Sapphire dragons are the only crystal dragon that break from the neutrality they hold as a species. While they remain isolationists sapphire dragons are known to follow the teachings of a chosen religion to extreme lengths. Their devotion giving them great skill and power in divine magic there they couple with their latent psionics and ability to command water.
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Kathrine
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I enter my room after walking to the hotel as my son tells me of his idea to storm a vampire stronghold in the city for information.
I kneel at my bed with tears falling as I pray. Thanking God that the son not stolen from me cares so much. I know why he wants to do this. He wants to get vengeance for me even though it would be safer for us to hide.
I as I have every day since learning what the Ravnos have done beg for their destruction and also forgiveness in my son of not being able to forgive. I ask to become capable of forgiving again but my heart is only partially there.
I ask for success in my son’s attack and the comfort I always get while praying grows stronger before I come to a close and rest.
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I find myself standing in front of the winged lizard I can turn into who stares at me for a moment.
“Do you want to know what we are?” she asks.
“A dragon?” I answer skeptically.
“Do you want to help our son?”
I nod, assuming this is one of the schizophrenic things Adrian mentioned.
“Good, but do you know how or have the power to do so?”
“That’s what you’re here to help with” I state and the dragon smiles.
“Not only that but yes. I do not think you’re ready to handle our power but the target of our anger deserves it.
They have stolen our children and plague this world with their evil” she says, with hate and anger equal to my own filling every syllable of her last sentence.
I touch the dragon's snout, my snout before we both shatter into tiny fragments and reform as a single being. I’ve accepted my anger and long ago mastered my pride. I don’t feel much different but I smile as this dream comes to a close.
I know just what I am.
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Adrian
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The day passes without incident and aside from the fit our disappearance will cause nothing should go wrong. I make sure not to use a ripple of energy to find the undead but just regular sensing as we approach a large opening that should not be in the sewer. It is here that the Duke of St. Louis holds his court and vampires come to watch blood sports.
We reach an iron gate that quite frankly does not fit the concrete architecture of the sewer system with a stone gargoyle whose head turn to us before it speaks in a voice of rumbling stone.
“You are not welcome here. Leave before I have to kill you.”
A sentient creature, unfortunately for it we won’t be turning back. I take a step forward and the gargoyle lunges at me. Unfortunately for it I pull the dwarven glaive from Void Cache and set it to where the creature should impale itself.
It’s wings flap and the course changes only for the blades of K and Bryan to injure it’s stony skin. I hope the minor enchantments all dwarven equipment has is enough to keep the blades from being ruined. Coagulated red blood falls from the wounds in chunks and I recognize it as vampire blood.
The gargoyle does not react to the pain but it appears to be animate stone so it may not be able to. I adjust where I am holding the glaive to shorten my reach and use the bladed tip to slash at the carved stone chest. My blade seems to cut easier than the swords did but it is Lysan and a small mace that deals the most visible damage, smashing down on the bladed tail before dodging.
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Talia tosses a burst of fire but the flames seem to do little more than leave some soot. I block a claw as I hear the grinding of stone that is no doubt a tail swipe before attempting to strike at his life force but whatever mixture it is surpasses my understanding to disrupt as I do with the undead.
I feel it’s life force get weaker as our weapon strike are reduced to creating sparks. It’s skin hardening gives me an idea, I used Matter to make it easier to break my arm so why not this creature?
I twist reality with as much force as I can and smile as K's blade severs a limb as the stone crumbles like cheese. Still the gargoyle feels no pain as it soon dies or is it destroyed? Depends if it was ever really alive.
The iron gate is unlocked by Abagail though I do not know how. There are no traps as we go through the short hallway as this is the main entrance. The hall opens up into a larger one decorated with artwork that I do not have the time to focus on as my attention is drawn to a man sitting in the fanciest robes I’ve ever seen on an engraved chair. Over a dozen vampires are in front of him while those that I assume are their servants and guards stand along the walls.
“. . .care what the mortals claim find me . . .” the vampire in the chair stop suddenly turning to us. “And why have you come to my court?” he asks.
“You are going to tell me about the Ravnos” I state, all of the spellcasters of our group whispering spells that will be needed if a fight breaks out.
“So, you come here to threaten me? Here in the center of my power?”
“We’ll have to force answers from you then. Let’s see if your court lasts very long.”
I duplicate what I did to Mateus's court but with as much power as I can. A wave a disruption forms and passes over those before me. A few of the youngest weakest vampires are destroyed instantly while the others show clear signs of injury. A cruel smile comes to me as twin golden fireballs explode right after, while a green one follow only an instant later.
Bryan and my mother charge forward right behind K as they begin to take out the still living underlings of these vampires. I charge forwards and release a Radiance Breath at the second strongest vampire in the room but the few seconds of intense light are surprisingly not enough to destroy her.
I return my glaive to Void Cache as I am not skilled enough with it to use it in the upcoming melee and replace it with my claws and tail. I large man that could have passed as a bouncer wets my claws before I reach my target, the duke has yet to take action watching in amusement instead. A mistake I hope we capitalize on.
My opponent moves in a blur of speed, dodging my claws as she moves to flank me before weapons rise off the ground from her fallen comrades by what I am assuming is her will. I try to dodge and fail though on some reflex they vanish just before touching me to reappear nearby on a course to hit one of my foes.
Unfortunately, none are killed by this and the vampiress abandoned the idea of giving me more ammunition. Though that is probably a benefit. I feel myself be thrown backwards by a wave of red energy released by her hand and I smirk, vampire magic. I hear my mother shout and the telekinetic force vanishes before I hit the wall.
I throw a wave of the dark purple flames that burn the very essence of undead at the female vampire only to have her vanish in some sort of movement ability that was not a blur. She appears behind me and I only notice her just as she decided to try to feed on me.
Unfortunately for her, her fangs meet dragon scales on my neck and she is left vulnerable. I plunge my claws into her chest with some difficulty while covering both of us in my dark purple fire. She screams and dies but not before her claws manage to pierce the scales of my arm.
A few drops of my blood fall to the ground before my wound closes as if it was never there. The duke decides to act at this point and I barely see him move before he is standing and the ground rises up against me.
Stone spikes, I barely dodge by jumping and then manifesting my wings to turn midair. I hear Abagail scream and notice a vampire feeding on her before Bryan appears out of their shadow. This distraction costs me my chance to dodge a bolt or red lightning from the duke.
I scream in pain as droplets of my blood seep out between my scales and flies at the vampire who frowns so he must have thought he was going to get more than he did. My blood swirls around before turning into two spears launched back at me.
I fail to dodge them both but manage a counterattack, my own bolt of lightning striking the vampire but was largely diverted by the material of his clothes. A blood spear pins my right leg to the ground as it freezes while the other dissipate into spilt droplets as the vampire abandons it.
I see someone, Bryan I think, burst into dark vapor after being hit by his own opponents. Abagail screams but I can’t fall apart now or we’ll all die. The duke takes a few steps forward with a mocking grin before I do the only thing I can think of to end the fight right now.
I withdraw a spear from Void Cache long enough that it is touching the duke’s chest right before plunging it into his heart. I let go and he falls to the ground inert, the frozen blood spear falls apart into a puddle in seconds as I rapidly heal my injuries.
I turn to the half dozen or so enemies left and can see the injuries of my loved ones but they are still stable. I grin as a shadow turns solid behind one of the vampires.
Bryan albeit with less of his equipment takes a discarded weapon from the ground and immobilizes his target leaving the blade in its chest as it falls to the ground. I send out a disruption wave but it does nothing, apparently those still standing are not undead.
They are scared now and while we give no quarter it does take some time for us to finish the last of them off without risking further injury. At least that is what everyone else does as I start healing those no longer participating. I suppose I could have pulled out a gun but bullets bounce.
As soon as the last for falls cut down by Talia, I drop my dad’s journal in the pooling blood. I’ve been forgetting to do this and I need to know.