Drakase's Northern Shores

2:25 pm. 25th Banem 1092.

29 Days to World's End.

Drakase, the forgotten island nestled between Merriheim's 'claws'. Heavy ash darkened blotted the skies of this dreary, forever rendering it in a darkened state. Thick fog surrounded the island, as if to cut it off from the rest of the world. Silence hung over the region. Neither songs from birds nor chirps from crickets pierced the silence. Even the wind made no sound, almost like time itself had frozen. So it had been for a thousand years.

But, as fate would have it, that serene peace was to be broken on this day. Whurrr... From the ocean came a set of strange sounds, like something cutting through the waves. Dush! As expected, a fleet of massive deathsworn ships tore through the fog and then made their way to the shore.

Grrrru!

The deathsworn fleet groaned as they pulled onto the shore one after the other. Their expertise and timing revealed a well-trained fleet that had performed this maneouver on several occassions.

Several sailors of vastly different races, jumped off the ships and then pulled the vessels further onto shore. When done, they caught giant stakes thrown from the ship, which the sailors drove into the ground, and then tied mooring ropes around to prevent their ships from being carried back out to sea.

Grrruuu... Bang!

Each ship dropped their respective gangplanks following the fleet's successful mooring. Du! Du! Du! Hundreds of soldiers marched down from the ships in orderly fashion, and then assumed an orderly formation on the beach. Perhaps because it was not war-time, the soldiers held their helmets under their arms, in turn, revealing their faces.

If Kashi were here, he would have been shocked to notice that the army was only about sixty-percent daeben. The other forty was a combination of many differents races. There were even a few centaurs, Foggers and kobolds ― races which were seen as inferior by the humes.

Even stranger, however, was the fact that these soldiers had clear, determined eyes. These were not the eyes of the coerced, or forced, but rather, those who firmly believed in a cause, and were willing to lay down their lives to make it a reality.

Ka. Ka. Ka.

The soldiers stood at attention as ten figures in dark robes stepped down from the central ship. Tremendous power oozed off these people. So much so, that several soldiers sweated as they struggled to remain on their feet.

"It's the star!"

A soldier's sudden shout drew the army's attention to the sigil glowing at the back of the robed people as they turned to face the ship - a giant wheel, with eight arrows stabbing out in equidistant direction from a red eyeball. This symbol represented Razznik, the god of chaos, and it was their organization's official sigil.

Unfortunately, directives from above ordered that no one could don the symbol outside the Holy Land. The fact, that the cardinals now wore these outside, could only mean one thing...

"Yes, it is as you have guessed." A sweet, sultry voice arose from the ship. The voice was not loud, yet it somehow reached everyone's ears, seeming like it came from right beside them. Clack! Clack! The soldiers quickly dropped to their knees as a young woman emerged from the boat, with a thinly smiling, white-furred kafu a few steps behind her.

Queen Alia Tatjana Thorraid, clad in purple, leather armor that emphasized her considerable bust, and tight leather pants, revealed a sultry smile as her red eyes glanced at the army on their knees. "The time has come for the Chaos Order to step out of the shadows. Ten years we have prepared for this day. The day we proudly step into the light. Raise your head, soldiers of Chaos, and fly your flags with pride!"

"OOOOH!" The soldiers thumped their chests and cheered with a loud voice. Vwooom! As if spurred on by their zeal, Chaos signets appeared on the warriors' armors, shining proudly in the darkness.

"If nothing, your motivational speeches have shown marked improvement."

Alia sported a proud grin as she glanced at Cathek. "I will show you just how much I have grown."

"I do not doubt it." Cathek smiled warmly, and then pointed at a massive, gloomy mountain far off in the distance that seemed to blot out the sky. "But, for now, guide your troops safely to Oni Hi―"

Krraaagh!

A shrill cry interrupted Cathek. The kafu frowned and then looked to the edge of the forest. Sure enough, a limping skeleton trudged out of the forest range that surrounded Oni Hill. A pair of faint, blue will-o-wisps burned in the skeleton's eye sockets +as it craned its head back and forth as if examining the army.

Boom!

The soldiers, despite facing only a single skeleton, took a step forward in unison, their collective aura crushing down on the undead. If it were the usual undead, the skeleton would either charge madly or instantly flee from the blatant provocation.

This skeleton, however, calmly observed the rows of soldiers. The flames in its eyes flickered softly as its rotted jaw opened with a clack. "Leave!" VWhoosh! A tremendous aura crushed the army's and then sent them stumbling back several steps. The skeleton, whose voice echoed for several miles glared at the stunned army, as if daring them to defy its command.

Alia regarded the skeleton with interest. "Uncle, is it me, or does that undead possess intelligence?"

Cathek ignored the skeleton, and instead gazed at the mountain. "Do you know why this place is called Drakase?"

Alia groaned, revealing a cute pout. "Another lesson?"

"One can never stop learning, Your Majesty." Cathek smiled as he turned his gaze to the forest range. "As you know, no creature is as loved by mana as dragons. Conversely, when dragons die, the 'dead mana' they expunge is too thick and toxic for most species. As a result, dragons instinctively gathered in this land to die." Ka. Ka. Cathek walked down the gangplank with Alia by his side as he explained, "Drakase, the name of this land, means 'Dragons' Graveyard' in the common tongue."

Cathek glanced at the ocean, and then commanded, "Rise, Gunder."

Vrooo!

The sea roiled, and churned, eventually parting as a 50 meter long, dirty-golden dragon emerged from its depths. Skyrm, or rather Gunder walked over to Cathek's side, and then laid down its head.

"After you, Your Majesty."

"You really know how to travel in style." Alia grinned as she examined Gunder's beautiful scales. She ran her hand across the scales, a gentle smile displayed on her lips as she turned to Cathek. "Uncle, are you certain we cannot keep him? It might be tough, but we should be able to strengthen the seal?"

Cathek chuckled but ultimately shook his head. "I am afraid that is impossible, Your Majesty. Skyrm calculated perfectly. We cannot seal his soul any longer without damaging the body."

Alia sighed, sorrow in her eyes as she patted Gunder's scales. "What a pity. Such a magnificent creature will cease to exist."

Cathek's lips twitched, but in the end, he nodded. "If that is what you wish."

"It is." Alia jumped onto Gunder's back and took a seat on the dragon's broad back. A harsh light appeared in her eyes. "If we can't have him, no one else can!" However, her expression instantly softened as she looked up at Cathek who appeared behind her. "You were saying something about Drakase?"

"Yes." Pa. Cathek tapped his boot against Gunder's back. "Walk." He then continued, as Gunder took slow strides toward the skeleton. "Traditionally, dragons are extremely greedy creatures.Even in death, they want their graves to be extravagant and beautiful. As a result, they often came to the island with followers."

The skeleton jerked its head to look up at Gunder as he approached. Its eyes flickered, the flames burning brighter.

"These followers would bring the dragon's loot and then protect the cave until they died." Cathek smiled when Gunder stopped in front of the skeleton. "Unfortunately, even in death, they are not released from duty. Over countless years and cummulative dead mana gathering, the dead once again walked among the living." Cathek glanced at one of the robed figures. "Your Necromancer uses a similar tactic to power his ghouls."

The skeleton looked at Gunder for a few more seconds. Clack! It's jaw shut with a loud clack. Seemingly satisfied, it turned and walked back into the thicket, soon disappearing from view.

Alia looked at the thicket with a raised brow. "Why did it leave? Was it scared off by Skyrm?"

Cathek shook his head. "These kind of low-level undead do not know fear. Only the mission written in their bones."

"Mission?"

"Yes. For which, they would even battle against gods, let alone dragons, even one as powerful as Skyrm."

"What is their mission?"

Cathek smiled and tapped Gunder. "Walk." He then looked at the soldiers, and the robed figures and ordered, "Keep close or this forest will swallow you."

One of the robed figures placed their hands on the ground and muttered a low chant. Moments later, a strange beast resembling a stingray rose from a portal below her. The beast, was roughly 20 meters wide, and about 8 meters long. The robed figures jumped onto the 'stingray', as it gently flew behind Gunder.

The soldiers, unfortunately had to rely on their own to legs to traverse the dense forest.

Cathek observed the army's march. When he was certain they would not fall far behind, he turned his attention to the gloomy mountain in the distance as he said, "The undead of Drakase have only one mission: To protect the graves of the dragons here. They will instinctively attack any living creature that approaches this place, except of course, other dragons."

Alia's brow rose. "Doesn't that mean that we can just loot them all as long as we come with dragons?"

Drrrr.... gugugugugu!

A gut-wrenching sound akin to a horrifying combination of gurgling and grinding bones rang out through the forest as the ground began to quake.

"Haha, that cannot possibly be the case." Cathek gaze ahead with a calm expression. "If we get too close to a burial cave or site, the true guardian will make an appearance."

"True guardian?"

"Well, there are multiple kinds, but..." Cathek pointed to his left. "That should provide you with an idea."

Alia looked to the direction Cathek pointed. "What the F―" She clamped her right hand over her mouth, stifling the curse before it emerged. Her eyes, however, remained wide with shock as she gazed at the 20-meters-tall giant that arose from within the trees. The rotting zombie hoisted a massive club onto its back, and glared at the procession.

"Do not fret, Your Majesty. It will not attack as long as we do not impede its territory." Cathek glanced at the undead giant, and then turned his attention back to the mountain. "Contrary to the common folk tales, undead do not go out killing the living for their brains. Instead, most undead are victims of simple programming. Their task and purpose is determined by the place they were born, and the only thing they need to feed on is dead mana."

A wry smile curled up Cathek's lips as he recalled his youth. "Unfortunately, greedy fools from the hume territories sought to claim the treasures buried here, and thus labelled this land as evil and heretic. Eventually, they even had Razznik kill the Demon King, the only being that prevented the elite from razing this place to the ground." His lips parted as his smile morphed to a haunting, toothy grin. "The fools unknowingly created an even greater enemy, as Razznik took it upon himself to protect this land afterwards."

Alia frowned. "Why would Razznik protect the undead? From your stories, he's not the type to be so magnamimous."

"Is that how you interpreted the tale of the Cursed Seven?" Cathek grinned. "On the contrary, if you asked me, Razznik is perhaps the most magnanimous man I have ever met. Oh. Of course, he is a god now."

"I don't understand."

"It is only natural that you do not."

Bwoosh.

Cathek's eyes shone as Gunder broke out of the forest into a large expanse of rocky terrain. Small rivulets filled with molten lava silently flowed through the landscape. Cathek's gaze traced the rivulets to the base of a gigantic mountain range whose peak pierced through the ashy sky as if challenging the rule of the gods. "You will soon see for yourself, the kind of man Razznik truly is." Cathek looked at Alia, an unfamiliar fanaticism in his eyes as he whispered, "Welcome to Oni Hill, Your Majesty."