How far are you willing to go to protect these dear to you?
How far are you willing to go to accomplish your ambitions?

It was a question that lingered on Ryuko's mind as she arrived at Illingrad. Although the dragon knight knew about the past events that had unfolded among her kin, she also believed that if she desired to succeed in her ambitions, she would need to consider the various options available to her. Indeed, even if history had unfolded, there was no denying the fact that currently the vessel of the Devourer Dragon's power was a member of the Dragon Order. Even now she was uncertain about what it was he was seeking, if there was some ulterior motive, but did it truly matter? She couldn't blame him if there was one, after all even she had build the Dragon Order with certain motivations in mind, motivations that not all were privy on just yet.

Unfortunately she was uncertain where exactly Drakkon was. His whereabouts were currently unknown to her, although she could sense the presence of a young dragon somewhere in Illingrad which gave her an idea. If Drakkon was a Dragon Slayer, and in possession of the power of the Devourer, then perhaps his lacrima would make him receptive to what she was about to do next.

Opening her mouth she expelled a dragonic roar from the depth of her lungs, the roar resonating through the entire region and while to the denizen of the city it would have sounded like a dragon's roar, to Drakkon the words would have been lanced with words of a somewhat oddly familiar language:

Zu'u Yah Hin Qalos Bo Koraav Zu'u Ahst Fin Dein

Although the words resonated through his mind, it was less telepathy and more like a one-way mental communication: I seek your presence, Come see me at the keep.

Of course she had been waiting at Illingrad's castle, she had been standing in front of the gates leading into Prince Igor Illin's castle, the guards nervously standing at attention as they watched her from afar. She didn't give them much of a glance, instead waiting to see if Drakkon would show up. Whether he did or not remained yet to be seen.

"Perhaps a good opportunity to see his strength for myself." She muttered softly, her gaze shifting skywards. Snow was starting to descend, little by little as she was reminded of the fact that she had to start preparing for her next course of action. It was a drastic one, but it was one borne from necessity. Although she had to admit she was interested to see what her idea could cause. If it worked in her favor both of them could walk away with quite an interesting reward.

She gazed down at her hand, the spark of black flames flickering in and out like embers as she dismissed them with a light brush of her hand through the air.

Drakkon had been getting stronger, he had been scheming, and he had been learning more about his past. These were the things that he had been doing this entire time since he had joined Dragon Order. He figured he could do his own thing especially since he was told to be isolated from the guild he belonged to. He had met two people within the guild that weren’t the Guild Leader, one of them his fiancé, and the other a flirt. They were both nice people and interesting, to say the least, and they were both there to see him grow.

He was doing some stuff within Pergrande for the time being. He figured he would show face for a bit, so that the people of this country knew of him. Still, he had to make his way back to Joya after this. He was indeed a leader, not to a guild, but to the Yakuza Organization. He and Hai Gone were roaming around Illingrad as he was taking everything in.

It was then he would hear that of a Dragon Roar, he was in the middle of drinking when he heard it. His eyes looked up to the sky to hear the noise. It wasn’t just noise, but a language that he knew of. He would put his alcohol away as he looked over to Hai Gone who heard it as well.

“It seems like she wants to see us. I thought we weren’t allowed to be there when we wanted to.” He said to Hai.

“It seems like something has happened and she wants to see you. That is interesting, but people do seek the strong, and your father is powerful. It would be sooner rather than later that she would seek for your audience.” He said to his father.

Drakkon nodded hearing this and figured that it wouldn’t hurt to see what Ryuko wanted.

“Alright let’s go and see what she wants.” He said to Hai as he would transform into a dragon and they would slowly make their way to the Keep.

Drakkon would take two pills and place them in his mouth before he would consume more alcohol as he was enjoying it. The ride in the sky was a long one, Hai was slow, but that was understanding he didn’t really do much, and when he got high up in the sky he made it so nobody could barely reach him. The Son of Chaos would hum a melody as he was getting closer to his destination. When he did see the Keep from where he was, Hai Gone started descending from the sky as he could see Ryuko from this high up.

“She awaits me. I guess it was to be expected that I would show up.” He said to Hai Gone as he would jump off his son.

Hai Gone felt this and made descend he would transform into his humanoid form. They both touched the ground in front of Ryuko, Hai with an expressionless face and Drakkon with a smirk on his face.

“I didn’t think you would call on me so soon. I was thinking a few more months maybe.” He said to her as he looked at her waiting to see what she had to say.

Hai Gone was sizing the Guild Leader waiting for their conversation to start and to see what she wanted from his father.

569

Watching the young dragon descend from the sky the corners of Ryuko's mouth curved for a brief moment into the faintest traces of a smile. So he had succeeded in hatching the egg, that was a favorable sign to say the least.

"Perhaps I could have waited, but the time seems to be working in our favor right now."

Her gaze briefly drifted from Drakkon to Hai Gone after which she gestured lightly with a hand to her side. "Come inside you two, there is much to discuss."

She turned to the doorway where two of the guards were stationed, but they allowed the duo to follow behind her. As she walked along the corridors of the keep she inquired. "How has your time been treating you Drakkon? Have you grown a bit familiar with Pergrande and its people?"

A simple inquiry as she hummed softly. "The people of this country are quite diverse, perhaps a testimony to why it has been such a struggle to unite them." Yet as they walked she turned her gaze back to Drakkon. "I have received some interesting reports about festivities in Joya, events which have led to the eyes of many major sources of power to turn toward the country, an excellent opportunity for me to proceed with one of my plans."

She arrived at the large door and shoving it open walked into the throne chamber of the Dragon Order. The large white marble table still stood proudly at its center, although among the chairs that surrounded the table the surface of two of them seemed damaged.

"There have been some unfavorable elements that caused two of my Dragonborn to go missing, and while I have started investigating their whereabouts, the fact remains that right now the order is lacking manpower."

She stopped in front of the table, resting a gauntleted hand on its surfacing. "You once mentioned that the reason I allowed you into the Order is because of your strength, and you are not wrong. My power lies in warfare, and while I can summon champions and legions to do my bidding, not every battle is won through numbers. Which leads to my invitation to bring you along on a certain... adventure. Not just as 'Drakkon, but as Drakkon Dragonborn.'".

As she faced Drakkon her lips curved up into a smirk. "But I can already hear the thoughts brewing in your mind: What is in it for me? Well, for starters you get the chance to enjoy a fine brand of chaos, perhaps not as delightful as some Joyan sake, but you'll have plenty of opportunities to test your strength against foes that would oppose us. But then there is a particular thing that motivates many: Power~ Surely you are familiar with the Void? What if I told you that there are some people who have learned to harness the energy of the Void to turn it into power? Simply said, accompany me on this mission and you'll have the opportunity to get it at your disposal."

She waited for a moment, wanting to see his reaction.

Drakkon and Hai Gone would hear her words. The son of chaos wondered what she wanted to show him. Of course, he followed behind as he was intrigued by what was about to be discussed. He looked at the guards that were standing there and he smiled at both of them. Hai would just stare at them with malice in his heart but did nothing to them.

While they moved, Drakkon heard the questions, and he put his hand behind his head. He also heard about struggling to unite the people here and then Joya’s events and festivities.

“It’s been alright, I haven’t been here much. I have been taking care of personal problems. Still, from what I’ve seen so far here is nothing crazy. It seems normal to meet right now with the people in this country, but you could never know when chaos will strike, right? I was able to meet two people within the guild so that was interesting.” He said to Ryuko.

This wasn’t easy to meet people in Dragon Order; what she told him in the beginning was that they had pictured an idea of him and wanted to steer away from him due to the Lacrima within him. Still, meeting two other people other than Ryuko here was a good start.

Their walk was simple for the most part until they reached the big door. He looked at it and wondered what was in there. It was going to be a dungeon filled with nasty equipment in there? He chuckled a bit as he was being dramatic and when he entered it seemed like he was wrong. He saw the table and the chairs that surrounded them. He wasn’t sure what the two damaged chairs meant, but he figured he would find out.

He looked over to her as she explained that two of the Dragonborn had gone missing. That sucked, but if they were missing then they were weak. Then she spoke about power, and he looked at Hai Gone as the Dragon looked at her.

“It seems like if they are missing they weren’t strong enough. Still, hopefully, you can find them, for your peace of mine.” He said to Ryuko that he did not care for them.

He did not care for those he did not interact with, but it seemed like she was about to go into details for what she called him here. She spoke about power, his power, and then her powers. It ended with him being named Drakkon Dragonborn. When he heard about the void and what he would be able to do, he decided to give it attention. It better not bore him, he wanted chaos and if this situation would bring that, then he was for it. It was also nice to hear that he might be able to gain power of the void added to his arsenal as well.

“I don’t mind joining you, if you saying I can harness more of Void's power, then why not? It shouldn’t be too hard for a Devourer like me to do. It’s all good to know I’m needed there, which I guess you can say strokes the ego a bit. What do you plan to achieve at the end of all of this?” He asked questioning it all and wondering what she wanted.


557

"Personal problems?" She tilted her head slightly to the side, a hint of curiosity present in her gaze, but she decided to keep it at that. It would be up to Drakkon to decide if he wanted to divulge more or not. "Interesting, you met others of the order?"

She paused for a moment, a hand raised to her chin as she pondered for a bit. "I know you met Maple, as you likely deducted her powers do not lie in the art of combat, so I have left Tia to keep an eye on her. But I didn't know Skald was back in Pergrande already..."

Curious and curiouser. "They might had lacked strength, but they were ambitious and motivated, their absence is regretful."

Was all she stated on the matter of their absence, instead focusing further on the topic at hand. "Indeed, what we are about to do is just a means to an end, an opportunity to bolster our strength. I have learned that a powerful relic is housed in the Church of Illumin within Pergrande. I intend to corrupt this relic to bring forth a stabilized rift to the void, from which you'll be able to usurp that promised power."

Yet his question at the end made sense, an important question that was fair to receive an answer to. "What I plan to achieve at the end of this all? So far you know I intend to conquer Pergrande and unite it under one banner, right?"

She paused for a moment, waiting for him to react after which she resumed speaking. "After the war of the ancients a majority of my people departed from Earthland, the scars of the past conflict and the events involving Nacht haunting them like a phantom. However, there are some among them who still long to return one day, to see the age of Dragonkin to be rekindled. It is that which I seek: To turn Pergrande into a place where my kin can dwell once more."

In the end it was a personal motive that might had been less wicked than one had assumed. "But for that to be possible we need a strength to deter anyone who would be trying to oppose us. In the end, you could say that the home I intend to build will rise from the ashes of a civil war."

She heaved a soft sigh and smiled. "Although to be honest there is another ulterior motive behind the corruption of Illumin's church: To shaken people's belief in the gods that protect them. One could say that people's faith is a source of power for these other-realmers, and to make them vulnerable one needs to strike at the core of their existence. Although my feud is only with a specific god, not that I will show mercy should another try to intervene."

She turned her gaze toward Drakkon once more: "So in short: I seek to return the Age of Dragons to Earthland, and get revenge on a particular other-realmer for the crimes he committed."

It seemed like she was intrigued by his personal problems. He would keep it simple for her, as he didn’t want to go into too much detail.

“Yeah I went to Joya and dealt with something to do with my father. I learned my friend is dead because of me, but life goes on.” He said this, but Toge being consumed by him bothered him.

Still, it was one less weakness that he didn’t have to worry about, even though he knew that Toge would have been able to defend himself.

“Yeah, I met your fiancé, a lovely, peaceful lady if I may add. You do well to keep protecting her.” He smiled at Ryuko as he knew it was what she was doing already.

“Then I met the holder of the Miasma Dragon Slayer. She’s a new lad, a flirt if I may add. Still, she seeks power, so I have been wondering how she would grow. She goes by the name of Zeta.” He said to Ryuko as he wasn’t sure if she met her as well.

He wished that was true. He didn’t know them, so he couldn’t judge them for who they were, but their actions of what happened to them. Drakkon’s ear twitched when he heard those words, he was down for it, and honestly it wouldn’t matter the consequence of consuming the void to him. He nodded when she spoke asking if he knew about her plan to take this country and make it one.

The Son of Chaos had put those pieces together when she spoke about having issues with this country. It seemed like she was hoping to bring forth a new race back to the realm of Earthland. He didn’t see many different races other than the norm. Ryuko was a rare breed and possibly one of a kind in this realm. It was interesting to hear this and wondered how the balance within this world would shift if that had happened.

It was something for him to look forward to, and the smile on his face showed just that. He understood this, it was normal for civil war to happen. Whenever a new leader appeared there was always a group of people who disliked the idea and did their best to stop it. This meant chaos would be brought forth here, which he didn’t mind as he welcomed it.

Then it seemed like she decided to talk about a god. He wasn’t sure, which god she was talking about, but he was interested to see who she wanted to go blow for blow with. It would be interesting to see and if he could defeat a God, then would he be able to kill his father and become the new God of Chaos?

“I see, that is interesting to hear. Corrupt a relic, stabilize the void possibly by using my powers to devour a lot of it, if not all of it. Shaken the belief of the people of Pergrande, and unite them as one country. Pick a fight with a God and possibly bring forth a new Age of Dragons within this realm. It’s like you said the stronger I become the better things turn out, so question Ryuko, and you can say no it’s fine, do you mind if I can consume or learn the spells within your arsenal?” He said to Ryuko wondering if he missed anything and wondering if she would say yes.

577

Ryuko had gone silent for a moment, a somber nod following at his words. "Aye, we can't keep lingering in the past, lest we'd become a prisoner to it." When talking about Maple she nodded her head firmly, finding her lips curving up slightly into a smile once more as the topic became one she enjoyed talking about. "Indeed, she is quite a... what would the mortal term be: bubbly? A cheerful and energetic presence that can be uplifting to these around her. She is quite important to me." She nodded her head at the mentioning of Zeta. "I have not had the opportunity to meet her yet, perhaps she was brought in with one of the recent recruitments Igor had promised. Nonetheless I will try to make some time to meet her soon."

For a while she wondered about Drakkon's question, a risky request to say the least, but it was not one she was adversive against. She knew that to ensure her plans success she needed to try to help Drakkon be as strong as possible.

"I am fine with that request- although." She paused for a bit and smiled as she clarified further. "I would suggest to wait a bit longer before you try to see if your powers as the Devourer will allow you to copy my power. Mine is a Dragon's magic and does not originate from a Lacrima like these of Dragon Slayers, and I am currently working on tracking down the last key elements for an old dragonic rite to awaken my powers fully, therefore I believe you will benefit more from trying to copy my powers once I proceeded with said ritual. In layman terms my body is capable of holding up to two Dragonic essences- or in mortal ways: Two Dragon Slayer magics, I'd say it might prove more beneficial for you to copy the spells at my disposal when you get a larger arsenal to pick from, right?"

She smiled briefly as she turned her gaze at the throne. "Let bygones be bygones, sure your predecessor might have caused much strife for me and my kin, but you are not him, and letting this cycle of hatred continue will be just a futile notion. Better to try to collaborate and see both our ambitions and desires fulfilled, nay?"

She turned toward Drakkon, extending a hand toward him. "In case, you need to prepare yourself or collect supplies, feel free to do so. Meet me back at this place a week from now, I should hopefully have been able to finish my own preparations for the aforementioned rite by then."

But there was one more thing she needed to say: "Ah~ Before I forget, if possible? Try to be a friend to Maple if you could, some might consider her a bit odd but she is truly a well-meaning lass, and it would ease my worries a little~"

Drakkon heard her speak about the past, and then about Maple. It seemed like she was happy to have her in her life. He nodded, but in his eyes, Maple needed to become stronger. She couldn’t become a liability for them even if Ryuko loved her. he would indeed see to that personally. And it would seem like, not even Ryuko knew about Zeta, but she was indeed a new person and one he figured she would want to meet.

The one thing he was waiting for was the answer to his question. He wasn’t sure she would be fine with it, but soon enough she would come up with an answer. He stood there looking at her, she explained to him that her body could hold up to two Dragon Slayer Magic. That was fascinating, and he nodded interested to see if he would be able to do the same thing. The Devourer rubbed his chin thinking about what kind of power she would be able to obtain. It intrigued him a lot, one that he could wait patiently for.

“That is fine, If you think you are close to obtaining this new found power I can wait. If it takes too long, I can take what I can later and go from there with you.” He said to her as he wondered what could possibly be more powerful or coexist with her powers at the moment.

His eyes scanned the area, he was looking at the things in the room. If she wanted him to become a Dragonborn and someone she could use and have her on her side, he wondered what benefits that would land him. She had told him everything he had a chance to obtain, and he would have to see it through. He nodded to hear her words, he was fine with them. He enjoyed chaos more than anything as long as nobody stood in his way of that, then they wouldn’t clash.

“I agree, it is best to see that our ambitions and desires are fulfilled. You get your country, and I get to enjoy the chaos that it most likely brings.” He said to her as he noticed that she reached out to him.

He heard her words and he would extend his hand toward the Monarch in front of him. The Devourer would shake her hand and he was fine with this outcome. The Dragon Slayer wondered what kind of outcome all of this would have and he was actually excited about it.

Then a smile crept up on his face and he chuckled a bit to hear what she had to say about Maple.

“I will meet you here in a weeks time. And as for Maple, she is indeed odd, but harmless. She agreed to help me out by learning the spells I have consumed in the past from other Dragon Slayers. I will do my best to make sure she is stronger than she currently is though. And not to worry I won’t harm her, but like the saying goes what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” He joked about the last part.

525|2228

Ryuko couldn't help but chuckle briefly at his remark. "Indeed, although try to have some restrain when it comes to training from hell sessions, I can't bring back the dead." A little quip to counter his own as she prepared to make her exit. However, after a week at the scheduled time Drakkon would no doubt notice there was something different in the atmosphere.

The Dragon Knight was fully clad in her armor aside from her helmet, and judging from the frown on her visage was quite displeased. "I told you not to come here-"

Ryuko spoke coldly at the figure next to her, yet upon seeing Drakkon the woman's expression softened, even if just for a moment. "Perfectly timed Drakkon. I hope you and Hai Gone are at peak performance and ready for some chaos because I'm about to take you on a trip that will have plenty of that."

She grinned for a moment after which she turned her gaze back toward the other individual. "Just make sure he gets there safely. If I find out I have to traverse the void again myself to retrieve him it will be your head that rolls, and not even an old god will prevent that."

WC: 200

At first sight the enigmatic person at the Dragon Knight's side resembled an elf in appearance, although there was something unmistakably... unnatural about her. The woman pouted in amusement upon receiving the cold warning from her host. "Such hostility toward a benefactor~"

However, upon the arrival of Drakkon the woman's gaze shifted back toward Drakkon and a glint of mischief flickered in her eyes. "Aha~ Drakkon the Devourer. I heard quite a lot about you. Strong, smart , ambitious and a longing for pure undiluted chaos. My type of man."

She snickered softly, raising a hand to make a playful wave. "I am Y'Shaari. Quite a foreign name, right?" As she asked the question her body seemed to phase away as she emerged at the slayer's side, whispering softly. "That is because I am not from Earthland~"

However, upon noticing the glare of Ryuko and the proclaimed warning Y'Shaari playfully sneaked behind Drakkon, attempting to take a hold of the Joyan's arm. "Oh no~ So scary... and even after all the useful information I gave her. The title Tyrant Dragon is clearly not for show."

Letting out a hearty chuckle she resumed speaking. "And yet all I can guarantee is his safe passage. Whether he survives or not depends on his own strength and how much of the good stuff he can handle. After all chaos is like a drug, an overdose could kill even a dragon."

Letting out a snicker she finally took a step backwards and waved a hand lightly in the air, the gesture causing tears in the fabric of reality as a pathway into the void revealed itself. "One stable path made~ I believe you'll arrive just in time to join the others at the rift in Caelum. Although once there you'll be on your own for a bit. I'll have some business with our dear tyrant in the void, even if I would have vastly preferred your company instead."

And with that she had prepared the entrance to the Void for Drakkon and Ryuko to traverse.

---

Drakkon has unlocked the opportunity to enter the Darkfang raid through Y'Shaari's portal.

Drakkon heard her and he laughed a bit. He knew he couldn’t be killed in regular fashion, so there was no need to worry about that. Still, becoming stronger was nothing he figured would be a difficult thing for him. He was training spells, but there was something else too. It seemed like he was also going to be fighting against someone in Seven. At the time he didn’t know who it was going to be, but when he approached this place again after a week, he had a smirk on his face.

The Dragon Slayer had fought against Kaito, trained his spells, and learned more about Maple, and now it was time to go see Ryuko. He was confident in his abilities to battle, and he knew that whatever was ahead of him would be dangerous, chaotic, and fun for him. Kaito’s fight had shown he was a dangerous being, and that is what mattered to him the most.

Drakkon had his three katanas on his side as he walked through the place. The guards by the doors again as he looked at them with that same goddamn untrusted smile. Still, they let him go past as Hai was with him. When he got close to Ryuko, it seemed like she was not alone. It seemed like they had visitors and that was fine with him. He looked over to Ryuko as she had told him that she was going to take them on a trip.

“Yeah I think I’ve done enough within a week. A few more spells that I have not mastered, but it shouldn’t be a problem. It should be enough to see things through to the end.” He said to Ryuko.

He wondered if this was what she had promised him, or if this was something else. In the end, whatever it was, it was going to be exciting for him. He looked over at the strange being and when she spoke, he listened. It was then she had appeared next to him, he felt her vibration and he listened.

“I see, not a person from Earthland. A lot of the Gods are not from this realm either. My father can barely stay in this realm for too long either.” He said to Y’Shaari.

He felt her tugging on his arm and his eyes looked at her as he was able to walk on his own. It was unless she needed to be physically touched to go where they were heading. Her words about overdosing made him chuckle, death was not something he feared for it was something he had conquered through the void.

“No worries I love drugs, and I am Chaos, well the new generation of it. You two have fun, I have a rift to consume, and I can’t wait to see who the others are.” He said to the two of them.

It was then he looked over to the rift that was made between him and Ryuko. He had to go into another one of these. It was how he had become in a sense immortal and now he was about to venture through it once again. Still, he had no fear, and he pushed his way through the rift and toward Caelum Y’Shaari had said.

546|2774

[exit]