Light's Way
The paladin watched silently; only his heavy, labored breathing any indication that he was still alive. He watched as a Dragoness he had only just met tore into the flesh of Erebus the Shadow, a powerful Western Dragon known for butchering knights, as if he were but a felt toy. The mighty Knightslayer didn't seem to know what was happening. His left arm and wing lay upon the floor useless, severed from his shoulder by a blast of fire so potent and concentrated that it had simply blown right through him.
With a final swing of her clawed paw, Erebus was forfeit. With his throat now slashed, he gurgled pitifully; spilling blood across the floor and his own scaled chest. He looked up at his ex mate in horrified shock before he simply collapsed.
The Dragoness huffed angrily at his corpse before snorting and turning her face away, returning her attention to the Paladin who had give her this chance at revenge. He smiled at her from where he was, pain masking his face.
"Are you fulfilled now, m'lady?" He asked through his teeth.
She stayed quiet for a moment before stepping towards him. "... No." She said. "I am indebted to you for such a gift." She lay down, nuzzling his face gently. "And I am saddened that..."
The Paladin grunted painfully. "Not yet I'm not." He growled. "There is hope, albeit bleak." He moved his hands away from his wound, showing her the bright golden shine that burned within. "If you can fly me south, to the Temple of Light, the priests there may be able to help me." He coughed heavily and spat blood onto the stone floor beside himself.
She blinked at him in momentary shock at his blatant request. "A... are you asking me to help you, despite the reputation my species has for being mindless brutes?" She asked. Again he smiled.
"I've met many a dragon." He said slowly and calmly. "Not all are monsters, and I do not believe you dangerous." He reached out a hand and put it on her paw. "I don't believe that I've properly introduced myself yet." He said. "I'm called Mayer. Mayer the Lightbringer."
She nodded, turning her paw over and gently clutched his hand. "My mother named me Edrea."
Mayer chuckled. "That's a cute name." He said, before looking over at Erebus's corpse. "He cannot be left here, I require proof of his demise." He shifted uncomfortably, giving a pained groan. "And dragonscales make formidable armour..."
Edrea paused to think. "I can carry you upon my back?" She asked. "Whilst I carry his carcass in my hands? Do you think yourself strong enough to hold on?"
He groaned again. "We have few other options, do we?" He wheezed. "Help me up?"
Half an hour later, a few kilometres away, bells tolled that frightened birds into flight and sent men onto the battlements of a mighty fortress. Massive crossbows, each with enough force to launch an entire tree, swung 'round into an opportune position. The cry had gone out, a large dragon was headed their way. Bolts large enough to impale even elephants were fed into the crossbows, and the creaking groan of disgruntled wood was the only sound that could be heard other than the echoing bells.
A small black dot appeared on the horizon, quickly gaining size and shape, and the soliders readied their aim.
"Do not fire!" A female voice echoed all around them. "One of our champions returns on her wings with news of his latest quest." The voice fell silent, a pensive air flowing from the very temple. "Priests shall be required. Our best. Run along and fetch them, hurry!"
The soliders scurried off as Edrea drew closer, eventually dumping Erebus's corpse in the middle of the courtyard and landing a short way off. Mayer was hurriedly pulled from her back onto a stretcher, and several polearms were held to her throat. She reared up angrily, but Mayer held up a hand.
"Edrea, easy." He wheezed. "Stand down, boys. She's harmless."
"We beg to differ, Mayer!"
"She posesses the Light's Aegis about her; Mayer trusts her, and so should we." The echoy voice called again, making Edrea look about nervously and Mayer give a pained smile.
"Arama'zul... it is nice to still hear your voice." He mumbled, coughing painfully as a priest started casting a powerful healing spell.
"You may have heard it anyway, young Lightbringer." She replied. "The dead do not stray far from home." Her voice paused for a moment before calling out again. "Young Edrea is afraid; do I unnerve you, child?" Edrea nodded profusely as the polearms were removed from around her neck. "I apologise." Arama'zul said sincerely. "I do not have enough energy to manifest here, I do not mean to frighten you. One of the guards shall lead you to the library, we can talk more there while Mayer is being tended to."
"Don't worry, Edrea." Mayer reassured her, putting one of his hands on her foreleg. "You're safe here." She nodded down at him, giving a worried whine. "I'll be along soon, run along now."
Edrea nodded before following a guard clad in heavy metal armour.
A few minutes later, after being patrolled through a large and impressive number of halls, the guard pushed open a pair of large double-doors covered in ornate carvings, and Edrea got her first glimpse of the library. The room was huge, hundreds of times larger than her previous den. Books lined the walls in different colours and sizes. A few humans were about, some reading, others rifling through the thousands of books, some returning tomes to their proper spots on the shelves. A huge draconic skeleton hung from the ceiling, polished to the Nth. It gave off an eerie glow, seeming to be dripping mist.
"Hello again, Edrea." The female voice from the courtyard said, seemingly coming from nowhere. "You may go, Ryan, we shall be fine."
The guard nodded, turning and returning back out of the library. The doors closed, and the air became colder.
There was a thudding step, and light started to collect in the middle of the room, right infront of Edrea. The mist, which was now falling from the skeleton in copious amounts, was pulled into the glow and started to form a shape. Before Edrea had time to think, a dragoness far larger than herself stood before her. The large green dragon gazed down at Edrea in an almost motherly way. Light poured out of a hole in her chest, and small wisps floated around her.
"I am Arama'zul." She said, her voice echoing eerily and, defying her size, feminine. "I am the precognitor to green dragons, the first Matriarch of the colour. When I was alive, I was a Prometheus Dragon. There are many things I should tell you, but first, I would like a histroy lesson. Would you be willing to tell me about yourself?"
Edrea, unnerved by the formality of this dragoness, shuffled her feet. "I hatched roughly twenty nine years ago, at the pinnacle of summer. My mother, a Yellowwing Matriarch called Alina, named me Edrea and seemed to take a personal liking to me over my brothers and sisters. I grew up as any dragon does, leaning to hunt, fly, use my abilities, and eventually left my family to seek a Consort of my own..." She trailed off slightly at this, before continuing with mixed emotions in her voice. "When I first met Erebus, he didn't seem any different to any other male who showed fancy at me; he was kind and gentlemanly towards me, but he had a strange something about him that just drew me towards him... After our first mating, it was only a matter of weeks before I layed his eggs, and we seemed to have a viable future together, until..."
Arama'zul pressed the matter, keeping a motherly tone. "'Until...'?"
Edrea shuddered gently and sighed. "One night, about a week ago, he came back to our den from a hunt. He seemed agitated about something, but I couldn't tell what. I didn't want to infuriate him further by asking, so I didn't bother. He hadn't returned with a fresh kill, so I suspected that his hunt simply went badly. As soon as I turned my back, however, he... violated me." Edrea blushed and turned her face away, now with a miserable look. "After he was finished, he savaged me, biting into the back of my neck, mauling gashes into my arms, legs and torso... He paralyzed me, but didn't kill me outright. I wondered why until I heard the cries.
"My children, the first batch of drakes I've ever had, had hatched while he was mauling me. I had to lie there in my own blood and listen as he devoured my children alive..!" Edrea, now crying, looked Arama'zul right in her pupilless eyes. "He left me to bleed to death." She said. "About an hour later, Mayer arrived."
Arama'zul sighed and moved closer, gently running a claw under Edrea's chin. "Oh, you poor girl." She cooed reassuringly. "Don't worry, you're quite safe here in my library." She said gently. "I, too, know the pain that a cruel consort brings; should you ever need anything, do not be afraid to ask me."
Edrea nodded. "Your kindness is much appreciated." She said faintly. "But, all I want, is to be left alone for a while."
Arama'zul tilted her head in thought. "I believe we have a spare room in the dungeons you can take as a den, but you may need to spend short amounts of time coinhabiting with another dragon. He doesn't linger long, nor does he mean much trouble; he tends to tune the world out mostly."
The doors behind Edrea creaked open, and Mayer walked in, followed by a purple dragon.
This dragon glowed gently in the dark, his eyes also glowed as if backlit, and he was only about chest high to Mayer. He had no wings, but his chest featured a large plate, and his horns curled around his ears.
"Talking about me were we, Arama'zul?" he asked idly.
"Ah, Argus, just the dragon I was about to send for," Arama'zul started, as if she had expected him to show up all along, "Dungeon three, room five; is it possible for Edrea here to take it as a den? I know you've had a few visits there, and I do not wish to disturb your work."
Argus looked over at Edrea idly. "Amberwing, attuned to magic and fire." He stated bluntly. "She should be fine in there, provided she does not tap into the Ley Lines too much; there's a minor junction in that room. I might pop in every now and then to observe, but you should be fine."
"Ama, how's the citadel been while I was away?" Mayer asked, walking to a table and sitting on a chair facing the large phantasmal dragoness.
"Little." She replied. "Your trainer, once again, managed to get herself into a brawl, Sarah's baby was delivered successfully, she has named him Andrew, and Mitzi'hau was caught hoarding gold in a second dungeonroom, it appears we are running out of space in the Vault."
"Same old, same old..." Mayer grumbled. "I would advise taking the scaled flesh of Erebus and using it to create armour, it would prove most durable."
Arama'zul nodded. "It will be taken into consideration." She said. "His head will need to be paraded, but the rest of him should be used for what it can; we do not want to waste a resource as valuable as an entire dragon's carcass." She flickered a little, her form misting at the edges. "I must dissipate, I am running low on energy."
"I'll see about getting an Arcane Battery in here." Argus said. "Shouldn't be hard with me overseeing it."
"I wouldn't want to put you to a disadvantage, Argus." Arama'zul said patiently.
"Not at all, I can easily skim the Arcane magic off the Ley Lines with no recoil. Just leave it to me, alright?"
"If you say it is alright." She replied, before she became even more incoporeal. "I must dissipate. I shall be watching."
With those words, her form faded, and she vanished from sight.
Mayer tapped Edrea on her shoulder, and she turned her head to him.
"Yes?"
"C'mon, I'll take you to your new den." He proposed. "Though there will be little furnishing in the way of comfort, you are free to request anything you would like; we can aquire a fair amount of luxury items, though most of us do without."
Edrea nodded and followed him, leaving Argus to head off to whatever it was he does.
"Mayer?" Edrea saked, as they descended the wide circular stairs to the dungeon floors.
"Hm?"
"I know what Arama'zul is," she mumbled, "but what is Argus? He's not like any other dragon I've ever seen."
Mayer chuckled, sliding his helmet off of his head. "Argus the Scryer, guardian of the Temple of Holy Light and Ley Lines within. Argus is a Ley Dragon."
"Ley Dragon..?"
"Yeah. The world, as you probably know, is covered in Ley Lines, like blood vessels for the planet, in which arcane potential flows. Argus is a dragon who is created from that arcane magic, essentially he's arcane personified." Mayer stopped to open a door before continuing to lead her deeper into the dungeons. "He says that he is here to watch the Ley Lines, though we've never known exactly why, neither do we know how many more Ley Dragons exist." Mayer chuckled. "He doesn't eat, drink, sleep... breathe..."
Edrea shuffled her feet. "He is an unnerving individual to simply hear about." She admitted.
"Don't worry, Edrea, he's harmless to allies."
"And to enemies?"
Mayer stayed quiet for a short while, as if wondering what to say.
"Let's just put it like this;" he began, "there are a few rooms down here in the dungeons that we can't use due to arcane anomalies, and one or two that we simply redecorated over the top."
Edrea giggled nervously.
"Here we are, subfloor three, room five." Mayer announced, running a finger along the double-doors and getting a series of clicks. "If you need to lock the door on your way out, make sure to run a claw along this exact path." He demonstrated the motion needed. "I'll get one of our maintainence men to put a bit of paint there for you to remember. If you don't, the door will stay locked, and every guard in the entire citadel will be alerted to come down here, okay?"
She nodded, testing her claw against the door for a moment before Mayer pushed it open.
She double-took.
The room within was huge, at least twice the size of her last den, A few drapes, bright orange in colour, hung from the walls, a bookshelf packed with thick tomes rested against one wall, and a large mattress sat in a corner. A chandelier hung in the middle of the room, candles already lit and lighting the room brightly.
"The titanium chandelier can't be melted by dragon's breath, and the candles are magically enchanted to melt only from the actual flame they produce, so you should have no trouble lighting it if you ever put it out."
Edrea nodded, and Mayer pointed her over at the mattress.
"We can get another mat if you want, that one's probably a bit tough. We, also, can get some sheets to make it more presentable than it is, though you'll have to tolerate our cleaning staff coming in to tidy up and clean the sheets every now and then."
"It'll be fine, Mayer." Edrea rumbled gently. "I'm used to sleeping on coarse cave floors littered with rocks, any mattress is better than that."
A soft tapping of claws behind them got them to turn, and a small drake stood in the doorway. It looked, in many ways, exactly like Argus. Edrea looked back over her shoulder at Mayer.
"Who is..?"
"Argus, what's up?" Mayer asked the drake, causing Edrea to look surprised.
"Argus..? But he's..."
"An adult?" The drake asked, his young voice defiantly intelligent. "Yes, I guess I am; I've lived almost as long as dragons have existed."
"Remember, Edrea, that he's made of arcane magic." Mayer instructed. "He can change his size, shape and even his apparent age at will. When we draw heavily from the Ley Lines, he tends to become a drake, sacrificing the amount of arcane needed to create a larger body to hasten the process."
Argus nodded. "Mayer, your instructor wishes to debrief you." He said. "She is waiting in the courtyard."
"Alright, I'll be right there." He replied. "Edrea, this is your home now, should you desire it. You're free to head out to hunt, socialize with other dragons, even find a new den in which to dwell if you want. We've a few other dragons in the dungeons, they're most friendly." He smiled at her as he walked past and slid his hand over her shoulder. "If you decide to stay, I'll see you again soon, alright?"
Edrea nodded. "Thanks." she said. "I think I just might stay for a while, get my bearings of the Temple."
Mayer petted her shoulder. "Alright, just avoid going deeper into the dungeons than level five; most of the lowest levels are reserved for the water-borne dragons that have taken up sanctuary here."
"Thankyou."
Mayer turned to round the corner. "Oh, and Edrea?" He started, before smiling. "Welcome home."
Mayer stepped into the brightly lit courtyard of the Cathedral. Plantations lined the walls, a small fenced ring occupied one corner, and various training equipment was dotted here and there for new trainees. A woman, six foot nothing with raven black hair and a black eye also holding the meanest scowl seen in hundreds of miles, stood in the middle of the yard. Her armour, almost identical to Mayer's, glinted in the sunlight. Mayer strode up to her and stood at attention, saluting by thumping his right fist to his chest when she turned.
"Reporting for duty, ma'am."
"You did well to down Erebus." His instructor, Elizabeth, growled. "Word has already been sent to Glanaswik to accept the reward. Tell me one thing though."
"Ma'am?"
"What the hell were you thinking, giving a dragon the Light's Aegis?!" She yelled "Well?!"
"I-"
"You have no idea what it could have done to her! That spell could have made her immortal! It could have made her go into heat! She could be a walking deathtrap, just waiting to go off and kill everyone in this Temple! Do you understand the implications of what you might have done? Do you truly fathom what the Light's Aegis does to life that has not banished its inner darkness like Paladins do?!"
"I was dying!" Mayer yelled, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her to snap her from her rant. "Erebus had already gouged out my insides, what do you want from me?! At that point, it came down to killing Erebus or letting him continue to live and torment other villages, I chose the lesser of two evils!"
She brushed him off roughly. "If you were that badly harmed, you could have used he Aegis on yourself." She growled.
Mayer turned his face down. "I was not strong enough." He grumbled. "If I had used the Aegis on myself, I would have been dooming Edrea, and I couldn't do that. I saved her life, almost at the cost of my own, who am I to take that away from her again? 'Protect those who cannot protect themselves, Obey natural law, Do not harm the innocent, and Follow the Light', those are our code, I broke none of those by doing what was right!"
Elizabeth, momentarily stunned by his speech, chuckled and brushed hair from her face. "And yet, here we stand." She said. "Look at us, the two top Paladins at the Temple yelling at eachother over the past."
Mayer sighed. "Whatever happens to her... I'll take responsibility." He said, before groaning and holding his gut.
"Mayer, are you alright?" Elizabeth asked.
"I'll be fine." He groaned. "Just... a few pains left over from being run through." He saluted and turned to leave. "I need rest, it has been a long, painful day."
She seemed reluctant, but saluted in return. "If you say so." she sighed. "Dismissed."
Mayer walked the all too familiar path to his dormitory, entering and locking the door behind him before removing his battered armour and hanging it on its stand, pulling on more comfortable fabric clothes and slipping into bed.
He was out like a light.
Time passed, as always it must, and soon it was dark. Mayer slept soundly, and Edrea had finished exploring the lower regions of the temple, now making her way up through the corridors of the main Cathedral, smelling the scents and noting whose went where in her head. She was greeted casually by a couple of Paladins, even a rookie who made polite conversation, as she made her way through the corridors. She'd stopped at the massive banquet hall at, what seemed to be, just after main dinnertime and had been given a meal of venison, cooked by the head chef himself. She'd enjoyed the meal, thanked them for their hospitality, and continued exploring. She encountered Argus again on the fourth floor, now back to his original adult size.
"Why, hello there, Edrea." He said casually, strolling out of a darkened corridor. "Fancy meeting you here, exploring your new home are we?"
Edrea nodded. "I've not seen many other dragons though, do few stay?"
"Oh, no, no; we've a whole host of different dragons that reside in the dungeon floors." He said. "It's mating season, however, and most are out finding themselves a consort. Those who already have one will have locked themselves into their rooms. I'm impressed that you've not gone out to find yourself a new mate."
"I am infertile until next season." Edrea pointed out. "I would, normally, be caring for my clutch at this point, but..."
"Say no more, I apologise for putting us on the subject." Argus politely said.
"Speaking of courtship season, however-" Edrea began, lowering her head to Argus' level and gaining a sly look.
Argus huffed. "I am neither male nor female." He stated. "Ley Dragons do not breed. We're incapable of death, either; Ley Dragons are based almost entirely on Arcane mana, only a tiny portion of us is organic. My only organic component is down in the deepest level of the dungeon, where the aquatics won't travel due to the pressure the water would be under. It is impossible to access my only vulnerable part."
"Surely, if someone were to attack your avatar you'd be incapacitated?"
Argus nodded. "If my Arcane Avatar were killed, I would need to harvest enough mana to recreate it, and that can take several hours to days depending on the flows."
"Sounds tedious." Edrea mumbled, sniffing at a doorframe.
"It can-" Argus began, before being cut off by a masculine scream.
"That was Mayer!" Argus exclaimed, before breaking into a run. Edrea, caught slightly off guard, followed him.
Another scream echoed through the halls, and the two dragons slid to a stop outside Mayer's room. He could be heard panting heavily and giving pained grunts through the door. Mayer's instructor was hurrying towards the door, pulling a gown about her shoulders.
"Make way, make way!" She hissed, before trying the handle. The door didn't budge, and she slammed it with her fist. "Mayer! Mayer, open up! Now!" She yelled. "Mayer!"
"We must reach him now." Arama'zul's voice echoed. "We have not the time for finesse; Edrea, the door."
"Wh-what about it..?"
"Break it down!"
Edrea put her forepaw to the door and pushed gently, and then added a little more force. She gave an exasperated sigh before simply standing back.
"Get back." She said, inhaling. She exhaled heavily, and a bolt of golden fire slammed the door, exploding it into the room. Elizabeth looked impressed.
"I think we just found out how she removed Erebus' shoulder..." She mumbled, before pushing into the room.
Blood splattered the walls. The bed, also coated in blood, lay in semi-shredded tatters. A mirror was smashed across the room, and scores that looked like claw marks were etched into walls. Heavy, panicked breathing could be heard from a darkened corner, and Elizabeth stepped toward it carefully.
"Mayer?" She asked, frightened. "Mayer, it's only Elizabeth. What's going on? You've been screaming."
Edrea, catching an odd scent, put her clawed paw aroung Elizabeth's middle and pulled her back.
"Be careful." She warned. "Something is very wrong."
Mayer chuckled without humour and started to cry in the corner. "Elizabeth... I lied." He said quietly. "I broke one of our most sacred laws... I see why we musn't break them now..." He gave a heaving sob, still hidden in the darkness. "I'm sorry. Forgive me." He sniffed. "Please!"
Elizabeth knelt down, still in Edrea's protective reach. "Mayer, you're scaring me." She admitted. "What'd you do? What's happened to this room?"
"I left the path of the Light." He sobbed. "In my dying throes, before my feeble healing spells managed to stabilize me, I conversed with my inner darkness."
"That isn't turning from the light, Mayer." Elizabeth said. "The Shadow exists in us all. It's been noted that it preys on us when we are weak, to kick us when we are down."
"It told me to imbue a dragonscale with the light and use it as a focus for healing magic." Mayer huffed. "I took one of Edrea's loose scales as she passed me in the cave and did it.
"Oh gods." Arama'zul's worried voice sighed. "Not another..."
Two golden eyes opened in the shadow, glowing in the dark as what little light there was glistened off them. They fixed on Elizabeth, then became one orb as Mayer turned his face away.
"I'm sorry."
Mayer attempted to stand, still in the darkness, and stumbled slightly. Edrea moved forth, pushing Elizabeth aside and stood next to him, holding out her arm.
"Mayer, I'm here." She said.
He seemed to consider the arm. "No." He huffed. "Your friendship is a luxury I do not deserve now."
She thumped her hind leg on the floor. "My friendship is not 'deserved' by anyone!" She growled. "It is given." Again she offered her arm. "And I am offering it."
Mayer, reluctantly, put his hand onto her arm. She flinched a little at it, his hand was wet from a moisture she couldn't see.
Another paladin came into the room. "I've brought light." He said, holding up a candleabra and illuminating Mayer's figure.
Elizabeth gasped, and the paladin almost dropped the candleabra.
"By the light..."
Most of his flesh was still human, his head, neck and upper torso; as well as his thighs and waist, even his arms. His midsection, however, had been covered in large golden scales. Two horns featuring the same golden colouration jutted from his temples, and his fingernails were replaced by sharp claws. He now had digitigrade feet, malforming at the ankles and giving him four-toed paws for feet. He also featured a new tail, tree golden plates at the base, along the top, the rest scaled flesh of an almost bronze colour. His spine, also, had scaling following it up to between his shoulder blades. His entire body, where the mutations had taken place, was bleeding heavily. His blood had smeared on Edrea's arm where he put his hand, and his eyes glowed in the light.
"Please." He mumbled weakly, tears running down his bloodsoaked face. "Forgive me."
Mis legs gave out and he slumped onto the wooden floor, falling unconscious in a small pool of his own blood.
Edrea looked down at the blood on her arm as if in thought, and a guard came thumping in with an axe.
"No place for traitors!" He growled, lifting it over his head.
Edrea snapped into action, swiping the axe from his hands onto the floor and headbutting him back before roaring in utmost fury. Even Argus backed up a step.
"Do not anger her!" He snapped. "She can access the Ley Lines! With the huge concentration of lines in this area, she could blow this whole cathedral down!"
Edrea, not breaking her growl, motioned to Argus.
"I shall not disrupt your charge, Argus." She rumbled angrily.
Light condensed in the room, and the air turned chilly.
All that appeared was Arama'zul's head, over the bed. She looked irritated.
"Richard, how dare you attempt to murder one of our allies!" She snapped. "Mayer is not to be harmed, the council shall deal with this incident in the morning. Get out, all of you!" Every human, and Argus, started to slowly file out of the room, chatting to eachother about what had just been discovered. "Not you, Eliza, we must talk."
Elizabeth nodded and stepped back into the room, and Arama'zul waited until all the paladins were out of earshot before speaking.
She started with a sigh. "It has been years since this last happened." She said distantly. "Almost three centuries."
"What has happened to him?" Elizabeth asked. "This is... monstrous!"
"Light's Aegis causes regeneration of organic matter to increase to three, possibly twenty times its normal rate." Arama'zul said matter-of-factly. "If given to a dragon, it's near invulnerability. Imbuing a dragonscale, already effected by the Aegis, causes it to gain near impossible potential, and almost limitless adaptability. The two magics, fueled by each other, have caused a catastrophic reconfiguration of his very being." Arama'zul paused to let this sink in. "He's lucky to be alive at all."
"If his earlier injury hadn't killed him, this might have..." Elizabeth mumbled, watching Edrea cradle Mayer's sleeping form in her own with a worried look on her face.
"He's now part dragon." Arama'zul stated firmly. "And, depending on what the magics have done, he could be any kind of dragon imaginable."
Elizabeth covered her mouth with her hand. "By the light."
"It gets worse." The ghostly dragoness continued. "The mutations might further continue, and they could prove fatal to our now draconic ally. It takes incredible endurance and an iron will to survive this corruption, even as far as he has; he may not be able to take any more. He must be tended to by our healers until he wakes." She looked over at Edrea in a motherly way. "Edrea, sweety, could you take him to the infirmary? It's one floor down, near the middle of the cathedral."
Edrea looked up at Arama'zul in a near shocked way, before nodding and gently lifting Mayer onto her back, using her wings as props to hold him up, and leaving the room.
"Ama," Elizabeth began with a serious tone, "I want him gone."
Elizabeth left, marching back to her room, and Arama'zul sighed, observing the damage done to the room before dissipating.
It wasn't until the next afternoon that Mayer awoke, and he groggily tried to sit up in the bed. He looked down at himself and sighed.
"So it wasn't a nightmare." He mumbled to himself miserably. "What on earth have I become?"
A guard strolled over and stood next to the bed. "Mayer the Lightbringer, the council has judged." He said sharply. "By a vote of six to two, you have been exiled from the temple for breaking Paladin code. You are hereby stripped of rank and status, your title has been forfeit, and your worldly possessions have been collected for you." The guard put a heavy bag on the ground next to the bed. "Myself and another guard shall escourt you from the grounds."
Mayer's eyes became wide as he stared at the guard in utter disbelief.
"But... I..!" He stammered, before sighing and simply looking down at the bag. "I understand." He mumbled. "I'll just get dressed, then you can parade me as much as you want."
The guard turned around, giving him some privacy while he dressed, and turned back when he heard Mayer lift the bag.
"Alright." Mayer sighed dejectedly. "Let's get this over with."
The guard led Mayer to the end of the infirmary and opened the door, stepping aside and watching him go through.
"Mayer, head to the forge." Arama'zul's voice echoed.
"Ama, you cannot go against the coucil!" The guard snapped.
"I would never let one of my own go without a way to defend themself." Arama'zul said harshly. "I may have been out-voted, but I will not let him become a target! Forge! Now!"
The guards nodded, and turned Mayer towards the lower floors.
When they stepped into the forge, the forgemaster was hammering heavily on a thick plate of metal. He looked up and gave a small smile.
"Ah, the wayward son enters." He said without irony. "Please, step over, I've been expecting you." He moved towards Mayer, who stepped back when he reached to put his arm around his shoulders.
"I don't deserve your friendship." Mayer mumbled.
The blacksmith chuckled. "You deserve my admiration though." He said. "You've killed dozens of heathens, single-handedly took down the Might of Ruukthan, and even bagged the head of Erberus the Knightslayer. Don't let your new misfortune overshadow your past achievements." He looked Mayer in his glowing eyes sternly. "You're a hero, and don't ever think otherwise."
"I'm a hero who went against the Light and became a monster." Mayer grumbled.
"Come with me." The forgemaster said, leading Mayer to a corner, where a large cloth hung over something. The forgemaster pulled the cloth aside, revealing solid iron armour. It still looked, for the main part, like any paladin's, but with a few tweaks. The smooth curves of the pauldrons now had sharp barbs added, more plates to give more flexibility, and a hole for his new extra limb. Claws were added to the gauntlets, and the helmet was drastically different. It didn't feature the wings that a traditional paladin helmet did, yet still had most features. Two holes for his horns had been forged into the helm, and a single gem was encrusted into the forhead.
"A whole night and morning of crafting." The forgemaster said. "I had one of our priests take measurements to get this as spot-on as possible." He turned to Mayer. "Get in." He said.
Mayer looked at it distantly. "I don't know if-"
"I had this armour custom made for you." Arama'zul echoed. "I knew I wouldn't win the vote, so I did what I had to do in preperation. It is yours."
Mayer sighed. "Alright, Ama." He mumbled, putting his bag down and reaching for the armour.
After Mayer had struggled on the armour, including the straps to keep his paws from thorns, the forgemaster thrust a shield into his arms. It was large and black, and didn't seem to be made from metal.
"I used Erberus' chest plate to make this shield, it's more durable than metals and is lighter, too." He waited until Mayer had slung it on his back before handing him a scabbard and sword. Mayer removed the sword and looked at it. "I used Erberus' tail spike for this one." The forgemaster said. "Sharpened it to a blade, added a pommel and hilt, and bob's yer uncle. It's sharp, that's for sure, and has shown strange characteristics. I've not found a substance that it wouldn't cut through." It was now that Mayer noticed an anvil in the corner, sheared perfectly in two. "'Cept Erberus' own hide, anyway." The forgemaster said. "Which, incidentally, is what the Scabbard is made from." The forgemaster turned around, rifling through the shelves before turning back to Mayer and handing him a small gemstone. "And this is from me." He said. "I've no idea what it is, really. I found it in the vault back when I was making that decorative golden armour, you remember that?" mayer nodded. "Aye, well, I've no idea what it's for, but I hope it keeps you safe."
"Thank you, Bruce." Mayer mumbled.
"Mayer, we are to leave now." One of the guards snapped.
"Take this, too." Bruce said, handing Mayer a heavy cloak. "Keep yourself hidden, commoners do not take kindly to dragons as we do."
Mayer nodded and left with the guards, slinging the cloak over his shoulders.
The next place they arrived at was the main courtyard. Dozens of people were around the perimiter, all watching as Mayer was paraded across the grounds rather unceremoniously, stopping by the gate where Elizabeth stood in wait. She scowled at him as he approached.
"Mayer, you've broken one of our most sacred laws, and have crippled yourself as a result. There is no excuse for your actions, and you are hereby stripped of your title, rank and place by our side. You are barred from these grounds, and no further training can be given to you. You shall recieve eight thousand gold pieces, two thousand silver, and one thousand bronze to support yourself in the world. No further support shall-" She was cut off by a commotion on the far side of the coutyard, where Edrea was frantically trying to get past several guards. "Oh for the light's sake - guards, hold her down!"
Mayer, being held in place by the guards at his sides, struggled free and dashed to Edrea, putting his hand on her muzzle.
"Edrea, please!" He snapped. "Calm down." Edrea stopped struggling and looked Mayer in his face, her eyes widening as she caught him crying. "Please."
"This is hard enough on him without you risking your own life for his sake." Arama'zul's voice whispered into her ear. "He's doing this for you."
Mayer smiled weakly at Edrea before he turned and walked back to Elizabeth, standing before her and bowing.
"Goodbye, Eliza." He mumbled, before pulling the cloak's hood over his face and walking out the doors, which thudded shut behind him.
Edrea flung the guards pinning her aside, reared back and roared in fury, before giving a pitiful whine and running into the temple in tears.
"She'll never talk to you again, Elizabeth." Arama'zul's voice said to her.
Elizabeth sighed, let a sigle tear fall from her eye, and strolled back into the building.
It rained heavily that evening; a powerful thunderstorm that shook windows and split trees. rain beat down on buildings so heavily that roads were completley void of life.
Except for one lone, cloaked figure.
Mayer strolled idly through the town, his depression never having been so low in his life, and stopped at the inn, gazing in the windows before continuing on. Someone inside had seen him, a barmaid, and she rushed to the door.
"Sir!" She yelled over the din. "Sir, do you need a place out of the rain for the night?"
Mayer clutched the rope on his bag tighter.
"I... don't think I will be welcome." He said. "I don't think I'm welcome anywhere anymore."
The barmaid sighed. "Sir, two silver for the night and we won't ask questions. You'll get a fireplace to dry your clothes. It's got to be better than walking in this freezing rain!"
Mayer thought the consequences through, and sighed before turning around.
"I'm... worried how the ownership and your patrons would act if they knew what I am." He said to her. "I'm not entirely human."
The girl smiled. "If it's any consolation, sir, none of our customers can be considered human." She paused a moment to think. "Donkey's asses, mayhaps."
Mayer sighed and let her see his glowing eyes, unnerving her. "That's not quite what I meant." He said.
The girl sighed. "Come in, we'll give you a room. Keep your hood up and don't let others see your eyes and you'll be fine."
Mayer nodded. "Thank you." He said, fishing the two silver from his new, large, wallet. He followed her in and she led him to the bar, where she handed him a key and then led him to his room on the third floor.
"It's a bit small, but..." She mumbled, opening the door.
"If it's any help, miss," Mayer began, "I don't want much comfort."
She nodded and started to walk away. "Good night, sir."
Mayer closed the door and locked it, throwing the key onto his bed before removing his robe and hanging it over the fire carefully. He removed his armour, placing it near the fire to let it dry out, and then sat as close as he dared without burning himself. He waited for roughly an hour until his front was dry before turning around and starting to put himself into a meditative trance, like he had been trained to do so many years ago.
He found himself spinning in a sea of white. He'd been here before, and he knew what he was waiting for.
"Get out here, shadow!" He called to the abyss. "I grow tired of waiting!"
As if he were there all along, his inner darkness appeared next to him.
"I wondered when you would come." It said with a voice like echoes. "How are you liking your new self?"
"You betrayed me." Mayer growled. "Look at what you have done to us, why? For a few laughs at my expense?! You were supposed to be dead and buried long ago, yet still you come back to haunt me!"
"I never left you." It replied. "There can be no light without shadow to illuminate. Two sides of the same coin must exist always. Even your precious Elizabeth has an inner darkness, possibly far greater than that of a new recruit, yet she controls it; barely." It moved to be infront of him, and Mayer glared hatefully into its black eyes, deep like endless pits. "I have not betrayed you; you survived because I gave you the advice you needed to live, I'm not the one who abandoned you."
"Yet you made me what I am now." Mayer growled. "A monster."
"A monster with almost infinite possibility." It snapped back. "You're a dragonkin, the first in hundreds of years. Do you have any idea what that means? You have strength rivalling that of dragons, agility that makes the fastest creatures on Earth blink, and powers that even I have not yet discovered! You could be capable of flame breath, magic warping, flight, even time slowing! Every inner darkness dreams of making their host a living weapon, and you wished to be a solider of the Light, so I compromised. You're the greatest weapon that the Light could ever hope for."
"What point is being a weapon, if there is no-one to defend with it?" Mayer snapped. "I'm alone, all alone! My peers have rejected me, I'm a monster to my own kind!"
"Your kind is now two kinds." It replied. "You're a defender to Dragon and Human alike, as you always should have been, as you always were. You sacrificed your wellbeing to protect Edrea, threw yourself into the fray and defeated the greatest human terror at Ruukthan, and have, over the years, executed dozens of heathens who would use the weak for their own advantage. You're a goddamned hero, even to dragons! You've still got what it takes inside you to be everything you are, so use it to your advantage and become what you've always been! A beacon of light to shine in the darkest of times, one who would shoulder the world, putting aside his own problems to help the many! Be a paladin!"
Mayer's eyes flicked open, and he stared at his bed, letting the words spin in his mind before he stood and headed to bed.
The next day, his clothes were dry and he pulled his armour on over them, tugging the cloak over his shoulders and face to conceal himself again. He left the room, making sure to lock it tight behind him, and headed to the bar.
"Did you have a good night, sir?" the girl from the night before asked.
"Yes, thankyou." Mayer said gratefully. "Would it be possible for me to book the room for another night? I'll pay, of course." He fished the silver from his pocket and put it on the counter.
"Of course, sir." The girl said, putting the coins into their safety box and nodding to him. "We welcome your patronage."
Mayer nodded and bowed thankfully, putting another silver on the counter. "For you." He said, before walking out the front door.
From here, he headed into the forest, walking deep into the woodlands before stopping, the village long since gone from sight.
"To train the mind, one must train the body." He mumbled to himself, unsheathing his sword and holding an offensive stance.
He began slow, getting his balance level with his new appendage and different feet, and soon found himself more dextrous than before. Soon he was almost at a fever pitch, and he stopped by stabbing his sword into a tree.
He pulled his sword free, returned it to its scabbard, and gave the tree a once-over, putting his palm to it and concentrating.
"To protect the weak, strength must be given." He mumbled. His hand glowed, and the tree's wound sealed itself up. He looked at his hand, and used his claws to grip the tree before climbing the trunk as if he were crawling a flat surface. Now he stood on a high branch, and looked across the forest's canopy to the village. It was peaceful up here, and he sighed.
"If only there were someone to share this with." He mumbled sadly, before ducking as a dragon flew overhead. "What the hell was that?" He mumbled angrily. "She was flying way too low!" He lifted his head back out of the canopy to find the dragon miles in the distance, far from the village. He looked down and leapt from the tree, landing on the ground with a heavy thud.
"Now let's train the mind." He mumbled, flexing his fingers and holding out a hand. A bolt of light struck a tree, leaving a score in its bark.
"At least the light has not abandoned me." He mumbled. "Only my family." He looked back at his hand and sighed. "Let's see if I've fained any other powers."
He'd read about the gestures, movements and requirements to manipulate a few other magics in the cathedral's massive library, and he was testing them out to see which ones worked. None of them twigged, in fact, he was sure one of them had only sparked another holy spell. He sighed and looked at his hands.
"Guess I've got no magic expansion." He mumbled. "Only physical." He turned his hands over and noticed a cut. "Guess I can at least still heal myself." He mumbled, casting the holy magic. He felt a pulse race to his heart, and then something snapped within himself. His form warped, his armour, except his pauldrons and forearm armour vanished, the meager metal armour left resizing to three, four, eight times their normal size. His entire body gained size, his flesh changed to golden scales and his face became a muzzle. When he finished glowing, he looked down at himself, marvelling at what had just occurred.
'I'm a... Dragon...' He thought to himself. 'This is just too weird, how do I change back?'
He looked at his claws, now sharper and far larger than before, over his back to see no wings, but that his tail was much longer, and that his legs had become more animalistic. He tried moving, finding it slightly easier, and got the hang of it in a few moments, but he still didn't know how to change back.
He closed his eyes and concentrated, sitting down and focusing on pushing the feeling that flowed through him out through his pores. He glowed gently, and slowly changed back into his humanoid shape, now kneeling. He stood, pulling his robe around himself, and looked out at the forest.
He wandered for a bit, observing the forest around him, eventually finding a small river to sit and relax by until the day was up and night started to fall.
By the time he got back to town, the sky was dark and the streets were empty again. Idly he dawdled to the inn, almost passing by a window before slinging himself against the wall. Inwardly he growled.
Bandits.
Quickly he slunk to the door, making sure not to be seen, and slowly opened it. There were four, two around the room, one right by the stairs and one at the counter. The girl from earlier looked terrified, and she momentarily looked at him. Discreetly he told her to stay quiet, and then knocked on the door.
"Go and kill whoever that is!" The bandit at the counter snapped, getting one of the others to move towards the door. In a flash, Mayer pulled him through the door and clobbered his lights out, leaving him lying by the wall. Growing bolder, Mayer pulled the door open and strode into the room, making sure he was well covered. The bandits all turned to him.
"I dunno who you are, but you just made a grave mistake, you punce!" The one at the stairs snapped, swinging a crossbow into view and firing at Mayer. The bolt went through his robe and struck his armour, falling to the ground broken. Mayer smiled and grabbed the edge of his robe, pulling it off of himself. He grinned at their astonished faces, and rushed the one at the bar, pulling him from his feet and slamming him into the floor so hard he lost consciousness instantly. The second in the room ran at him with a sword, which bounced uselessly against Mayer's armour and earned him a punch across the face, which also sent him into the land of sleep.
The third decided to try and fight Mayer hand to hand, only to find himself hopelessly out-muscled by his opponent and sent out the door into the street, where he slid to a stop only to have his allies dumped ontop of him.
"And stay out!" Mayer yelled, before closing the door and strolling across the room to the girl.
"Wh-what are you..?" She hoarsely said, barely catching her breath.
Mayer sighed and looked away from her. "I was a paladin." He mumbled. "But now... now I'm a monster."
"You're a hero, son!" An elderly man said by the stairs. "Damn what you are, you just saved this entire inn!"
Mayer sighed and gave him a saddened stare. "I don't deserve praise." He mumbled.
"Don't deserve, or won't take?" The man asked. "Listen, kid, it don't matter what you are, human, dragon, 'monster', or otherwise, you got a heart and a good head on your shoulders, you've shown us that you'll put others, even complete strangers, above yourself; you're something special. Clearly the others didn't realise just what you're capable of."
Mayer, a little astonished at this, blinked.
"Heh, I saw that right there." The man said. "That little bit inside you that watches the rest of you just gave you a slap, that was. I was a paladin once, and I was proud to be one, but the one thing I lacked was the ability to listen to the darkness sometimes. It's important to be true and just, yes, but more important to know that life isn't simple, there are loops and turns, and the Light has strange ways of shining; sometimes we must turn to the shadow to move into the light."
Mayer nodded, and the gentleman handed him his robe.
"You don't need to hide who you are to be what you are." He said. "Heroes don't hide their faces from evil, and we never run in tears at a little problem. You've nothing to be sad about, boy; just carry it like a medal. You had the bravery to turn from the light, and yet you shine like the sun."
"Thankyou, sir." Mayer mumbled, before heading to his room.
The next day came around, and Mayer left the inn, heading into the forest once more. He didn't know if it was safe for him to stay in that town any longer, so he didn't bother paying for another day in the room he had booked, instead simply leaving with a quiet goodbye to the girl at the counter.
He headed deep into the forest, finding himself back where he was the day before and he sighed.
"Where I belong." He mumbled. "Out of everyone's way."
At the Cathedral, Edrea had not only locked herself into her new den, but refused to speak to anyone outside the doors, denying even an ordered meeting with the council. Things were going downhill fast, the loss of Mayer had struck most of the important staff hard, and they were not being very tolerant of those who seemed only to take some sort of pleasure from his removal. Arama'zul wouldn't talk to one of the other council, who had been particularly xenophobic at the trial, and she had almost threatened him when he wouldn't be quiet.
At about noon of the second day, Arama'zul had managed to convince Edrea to leave her den, to talk with the ancient dragoness. She skulked her way to the library and sat underneath Arama'zul's massive skeleton.
"You've been broody." Arama'zul said conversationally.
"As have you." Edrea retorted.
"You were surprisingly vocal the other day, I'm amazed that you've not been more out and about trying to get things done."
"What would it help?" Edrea asked. "He's gone, nothing I say will change the council's mind."
"If you're not careful, Edrea, they might attempt to remove you as well." Arama'zul warned. "They've shown an unusual amount of xenophobic behavior as of late."
"And talk like this only further drives it, Ama." Elizabeth said, entering the library. Edrea growled at her.
"I want nothing to do with you!" She snapped.
Elizabeth sighed. "Then do nothing but listen." She said.
Out in the courtyard, Argus was staring at, to the paladins, what must have been the most interesting tile in the entire courtyard. He was currently in his drake form, and he would occasionally flick his tail. A shadow moved over him, and he looked up at the owner, a woman he'd never seen before. He idly gazed over at the gates, where more men were pouring in, and sighed.
"This is private property." He said, before the woman impaled him with her sword.
"We know." She said, watching as Argus became limp. "And it's soon to be ours."
Inside the library, the air changed, and the double doors slammed shut, locking tightly.
"We've got a problem." Arama'zul said.
Mayer was seated by the stream once more, watching the birds and fish, idly humming to himself. A pulse ran through him, one he'd never felt before, and he sniffed at the air.
"Blood..?" He mumbled, sniffing again. "I can certainly smell fresh blood. It's coming from..!" His eyes widened and he stood up in a hurry, before bolting east.
"The cathedral!"
He raced through the trees, soon bouncing off a few of them to move at a higher pace. It didn't take long for him to reach the cathedral gates - locked tightly. A man he didn't recognise stood on the battlements, a crossbow primed and ready. Mayer flattened himself against the wall and looked up, before gripping the stone with his claws and slowly climbing up the dozen or so metres to the top. The sentry was completley unaware of what grabbed him, only that he was suddenly wrenched from his position and thrown to the ground, where he landed with a thud, unmoving. Mayer, gripping the top of the wall, used his impressive strength to hurl him into the air, only to land directly on one of the intruders, stomping him into the ground with painful crunches. Several others came rushing over, drawing swords and preparing to rush Mayer as he stood. He brushed his cloak to one side, pulled his shield and sword out, and stood in a battle ready stance.
The first poor sucker got his sword blocked with Mayer's shield, reieving a fierce headbutt that knocked him back a few steps, and then he was clobbered hard with the shield, knocking him out. A second rushed him, and Mayer sidestepped his swing, only to slash clean through his sword with his own and cut the man's face open, leaving him rolling in a puddle of his own blood. Mayer didn't give the third time to react, swinging his sword across his midsection and incapacitating him. Mayer sheathed his sword and turned towards the cathedral, he could see where fights had broken out, only to end in bloodshed, and he knew where he had to go.
He headed to the library.
He was almost there, when the doors opened and Edrea strolled out, cautiously looking about until she saw Mayer and smiling like christmas had come early.
"Mayer!" She exclaimed happily, before noticing movement behind him and becoming deadly serious. "Mayer, look out!"
He didn't have time to react before a dagger was somehow thrust through his armour and into his back, causing massive internal bleeding. His attacker let him slump to the floor.
"You almost ruined everything." She said with an air of smug self superiority. "But this temple, and all its gold, will be ours!"
"There are not many of you left." Arama'zul's voice echoed angrily. "They shall not last long against our paladins."
"Be silent, demon!" The female bandit yelled. "You are in no position to brag!"
"Actually," Mayer mumbled from behind her, slowly standing and dropping his robe, "we are."
The bandit gasped, and Mayer hurled her down the corridor. She slid to a stop in the banquet hall, and Mayer was close behind.
"This was my home once." Mayer said quietly. "Though I was expelled, I'll be damned before I let someone like you take it!"
"You're supposed to be dead! No-one can survive being stabbed in the back from my knife!" She yelled back.
"Oh, it's costing me, alright." Mayer growled. "But I'll recover."
Behind him, Edrea, Elizabeth, and several other paladins came into the room.
"An audience to watch you die slowly." The female bandit smugly growled. "How quaint."
Mayer only smiled. "Today ain't my day to die." He said, holding his hand out and letting a blinding golden glow engulph his hand, before slapping the magic to his chest. "Light's Aegis, grant me the strength to do what is right, grant me the power to help those in need!" The glow engulphed his entire form, and he glared at the woman. "I'll show you the true power of the Light!" He yelled, as he started to change.
The other paladins stood in shock as Mayer changed into his dragon form, standing before them and roaring in fury at the woman.
"You face a dragon with Light's Aegis." Mayer rumbled. "Come, show me what you've got!"
The woman backed off nervously, and Mayer only chuckled.
"If you do not fight, you submit." He growled.
The woman, now annoyed that Mayer could be so proud before her, rushed him almost blindly, swinging a sword from its scabbard, only to get it bouncing off of his thigh. Mayer sighed.
"Perhaps you would prefer a fairer fight." He boomed, pushing her away. "Very well."
Slowly he changed back to his humanoid self, and he stood upright just in time to catch her sword from lopping his head off.
"Now, now; that's not very fair, is it?" He asked her toyishly, pushing her sword back and throwing Edrea his bag, sword and shield. "Hold on to this, will you?" He asked, taking on a defensive stance and ducking a swing.
For a minute or two, he kept ducking and dodging swings, his smile growing wider with eache miss or dodge. Finally he let her hit him, and he grabbed the sword with his hand.
"Is that the best you can do?" He laughed. "I overestimated you." He snapped the sword in his palm, and quickly grabbed her with his other hand, pulling her up. "You could make a formidable warrior if you worked at it, but your play ends here."
"She murdered Argus!" Arama'zul's voice yelled angrily.
"He'll be fine." Mayer replied. "Give him an hour, we'll have him back; just as quiet and cute as he was before." He thumped the woman against the ground hard, knocking the wind out of her. "What are you going to do with her?" He asked idly. "Execution isn't exactly your style."
"I could ask the same of you, Mayer." Elizabeth asked. "You were banished, you've some nerve returning."
"If I hadn't returned, you might all be dead." He said. "If I have to pay for that, so be it."
"You protected the many at the cost of the few." An elderly male voice said, stepping out from behind the paladins. "And that is what makes you a hero." Mayer recognised him, the man from the inn.
"Wh-what're you doing here, sir?" He asked.
"My job, of course." He said. "I am one of the council, the only other who voted to keep you here." He smiled and signaled several of the paladins over. "Detain her." He said.
Mayer walked over and sighed, standing right infront of him. "I..."
"I told you before, Mayer, that you needn't hide what you are. You're not a paladin any more, but you're something more, something we'd not encountered in three hundred years... No, you're more than that. You're the first of your kind."
The woman, clearly not one to give something up, wrestled free, pulled a dagger and charged at the elderly man.
"If I kill your council, there'll be no-one left to hold you all together!" She yelled.
Mayer, not missing a beat, pulled his sword from its scabbard and swung 'round, impaling her on its edge. Her knife stopped inches from the councilman and she gave an astonished look.
"You left me little choice." Mayer said. "May the Light have mercy."
He let her slide off his blade and collapse on the floor, turning back to the councilman.
"Are you alright, sir?"
"I am fine." He said.
Mayer nodded, taking his things from Edrea and resheathing his sword before starting to walk out.
"Where are you going?" Edrea asked.
Mayer sighed over his shoulder. "I am leaving." He said. "I am not welcome here, remember? Every second I spend here only makes me regret returning more."
"Please, don't leave!" Edrea shrieked. "Please! You're... the first friend I ever made, you saved me from being savagely killed by my ex consort, you've been honest to me since day one!"
"But that's the thing." Mayer mumbled. "I've not. I stole one of your scales to heal myself and I never told you, that's hardly being honest."
Edrea shook her head. "One scale is nothing worth losing a friend over." She said. "It would be like me taking a single hair from your head."
"Stay in your old room for now." Arama'zul said. "Please. I shall deliberate with the rest of the council on this matter.
Mayer sighed. "Alright, girls." He said. "For you."
He pulled his cloak over his shoulders and walked the familiar path to his old dorm. The other paladins all went their seperate ways, going to assess the damage, and Edrea was alone once more.
"Didn't he have a cute butt when he was a dragon?" Arama'zul asked, making Edrea giggle girlishly.
The next day, after Mayer awoke, he found himself being cornered by two guards, who insisted that he go with them. He found himself in the courtyard again, surrounded by the paladins once more. He sighed.
"You could have warned me you were only going to kick me out again." He mumbled. "I'd have left early so as not to upset Edrea."
Arama'zul materialised in the courtyard, and Argus strolled into view, standing next to her. He was in his drake form again, having been sacrificing arcane energy all night to make this meeting possible. Edrea strolled into the courtyard behind Mayer, and she gave a worried look.
"Mayer, after much deliberation, the council came to the conclusion to banish you from the grounds once more." Arama'zul said. "However, after a few arguments from myself, and a nice juicy threat, they have decided to change their opinion in favor of one more fitting someone of your reputation. You are not to rejoin the paladins, however you are to rejoin our ranks as the first of your kind. Mayer, your new title is something befitting your heroic actions, Mayer the Savior, and you are to join us as our first Dragonknight."
Applause rang through the courtyard, and Mayer looked about himself in stunned awe.
"You are the first of your kind of dragon in thousands of years." Arama'zul said. "Born of man and Dragon, you've exceeded the limit of your original form and have become the first Lightscale dragon in milennia. Take pride in the fact that, even though you listened to the darkness, you became a being of the Light." She smiled down at him. "Welcome home, Mayer."
Mayer smiled and thumped his fist to his chest in a salute. "It's great to be back." He said, tears of joy running down his face.
"There's nowhere I'd rather be."