut behind them, engulfing the group in pitch black darkness. The sudden lapse of illumination made her head snap back at where the exit should’ve been. Jennifer tried to calm herself, mentally forcing the air in and out of her lungs in a bid to calm her feverish heartbeat. The rapid thumps resounded rhythmically in her ears. It worked until she realised Talon had disappeared in front of her.

The sharp, shrill sensation of fear stimulated her entire body as she heard the muffled sound of a groan. Glowing symbols revealed that the assassin slumped over his knees, just meters from where she last remembered he’d been. “Talon!” she screamed, reaching out hands out towards him, knowing she was powerless to help, but needing to try to prevent his capture. She was too late to act as the trap initiated itself, an awful cracking sound coming from the insidious spell. The barrier rebuffed her efforts to reach him, thrusting her onto the ground in a state of panic. In the next instance his figure vanished, consumed by a beam of white light.

Absentmindedly, Jennifer stared at the space where he’d just been, her face contorted in mixture of disbelief and despair. How could she let this happen? Her shoulders sagged as she gave an audible moan, slamming a clenched fist into the ground. Jennifer stood up on her own accord, her eyes constricting predatorily as she felt the immediate impulse to vent her fury. She locked onto several True Dragons who’d taken the opportunity to ambush them. Blades and magical explosions flew at her remorselessly and Jennifer collapsed backwards as everything hit her. Silence followed as the True Dragons monitored her still corpse.

Suddenly, Jennifer’s body jerked into life, rolling backwards and pulling itself up. Her limbs twitched chaotically, completely unharmed by the attacks. “World Fracture,” she uttered, falling forwards and then vanishing entirely from view. She reappeared abruptly behind them all like a vengeful phantom, followed shortly by a dozen wide slashes which tore apart the room with an explosion of splinters. Their screams echoed in front of her as the True Dragons crumbled, limbs, organs an all adding to the already considerably mess of the room. The mage's chest heaved as she glanced around. This wasn't enough, this wasn't nearly enough. No, she wouldn't be satisfied until Domieen was nothing but a unrecognizable corpse under her grasps.

"Where are you Domieen!!?"

Domieen

"Where are you Domieen!!?" Her scream echoed in the palace causing his lips to pull upwards and reveal his sharpened teeth. His reptilian features sharpened as he gazed down at her from the top of the balcony appearing there just as she'd finished destroying his men. Her power was amazing, the pure raw energy that radiated from her. It was delightful to watch, but there was something about it that was a bit odd. He still had yet to figure out what it was, but that was for another time. Slowly, he manipulated his power and pulled the assassin's body out over the entrance of the palace, dropping him down just low enough for the mage and the others to see.

"No need to shout, my dear. What has you so worked up?" He asked her from the darkness overhead. His cold laugh filled the air right after. He knew what it was she wanted and he was holding it right in front of her. "Oh, I know what you're missing. Your assassin, yes? Well, here he is little mage," he said but he didn't release the spell that held him suspended over the entrance hall. The young man's body was arched, his arms hanging down and his head fallen back with his hair away from his face to reveal his scar. Blood ran down his right arm, dripping from his fingertips from the wound in his shoulder. The dagger still protruded from his body as well.

The assassin was unconscious no doubt a result of the poison that Domieen had given him. It was of his newest creation, a type of poison that would slowly kill and drive a man mad. He'd been longing to test it on the young man just to see what kind of chaos the assassin would show him. The Lord V'lyn had much to offer, his fighting abilities and the power that he'd inherited. Domieen wanted to see more, though. So as he'd planned, he'd taken the young man, taken his power and then drugged him. It was just the start of the impending doom that was to befall Dragoon.

"His bracer is quite formidable. And annoying. However, he's given me just what I needed. The last bit of magic to raise Barthomel. I've finished everything else," Domieen's voice was thick with elation as it grated in the air over the others, "A little more blood wouldn't hurt though. Thanks to your fearless leader, lovely mage, he's led you all here to be slaughtered. Sacrifices for your new God. He'll be raised in a matter of hours, I'm sure you can already feel the stir in the air. His hum of life breaking through the atmosphere as he comes crashing back down to his body. You'll know true fear then, that I promise you all."

The assassin twitched in the hold, seemingly becoming stiff rather than limp like he was. Domieen laughed softly at the sight. Blood slowly trickled from the corner of his lips, a pained expression unfolding across his unconscious features. The Dragon God leaned against the rail and shot his gaze down at the company below.

"Looks as if it's started. How entertaining. Tell me, little mage, how do you intend to fight something you cannot see?" Domieen asked as he pushed off the railing and melted into the shadows once more.

"No need to shout, my dear. What has you so worked up?"

Jennifer reeled on him restlessly, her sharp features unhinged and maddened by the all too familiar laughter. Peering through the darkness, Jennifer could barely distinguish him behind the blanket of shadows which surrounded the upper floor, but the ruthlessness of the former dragon’s tone was unmistakable. “I won’t let you kill him Domieen,” she snarled, a terrible fear in her darkly lit eyes.

Observing his audience below, Domieen was like a magician unveiling the grand finale to his macabre show. "Oh, I know what you're missing. Your assassin, yes? Well, here he is little mage," Domieen teased, reveling at her visible despair. As if on cue, Talon’s unconscious form was dropped ceremoniously before her as Domieen dangled the assassin’s body mid-air like a puppet master.

Jennifer’s eyes narrowed at the man’s handiwork, her jaw clenching in outrage as she took a faltering step towards her beloved assassin. Talon’s clothes were stained and ragged. A glint of silver drew her attention to the crimson rivers running over the arm situated beneath the dagger wound, draining his blood. Just looking at Talon forced her into a state of minor asphyxiation. Despite the horrible injured appearance of the assassin, Jennifer remained quietly stiff, refusing to grant Domieen satisfaction of seeing her lurking temper.

"His bracer is quite formidable. And annoying. However, he's given me just what I needed. The last bit of magic to raise Barthomel. I've finished everything else," the True Dragon announced. Jennifer was amazed to detect true delight as the former dragon spelled out their doom; the first time she’d ever heard him express such an emotion. "A little more blood wouldn't hurt though. Thanks to your fearless leader, lovely mage, he's led you all here to be slaughtered. Sacrifices for your new God. He'll be raised in a matter of hours, I'm sure you can already feel the stir in the air. His hum of life breaking through the atmosphere as he comes crashing back down to his body. You'll know true fear then, that I promise you all."

The mage’s eyes twitched, her veins surging with the need to exact revenge. She hadn't even noticed the dark elf had returned. Finished with his ultimatum, the railings above creaked as Domieen’s considerable weight left them. "Looks as if it's started. How entertaining. Tell me, little mage, how do you intend to fight something you cannot see?" Jennifer took a deliberate step outside of the shadows behind Domieen before Locien or the black dragon could act, one arm outstretched and aimed at the reptilian humanoid. “World Fracture,” she hissed, blasting Domieen from the balustrade and past the dark elf who'd just leapt up.

Jennifer’s doppelganger on the ground floor fizzled and faded away as the barrier’s formwork burst apart under pressure. Falling from the upper storey in a crumbling heap of scalded limbs came Domieen, and several bits of the metal railings along with him. His jumbled mass hit the solid floor hard, reflected by dull crump of the impact as Jennifer’s fireball streaked overhead, lighting the air above on fire. But the illusion mage was far from done. Landing nimbly besides Domieen, she stepped in line as a circle of Jennifers congregated on the True Dragon, emerging from the darkness like phantoms. Flickering within the onyx floor, each and every one of her reflections was hellish, wreathed in a backdrop of the flames above. “You talk too much,” they all scowled at once and then proceeded to send a dozen lances his way.

Domieen was hardly surprised as the floor beneath him caved. He had felt Jennifer's power right behind him but he was a moment too late. The Dragon God was letting things slide, but that didn't really matter. In no time, Barthomel was going to rise up from the depths of his grave and reign fire down upon the pitiful world.

He crashed into the floor hard, fire erupting all around him and with it came the mage. She dropped down next to him, her figure wreathed in flame. The sight alone would have been enough to terrify any human, but Domieen was no human and he only grinned at her rage. In a matter of seconds he was surrounded by apparitions of herself and he easily picked out which was the true one. Slowly lifting himself he caught the forefront of her attack.

The spears all collided into one spot, him. Many of them shattered on impact as he'd raised his fist and sent out a wave of magic to deflect hers. However, because she'd made multiples of herself, a few of those spears were bound to get through, and they did. He felt the sharp points of many spears go through his clothes and deep into his body. He growled in frustration as he felt the wounds deepen with her power. However, he wasn't about to let a mere human take him down from her pitiful tricks.

His arm began to glow as he glared at her from the other side. He'd waited so long for this moment that he was almost rushing his original form back into place. He needed a bit of time to do it, and the mage in front of him was a nuisance. A distraction... anything to distract her from his true purpose to the glowing of the gauntlet. His lips pulled back, a strange smile on the reptilian face.

With a flick of his free hand he pulled the assassin's still prone body away from the others and put him right before Jennifer. Perhaps it was a gamble, seeing as how she'd already reacted to the state of the young man a few moments before. But it was only a mere second that he needed and his form would change. On an after thought he turned his hand over so that his fingers were outstretched before Talon's body.

Slowly he curled his fingers and the assassin reacted. Swirls of blue light wrapped around him and seemed to dissolve into him. The silver bracer on his arm brightened, combating the effects. Domieen let the power wrap around the man for a little while longer than launched him right at his mage lover.

As she dealt with the assassin's body as a missile, he turned his magic to her annoying spears that stuck out of him and his power resonated around him. Every spear that had struck him cracked and then shattered as his magic powered up. The gauntlet on his fist grew larger just as his body seemed to grow larger as well. Slowly, Domieen was returning to his dragon form.

She realised what Domieen was planning too late as Talon's body was flicked towards her like a rag doll. Jennifer braced herself as she saw the incoming assassin and remained perfectly still, she was going to catch him. The collision ruined her concentration, making the numerous copies of herself disappear as she was forced to deal with the immediate issue. His weight alone struck the air from her lungs as Talon's muscular frame smacked into her chest, winding her. Jennifer stumbled a step back, staggering, but she refused to let the assassin slide as her arms wrapped themselves under his armpits, securing his chest. Her desperate need for hope was rekindled as she felt the slow rise of his chest, indicating he was still breathing. He was still alive. Her legs buckled as she lowered Talon to the ground slowly, all the while glaring at Domieen. The man's form was distorting horribly before her, but all she could do was raise her right palm defiantly, acting as if she was about to cast another spell. Instead, she smirked wryly.

"Now Locien!" she yelled.

He'd seen the Seeker dropping down at him from the balcony above. The man wielded his sword with deadly precision as he fell down towards Domieen. However, the dark elf was far too late as the last of the Dragon God's spell finished and his body contorted completely. Even so, the blade cut deep into the dragon's shoulder, drawing a thick line of black blood across glittering onyx scales. The dragon came into his natural body quickly as soon as the spell faded away. The gauntlet enlarged as he grew taller and longer. Spikes grew out of his face and along his body, long fangs lengthened, his talons as well. The long tail that was nearly twice his length was thick at the rear and steadily became smaller and more whip like the closer to the tail it went. Spikes grew more frequent further down the tail.

Domieen whipped his tail around, crushing the pillars of the building, adding to his destruction as his enormous body began to destroy the ceiling. Enormous, thick, leathery wings snapped open and crushed the sides of the palace. The ground beneath him cracked from his shear weight. The moment he finished his transformation he'd destroyed nearly the entirety of the palace. The only thing that saved the group from being crushed by the rubble was Domieen's body. His wings had outstretched and threw aside any debris that may have fallen on the two elven women and Locien who was on his other side.

Beneath him almost directly lay Talon and Jennifer, also saved by the falling rocks by his large neck and head. The Dragon God's serpentine head slithered downward and deep red eyes narrowed in on the mage and her assassin lover. Domieen pulled back his lips and bared his large fangs at the pair. His voice grated in the air as he spoke to them, it sounded almost as if he hadn't spoken in years, and so the God's voice scratched and groaned as he bunched in closer to them. Every muscle in his body tightened as his wings shifted constantly and his tail whipped about behind him.

"If you've no fear before... you should know fear now," he snapped his jaws right before the mage's face and in a single swipe tossed the assassin away from her. His talons slammed down around her, caging her before slowly closing, drawing crushed rocks in around her too. His red eyes were focused on her only, his power slowly seething as he watched her in elation.

"I'll crush you slowly, little mage."

A roar of fury came overhead and Domieen barely turned his head before he reeled forwards and his jaw opened emitting an eardrum crushing scream of rage and pain. His claws released Jennifer, but they weren't out of the woods yet. Domieen stumbled around in the room, his large feet slamming into the ground as he wriggled and writhed under whatever was attacking him. For a few seconds it could be seen that something had latched onto Domieen's large neck. A flash of silver was caught as Domieen tossed his head from side to side. Vy had dive bombed from the air above and latched onto Domieen's thick neck. Vy was large himself, but Domieen was nearly thrice his size and thus dwarfed the silver dragon considerably.

Vy gave another roar of anger and continued his assault on Domieen, flapping his wings hard against the air as he lifted himself upwards and tugged and pulled at the Dragon God. Finally after what seemed like an eternity of fighting, Vy managed to get Domieen to take flight and the two dragons left the crumbled palace.

Vier

"Come in Vier. I was just getting some effects in order."

Vier heard his call and went to his voice. She leaned in the doorway of where he was working and eyed him for a bit. Her gaze caught what looked like some kind of mark on his arm and she smiled.

"Interesting tattoo you have there," was all she remarked. She figured by now that even if she wanted to know something he wouldn't tell her unless it was absolutely necessary. Even so, she thought she would try. Whether it worked or not didn't matter at all to her. As she stood there she felt a slight tremor in the ground and her lips turned from a smile to a frown. It came and went so quickly that she dismissed it as her own imagination, especially when Thane didn't seem to do anything. However, a few seconds later and another tremor hit, this one much more apparent.

Vier pushed herself off the doorway and looked around, an eyebrow raised. The tremor faded, but it didn't last long. A couple seconds later and the ground was shaking so hard, she found it nearly impossible to keep standing. She leaned against the doorway and held on in order to keep her footing. This time the tremor lasted much longer and as it continued, Vier wondered if it was ever going to stop. That was when she felt it. A terrible power that seemed to be boiling into her very core. Something was coming and it wasn't pleasant.

Without saying a word to Thane she bolted from the door and made her way to the outside. In the world of the Nephilim she felt the power rising. In the desolate landscape she looked out across the orange like rolling hills. In the canyon where she'd fought the creatures that Thane had risen, she saw the earth rising and falling as if something was trying to break free. A bright white light shot down from the sky and penetrated the earth, sending a shower of dirt and rock all over. Involuntarily Vier had raised her arm to protect her face from the explosion.

When she lowered her arm her eyes widened and her heart shot to her throat. So, Domieen's fulfilled his take then... She thought to herself. Though she wasn't happy in the least. No, she was actually afraid as she stared upon the enormous dragon whose gaze was set towards the sky. The beast hadn't looked around, nor did it look like he planned to. He was the biggest dragon she'd ever seen in her life, dwarfing all dragons alive. So was this what the old Dragon God's looked like? No wonder they were considered Gods... They were enormous, and his power.... His power was frightening. She could feel it like heat waves rushing off of him.

Her heart slammed in her chest as she gazed at him. In the next instant, the orange and red dragon spread his wings slowly and then in a single jump into the air, he shot off into the sky. Vier could feel the power that he was using to move so quickly, and then that same power tore through the artificial orange sky overhead and he disappeared into the world above... into Dragoon.

"It's over..." she said softly, "Dragoon... it's...."

"It's over..." she said softly, "Dragoon... it's...." Thane followed her outside with a steady gait, the tremors and light show ... "Unimpressive." He muttered, the word hanging noiselessly in the air. Thane turned to Vier, a light in his eyes, but with him it could be rage, awe, or some other emotion entirely. Until he spoke that is. "You think it's over Vier?" He asked, his voice dripping with a mix of rage and anticipation. A twinge of something else mingled with his words, fear perhaps? With what he knew was coming for himself, maybe. But otherwise it must be ... something different.

"You've no idea when these things end do you? No this has just begun." A snap of his fingers brought a swarm of small bones, almost like a wave and carrying his sword, to his side. "This ends with the death of one, or with the death of all Vier. You know exactly what I'm speaking about." With one swift motion, his sword was in his hand, the handle facing Vier so she might grasp it. "You know what I'm asking you to do, but the answer is up to you." Marks that mirrored the one he'd branded himself with earlier shone through his shirt with an eerie violet glow. If it hadn't been the possible end of the world, it might've been an astonishing sight, as the cracks in the earth beneath them pulsed with the same light.

The marks themselves then warped and shifted into a curl that spiraled once, twice, three times on his chest until the tip stopped on the skin above the center of his heart. "You have your target." He said nodding towards the deep, lavender spiral as his arms outstretched to either side. "I can't promise anything besides a chance, but it's better than nothing. Now, your answer. Are you strong enough?"

Domieen’s hulking form came forward into the light, hunched low, his throat muscles sinuous and plated within dark scales. Its huge limbs, locked at the knees, strained to support the titanic bulk of his reptilian head and body. Tiny fierce eyes glowed in the recesses of each side of Domieen’s head, as if peering out off some great abyss. The entire room creaked and cracked away under the immense pressure of his growth, tearing like wet paper and sending an avalanche of boulders hurtling into the ground. The sound alone was deafening, like the earth was being torn asunder. Domieen’s transformation left the palace a crumbling wreck as he glowered over the party.

His vast lower jaw distended, under biting long, sinister teeth as he bellowed, "If you've no fear before... you should know fear now." The old dragon’s voice was like smoke lost to the wind, emitting animalistic sounds from his inhuman voice box. The words, if they could be called that, where almost prophetic.

Claws ripped the assassin free from her hold, thrusting Jennifer violently towards the ground, her body making a sickening crunch as it collided with onyx stone. The mage cried out as she slumped haphazardly across the floor, right arm broken. More rocks crushed painfully against her tiny frame as Domieen’s claws closed around her, distorting her limbs in unnatural ways as she lay helplessly prone. Domieen was right. Every single cell in her body shivered and quaked with fear. Jennifer was terrified, but not terrified of death. With her one working arm she struggled to reach out between his razor jail. She needed to get up, to heal Talon, to save the only one she loved. She couldn’t die here.

"I'll crush you slowly, little mage."

Jennifer could barely hear his voice past the searing agony of her own arm and she doubted he could hear her, but she cursed at the old dragon in any event, “It’s too bad you’re so fat now that you’ll no longer be able perform your favorite choke hold.” Vainly, she twisted and kicked in what little room she had to manoeuvre, like an ant caught between a thumb and a finger, desperate to escape.

With a roar that sounded like thunder, Vy emerged from the clouds like a sky rocket, ready to tear Domieen limb from limb. The sound of his distinct growls was like sweet relief to her ears. Clear, unfiltered sunlight bathed her entire body in warmth as Domieen claws lost their foothold over the palace floor. Each movement was like a miniature earthquake as two great beasts fought for control, Vy striking the old dragon’s neck with ferocious snaps of his maw. Heart pounding and high on adrenaline, Jennifer scrambled away, evading the giant, flailing limbs of Domieen as she rushed back towards Talon. The slightest hit would’ve likely killed the fragile mage, but miraculously she avoided them all. Where Locien or the others had gone, she did not know for the chaos was greatest then.

Upon reaching Talon’s unconscious body, she tugged at his clothes with both arms. It took her a precious second to realise the futility of the act as one of her arms was still crippled with mind numbing pain. Adjusting her methods, she swapped to using her left arm, gripping the nape at the back of his head and hauling him clear of the falling debris. Jennifer’s legs strained with the effort of dragging him, but she refused to stop until Domieen and Vy took off.

“I know I wished for the destruction of civilisation, but this isn’t anywhere near as fun as I thought it’d be,” she stammered through gritting teeth.

Covered in dust and grime, Jennifer crouched over Talon and yanked out the knife impaling his shoulder. After thrusting it to the side, she rested her left palm over the bloody wound. Urgently, the mage began re-knitting his damaged flesh back together, working like a surgeon dealing with an emergency patient. Jennifer could still feel his heartbeat beneath his shirt, faint and slightly erratic, but nonetheless there. It reassured her more than anything else in the world, rekindling her hopes. “Common Talon, wake up!” she hissed, her voice thick with emotion.

“Just hold on…you’ll be fine,” she quipped, pressing her bloody hand over the open wound before her.

Talon started with a groan, his blue-grey eyes sealed shut by the pain and confusion no doubt rife within his body. The gesture alone was enough to encourage her and Jennifer channelled the rest of her magic into closing the last of his wounds. She wasn’t sure she’d even have enough left to mend her throbbing right arm, but the pain was something she could endure for the moment.

"Who... are you?" Talon asked. His voice was softer than a murmur, but she felt immediate relief as he started to breathe in slowly, merely attributing his case of mistaken identity to fatigue. Before she could answer, he moaned and folded into a fetal position. Jennifer flinched as she hovered uncertainly beside him, her left hand curling into a tight fist to arrest her panic. Talon’s tanned face was riddled with pain, his old scar wrinkling alongside his eyelids as they clenched together. Warily, he pressed his hands against his waist, appearing like he was about to burst apart from the inside out. Jennifer barred her teeth as she desperately looked for the source. She’d dealt with all of his wounds, so why was he still suffering?

Abruptly as it had arisen, the agony seemed to subside. Given the chance, his body relaxed and unraveled as whatever had wracked it relinquished their hold. "What the hell..."

“Easy sunshine.” A small grimace of pain swept over the mage but she forced a smile on her tight lips. "Jennifer..." Talon had risen slightly as his arms extended out to her face. She did not move, to busy enjoying the warmth and feel of his palms as they clasped around her cheeks. Urgency had crept in his tone though as he spoke again, "Jennifer, you have to listen carefully." His head shook as though he was wrestling to retain him memories and focus, "That bastard did something to me, I don't know what it is. Some kind of poison, but there's more to it...ugh, damn. I can't figure this out. Something's wrong, somethings off... shit."

Frantically, his hands withdrew to his own head, scrunching his black hair into matted clumps in between his fingers. Something was off. Something was wrong. Swallowing hard, Jennifer’s eyes widened as she dragged herself closer to him. Talon's words felt surreal. The mage's heart rate spiked with the fear of being forgotten, she'd gone her entire life lonely and with little stimulation of opportunities, “Stay with me you silly oath! I won't allow you forget me after all the effort i put into keeping you alive!” Jennifer urged, voice quivering. She felt horribly dizzy and winced from the effort of mustering what little magic remained. The constant strain of having to use her powers was starting to darken the corners of her vision. She was far from a dedicated healer damn Reev, how was she meant to deal with poison? Jennifer's face scrunched up, miffed by her own pessimism. She wasn't about to give up and do nothing either.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to let this take over me. But I need your help, Jennifer. This bracer... its... Power... it'll help. What am I doing?"

“Power?” she stammered, her mind barely able to comprehend his words. “Right, hold still then!”

Leaning forwards, she pulled his hand away from his face and hooked her left arm around his neck. Inclining her chin upwards, she kissed him fiercely then, opening his mouth wide with her own. Please don't forget who you are. It felt mildly inappropriate given the seriousness of the situation but when did she ever care about conventionality anyway? Jennifer’s entire body glowed red, painting her ivory skin pink as intricate chains formed around her neck. Linking together, the chains joined into a simple yet exquisite necklace, meeting at the base of a crimson ruby.

Like an electrical surge, power passed through the both of them as the red dragon god's magic engulfed the assassin.

Jennifer gave something of a startled yelp as Talon’s arm lassoed her in. She hadn’t expected him to regain his vigour so rapidly. Tips of his black fringe tickled her eyebrows as he embraced her, drinking her power deeply as if he were some blood starved vampire. Though pain seared through her broken right arm and the prospect of Armageddon taunted her conscious incessantly, the mage struggled not to laugh. Ki’s necklace was the magi's personal secret, originally kept and hidden by the guilds of Ro’ell. She had stolen it all those nights ago and it had been the source of her woes ever since, the reason she was a prized weapon. Who could ever imagine the object of her resentment would save the one person she cared for.

Talon smiled handsomely at her, lips full, creased and tinged against his toned and tanned skin as the ebb and flow of magic settled down with the dust. A surprisingly eloquent gesture when framed within his slightly unkempt hair. Tired and yet relieved, Jennifer smiled back at him also. "Thank you," he said, caressing her cheeks. His skin was hard and brittle from a life time of fighting and climbing. The feeling left her wanting to read his palm, to interrogate him about all his calluses and compare the lengths of their fingers. There was so much more she wanted. "We'll deal with the rest of this problem later. Right now, we have two God's we have to deal with."

Jennifer sighed deeply and pulled his palm away with her delicate hand, leaving a gore stained imprint around his wrist. His own blood. Abruptly, everything chose to return to her senses all at once. The crashing sound, the chalky smell, and the stifling temperature. And along with them arose the agonising pain. All the muscles attached to her right shoulder contracted and cramped up around the fractured bone. The world span and her knees shuddered, refusing to respond as she tried to stand. The mage resorted to using his shoulder as a temporary brace, squeezing her hand around it. Just hefting herself upright took considerable effort, leaving her breath ragged. Above them Laowlee was on fire, the once high ceiling of the palace raining orange sunlight down into the murky depths of the castle’s broken carcass. The tempo of Domieen’s campaign was reaching terminal pitch for the old black dragon god himself had taken to the skies, likely sowing further disorder amongst the alliance’s forces.

“Lose my sword already?” she chided him with a raised eyebrow, “That’s the last time I ever give you anything.” The mage took her hand away from his shoulder, her boots finally finding a precarious purchase over the onyx floor.

Jennifer already had conflicting thoughts. Talon’s appearance alone was enough to remind her of their audacious position. As the assassin stood up alongside her, she noticed the lingering effects of the poison still evident in his rigid posture. His armor and fatigues, now torn and tattered, barely seemed fit for duty. Numerous webbings hung limp and empty around his core and his eyes were deep with fatigue. Most disturbing was his lack of weaponry, the assassin had less than half of his knives remaining and there was no sign of her sword, something he must’ve lost after being teleported. She didn’t feel like they could deal with anything at all at the moment. Could they survive the gauntlet outside?

Her own mind, shocked and bewildered from pain and the near loss of her assassin, refused to offer any solutions to their current predicament. “Barthomel is about to revive and Domieen has regained his dragon form. Do you still intend to fight Talon?” she asked the question almost rhetorically for she already knew his answer. The words sounded utterly alien to Jennifer’s own ears. She was so used to her own confidence that if seemed as if her egoism had reverted completely. “You obviously enjoy having me endure watching you dying. I can't help but wonder if this payback for all of my earlier misbehaviour?” she laughed wanly.

The mage turned her head away. Jennifer couldn’t bear to look at him in the eyes. She cast her dark gaze skywards, observing the aerial battle impassively. Dragons like tiny insects fluttered above them, exchanging fearsome blows. Idly she wondered which one of them was Vy or Domieen. If only she'd stopped Talon from attempting this charade earlier, then none of this would have happened. That charity was what she loved and hated about him though, and there was only one way she could protect it.

“I’ve already got the second artefact, Ki’s necklance,” she stated suddenly without averting her eyes. Jennifer gestured to the piece of jewellery which clung to her lithe neck. Like Talon's, it could never be removed, not without dismembering her at least. Jennifer had hidden it for the longest time under a near instinctive illusionary spell, a spell she wore like a second skin. Untouched by their recent battles, the polished ruby gleamed brighter than ever, especially compared to the mage’s grime encrusted attire. A cheeky grin manifested across her face as she continued, “If you intend to fight Barthomel, you’ll need the third artefact. You’ll need Barthomel’s armor. Where it is, I cannot even begin to fathom. And though this hardly seems like the time for a treasure hunt, i'll help in anyway i can. But before we get going, can you do me a favour? I need you to reset my right shoulder.”

“Lose my sword already?” she chided him with a raised eyebrow, “That’s the last time I ever give you anything.”

Talon looked down at his waist. Indeed he was weaponless, again. It seemed that was the case these days. With a little smile he looked back at her and gave a half hearted shrug.

"My apologies," he told her softly, a bit of laughter creeping into his voice.

“Barthomel is about to revive and Domieen has regained his dragon form. Do you still intend to fight Talon? You obviously enjoy having me endure watching you dying. I can't help but wonder if this payback for all of my earlier misbehaviour?”

"I have no intention of losing my life, I told you that already," Talon replied without skipping a beat, his voice thick with determination, "And, for once, you'll probably be very happy with me. We can't fight them as we are now, so no, I don't intend to continue fighting today. I've no weapons, and you're bleeding with a broken arm I see," his eyes scrutinized her carefully as he looked her over.

At least, for the moment, he was sane. He had Jennifer to thank for that much. His body was still in pain, from the magic being drained from him, the dagger through his shoulder that was just recently healed, and then the poison that was given to him. He wasn't sure how the others were fairing, but he had no intention of further losses that day. They were already walking that thin line, and dangerously tilting over to the darker side. The longer they stayed, the more precarious things were to most likely get.

“I’ve already got the second artifact, Ki’s necklace. If you intend to fight Barthomel, you’ll need the third artifact. You’ll need Barthomel’s armor. Where it is, I cannot even begin to fathom. And though this hardly seems like the time for a treasure hunt, i'll help in anyway i can. But before we get going, can you do me a favour? I need you to reset my right shoulder.”

His eyes swept downwards to the hollow of her throat. There rested a bright red ruby, glimmering in the fading light. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the jewelry and her wry grin threw him off completely. How long had she had that? Why didn't she tell him about? For a moment his anger got the best of him and he frowned at her disapprovingly, but then he sighed afterwards.

"You are constantly surprising me. I wonder, will I ever truly know you?" He asked as he moved towards her slowly. Taking her arm in his strong grip, he held her other shoulder firmly as he got ready to reset her dislocated arm. He made it quick, hoping to keep the pain to a minimum. He reset the shoulder in one smooth motion, the pop of the joints was loud and he could feel them beneath his fingers as they slid into place again. He steadied her with his other hand and then pushed his hand over her shoulder and pulled her close to him.

"We're retreating for now. As you've said, we need to find Barthomel's armor. I highly doubt that Domieen would leave such a thing lying around, and I don't think that he'd keep it here either. We've got some research ahead of us."

Vy, Talon called to his dragon.

Yeah, I know, The large dragon replied and the assassin could feel his companion start to pull away from the fight with Domieen and the other black dragons.

A rumble filled the air, an unmistakable feel of power vibrated through everything and a second later the sound of an enormous explosion rocked the city and the earth. Talon felt his heart jump in his chest and his throat close completely. With Jennifer in tow, he raced to the streets of Laowlee, his eyes raising to the sky to see what was going on. He half hoped that it was only Domieen unleashing his power, but he had a dreadful feeling he was terribly wrong.

Over the wall of the city, an enormous dragon that he'd never seen before shot straight up in the sky. The wings were tattered and torn apart, the burnt orange body glimmered in the failing sunlight, almost camouflaged by the colors of the horizon. Spikes ran from the tip of its nose down the entire length of its body. It's boxy frame was heavily muscled and reminded Talon of the larger oxen like beasts that roamed the plains lands. The dragon gave a loud roar as it soared up higher into the sky. Slowly, the dragon swirled around and perched its large girth atop the mountain ledge just behind Laowlee.

"Kansh shatt tath ka," the voice was thick and inhuman, grinding around the harsh words of its language. A black dragon almost matching in size, but slithery like a snake detached from the fighting and landed right next to the orange one.

"Welcome your new King," the black dragon resounded, probably interpreting what the orange one said.

A streak of silver caught Talons eyes as Vy tried desperately to get away from the attack dragons under Domieen's control. The orange dragon turned its head and glared out into the mass of fighting. He realized then that the orange one was Barthomel and the black one next to him was Domieen. Barthomel opened his wings and growled at the mass of fighting dragons underneath his perch. The old Dragon God leapt off the ledge he'd taken as his own and into the dark swirl of dragons.

Talon had lost sight of Vy, the silver streak missing in the mixture of colored dragons fighting. His mind stretched out frantically for his dragon, but he felt himself cut off from Vy suddenly as if the silver beast were trying to keep him out. A moment later, he knew why Vy had done that. Invisible claws and teeth tore at him, ripping him to shreds as he stood there. His fist came up and clenched his chest. His eyesight dimmed and he couldn't see anything. He felt his body crumple to the stone ground, the only thing left was the feeling of searing pain.

Vy!!

Leave... quickly...

Vy!!

Leave

"Vy!" Talon screamed unknowingly as he curled on the ground. He was too lost in the agony of his dragon being killed to notice anything else. His bracelet erupted in silver light, engulfing both himself and Jennifer, acting on its own whim. Having filled itself with power from Jennifer's artifact it began swirling around them both. The assassin couldn't even hear his own voice screaming out his loss, mirroring Vy's death throes. The white energy massed around them, sought out the other three of his company and in a single burst of enormous power pulled them out of Laowlee.

Talon's screaming faded away as the magic of his bracer ceased, though he still writhed where he lay. Too far from the dragons to feel much more, but not far enough to be completely numbed by the pain. With the loss of the energy in the bracer he started to fade into darkness, a peaceful bliss where there was nothing but a black void.

Sometime Later

It was nostalgic to be riding on the back of a dragon. Talon leaned forward, his arm around Jennifer's waist as he felt the wind rushing passed him. Behind him, Soran leaned back, his arms gripping one of the many spikes lining the dragons back. Surprisingly, the elf had seemed to hold his stomach fairly well, though he did look a little sick. Jennifer, as usual, was incapacitated with nausea and she clutched onto his wrist for support.

The assassin raised his eyes and looked passed Jennifer and Collin. As the dragon's body naturally came down from the pumping of his wings, the sight of Laowlee came into view. The black city was looming ever closer, and the assassin had a terrible feeling in his stomach.

"Don't you think it's about time to start hiding our approach?" Talon asked, leaning into Jennifer so that she could hear him.

The mage nodded meekly in response and raised one of her hands in front of her heaving chest. Redirecting her focus away from her aching stomach, her unfathomable magic weaved its way over the dragon, masking their approach from prying eyes. To anyone else, they would have looked like an approaching cloud. "How long until we reach the river?" she asked anxiously, desperate to return to solid earth.

"Not long now," Collin yelled from the front of his dragon. "You just concentrate on not spewing on me!"

Talon tightened his grip around Jennifer's waist. He knew she was uneasy already with flying on the dragon, he also knew that her distaste for her brother was just as potent. He gave a soft sigh in response to Collin's reply. Indeed, the river wasn't too far off and it was in a matter of minutes that the large red dragon was on his decent down.

"Can't this thing land any faster?" Soran complained from behind the assassin.

Talon didn't turn to acknowledge the dark elf, only enjoyed the fact that the man was in such discomfort. If only Jennifer were more accustomed to flying, then he would have insisted on being in the air for much longer, if only to spite Soran. The dragon pulled his wings back, angling his body so that his large hind legs came down first into the water of the river. The rest of his body follow right after.

Slowly the dragon turned his body so that he was right next to the bank of the water and hunched down so that his passengers could disembark. Soran leapt off the beast as quickly as possible and landed on the muddy ground with a splash. He stumbled to his feet and then found himself on all fours once more.

Jennifer was much the same, and her boots hit the soil with a dirty squelch as she practically threw herself off the dragon's back. Collin was next to leap down and did so with fluid grace. His dark eyes shimmered with amusement as he watched the recuperating duo catching their breaths. "To think that all Barthomel has to do to beat you is take you for a ride," he chuckled.

Talon came up behind him, landing just as gracefully. In his fingers the tip of one of his throwing knives just barely poked out between his clenched fist. One hand gripped the mages shoulder while the other pressed the weapon to the back of Collin's neck, "And to think that all it will take is a simple knife to have you bleeding out on the ground," he threatened in return.

Collin relaxed in his vicious hold, seemingly unnaffected by the assassin's threats. He grinned openly before shrugging, his smirk barely wrinkling his perfect features, "Is now really the time to be assaulting each other Lord V'lynn?"

"Ha, this is Talon you're talking to," Soran piped up, only to recieve a cold glare from the assassin.

"Is that the entrance?" Jennifer said after some moments. The mage had one of her fingers raised and pointed in the direction of a sawn off, man-sized pipe that opened up to the river. Of course, the entrance was barred with iron poles to hinder undesirable intruders, though they were hardly any hindrance at all to a god-imbued assassin.

Talon stood for a moment longer behind the mage, not taking his eyes off of him even as Jennifer pointed towards their destination. Slowly he pulled the blade back and looked to where his love had directed their attention. The pipe was barred but it looked as if it would lead in towards the city.

The assassin stepped away from Collin and towards the beautiful mage. He sheathed his throwing knife and drew his dagger instead. Having a weapon out and ready seemed much better than not having one.

"Looks like this is it," Talon said, flipping his dagger around so the blade was against his forearm. Reaching out with his free hand, he channeled the magic in the bracer through his body and into the metal. White light crackled across his body and shot straight into the barricade. A few seconds later and the metal bars shook violently before shattering under his power.

"Not bad," Jennifer grinned, complimenting Talon's mastery of the brace's power. She took a deep whiff as she peered into the murky depths, "Couldn't do anything about the smell could you?" Talon grinned at her over his shoulder and gave a half shrug as he stepped into the three inch deep water that rushed from the sewer pipe.

"Allow me, I read over father's report. It'll be easier if I lead the way," Collin said, climbing up after them and pushed his way to the front. He gave a deep sigh as his polished shoes splashed into putrid water, "I just got these shoes also..."

Collin waited for Soran to enter into pipe before clearing his throat to grab their attention. "We have to be careful now, this place is an utter labyrinth that runs throughout the entire course of the city. Our objective is to reach the vat chambers, undetected. I trust I don't need to re-emphasize how important stealth is here," he said, levelling his gaze at them all. Without waiting for comments, the mage turned back into the immersive tunnels and led the way.

Talon frowned at Collin's back as the man moved through the water in the tunnel. Soran shrugged as he looked back at the assassin and started forward leaving only Jennifer and himself to start moving as well.

"Arrogant ass..." Talon muttered under his breath as he started walking without making so much as a sound through the water. His hand unconsciuosly reached out behind him and took hold of Jennifer.

"When this is over, do you have any qualms about my killing your brother?" He asked Jennifer softly so that his voice didn't carry through the tunnels.

"I'll kill him myself before this is over," she smiled mirthlessly before raising a thin eyebrow up in Talon's direction. "Why are you so eager though?"

He shrugged his shoulders, a frown on his lips, "Just a bad feeling," he murmured in reply. Talon walked with her hand in his, leading them behind Soran and Collin. They neared the end of the sewer line, the water draining from another pipe in the side of the wall. The pipe line ended in a tunnel, the water long gone then. Talon followed the other two men who jumped lightly down the measly foot drop.

The tunnel went left and right and then another intersecting one right before them. Talon turned his head one way then the other, looking down each opening to try to determine where they were and where to go next.

"Now where?" he asked softly, though his voice was still cold as he directed the question to Collin.

The younger man smiled warmly in reply, obviously enjoying the agitation each and every person there felt to some extent. "To the left. Beyond that the path should lead into the vat chambers. Apparently, the room was being used to store blood and magic," he reported, keeping his hands within his pockets.

True to his word, the route to the left did provide an entrance into the vat chambers. A jagged gap was cut into the roof of the tunnel, and beyond the crack shone an unnatural light. From the look of the crevice, it was safe to assume that the makeshift hole was probably used to discard unwanted matter. Bodies, organs, blood, whatever useless material the True Dragons had left. Squinting her eyes, Jennifer gave a cursory glance around to see if anything immediately dangerous existed beyond the lip of the void above them.

"Looks safe enough," she murmured, "World Fracture! Ladder!"

The climbing device appeared by the opening, providing stable access to room beyond. Collin joined her and regarded the hole for an instance before gesturing upwards with his hands. "Ladies first," he said.

"How considerate of you, brother," Jennifer flashed a grin, easing her fingers into a firm grip around the wooden steps.

Jennifer wasted no time in scaling the wooden ladder. Upon reaching the top she peered around at her surroundings, ensuring the area was secure before she signaled the others to follow. "Oh my," she whispered abruptly, voicing her surprise.