Draykan and Myfanway fly across the sky above the canopy of the Floral Forest. The inquisitive dragon must make swooping motions and frequent landings upon the canopy, watching as the moth slowly flutters her way, guided by the moon.
Myfanway is quiet during the trip, her eyes focused on the moon, and her path is seemingly erratic.
But Draykn chuckles and swoops up from his perch, grabbing her and carrying the insect gal in his arms. “You can be a guide, and I can be the ride,” he says. “How’s that sound to you?”
Wrapping two arms around his neck, the guide wastes no time pointing out their destination. “We should find a village over there nestled in the mountains. If they saw the dragon you seek, they would be able to help us. But, we must be careful.”
“Hm… any particular reason?” the dragon asks, breaking through at great speed towards their destination.
Myfanway curls up against his strong form, pulling her legs in and rubbing her head against his chest. “There’s been news lately. Strange news. People might be upset with a stranger with the talk of monsters.”
“Heh, People love me. I can handle a few monsters, no problem,” Draykan says, nodding. Is this the place?”
Myfanway peeks out from his rippling muscles. “Yes, right there. Let’s land outside. I’ll fly in and check to see if anyone heard anything.”
“Sounds good to me,” Draykan says, landing quickly on his feet. He loosens his grasp on her, letting her flutter free. “Just holler if you need anything, and I’ll come swooping into your rescue, alright?”
Myfanway smirks gently and flutters up to him, kissing his cheek. “Very well, Draykan. I shall do that.”
“Shucks, aren’t you friendly. Here, I thought that little romp was just a business transaction.”
Myfanway titters, fluttering off towards the town, leaving the dragon to plop himself down onto a small rock and stare at the stars.
“Man… Kat… what trouble did you get yourself into…” he muses to himself, only to feel a chill running down his spine. He stands ready as he turns around, his stature billowing in the air as he sharpens his focus. With his eyes narrowing into slits and his teeth bared, he curls his fingers to extend his claws, ready for a fight.
That’s when strange figures rush out of the floral forest, insects of all different shapes and sizes. All of them reach out to the dragon, their eyes glassy and lifeless, with a raspy collective groan filling the air as they rush him.
Draykan swipes his tail, knocking into one, caving the creature in, and knocking into the next, only to quickly bowl it down. One remains, stumbling over the remains of its allies and lunging forward at Draykan, a clawed hand scratching at his scales, but with no effect.
Draykan leaps back from that one, leaping forward at his opening to elbow the thing right in the head!
And the head rolls off its shoulders, clattering while its body stumbles at Draykan.
Snorting, the dragon leaps up, spins in the air, and slams his tail right down at the thing, sending its bits shattering against the ground.
“Necromancy,” Draykan growls, kneeling and grabbing at the head, chomping away. “But, is it a zombie…?” he says, turning his head around. “There’s… no flesh… a skeleton!?”
He drops the skull and rushes off from his perch, making his way straight for the town, rattling some signs and fences along the road as he does until he makes it to the town square.
“Myfanway!” the dragon shouts, landing and skidding against the dirt. “Where are you?”
A scream, or is it a screech? He rushes toward a larger building, an inn, or a public house of some persuasion. But when he reaches the door, it bursts open, and more of the hollow exoskeletal nightmares spill out, leaving him to leap back.
The dragon flies up and lands on the roof, narrowing his gaze as he perches and watches as the ground swarms with the undead of many different insect civilians.
Draykan hops off his roof, flying toward the building vacated by all those undead creatures, and crashes through one of the windows.
Draykan tumbles in and spreads his wings, flicking the glass off of him before he stands to a hunched height. This striking entrance is followed by another scream, one that comes from an elegant bug hiding behind a bed, trembling at the sight of this newcomer.
“What’s going on here?” Draykan asks.
The bug covers her antenna and her eyes, shaking, her butt glowing a bright green. “Aah… I-I don’t know. They just descended from the mountains the other day. Their wings no longer work, so they haven’t gotten here yet. Everyone tried to fly away, but I got trapped.”
“Don’t worry. I can take care of a few skeletons,” Draykan says. “But it would be a great help to me if you noticed anyone with them.”
“A… anyone?” the bug peeks one eye out from her trembling hand.
“Yeah, skeletons are usually commanded by someone. They can’t travel far from their place of creation without their necromancer master nearby.
“T… there was a stranger who arrived recently… a glimmering jewel of an insect. She said she was heading to the mountains. That’s all I know, truly!”
“Then what happened to Myfanway…?” Draykan asks, turning away from the firefly and looking out the window. He bellows out her name, only for more of the doors in the town to open and for more of the skeletons to come tumbling out, clattering and clawing up toward him.
The dragon leaps out amidst the throng, crushing a few piles of shells before lowering his head and ramming into more.
The firefly pokes her head out, watching the dragon mow through the skeletons like nothing, gulping as another form steps up behind her.
“Well, well, Miss Mayor. Seems you have a hero.”
The bug freezes. “P-please, I didn’t invite anyone here. He came on his own.”
“Oh, I know…” the figure says, pushing past the lightning bug.
Draykan slams his tail over one of the last skeletons, growling, breathing deeply, focused, pissed.
“It took a long time for my mistress to build that army,” the voice speaks.
Draykan swirls around, standing tall, narrowing his gaze. “And who exactly are you?”
Standing opposite him is a tall and elegant creature, bright green with long and wicked blades for hands. “Who me?” coos the mantis. “I’m just a gal who likes a good challenge, and my mistress offered me the chance to have one. Looks like I finally found you.”
