The Dragon Within

by SlyOkami

  Seeing this, all those above the wall felt strangely encouraged. Crying out their own bellows for action, as hundreds of thousands of soldiers, mercenaries and adventurers leapt off the wall. Their bodies surging with blue lightning, the same aura that covered Thea’s body.

  Each of them landed without a scratch, broken bone or sore foot. The aura that permeated the air around them seemingly taking the brunt of the fall as it dissipated on landing.

  “Show these perversions of creation, who owns these lands! No! This entire world!” Thea cried out once again, and once again each who heard her bellow felt the energy refill them once more. Auras of blue mist with lightning surging through, covering the Druvian armada in its entirety as it charged headlong into the faltering demons.

  The clash of metal meeting claw, armour clattering as bodies bashed with one another. The screaming and shouting met with snarling and hissing.

  The melody reached its climax point, as the battle truly began.

  The tides of war started turning as the demons became surrounded, their numbers useless when fighting on every front, faced with beings imbued with power beyond their own. Magic countering the fiends’ bull-like charges, expert rangers shooting down any leaping hellhound or pit fiend, furies being massacred by the hundreds by lone casters.

  All the while siege weaponry fired away relentlessly into the demon’s condensing numbers, cannons and ballistae focusing on keeping the Daemons down while dwarven made catapults fired with just as great accuracy at this short range, causing utter havoc.

  The Xilfir at the back felt their surroundings lighten as the horde of thralls became confused from fighting on two fronts, erratic even as catapults incinerated dozens of them with a single lob, the large vials of crystal flying almost straight up before raining down upon the demons.

  The dwarven engineering incomparable to human machinery, a truly fearsome thing.

  And Thea was in the very thick of it, unarmed, she used her knowledge of martial arts instead. Magic flaring within her fists and legs as she literally tore through hellhound carapace and fiend hides, sending out wide arcs of white flames with each punch and kick that would light many more thralls aflame.

  Hellhounds would claw at her, tearing her armour yet somehow not even scratching her skin as veins of blue lightning visibly surged through her. Fiends would bash down their entire strength upon her smaller form, yet she’d meet them with even more physical prowess, that she as a human shouldn’t even be capable of.

  She fought in a frenzy, the demonic blood that showered her only clinging to her hair as the rest evaporated off her flaring skin. Her armour torn and broken all over, her clothing ripped from the fighting, yet not a bruise was on her body.

  Thea felt connected with each fighter, archer and mage, she sensed their resolve, their excitement and anger. But above all she felt the Xilfir’s flaring pride and zeal, fearlessly they fought, almost demon-like from their animalistic eyes yet their movements were smooth and elegant.

  Hope was no longer a word worthy to explain how she felt. No Thea wasn’t hopeful of victory anymore.

  Thea knew they were winning, filling her with pride and joy as she cried out in challenge. “For Druvia!”

  A resounding response coming back, the Druvians repeating her words and turning them into a battle cry.

  They were winning…

  That is, until the sky ripped open.

  -

  * * *

  -

  Erik’s smile faltered as he witnessed the sky tear open, a crimson rift pulling reality apart and connecting it to elsewhere. “So you finally show yourself.” He grumbled, “Vile devil!” Erik exclaimed with hatred filling his tone.

  Through the rift a storm of miasma poured out, a black fog sparking with violet energy. With it the being descended, three times larger than even a daemon it stood proud while staring down at Erik.

  Fiery violet flames and black molten rock making up its skin, the creature was humanoid with massive dark wings of thick black leather wrapped around it. Its head, dozens of crimson horns growing out the top like a hellish crown. Its eyes a void of pitch black darkness. The devil’s features where sharp, its body lanky but muscled.

  “You, drakeling. You dare interfere? Your race is gone, your people fell to their own foolishness. Yet you still dare stand in our way!?” Azruxan bellowed, its voice enough to make the ground shudder beneath its massive feet.

  “Hell claims this world; its people are ours to toy with as we please! And you! You’re nothing more than a reborn child, forcefully shoved into a hueman body with no true power.” Azruxan chuckled wickedly, “This is what the Gods send to defy us? You make a mockery of your fallen brethren!”

  Lightning surged out of Erik’s body as his eyes blazed gold, “You talk too much. Xilfir, get out of my way.” He told his dark elves who scattered into bursts of shadow. Erik raised his hands forward, the dozens thick magic circle around him, completed. “It is true, I am merely a drake forced into a human body. It is also true, I cannot compare to my elder’s strength and wisdom.”

  The blood that made up each circle lit ablaze, white flames lightning up all around Erik, following the formation. Each item that was set on the circle was incinerated, the flames briefly bursting out with different colours for each sacrifice.

  “But you shall not look down upon me.” Erik exclaimed, clenching his fists hard, his morphed claws for fingers digging into his flesh and leaking down blood onto the white flames. “For I am the true dark lord of these lands! You who make a mockery of strength through the use of numbers! It is I who brought this world to its knees! It was I who made each race tremble in fear at the mention of my name!”

  Erik’s voice suddenly exploded with power, matching even the devil’s in intensity. “You are merely a sad replacement.” He mocked, “It took seven heroes, seven champions of Findri to defeat me. Yet you retreated because of two unbound mortals? Do not make me laugh!”

  Erik’s entire body shone a bright white light, blinding anyone from looking at him directly. Even Azruxan was forced to glance away, as suddenly the light began to grow.

  “Spirits of nature accept my sacrifice, for I promise this draconic soul of mine in return for my body!” Erik chanted, “Reap my very being, but allow me back my power just for tonight! God School; Higher Resurgence!”

  The bright ball of light expanded several millions of times, as it took form while dimming out, it even grew larger than the monstrous Devil. Standing on four legs, bright white scales and a long thick tail. Wingless, yet the drake’s form was unmistakable.

  “You think me weak? Then what are you? Know my name, foolish hell king. I am Erikathyr, the guardian of this world, and its sole destroyer. I shall show you, the strength that made this world my bitch.” He bellowed while stomping his front feet down, his sheer weight sending a violent earthquake throughout the city and its surroundings.

  Erikathyr lunged at the devil, opening its maw full of massive golden fangs. Azruxan unwrapped his wings, revealing four long arms, a crooked blade within each clawed hand. Having to use each blade the devil clashed with the drake’s maw, parrying the longer fangs with his swords and keeping the larger Erikathyr from taking a big bite out of him.

  But the drake was physically stronger, opening its jaws wider, unhindered by the devil’s struggle. Erik bit down upon Azruxan’s left wing, pulling him back and over before suddenly letting go. He threw the devil over the forest, the large being crashing back down off in the distance.

  Erikathyr turned around with a swiftness that should have eluded his size, he charged after the devil as Azruxan stood back up. His left wing now laying torn and limp by his side, he met the drake’s hungry eyes with his own enraged expression.

  The devil too charged forward, “Devil Script; Hell’s Breath!” he chanted, suddenly opening his jaws unrealistically wide as a beam of condensed violet flames shot out towards the incoming drake.

  The beam exploded with enough force
to rip apart any tree off the ground, send all stones and boulders flying in all directions within hundreds of meters outside its blast range. The drake who took the blast head on though, charged right through it as white energy covered its body like a flexible barrier.

  Again, the two beings clashed, ripples and sparks of energy lashing out at their surroundings with each collision. Over and over they lunged, slashed and breathed out at each other. Azruxan’s blades clashing with Erikathyr’s claws, the devil’s hellish beam of miasma met with the drake’s breath of fiery white lightning.

  The two attacks exploded on collision, sending each combatant tumbling back along the ground from the blast that ensued. Both chanting as they moved to rise back to their feet.

  “Rip and tear, break and shatter. Bend and reform reality to my command! Devil Script; Chaos Chapter; Ragnarok!” Azruxan chanted as he dropped his blades and raised all four arms forwards, violet energy formed at the tips of his claws, converging at the centre of all four arms and taking the shape of a sizzling, constantly deforming sphere of black.

  “The roar that defies thunder, the breath that mocks lightning. Fear my element, be blinded by my light and incinerated by my power! Draconic School; Erikathyr!” The drake opened his jaws wide while digging his feet into the ground, blue lightning sparked along his fangs as a surge began from the tip of his tail. The energy flowed up his body in a wave.

  Azruxan crushed the sphere of black between all four hands as it suddenly exploded outwards into a large beam of dark purple flames. Laughing maniacally as he outpaced the drake in chanting.

  The energy reached Erikathyr’s maw, flowing through his fangs then converging ahead of his mouth. A beam of blue light surged out of the drake’s mouth, piercing through the purple flames and dispersing the devil’s attack. Further, the light went even further until it seared right into Azruxan’s chest.

  The Devil screamed out in agony as the beam of light burned through its molten carapace and then flesh, not strong enough to burn all the way through by the time Erikathyr ended the beam. Yet enough to leave a massive scorched crater in the Devil’s chest.

  Azruxan fell to his knees, clutching his chest in pain while wrapping his one good wing around his form. “T-This doesn’t end here!” The devil exclaimed in a stutter, as a rift tore open to its left.

  “Oh you shall.” Erikathyr exclaimed as he rushed after the devil, Azruxan pulled himself into the rift with a fearful grimace as the drake leaped inside after him. The rift closing behind them both.

  They both began to fall, searing flames forming tendrils all around them while the two fell.

  Azruxan opened his one wing to soften the fall but then Erikathyr dive bombed directly into him, grabbing the devil with both claws as he bit down onto his good wing. The drake looked the devil straight in the eye before tearing the wing off, spitting the disgusting flesh out before they suddenly splashed down into a pool of violet lava.

  Azruxan chuckled, “You’re mad! Your body cannot withstand molten hellfire but mine wo-”

  Cut off mid-sentence as Erikathyr’s maw closed around his head, his fangs crunching down on the devil’s horns and face as they floated in molten miasma. “I care not for my life, for if I slay you then I am redeemed!” The drake exclaimed with new resolve, biting down harder even as his body melted in the lava, his scales peeling off from the corruption before it touched his flesh.

  Erikathyr felt immense pain flooding throughout his entire body, but he directed it all towards his jaws, strengthening his grip on the screaming and struggling devil’s head. He bit down, harder and harder until the horns shattered beneath the pressure, until his fangs sunk through the skull and cracked it open.

  Azruxan’s head exploded inside the drake’s mouth, turning to mush as he ripped it all off the devil’s neck.

  Now he lay in the lava, agonized and out of breath.

  (“Do you see? Mother? Is this…Is this enough?”) Erikathyr asked in his mind, having no strength remaining to spit out the vile flesh that lay within his jaws let alone speak as he sunk deeper into the molten miasma.

  (“Have I redeemed my name?”) He asked once more, the God tier spell he cast starting to lose its effect and beginning to reap what was promised. Before the miasma or the heat killed the drake, his soul was ripped out of his body and absorbed into the afterlife.

  The cost of casting such magic.

  -

  * * *

  -

  Once again, Erikathyr lay within death’s hall. Before Grim he stood tall and proud, expecting, hoping.

  But Grim sighed in annoyance, “Do you just like to make more work for me? Is this going to be a thing from now on?” the death god asked with an unhinged, bony jaw and wide hollow eyes.

  The drake tilted its head in confusion, “But…I killed the Devil? Did I not?”

  Grim breathed out a long, drawn out sigh as it burrowed its head into its bony hands. “Yes, that was the only good thing you did. Self-sacrifice would’ve redeemed you but…” Grim looked back up at Erikathyr, “What was your reason for going that far? To save Druvian lives was it?…”

  “To redeem my name as a white drake! To gain my wings! To expunge that vile creature from existence!” Erikathyr bellowed in response, annoyed by the God’s tone.

  Again, Grim gave a long sigh. “Yet you haven’t learned a single damn thing, which was the entire point of this punishment…Erikathyr, you were supposed to learn from humans, not meddle with history!” Grim exclaimed in bafflement.

  “You stopped a revolution that would’ve changed Druvia forever! Fjorn had connections with both Sinbeni and Half-beasts! Both armies were on their way to aid but your meddling ended in his death and therefore they fell back! You even massacred the entirety of the Slayers Order! During the battle, the Slayers could’ve fought the Demon Lords and barely defeated them! During this battle, the Dark Elves could’ve made a pact with the new King Fjorn Selene and joined the fighting on their behalf!” Grim went on and on, “Removing their titles as slaves and freeing their people! Creating a bond between them and the Druvians” the God seemingly agitated by everything Erik changed.

  Until it finally moved back to holding its face, rubbing its forehead while groaning in frustration. “You just had to go and fuck it all up…”

  Erikathyr had no words, he just stared up at Grim in utter confusion.

  Ch 14; Interlude; Grim’s Hall…Again?

  “What’s done is done I’m afraid,” Grim said as it leaned back into its armchair, “Negotiations between Druvia and Sinbeni will fall apart, the Sinbens wanting to take what land remains unclaimed from the demons. This war is far from over, and the demons are far from done too. You understand this, don’t you Erikathyr?” The god of death asked, “Remember, drake. Remember what Azruxan is.”

  “Azruxan is a Devil, one of the three Kings of hell. If you can even call that pitiful barbarian a king.” Erikathyr responded with a sneer.

  “Indeed, Azruxan cared not for lands on the mortal plain. He instead wanted to turn Druvia into a spawning pool, where he would drain the life energy of that world and create himself an even more massive army.” Grim explained, “Azruxan is one of three kings, one of three brothers. And he was the lesser Devil of the three, Hell being separated between his brothers Xokith and Kurzan. The ones in true power.”

  “Azruxan was building an army but not to take over the mortal plain? Why else then? To fight his brothers for Hell’s territories?” Erikathyr asked, unable to follow.

  “No, no Azruxan would’ve not stood a chance against his elder brothers.” Grim chuckled coldly, “Azruxan was building an army to add onto Xokith and Kurzan’s. The three Devil Kings were plotting something, by my guess they are planning to invade the afterlife.”

  “Invade the afterlife?! Is that even possible?” Erikathyr asked in surprise.

  “Back onto the topic at hand, Azruxan is no more. And you, have failed to learn the important lesson I wished to teach you.” Grim set the see
mingly astronomically important topic aside to return to the original issue, “This means that one if not both of the Devil Kings, will seek vengeance for their fallen brother. They will turn their eyes onto the mortal plain, not for resources, but this time for absolute conquest.”

  “Then…what now?” Erikathyr asked, now seeing the problem.

  “Simple, you’re going back.” Grim answered, “But this time, I’m going to introduce you to a new way of learning. It’s called listening, so for once in your bloody existence…Listen.” Grim said pointedly. “Humans, elves, dwarves, halfbeasts and all the other sorts, these young races need guidance. The mortal realm needs Dragons to guide it, and I cannot afford to invest more energy into rebirthing others. You were the youngest of your generation, the one who’s lived the least and therefore the easiest to revive. Even now.”

  Grim raised its right bony hand towards the drake, “I cannot revive you indefinitely, your vessel will age each time I do. And it will age considerably more the next time, as I will be reviving you within the same age and hopefully year you just came from. This time it will only be a five year aging on your vessel, the next? I cannot tell yet.”

  “I’m…going back into that…body?” Erikathyr asked, withholding a grimace.

  “Yes, because reviving you within a Dragon’s…even a Drake’s body would mean more power than I currently wish to produce. My energy has better uses than your…pride. So this time around, try not to die? However difficult that might be for you.” Grim said sarcastically, “Erikathyr, you who the Fae call guardian of nature, you who the Xilfir call master. You who the rest call destroyer. I pronounce you, Watcher of the mortal plain.”

  “Watcher?” The drake repeated in question.

  “You are to watch over that realm, you are to defend it from Hell’s spawn. But you are not to meddle with its other affairs. Gain champions, teach them about your ways with nature and they will in turn teach you about how to…socialize with other races.” Grim said the last sentence with amusement, “The young races have had difficulty dealing with each other but you Dragons…You’ve always been that special case. You’d not even try to interact with the other children, you sit in your corner moping about how the others break the playground.”