With their travels unimpeded, the hastily formed party reached the alleged Dragon Cult fort in a mere few days, by following the edge of the Desert of the Lost. Now, the moon had risen, their feet were sore, and it was time for a rest. Stumbledore was not sore however, as he had magic reins bound to his Pegasus, Torrent, who had carried him and Daryl throughout the journey. He’d also been keeping a rather useful eye on their surroundings.

  In between peppering Yaang with questions about his scales, which he had quite easily realized were not just silver, Xerex had kept them entertained with songs. Luffy had also questioned Yaang once he saw him doing his morning workout, and learned that they had both studied under the tutelage of the legendary One Punch Monk, Saitama. This had, naturally, led to nightly sparring matches that Yaang won, every single time. As useful as stretchy limbs were, they couldn’t stretch if they were encased in earth shackles, or ice, or melting into rubbery goo (that reformed once it cooled).

  It was during one such night, when they were less than a day from the fort, that things turned for the worse. Luffy, left on watch, ended up falling asleep, though thankfully Seph and his ridiculously perceptive senses were able to wake everyone. No less than twenty Dragon Cultists had surrounded them in the flat, open expanse that was the edge of the desert, and once again, they all wielded Hell crossbows.

  Without hesitation, the hastily awoken party, who’d been sleeping in their armor, leapt into action. Seph became a burning green blur of murder, taking down four cultists in as many slashes, as he teleported amongst them. Stumbledore kept an eye on Daryl, who he’d somewhat managed to befriend, after he and Xerex convinced the man that siding with them was better than siding with a five headed dragon from literal Hell.

  Arrows flew through the air, as the cultists finally fired, realizing their ambush had not gone as smoothly as expected. Yaang and Luffy were also among them in melee, but it was Yaang that took quite a lot of burning crossbow bolts all at once, while Luffy was largely ignored. Suddenly, the Dragonborn’s bravado faded, and seeing his blood flowing down his platinum scales, the cultists around him focused on the object of their quest. That is, until a massive, sparkling, purple hand sent three of them flying at once, and then gave Yaang a thumbs up. Xerex followed that with a Healing Word, which helped, and once more, Seph continued to add to his body count.

  Drawing on his newest powers, Seph summoned a burning sphere of green flame in his palm, and for the first time, consciously felt the entity that he’d barely sensed, during his rampage up in the north. In that moment though, he knew, it was real, it was powerful, and it seemed to like him. His Flare spell became a Giga Flare, boosted rapidly by his new mysterious friend’s power, and Seph grinned as he watched it explode, taking at least twelve of the cultists at once, and utterly reducing them to ash.

  While Xerex kept the platinum Dragonborn alive, the panicked words of Stumbledore reached them. “Uhh, guys!? Alan isn’t…doing very well…” He tried his hand at stabilizing the cleric, by yanking out the bolts. Blood started spurting like a fountain, as he failed. Hard. “Ohhh fuck. Ohfuckohfuckohfuck…a little help for the healer!?”

  “Kinda busy!” Yaang shouted, launching into a brutal series of earthbending strikes that ended up taking down another three cultists. Luffy had his own style of attack, and took down just as many with his whirling rubber fists, who had popped up from hiding in the sand. Yaang also focused his power into what was commonly referred to as a Healing Surge, a basic spell that anyone could use, it varied wildly from individual to individual in how much it actually healed, but it stopped Yaang’s bleeding, at least.

  Seeing that, and having promised the cleric of Pelor that they’d bring Alan back intact, Xerex ran over, just in time to see the light in the young teen’s eyes go out.

  Seph and Yaang finished the remaining cultists, and Yaang managed to catch Alan with his earthbending before he could get to the fortress. Once more drenched in blood, Seph walked towards the group as the fight ended.

  The dead blonde teenager’s face sparked some serious trauma in Seph, as in an instant, he was back up north on that frozen hellscape holding Cloud again. “No…not again…” He said quietly. “Please…no…No!”

  Then, suddenly, a voice entered his mind. The voice of a God. It could be nothing else, and going by the green tainting his vision, it was not a good aligned one.

  “You desire power…” Seph mentally answered the affirmative. “You wish to save his life…there will be a Price. For you, and for him…”

  “Anything…” Seph answered, unable to stop staring at Alan and seeing Cloud.

  With the deal struck, Seph reflexively moved a hand to Alan’s chest. Ominous green light surged around him and Alan, and with a rasping gasp, the teen returned to life. “Pelor…?” He croaked, as his wounds began bleeding again. This time, Xerex and Yaang patched him up, and succeeded in stabilizing the various holes in his body.

  The group was quiet, as Seph walked some distance away, and started looting the bodies of the cultists. Stumbledore went first, not quite sounding like an old man at that moment. “What the fuck was that!?” He hissed at Yaang, Luffy, and Xerex. “People don’t just come back to life! And that light! So sketchy…”

  Xerex nodded. “That kind of green is…usually bad…none of the good aligned powers are ever puke green.”

  “What…happened?” Alan asked, as he looked down at the closing holes in his chest.

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  “You were hurt.” Stumbledore said, grimacing. “Badly. Seph saved your life…” The wizard had a feeling he’d done so for a price, though.

  Slowly, Alan got to his feet. “I’m sorry guys…the first time I ever get in combat, and I went down immediately.” By this point, Seph had turned around, and looked oddly pleased. “Seph, I…thank you.”

  Seph waved a hand, and Yaang arched his long neck curiously as he saw a new ominously glowing green symbol on the back of Seph’s right hand. “Don’t worry about it.” Seph Yroth said both to Alan, and Yaang. “There’s a good chance they heard all that.” He gestured to the dilapidated but still defensively sound fort. “At the very least, someone will be out soon to check on these fools. What’s the plan?”

  He looked at each member of the party and saw naught but a series of blank, expressionless faces. Daryl began cackling from behind them. “It’s useless! No plan you make will matter! Tiamat will conquer the World, and Dragonkind shall reign supreme!”

  Xerex just stared at him. “You…know you’re not a Dragon, right?”

  “What do you think your ancestors were, before the Dragons elevated them?” Daryl countered.

  Xerex just nodded. “That’s fair, honestly.”

  Daryl continued his tirade, spurred by his verbal victory. “The Dragon Queen shall dominate the world! And nothing you weak apostates attempt will ever stop her!”

  “I will stop her.” Yaang stated calmly, and then glanced around the group. “You’ve all noticed my scales by now. How they’re not exactly silver. The monks I grew up with in the Far East told me that I was the Avatar of Io, that, somehow, a spark of our original God exists within me.”

  Luffy squinted at his brother in the Way of the Weeaboo. “What’s an Io?”

  “Io…was Balance. The most powerful God that has ever existed, they were the first, and the strongest. They kept the other Gods balanced, and the world flourished. Unfortunately…more…elemental powers were jealous of the Gods. They wanted to be worshiped in a supreme pantheon. Thus, they convinced the more scheming and war-like Gods to turn on the others, and that alliance of the Traitors and the Prime Elementals ended up killing two Deities, and splitting Io into two equally powerful halves, by the time they were done. Those halves being Bahamut and Tiamat.”

  “What exactly is Tiamat’s deal, anyway?” Seph started. “We nee-”

  “SHE IS WRATH! SHE IS POWER! THE QUEEN OF AVERNUS!” Daryl shouted at the top of his lungs. Irritated, Seph glanced at Yaang, and gestured to Daryl, who was then bound by the earth around his mouth, as well.

  Seph growled. “Fucking Daryl…we need to know all we can about this Dragon Queen before we march into a fortress full of her people.” He glanced between the two Dragonborn. “Start talking.”

  At that moment, Xerex brought out his lute with a dextrous flourish, and strummed the durable strings with his claws. “Sounds like a good time for a song!” Xerex started strumming, but Seph put up a hand.

  “No. Just…just speak nor-”

  “Too late!” Xerex shouted, continuing as his smooth baritone filled the air. His lyrics made Daryl’s eyes roll.

  “From Io’s death, two Dragons came,

  One of Justice, one of Flame.

  Bahamut, noble, pure of heart,

  Tiamat, wrathful, had her start.

  Five heads of fury, greed, and might,

  She craved the world, consumed by spite.

  Her gold, her rule, her endless thirst,

  Among the Gods, she proved the worst.

  She sought to reign, to rule the skies,

  To make all Dragons bow, or die.

  Chromatic flames, her banner’s call,

  She sought to cement Bahamut’s fall.

  With venom's touch, she split the kin,

  The pure, the corrupt, her wrath within.

  Dragons of greed, and those of light,

  Her power grew, but she lost the fight.

  The Gods did rise, their judgment clear,

  Bahamut’s wrath, her greatest fear.

  In the War of the Gods, came her fall,

  The broken queen, who lost it all.

  Down to Avernus, bound in chains,

  Her hunger deep, her soul in flames.

  With Asmodeus, she struck a deal,

  In the burning depths, her fate revealed.

  Now she guards the Gate of Dis,

  A broken Queen, in Hell's abyss.

  Once a Goddess, now bound by pact,

  Her power shattered, her ego cracked.

  Five heads of rage, ten eyes alight,

  Her hunger for power burns day and night.

  In Avernus, she lies in wait,

  Her heart still burning, filled with hate.”

  Yaang, highly amused, clapped loudly, as did Luffy and then Stumbledore too. Seph seemed to be pondering the words as Xerex gave them a bow. “Any questions?”

  Seph stared at him, deadpan, and said, “So, she and Bahamut formed from Io. Her evil nature and greed made her aspire to rule all Dragons. She failed. Hard. In her failure, she was cast down to Avernus, where she made a deal. Become a guard dog for Asmodeus, or fall even farther. So now she blocks entry to the lower Hells, and uses her Cult to gain more power. Did I miss anything?”

  Xerex looked pleased. “Nope, my music informed us with everything we’ll need!”

  Seph pinched his brow, and sighed. “Uh huh. Let’s get closer…I’m tired of just sitting out here.”

  Thus, Daryl in tow and the bodies of his allies picked clean by Luffy and Xerex, the party finally approached the fortress. Two cultists guarded the entrance, and Seph, feeling impatient, introduced them to a Giga Flare, once it charged up over about fifteen seconds. The detonation was massive. And loud. Louder than Seph had meant to make it. As the smoke cleared, all that remained of the guards were two pairs of ashy boots, and a giant smoldering crater where the path leading to the entrance had been.

  “Oh, they definitely heard that.” Yaang muttered.

  "You blew up their loot." Luffy grumbled.

  “Hide us.” Seph ordered.

  Grumbling about bending sand, Yaang managed to create a passable shield that, sure enough, managed to hide them from the incompetent Dragon Cultists. They seemed well armed, but weak, and numerous. Someone had opted for quantity instead of quality, and they paid the price.

  Through a small hole in their shelter, Seph launched another Flare, though this one only became a Mega Flare, as one of the guards did manage to notice the hole in their shelter they were peeking through, and the cultist decided to do the same. This was the last thing he ever did, as the Mega Flare shot out of the hole, and then detonated very close by. The party ran then, behind the fortress, and realized they were actually quite tired from all the casting and fighting. Seph could keep going, but Yaang and the others were properly spent. The downside of Healing Surges was how quickly they could tire one out. Reluctantly, Seph agreed to make camp, though about three hours into their rest, another pair of guards came looking for them.

  Their shelter was much better this time though, as Yaang had gone subterranean, hiding them completely as part of the outcropping the fortress sat upon in the otherwise completely flat desert. Time passed, another patrol came and went, and finally, everyone was ready to fight once again.

  As one, with a coordinated plan in mind to overwhelm the guards and storm the fortress, the party leapt up from the sand when the next patrol came by, and took both of them out. Another pair however, saw this, and blew some kind of brass whistle. Right before Seph introduced them to a Mega Flare empowered quickly, again, by his new patron. The loud explosion guaranteed discovery, and immediately after, four massive, winged draconic forms flew up from the top of the fortress. Two landed on the battlements, perched and peering down at the party. The other two, landed behind the party on the ground, and the sound of yet more cultists on their way filled their ears.

  “Ohhh…balls.” Xerex muttered. “We might be done, guys…” he said with genuine fear as he took in the draconic being’s leering eyes and heavily armored lanky forms. Each had a pair of wings to fly with, and long spears burning with familiar fire, undoubtedly from Avernus.

  “Why…” Seph asked quietly, readying the Throngler.

  “These are…these are Abishai. Draconic Devils from the Hells…and infamously strong warriors.” Xerex confirmed, noting their Hellsforged armor. Hearing Xerex's fear made them cackle with unnaturally echoing laughter.

  Seph just smirked, and looked at the top left one, sitting atop the fort. “That one’s mine.” And then, with a blur of shadow, he was gone, and engaged in melee. With that action, the other three Abishai advanced on the party far below their challenge rating, eyes and spears alight with the flames of Hell.