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Author's Notes: They'll be at the bottom.

Copyright shpill. All characters, story, and locations are copyright to me. Any similarities are completely coincidental. Please ask for permission before doing so. Story scenario and original idea was given by a friend of mine.

The Summoner and the Succubus

The old man slid from my arms, his frail frame leaning against me gently. Startled, I held on to him as we slid to the floor. He shook his head gently against me, as I heard his gasping breath reach my ears. I shook off the tears I had in my eyes, my voice fleeing my attempts to talk.

"It is quite alright, my daughter," he said softly. "I am only dying."

"You're only dying!" I exclaimed, bringing his face to mine. I cupped the old man's face in my hands as I stared into his eyes. "How old are you, anyway?"

He chuckled gently, laying his hands against mine. "Four thousand, three hundred fifty," he said, smiling.

I blinked, trying to fathom how long that really was, and failing miserably. Four thousand years? He has literally seen the rise and fall of almost every recorded empire! The implications of such knowledge lost struck a blow to my analytical, but I frowned upon that. My father was literally dying in my arms, and all I can think about is how much humans will miss upon this?

He shook his head, smiling once more. "My knowledge does not need to go with me," he said, smiling. "And, furthermore, you are not human, however much you look like one."

"What do you mean?" I asked feeling perplexed at his statement.

"I can awaken your draconic blood," he said, patting my cheek. "It matters little how much you have. Any measure of blood can be awakened, and you are born of a true dragon's sire. You will know what I mean, if you wish."

I nodded. "I trust you, Father," I said. The implications were overwhelming, but I swallowed any fear I had. This is what I came for, I thought. Whatever happens here, I asked for this. I will not run away from my destiny.

"You are very brave," he said, as we stood once again. I could begin to feel magic flow through him, as it filled his body to strengthen it once more. After he slumped in my arms, I could only think that magic, or perhaps just sheer willpower, was allowing him to stand now.

He took my hands in his and closed his eyes. When they opened, they were the same molten gold color of his dragon form. He began to murmur in a soft tone, in a language I could not understand from what I could hear. The temperature began to rise, as magic flowed through the old man, shinning motes of fire appearing and swirling around us. The temperature kept rising, though the motes of fire stopped swirling around and appeared to dance in a complicated pattern in the air. It looked as if they were drawing runes, and sure enough, I even recognized some of them. But the vast majority was unknown to me, and I imagined that they were either from old mages, or even forbidden magic that is no longer practiced.

I could feel sweat begin to drip down my face, but I didn't dare move. My body felt like it was burning, almost from the inside, but I continued to look forward into the eyes of my father. I tightened my grip, and I felt him grip me gently in his own. Instantly, his eyes were in my vision, but I did not retaliate against the intrusion. In fact, I welcomed it this time, and I could feel power pour inside of me, filling me with warmth. Warmth swiftly became stifling hot, and that soon turned into feeling like being bathed in lava. I choked back a yell; as yet even more magic filled me.

It was as if I was being empowered by the spells energy. Not in the same sense as holding an enchanted weapon or feeling the effects of a spell on you. This was by far more complicated than that. It felt like the spell was actively analyzing what needed to become better than it already was, and making alterations. My blood felt like it burned inside my body, as my chest felt like the hammering of an anvil by twenty blacksmiths. I felt my thoughts shift rapidly, from being as slow like a glacier, to faster than the impact of a flying rock to the head.

The feelings subsided slowly, shaking my head to clear the cobwebs that I felt inside my mind. I stopped when I saw the old man, my father, lying on the ground. I almost lunged, but I felt awkward all of a sudden. I looked at my hands, and admired the golden scales that adorned me. I took stock of my body, and I realized that I looked like a miniature dragon. Well, this is going to get used to, I thought bitterly, as I worked myself down to all fours. I nuzzled the old man, suddenly glad that my perception didn't change with the muzzle or the new eyes I surely had.

My father woke slowly, taking in a ragged breath. Somewhere in my head, I knew that he just gave his life to do this, but I didn't understand why. He looked at me again and smiled.

"You look beautiful, my daughter," he whispered gently. His hands patted my muzzle weakly, but as soon as I felt his touch, they fell limp towards the ground. A last breath left his body, but a smile adorned his face. Tears stung in my eyes, and try as I might, I could not hold them back. I wept, spreading my wings as far as the room allowed, and bellowed a roar. I sound rocked the stone walls, shaking dust from the ceiling and shaking the very stone floor I was standing. I didn't care, though, as I felt like I just lost a piece of my soul.

I slowly controlled myself, my roar still echoing throughout the hollow castle I stood in. I turned to face Amara and the naga now, both still asleep. Somehow, I knew that I had a lot of things to do, and my life just got a lot more complicated.

=============== ==== ====================== =================

"Mistress," I whispered gently, shaking my head. "It is sunrise, and you have a very busy day today."

"Five more minutes," she grumbled

"That's what you said five minutes ago," I said, giggling.

Mistress sighed, as she gently awoke from her slumber. Her gigantic form, easily over twenty feet, towered over me as she stood, but I felt safe around her. Golden scales glimmered with the sunlight that poured through the open windows. She shook her head again, but smiled at me from above. She frowned after a moment, closing her eyes in thought.

"Today is when the clans come, isn't it?" she asked

I nodded. "Yes, Mistress, it is," I said. "They are all here, and I hurried to get you."

"Some queen I am," she said, chuckling softly. "Let us hurry then," she continued. "I would hate to keep our guests waiting any longer than they already have."

I nodded as magic surrounded me. I closed my eyes, feeling the familiar sensations of vertigo as my surrounding were replaced with the throne room. When I opened my eyes, I was in the all too familiar throne room. Much like every throne room I've seen before, it felt more like a glorified hallway. Tapestries hung from the marble walls, depicting gentle settings, from the ocean far to the east, to the snowy mountains of the south. Windows were opened, allowing the cool breeze inside, sunlight barely being constrained by the golden curtains that hung in front of the windows.

Whatever chatter was in the room was silenced when my Mistress arrived. Silence hung in the air, as I looked at the different races represented in the hall. Elves from different lands were present, from the snow elves that are from the ocean in a frozen land, as they claim, to the drow, ruthless killers of the Underdark. Dwarfs and gnomes converged about, smoking their pipes gently. The different morph tribes almost roared in unison at the sight of their queen, but they were cut short beforehand when Mistress spoke.

"I apologize for making all of you wait," she rumbled. "Let us get to business. What news bring the Frost Elves of Nelethaz?"

A fair elven maiden, easily taller than any of the elves present, walked forward. Pale skin and white hair was visible under a snow white cloak and robe. A golden circlet laid on her hair, soft rubies and emeralds gleaming. On her back, a bow made of white wood and a matching quiver made her look like a warrior princess or queen of her own right.

"My Queen," she began her voice light and soft, "nothing of high note comes from our lands. Any humans that are there have heard of your rise, and wish to align themselves to you. These humans are exiles of previous empires from these lands that have been marooned and left for dead. They have heard of your promises, and wish to join in the fight.

"Also, we have made contact with the barbarian tribes," she continued, "and though I again insist that we leave those brutes to their own devices, they have approached us in full cooperation to speak of peace. I have sent ambassadors speaking with their chieftains and shamans before I made way here to report to you."

"Excellent news," Mistress said, nodding. "Do the Drow have anything to report?"

A male dark elf walked forward. He was the entire opposite of the elf queen, wearing jet black leather armor, a black bow with matching quiver, and a midnight cloak. His eyes were blood red, and his hair silver. Though he didn't wear anything that marked him royalty or something of the like, he walked confidently before bowing.

"My Queen," he said gently, "I will take the liberty to speak on behalf of the gnomes and dwarfs that there have been no human activity in the Underdark. We have kept close eye to all entrances and exits, and sealed away known portals that are important trade routes to the human civilization. We have put extremely high taxes on the goods they buy, so anything they get, we are getting almost four times the coin for."

A dwarf walked up and stood next to the Drow. His expression was of a fat man that just got away with eating an entire meal for a family for himself. His face looked kind, but a gleam of his eyes made me slightly uneasy. He was clothed in expensive clothes that barely fit against his rotund body.

"This here Drow is talking the truth!" he exclaimed loudly. "We'll be making more coin from them humans than we'll know what to do with it! And if this keeps up, we'll be able to expand more westward, and be able to support expeditions into the desert areas!"

Mistress nodded, smiling gently. "That is excellent news to hear. Thank you very much."

Both Drow and dwarf bowed before taking their places again. A familiar figure stepped forward, and I smiled when Dusk winked at me. His demeanor has not changed over the years we have been here, and he has grown into his role quite well. As representative of the Faladum, he spoke for all of his clan, and the safety of the mountain areas.

"The Faladum have something to report," he said. "There are reports of Mind Flayers being spotted near certain unstable areas where portals to the Far Plane have been spotted. We are working as we speak to seal these portals and routing out any possible Mind Flayer activity."

"I will personally see to it that Drow knights are sent to aid you," the Drow representative said.

"Any aid is most certainly welcome," Dusk said, turning to bow to the Drow. "Thank you."

"Have there been any injuries?" Mistress asked

"None whatsoever," Dusk answered. "We are taking any and all precautions, and only groups of ten or more are sent to hunt down any Mind Flayers."

Mistress nodded, smiling. "Thank you," she whispered.

Dusk nodded and bowed, to be replaced by another. A Lycan this time, his fur was beginning to turn gray at the ends, but he carried himself with power and certainty, much like everyone else. Fresh scars ran through his skin where it was visible, small patches of missing fur that refused to grow back. Garn, leader of the Lycan tribe, has taken much liberty in leading any skirmishes that happened in the territories around Korst Lonal.

"Thanks to the military might that our alliance has brought, we have won most, if not all of our skirmishes with little to no deaths to our own," Garn said without preamble. A map was produced from somewhere, and he unfolded it. The map revealed the nearby areas of Korst Lonal, large blots of ink signifying, what I thought were battle locations. Arrows pointed towards and away from these blotches, and I gave up trying to find logic behind it all. Overall, there were six blotches on the map, with what looked like a few dozen arrows pointing to different locations from the blotches.

He pointed to two blotches, the ones farthest away from the forest in what looked like a plain area. "Here and here, we encountered two divisions of their mounted cavalry and wizards with knights as support. It didn't take long for us to destroy their cavalry advantage and we brought our own to the field. While we managed to capture a few here and there, the most fought to the death."

He pointed to three individuals grouped tightly together. "Here, over the course of the past month, we have been attacked ruthlessly by the humans. It was only due to the Drow and dwarfs coming to our aid did we manage to beat them back. In these skirmishes, we lost close to three hundred clan members."

If Mistress was shocked, she didn't let it show. "We must honor our dead if we can, Garn," she said.

"We have, Lady Luz," Garn said. "They have been given proper funerals and their families are in safe territory, well away from any fighting."

Garn pointed at the last patch. This one was extremely close to the castle itself. "I wanted to report this one specifically," he said, smirking. "Either a band of traitors, or cowards, but a few humans from the empire have broken their oaths and have been apparently been sentenced to death. They now wish to join our side."

"Interesting," Mistress said. "Have they been properly taken care of?"

"With as much care as I give my pups," he said, nodding

"I'm glad to hear this, Garn. As much as I understand that there will be blood spilled, if we do not have to, I hope that we can use other methods."

Garn nodded, rolling up the map. "We do what we must."

"We do what we must," Mistress repeated, nodding solemnly. "Is there any more to report?"

"Yes, your Highness, I have something to report."

We turned to see Adamina walk towards us. Her scales were darker than I remember them being, and she seemed much longer, but that voice was unmistakable. She was flanked by two other naga, wearing only a top to cover their breasts. Adamina was wearing the same, and they were barely worth noting that they left nothing to the imagination.

"I apologize for intruding, but I wish to report that I have been appointed ambassador for the naga to your kingdom, your Highness," Adamina said. "It is our wish that we lend you whatever aid we may give you in your plans."

Mistress nodded, smiling. "It is good to see you again, Adamina," she said. "I would be honored to accept your offer."

===================== ================= =============

"That was exhausting," I muttered as soon as everyone had left the throne room, shaking my head.

"Are you alright, Mistress?" Amara asked

"No, not truly," I said, closing my eyes. "Somehow I feel like I have bitten more than I could handle. These reports are somewhat disturbing."

"Do you mean the skirmishes?" Amara asked

"No, those were expected," I answered, "nor the deaths are what trouble me. Not even the news that the Illithid are coming out of hiding is new to me. No, what I fear is far more ancient and far more powerful."

Amara stayed silent, listening to me rambling. When I didn't continue, her touch on my scales brought me back to the present. I shook my head, organizing my thoughts coherently.

"The signs are beginning to appear, that a great evil is coming again," I said grimly. "At night, a purple star glows in the distance, and reports of towns in the empire being burned and destroyed only add to my fears."

"What do you mean?"

"It only means that the end of the world is coming, slowly but surely. The Great Disease flies to our world."

"But isn't that just a myth?" Amara asked

I shook my head, sighing. "No, my dear, it isn't. I truly hoped that it would be just a myth, but it is not so. Both my attempts to commune with Baator and Celestia have concluded the same: IT is coming."

"Wont the Divine help us?" Amara asked

I shook my head again. "Any of my attempts to communicate with any Divine has met with failure," I said. "If that is because of outside influence, or they are outright refusing to answer, I do not know. We can only hope that help will arrive when it does, but I refuse to just sit here and consolidate as much as possible while our destruction is so close."

"Do you know how long we have until this creature arrives?" Amara asked

I shook my head. "Nothing I can discern gives me an accurate timeline. The closest I have is within the next twenty years."

"That's plenty of time," she said smugly. "We'll be prepared."

I nodded. "For the sake of our entire existence, I hope you are right, Amara. I pray that you are."

=============== ===================== ================

Years pass...

Standing here in this throne room, it feels like I am a pedestal that is holding this entire kingdom together. More people cast their lot with me, and I can feel the pressure mount for every lord, knight, peasant, or child that trusts me with taking care of their lives. I do not know if it is that I am a dragon, nor the fact that they believe that the dragons will come to battle this evil. Sometimes I would like to think of all this as a dream, that I will wake up soon and laugh at my foolishness. But then, reality crashes through when Garn reports that more than five hundred have been found dead in a town ransacked by people clearly driven insane by magical means.

Undead are beginning to walk the earth openly, even during daylight hours. Caravans that provide services to all of my alliances needed to be protected at all costs. Things were too important to fall apart now. The land was beginning to look blighted, as if something was draining the life force from it. Thankful that the throne room was empty for once, I thought of what I could do to protect my people.

It's funny, I have never thought of all these colorful people as my own. I had a duty, that to the world with my knowledge. I had to do something, or watch it all burn. I couldn't just sit there and do nothing while this thing came once again to extinguish all life. If we were going to die, then by the Nine Hells I was going to die fighting.

I ran through the words of my spell over and over again. I began to mumble them softly under my breath and I could feel my magic taking form. I stopped as soon as I felt that, trying to put to memory the feeling of how my heart quivered, how my lungs began to burn. I truly wish that this spell is never used, but I may have to. I shook my head, the feeling of shame surging through. Did I care more of my own life than the lives of this world?

"I will do what I must," I whispered to the empty room. "If I must do this, it is my only hope that everyone can forgive me."

"Forgive what, Mistress?"

I turned to my right, to see Amara standing there. I actually knew she was there, thanks to these powerful senses, but to my mostly human mind, it was surprising to just see her appear out of the shadows like that. I sighed and motioned her to stand next to me. She complied, placing her hands against my hide. I could feel her touch, smell her scent, and hear her breath and heartbeat. She has been the one to be with me through these trials, and I feel that her time with me has been unjustified to our Pact.

"Amara, I wish to release you from-,"

"NO! I will NOT run away from this, Mistress!" she yelled, her voice echoing through the empty room. "I can't begin to understand what is going to happen, but I trust you. You have never led me wrong through these years, and I trust you with my life!"

"I can't keep you here against your will, Amara," I said, shaking my head. She shook hers, looking into my eyes directly.

"Then let me say this. I outright refuse to leave you. You have been the one person that has never abused our Pact for their outright gain and to my detriment. You have empowered me, giving me a choice, cared for my physical and mental wellbeing. I LOVE you, Mistress!"

Her outright outburst made her feelings give more weight to her argument and give me pause. Did I truly want to push someone that loved me with all their being away? I sighed, not wanting to give her harm if I absolutely must give myself to this world. Regardless, I inspected my own feelings for the succubus, and I truly thought that I would be still searching through more moldy old books, trying to get to the bottom of my own mystery. Double the fact that her timely actions have kept me alive more times than I care to admit, and her attitude to everything that we do, and my own argument felt invalid.

But it only took the realization that I will most likely die by the end of all this that reminded me of how justified I was. I couldn't, nor wouldn't, give her so much pain. Even if it was all for the purpose of saving her life, it would be worth it.

"I will take this in my own hands, then," she said, determination in her voice. "I call upon you, Mistress, to forge our Pact anew, one that without a doubt, tie myself to you. You have made my life for the better, from where I knew nothing before this. You have freed me from shackles I didn't know I had, given me a will of my own, taught me things I did not know, and sculpted me to help you in something that is far bigger than both of us.

I wish to help you, truly, from the depths of my soul, to create a safe place for all of these people. Races and beings that would normally be killing each other due to feuds that span generations have been compromised due to a larger ordeal that is ahead of them. You are inspiring hope, and I only wish to aid you."

"And what do you get out of this Pact, Amara?" I asked, a bit breathless. It felt like she was literally tying herself to me, with no way out of it.

"I get you, Mistress," she said, shuffling her hooves. "As long as I'm near you, I feel like my world is complete. That everything in the world matters little as long as I have you in my life. I will gladly do anything; give anything, to you, as long as it makes you happy."

I probed her mind, with the express intent to find out of these feelings were genuine, or a side effect of the Pact. Feelings of adoration, gratitude, and genuine love and care flowed through me. I could tell that she knew what I knew, and the feelings doubled, almost overwhelming my mind. I withdrew quickly, my body reacting rather strongly to such an emotional overload.

I nodded, though, and her magic surged through her body. I extended my own magic to her, feeling for hers through her touch. It didn't take long, as I could feel the magic affecting the old, the feeling of it being shed like an old cloak to be replaced with a new one. Without a thought, I once again delved into Amara's mind, and once again being filled with the same emotions as before. I could feel her claws rake against my scales gently, as if scratching me.

"I told you," she whispered. I shook my head in defeat.

I may not understand it now, but somewhere deep inside of my mind, I am happy that this happened. At the very least, it means that my existence is justified. At the very least, I must protect this world for her sake. Even if it costs me my life, I will do what it takes, at whatever the cost.

I will do what I must.

Author's Notes: Soooo yeah... cliffhanger much? I hope'd that all of you have enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. The reason -why- I put the notes at the bottom this time is that, for all purposes, this is the last one of this arc / story / whatever. I'm thinking I'll come back to it, eventually. And, of course, if the demand is there. Comments and suggestions are always welcome, so please leave them if you'd like.

Music that inspired: "In your Prime", by BigGIantCircles, OCR, and lots of techno from friends. Hate not having track names.

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