A Macabre View [Narrative]

[Dragon NPC]

On the far hinges of the Umbra, on the very edges of the expansive mythical real lies a place were few feet have ever tread. Underneath a dark and cloudless sky exists the tapestries of an immense structure. Violet streaks of lightening rake the sky, the ground cracked and glassed from the heat of the fury of the skies. Terrifying as this may be, what dwells within the terrifying palace of iniquity dwarfs the grotesque landscape. Within lies a terrible being, horrible in both power and appearance. The outside of the structure serves as both facade and warning to those foolish enough to trespass this far, her only attempts at mercy still racked with danger.

Inside, deep, deep within, she lies. Her presence filling an entire corridor, her evil seeping into every room, filling the hearts of all her Draconi minions that filled the palace of discontent. They filled the halls, pervading the palace, undertaking their tasks. Inside the barren and bleak halls, void of any art or decoration they sluggishly carried their heads low, like the life was being siphoned from their being. For all of their insolence, they knew to avoid the room after the onyx stair case, a winding serpent of stairs that led upwards to a large chamber.

With in the chamber, a dank and odoriferous stench permeated the room. The entire chamber reeked of death, and yet the vibrant hum of life filled its wall, the monotone heartbeat of an immense monstrosity with its bosom. Walking the stairs was a hulking Draconic being, walking without fear or disregard for his surroundings. He boldly entered the chamber and was greeted by the sight of ten glowing eyes emanating from 5 separate heads bobbing from the same figure., as well as a combination of hissing, growling, screeching and roaring. Finally a voice welcomed the beast, "Come you have my child, Mahatub." Tiamat said, cooing gently from her dominant head.

"Yes mother, I have come as you commanded. What of the status of the whelp." Mahatub said, kneeling at the floor, in reverence to his grotesque mother.

"Foolishly, he does battle with one of Sanada's ilk." Tiamat said, here voice echoing off of the walls in the massive room. "Had his purpose not been so important, punish him with the mental fire I would have." Tiamat said.

"You are too lenient on him mother. He is not his father, or a seeded child for that matter, he deserves nothing." Mahatub said in annoyance. Walking over to his queen and mother, Mahatub placed his hand on Tiamat's form.

With the aid of her magics that pierced both his mind and that of that combatant, he watched the battle that took place, begrudgingly smiling. "I must say the whelp can fight." Mahatub chuckled to himself, his bestial voice as powerful as his mothers.

"Reason all the more, he proves his usefulness to me. Risk anymore of my precious children I will not. He will pay his fathers debt." Tiamat said angrily.

"Mother, Io'nr and Shiraz are dead." Mahatub said, his gravely voice filled with apathy for one, and remorse for the other.

"And so will he be once his usefulness is over. Sanada and her ilk will pay for my children's deaths." Tiamat said, slithering and shaking from her anger.

"Let's see what you can do whelp." Mahatub said, as he continued to see the fight between Ilreg and Yomi in his mind's eye.

[Dragon NPC]

Both Tiamat and Mahatub continued to monitor Ilreg's fight with Yomi. Mahatub allowed for a small chuckle to escape from him, impressed by Ilreg's ingenuity in dealing with Yomi's attacks. "So... the whelp is capable of inflecting damage I see." The battle hardened Dragon Prince Regent grunted in nonchalant approval.

"Adequate in completion of his task he is. His insolence, tired of it I am." Tiamat said, her disturbing voice echoing of the walls of her chamber, compounded with the sound of hundreds of snakes that began to slither from her form. Grabing several hundred in his massive hand, Mahatub crushed them into a pulpy paste, letting the vile substance ooze from his hand, sliding off his finger tips onto the ground. "A messenger, send one forth telling Eritas to begin her assault." Tiamat said to Mahatub.

"Yes mother." The Dragon Prince grunted, ripping off one of his own fingers and tossing it into the pile. As the severed limb began to glow faintly in the pile of gore, Mahatub held his hand over the wretched pile, using his Void magic like his mother before him to shape the dead mass into a scale covered golem. as the golem lay naked and prostrate on the ground, Mahatub's eyes began to glow, and the newly formed eyes of the golem sprang to life, a small veil of fluid membrane broke as they opened for the first time. "Go forth, find Eritas and tell her the Hellion King of the fifth Layer, Yamazaki Rei killed her father." Maahtub said, the golem through spawning retaining several fragments of information from both Tiamat nd Mahatub.

Standing on his newly formed legs, the Messenger Draconi speed of to find the one known as Eritas, another cog in Tiamat's seemingly endless dark machine, bent on seeing to the destruction of Hell. "It is done mother, the draconi will find her, inform her, and perish a short time after." Mahatub said, turning his attention back Ilreg. "What is he doing?" Mahatub growled, confused as to the nature of Ilreg's suddden diplomacy.

"Unsure how to end the fight he is, running low on stamina and energy he may be. Show me little Ilreg, will the 'ugly' women topple you?" Tiamat goaded into Ilreg's mind.

[Ertias to be seen in Forces of Nature]

[Dragon NPC]

As he hand quickly began to heal itself, Mahatub watched the final moments of the fight between Yomi and Ilreg. He smiled as the arrogant Dragon proclaimed himself victorious over the Hellion king, bypassing her on his way to his confrontation with Sanada Tomo. "Well, another notch on his already extensive belt." Mahatub said in a low grumble.

After suggesting a rest for the the battle worn Dragon, Tiamat remained silent as the pair watched Ilreg slowly tread into the 'nexus' tear that he opened. As he landed in the the 7th, the Dragon continued forward, racked by both pain and fatigue, slowly progressed past the trees in the small brush he landed in. Ignoring Tiamat's request, the character progressed forward, seemingly continuing on will alone, as if driven by a death wish. Verbally swatting away Tiamat's suggestions, Ilreg defiantly argued back with Tiamat, resulting in his torture at the hands of the wicked Dragon matriarch.

Mahatub remained silent, watching as the the one sided contest ended as quickly as it began. He listened to His nephew's words, and agreed with them in reference to his brothers. For all their stength and their mothers love, there defiance and deaths were facts. Facts that even Mahatub himself had come to believe his mother had not excepted. "Mother, cease the torture, if the worm dies now, he will be of no use to us as a cadaver." Mahatub interjected.

Ceasing the torment Tiamat turned on of her heads to her son, as he remained at her side. "If he fails, he will die, and by my hand it will be. If he continues to prove defiant, to me you will bring him. His life will not end until done with him I am." Tiamat said, turning the head back to its position.

"Yes mother." Mahatub said, continuing to watch Ilreg's progress through his mother's magic. The pairs eyes were fixed on the sleeping Dragon, watching him intently, their plans and machinations dependant on his quest to find the Yami-ou.