Welcome to Inkbunny...
Allowed ratings
To view member-only content, create an account. ( Hide )
Be Careful What You Wish For
« older newer »
Joshiah
Joshiah's Gallery (176)

The Unlikely Heroes of Veneheim

Kissed By the Sun and the Snake
commission_for_tora.txt
Keywords male 1108936, female 998701, dragon 138386, human 99892, tiger 36829, fantasy 24417, magic 23407, adventure 5373, elf 4380, cougar 4167, action 4135, humans 3869, royalty 1878, ambiguous 1576, hybrids 1278, elves 211, nobility 65, kaelan 12, datsi 1, taludatsi 1
Smoke billowed up from near the peak of Mount Mutuwa almost constantly, in those days.

Looming over the Elven lands of Veneheim and terrorizing the surrounding forests was the very cause of this smoke, the legendary dragon Ketesar. None in the lands of Veneheim could forget the day that Ketesar came to roost at the peak of Mount Mutuwa, and though the elves had no idea what it was that drew Ketesar to their home, they could all recall in vivid detail the seemingly endless destruction that came with his arrival.

Intense fire flew from the dragons maw like the surface of the sun beckoning out to tease the earth, scorching anything it touched and completely incinerating the lesser houses throughout the small villages that dotted the countryside of Veneheim. Massive, shimmering talons tore through the earth and soil as effortlessly as a finger swirling about in a calm pool of water, laying waste to the crops and scattering rocks into the fertile soil. The powerful, deafening flapping of his titanic wings kicked up dust and debris, knocking marketplaces down and turning towns and villages into total disarray anytime that the cruel Ketesar decided to pillage them.

It was a time that cried out in desperation for heroes, and the Elven King of all Veneheim, the great and noble Nemes, was wise of mind, but stubborn of nature. For well over the course of a year, Nemes watched helplessly as his armies met time and time again with the powerful Ketesar, and every time, the proud warrior elves were turned away in defeat. Many met their end as their shields gave way to the intensity of Ketesar's deadly fire, and more still were crushed under the might of his massive claws. None among them could so much as wound the dragon, their blades of mythril silver and arrows with mythril tips, though impressive, were simply still not enough to pierce the adamantine scales of Ketesar. Even the softer scales of his underbelly were so tough that the few, lucky soldiers who could reach it only left scratches on the flesh, and they paid for their valor with their lives.

It wasn't until near autumn of the second year of the sieges of Ketesar that Nemes finally listened to the voice of reason that was his lovely wife Masu, the Elven Queen who was renowned for being twice as brilliant as she was beautiful, and by many, she was still considered the most beautiful woman in all of Veneheim. It was her voice, called by many as the hymn of angels, that finally brought Nemes to make the right decision.

"Nemes, my husband and king, this madness has gone on long enough. When Ketesar first came to our lands, your armies were among the most feared in the known world, and numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Now your army is a paltry shadow of itself! The men number just ten thousand, and are slaughtered in droves with each damnable passing of the horrid dragon! We must reach out to the human kingdoms of Westfall and Lenan!"

"My darling Masu, you know as well as I that could reach out to the humans, but they have long shunned the elves, and dying without pride is no way for an Elven soldier to leave this world!"

Masu narrowed her eyes at her stubborn husband. "To hell with your pride, Nemes! To hell with the pride of your men! The very future of Veneheim hangs in the balance, and your antiquated sense of pride will be the death of your men before Ketesar ever has a chance at them!"

Nemes hesitated to respond. He never once questioned his wife, but deep in his heart, even if he were to swallow his pride, he didn't believe that the humans would ever lend their help. "If the humans are to help, they will do so in their own way, and that will be to watch us burn before Ketesar destroys them, as well."

"Can your faith in humanity be so small, Nemes? Were your days among the humans really so horrid that you truly believe they will do nothing to help us?"

"The humans of Westfall were much more understanding," Nemes admitted, "But even they have grown distant from us in these years. We elves live on for many years beyond the humans, and I in the time I have reigned as king, there have been five generations of human kings. I once shared a great friendship with Noric, the old king of Westfall, but I have never so much as heard of his descendants. Do you really believe it will be worth our effort to reach out to them?"

"Take one hundred of your finest soldiers and march them to Westfall," Masu instructed, "And present our plight to the new king. If ever there was a better time to rekindle the alliance between the humans and elves, I've not known it."

Masu was wise, even beyond her many Elven years, and Nemes respected her opinion above that of even his most trusted advisers. "If you believe it to be worth the effort, then I shall take leave of the kingdom. I leave it in your able hands and trust that we shall try to minimize casualties until I can return, hopefully with aid from our human brethren," he said, declaring his intention to follow his brilliant wife's advice.

"And in your stead, I shall try to seek out honorable heroes to aid your quest. Surely there are strangers around the countryside who could be of use to defeating the evil Ketesar."

"I trust that you will, Masu." Nemes turned from the large, dome shaped window that looked out from his study, allowing him admire the countryside, but the sight of platinum blonde hair cascaded in tight braids down to the the shoulders of his lovely wife always distracted him from the concerning smoke that poured from Mount Mutuwa. "I shall miss you dearly, my darling. Our expedition will leave tomorrow morning, and return with an answer, and hopefully, a force to fight the dragon, within the next day."

"I won't sleep a wink until you return," Masu lamented, the bright, ethereally emerald green of her eyes filled with the sight of the tall, powerful figure of her husband, his own hair a neatly combed silvery white that swept along his visage and shaded eyes of brilliant blue. "Return safely, my husband. My heart won't settle until you do."

**

"Another village, another flaming wreckage. I'm starting to think the humans were trying to get us killed or something!"

Not all of those who wandered around the lands of Veneheim were elves or humans, and certainly, there were those creatures who were hated more than the rest. Occasionally, random trolls would sneak out into the daylight, and on worse occasions, orcs might wander down into Veneheim from the treacherous mountain passes of Gulgen.

Then, there were the hybrids, at least, that's what the humans called them. Among the many different species of fauna that filled the vast and lush greenery of Veneheim, there were those animals who came to stand on their hind legs and walk around upright, just as the humans and elves did. Their origins were always shrouded in mystery, and though both the elves and the humans had their own different theories for how such animals came to exist, the way that they felt about the hybrids was always the same.

It was an experience that the famous hybrid thieves, Kaelan and Datsi, were fully used to at this stage of their lives.

"And that would be any different than usual how?" Datsi asked, her head turning on a swivel as the cougar hybrid examined what were the remains of another small, elven village.

Her husband and partner in crime, a long, powerful and well known tiger hybrid, stayed close to her as his paws deftly avoided smoldering rubble along what used to be a thoroughfare for foot traffic. "Good point, good point...I was just hoping that our generosity would end up being paid in kind, for once, instead of being paid in false information that leads us right into a dump heap like this."

"I don't think it's been a dump heap very long, Kaelan."

"What?"

Datsi's eyes, bright both in their shade of blue, and their sharp, attentive sight, could see plenty of signs of a struggle. Without the proper villagers in place to extinguish a fire, sometimes they could burn for several days, but Datsi was convinced that this fire had only been burning for a few hours, and the way that the ground retained warmth around her footpaws made her nearly sure of it. "Whoever, or rather, whatever did this is probably still nearby. The ground hasn't really cooled off from being scorched, and you can still smell just a little bit of blood in the air. It's a little bit unnerving."

Hybrids were rather lucky in life despite the irrational fear and hatred that many based towards them. Physically, they had the best of both worlds, and with the ability to mimic humans and walk with upright balance, they were fortunate enough to keep their heightened animal senses. Scent and sound were far above any human levels, and depending on the species of the hybrid, they might have other abilities unique to that animal that would work to their advantage. Datsi had a very keen sense of smell and great balance, aided by the long, prehensile tail that jutted out from the base of her spine and ended in a chocolate brown tip, and Kaelan, though terrible in the visible stealth department due to his orange fur and distinctive black stripes and green hair, was still a hybrid of an animal that almost no one had ever seen in Veneheim, and one thing anyone who ever met him could tell the elves and humans about was that he was powerful. To simply say that he was strong wasn't enough; on more than one occasion, a botched robbery for the devious pair ended with Datsi using her agility and senses to escape the clutches of local law enforcement, and if they were ever caught up to, it was Kaelan's time to shine, and with brute force and a devastating, deep growl, he sent humans fleeing in terror, leaving them nothing to take home, short of their broken pride, and the horror stories that they traded by night.

"You're definitely right. More than a few people likely died here just recently, and this place is an elven village. What the hell could have done this to elves?" Kaelan pondered, as the enormity of the wreckage truly started to dawn on him. Though it was likely a village of only a little over 500 citizens, there didn't appear to be a single survivor, and the few weapons that the scavenging thieves could find were hardly used; not a one had a single drop of blood upon the blade. "It's as if some invulnerable force came through this place and completely destroyed it, all for no reason."

Datsi was about to ask what Kaelan meant by no reason, but she could easily see that many of the supplies needed for daily life were still left behind, at least, that which remained. Jugs of water and baskets of food that had been fortunate enough to survive the assault made it clear that whoever ransacked the village wasn't looking for supplies, and even more telling to find was the small quantities of mythril silver that Datsi saw glimmering in a house near the middle of the village. "They weren't even robbed! Whoever did this didn't take a single thing...they just destroyed everything they could touch!"

"And here I was starting to feel a little bit guilty for stealing from those jerk-off humans before they ran us outta town...whoever did this makes me feel like a saint!" Kaelan exclaimed. "Gotta admit, they didn't really leave a traditional trail behind, either. For all of this chaos, I don't see too many footprints or bootprints to suggest that an army came through here, and I know that humans and elves don't really get along, but I can't imagine the human kings being foolish enough to just strike up a war with the elves. They'd probably get slaughtered in the long run."

"This was definitely not humans, Kae. I'm just worried about what'll happen when we find out what it was."

SCREEEEEEEAWWW![/i]

Kaelan felt the fur on the back of his neck jump as high as a frightened cat, and he immediately turned his head up towards the skies, where his sensitive ears picked up on the noise. Luckily for the thieves, the cause of the sound was already headed away, but even if it was headed back around, Datsi shivered in terror at the sight of Ketesar flying overhead, and even the mighty Kaelan felt his legs frozen in fear as he watched the beast flap its powerful wings, rustling the leaves of the surrounding trees with the gale force winds they created.

"L-l-luckily, it seems like he's got o-other plans," Datsi said, her wide, bright blue eyes shrinking down to tiny sapphires as the deadly dragon flew back towards his temporary home near the peak of Mount Mutuwa. Her lower lip kept quivering as she felt her lungs fighting for air, fear radiating down through her bones as she realized that just one creature was responsible for all of this chaos.

Kaelan gritted his fangs together, desperately trying to break free of his fear and force his legs to move again. He fought through the paralysis and curled an arm protectively around his wife, who instinctively leaned into his side. As much as she appreciated his touch, Kaelan would happily admit that he needed the embrace every bit as much as she did. "What manner of monster is this? In all of our travels in Veneheim and Westfall, we've never seen anything close to such a terrifying creature! Who could even fathom it...a dragon in Veneheim?"

"So much for heading towards the elves in search of more mythril. I think we better just scavenge what we can from this place and head back to the Unduri Caves. The dwarves seem like the only people who ever have any kind of warm welcome for us, and they'll pay us a huge sum just for what I've seen in this town."

"How long do you really think that'll last us, though? Without a place we can call home, we're gonna keep on burning through money faster than we can scavenge it."

Datsi knew that Kaelan was right, but she was completely overwhelmed at the sight of the fleeing dragon. "Well, we can't stay here! If that thing decides it wants to double back around, we'll be sitting ducks down here in this wreckage!"

"Then we'll find a place to take shelter for the night," Kaelan replied, "But in the morning, we should try to find an Elven village that is a bit more accepting of us."

"Thinking of trying to plunder a little bit more mythril before we run back to the dwarves?"

"Not this time," Kaelan admitted. "I've actually got something a lot more intricate in mind."

"And that is...?"

"Winning these elves over so we finally have a place to call home."

**

The sunlight breaking through the small holes in the Unduri caves was the only sort of natural light that the underground-loving dwarves could get, and the first, trickling beams of sunlight that shimmered over the legendary forge, Schmeiden, let Makeri the blacksmith know that his legendary blade was finally complete.

Makeri was a small, unwieldy dwarf, little in stature even by dwarven standards, but he was easily the most well respected man in all of Unduri. Using his legendary forge and his enchanted smithing tools, a hammer and water from only the purest sources at the mouth of the Gavan River, Makeri could turn ordinary steel into blades that even the greatest of warriors would be honored to wield. Using mythril silver, he'd been able to create swords that lasted for two and three generations in the Elven families, and finally, when the opportunity had presented itself, Makeri was granted the chance to work with the only metallic substance known to Veneheim to be stronger than mythril: the rarest of all legendary metals, adamantine. It was rumored to have fallen from the heavens above Unduri, delivered down by the gods themselves and only to be found and used by the most talented of blacksmiths. No one dared to call it a coincidence when Makeri found a small chunk of the substance hiding in the deepest depths of the Unduri caves, but everyone readily declared it to be fate, and now, brighter than the brightest light the sun could produce, fate was shining upon Makeri to complete a sword that was worthy of the ages.

"I just need five more pounds of mythril silver so I can create a handle that will be able to handle the incredible force that adamantine can create! I'm afraid that a handle made of any other inferior metal will simply shatter once the sword has been swung!"

Makeri jumped up and out of his ratty, wooden bed and followed the trickle of sunlight to his legendary forge. The glistening glow that surrounded Schmeiden was like a premonition of the great destiny that it was soon to fulfill, but Makeri was still hesitant to celebrate. In recent days, the elves had been extremely stingy in their trading of mythril, and the humans absolutely refused to deal with the dwarves, so Makeri knew he simply couldn't take from the dwarven reserves. If he was going to get mythril, he was going to have to do something that the average dwarf rarely did.

He was going to have to go right to the elves and trade for it himself.

"Those tall, blonde haired freaks sure do scare me, but I can't do this to you, Schmeiden. We've got a sword to finish together, and I'd rather die getting the supplies to finish this sword than to finish it with inferior metal! If I'm lucky, I may even find heroes worthy of wielding the blade!"

Makeri stood over the forge and admired the blade that was finally coming into the light of the rising sun. The adamantine had an ethereal glow to it, and as the blade came under light, it turned from a casual shade of steel to a bright, piercing white, so great that it filled Makeri's entire cave with nearly blinding light. The sight was astonishing, even for an experienced old blacksmith like himself, and the feeling of a holy aura coming from the blade made Makeri believe more than ever that this weapon was not just something he was meant to forge, but a gift from the gods that was sent for a higher purpose than even he could imagine.

"I sure hope the elves take kindly to an old dwarf like me. What I need simply can't be found anywhere but Veneheim!"

With quick paces and eager feet, Makeri gathered up a small knapsack of rations and a change of robes. He couldn't imagine needing anything more for the trip, but packing so lightly might come back to haunt him later.

**

The wheel of destiny continued to turn in lands of Veneheim, as the sun started to set over the human kingdom of Westfall. Tired, calloused feet carried the elite elven warriors ever closer to the great Westfall Castle, where Nemes hoped to make amends with his human counterpart for years of isolation and embitterment. His plea was no longer going to be one held back by pride or dignity, but instead, a desperate, begging plea for the lives of his men, something he'd hoped would never come to light.

As they walked through the town, the humans stopped, their bodies stiff on the paved brick pathways of Westfall. The poorer classes of humans that filled the town and kingdom that surrounded Westfall Castle were dirty peasants, their robes of grey and white stained over time with a thick, coarse coat of brown. The elves walked right by them, their ears sharp and pointed at the tips like the end of a sword, their robes a bright and noble green, and their armor shimmered so bright with mythril that the setting sun turned them an icy shade of blue. Some of the humans knelt down into the dirt as the elven elite walked past, thinking them to be gods sent down to deliver them from their vassal-hood and open their lives to a new meaning of freedom. Others, many of the elders who knew them to be elves, turned their heads or spat at the ground as they walked by, refusing to remove their axes from the grindstone of grudge. Dirty, low whispers of slurs used in a time gone by pierced the sensitive ears of the elves, but they stayed in form and continued to march through Westfall, past poorly made cottages of wood, straw and mud, right up to the mighty gates that protected Westfall Castle.

The doors stood twenty feet high, made of solid oak wood that was a full foot thick. A brace lay across the front of the doors in two brackets, and on the inside of the door was a similar mechanism, reinforcing the doors against attack, and making it impossible to open them unless guards on both sides were cooperating to do so. The brick walls that surrounded the palace reached up even closer to the sky, twenty five feet high in the air and dotted with guard towers every fifty feet across, each one manned by two guards. Against an invading force of mortal men, or even skillful elves of battle, this wall would certainly stand, but having seen so many horrors in the recent times, Nemes could already imagine the wall being torn down by the mighty claws of Ketesar, and in his mind's eye, the brick and mortar was already torn down into smoldering pebbles.

"Guards of Westfall, I am Nemes, king of all of Veneheim, and I wish to have an audience with your liege! The matter is of the utmost importance, we must make haste!"

Nemes called out to the guards, expecting nothing more than to be ignored by the humans, but much to his surprise, the massive wooden doors in front of his small militia started to rumble in their movement. The braces on the backside of the door were released, and two guards hurried down from their towers to release the brace across the front of the door. Nemes was shocked, but he marched his army forward to the door as it started to open with a deafening CREEEEEEEAK[/i].

"Great King Nemes, we have heard many legends of your bravery and valor across the generations of our people," said one guard, as he turned to face the elven king, standing at order to show his respect. "In the time of Noric, we know that both your kingdom and ours shared great prosperity and friendship, but I'm afraid that without your kindness to help guide the humans, our kingdom has lost their way."

"I have regrettably seen it," Nemes admitted, recalling the dirty, unkempt faces of the starving peasants that he passed on his journey. "But we have problems much greater than poverty to discuss with your king. You must grant me an audience with him immediately."

The guard turned back towards the doors and motioned for them to be opened the rest of the way. "LET THEM PASS! BID KING VOST TO GREET HIS VISITORS IMMEDIATELY!"

No sooner than the order was given did the doors swing the rest of the way open, and the human guards who opened it stood at attention on either side of the elven forces. The plight of how Westfall had faded into disarray was still of great shock to Nemes, but the stories of how great the elves once were had been passed down through the order of their legendary knights through generations. In this way, the knights of Westfall, once considered the most elite fighting force in the world, still had a great deal of respect for the elves, and saw their return to Westfall as a sign of brighter days to come. They quickly ushered the elves towards the entrance of the castle, though even Nemes couldn't comprehend what had become of the place.

What was once a tall and proud structure was falling into ruin, a sad and desolate fate that was hidden by a wall just high enough to hide the shame of decay from the eyes of the peasants. Many of the bricks of the legendary Westfall Castle were cracked and crumbling, and the doors that stood at the front of the castle were warped, the wood having seen so many years of wear and tear without proper maintenance. The shock was so great that Nemes was moved beyond words to describe the sight. He remembered a castle built up of bright, white bricks that shimmered in the full light of the sun, windows of stained glass that were created by the most masterful artisans in all of Westfall, and a trellised tower that acted as the throne room for a powerful king and a well respected queen. Now, Nemes looked upon that tower and could see shingles falling from the thatched roof, and bricks worn down to nothing, so much that Nemes was fearful to enter the room. He sincerely hoped that this unknown king, King Vost, would come to greet them at the doors, at the very least.

A few minutes passed by, and Nemes kept his men halted by the doors that once acted as a gate to one of the most marvelous castles in all of the world. There was no answer, and as much as he wished that the castle would return to its former glory, Nemes finally allowed the modern image to sink into his mind as reality, and as his hands trembled with regret, he grasped the iron rings that acted as handles, and pulled open the front doors of Westfall Castle.

"...Unreal...such opulence faded into such a decrepit waste shouldn't be possible!"

Nemes literally couldn't believe his eyes. The royal hues of purple and gold that decorated rugs, tapestries and curtains was completely faded over to a sickly shade of brown and maroon, and much of the gold, made from real gold leaf, had fallen to the floor and withered due to a lack of upkeep. It was true that elves typically had much longer lives than humans, unable to die from old age as they were, but in all of his years, Nemes never imagined he would see Westfall Castle fall into such disrepair. Just as it was outside, the brickwork that lined the floors and stairways was cracked and weathered, even to such an extent that Nemes had to wonder if there had been a great battle in Westfall that they never quite recovered from.

"Men, stay here in the lobby and tidy up whatever you can. Show the humans that we come in peace and in need by offering them a kindness first," Nemes ordered. His men nodded in perfect unison and immediately took to their task, the brilliant greens of their robes immediately becoming stained with dust and dirt as they did their best to make the entrance to the castle look presentable, at the very least. Nemes moved onward without them, walking up the massive staircase that was the centerpiece of the main hall to the second floor. He turned to his right, walking briskly out of the main hall and down to a separate hallway, one that remembered being taken down before by the great king Noric, over two hundred years before. At that time, Westfall Castle had only just been built, and the promise of peace and strength that it offered to the people had been lost in a time of economic collapse and a lack of pride. "King Vost!" Nemes called out, the brittle bricks crackling under his boots as he walked closer to where he remembered the throne room to be, "It is I, Nemes, king of all Veneheim! I wish to speak with you about a manner more urgent than any other!"

Nemes could hear his own voice echo back to him, but there came no reply. Biting his lip and fighting past the fear of the tower collapsing, Nemes walked across the small bridge that emerged back into the outdoors and rested his hand on the iron ring that shouldn't have budged when he tugged it, but certainly enough, the door to the trellised tower swung right open, and Nemes started his ascent, up the spiral staircase into what was once the most opulent throne room in all of the castles of elves or men.

"Don't waste your time coming to me with problems of your plight, prideful elf. We have no need for your worries here."

The voice was stinging and harsh. It reminded Nemes nothing of the voice of the kind and courteous King Noric.

"I do not come here simply with troubles and worries, King Vost," Nemes replied as he scaled the last of the stairs and came to pause at the entrance to the throne room. The decorative pillars that guided the pathway up to the twin thrones at the head of the room were under the same duress as the rest of the castle, and though most of them simply showed signs of their age, one had completely fallen over, crumbled into massive chunks of marble that no ordinary man could move alone. The carpets suffered the same fate as the rugs in the main hall of the castle, and the thrones, once encrusted with jewels of every color of the rainbow, were now dark, shadowed husks of the pillars of light that they were meant to be. "I come with news of grave danger to you and your people, if you do not move to take action soon."

"And I suppose you've come to offer some sort of assistance with this unknown crisis?" King Vost asked, still refusing to so much as move from his throne. "As if you elves are going to bring an end to the turmoil that has plagued Westfall for the last hundred years?"

Nemes glared in the direction of his rude counterpart. "I know nothing of your plights, Vost! Your ancestor, the great and kind Noric, was the last of your kind to ever reach out to me, or my people! The place I would have called my second home, once so prominent and flourishing, I now return to see has become a shamble of it's former glory, all headed by a young and heartless king! Noric heard my plea for help, and I returned his aid when it was needed of me, but you think only of yourself!"

"I AM NOT NORIC!"

The thundering cry of Vost was so loud that it shook dust and pebbles from the very brick that housed the throne room. The current king, sitting in perhaps the last clean set of purple robes left in his entire kingdom, visibly shook upon his throne. Locks of thick, greasy black hair shook into his vision, covering up icy blue eyes as a man clearly at the end of his wits gripped the arms of his throne and dug his nails into the ornate wood. "Noric was a fool! He was weak, kind-hearted, and shallow of mind! He knew how to nurture people, but knew nothing of how to run a country, or even a city! His open kindness brought ruin to Westfall by making the people complacent! I grew up watching peasants line the streets, expecting handouts for the work that they needed to do in order for the kingdom to function, expecting high praise just for doing their jobs, and even trying to make their way into the lines of nobility, while I was forced to work for everything I had as a young prince!"

"As you very well should have," Nemes answered. "To be given everything as a member of a royal family leads to entitlement, and the ideology that the world is yours to have. If you truly believe that no one else deserves what you have, no matter how hard they work for it, then you think yourself better than your people, even if you have done nothing to prove it. It's no wonder this land has fallen into such ruin, Vost. It's hard to believe that the seeds of Noric have sewn these lands with salt."

"But when is it enough? When have I given enough to be respected in the same way that my father was, or his father, or the great king that everyone remembers, the legendary Noric? When will the people finally praise the name of King Vost in the way that they have hailed so many others?!"

Nemes looked to the poorly kept floors and shook his head. "If your desire as a king is only to have your name repeated in the annals of history, you will succeed, but your name will be the most sour note a man can sing."

Vost stood upright from his throne, stomping his feet down harshly and marching across the carpet, right up to the elven king. "And what is it that makes you so great, Nemes? What gives you the right to judge me so when the few elves who ever dare to venture to Westfall anymore speak of how you've become a domineering servant of the devil?"

"I've lead many of my men to an early grave in this past year, and I can never repent for my sins," Nemes admitted, "But that is the very same reason I've come before you today, Vost. In the past, you ancestors and I fought side by side against a common enemy. Once again, there is a threat not just to the elves, but to the lives of humans, dwarves, and all living things in the world. If we don't pull together immediately, there is no telling how many more lives may be lost!"

The crown atop Vost's head tilted back as he looked up to the slightly taller elven king, searching for weakness in his tired eyes. "And what crisis could be so great that a self-superior elf like you would dare to come crawling back into Westfall Castle?"

"The mighty dragon Ketesar. He has taken roost in the mountains near Veneheim, and every day, he burns more of the forest, or destroys another village. His heart is a void, made only of pure darkness, and I fear that if, and when he finishes destroying my people, yours will be next, with no chance to stop him in his might. Even our greatest warriors, decorated in the finest of mythril armor have had little to no chance against the beast."

Nemes was unaware to just what a depth of depression Vost had fallen, but his next statement made it plainly obvious. "My people already live in a decaying kingdom, with no faith in their leader, and no desire to live another day as they did today. Would the coming of a dragon be a sign of the devil come to our world, or would he appear to our people as an angel, releasing them from the plight that so ails them?"

Nemes was left speechless.

"You truly think that any benefit will come to my people by aiding yours in the battle against a common enemy? We'd be delaying the inevitable, and nothing more."

"It doesn't have to be that way, Vost. Your wishes to be remembered as a great king among kings in the history of Westfall can still come true, and finally, fate has presented you with a chance to do it for the right reasons."

"Aiding the elves who were too good to deal with us for the last hundred and fifty years is the right way to make myself a famous king? I'm afraid I don't quite understand your logic, Nemes. If anything, you sound like an idiot."

Nemes wished to snap back at the young and dismissive king, but he knew that a cooler head would prevail in this war of words. "You must look at more than what your mind's eye can see on the surface, Vost. Your people are already in peril, but they will have no chance to ever rebuild their kingdom if they don't have something to rally behind. Ketesar will come for Westfall next, of that I am sure, and when he does, you'll be hopelessly overwhelmed unless you work with me now, to help destroy the dragon before he destroys all of us!"

"My guards and soldiers follow my orders as begrudgingly as they can, and my citizens would never dare to volunteer for such a mission anymore. I've completely lost them all, Nemes. Even my queen fled my side and left me without a wife to bear a son. I've disgraced the good name of the kingdom of Westfall, and with my death, I can permanently erase that shame and be free from the hell that is this throne room. Until that day comes, I will remain here, and endure my penance the best that I can for my people."

"Do you really think that's what your people need?" Nemes barked, grabbing Vost by the frills of his robes and giving him a good, firm shake. "Listen to yourself! How are the people supposed to rally behind a man who does little more than sit in darkness and feel sorry for himself? Where are the people supposed to see any strength in you?"

Vost was shaken, but not quite moved by Nemes' powerful words. In his depression, however, he was still beyond a reply.

"If you truly wish to make penance for your disgrace, and right all of the wrongs that have come with your reign as king, the way to do so is not to exile yourself to your palace and ignore the people who so desperately need you. The time is nigh for you to stand strong and embrace the spirit of your ancestors! The warriors of Westfall were once known around the world for coming to aid others in times of need and crisis, no matter if they were elf, dwarf, or even hybrid! Now is the time for that legacy to be reborn, but it can't be done without you, Vost. Your warriors, your peasants, your kingdom...everyone needs their king to return."

Vost remained silent, but Nemes could see the icy glare that dominated his eyes starting to fade. He knew now that his words were starting to reach the young king.

"I leave the decision up to you, Vost, but in this, our greatest time of need, I come to you not as a king, but just as a desperate man with nowhere left to turn, and no pride left to soil. I understand you have your own kingdom to worry about, but I promise you, Ketesar will turn his hellfire on you next," Nemes warned, finally releasing Vost from his powerful grip and turning back towards the staircase down to the main hall. "My men and I have decided to take a night of rest here before returning to Veneheim. I certainly hope we won't be returning alone."

The quiet sound of footsteps walking down an empty staircase was the last thing that Vost heard from Nemes. The king, broken of spirit, stood in a throne room that was a perfect reflection of how he truly felt inside, no matter how hard he tried to hide himself from reality.

"Noric, my ancestor...what would you have done at a time like this?"

Vost didn't need to wait for an answer. He already knew what his ancestor would say.

Nemes made his way down the spiral staircase, the stone walkway crumbling under his feet as easily as his hopes had been crushed in the throne room. His heart sunk further with each heavy, dreadful step, and by the time he reached the grand hall, now nearly restored to its former glory by the hasty elves, he was so downtrodden that his appearance told his men of the bad news before he ever opened his mouth.

Menetil, the general of the elven elite, took a step forward and bowed to his king. "Worry not, sire. We will march back to Veneheim and defeat Ketesar, no matter what the cost. The elves will not be bested by the cruelty of this beast, whether they have to go it alone or not!"

"We've seen time and time again that we can't do it alone, Menetil. Ketesar will slaughter us all, down to the very last woman and child if we aren't aided by the humans."

The sensitive ears of Nemes, drooped just slightly in their sharp appearance, started to flicker towards the source of a sound that he hadn't heard in many generations. In ages gone by, this was the sound that gathered up the most elite fighting force in all of the known world, once known as "The Wolves of Westfall." Lead by a legendary hybrid, this group of the most powerful and courageous knights single-handedly overthrew tyranny in several other kingdoms and won wars against armies hundreds of times greater than their size. Even as their ranks grew old and passed on from age, their greatest warriors said that as long as someone blew on the legendary horn known as the Wolf's Howl, the Wolves of Westfall would come and gather once more to answer the call of those who were in danger.

"No, it can't be! Certainly my ears deceive me!"

Nemes still had his senses about him greater than any other elf, but as he turned to the stairs that lead to the trellised room once again, he could see Vost, marching down the stairs with a renewed sense of purpose and blowing the horn that once was the battle cry of the greatest warriors alive.

"Vost...my words did get through to you!"

Nemes could hardly believe his ears or his eyes, but the lovely, bellowing sound of the horn paled in comparison to the shock he felt when he and his men turned back to the front door of the castle to the sound of some of the male citizens of Westfall lining up at attention, just on the outsides of the door. Still reeling in disbelief, Nemes burst through the front doors to the outside, seeing gathered around him a rag-tag group of young men, robed in tattered clothes and covered with soot and dirt from their busy work.

"I am Arcenfel," spoke one of the men, stepping forward to greet the king of elves. He knelt down before him, brandishing in his calloused hands a sword of bright, glimmering steel, the finest that human hands could create. "Descendant of Arcentel, who once fought alongside you, King Nemes. We descendants of the Wolves of Westfall have heard the call of our people, and though our bloodline grows thin, we humbly offer you the few men that we can to aid in the battle against the mighty dragon Ketesar. If it is our fate to burn under his demonic flames, let us meet them now in glorious battle, rather than wait for them in cowering fear."

His mouth still agape and his eyes full of wonder, Nemes knelt down to the man before him and rested a hand on his shoulder, urging him to rise. "You come to a weary king in his time of greatest need and offer your help for nothing more than justice. You need never kneel to me, young Arcenfel."

The two men rose together, sharing a sign of mutual respect to each other as the man who had done nothing to deserve respect in his life, King Vost, stepped out into the courtyard to look upon his subjects. Still holding the Wolf's Howl, he grimaced as he saw the repulsed looks on their faces.

"You men have every reason to despise me. As a king, I've allowed my nobility to lead me into a life of entitlement. I've driven your legendary order into obscurity, destroyed the flourishing economy of Westfall, and hid myself away from these problems instead of facing them as a king...no. As a man simply should. I can never ask for your forgiveness, and when all is said and done, perhaps it is best if my life is forfeit in the battle against Ketesar, but men, give Nemes everything you have in this time of crisis, and I will do my best to do the same..."

Arcenfel shook his head at his king. "Though you may have failed as a ruler, sire, your existence here is an absolute. You can't be out on the battlefield risking your life. These people need a king."

"Your bloodline earned their reputation. Nemes earned his title as high king of the elves. Isn't it only right that I finally do what Noric did once before, and earn my right to the title of king, as well?"

Nemes couldn't be more pleased with the answer.

"We set out for Veneheim in the morning, then. If you have loved ones, rally them around the edge of the city when the morning comes and have them bid us farewell. Their strength as we leave is just as important as our strength when we return!"

Everyone that had gathered in the courtyard, a small but elite army of one hundred elves and five hundred humans, knew that it would be a restless night as they prepared for their journey, but when the light of morning broke and they departed, the kingdom of Westfall was as alive as it had ever been under the reign of King Vost.

**

True to her word, Masu hadn't slept even a moment of the two nights that her husband was away.

When the gentle rays of the sun broke through the windows of the palace in the city of Duniya, the capitol city of all Veneheim, Masu was already awake and on her way down into the courtyard once again, desperate to find the most powerful heroes that she could. The first day, her search yielded only men who were fearful for their own lives, or the lives of their families; very few had any will to go into battle and meet Ketesar, and none at all had the desire to do so. The elves had been so greatly ravaged by the devilish beast that despite their incredible fighting ability and powerful mythril arsenal, their fighting spirit was almost entirely broken.

"This peril only grows by the hour," the queen said to herself as she strolled her way through what used to be streets filled with civilians, hustle and bustle from everyday life. The most populous area in all of Veneheim had never seen such scarcity, and the few citizens who did dare to venture out were all stricken with plain and obvious fear. As Masu approached the massive courtyard where people gathered in times of prosperity near the center of Duniya, she sat along the outer ring of a fountain and tried not to despair, sulking about by the water. "Perhaps the age of heroes is just an age gone by," she muttered.

Fate had plenty of surprises in store for Masu in the near future, but none more prominent than the arrival of a small, squirrely looking man with a hood over his head to protect his eyes from the bright sunlight that seemed to reflect at him from each and every surface. "You too wish to find heroes, Queen Masu? It would seem that we have a common conundrum!"

Arriving just in time for the morning sun to cast its glory upon the city, Makeri the dwarf appeared before the elven queen and tilted his hood back just enough so that she could see his kind smile and tired eyes. "A dwarf!" she exclaimed, rather shocked at the sight. "We haven't seen one of your kind in Veneheim since the great mythril trade over a hundred years ago!"

"Yes, time has a way of flying past you if you aren't paying attention," he said, "I must have aged quite a bit for you to not recognize me. The name is Makeri, legendary dwarven smith. I was one of the dwarves mainly responsible for outfitting you elves with mythril weapons and armor!"

It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. "Makeri! Your hair has turned from a rich brown to a snowy white, but your spirit hasn't aged a day. Forgive me for being so rude!" the queen implored him. "Tell me, what could a simple smith like you want with heroes?"

"I've forged a sword that eclipses any other I've ever made before, and I want to make sure that it's wielded by only the truly most deserving and powerful warriors there are! ...Where are all of the warrior elves, anyway? This place is a ghost town!"

"Your arrival may be fate after all, Makeri. The evil dragon Ketesar has set his sights on Veneheim, and each day, another village falls to his fiery whims! Perhaps with your new weapon, we can finally strike down the beast!"

Makeri nearly dropped the sword in shock. "The mythril blades I forged for you were unable to defeat a dragon? Then the gods truly have smiled down upon this new weapon, Queen Masu. Surely it will be enough to destroy the beast, but where are we to find warriors worthy of wielding it?"

The wheel of destiny turned full circle as two exhausted hybrids barged their way into the conversation, a pair of felines, one a female cougar, the other, a male tiger.

"I'm afraid to say it, Makeri, but...ask and you shall receive, I suppose?"

The queen was right to be skeptical. The hybrids collapsed in a heap just on the other side of the fountain, huffing and puffing against the ground as Masu came closer to inspect them, with Makeri right behind her. "Ha...ha...h-h-hey there! Did you guys know...ha...ha...that there is a giant dragon terrorizing your country?"

The tiger was the first to speak, without any kind of honorific for the queen. "Yes, we are well aware of that plight, hybrid," she snapped back. "And are you well aware that you and your friend aren't so welcome here in Veneheim?"

For all of her talk about forgiving the humans and joining with them, and despite her intelligence, it seemed Masu wasn't quite ready to let go of the prejudice that she and many elves felt against hybrids. "Hey, be nice! We didn't come here looking for a fight!" Datsi interjected, trying to pick herself up off of the ground. Whether or not she was a hybrid, her outfit was a simple, dark brown set of tights with a black tunic over the top, and Kae nearly matched her outfit, his tights simply a bloody shade of red, but the takeaway from both outfits was clear to the queen.

"No, I'm sure you came looking for something else entirely. I suppose it's much easier to plunder a kingdom when almost all of the guards and soldiers have lost their lives defending it."

"Wait, Queen Masu!"

The raspy old voice of Makeri was still powerful enough to bring her to a halt. "We know nothing of these poor creatures. Just judging by the fear in their eyes, it's very possible that they had a run-in with Ketesar himself! What happened to the kind queen that I once knew, who was willing to take in any who were in danger?"

Masu sighed quietly. "I suppose the horrors I have seen in this past year have turned my heart cold, Makeri. Ketesar is deadly not just in his ability to destroy your home, but in his ability to break your heart, as well. Forgive me my anger, hybrids, but there is little place to take shelter here, anymore. The only deal I can offer you is a place to stay when the horrors of Ketesar have ended, in exchange for your help in the battle against him."

Kae gulped. "Y-you guys want us to fight that thing?!"

"If you are willing to aid our army in battle, you will forever have a home in Duniya and all of Veneheim."

Kae still looked hesitant. The unusual locks of black and green hair on his head shook as he trembled at the thought, but Datsi did a better job of keeping her wits about her. "We're just about out of options, so what choice do we have? We'll do it!"

"We...we will?"

Datsi and Kae looked at each other, Datsi with an encouraging smile, and Kae with a confused glance. "Sure we will!"

"You don't seem overly enthusiastic," Masu noticed, pointing at Kae as she did.

"Oh, he's just a little bit nervous about dealing with royalty. That, and he's a bit nervous about the giant dragon that was chasing us all the way here."

Makeri and Masu both raised an eyebrow. "Come again?" the queen asked.

"Yeah! That's why we were out of breath when we arrived just now," Datsi explained. "That Ketesar guy you were talking about was kinda following us the whole way through the forest and into this city. He'll probably be here any minute."

The nonchalant way that Datsi explained their situation left Masu in disbelief, but the momentary shock she felt at the explanation was overridden by a growing sense of panic. "Then there's no time to lose! Makeri, if you really think these two are the heroes worthy of your new sword, bequeath it to them quickly, before Ketesar arrives!"

Kaelan scratched the back of his head and glanced to the side as a roar that he'd become all too familiar with echoed through the mostly empty streets of Duniya. "Yeah...it might be a little bit late for that."

The elite elven force of Veneheim still had not returned. The army was dwindling in numbers every day. People were losing faith, and now, Ketesar was on the outskirts of the elven capitol, wreaking havoc on anyone who was foolish enough to stand in his path. The sound of marble crunching and crumbling under his claws was so great that even towards the center of the city, Masu could hear every building that was torn down collapsing. Even if her ears weren't so sensitive, Ketesar was massive in size, and from anywhere in Duniya, his arrival was visible to the people.

"Queen Masu, I have no doubt that this sword will pierce the flesh of the dragon, but there is no chance that two hybrids can possibly combat Ketesar alone! Where are the masses of the elven armies?"

"The majority are in their respective villages, standing guard in case of an attack," Masu explained, "But the elite forces have not yet returned from Westfall! Without them here, Duniya will be rubble before the fall of night!"

Datsi stepped up to the tiny dwarf and reached out her paw for the sword. "Why don't you give us a chance before you decide what we can and can't do? The worst thing that could happen is both of us get fried and your poor little sword goes missing."

It was hard to tell if Kaelan, Masu, or Makeri himself was more unnerved by Datsi's unwavering confidence and carefree attitude in the face of death, but no matter how the queen and the blacksmith looked at it, they didn't have any other options, and Kaelan would never back down from his lover's side. "Spoken like a true hero, ma'am, but I hope you can back up that kind of talk!" Makeri declared as he handed her the sword, the handle still incomplete as it was. "I never had a chance to properly forge the handle in mythril silver, but there's no time for us to wait for that now! If you think you can find an opening, go and strike the monster down before it destroys all of Duniya!"

Just holding the blade gave Datsi a perhaps unnecessary boost of confidence, and as her paw curled tightly around the unfinished handle, she could feel the raw power that just one swing of the legendary sword could bring. "Just so we're clear...if we do this, you're gonna hold up your end of the bargain, right?"

"YES! JUST GO!" Masu cried out, watching in horror as Ketesar made the outer ring of Duniya his personal playground, tearing through houses and smaller buildings as though they were made of paper and sticks, and burning whatever remained with bursts of searing hot fire.

Suddenly the queen was more fearsome than the dragon, and Kaelan gave a quick, faulty salute. "Yes ma'am!" he replied, turning on heel and doing something that he and Datsi weren't quite accustomed to: running headlong into danger instead of away from it. "So, do you really have a plan, or are we just going to run like hell and look for a place to sell that thing?"

Datsi waited until the queen and blacksmith were at least out of earshot before she replied. "By the looks of it, if we don't take this thing out, stealing the sword would be pointless because there'd be nobody to sell it to! Why bother waiting around to get scorched if we're going to anyway?"

"Good point...besides, who knows what kind of riches they'll have in store for us if we actually succeed?"

"That's a very big 'if,' my love. I just hope we end up on the right side of it."

As the pair of feline hybrids scattered down the streets of Duniya, they could feel the occasional rumble in the ground as Ketesar slowly moved in towards the center of the city from the outside borders. It was a faint, gentle rumble at first, but the closer they drew, the more intense it became, until it reached a point that they had to stop and brace against a wall or kneel to the ground to keep from falling. Even as far out as 1,000 feet from the dragon, buildings were starting to crack, and white marble and limestone was stained black by the intense flames that spewed at will from his maw.

KA-DOOM![/i] Just on the other side of a building to the right, Ketesar slammed his foot down, crushing the entire back corner of the very same building and kicking up smoke and dust as the marble crumbled like a soft cheese under the blade of a sharp knife. "S-so...how about that plan?" Kaelan stammered, screeching to a halt as Ketesar was of a mind to come and seek them out first.

"How about...you keep him distracted," Datsi started to explain, "And I'll go in for the killing blow while he isn't looking!"

Using her skills as a thief to her advantage, Datsi ran on light, quick paws right past Kaelan and as close to the underbelly of Ketesar as she was likely to get without a better plan. As the dragon brushed away what was left of the building nearby, he looked down upon the feline hybrids, his eyes a smoldering, bloody red that personified hatred in their gaze. His inane sense of danger was great, for as Datsi raised the sword and went to plunge it into the underbelly of the beast, his large, powerful wings flipped open and began to flap, kicking up a storm of dust and debris and generating a wind so great, Datsi could hardly stand in to face it. The sword was blown clean from her paws as she struggled to stand in, until the winds became too powerful and she, too, was blown back. Kaelan saw her tumbling away and rushed forward, catching her in his arms, but now that the windstorm had grown, even his powerful frame was having trouble holding up against the devastating gales.

"DATSI!" Kaelan yelled, holding her tight in his arms as he tried to find a way out of the winds. Already, the street that they were on was becoming a wind tunnel, and there was no easy way for them to get out. Taking a risk from all of the debris swirling around, Kaelan made a dash for the nearest alleyway with Datsi in tow, narrowly avoiding smaller stones and bricks as he came to a halt. "Are you all right??"

"Yeah...I'll be fine, thanks to you," Datsi replied with a kindly smile, "But I guess we should have come up with a more solid plan. As long as he has the wind to keep us off balance and the fire to hit us from a distance, we can't really get close enough to mount a safe and proper attack on him."

"If there was anyone else here to give us a little help, we might have a chance, but if it's just the two of us against that monster, I'm not sure what me we can do! Almost all of the elves have given up on the fight!"

Kaelan was right; almost all of the elves had given up. But as the sun came to a crest in the mid day sky, arrows cut small paths through the light as they descended down onto the back of Ketesar.

A couple stray arrows landed near Kaelan and Datsi as they huddled against the wall for protection. "Haven't they...?" Kaelan asked, turning his head cautiously around the corner as the winds started to die down, even just slightly.

"HOLD ON TIGHT! PULL BACK ON THOSE LINES LIKE YOUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT!"

Kaelan could hardly believe his eyes. The arrows never would have had a chance to penetrate Ketesar's tough scales, but instead, they dropped down over the tops of his wings and into the ground, hooking against the bricks of the streets. With each passing moment, more arrows fired and dropped down across his wings, keeping the dragon grounded at the very least, but more importantly, the wind had almost completely stopped.

"Datsi, this could be our chance!" Kaelan exclaimed, as the cougar turned her head curiously around the corner. She could see where the sword had been blown away before, stuck into the side of building with ease as sharp as it was. "If you make a break for the sword, I can draw his fire away from you and give you a clear shot at him!"

The tiger hadn't even finished his explanation when Datsi was already running across the street and going for the sword. They knew that they had a chance now, but there was no way that the elves could hold the dragon for long, even with the human forces aiding them in their grapple. Ketesar bellowed out a loud, angry roar as he saw Datsi making a break for the legendary weapon, but his attention was brought back away as one of those eyes was shut permanently when it was struck with a brick, hurled mightily from Kaelan's paw.

"What's the matter? Big, bad dragon can't handle a little rock to the face?" he asked, taunting the dragon as he lifted another brick and whipped it, hitting Ketesar in the cheek and rousing his rage to a whole new level, but more importantly, it kept his attention away from Datsi, who'd retrieved the sword from the wall. Her paws trembled as she thought about taking such a close brush with death once again, but she knew that this was the last chance that they'd have to put the beast down for good, and bearing that in mind, Kaelan kept a close eye on her as she made her way back to the underbelly of the raging dragon. His wings thrashed and his legs kicked as he tried to break free from the bondage he'd been placed in, but summoning up all of the strength and courage that they could, the humans and elves combined managed to hold the dragon just long enough for Datsi to thrust the blade triumphantly up into the belly of the beast...

...But not deep enough to kill him.

"Kaelan! He's still too thick! I can't push the sword in any further!" Datsi cried out desperately, pressing in against Ketesar's body with all of her might, but even as the dragon kicked about in the pain of truly being wounded, Datsi couldn't budge the blade. Kaelan rushed forward, ducking under the errant and erratic flames of Ketesar's rage and assessed the situation along the way, deciding that it was time for him to add his final contribution to the fight.

"One dragon on a skewer, coming right up!" he cheered as he reared back one of his large, mighty paws and clenched it into a tight fist. Datsi moved aside while holding the unfinished handle as steady as she could, but even her paws were knocked away from the blade as Kaelan swung forth hard, burying the blade deep into the guts of Ketesar. "RAAAAAAHH! SKEEEEEREEEEEAAWWWW![/i]" the dragon cried out in horrible, intolerable pain as it writhed around, the stab wound not quite being enough to defeat the monster, but as Kaelan and Datsi stepped back, they could see the sword now cutting freely through the dragon, and each time it thrashed about or tried to break free, it only wounded itself further. The once white streets had turned black with soot, and now, they ran red as Ketesar gored himself on the greatest sword that had ever been forged, his own rage being the final master of his undoing.

The humans and elves watched as the two hybrids escaped the shadow of Ketesar, and with the strength expended from holding the beast, they released the ropes attached to their arrows, and the day that the elves dreamed of for over a year finally came, as Ketesar gave one last, blood-choked cry and collapsed, falling forward and slamming upon the ground with such force that it shook the whole of Duniya.

Datsi leaned against Kaelan in a brief moment of exhaustion, but more so, sweet, sweet relief. "I sure hope that little dwarf didn't want us to retrieve the sword for him, too..."

"He can get it himself if he's that worried about it," Kaelan said with a chuckle. "We just saved an entire kingdom, pro-bono."

**

Simply moving the giant body of Ketesar took almost the entire elven elite and all of the soldiers from Westfall two days, since his body could not properly cleaved. From there, the townspeople helped push his mighty body down into the sea, and word of his defeat spread like wildfire around the kingdom. A celebration that lasted an entire week took place, and everyone, even the hybrids and the warriors from Westfall, were invited.

It wasn't until shortly after the week of festivities had passed that Kaelan and Datsi finally announced to the king and queen that they were soon to be on their way once more.

"Already? But I thought that you two were looking for a place to live?" Masu asked, on the day that Kaelan and Datsi came before them.

"We are," Datsi replied, "But the winds of fate have carried us to many places before. Our dream has always been to find the hidden kingdom that is ruled by hybrids, and to make that place our home."

Nemes nodded and gave the pair a hearty smile. "I wouldn't argue for even a moment that your arrival in our kingdom was fate, but if it truly is time for you to go, our hearts will be saddened. Still, it is against the will of the elves to keep you or anyone from their true home. Is there any way that we can further repay you before you leave?"

"Just make sure that we always have a home here," Kaelan replied, "And if it isn't too much trouble, a little extra mythril silver for the road wouldn't hurt."

"Done and done," Nemes said. "We have mythril to spare now that we aren't making so many weapons out of it, and so long as kind hearts rule over this kingdom of Veneheim, you will always have a place to stay, free of charge."

Datsi and Kaelan both bowed to the king and queen respectfully, before turning to exit the grand throne room of Duniya Castle. On their way out of the city, they were outfitted with the finest of robes and given a hefty sum of mythril silver, enough to last them several years if they needed it to, and as deeply hidden as the kingdom of hybrids was, they certainly might need every ounce. No doubt, their travels to find the hidden kingdom would take them all across the world, and lead the pair of feline thieves to even more adventures...

...But that is a tale for another time.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
page
1
page
2
page
3
page
4
page
5
page
6
page
7
page
8
page
9
page
10
page
11
page
12
page
13
page
14
page
15
page
16
page
17
page
18
page
19
page
20
page
21
page
22
page
23
page
24
page
25
page
26
page
27
page
28
page
29
page
30
page
31
page
32
page
33
page
34
page
35
page
36
page
37
page
38
page
39
page
40
page
41
page
42
page
43
page
44
page
45
page
46
page
47
page
48
page
49
page
50
page
51
page
52
page
53
page
54
page
55
page
56
page
57
page
58
page
59
page
60
page
61
page
62
page
63
page
64
page
65
page
66
page
67
page
68
page
69
page
70
page
71
page
72
page
73
page
74
page
75
page
76
page
77
page
78
page
79
page
80
page
81
page
82
page
83
page
84
page
85
page
86
page
87
page
88
page
89
page
90
page
91
page
92
page
93
page
94
page
95
page
96
page
97
page
98
page
99
page
100
page
101
page
102
page
103
page
104
page
105
page
106
page
107
page
108
page
109
page
110
page
111
page
112
page
113
page
114
page
115
page
116
page
117
page
118
page
119
page
120
page
121
page
122
page
123
page
124
page
125
page
126
page
127
page
128
page
129
page
130
page
131
page
132
page
133
page
134
page
135
page
136
page
137
page
138
page
139
page
140
page
141
page
142
page
143
page
144
page
145
page
146
page
147
page
148
page
149
page
150
page
151
page
152
page
153
page
154
page
155
page
156
page
157
page
158
page
159
page
160
page
161
page
162
page
163
page
164
page
165
page
166
page
167
page
168
page
169
page
170
page
171
page
172
page
173
page
174
page
175
page
176
page
177
page
178
page
179
page
180
page
181
page
182
page
183
page
184
page
185
page
186
page
187
page
188
page
189
page
190
page
191
page
192
page
193
page
194
page
195
page
196
page
197
page
198
page
199
page
200
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
next
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
previous
page
 
 
page
1
page
2
page
3
page
4
page
5
page
6
page
7
page
8
page
9
page
10
page
11
page
12
page
13
page
14
page
15
page
16
page
17
page
18
page
19
page
20
page
21
page
22
page
23
page
24
page
25
page
26
page
27
page
28
page
29
page
30
page
31
page
32
page
33
page
34
page
35
page
36
page
37
page
38
page
39
page
40
page
41
page
42
page
43
page
44
page
45
page
46
page
47
page
48
page
49
page
50
page
51
page
52
page
53
page
54
page
55
page
56
page
57
page
58
page
59
page
60
page
61
page
62
page
63
page
64
page
65
page
66
page
67
page
68
page
69
page
70
page
71
page
72
page
73
page
74
page
75
page
76
page
77
page
78
page
79
page
80
page
81
page
82
page
83
page
84
page
85
page
86
page
87
page
88
page
89
page
90
page
91
page
92
page
93
page
94
page
95
page
96
page
97
page
98
page
99
page
100
page
101
page
102
page
103
page
104
page
105
page
106
page
107
page
108
page
109
page
110
page
111
page
112
page
113
page
114
page
115
page
116
page
117
page
118
page
119
page
120
page
121
page
122
page
123
page
124
page
125
page
126
page
127
page
128
page
129
page
130
page
131
page
132
page
133
page
134
page
135
page
136
page
137
page
138
page
139
page
140
page
141
page
142
page
143
page
144
page
145
page
146
page
147
page
148
page
149
page
150
page
151
page
152
page
153
page
154
page
155
page
156
page
157
page
158
page
159
page
160
page
161
page
162
page
163
page
164
page
165
page
166
page
167
page
168
page
169
page
170
page
171
page
172
page
173
page
174
page
175
page
176
page
177
page
178
page
179
page
180
page
181
page
182
page
183
page
184
page
185
page
186
page
187
page
188
page
189
page
190
page
191
page
192
page
193
page
194
page
195
page
196
page
197
page
198
page
199
page
200
by Joshiah
The very last Christmas Cookie commission, this one done for the awesome torahanjyuu

In his story, the two feline thieves Kaelan and Datsi find themselves thrust into the middle of a dangerous situation when their help is enlisted to combat the deadly dragon, Ketesar! With no end to his reign of terror in sight and the elves scrambling for an answer, will Kaelan and Datsi be able to stop the vicious monster, or will all of the elven kingdom of Veneheim burn before the day is through?

Kaelan the tiger belongs to torahanjyuu and Datsi the cougar belongs to kumaltygris. Please do not use either character without the proper permissions.

As always, read, comment and enjoy!

Keywords
male 1,108,936, female 998,701, dragon 138,386, human 99,892, tiger 36,829, fantasy 24,417, magic 23,407, adventure 5,373, elf 4,380, cougar 4,167, action 4,135, humans 3,869, royalty 1,878, ambiguous 1,576, hybrids 1,278, elves 211, nobility 65, kaelan 12, datsi 1, taludatsi 1
Details
Type: Writing - Document
Published: 9 years, 1 month ago
Rating: Mature

MD5 Hash for Page 1... Show Find Identical Posts [?]
Stats
73 views
0 favorites
0 comments

BBCode Tags Show [?]
 
New Comment:
Move reply box to top
Log in or create an account to comment.