It was early morning in Dreamford, and Quora had spent the night in a small wooded area outside the castle's walls, waiting for Eramus. Quora was pleased with the thief - not only had he succeeded in the job she had forced him into, but he had also stolen a terrible blade called Tremulon, a dagger capable of killing the dead and consigning them to oblivion. It worked just as well on the living, and could cut steel like paper. Eramus would need this, for Quora was so pleased with him that she decided his geas would not end with just one job - he was much too valuable a tool. She knew of several artifacts that could increase her and Eramus's capabilities, such as the Circle of Onyx that was kept within the cathedral archives in Myrellia, which could render its wearer invisible. With the threat of Myratel, Quora also thought of securing a mystical stone called the Manafont, believed to be kept by Amuranthea, the Mountain Queen of Yggdramor. The Manafont brimmed with magical power; if only the titanic Amuranthea weren't known to wear such precious stones in piercings at the back of her throat - watching Eramus steal the Manafont would be a spectacle indeed.

Eramus was slightly late when he met with Quora, and that was because he had encountered King Dreamford's daughter, Cordelia. Quora was quite amused to watch their interaction, especially seeing how they seemed to have a budding relationship. Quora could only imagine King Dreamford's reaction when he learned his daughter had fallen for a vagabond. She felt the Visions of Fafnir: Volume V in her hands; it must have been among, if not the last Visions, as this was bound in black leather from an unknown creature, like a very thin book. Having looked at it to confirm Eramus had stolen the right book, she opened it again.

At last, she whose heart has forgotten all but its rage,

She stands at the edge of the future and threatens Man's triumph.

The one who has survived death shall silence her heart's drum

And so shall lead the rebirth!

"Man's triumph? What in the hells did you see, Fafnarok?" she pondered subconsciously. Could Cyrus's theory be true, and that these were premonitions of the end put to paper? Of the Visions she had seen so far, all seemed to describe some terrible threat and then mention who or what would cause its demise. There had to be more context. She wanted more.

She needed more.

Only the first and fourth volumes were left, but she feared they would not be enough. There had to be another source - perhaps the answer lay in Cyrus. From what he told her of his relationship with Fafnir, she started to wonder if Cyrus had a deeper connection to him than she did. Her eyes began to burn bright; the old man was content to sit in his home and wait for Quora's successes. She swore that would change the next time she saw him.

Quora felt an arcane disturbance nearby and could feel an entity approaching. A pale blue mote of light appeared before her. She stowed the Visions on her person and backed away before the light erupted into a flash of light and smoke. As the smoke cleared, Quora could make out a slender man in an elegant suit of silver armour tailored to his form, with a gilded smallsword at his hip. But the blue flash of eyes behind rectangular spectacles betrayed his identity immediately.

"Good morning, Dremfrrdon." Quora sweetly said.

"I don't know how you did it." growled Dreamford, "My vault was broken into last night. I know you are behind this, Qorrametz."

Quora laughed and began circling Dreamford, "What difference does it make?"

"Tremulon is gone!" shouted Dreamford, "I built that weapon for the event my brother crawled his way out of the Underworld! Without it, what would my people do?"

"Fight, I suppose." Quora simpered, "You should see the thief I've forced into my service. He is an adorable one. I suppose it was a stroke of bad luck that Tremulon happened to be so tiny and concealable." she stopped and glowered at the king, "Besides, it'd be much more of a spectacle to kill your brother a second time with a mighty axe."

Quora danced toward Dreamford and took his arm before he could react. She held it up by the wrist and ran her hand across his bicep, "Oh, my apologies...You can't lift anything bigger than a tiny knife in this shape, can you? Must you always be the runt?"

Dreamford forced his arm free, "Enough. I'll find your thief and hang him by his entrails."

"Oh dear, such language." mocked Quora, "It's almost more threatening when you're in that silly metal suit! Did you get all dressed up just to intimidate me?"

Dreamford took a sharp breath through his nose. "...No. I have a proposition for you." He turned to face Quora, his glasses flashing white in the morning sun. "Fancy a bout of rampant destruction, Qorrametz?"

Quora was intrigued, "Is that your idea of a tryst? Perhaps you know me, after all. Who are we breaking today?"

"Hobgoblins from the Shadowsteppes." explained Dreamford, "One of my bastions along that dark place has been attacked. Hobgoblins are cowardly; they would need to be organized and led to carry out such an attack. I intend to go and find out who is leading them and give them a taste of a dragon's might."

Quora had to admit she was interested. It was a shame they were the creatures of shadow; they were not as satisfying to crush as humans were and not nearly as messy or noisy. The sheer numbers that hobgoblins could boast would have to compensate.

Dreamford pushed up his glasses, "Campbellton Gate is the name of the bastion, far to the south of here. I shall assume my dragon shape and take you..."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Quora did not wait for him to finish speaking. She shifted into her bird of prey form and took flight south. Dreamford chuckled to himself. He shifted into the form of an owl and took flight after Quora.

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It was a long flight, and the weather began to turn grey and cloudy. From high above, Quora could see the Shadowsteppes on the horizon - it was a sprawling place, shrouding nearly all of Southern Aveldan in darkness. The land radiated with a dark purple haze, obscuring the black terrain below. Massive briars arched over the land, and vultures could be seen circling them. Shielding Aveldan from this darkness was a great canyon that cleaved through the land as if the Shadowsteppes were a gangrenous limb. In some spots along the canyon, the land came close to meeting, and in these spots, the human city-states erected bastions against the things that would come to wreak havoc upon their world. Campbellton Gate was one of the many under Dreamford's command - though Myrellia boasted a few of its own. The scarlet flags of the Church of Myratel could be seen from Campbellton Gate, indicating an adjacent bastion.

Campbellton Gate consisted of two sets of walls made of the same stone used in Dreamford's construction, each with open battlements. Two gatehouses with outer doors made of heavy wooden lattice firmly secured the entrance and exit to the Shadowsteppes. At each end of the walls were four tall, thin towers designed to resemble lanterns. Quora couldn't see any guards or the distinct glow of Dreamfordian technology.

"Something is wrong, Qorrametz." Dreamford telepathically said, "Those four beacons are to be kept lit with magic, but they stand with no trace of it. We make our descent to the gate at our side."

Quora and Dreamford swooped down to the Aveldan side of Campbellton Gate and shifted into their human forms. From this perspective, the walls looked much more imposing, with Quora having to crane her neck to see along the top. The lattice gate before them was left open, and a peculiar smell wafted from within. Dreamford called out to the guards, but there was no reply.

"Have your men abandoned their posts, Dremfrrdon?" Quora quipped.

"Vexing, indeed..." Dreamford replied. After more silence, he drew his smallsword and said, "Come, we should investigate."

Quora was amused. Though she could care less about the guards, she was curious to find out what, if anything, happened to them. She conjured a long blade of raw magic that blazed orange like pure flame in her hand and followed Dreamford into Campbellton Gate.

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The gatehouse was nearly pitch dark within, and the peculiar smell began to turn Quora's face. Dreamford did not seem to be doing much better, with his free hand covering his mouth and nose. The inner doors were held shut, obscuring where the smell could be coming from.

"Did you station your dirtiest guards here, Dremfrrdon?" Quora asked, "It smells like death in here."

"I know.."

"It smells like a leftover beast you killed and could not finish consuming," Quora could not contain her laughter, "because you are small!"

Dreamford let out an exasperated sigh, "Another of your size references."

"They're my favourite." Quora cajoled, "Aww, now look at you."

Dreamford was trying to push the inner doors open with one arm and then tried to do so with his shoulder. He sheathed his sword and went with both hands, grunting as he struggled.

"Do you need help, Dremfrrdon?" Quora mocked, "Try asking, 'Qorrametz, I am too pathetic to open a door, please help me.'"

"Qorrametz, shut up and help me with the door!"

Quora perked up at Dreamford's outburst. She allowed her sword to disperse and pushed the door with him. Even with their combined strength, Quora, too, found the door challenging to move. After a few moments of grunted effort, the doors began to creak open. With one final push, the inner doors flung open, and a gust of wind blew over Quora and Dreamford, carrying its noxious odour with it. The sight beyond the doors made even dragons retch in disgust.

Campbellton Gate's ward was left littered with the remains of the slaughtered garrison.

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Dreamford was shaking - those colours were unmistakable. He held his head in his trembling hands.

"Impossible, I...I armed them so well..." Dreamford fell to his knees and shook his head, trying to disbelieve what he was seeing, "The best armour and weapons...how could all of them..."

Quora was perplexed; even one who loathed humans so much could recognize Dreamford's men to be among Aveldan's finest soldiers, but here she saw them completely wiped out in a fortified position. She could not sense any survivors, and now she was more curious to learn what happened - if only to get Dreamford to stop snivelling over a few splattered humans.

She found a dead soldier and rolled him onto his back with her foot. A terrible gash was torn into his chest; a death blow by any measure. As she imagined what manner of weapon would have caused such a wound, she picked up a greatsword that had been dropped in the carnage. It was like the ones the guardsmen in Dreamford carried - unlike their swords, this one did not have the blue light of magic running through its fuller. Looking at the rest of the discarded weapons, none of them seemed to have any magic.

"Dremfrrdon...Is the light in your soldiers' weapons supposed to die with them?" Quora asked.

Dreamford shook his head and muttered, "No..."

Quora loomed over him, "Dremfrrdon, there's no magic at all here, is there?"

Dreamford rose to his feet, "No. No there isn't, Qorrametz."

Quora felt her connection to magic being stifled, and an all-too-familiar pit grew in her stomach. She tried to change shape, but there was no effect.

"Dremfrrdon, try casting a spell."

Dreamford gave Quora a confused look. He acquiesced and raised his finger to conjure sparks. Dreamford was dismayed to find he could not cast even the simplest magicks. He and Quora exchanged a knowing glance.

"We need to leave, now!"

They ran for the doors from where they came and found a wall of pitch darkness blocking the doorway. Perplexed about where it had come from, Quora pushed her hand into the darkness, and it felt like she had immersed her hand in tar. A loud creaking came from the other side of the ward; the inner doors at the other gatehouse were being opened. Shadows leaked between the heavy doors like smoke.

"We won't get through in time!" Quora growled, pulling her hand out of the darkness.

"Then we fight." Dreamford declared, drawing his smallsword, "Grab a weapon!"

Quora rushed to pick up a greatsword and hefted it in her hands; it was light enough for her to consider picking up a second one. She and Dreamford had their eyes on the other gatehouse, from which creatures of shadow emerged. Diminutive goblins, wiry things of raw shadow, scurried along the floors and walls. They carried tiny blades, and their heads were covered with triangular helmets of white metal. Marching in formation after them were the hobgoblins, similar creatures of shadow who were the size of humans and hefted long blades in both hands. They spread out and made way for the last entity to follow.

From the darkness of the open gatehouse came the sound of heavy hooves, followed by a puff of red fire. Out into the ward came a horrific creature resembling a horse but with a horned and skull-like countenance that burned red with fire. Long, shaggy hair covered its legs, and it seemed to have a ribcage outside its torso. It uttered a cry that sounded like a howling horse and the scream of a dying man.

"An umbrakamppos..." Dreamford muttered.

It had a rider who appeared to be the most human of these shadow creatures. His pitch-black body appeared lithe, with four shadowy streamers hanging from his shoulders. He carried a wickedly barbed sword that burned with the same red fire as his steed. His head was covered with a faceless triangular helm that was half red and half white metals. There was another man on the creature's back, bound and gagged and riding on his stomach. His long blonde hair had become dishevelled from mistreatment. He weakly looked up at Quora, and she immediately recognized him as Thedus, the warrior she had fought in Myrellia's archives. He closed his eyes and let his head drop.

"You stand before King Stragor, Lord of the Shadowsteppes." the rider barked with a metallic voice, "I come to bring havoc to the realms of men. Who dare interrupt my campaign of terror?"

Dreamford stepped forward, "You! You're the one who killed these men. My men!"

"Campbellton Gate's castellan, I presume." Stragor said, "I know nothing of their deaths. You may want to ask this Myrellian scum that I carry."

Quora asked, "Why do you have that wretch?"

Stragor laughed, "Isn't it obvious, mage? He is Myratel's chosen - a living anti-magic zone. He will be an excellent tool for when I raze the city of Dreamford."

Dreamford pointed his smallsword at Stragor, "Foolishness. You'll never get past the shield covering the city."

"Enough!" Stragor declared, "I have the two of you outnumbered. Surrender, and I shall let you live."

Dreamford and Quora looked at each other. Stragor was right - the number of goblins and hobgoblins likely far exceeded what they could see. The odds were impossible for two dragons who had been reduced to being little better than humans. Dreamford shook his head and was the first to lay down his weapon. Quora spat and threw her sword away. Both dropped to their knees and waited for the hobgoblins, who came to clap them in irons.

Quora felt overwhelming disgust at the prospect of becoming Stragor's prisoner.