The Tragedy of The Fates

DRAGONEERING

Igneus looked over the shores, Shuriken behind him. Igneus' cloak moved slightly as he unfolded his arms. Ren, the elf prince of this kingdom asked, "Is everything okay?"

Igneus looked back over towards him. Igneus smiled and cocked his head slightly before saying, "Yeah, right as rain. When do we leave?"

"Soon. The last of the supplies are being loaded."

Igneus looked back over. Kyl had given the whole group Fate blood. He had mixed it in with the food. Shuriken's blood. That was a necessity because Arthur was too dangerous to be let loose, so he was caged and held below decks, put there by Kyl. It seemed with Igneus being accepted by Oberon the Fates bowed to him.

Ren and Igneus moved into the ship. All this was, was a test run. He was going to find a dead sea dragon on the ocean floors revive it, and see how it held against a dragoneering ship.

Igneus had placed enchantments on Ren. A few basic spells, spells that wore him out. He needed a wand or staff. Using his body to channel magic on its own was dangerous, and stupidly reckless. He could ask Oberon, but he wasn't too keen to see that Fae again.

Igneus stepped onto the ship, ignoring the sailors loading a box. Once they were on the ship, a sailor untied it, pushed it off from the dock, and jumped up onto the ship. With that, they were off.

Shuriken muttered, "I'll be in the hold." He quickly made his descent. He was going to keep an eye on Arthur. Shuriken wasn't trusting of the dragon-man. As he'd discovered, he was right. Arthur had forced a sailor's body through the thick bars, breaking most of the sailor's bones as Arthur ate the corpse in a loud, almost slurping, sound.

Shuriken sighed, before sitting next to the cage, "So, what, are you feral or something?"

Arthur licked the inside of the skull of the sailor, his forked tongue licking the last bits of the brain from his head before he answered Shuriken, "Yes. No. I man. Dragon too."

"So, how did you become this?"

"Dragons. Beautiful. Oberon teach me magic words. I use make me man-dragon. Voice hurts. Fire breath changes throat. I also make curse."

"Our family's curse, right?"

To this, Arthur only nodded, before adding, "It was accident. To pass down magic I used spell. Magic is balance. Give, take. It give magic over life, but takes yours."

"And Igneus is using it like it's something to be played with. One day his consequences will catch up to him."

"Soon. Pain. Death."

Shuriken seemed perplexed, "How could you know that?"

"Future, past, all part of dragon. I see both."

Shuriken nodded. That explained his ancestor's crazed mind. It was seeing more than it was supposed to. A lot more than it was supposed to. Shuriken asked, "How soon?"

Arthur shook his head, refusing to answer. Arthur spat out a bit of blood, as his vocal cords rubbed against his thinned and elongated neck. Arthur sat down, his tail flicking and flittering about as he removed the skull from the head of the sailor and began to eat the flesh. As Arthur resumed his meal Igneus walked down, exhausted. He reached the bottom of the stairs and said, his face pale, "I ca-" and he fell down to the floor, unconscious.

Shuriken stood up, and as he did so, surprised, Arthur burst from the cage waiting for this moment. A plan had been made in Arthur's head. He was a man of violence and found being physically caged a constant pain, but knew that Shuriken and Igneus could kill him. With one of them out of the equation, he was free to do whatever he wanted.

Arthur ran up the stairs, snapping the neck of one of the sailors, before making his way onto the deck. Shuriken moved to Igneus, trying to wake him up, as he heard sailors scream.

Arthur found his hands in a sailor's head his hand having crushed their brain, when he looked to see Ren, the Elf price, with his sword drawn.

Arthur's lizard tongue flicked at his lips before he said, "Igneus favors you. Oberon favor Igneus. I favor Oberon. Strike me and you die no matter."

Ren found the idea of confronting this beast so intent on murder a frightful prospect, and once Arthur had spoken Ren would drop the sword to the ground as Arthur advanced the ship, murdering more of the sailors as Ren stood there paralyzed.

As Arthur advanced eventually Shuriken would come to find Ren. Shuriken shook Ren violently to snap him out of his paralysis by fear and said, "Listen, get away from here as fast as you can. Flee. Go to the Republic of Unity. Find a man named Kain. You'll know when you found him, he'll have a giant gash across his neck. He'll be sceptical at first, but tell him 'Praza kronis' and he'll know what to do. Say it."

Ren stuttered before saying, "Kain, giant cut throat, Praza kronis." With that Shuriken would pat him on his shoulder before with a single throw, tossed the man overboard.

With that Shuriken would rush up, and drew his blade to Arthur, who has finished killing the last sailor. Arthur turned to look at Shuriken as Shuriken said, "Stand down. Stand down, get in your cage, and all will be well." Arthur lunged at Shuriken, and with a quick slice, cut through his whole left leg.

Shuriken held the blade tightly as Arthur hissed and screamed, as a new leg was being made. His eyes dimmed in radiance a little, yet, they were still as bright as the stars.

Arthur smiled, "You must hit harder. Or death is certain."