1 Good News

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*****

"Good news!" Seyber chimed.

She had been wanting to say that for a while. Almost three weeks, to be precise. Thundur's deep wound had been showing no obvious progress, and Seyber's untrained mind was not good at finding many signs of improvement. Now, she was kneeling at her sister's bedside, and as she went to change the bindings, she finally found something encouraging.

After getting no response, Seyber glanced back to see if the other two were even listening. Zin was leaning against the wall of the room, had his ears pricked, waiting for an explanation. Leiytning, who was working on yet another malfunction in his new prosthetic, was just ignoring her. That came as no surprise, but Seyber was still irritated.

"And he's gone," Zin remarked. "You had his attention for two minutes, Seyber, I think that's a record."

"Are you ignoring me on purpose?" Asked Seyber, snapping her fingers.

Leiytning seemed annoyed. "Let me guess, another 'life-threatening infection' turned out to be a scab?"

"I only did that once!" Seyber argued. "Sorry if being worried about my mentor annoys you so much. Anyways, that's not what I was going to say, smartass. I was going to say that I found something encouraging. The wound is finally starting to heal and scar over. In other words, she's not close to waking up yet, but she is getting better. That means you can stop acting so anxious, and you better, because the others are worried about you."

Leiytning grunted. "In case you haven't noticed, Thundur's the one in trouble. Tell the others to get their priorities straight."

"Proof would be better," said Zin. "Whenever we've seen you, you're either slowly going crazy in the Oculus Cavern, or holed up in this room being miserable."

Seyber stood up. "It's actually no surprise. One, he's always miserable. Two, we all know Leiyt's one weakness is Thundur herself, both literally and figuratively." She gained a teasing tone. "I myself find that concern very cute, even if-"

She was interrupted by a series of sparks that came from the gadget. She and Zin both flinched, but it died down after a few seconds.

Seyber smirked deviously. "Do tell, big brother, what did I say about your prosthetics?"

"Quiet," Leiytning retorted, fixating the prosthetic to his maimed left wrist. The faux hand looked more like a mess of silver gears and wires, with crystal for power, that happened to have five metal fingers attached. It still had the necessary plates to hide most of the inside, of course.

"If this is the case," Zin remarked, "You can start helping with the work. Taking down a thunder wyvern isn't as easy as it looks, you know. It came out of nowhere, and if it weren't for Timbur, that thing would've quartered us where we stood."

"That's dramatic," said Seyber. "In his defense, someone has to do Thundur's job while she's down, and I know the rest of us wouldn't qualify."

"You're her apprentice!" Zin argued.

"I'm not good with spiritual things," Seyber insisted.

Zin sneered, "So you're not a future spirit-walker, you're a future medic-walker?"

Seyber looked annoyed and insulted, but then had an idea.

She crossed her arms, looking smug. "Oh, Leiyt? Where's your pet?"

Zin looked slightly confused, but when Leiytning pointed at something beneath the worktable, Seyber picked up a stay spring and tossed it in that direction. Almost instantly, there was a loud hiss.

Zin instantly looked frightened.

"Something wrong, Zin?" Seyber taunted.

"I know that sound," Zin growled. "Where are you, you little-"

"You know 'it' doesn't appreciate having things thrown at it."

When Zin turned, he was greeted by the head of a black snake just a few inches from his face. It hissed again, showing off two needle-like fangs. Whereas Zin looked terrified, Leiytning was clearly didn't care that a somewhat large black snake was coiled around his arm and shoulder.

Zin squealed and raced out of the room, which made the snake coil tighter around Leiytning's arm. Seyber was thoroughly amused.

Leiytning, however, was irritated. "Of all the things for him to have, it has to be a fear of snakes?" He shot Seyber a glare. "And you, stop tormenting the creatures."

"It's fine," Seyber spoke through her laughter. "Also, a fear of snakes isn't the end of the world. It could be worse."

Seyber then looked disgusted as the snake slithered across Leiytning's shoulder and neck, eventually coiling up on the worktable.

"Problem?" Leiytning asked bluntly.

"I'm not scared of snakes," Seyber responded. "But that's just disturbing."

"Heard it before," Leiytning said dismissively. "And it can't be helped that snakes are drawn to Thundur and me, it comes with a certain 'mentality' that we both possess, as I'm sure you know."

Seyber looked less happy. "I don't want the details; I'm sure you attract a lot of trouble with that kind of aura. We should be discussing how Zin was right. Worse than snakes have found their way onto our land, like the wyvern. Things have been appearing out of nowhere, often when caught in fits of rage or fright. There was a blazer behemoth in the Sorrowful Moors. Since when does that happen?"

"Strange, yes," Leiytning agreed. "How long ago was this?"

"I'm not too sure," Seyber answered. "I think it was seven days ago, more or less."

Leiytning's ear twitched irately. "This is the first time Timbur's decided to avoid reporting incidents to me. It better not get any worse than this."

"You should ask him," said Seyber. "He knows more about it. You aren't the only one who's been slacking on Thundur's account, probably another reason as to why Timbur's been so quiet. With everything else happening, I've no doubt his schedule is filled to the brim."

"The same goes for us all," said Leiytning. "It's not an excuse."

Seyber shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just saying. It's not easy for them to handle so much at once when they rarely finish their usual chores."

Leiytning's eye narrowed. "Speaking of siblings, it's been far too quiet. What happened to the others, save for Zin?"

Seyber looked uneasy. "I think they were talking about some large disturbance, last time I checked." She sighed, "I don't know, but let's hope nothing gets broken, nobody gets killed, and nothing catches on fire. Again."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Burning heat singed the ends of Kita's hair as she took cover behind a boulder. Flames were pounding against the other side, threatening to burn her alive.

"Scorch, this better not be another misfire," she muttered.

Once the fire stopped coming, Kita used the rock to pull herself up, peering over its edge. The real threat was focused on another one of the three demons that fought it.

The beast was easily over twenty feet tall. Once the sun hit its jagged scales, they turned from black to dark orange. Sharpened talons threatened to slash away its enemies. Tattered wings flew up to threaten them, and a mouthful of sharp fangs and fiery breath completed its nightmarish look.

'Think, think, think- how the hell do we stop this thing? Why am I even trying to figure this out?! I thought this would be a calm walk through the meadow!'

Kita looked closer at the beast. The scales were like armor, and getting too close resulted in an attack from sharp claws, fangs, or lashing from a thick tail. Then there was the fire, of course. Thankfully, the grass was wet from winter rains, so it wasn't burning much. There were still splotches of it here and there, though.

"Still cowering, I see."

Kita turned to see Timbur, who had just now retreated. His machete was still drawn, and he had a minor cut or two. His dark green shoulder-length hair and vibrant red vest were speckled with stray ash.

'Yeah, let me fight a dragon with a dagger,' Kita bitterly thought. "I never even knew dragons were real."

"Much like you, they're a real pain-in-the-ass," Timbur sharply responded. "Although, you are rightfully confused. Wyverns are rare enough, but dragons aren't even on this mainland. They belong in the Western Territories."

"Western Territories?" Asked Kita. "So it had to cross one of the great rivers, or possibly the ocean? That can't be right; even so, what would draw it here?"

"If I knew, then I wouldn't be confused," Timbur retorted.

"Now's not the time to enforce your grudge," Kita argued. "I'm worried, right now, it seems invincible! There's no way to get close to it, and it has that fire breath for range. How is anyone supposed to-"

"Incoming!"

Kita looked back, but only saw a stream of fire hurtling toward them. She and Timbur both took cover behind the scorched rock until the fire stopped. Kita peered over the top of the boulder again, as did Timbur.

While Timbur was checking on the other warriors, Kita kept looking over the dragon. Eventually, she did realize something.

She gasped, "Look-"

As she nudged Timbur, he instantly smacked her hand away.

Kita pointed up. "Just look! There are some scales at the top of the neck. They look thinner, and there's already a chip in them."

Sure enough, as Timbur inspected, the upper neck scales seemed smaller than the rest. In one specific spot behind the jaw, there was a deep crack in the natural armor, and the area around it was scratched up.

"Alright, now I have a plan," Timbur remarked. "Stay out of the way."

Kita sneered, "I thought you shamed me for cowering."

"Well this time, it's an order," Timbur retorted. "And here's another one; shut up and don't contradict me, you little snob!"

Kita slumped, crossing her arms. "Yes, sir."

Timbur grunted, contempt. He made sure the dragon was distracted, then ran out from behind the rock. Naturally, his speed was impressive, especially with how he was ducking and jumping over random tail and claw swipes. The beta halted when he was near Scorch, who was busy aiming his golden shotgun at the dragon from a dangerously close distance.

"Scorch!" Timbur called. "Get back here!"

Alarmed, Scorch called for Jem to keep its attention. She happily agreed, and successfully bashed up the claws and feet with her mace. Scorch regrouped with Timbur, but he was clearly eager to get back to the fight.

"What's wrong?" Asked Scorch.

"There's a crack in the scales," Timbur explained. "Right behind the jaw. Try to keep firing in that area. Your shotgun should be enough to cause a larger break, then we could land a fatal hit."

"Good plan," Scorch remarked. "Tell Jem to get back, though. I'm afraid of her getting overwhelmed."

Timbur just nodded before running off, leaving Scorch to pick up the fight. Noticing the distance made him sigh, though.

"It's times like this when I wish I carried a rifle. Although..." He pumped the shotgun, smirking. "Good ol' Blaze hasn't let us down yet."

Finally, Scorch took aim and pulled the trigger. A heavy bullet flew through the air, leaving a stream of smoke and small flames behind it. The bullets were, indeed, composed of fire magic.

The initial shot hit the dragon just behind the head, making it screech angrily. Crumbling bits and pieces of scales fell to the ground; an encouraging sign. The dragon, however, was now focused on him. Scorch refused to back down and cocked the gun, manifesting another bullet in its chamber.

The dragon suddenly inhaled, then spat a stream of fire from its gaping jaws. However, Scorch stayed put, grinning more. As he held up his hand, it burst into flame, and the fiery breath just started absorbing into it. When it ended, Scorch's whole hand was pouring flames, and his eyes faintly illuminated with orange.

"Thanks for the extra firepower, dumbass!" Scorch taunted, cackling. As he wrought his fist forward, an even larger burst of fire rushed back at the beast, burning its side. While it faltered from the impact, Scorch flipped up his gun and fired. The blast completely shattered another couple of scales, and made the crack larger.

The dragon charged him, snapping with huge fangs. Scorch retreated, dodging the attack, and tried to keep a distance as he kept blasting rounds.

"Status report!" He heard Timbur shout.

"I managed to cause a break!" Scorch responded.

Timbur moved closer, trying to formulate a plan. He spotted the break, where some pale reptilian skin was revealed. The dragon's orange eyes were fixated on Scorch, though, leaving him unnoticed.

"It'll be easier if this became a blindside," Timbur muttered. "Master, your suggestion was useful after all."

He unsheathed the new weapons holstered to his belt; three of twelve small throwing knives. Each was silver with an emerald at the base of the blade.

As the dragon spat more of its firey breath, Timbur suddenly hurled all three of the knives. They whistled through the air, and burrowed deep in the tender eye.

The dragon screeched, flinging its head up as it wailed. The fire stopped coming, but the dragon immediately snapped its head back to see Timbur with its one remaining eye. Timbur hastily moved away as the dragon braced to spit more fire, although its attention was already drawn back as Scorch fired more.

"Jem!" Timbur called. "Do you think you could hit its neck deep enough to make it lethal?"

Jem, off to the side, cringed. Her cropped mint-green shirt, gray shorts and scarf, and fluffy brown ponytail had ashes speckled throughout it. The muscular demon had already taken a few hits, but she looked fine.

"I don't know," Jem responded. "A trauma weapon would be tough in this scenario, and it really doesn't like me."

"On the other hand, it clearly loses interest in me," Timbur murmured. "It's most drawn to Scorch." He nodded. "Got it. Jem, be ready to give me a boost."

Jem winked. "Gotcha."

As she stepped back, she kneeled with both hands firmly against the ground. Rigid gray and dark amber aura spiraled around her hands. Meanwhile, Timbur stayed behind her, keeping one hand close to his knives. The ground began to shake a bit.

"Alright," Jem spoke. "Almost..."

"Scorch, bring it closer!" Timbur commanded.

Far aside, Scorch sighed, "I swear they're going to be the death of me, one of these days."

Scorch uneasily moved around it, barely dodging its swipes and bites. He did get it closer to the bracing demon, though.

"Let's go, T!" Jem remarked.

She formed one fist, then slammed it against the ground. It caused a narrow split as a sloped stone shot out from the earth. Timbur rushed forward, jumping over her and onto the very tip, then shot onto the dragon's shoulder. The beast couldn't even react, from how fast he made it to the vulnerable area.

Timbur sank his machete deep into the exposed flesh. As he dropped down, using the blade as a handhold, it split the flesh even further, and crimson blood poured out of it.

The dragon screeched, tossing its head back, but Timbur flipped off before it affected him, landing just at its feet. The dragon staggered, its movements rigid and unsteady. It eventually fell, shaking the ground with its immense weight.

As Scorch approached, he pressed the edge of his shotgun right against its eye, then fired. The eye exploded, and its head throbbed from the burst. Any sign of life immediately disappeared; the beast was limp, breathless, and silent.

With it finally dead, Kita had the nerve to come out and regroup with them. Despite the interesting battle and well-earned victory, none of them seemed too happy.

Jem sheathed her mace. "Well, that was kinda fun, but really unexpected. What was a dragon doing here?"

"Good question," Timbur replied. "I'll ask Leiytning when we get back."

"I doubt even he'll..."

Scorch trailed off as Timbur raised one of his knives. The emerald glowed faintly, and three silver blurs shot out of the dragon. With one swipe, he grabbed the three lost knives, and sheathed them all.

"Well, those are more interesting than I thought," Scorch remarked.

Timbur was already headed off. "With things getting more chaotic, Leiytning said I should carry a second weapon. These were the weapons I was trained best in, not including swordsmanship."

"Alright, but knives, uh..." Scorch sneered. "Simply put, you know I could've given you a gun. I have a snub-nose revolver with your name on it."

"I'm not well versed in gunfire," Timbur retorted.

"Demons are the most advanced tribes in gunmanship!" Scorch insisted. "Especially Zyreans! You should-"

"I'm using the fucking knives, now drop it!" Timbur snapped.

Scorch crossed his arms, looking away. "You don't have to yell. I just don't want to see you maimed while you're trying to flail those things fast enough."

"Is it just because they're easier on your girly wrists?" Jem teased.

Timbur's ear twitched. "Shut up."

Jem laughed, "I'm kidding! I was actually impressed. You hit it right in the eye, from a distance. Although, maybe we should focus on the actual problems at hand, not how we handle them."

"Well..."

While the others talked, Timbur couldn't help ignoring them as he thought the same thing.

'True. These recent days have had the strangest trespassers in the most random places. Dragons don't even live in the Northern Territories. Other beasts were far off course, or had entirely different temperaments. What kind of muldarch travels above ground, in broad daylight? What kind of desert-loving behemoth goes into a watery swamp? I don't get it...'

He dismissed the idea as the portal came into sight. He and the others went through first, while Kita fell and crashed ungracefully behind them. They were now on the Dead Beach, with its pale sand, dark water, and massive cliffs. The one-room ramshackle cabin was still standing a fair distance away.

Jem and Scorch were discussing something, but Timbur was already heading to the fortress. Although, it was hard for him not to notice one disturbance. Sure enough, when he glanced back, Kita was behind him.

"Why do you always have to follow me?" Timbur growled, as he opened the fortress entrance.

"Because I heard you were going to talk to Leiytning," said Kita. "I haven't seen him in a while, so I'm just curious about what he's been up to."

"It's none of your business," Timbur muttered, proceeding into the rigid entrance tunnel. She barely made it through before the entrance sealed behind her.

To herself, she thought, 'Him being rude is better than a death threat, right?'

Despite the constant snapping and insults, Timbur was beginning to ease up with the constant threats toward her. Now he was just mean, but clearly, she could forgive that much.

When they emerged into the Hex Den, things seemed typical, save for the small void Thundur would fill. Leiytning was using a seeing brew to keep an eye on their scattered territory, while Seyber was nearby, dozing off.

"Greetings," Timbur spoke, a slight dip of the head showing respect.

Leiytning just grunted, which was basically his way of returning the greeting. At least, that's what others would assume, since that was his response to a lot of things.

Seyber jerked awake, rubbing her eyes. As she saw Timbur, her ears perked.

"Thank afterworld you're back!" She cried, then pointed at the leader. "I swear, when he's not fighting something, he's the most boring person in existence."

Kita laughed, "That's just cruel."

"Oh, I didn't notice you come in," Seyber remarked.

The two kept going, but Timbur rolled his eyes and struggled to ignore the senseless chattering.

"What took you so long?" Asked Leiytning.

"This mission was a lot bigger than anticipated," Timbur explained. "In the Silent Meadow, we were fighting a dragon."

"A dragon?!" Seyber cried. "Why is there a dragon over there?!"

"I was hoping Leiytning would know," Timbur replied.

"No, I don't," said Leiytning. "But considering the number of other strange behaviors we've seen, it's not an isolated case. I believe it's safe to ignore for now."

"That's unusual for you," Timbur remarked. "Do you have another mission for me?"

"Yes, actually," said Leiytning. "Beasts are one thing, but now the suspicious activity has spread to Sybilius. Not the Blood Forest, thankfully, but they seem to be traveling to their border to meet unidentified groups, only to retreat a short while later. It's not nearly as elaborate or well-guarded as their civilian trade routes. It's also clear that this isn't a battle. I've not seen this before, and this is the second time in just days. It could be nothing, but I'd rather not take chances right now. Oblivion knows what Corelia could be plotting. Especially after the result of her last 'trade,' which led to nearly killing Thundur."

"Dammit," Timbur muttered. "Every time we turn around, that bitch is coming up with some new plot."

"That is why you shouldn't travel alone," said Leiytning. "Now, regarding the aforementioned issue. We- er, well, I have theories forming, but it's difficult while we only have rumors and seeing brews to go on. I talked to our informants, and two of them have news on it. Your assignment is to take Seyber and meet them at the entrance of the Raven's Cavern. Listen to what they've found, then report back to me."

Timbur seemed suspicious. "What kind of informants?"

Leiytning rolled his eye. "I know. No goblins, and even I try to avoid the only elf we have. It's just Druitt and a Ritin whose name I can't remember."

Timbur muttered, "It has to be a Ritin. And Druitt?"

"It's not like they were hired because of their character," Leiytning retorted. "Now stop complaining."

Kita stepped in. "Am I allowed to come with you, Timbur?"

"No!" Timbur snapped.

"Take her with you," said Leiytning.

Timbur groaned, "Why do you always have to defend her?! She's bad enough without encouragement!"

"Lighten up," Seyber insisted. "She won't cause any trouble."

While Kita looked happy, Timbur just cursed under his breath.

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