The Masked Dragon

WARNING
 This page contains mature content. Reader discretion recommended.
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A cool breeze blew softly across the dark sands, causing the remains of a tattered black cloak to flutter slightly. Isis The Masked Dragon stood framed by flame as behind him burned a pyre, alight with deep orange and crimson red flames. Upon the pyre lay the bodies of the Black Talons, every last one slain by him. The fire popped and crackled, and Isis looked down at his right talon, in the palm of which he held a steel earing. Abyss' earing. Even after everything that had happened Isis couldn't let it go, his last connection to someone he'd cared about, but a permanent reminder of everything that he'd endured. And everything he'd done. "Arms wide open, I stand alone. I'm no hero and I'm not made of stone. Right or wrong, I can hardly tell. I'm on the wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side of hell." Abyss was right in the end. The world was indeed broken, damaged by greed and conflict. But it wasn't the queen's fault. That's where Abyss had gotten things wrong. The one's whose fault it was where dragons like Abyss; filled with such misguided rage. And it was the fault of dragons like Isis, killers without remorse that had broken it. Isis slid the earing through a thin golden chain and hung it around his neck. However, Isis now had a chance to fix it. A chance to fix his broken world. Gently Isis unfurled his right wing, extending it as far as the makeshift splint would allow. He could easily heal it. Mend the shattered bones in a moment. He wouldn't do it though. There had to be consequences for his actions. Isis took one last look at the pyre, and the compound beyond it, then pulled the torn hood of his cloak up over his head and stepped into the shadows of the night. He was finished here.
=The Masked Dragon=
Written by: Isis The Masked Dragon
Part one: Origins
"With arms wide open, I stand alone. I'm no hero and I'm not made of stone. Right or wrong, I can hardly tell. I'm on the wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side of hell."
Isis ducked and wove through the winding streets of the Scorpion Den. He was careful to avoid bumping into anyone or stepping on any tails. It was loud and bustling, everyone shouting at each other about one thing or another. Isis was used to the noise. This was his home, his world. He'd lived here all six years of his life, and yet he was still finding new and interesting places and fun things to do. Isis didn't have many friends, but that didn't ruffle him too much. He was more of a lone wolf anyways. Isis enjoyed his life, for the most part. The scenery around him slowly began to change. The street vendors and the shouting dwindled, and the buildings began to look more solid. If there was one thing for Isis to hate about his life, it was his family. His father, a NightWing named Batwings was abusive and rarely around. He spent most of his days in the nastiest of places such as Low Town and had dealings with its many gangs because of it. Isis' mother and younger siblings were spineless and went out of their way to avoid his wrath. Isis did no such thing. He took it upon himself to protect his mother and siblings from Batwings' anger. This relationship of Isis verses Batwings made home-life tense to say the very least. That's why Isis spent most of his days out of the house. The streets here were far narrower and darker here. Often Isis saw many homeless and starving dragons, mainly other hybrids like himself. With warm sandy, orange-colored scales and black horns, mane, wings, underbelly and tail tip Isis was easy to pick out of a crowd. He stood taller than most others of his age too. His face was often bruised, but Isis felt like it made him look tuff. It bothered Isis that he looked so much like his father, inheriting his size, colors, and features. He wanted to avoid association with Batwings as much as possible. As he neared his home Isis heard angry shouting and he swore. Isis had been to slow, and Batwings had gotten home first. Briefly Isis paused at the courtyard entrance of his family's home. Isis hated this place. It was much larger and nicer than most of the other houses in the area. It was bought with stolen money, and everyone knew it. Isis could make out Batwings, and his mother's voices now. As usual Batwings was angry. It never mattered why; everything would happen the same. "Not this time." Isis thought. He was getting tired of Batwings always being this way, of always hurting the dragons who loved him. Or tried to. Isis took a deep breath and went past the threshold. This time he wouldn't let Batwings walk all over him; this time Isis would fight back. Following his parents' voices Isis found them in the living space. His younger siblings were nowhere to be found, and rightly so. Batwings was in a foul rage, but worst of all he'd hurt Isis' mother. He could see the fresh scratch marks on her face as Batwings toward over her, shouting something about how stupid she was. Isis clenched his jaw. This was what happened when he was late. "Hey!" He shouted. Batwings turned away from his mother and glared at Isis, the full force of his rage now focused upon his son. Isis nodded his head at the door and his mother brushed past him out of the room, leaving Isis alone with his father.
"What do you want?" Batwings growled. "You just gonna stand there and glare? Huh!? Are you listening to me?!"
"You hurt Mother again."
"So, what if I did? What are you going to do about it, you weak miserable excuse of a dragon?!" Isis narrowed his eyes and leapt at Batwings, slashing at his eyes and face. The large NightWing easily dodged Isis' attack. "Finally, some spine!" Isis was off balance and when Batwings smashed his claws against the side of his head, Isis fell. He tried to stand back up, but Batwings shoved him back down. The NightWings raked his claws along Isis side and back. The young hybrid howled in pain and threw all his weight against Batwings, knocking him over. Bleeding rather heavily Isis staggered back to his feet, but Batwings was already waiting for him. There wasn't a scratch on him. "You're gonna learn boy, one way or another." 
"Learn what, you monster!" Batwings slashed at Isis face, narrowly missing his left eye but still connecting and sending blood flying. Isis collapsed in a heap, his father standing over him. 
"I am the one in charge here. Not you. Not your mother. Not your brother or sister. You all belong to me, and you can't stop me." He grabbed Isis' wing twisting it viciously. Isis cried out in pain as Batwings dragged him out of the room and through the courtyard. He threw Isis out from the main entrance. "You listen to me boy. If I ever see you here again, I will kill you. No questions asked." Batwings gave Isis one final kick. "Now get out of my sight." he hissed. It took all of Isis remaining strength to pick himself up off the sand and walk away, trying his best to keep tears from his eyes and to not fall over. 
Isis' head swam, and his wounds hurt so badly. His right wing hurt the most. Looking around Isis didn't recognize where he was. When he'd left the house, he had just picked a direction and started walking. The streets were just as dark as before, but the buildings here looked older and crappier. As Isis stumbled along, he saw signs advertising many things from hitmen to hookers. Everything looked dingy and threatening. It was so quiet here, save for the Isis' footsteps and the occasional crash. It was only once he found a decaying corpse hanging from a pole attached to the side of building, that Isis figured out what he had wandered into. Isis was lost somewhere in Low Town. The Scorpion Den was famous for being a home to con men, and two-bit low lives and that was true, to an extent. For the most part the Scorpion Den wasn't too horrible a place to live. The local militia group the Outclaws went to great lengths to keep it so, but there were some places that even they wouldn't go. That anyone looking to keep their lives wouldn't go. The largest and most dangerous of which was Low Town. As the name would suggest Low Town was in the southern most area of the Scorpion Den. The worst of the worst in the city lived and worked here. Due to no fear of Outclaw intervention and a lack of any laws whatsoever, In Low Town anything goes. Murder, drugs, and every crime under the sun happened here and Isis was lost somewhere within it all. Keeping his wings close to his body Isis carefully continued onward. What else was there for him to do? Even if he could find his way out of Low Town, Batwings had made it clear to Isis that he wasn't welcome back home. There was nowhere else for him to go. As Isis walked along, he started seeing more dragons. Covered in wide ranges of scars and tattoos, they all looked intimidating. Isis did his best to stick to the shadows and keep his head down. But keeping his eyes downcast might have been even worse. There were more bodies lying splayed out on the road before Isis, their throats torn out. Everyone else walked past them like they were nothing! Like they weren't even there! Isis felt sick but kept on walking. Along with the signs there were many symbols and slogans painted on the buildings. Things such as an image of a black sun, or a tribal looking S. Isis was certain that they were out there by the many gangs all vying for control of Low Town. Isis looked up at the sky and felt his blood run cold. The sun was setting, turning the sky from pale blue to deep reddish pink. If Isis was to believe all of the stories about Low Town, then it was at night where really bad things started happening. Killings under cover of darkness, using the shadows to hide evidence. Isis was certain that he didn't want to be out here come nightfall. Isis had been looking at the signs, trying to find somewhere that he could stay for the night where he could be the least bit sure that he wouldn't be poisoned, stabbed, or kidnapped when he ran into somebody. Isis backpedaled, tripping over his own tail, and landing in the sand. The dragon he'd bumped into leered down at Isis, a large skull tattoo covering the left side of his face. "Well, well, well. What have we here?" He said grabbing Isis and pulling him up to his feet. Even standing up straight the new dragon towered over Isis, scars and tattoos covering his sandy brown well-muscled body. He also wasn't alone. Standing beside the skull faced SandWing where two other SandWings, one male and one female. The second male was bronzy yellow and frightfully skinny, like he hadn't eaten in months. There was a crazy look in his eyes. The female SandWing was pale brown and shorter than Skull face, but no less muscular. She had no scars but had a black sun tattoo. It was a symbol that Isis had seen most plastered all over this area. "What's a little hybrid such as yourself doing all alone out here?" Skull face asked. 
"Yeah, where are you parents little hybrid? Won't they be upset that you aren't home? It's awfully close to dark." Sun tattoo said. Crazy eyes said nothing, and that scared Isis even more. Skull face saw Isis' distress and grinned. 
"Aw, don't be afraid little hybrid. We ain't gonna do nothing to you." He paused for a second. "No, no. We're here to help you. Like Hyena said, it's almost night and you don't want to be alone out here." Isis nodded but took a step back. He didn't believe a word of what Skull face was saying. Upon closer inspection Isis had noticed that both him and Crazy eyes had the same sun tattoo as Hyena. They were all a part of the same gang, and Isis knew that anyone affiliated with a gang was dangerous, and untrustworthy. Skull face frowned. "What's wrong, we just want to help you." He grabbed one of Isis arms again, his grip viselike. Isis shook his head and strained to pull his arm out of Skull face's grasp, but it was no use. 
"Please let me go, I-I don't need any help." Isis said, still struggling to free himself. Skull face shook his head, and a dark look crossed his face.
"You are coming with us." 
"Hey, that's enough." Skull face, Isis and the other turned to look as someone stepped out from one of the many dark alleyways. He was tall light gold colored SandWing, with grey blue eyes and scars across his mouth and jaw. Around his neck and chest, he wore a tattered short black cloak and a few necklaces made of what looked to be bones. "Leave him alone." The newcomer said. Skull face grinned and shook Isis slightly. 
"Make me." The new SandWing narrowed his eyes, then moving his cloak aside revealed a faded tribal S tattoo across his collar bone and upper chest. Skull face blanched and dropped Isis. He and his friends took a few steps back. "We're sorry, we didn't know, just-just don't do anything. The other SandWing said nothing but kept his eyes on Skull face until they had rounded a corner. Then he looked down at Isis and his face softened slightly. 
"You ok?" He asked. Isis nodded as he got back to his feet, dusting sand off his wings. "They do this to you?" the SandWing said, gesturing towards the many bruises and slashes across Isis' body. Again, Isis shook his head. 
"My father." He spoke. The SandWing nodded. He looked over his shoulder, and then back the way Skull face and the others had left. "Thank-You for saving me." Isis said. 
"Don't mention it, but they weren't wrong. Night's coming and it wouldn't be very pleasant for you should you be alone out here." Isis nodded. 
"I know the stories, but what should I do? I'm lost, and I-I can't go back home." The SandWing thought for a moment then said,
"I've got a place that you could stay, least for the night. That is if you trust me." What really was there for Isis to do? Hopelessly lost and without friends or allies. What else could he do but trust this SandWing. So far, he'd proven himself to be nothing but helpful. Still…
"Tick tock kid." 
"I'll go with you." Isis said. The SandWing nodded. 
"What's your name kid?" 
"Isis, you?"
"Kyber, now stick close and keep your head down." 
As night set in the landscape changed. Lanterns and other light sources were lit, but they did little to ward off the incoming darkness, and those who lurked within it. Doing as he was told Isis kept close to Kyber, almost stepping on his tail at times. As they moved deeper into Low Town, from the blackness eyes stared out at the pair. Some menacing some curious. It all made Isis feel uneasy. He still held suspicion towards Kyber, but he was quickly seeing that the alternative would have been worse. "Who were those guys Kyber? And why were they so afraid of you." Isis asked. Kyber looked back at Isis for a second, but quickly returned his gaze ahead of him. 
"They're members of the Black Sun gang. Truly some of the worst that Low Town has to offer. The Black Sun are rewound for their brutality, and it's rumored that a sizable number of them are cannibals. I can't say that I know any of the ones bothering you by name, but I can assure you that they're dangerous. If I hadn't stepped in, then there's a good chance that you wouldn't be breathing right now." "Cannibals?" Isis shivered. "As for why they were afraid of me… That's a fair bit more complicated." Kyber said. He came to a halt in front of a two-story mud brick building. It was covered in the same number of graffiti as all the others, but it stood out to Isis, as it looked far more maintained. Producing a small silver key, Kyber unlocked the door and shoved it open. Looking past him Isis saw a stairwell leading up to the second floor and not much else. Kyber handed the key to Isis saying, "Make sure to lock the door behind you." and he went inside and up the stairs. Isis took a quick look around then he too went inside. Shutting the door, Isis did as he was told and put the key into the lock and made sure it was secure. Isis highly doubted that a lock and a wooden door would prevent anyone from getting inside, but he wasn't able to be questioning Kyber's choices. Looking around him, Isis found himself standing in a tiny hallway of sorts. Directly ahead of him was the stairway that he'd seen Kyber ascend. To his left Isis saw a room full of crates and shadows. Assuming going up was what he was supposed to do Isis ascended the stairs and found himself standing in a small living space. In the left-hand wall was a window and a small shelf. On the right-hand side was a little kitchen. Directly ahead was another small hallway and what Isis guessed was more rooms. The main area was lit by a few lamps, and there were almost no other decorations save a small portrait of a dragon Isis didn't recognize on the left wall. Kyber was standing in front of the window, looking out. Isis went over to him and tried to hand back the key, but Kyber shook his head saying, "Keep it. I've got more." Isis nodded. "There's an empty room at the end of the hall on the left. You can stay there for the night." Kyber said turning away from the window to face Isis. 
"Th-Thank you." Isis said. Kyber shrugged and turned back to the window. Taking this as a sign to leave Isis went down the hall to the room Kyber had indicated. Like the rest of the house the room was mostly bare, save for a woven rug and a window. Shutting the door behind himself Isis walked over towards the window. In the distance he could see smoke billowing up into the now fully night's sky. It was strangely beautiful. The golden light from lanterns and fires against the black and white of the sky and stars. The day's events swirled about in his head, and he thought about home and hoped that his mother and siblings were ok. Someday Isis would go back there, and finally stop Batwings and free his family. Isis turned away from the window and laid down on the floor, curling his tail tightly around himself and keeping his wings close at his sides. Isis suddenly felt very tired, and the slashes and bruises inflicted by Batwings were a dull and persistent ache. Isis closed his eyes and sleep enveloped him. 
Slowly Isis opened his eyes and sat up. He yawned and blinked a few times. A decently sized shaft of light slanted in threw the window, and directly into Isis' face. Frowning slightly, he stood up, stretching his limbs, and shaking out his wings. Judging by the angle of the light Isis assumed it was a few hours away from midday. "I must have been asleep for a while." He thought and grimaced slightly as the soreness from his bruises began to return. Isis walked over to the door and opened it, sticking his head out into the hallway, and looked around. There were no other rooms, save on directly before Isis. When he tried the handle Isis found it to be locked. He assumed that it was Kyber's room, and so he left it alone. Isis went back down the hallway and to the little living area. He looked around for Kyber but saw him nowhere. He wondered if the scarred SandWing was downstairs but decided that it would be better just to wait for Kyber to show himself. Isis wandered over to the large window that Kyber had been looking out of last night. Now that it was day Isis could see almost the entirety of the Scorpion Den. From the large oasis at its heart, to the giant towers of the Old Town. It was a view that Isis had seen before, so he wasn't too interested. Looking to his left and up Isis saw the portrait he'd noticed last night. The dragon in the portrait was a thin female SandWing. She looked happy and kind, and her expression reminded Isis of his mother. Again, his thoughts returned to his home and his family. "Beautiful, isn't she?" Isis whirled round to see Kyber leaning against the stairwell entrance. 
"Oh, uhm yeah. She reminds me a bit of my mother." Kyber nodded and came to stand next to Isis. He stood eye to eye with the portrait. For a second Isis thought he saw what appeared to be regret cross the scared SandWing's face, but it was gone so quickly that Isis thought he'd imagined it. 
"Why are you in Low Town Isis?" Kyber asked, turning away from the portrait. "You're not from here, that much is obvious."
"I got kicked out of the house." Isis said. 
"By the same father that gave you those injuries?" Isis nodded. "Do you miss your family?" Again, Isis nodded. 
"Yeah. I'm worried about them. They'll just take the abuse, I'm worried that if I'm not there to protect them that Batwings will really hurt them." Kyber nodded. 
"I'm guessing that you can't go back home, at least not right now." Isis nodded. 
"He threatened to kill me, and I really believe that he would do it… kill his own son." Kyber turned to Isis, his grey blue gaze burning into Isis.
"Doesn't it make you angry Isis? Make you angry that your father would do something like that? Like everything he's done to you and your family?" Isis nodded. 
"I-I guess, yeah." 
"Do you hate him, Isis? Do you hate Batwings?" 
"Yeah, I do. I do hate him. He's a monster and deserves to be punished for everything he's done." Kyber nodded, an expression Isis didn't recognize on his face. It reminded him a bit of a hawk with a mouse, but he didn't think much of it. 
"I can help you get your revenge Isis. Help you punish Batwings."
"You could? How?" Kyber shook his head. 
"First things first kid, you'll have to do something for me." A small voice in the back of Isis head whispered something about this being a bad idea, but Isis ignored it. Kyber was right. He did hate Batwings. Isis hated the NightWing more than anything in the world, and he was going to do something about him. By any means necessary, and if helping Kyber was the means to that end then Isis would do as he was told.
"What do you need from me?" Isis asked. 
"That's the sprit!" Kyber said, his face twisting into a grin. The scars across his mouth pulling his face making it look like a skull. "Follow me." The SandWing brushed past Isis and descended the stairs. Isis lingered for a moment, taking one last look at the portrait on the wall, then followed Kyber down the stairs. 
The steps creaked and groaned under Isis' talons as he went down them, little puffs of dust billowing up from them as he walked. Isis reached the landing before the door and paused. Looking to his right he saw the shadowy room from last night, but this time it was illuminated by a few newly lit lanterns. Kyber was by the far-right wall and a pile of crates. He was digging through one of them, looking for…something. Isis stepped into the room and was surprised by the size of it. Over by the right wall was the pile of crates and Kyber. The other three had banners and cloth on them, depicting many of the symbols Isis had seen outside. The floor was sunk a foot or two lower than the landing and covered in a thick layer of sand. In a far corner where a bunch of spears. Kyber made a noise of satisfaction, drawing Isis attention from the scale of the room and everything in it. The SandWing was holding a tattered and motheaten cloak made up of a patchwork of a predominantly green cloth with a few brown and blue patches. He tossed the cloak at Isis, causing him to scramble to catch it. The cloth felt rough and smelt like age and something sour that Isis couldn't put a name to. "What's this?" Isis asked, holding the cloak out in front of him. 
"It's too hide your wounds." Kyber said. "Dragons that look all beat up like you do mean easy targets to dragons like the group from yesterday. It will make you look more inconspicuous." Isis nodded slowly. He didn't really want to wear the cloak. Giving it a once over he'd discovered a large slash mark surrounded by an old stain that looked a lot like blood. It seemed like the last owner of the cloak hadn't faired so well. Kyber saw Isis' distress and shrugged. "This is all I have, so wear it or don't kid. I'm only going to be able to save your ass so many times." Isis nodded and put on the cloak. Pulling it over his head Isis gaged. It smelled worse on the inside then it did on the outside. Adjusting the cloak around his neck and shoulders Isis noticed that the cloak had a hood, and that the slash mark was directly above his heart. Isis was certain now that someone had died in this cloak, and now wanted to know who. He was just too afraid to ask. Kyber adjusted the cloak a bit and pulled the hood up over Isis head. "This'll do for now." He said and walked past Isis towards the front door. He produced a key from around his neck and unlocking the door stepped outside. Isis pulled the hood down back away from his head and followed Kyber out of the house. 
"Where are we going?" Isis asked as Kyber relocked the door. The SandWing didn't say anything, just motioned for Isis to follow him. They walked in silence for a while, heading north before Kyber spoke. 
"Have you heard of the War of SandWing Succession?" Isis nodded, scratching his shoulder. "Then you know that a lot of the dragons living here, in the scorpion den are ex-soldiers, or anyone who tried to avoid the war." Again, Isis nodded. "I was a soldier during the last few years of the war, fighting on Burn's side." He looked down at Isis. "Joined as a joke but ended up fighting in some of the bloodiest battles of the whole conflict." Isis wondered if it was from the war that Kyber had gained all the scars on his face. "After a while I couldn't take it anymore, the things I'd seen and done. So, I came here. Lost and without anything I was taken in by one of the gangs around at the time." They stopped in front of a large warehouse type building. "I was given a new purpose. A new war, but one that this time I truly wanted to be a part of." Kyber walked over to a door and brushed some sand and dust off of it revealing an S shape. Just like the one tattooed on his chest. "I wanted to be part of the war for the Scorpion Den because I knew that I could truly get something out of it. I wanted to have power." Kyber wrenched open the door, a whoosh of stale air blowing past the two dragons. "I wanted to rule." Kyber went inside the warehouse and shot a burst of flame into a giant central fireplace, revealing the scale of the space Isis now stood in. It was gigantic, large enough to fly around in. "There was only one way to win." Kyber spread his wings, drawing Isis' attention back to him and casting a dark shadow against a wall displaying a huge map of the scorpion den. "Kill everyone else." Kyber grinned, "I wasn't able to complete my goal. Other…things got in my way and caused everything that I'd built to be destroyed." He crouched down next to Isis, his blue grey gaze again boring into Isis. "You my little friend, are going to finish my empire. Kill my enemies, legitimize my rule! And in return, I will help you get vengeance upon your father!" Isis took a step back, away from Kyber's grinning face. He understood now. Kyber was once the leader of one of the gangs, and it sounded like he had been winning. 
"Wait, no! You never said anything about killing anyone, this isn't what I want. This isn’t how I want my vengeance." 
"Isn't it though? By any means necessary right? So, what if I need to do some bad things, in the end I can get what I want, Batwings' head on a pike." Isis' mind whispered. 
"Why not?" Kyber asked. "I thought you hated him. What's a few lives in the way of keeping your family safe?" Kyber turned away from Isis, towards the fire. He grabbed a short metal rod or something and pushed it into the fire. "Besides, it's not like you can really say no. I could just kill you here or leave you outside. You'd come around pretty quick then, wouldn't you kid?" "He's right. What choice do I really have? And do I really care? I don't know these dragons he wants me to kill, maybe they're evil and deserve death and I would be carrying out justice? So, what if Kyber's a gang leader, the ends justify the means."
"There's no need to threaten me Kyber." Isis said. "I'll what you want me do to, whatever it takes. So long as Batwings dies." 
"Glad that you feel that way." Kyber said. He turned back around to face Isis, the metal rod in his claw. At its tip a glowing tribal S, the same symbol he'd seen all over was suspended. "Hold out your arm." Isis was hesitant. 
"Why? What are you going to do?" Kyber grinned. 
"Anything it takes right? Hold out your arm." Reluctantly Isis held out his right arm, forearm facing the ceiling. Kyber pressed the burning S against Isis arm, searing and melting the scales. Isis cried out in agony and fell to his knees but kept his arm up. Kyber drew away the branding iron away from Isis' arm as the young hybrid held his arm close to his chest, crying softly. Looking down at his arm the symbol was now burned into Isis' scales. "That wasn't so bad, now, was it?" Kyber said. 
"W-Why did you do that?" Isis mumbled. 
"Part tradition, and as a way to remind you who you serve." Kyber said. Gently he lifted Isis' chin so that he would look into Kyber's eyes. "You're a part of something now. Something bigger than you, something more powerful than you. You're the sword of god. A tool of destruction. I will make you that way. This brand," The SandWing pressed his claws against the fresh wound causing Isis to cry out in pain again. "This brand is your rebirth. Your old life is gone now, and your knew life begins. Only when you're ready will you be able to return to your old home and face your father. Until then you serve me, and only me. Are loyal to me and only me. Love only me. Do you understand?" Isis nodded. The pain was unbearable. Kyber released Isis and stood up right. "Get comfortable. We're going to be here a while." Isis tried to say something but felt blackness and the floor rushing to greet him and he passed out.
Isis jerked awake, his arm aching. Gingerly Isis got to his feet. He didn't know when he'd passed out, or for how long. Isis looked down at his right arm. The brand was still there, it hadn't been a dream. The fire pit hadn't gone out, but it wouldn't be a useful measure of time as Kyber could have re-lit it or something. He thought that it was some time in the evening, but there was no being certain. Isis looked around trying to find a window but saw none. In the time that he'd been unconscious Kyber had lit many lanterns, and their light combined with the fire illuminated the entirety of the gigantic warehouse Isis stood in. To the right of the fire pit was the map of the Scorpion Den, many areas and locations circled in black and two with red Xs over them. On the right wall was a large loft, built above a storage area. Behind Isis on the wall by the door was a large black banner with the tribal S symbol, this time in a shade of deep red emblazoned in the middle. There was nothing on the wall directly in front of Isis. That area was dominated by a lowered sand pit fighting arena, a short row of bleachers surrounding it. "I was wondering when you 
would wake up." Kyber said, appearing just behind Isis, causing the young hybrid to jump. 
"Oh! Kyber."
"Magnificent, isn't it kid?" Kyber asked striding past Isis and coming to a halt on the right of the fire pit. "It's been years since I last stood here, good to be back home." 
"Is the house you first brought me too not your home too?" Isis said.
"It is, and it isn't." Kyber said. "How are you feeling?" Isis shrugged.
"My arm still hurts a lot." Kyber nodded. 
"I would have expected your pain tolerance to be higher, but it’s just something else to work on. Your arm will heal eventually, but It would be useful to remember the kind of pain I can inflict." Isis nodded. 
"What do you mean, to work on?" Isis asked.
"Well, as of right now you're fairly useless." He gestured at the marks across Isis' body. "Really the only thing you have going for you is that you can take a hit. If you are to help me retake my kingdom then I'm going to need to train you. Teach you how to fight, to not feel pain, to be stealthy and most importantly to feel no remorse." 
"Will all those things help me kill Batwings?" 
"Certainly." Kyber said. To Isis he seemed a lot happier, but Isis wasn't sure if this was a good thing. 
"When do we start then?" Isis asked. Kyber shrugged. 
"As soon as you want to. We have all the time in the world." Isis nodded slowly. "We may, but my family might not" 
"Then let's get to work." Kyber grinned. 
"Lets. Meet me at the training arena, I just need to check something." He spread his wings and jumped into the air, heading for the loft. Isis watched him for a second then set his gaze forward. He walked around the firepit towards the arena. Isis had many questions about this place. How did Kyber even own a place like this? Did others used to live here, and how many? What happened to cause Kyber's empire to collapse? Isis stopped in the center of the arena. It was sunk a few feet into the ground, and really gave the impression of being in a much larger area. The sand was dark red in many places, making Isis wonder how many dragons had lost their lives in this pit. The sound of beating wings brought Isis' attention Kyber as the SandWing landed next to Isis. 
"What did you do?" Isis questioned. 
"That's not important right now." Kyber said. "What is important right now is you, more specifically what you can do." He turned to face Isis; his wings spread. "Show me what you can do kid. Come at me and do your worst." Isis was hesitant to do anything. 
"Are you sure, I don't want to hurt you or something." Kyber grinned. 
"Trust me, the last thing that you'd do is hurt me." Isis wasn't sure if that was a jab at his fighting abilities, but rather than commenting on it the young hybrid launched himself at Kyber; his talons aimed at the SandWing's throat. Kyber effortlessly stepped to the side, completely dodging Isis' attack, and causing him to crash into the sand rolling head over tail. Isis staggered to his feet shaking out his wings and snorting sand out of his nose. "You're going to have to do a bit better than that to do anything to me." Kyber said, once again standing before Isis. "Try again." Isis frowned. Batwings had done the same thing to Isis a few days earlier. This time Isis decided to try something. He set his gaze upon Kyber's left shoulder, where Isis would attack. Again, he launched himself at Kyber. This time when the SandWing went to step aside and avoid Isis attack, he encountered Isis' grasp. This seemed to catch Kyber off guard, but not once did his grin falter. He easily shook of Isis, again sending the hybrid to the ground and said "That was much better. You're learning already. The first rule of combat, always have a target. Notice how the second time you attacked me, you actually managed to make contact?" Isis nodded as he stood. "You chose a target, something to focus your power towards. Had this been a real fight, you might have knocked me over or at least knocked me off balance giving you an advantage." Kyber paused. "You might want to make it less obvious what you’re attempting to do. Don't stair directly at the part of me you wish to hit. It makes it very easy for me to counter anything you do." Isis nodded again. He'd thought he'd caught Kyber unawares, but he'd been too obvious in his movements. Again, Kyber took his position before Isis. "Prepare yourself, because we aren’t living this arena until you get this." 
"Ok. Is there anything else I need to understand?" Kyber motioned for Isis to attack him again. Isis squared his shoulders. He would try and hit Kyber square in his chest, however Isis looked again at Kyber's left shoulder. 
"There's plenty that you will need to learn Isis." Isis again launched towards Kyber. This time the SandWing didn't duck to the side, instead he crouched down, and Isis flew over his head. He extended his claws upwards, viciously raking Isis' underbelly. Isis crashed to the ground in a heap, groaning in pain blood standing the sand. "Good, but not good enough." Kyber said standing. "I'll be back later to patch you up." Isis didn’t say anything, or even lift his head up off the ground. Kyber strode away, out of Isis' field of view as the young hybrid closed his eyes. 
Kyber was true to his word. The SandWing did return and attend to Isis. A bit later they were again standing in the combat arena, again Kyber stood before Isis and again he countered everything Isis tried. Thankfully he didn't draw blood again. Again, and again over and over. Battle training, military tactics and history, guerrilla warfare, understanding poisons, weapons training. Every "day" there was something else for Isis to learn. That's what his life became. The same things over and over. The same routine. A nod of approval when Isis did something right, a reprimand and a fist when he did something wrong. Days, months, maybe even years past by in an instant and in an eternity. Time had no power here. The only way Isis knew that any time past at all was because he changed. He grew, became lean and muscular. Quickly he became as tall as Kyber, then much taller. Isis' mind changed too. He still was himself, same personality, same goals. But now he was more serious. More loyal to the dragon he saw as his master. More driven. Maybe even a bit more unfeeling. The more he learned, the better he became at fighting, at everything else the more he began to lose the urgency that he had felt. He still desired to kill Batwings, was still driven by vengeance, but it all seemed less important to him then what Kyber wanted. He no longer feared things. No longer feared his father, or the world beyond the walls of his home. He lusted to test himself against it. Isis was certain that he was ready. He could now easily best Kyber in a fight. Confuse and defeat him faster and faster each time. One day the SandWing came to Isis, saying that Isis had learned everything that Kyber could teach him. He said that Isis had become everything Kyber had wanted him to be. A perfect weapon, driven by hate and loyalty. The sword of God. "My tool of destruction." Kyber grinned. "You're finally ready Isis. Ready to reclaim my empire." 
"But you've still never told me, what happened to cause you to lose it in the first place?" Kyber nodded. 
"I'm sorry that I've kept it from you, but I needed to be sure." Isis nodded. It was completely understandable. "Many years ago, before the war ended as you know I was a member of a gang. You won't have ever heard of it, as it was destroyed. It was small maybe 5 or so of us against the world in the beginning. Like everyone else in this moon cursed town we wanted power and would try anything to get it. We'd do trivial things like stealing things or carrying out hits for larger groups, all the while trying to get more members to join us. It wasn't that hard to get members. Everyone was afraid of the larger groups or hated them for one reason or another. It took a few years, but there was enough of us to challenge the other gangs like The Black Sun or Crescents. I was leader of it all. You can't imagine it Isis, it was like having a private army to do anything or kill anyone at a moment's notice and only for you. It was intoxicating. As my gang grew, we also grew bolder. I began ordering my followers to attack and steal the territories of other gangs. We gained more enemies, but more resources." Kyber stopped talking, caught up in his memories of his "good old days" Isis nudged him slightly to get him to refocus on the story. "All good things inevitably come to an end though. As the gang grew bigger and more powerful, many of my subornments began vying for power and fighting amongst themselves. In the end, what brought my empire down was itself, rather than any external force. Tragic... Luckily my dear Isis, you will be the one who will rebuild it." Kyber said. Isis nodded. 
"I see."
"Yes, well it was what it was, and I want it back." Kyber said. He gestured towards a map hanging on the far wall. It was a map of the Scorpion Den, sections of which were colored in black. "Once everything had fallen apart all the territory, I'd taken over was reclaimed by the groups it was originally taken from or claimed by others. You must kill everyone in that territory and make it known that I once again rule over it." 
"Ok." Isis said. His mission was simple enough. "When do I get started?" Kyber smiled, a fire burning behind his eyes. 
"Right now." 
A dry breeze gently gusted, tossing bits of sand and trash a few feet into the sky. One moon, a white clawmark across the sky and the occasional brightly burning torch the only illumination. Still shadows persisted. In those shadows, a dragon ran. Leaping from roof-top to roof-top; a black cloak billowing out behind him. Isis was on the prowl. As Isis ran to his destination he was flooded with the sights and smells of Low Town and of a world he hadn't seen in 6 years. As he came to a halt Isis looked down into the courtyard of a compound. A courtyard that was swarming with guards. Isis grinned. Kyber had said that his first mission wouldn't be an easy one. From his vantagepoint atop the roof of the neighboring building Isis could make out at least eight guards. There were certain to be more inside. "This compound is the home of one of my old lieutenants. He now works for the 10 Fangs. I want you to kill him first. Announce our renewed presence and get revenge one of the many who betrayed me. Leave no survivors and don't let me down Isis." Kyber's words swirled through Isis' mind as he studied his options. Stealth was of utmost importance for this operation. It wasn't that Isis didn't think he could take on 8 dragons at once, he just didn't want to risk hurting himself before he faced the lieutenant. Pulling his hood up over his head Isis leapt down from the roof-top and landed in a roll inside the courtyard. From a sheath strapped to his chest Isis drew a short, curved dagger. It would make slashing through the guards' throats easier. Moving as silently as possible Isis came up behind one of the guards standing nearby. Stamping down on the guard's tail and covering his snout Isis kept the guard from making a sound or fighting back as is slashed the dagger across the guard's throat. Isis drug the bleeding guard into the shadows, leaving him there to choke to death on his own blood. Keeping close to the courtyard's walls and the shadows they provided, Isis dispatched the remaining guards in similar fashion. 
Once all the guards were dead Isis returned the dagger to its sheath and opened the door to the main compound. As expected, there were more guards inside. They didn't stand a chance. From a small satchel Isis pulled out a few sharpened throwing stars. When he spotted a guard Isis threw one of the stars, striking the other dragon in the center of their forehead killing them instantly. It was better lit inside the compound, but there were plenty of closets and empty rooms to hide corpses inside. As Isis headed deeper and deeper into the compound, he began to hear screaming, the kind made by a dragon in great pain. "Looks like I'm not the only one killing someone here tonight." Isis thought. 
It didn't take very long for Isis to discover who was making the noise and find the lieutenant. In the heart of the compound was a room whose purpose could be that only of torture. Standing within it where two dragons. One guard and the dragon Isis had been sent to dispatch. There was a third dragon in the room, but he was very clearly dead. Suspended from the ceiling by long hooks pierced through his wings, long bloody slash marks crisscrossed his body, and his throat was cut. A table on the far-left side of the room had an array of sharp looking weapons lying upon it. There was also an old leather bad and a neatly folded black cloak upon the table. Isis stepped into the torture room, tapping his talons against the doorframe to get the attention of the room's occupants. The two dragons jumped and quickly whirled to face Isis, looks of surprise on their faces. "Hi guys. One of you happen to be named Scorpion?" Isis asked smiling slightly. 
"W-Wha? How did you get in here?! Guards!" Isis stepped further into the room, and with a flick of his wrist threw a star at the last guard, striking her in the neck and causing her to collapse as blood gushed from her neck. 
"I don't think they'll be much help to you right now." Isis said. The lieutenant, Scorpion backed up a couple steps, bumping into the corpse hanging from the ceiling. 
"Who are you?" He demanded. As Isis drew closer to him Scorpion quickly glanced at the table of weapons to his right before looking back at Isis. "What do you want from me?" 
"Me? I'm an assassin. As for what I want..." Scorpion lunged for the table in an attempt to grab a weapon to defend himself. In a flash Isis drew his dagger and stabbed it down into Scorpion's talon, tearing through his scales and burying the blade in the wood of the table. "Don't do that." Isis said as Scorpion cried out in pain and tried to pull the knife out of his talon. "I don't want anything. A friend of mine goes by the name Kyber. He wanted to send his regards." Scorpion froze in his attempts to remove the blade. 
"Kyber sent you?" Isis nodded. 
"Yeah. He wasn't too pleased with your betrayal." Scorpion started to try pulling the blade out again, more frantically. It wasn't doing him any good though. The dagger was buried up to the hilt in the flesh and wood. All the lieutenant was doing was hurting himself. Scorpion seemed to have figured this out and stopped trying to free himself. 
"So, what are you going to do, just kill me?" Isis nodded
"Essentially yeah." He shrugged. "Probably leave like some message or something, I don't know I'm kinda new to this." 
"That's just perfect." Scorpion said. "I'd always thought Kyber was dead..."
"Yeah, well he ain't." Isis said. "This was fun, but I don't want to linger around her much longer. Bye." Picking up what looked like a large screw thingy Isis drove the point of the object into Scorpion's left eye socket. Scorpion convulsed violently for a few seconds then lay still. Satisfied Isis turned to leave when something caught his eye. A flash of white in the bag on the table. Isis picked up the bag and upended it, emptying it's contents onto the table. Three objects fell out. A small gold ring, a scroll bound with black thread, and a mask the color of polished bones. Isis picked up the mask, turning it over in his talons. It was in the rough shape of a dragon's head but without any discernable features save small slits for nostrils. They eyeholes of the mask were angular and black. Such a dark black that looking into them made Isis slightly uneasy, though he couldn't explain why. Isis pulled the hood of his cloak back off his head and put the mask on. The material of the mask felt cool and smooth as it touched Isis scales. The mask completely enclosed Isis' face, and yet it didn't feel claustrophobic. Isis was surprised at how well it fit and how easy it was to see out of. It felt good to wear. Pulling his hood back up over his face Isis caught a look at his reflection in a pool of blood. His masked face stared back at him, expressionless and intimidating. Isis liked the way he looked. He liked the mask. Dipping his claws in the blood Isis wrote on the wall: "Kyber has returned, those who dare to oppose him will face the wrath of The Masked Dragon." Isis didn't exactly know why he'd written masked dragon, it just felt right. "The Masked Dragon." Isis said, testing the name out. He like the way it sounded. He also like the way the mask muffled and deepened his voice, making him sound older and scarier. Isis put the ring, the scroll, and a few of the sharpest looking blades into the leather bag and slung it over his chest. He'd be taking these, the mask too. 
Isis strode out of the compound and into the night. As he spread his wings and leapt into the air, Isis smiled. This was going to be the start of something big. With his new identity and his skills, Kyber would have his empire restored, and Isis The Masked Dragon would be right there alongside him. 
When Isis had returned to the warehouse Kyber had been surprised by his appearance, but once he learned of the success of Isis' mission any criticism or doubts he'd had about the mask or Isis new identity were quickly forgotten. "I'd knew you'd do a decent job kid." Kyber said. Isis nodded. 
"I was trained by the best."
"Yes." Kyber said. "Get some rest, I have another job for you when you're ready."
"You got it boss."
In the following days Isis would carry out many more hits for Kyber. Under the cover of night old enemy after old enemy would find themselves receiving a visit from The Masked Dragon. Once everyone who'd betrayed Kyber was eliminated, Isis moved on to reclaiming Kyber's lost territory. Often though the gangs whose territory it currently weren’t exactly going give everything back just like that. They would need a bit of persuasion.
Blood and bodies where everywhere as Isis tore through a Black Sun base. He killed them with a special pleasure, the memory of being harassed by a group of the gangs members when he was a dragonet at the forefront of his mind. A SandWing launched himself at Isis, claws outstretched aiming for his face. Isis ducked to the side; the attacking dragon's claws only nicked the side of Isis mask. The SandWing crashed into the ground with a thud and Isis set upon him, slashing at his back, and shredding his wings. The SandWing howled in pain and struggled to get Isis off of him but being larger than him Isis wasn't going anywhere. Tearing out the other dragon's throat Isis leapt back to his feet, searching for another opponent. The remaining few Black Sun members hung back just out of Isis reach. They were too afraid to face him, as any fight would most certainly end in their deaths. "I'd recommend that you run." Isis said. "Tell your leaders that I'm coming for them. Kyber will have what is his, or you will all die." The gang members looked at each other, before all scrambling for the nearest exit. By principal Isis didn't like to leave survivors, but he recognized the importance of having someone to speak of what Isis had done and generate more fear of him. 
This time when Isis returned to the warehouse Kyber had something important to tell him. "Isis there's one more enemy of mine that I need you to kill." 
"Huh. I'd thought that I'd already taken care of all of your old enemies." 
"Yeah, well there's one more that needs to be dealt with." Isis nodded. 
"Alright. Who is it?"
"He's a NightWing, lives just beyond Low Town." Kyber handed Isis a slip of paper with an address on it. Isis took the paper and read the address on it. It wasn't a place he recognized. 
"Why do you want this guy dead Kyber?" Kyber shrugged. 
"It’s a favor to a friend." Isis nodded. 
"Consider him dead Kyber." Kyber didn't say anything, and Isis took this as his cue to leave. 
Isis was standing in front of a small nondescript looking home. The address: 283. Same as the one written on the peace of paper Kyber had given him. The house was two stories tall with a small walled courtyard. Some cactus plats sat in a planter just inside the courtyard. By all accounts the house looked like the others in its area. Entering through the front gate Isis looked up at the sky just as one of the moons appeared from behind a cloud, casting the courtyard in pale light and banishing the shadows. "Hey!" Isis turned around quickly to see a NightWing standing on the other side of the gate, maybe four feet away. "What are you doing?" The NightWing demanded. "Why are you on my property?" Isis was frozen in place. He recognized the NightWing shouting at him. "Are you stupid or something? Answer me!" Isis could only stammer out a single word in response.
"Dad?" Batwings frowned. 
"What?" In the moonlight Isis could easily discern the face of his father, the same hateful eyes and sneering expression. There was no doubt in his mind that the NightWing standing before him was Batwings. Isis removed the mask from his face and lowered the hood of his cloak. 
"I said dad. It's been a while Batwings. Six years if I'm remembering correctly." Isis watched his father's expression shift from jeering to surprise to hate in quick succession. 
"You." He growled. 
"Me." Isis said, eyes narrowed. "Remember what you said to me when you beat me bloody and kicked me out onto the street?" Batwings nodded. 
"I'd said I'd kill you if you ever came back." Isis threw his mask to the ground and spread his wings wide. 
"I think you've got the roles backwards Batwings. I'm going to be the one killing you."
"I'd like to see you try." Batwings hissed. 
"Be careful what you wish for!" Isis shouted as he launched himself at Batwings, claws outstretched. Batwings tried to dodge out of the way, but Isis slammed into him full force, sending the both of them crashing to the ground with Isis on top. His father thrashed and bucked, trying to throw Isis off him but the hybrid dug his claws into his father's scales, tightening his grip. "You're not winning this time." Isis growled as he began to slash at Batwing's underbelly and neck. The older NightWing howled in pain but managed to free one of his talons and he raked it across the left side of Isis face. Isis reeled backwards, letting go of Batwings. He clutched at the side of his face, blood flowing from behind his claws and spattering onto the sand. Batwings quickly got back to his feet and though he was bleeding heavily he still delivered a savage kick to the center of Isis chest causing the hybrid to cry out. Batwings kicked Isis again, this time in the stomach. 
"You're so stupid." He spat. "Sure, you know how to fight a bit now, but you and I both know you're the same useless..." Batwings picked up Isis by the shoulders and shoved him hard into the wall of the courtyard. "Spineless worm that you always were." The NightWing began applying pressure to Isis throat, causing him to begin to choke. "I would have thought you'd have learned by now, but I can see that I was wrong. You're just like your mother." 
"SHUT UP!!" Isis screamed and with a quick movement Isis drew his dagger and slashed it across Batwings' chest and throat. The blade cut through his father's scales like paper, sending blood everywhere and causing Batwings to fall backwards and release his hold on Isis. Isis fell to the ground but was back on his feet in seconds. He was bleeding profusely from long scratches across the left side of his face, but he felt no pain as he sliced and stabbed his father repeatedly with the knife. "You're wrong! You always have been! I hate you!" Isis dropped the knife breathing heavily. Batwings was dead now, he had to be. Isis looked at Batwing's house and in one of the upper windows he saw a silhouette. Who it was Isis wasn't sure of and he found that he didn't much care. Picking up his mask from the ground where he'd dropped it, Isis began to walk home, waves of nausea and pain threatened to knock him over.
Upon his return to the warehouse Isis found Kyber standing next to the central fire pit, stoking a low burning flame. He didn't look at Isis as he entered, just kept his eyes downcast towards the fire. "You lied to me." Isis said. Kyber sighed. He still wouldn't look at Isis. 
"So?" 
"What do you mean so?!" Isis was outraged. "You lied to me about who I was going after. Had I known it was my father, things would have been different. I could have prepared myself better." 
"I was doing you a favor Isis." 
"A favor?! How is it doing me a favor to not warn me I would be facing my abusive bastard of a father, who I haven't even seen in six years!?" Isis shouted. "You don't think that was something I should have known about? Something that probably required some planning or emotional preparation? Did you ever think about that?"
"Of course, I thought of it! I-" Kyber turned around to face Isis and his speech faltered as he got a good look at Isis. Seeing the angry bruises across his throat, and the bloody slashes across his face. Seeing the look in his eyes. An angry yet defeated look. 
"Then why did you lie to me?" Isis asked. 
"Because I had thought that you had changed." Kyber said. "I'd thought that I'd thought you better."
"What do you mean, thought I'd changed? What are you talking about?" Kyber sighed exasperatedly.
"I'm talking about not being so emotionally connected to your targets. From day one I tried to teach you to not feel emotion towards your targets, because that's all that they are and nothing else. You shouldn't feel bad, shouldn't feel angry. You should just do your job without question and without hesitation." Isis was outraged.
"How could you not expect me to be angry?! To hesitate when confronted by my greatest enemy!? I thought you understood how much I hated him." Kyber just shrugged. 
"I just misjudged you, that's all." Kyber said. He turned back around to look down at the fire, prodding it with the same iron he had used to brand Isis at the beginning of their partnership. The SandWing was done with the conversation. Isis stood there for a few moments. In that moment he wanted many things. To cry, to fall to the ground and never get back up again, and to separate Kyber's head from his shoulders. Isis chose to do none of those things. Instead, he left Kyber and the fire pit and went to his small room in the loft of the warehouse and lay down on his bed, quickly falling asleep from a mix of exhaustion and shock. 
The weeks following Batwings' death weren’t the greatest for Isis. The slashes across his left eye had become swollen and infected. Isis had wrapped a bandage around his head soaked in anti-inflammatory ointment, but it did little to ease his pain or precipitate healing. Even without the bandage covering his face Isis had lost the ability to see out of his left eye. He wasn't too hopeful that his sight would return. It was a chore getting used to no longer having half his field of vison. Isis had to relearn many things, most importantly how to fight. At first, he was clumsy and slow, often tripping over his tail. Isis didn't give up though, and he eventually returned to the fighting form he'd been in prior to his fight with his father. For the duration of Isis' recovery, he didn't speak a word to Kyber, and the SandWing did likewise. He took things a step further by not even acknowledging Isis existence and going out of his way to avoid the hybrid. This was completely fine with Isis. Even in death, Batwings was still disrupting Isis' life. Eventually though Kyber stopped ignoring Isis. Out of nowhere he returned to business as usual, acting as if nothing had happened. Not even Isis killing is father and their subsequent argument. This bothered Isis. He didn't like how quickly and easily Kyber could switch from ignoring his existence to "Good morning, here's the plans for today." at the drop of a hat. That wasn't something that normal individuals did. Isis didn't want to work for Kyber anymore. This however was something easier said than done. 
As soon as Isis was able to fight again Kyber sent him out to kill more members of rival gangs. Through Isis he was tightening his grip upon Low Town, but at the same time strengthening his hold around Isis himself. Trying to at least. Kyber began accompanying Isis on his hits. He never explained the reasons behind this choice, but Isis had a few ideas, most likely being that he feared that Isis would have again become "emotionally connected" to his targets and become lax in his missions. Isis guessed that in Kyber's mind, him being there would prevent this. Him being there, breathing down Isis neck and judging everything he did the opposite. Having Kyber going with him on a hit did nothing but infuriate Isis. He messed up once. One time! Had he not proven himself to Kyber? Had he not shown that he didn't need someone to be there with him to make sure he didn't do something wrong? This rapid loss of Kyber's trust only added to Isis desire to get out from under his talons. Another thing that Kyber had begun to do that upset Isis was the fact that the hits had now become more targeted. No longer was Isis taking out high ranking members of a gang or inflicting terror through random mass killings of gang members. Kyber was having him go after anyone that had ever crossed the SandWing or helped contribute to him losing his power. It didn't matter how insignificant the offending dragon was in the face of Kyber's grand plan. It didn't matter if they had left the life of organized crime behind. It didn't matter if they had a family. This bothered Isis for two reasons. 1. He was uncomfortable with killing someone who wasn't in one of the gangs in Low Town. In Isis' eyes, these dragons weren't a part of Kyber's war anymore. They had gotten out and were living normal innocent lives. They didn't deserve to have all that destroyed for something they'd done years ago. Isis didn't want to kill someone with a family either. As bad as Isis dragonethood had been at times, he couldn't imagine a world without anyone to care for and love him. He didn't want to inflict that on an innocent dragonet. 2. Kyber was a hypocrite. By making Isis going after anyone who'd ever done anything to Kyber, the SandWing was letting his emotions get the better of him, the same thing he'd lambasted Isis for only a few weeks prior. Once he'd really thought about it, Kyber's entire attempt to regain everything he'd lost was him being rather petty. From the way he'd told things to Isis, he'd done a poor job of maintaining and managing his group and let everything fall apart while he reveled in what he assumed to be unending supreme power. Were Isis in his situation he'd have done things a lot different, but he wasn't so there wasn't much of a point in thinking too much about it. Kyber had messed up his chance at ruling and instead of starting over himself, or at all really; Kyber relied on Isis to take vengeance on those he perceived had wronged him because he was still mad about it a decade later. It was stupid and hypocritical. These things were swirling around in Isis mind as he and Kyber stood atop a flat roofed house in the middle of a moonless night. The house they were standing on wasn't the home of the night's target, the one across the street was. The house was in the same area the house Isis grew up in was, so he knew the area well. He didn't know the dragons living in the target house though. "House full of innocent unknowns. Wonderful." Isis though. Kyber hadn't told Isis who he was supposed to be murdering that night, only that they lived in the house across the street from the one they were standing atop and that they needed to die. "How do you want to enter?" Isis asked, his voice slightly muffled by his mask. 
"The front door idiot." Kyber said. He was clearly unhappy, but not in a way Isis had recognized in him before. The glower on his face was familiar though. 
"Fine, let’s go then." Isis jumped down off the roof and gliding down to the ground, his cloak swirling around him. Kyber followed silently. Isis walked right up to the front door and then looked to Kyber. "Do you want to be stealthy, or do you not care?" 
"Why are you asking me so many questions?" Kyber demanded. 
"Because you don't trust me to do my thing anymore. Clearly you know better than I do. That's why you're here right? So, stealth or not." Isis said. 
"Just kick the door in." Kyber said. Under his mask Isis grinned slightly as he smashed open the front door with a loud bang. 
"Happy?" He asked. Kyber ignored his and stepped past him into the darkened house. Isis followed silently. 
"They're upstairs." Kyber said. "Bring them down here, by any means necessary." Isis nodded. The house was of an average size. The ground floor one large open plan with a kitchen/living area mix. There was a small table against one wall next to the kitchen, the stairs were on the opposite wall. That was all that Isis could make out in the dim moonlight spilled in from outside. Making his was over to the staircase Isis ascended the steps, the wooden slats creaking under his weight. Upstairs were two rooms. Kyber hadn't specified which room the targets were in, so Isis guessed, trying the handle of the door on the left. It was locked. This didn't deter Isis much, as he smashed open the door in a similar fashion to the one downstairs. It looked like Isis had guessed correctly as he stood in the doorway, he saw two dragons cowering in the far corner. As Isis entered further into the room, one of the dragons, a dark sandy brown male SandWing leapt to his feet and putting himself between the other SandWing and Isis. "Back off!" The male SandWing shouted at Isis, doing his best to sound intimidating. The quaver in his voice wasn't doing much to instill fear into Isis, however. "There's money downstairs, just please leave us alone." Isis shook his head. 
"I don't want your money." He spoke. "I want you to come downstairs with me." He took a step to the right, leaving the doorway open. "If you don't do as I say, things won't go well for you. I don't want to hurt you." "Yet" The male SandWing hesitated. Isis could tell that he didn't want to fight, but that he also didn't trust Isis. 
"Ok, we'll go." He said. Isis nodded as he and his mate walked past Isis out of the room. Isis followed close behind but stopped at the top of the stairs. He'd seen a shadow moving behind the other door. This door wasn't locked. Isis opened the door and poked his head inside. His heart sank the moment he did as inside the room was a dragonet's bedroom, with the dragonet inside. The confused looking SandWing dragonet looked up at Isis as he stood there unsure what to do. Did Kyber know the dragonet was there? He must have. And he expected Isis to kill his parents? Kill the dragonet too? Isis didn't know. He decided to take the dragonet with him downstairs. He picked the tiny dragon up and descended from the second floor. When he reached the ground floor Isis discovered that Kyber had lit a few candles, brightening the room up considerably. He didn't see Kyber anywhere though. Isis set the dragonet down at the bottom of the stairs and went over to stand in front of the two SandWings. He kept himself between them and their dragonet as further insurance that they wouldn't do anything. He could see the fear in their eyes, both for themselves and for the dragonet. The dragonet's mother especially. 
"What do you want from us?" She asked. Isis shrugged. 
"I'm not the one you should be asking."
"Indeed... I believe I'm the one best able to answer your question Lotus." Kyber said, stepping out from a patch of shadows to Isis' left. Isis watched the color drain from the faces of Lotus and the male SandWing upon seeing Kyber. 
"Oh no." The male SandWing whispered. 
"Oh yes!" Kyber shouted, a grin spreading across his mangled face. "It's been quite some time hasn't it Pascal?" 
"Why have you come now only?" Pascal asked. "Why let us think we'd gotten away?" Kyber shrugged. 
"I was waiting for him." He pointed at Isis. "Waiting for the weapon with which I would destroy you with." 
"You don't have to do this Flint... it doesn't have to be this way." Lotus said. Kyber's face twisted into a glare of hatred at her words. 
"My name isn't Flint." He growled. "You know very well why this has to happen. You knew this was going to happen the moment you chose him over me!" Kyber pointed a claw at Pascal as he spoke. 
"Flint please-" Kyber cut Pascal off as he tried to say something. 
"NO! Shut up! Shut up right now. You don't get to speak. I'll get to you." Pascal shrank back, surprised by the venom in Kyber's words. Isis was surprised too. He had no idea what was going on. Kyber returned his attention to Lotus. "I can't change the past, I know that. But I can sure as hell punish you for it." Kyber said. 
"Flint you don't want to do this. What happened happened. You're just as insane now as you were all those years ago. If I didn't love you before, why would I now?" Lotus said. 
"You see I'm over that now. I'm just tying up loose ends now." Kyber said. "I've almost got them all. You and your backstabbing worm of a mate are all that's left." Kyber pointed at Isis. "Now he's going to make you feel the worst pain you've ever felt in your entire miserable life." Isis didn't move from his spot in the center of the room. Kyber sighed. "Kill Pascal Isis. Moons! Must I tell you to do everything?" Isis hesitated for a few more moments. He didn't really want to get involved with this. Clearly there was history between these three, and whatever it was had been messy and ended with Kyber feeling snubbed. Isis however didn't want to upset Kyber at this moment since he was in such a volatile state, as disobeying him could get nasty. Isis drew his dagger from its sheath and approached Pascal, much to Kyber's approval. The SandWing was paralyzed by fear as Isis neared him. It was hard not to. Isis' mask was still stained with his father's blood, and shrouded completely in black as he was, Isis must have appeared a specter of death. Isis slashed the dagger across Pascal's throat, painting the blade and the SandWing's scales crimson. Gurgling he fell to the ground. Lotus cried out and tried to go to her mate, but Kyber held her back. "Oh no no no. I'm not done yet." Kyber kept one arm around Lotus and with the other pointed at the dragonet, who was still where Isis had left him. "Kill the dragonet now." 
"NOO!! You can't!" Lotus shouted as she struggled against Kyber's hold. Again, Isis paused. Was he really going to take the life of a dragonet on Kyber's orders? By killing Pascal Isis had already done something he'd promised himself he wouldn't do, why stop now? 
"Come on Isis! Do it! What are you waiting for you spineless brat?! Just kill it!" 
"Please don't, I beg of you!" Lotus sobbed. 
"Shut up!" Kyber shouted, shaking her. "Isis do it now. You're in to deep, just do it and we can leave!"
"NOOO!" 
"I thought I told you to shut up!" Kyber let go of Lotus but shoved her to the ground where he promptly kicked her in the face. "Stop making noise!" There was a sound of bone crunching as Kyber kicked her again. He then turned back to look at Isis. "Look what you made me do! Just kill the damn dragonet! What's so hard to understand about that? Are you stupid? Did that fight with your daddy mess up your brains or something!? Kill it!" Isis looked down at the bloody dagger in his talons, then at Lotus crumpled on the ground. His gaze then traveled to Pascal's body and to Kyber's face and the rage that it contained. The dagger fell from Isis' talons and clattered down onto the ground. He was done with this. 
"No Kyber, I'm not going to kill this dragonet. I'm not going to kill anyone else for you. You and I are done. You lied too many times. Broke my trust and insulted me too often. I'm done working for you."
"Really? It's gonna be like that is it? After everything I've done for you, all the times I save you pathetic ass?" "I MADE YOU!!" He screamed pointing at Isis. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DISOBEY ME!" Isis shrugged. 
"Seems like I just did." 
"Without me you are nothing!! Without me, you'd be another eviscerated corpse lying in the street! YOU OWE ME!" Kyber's eyes were wide and raving. In the low light of the candles, he looked insane. "All I ask is that you kill a few dragons for me? IS THAT SO HARD?! HUH?! IS IT!? But Noooo! You get in a little fight with your father, and you start questioning me! LIKE RIGHT NOW! Now suddenly, the monster has a conscience... Where was that when you were slaughtering entire buildings full of dragons huh?! Just because it's a dragonet this time you lose your resolve. You sicken me, Isis. YOU ARE A FAILURE!!" 
"I see." Isis said. He was hurt by the things Kyber had said to him, but in the end wasn't surprised. Kyber was the kind of dragon who had to have everything his way and got irrationally angry when it didn't go his way. "If I'm a failure, what does that make you? If as you say you did indeed make me who I am and that I'd be nothing without you, doesn't that make you more of a failure than I am?" Kyber's face curled into a sneer. 
"So you aren't an idiot." He gestured around him, at the bodies on the ground. "I guess you're right, I'm a failure too!" He pointed to Lotus "I failed to be the one for her." He pointed at Pascal. "I failed to be a better friend." Kyber spread his wings and shouted, "I'M A FAILURE ISIS!" He paused. "Do you know what you do when you fail Isis?" Isis shook his head. "You start over from the beginning." Kyber whispered. "I thought I'd started far enough back for everything to work this time, but I guess I was wrong." He sighed. "So, I just need to try again, no big deal."
"What do you mean try again? Kyber you're sounding crazier by the moment." 
"What do you care?! You said you were done helping me."
"I am." Kyber nodded.
"It's a shame. I really thought we were going places you and I."
"Yeah, well you messed that up for yourself when you broke my trust and lied to me."
"Maybe... I can't have you getting in my way Isis, because you and I both know you would. This is where you'll draw your final breath Masked Dragon. There's consequences for every action, for crossing me the consequence is death."
"So, it is." Isis knew that Kyber was serious about killing him. He'd been serious about everything else until now. The SandWing would certainly try to take Isis' life. Whether he would succeed was debatable. Kyber lunged at Isis, claws outstretched. The Masked Dragon ducked to the left so Kyber's talons barely grazed his shoulder. Kyber landed behind Isis and spun around while flinging a talonfull of kunai blades. 
"Somehow, I always knew that things would end this way." Kyber said. Isis ducked the first few blades and knocked the rest out of the air with his wings. 
"Really?" 
"Oh yeah. From the moment I met you Isis I had a feeling that you would do remarkable things. Be a wonderful tool. But I also knew that eventually you'd either grow bored or your conscience would prevent you from reaching your full potential. I had always planned to kill you; I'd just hoped that it would be a few more years down the road."
"That's a tad bit arrogant don't you think?!" Isis asked. He grabbed Kyber's shoulders and headbutted him in the face, causing blood to spatter everywhere. Kyber cried out in pain and raked his claws into Isis' underbelly causing The Masked Dragon to let him go. 
"That really hurt!" Kyber shouted. He raised a talon to his nose and wiped away some of the blood that was oozing out from it. 
"Good." Isis said. He leapt at Kyber, crashing into him, and causing the both of them to hit the ground with Isis on top. The SandWing writhed under the larger hybrid's weight, but he was unable to shift Isis. The Masked Dragon drew another dagger from a sheath hidden within his cloak. He held it close to Kyber's face so he could get a good look at it. Isis pulled of his mask and dropped it to his right. He glared down at Kyber, his right eye narrowed, his left still hidden behind a swath of bandages. "I have no pleasure in taking your life Kyber. I had no desire to kill you, you made this the way it is. You were a mentor to me, at times maybe even a father. Understand that." Isis said. 
"Don't lie to me boy." Kyber spat. "You and I both know you love the killing. Just do it and quit lying to yourself, it’s annoying." Isis frowned but didn't say anything further. He drew the dagger across Kyber's throat, cutting through his carotid artery in a clean stroke. Isis stood as Kyber began to choke and gurgle. He picked up his mask and held it in his talons. He looked at the blood that covered it. His father's blood. Kyber's blood. Was this really what his life was now? To be an angel of death, at another's beck and call? Isis wasn't sure anymore, and he didn't think he really cared. With Kyber dead, Isis wasn't bound to anyone's will any longer. He was free to do whatever he wanted. 
What Isis wanted, ended up being pretty much the same thing he'd been doing before. 
Isis looked down at the scrap of paper in his talons. Drawn on the paper in charcoal was the face of a dragon. A SeaWing with sad looking eyes. Isis had been tasked with hunting down and killing this SeaWing, and he was being paid quite a lot of money to do so. Isis had been tracking this SeaWing for a few days now, looking for an opportune moment to strike and take his life. In the three years since he parted ways with Kyber, Isis had taken all sorts of jobs from delivery dragon to security guard. His favorite jobs, and the ones he did best were typically those including violence like bounty hunting. Isis wasn't 100% clear on all the details surrounding why he was hunting this SeaWing, all his employer had asked for was to just kill him. The dragon who'd given Isis the job wasn't even related to the bounty hunting business. She was an associate of someone Isis had done some security work for. Isis wasn't one to question where his work came from, at least not up front. The SeaWing, a stout dragon with aquamarine-colored scales and a golden armband entered the clearing that Isis had been staking out, as had been expected. Isis had chosen this clearing to wait in because it was shady and near a stream. The SeaWing had been on the move for most of the day without stopping. He would have to stop at some point for some water and food, hence the stream and the shade that the clearing's trees provided would be nice to rest under. It wasn't too difficult to understand the behaviors of others and predict their actions if you spent enough time watching. Isis tucked the piece of paper into his satchel. He did his best to make his movements quite as he crept closer to the tree line and towards the SeaWing who now stood at the center of the clearing. "There's no need to creep around my friend, I'm quite aware of your presence." Isis froze. Was this a bluff? If it was then the SeaWing was crazy, if it wasn't... Isis decided to take the chance that he wasn't and so stepped out from the trees and into the clearing. The SeaWing nodded as Isis came into view. He didn't look surprised at all. He looked slightly disappointed. 
"I'm confused. How did you know I was there?" Isis asked. He tapped the side of his mask. "Did you hear me or something?" The SeaWing shook his head. 
"No, you did quite a good job of being quiet actually." He spoke. "No, I knew you were there because you've been following me for a couple days now. Now I didn't know your exact location, I'm not perfect but I assumed you'd be within earshot. You're here to kill me, aren't you?" Isis nodded. 
"Uhm... Yeah. How did you know that I was following you?"
"I'll tell you in a bit. Who sent you?" 
"Some SandWing, didn't catch her name."
"Hmm. She have a tattoo of a snake on her forearm?" Isis had to think for a moment.
"Yeah, she did." The SeaWing nodded. 
"Figures." 
"What figures? You mind explaining?"
"Sure. The dragon who hired you was once a close friend of mine. We had a falling out and she has been on and off sending dragons to hunt me down and try to kill me."
"Oh..." Isis said. He wondered how many assassination attempts this SeaWing had survived.
"10 or so, maybe 12. The number just keeps growing."
"Wait a minute! How did you know what I was thinking?" Isis demanded. 
"I didn't. I made an educated guess. Whenever I tell someone that my life has been threatened multiple time often the first thing that they wonder is the exact number." 
"Ok..." This SeaWing was very good at guessing. 
"It's even more difficult to be sure of things with you seeing how your face is covered up so completely. I can't gauge your reactions to things." 
"Yeah, that's one of the things the mask is good for." Isis said, again tapping the side of his head. 
"One..." The SeaWing said.
"How exactly have you been able to thwart so many assassins?" Isis asked. The SeaWing shrugged. 
"They always ask that. I suppose I could tell you my little secret, seeing as you won't be around long enough to tell anyone else." 
"Hmmm..." Isis said unconvinced. "Go on then." Sensing Isis skepticism the SeaWing smiled and began to speak.
"Ten or so years ago life was very different for me. I lived in the SeaWing's deep palace and worked as a tutor for the many princes. One day, when I had the day off, I'd gone to explore the ruins of a mansion a way away from the palace. I'd heard about it from one of the guards who'd said he'd seen it during a patrol. I thought it was strange that there was anything out that far away, let alone a mansion so I decided to explore, even though I didn't 100% trust my source. Following the guard's directions did in fact take me to a real place, which was a good start. The mansion was built into the side of a mountain and wasn't the largest or most impressive of buildings. When I examined the inside, I discovered it to be completely stripped. No furniture no lights no nothing. I spent a good two hours exploring the thing, wandering through empty halls and looking into barren room after barren room. I had many questions and no answers. To the day I still have no idea whose mansion it was. After all, that searching I did find something. In the basement of the mansion, I found a painting and a pile of stones. The painting appeared to be a family portrait. It depicted four dragons: An IceWing, a SeaWing, and two hybrids. All of the dragons' faces had been cut out so they were unrecognizable. Upon moving the stones, I found an armband made of polished gold. It didn't seem to have been affected by being underwater for such a long time, nor did it have a scratch from the stones. When I picked it up, I felt a hum of energy from it. As I would later come to discover: the armband was enchanted." 
"So, you used magic against your attackers? Not a very fair fight." Isis said. He assumed that the armband the SeaWing was wearing was the same one he'd found. He still didn't know what the enchantment was, but it was safe to say that it was dangerous. 
"Probably not. Certainly, since it gives the wearer the full abilities of an animus dragon, but without the damage to their soul." Isis felt ice enter his veins. Like with any of the things this SeaWing had said, this could be a bluff. But Isis wasn't ready to take that chance. 
"It does now do it?" He asked. The SeaWing nodded. 
"Yeah. That's how I've survived every attack. Killed them before they could kill me, but with magic." The SeaWing paused for a moment. "You've been the only one to ever actually get this close, so props, I guess." Isis nodded. He had a plan to keep the SeaWing from killing him, he just had to be fast and keep the SeaWing talking. 
"Guess I'm lucky then?"
"Hmm... Maybe. We'll see if any more assassins follow in your footsteps." Isis nodded again. 
"I don't think you'll have to be worrying about that." Isis said. The SeaWing frowned. He raised his arm, the one with the golden armband around it. 
"What makes you say that, seeing as you're about to die." Moving as fast as he could Isis grabbed the SeaWing's wrist in one talon, and with the blade he had gripped in the other brought it down as hard as he could onto the SeaWing's arm cutting it off just above the armband. The SeaWing reeled back clutching at the stump of his arm, blood leaking out of it behind his claws. Isis held his severed arm, blood also leaking out of it. He looked down at it, shaking the limb slightly to get out most of the blood. 
"I'm surprised nobody's tried that yet." Isis said. He pulled the armband off the SeaWing's arm and chucked the limb over his shoulder into the foliage. 
"Ahhgh!" The SeaWing groaned. "Stupid! I let my monologuing get in the way. I should have just killed you instead of talking. Moons! I'm a fool."
"Probably." Isis said. "Talk only leads to unnecessary violence. Common mistake, so I forgive you for it." Isis said. He slid the armband onto his left forearm. Immediately he felt a tingling sensation running throughout his whole body. "Cool." He thought. 
"So, what are you going to do now?" The SeaWing asked. "You have the magic now. The universe is at your clawtips. What ways will you come to waste it?" He put no effort into hiding the contempt in his voice. Evidently the SeaWing, even in defeat saw himself as superior to Isis. 
"I'm not entirely sure." Isis said truthfully. "I'll probably start by killing you. I'm going to need some time to experiment with this before I do anything else though." A look of terror flashed across the SeaWing's face. 
"Wait! You don't have to kill me! You have the magic now, it's worth more than any money you could get from taking my life. Just let me live, please I promise you'll never see me again! If you really want the money, just say you killed me, there's no way to prove otherwise. Hell, you could just create a tonne of money for yourself! You can do anything now!" Isis thought for a moment. The SeaWing was correct. There really was no purpose to Isis taking his life. It would likely just be a waste of time. Still Isis was slightly perturbed that he had already spent all this time to hunt and kill the SeaWing, doing so would validate his sense of purpose. Still though... 
"I guess I won't kill you." Isis said. "But if I ever see or hear anything about you ever again then you're a dead dragon. Understand?" The SeaWing nodded profusely. 
"Yes, yes I promise! Just don't harm me." Isis shrugged. 
"Ok then." He spread his wings and took off into the sky, leaving the one-armed SeaWing alone in the clearing. 
A very long day of traveling later Isis entered the room he rented in a boarding house on the outskirts of Low Town. He was quite tired after flying for so many hours and wanted nothing more than to lay down on his bed and sleep forever. As he entered the room though he felt like something was off. Looking about at the room, nothing looked out of place or missing. Nothing that Isis could discern from a brief glance. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone had been in his room. Isis removed his mask and set it down on the small chest of drawers in the left corner of the room, as he always did. He heard a soft clawstep just outside the door to the room. As quietly and casually as he could, Isis drew a dagger from the sheath on his chest and gripped it in a way that made the blade point down towards the ground. Another clawstep. As fast as he could Isis spun in a circle turning to face the dragon who was standing in the doorway, his knife raised. Standing in the doorway was a tall dark green and blue SeaWing. Accept he wasn't a SeaWing. His chiseled face was the wrong shape, and the fins along his back were much sharper, more akin to the spines of a NightWing. A single steel grey earing was the hybrid's only piece of jewelry. Upon being confronted with Isis' knife, the hybrid smiled, wide and full of bright white pointed teeth. "They told me you were good."
"Who told you what? Who even are you?" Isis demanded. 
"Me?" The SeaWing hybrid lowered his talons, smile still on his face. 
"My name's Abyss, and I'm here to offer you a deal you couldn't possibly refuse." 
Part Two: The Black Talons
"I'm a liar, I'm a cheater, I'm a non-believer. I'm a popular, popular monster! I break down, falling into love now with falling apart. I'm a popular, popular monster!"
Isis lowered his weapon. He didn't put it away, but he didn't feel as if he was in immediate danger. He thought about the cool metal wrapped around his arm. "I'll never be in danger again with this..." "Why not confront me out in the open?" Isis asked. "I don't like it when dragons sneak around. Makes me not trust them." Abyss dipped his head. 
"Logical, logical. I would have as you said confronted you in the open, but I wanted this to be a more private conversation. One far away from prying eyes and ears." He paused for a second. "May I come in or do you wish for me to stay in this cramped hallway?" Isis sighed and putting away his blade stepped to the side to allow Abyss to enter the room. They SeaWing hybrid walked over to the chest of drawers and picked up Isis' mask. "Did you make this?" Isis shook his head. 
"No. I found it a few years ago." Abyss studied it a minute more before putting it back down.
"Looks like it didn't do too great a job of protecting your eye." He said, touching the left side of his own face. "Who'd have thought that the great Masked Dragon was half blind? I certainly didn't..."
"I wasn't wearing it when my eye was damaged." Isis said. His left eye had become a pale silver-grey color since the initial injury, and the scars across his face had healed mostly, leaving only two scars across his eye. On large and one slightly smaller. 
"Hmmm... Wonder why. You can tell me later." Abyss said. His face grew serious. "All small talk aside, as I mentioned I have an offer for you." From a small bag around his neck Abyss produced a slip of paper. On which was a graphic of a black talon print. "You have built quite a reputation for yourself." He spoke. "Your skill with blades and combat in general have piqued my interest." He handed Isis the paper. "I've been putting together an organization of sorts. It isn't here in the Scorpion Den; my goals are far larger than this little place, so there's a good chance you won't have heard of me or The Black Talons before. That's ok. All that really matters is that I need dragons like you, assassins. Infiltrators. Spies. The best of the best criminals. I'll tell you more about the group and why I need your help once you've agreed to join. It's not that I don't trust you to not tell others, I'm just being proactive. There are those who if they caught wind of what my plans are, would go to great lengths to prevent them." Abyss said. Isis nodded. The other hybrid talked a big talk, Isis really only wanted to know if he could back it up. 
"What do I get if I join your little group."
"Thought you'd might ask that." Abyss said. "Well for starters you'd get free room and board at the Black Talons' compound and be paid as much or as little as you want. You'd essentially be doing whatever you're doing right now, but for me."
"Hmmm. What's the catch? There's always a catch to these kinds of things." 
"Well, I'm not sure if this really counts as a catch but you would have to work with a team. My team. It's the one and only thing I insist upon. I'm not sure if that's an issue for you, but seeing as you historically tend to work alone... I just don't know." Isis frowned slightly. Abyss was right, he did not like working with others. A team would just get in his way. Distract him. 
"The team is nonnegotiable?" Abyss nodded. Isis sighed. He was hesitant to enter another long-term commitment since he still felt the sting from parting ways with Kyber. Throw in a team of dragons Isis didn't know that would likely muddy things up, wasn't very encouraging. A free home would be nice though. If he agreed to join Abyss, he could learn what great plans he had that were so dangerous or whatever. It might be interesting. Who knows, maybe Isis and his future teammates would get along well. There was no way of knowing unless he agreed. "Alright Abyss, I'll join the Black Talons."
"Wonderful! We will do great things together you and I; this is only just the beginning..."
An hour or maybe two of flying later Isis came to find himself standing in what to him was the middle of the desert before a large adobe building. Isis could see trees distantly on the horizon to the north, so he wasn't technically in the middle of the desert. It's what it felt like though since the building was so isolated. The compound was a tall and lengthy building. From the sky its layout was arranged in a square with a central courtyard with a mini oasis in the middle. Whether the oasis was there to start with or added later was unknown to Isis and he didn't really care much to begin with. One of the first things that Isis noticed when he first landed were the armed guards standing at the gated entrance to the compound. He wasn't afraid of them, but they gave Abyss a bit more legitimacy. Not that Isis didn't think he was a powerful dragon who had money, it was just that he talked a big talk. Seeing armed guards outside a large, secluded compound away from prying eyes gave him more creditability in Isis' eyes. "Impressive huh?" Abyss asked as they walked through the arched entrance. Isis nodded. 
"I guess." Abyss' smile slipped for just a moment.
"You guess huh? Ok... that's fine. I'll give you a full tour later, but I have a few things I need to attend to." He spoke. They entered a room with a cobblestone floor and windows set high into the wall. "For now, though I thought it be best for you to meet your team." Abyss gestured towards three dragons standing in the center of the room. A NightWing, A RainWing, and an IceWing. "Isis, meet your team. Guys, meet Isis The Masked Dragon." Abyss said, then patting Isis on the back turned and left the room leaving the four alone. Isis stood there in the doorway for a few moments, he wasn't sure what to do. As a dragonet he'd never had many friends and so wasn't the best at introducing himself to others. He didn't have bad social skills, more just underused. The awkward silence was broken when the NightWing, tall and muscular with greenish black colored scales a sleeve tattoo of black tribal symbols on his left arm, and large scars across his throat, mouth, and nose said to Isis. 
"Good to meet you Isis, My name's Raven." He gestured towards the two others. "The IceWing is Laertes and the RainWing is Mamba." The RainWing dipped her head, but the IceWing made no movement and said nothing. 
"Hello." Isis said, still feeling uncomfortable. 
"Abyss tells us that you're going to be a part of our group here." The RainWing, forest green with darker blue accents said. She wore a dark colored cloak around her shoulders, the fabric flowing with the curve of her neck. A small gold earring with a tooth dangling from it sparkled in the sunlight from the window. She was beautiful in an exotic way that Isis had never seen before. He nodded slowly. "What exactly is it that you do?" Mamba asked. Isis paused for a moment. He could easily ask her the same question, so he did. 
"I could ask you the same thing." 
"I'm the assassin." Mamba said. "When someone needs to die, I'm the one that does it."
"I'm the team's medic." Raven said.
"I break into places." Laertes whispered. It was the first thing the IceWing had said so far. He hadn't even introduced himself.
"We've told you what we do, now tell us why Abyss wants you to join the team." Mamba said.
"He wants me, because I'm a killer. A very good killer." Mamba frowned. 
"Why does Abyss want another assassin? What's so special about you?" She demanded. Isis shrugged. 
"Maybe you aren't doing your job right." Laertes said. Mamba turned to glare down at the IceWing, teeth bared, scales flashing red. Laertes stared up at her with a blank expression. The dark tattoos around his jaw and eyes made his face look as if it was carved from stone. 
"I will tear out your throat if you say anything like that again. I won't take any insubordination from you." Laertes shrugged but didn't say anything. 
"Mamba's the leader of the group. You'll learn pretty quickly not to piss her off." Raven said. Isis nodded. "She seems shouty..." 
"Do you know when Abyss will be back?" Isis asked. Raven shrugged. 
"I don't know. He comes and goes, and we're not here too often. We're only here now for you." 
"Oh..." Mamba was still shouting at Laertes for embarrassing her.
"You'll get used to us." Raven said amiably. "We fight at times, but always get the job done well and make up afterwards."
"I'm sure..."
Isis spent the next few hours with the Abyss' crew of criminals, watching them interact with each other and answering their questions about him. He was guarded with his responses, steering clear of anything related to his history before he joined The Black Talons. He wasn't quite ready to peal the scabs off those particular wounds. When Abyss returned, he was all smiles and as the sun was setting brought Isis to his room. "How was it?" He asked. Isis shrugged. 
"They are something. Raven says they work well, but I'm not sure." Abyss and Isis rounded a corner and stopped in front of a door on the right side of the corridor. 
"This one's yours." Abyss said. He opened the door revealing a small room with a small window set into the opposite wall. There was a bed against the left wall and a small desk on the right. A blue and red woven rug was on the floor. It was a quaint little room that appealed to Isis. Isis stepped inside, spun around once and then faced Abyss. 
"This'll do." He spoke. 
"Thought you might like it. Decorated it like the boarding house you were staying at." Abyss said, smiling slightly. 
"Yeah..." Isis said. 
"I've held up my end of our agreement." Abyss said, his face becoming serious. "Now I'm going to need you to hold up your end." Isis nodded. 
"What exactly is it you need done?" 
"I need a SkyWing killed. He's an important military official, so he's going to be well guarded. The official is going to be at his mansion a bit outside of Granit City. I'm sure you've heard of the place?" Isis nodded. Abyss continued. "I'm going to have the team go with you as back up, but I want you to be the one to take his life."
"Why do want this guy dead?" Isis asked. 
"I'm not paying you to ask questions, just to do the job." Isis frowned but Abyss smiled. "I'm just playing with you. He's an old enemy of mine that I want gone."
"Consider it done. When do we leave?" 
"In the morning." Abyss said. "See you soon..." He gave Isis a little wave and then left back down the corner leaving Isis alone in his room.
Isis, Raven, and Mamba stood on an outcropping overlooking the SkyWing General's mansion. A tall elaborate structure carved of a grey stone. From its location on the mountainside, one could just see the bright skyline of Granit City from one of the mansions many balconies. Laertes could just barely be seen down far below, skulking around the tall windows at the far side of the mansion. His pale snow-colored scales reflecting the light of the two crescent moons into the sky. He was looking for a suitable entrance for the team. One that would leave the least amount of evidence behind. Isis was silent in his observation of the IceWing. His mask hid his expression but had Isis not had it there wouldn't have been much of a difference. His features were just as inscrutable as the blank white mask. The others had asked Isis about the mask when he had met up with them before they'd left for the mission. Isis had told them that he'd found it during a job he had done a few years ago. The team's general consensus was that the mask was a bit strange but cool at the same time. Isis was watching so intently to make sure that he would be able to work with the team coherently and effectively. He still felt uncomfortable working with a group. The biggest thing he disliked about working with others was that he would have to rely on others. Relying on others had only ever hurt him. After spending his life trying to put others, like his family first Isis had now decided that his number one task was self-protection. Protection from physical pain and mental pain, like relying on someone and having them betray him. "He's found a way in." Raven said, pointing down at Laertes who was now waving up at them.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Mamba said. There was an edge to her voice as she spread her wings and glided down towards the mansion. Isis assumed this was because he would be the one to actually take the SkyWing's life. He could feel her eyes boring into him as they'd stood waiting. In her mind, Mamba had been slighted, merely by Isis being there. In her mind Isis was trying to take what was hers. Her position of leadership, her job. Him being there was a sign that Abyss was losing faith in her. Mamba would be working extra hard on this job, and the next few as a way of proving herself as the superior tool. Isis didn't care that Mamba was upset by him. He didn't want to be the leader of this team. He felt no need to prove himself to Abyss. He wasn't even sure he wanted to even be part of this team. The RainWing's feelings were the least important thing in his life right now, and they would likely remain that way. 
The entrance to the mansion Laertes had found was a side door, one likely used by servants. The IceWing had broken the lock and stood waiting by the door's dark portal as Isis and the others arrived. Mamba took point and was the first to enter the mansion, then Laertes, then Raven. Isis hesitated a few seconds, checking over his shoulder, before entering the mansion last and closed the door behind him. The door led to a small servant's quarters and a dimly lit hallway beyond. "Do you have any idea where we're supposed to go?" Raven asked. Mamba nodded. 
"The master bedroom. These mansions are all the same, it's near the rear of the building." 
"Do we have to worry about guards?" Isis asked. Mamba nodded. 
"Probably, but I'll take care of them." She spoke. "Laertes, you and Raven stay here guard the exit. Kill anyone that isn't us that walks in here." The IceWing and NightWing nodded. Turning to Isis Mamba said: "You're coming with me." Isis didn't say anything but followed the RainWing down the hallway.
The two assassins crept through the gigantic mansion, Mamba leading the way. They didn't encounter anyone until they reached the SkyWing general's room. Two guards were standing outside the room, spears in their talons. Mamba quickly dispatched the two by throwing blades into their necks. The guards clutched at their throats and collapsed as they drowned in their own blood. They died without noise. Isis pulled open the double doors to the SkyWing general's room. He was asleep in a bed at the center of the room. The hybrid strode over to the SkyWing's bedside and quickly slashed his claws across the general's throat. He never stirred or made a sound. Satisfied, Isis returned to the hall outside the SkyWing's room where Mamba was waiting. "That was easy." He said. Mamba nodded. 
"Yeah." She said. Isis looked over at her and saw something in the darkness. In the dim light from the moon, he saw a flash of white teeth and red scales. There had been another guard, one they hadn't seen. The large SkyWing lunged at Mamba, razor sharp talons outstretched and aimed at her face. 
"Look out!!" Isis shouted as Mamba began to turn around. She saw the SkyWing hurdling towards her and raised her talons in defense, but it wouldn't do her any good. She'd been to slow. Time froze. He reacted without thinking. In the seconds before the SkyWing hit Mamba, Isis wished for a blade. Wished for the blade to stab the SkyWing. "Kill him before he has the chance to do anything to Mamba." For the first time, Isis had used his magic. The SkyWing crashed down to the ground a few inches before Mamba, dagger sticking out of the back of his skull. A spot Isis knew would kill someone instantly. Mamba lowered her talons and looked over at Isis. Her face was a mask of confusion and thinly vailed fear. Isis had killed the SkyWing with a knife from across a room in the space of a heartbeat. 
"How..." She started, then trailed off. Isis didn't say anything. He looked at the body for a moment or two then at his right talon. To Mamba, his expression was indiscernible, hidden behind the mask. He was in reality just as confused and afraid as the RainWing was. He'd never seen animus magic in action before. He'd always been skeptical of the existence of magic and didn't really believe the SeaWing he'd killed when he had said the armband was real. It sure was real... And Isis had used it to kill. He would need some time to think about this. He didn't know how he felt about having the ability to instantly kill anyone from anywhere and at any time. Looking back up at Mamba he said:
"We should leave. There might be more of them." Mamba nodded slowly and began following him back through the mansion.
When Isis and Mamba reunited with Raven and Laertes neither of them said a word about what had happened. The others knew instinctively that the job had been done. There was no need for questions. Their work complete, the group left the SkyWing's mansion. The return flight to the Black Talon compound was just as silent. 
Isis was standing on the southernmost rampart of the Talon compound watching the sunrise. He held the golden armband, its shining metal reflecting the light of the weak sunlight. The way it sparkled, seemed unnatural. Even in the dimmest light there was always a shine to it. It had been a week since the SkyWing hit. When Isis had told Abyss about the SkyWing's demise, the hybrid was pleased to say the least. He beamed and congratulated Isis and asked how it was working with the team. "It was fine... I don't think it's going to be an issue anymore." Abyss had been happy to hear this. He'd said that he knew everyone would get along. Isis had again asked why Abyss had wanted the SkyWing dead and the other hybrid had actually told him this time. During the war the General and I were obviously on opposing sides. His soldiers killed quite a few friends of mine. That made me really angry so naturally I had to punish him in some way, preferably kill him. You got me my long-awaited revenge. I thank you for that." Isis didn't really take to the fact that he was again being used as a way to get revenge on others, but he understood Abyss' justification and so said nothing more on the matter. He then sequestered himself within his room. He spent the week learning everything about how animus magic worked, doing what he should have done when he'd first acquired the armband. Isis looked down at the armband in his talons. He now understood the enormity of the power he possessed. It was a dangerous power. One that should be used only when the situation demanded it. "Wouldn't want to ruin now soul now, would I?" "So, this is where you've been for the past week." Isis didn't turn his head to look at the dragon who now stood beside him. 
"Not the whole time." He said.
"Why have you been avoiding everyone?" Mamba asked. Isis shrugged. 
"I haven't been avoiding you. Not intentionally." That was a lie and they both knew it. 
"Is it because of what happened at the mansion?" Mamba asked. Isis didn't say anything. "What happened there Isis? I should have been killed but you saved me..." Mamba whispered. "Why did you save me..."
"Why do you want to know? Can't you just be happy that you're alive?" 
"Because! I-You killed someone from across a room. With a knife. I just want to know how." Mamba said, her voice getting irritated then returning to its normal register. 
"Magic." Isis said. Mamba actually laughed. 
"No way. You're joking." Isis shrugged.
"No, I'm not." He spoke. "There's no reason for me to lie to you. I'm not that dragon."
"Oh." Mamba sounded rather surprised. "You always seemed like that kind of dragon to me..."
"You don't want to know how you seem to me." Isis said. Mamba reacted exactly how he'd expected: Indignantly. 
"What's that supposed to mean? What are you insinuating?"
"Nothing." For the first time he looked down at the RainWing beside him. The scales around her horns had turned a bright fire red as she glared up at him. 
"I don't believe that, but it brings up my second question again. Why save me? If you don't like me as much as you're saying, why bother?" 
"Because I don't actually dislike you." Isis said. "I don't dislike any of you guys. Were it Raven or Laertes I would have done the same thing. Nobody's done anything yet to make me not like them."
"You judge everyone equally and yet you kill indiscriminately."
"No. I don't judge everyone equally. I treat everyone the same way until they do something to piss me off. I don't kill indiscriminately either. I might be a monster, but I do have some morals. I've never hurt anyone I didn't need too or ever kill a dragonet." 
"Hmmm. You're an absolute saint." Mamba said sarcastically. Isis nodded. 
"I'm aware."
"So, we're all the same to you? Me and the rest of the team?" 
"No." Isis said enigmatically. 
"But you just said..?"
"Only one of you is bothering me right now." 
"I'm bothering you, am I?" 
"No. I don't mind you being here." 
"You're hard to understand Masked Dragon." Mamba said. 
"It's part of the alure."
"Yes. You're so interesting and mysterious."
"But I am. You're here right now because you wanted to understand something I did. Something you didn't understand. Bam, interesting and mysterious." 
"Hmmm. I guess. Can you explain it to me then?"
"Explain what? I told you already." 
"Anyone can say magic to explain away something. Seriously, how did you actually do it?" Isis showed her the armband. The golden ring shimmered malevolently in his claws.
"I used this. It's enchanted to give the wearer animus powers." Mamba reached out to touch it but changed her mind and drew her talon back. 
"Where did you find something like that?" She whispered. 
"I took it from someone who shouldn't have had it." Isis said.
"And you're sure you're the right dragon to have it?"
"Yes." 
"Oh." Mamba said. "What makes you better than everyone else." Isis had to think about that for a bit. 
"I'm better because I wouldn't use the magic." He spoke.
"But you already have. What would stop you from doing it again?" Mamba asked.
"Noting I guess... But the same could be said for anyone in my position. Wouldn't you rest easier knowing that someone who you trusted and cared for had it?"
"Maybe... But I don't trust you, Isis. I-I don't know you. You appear in our lives and lead to nothing but chaos. Then you disappear for days without so much as an explanation for anything."
"I'm explaining it to you now." Isis said. "I think I've proven myself trustworthy, me saving your life and all."
"I suppose it's a step." Mamba said. "I still have no idea who you really are, or the things you've done." Isis slipped the golden ring back around his forearm. 
"My past is something I'd rather not revisit." He touched the left side of his face, feeling the scars across his eye. "There's still some scars left over that have yet to heal." He walked past Mamba, allowing his wings to gently brush hers as he ducked back inside the compound.
"Someday then, Isis The Masked Dragon." Mamba called after him.
"Someday..." He whispered.
"Without me you are nothing!! Without me, you'd be another eviscerated corpse lying in the street! And suddenly, the monster has a conscience... Where was that when you were slaughtering entire buildings full of dragons?" Isis tossed and turned in his sleep. 
"You weak miserable excuse of a dragon." His darkest memories swirled around inside his mind. 
"If your father ever does anything, I want you to run. Anything out there is better than your father when he's angry." '
"You sicken me, Isis. YOU ARE A FAILURE!!" Isis opened his eyes, the celling greeted him. Taking a deep breath, he got up and stood. 
"Don't lie to me boy. You and I both know you love the killing. Just do it and quit lying to yourself, it’s annoying." He just stood there in the darkness, the shadows hiding the tears falling from his eyes. What was wrong with him? This wasn't how things were supposed to go. He wasn't supposed to feel this way. He had everything now. Had a purpose. Isis sat back down. It was funny how fast time moved sometimes. Funny how years went by so fast. And yet he was still haunted by the ghosts of his past. He'd never admit it to anyone, let alone to himself how much he was still affected by Kyber. How much the SandWing's words had hurt him. And how right he was about Isis. About his morality. Isis had always seen himself as a hero. As doing the world a favor in taking the lives of obviously evil dragons like his father and the members of the Black Sun. Kyber had shattered that by making Isis see that he really wasn't. He showed Isis how easily he could be manipulated into doing horrible things. When Isis was finally free of Kyber, he tried his best to not put himself in a position like that again. One where he wasn't the master of his choices and actions. So, when he joined Abyss, he was hesitant. Hesitant to open up to others and ready to leave at the drop of a hat. Slowly things changed. He got used to life as a Black Talon. Began to think of himself as a hero again, fighting for Abyss. Bonded with his team on missions and started to open up about his past, but only to Mamba. 
"Now that we have a moment, maybe you can tell me who you really are." Mamba sat down next to Isis in the shade of a hickory tree. The hybrid held his mask in his claws. He left tinny scratch-marks in the material. 
"Why do you want to know so bad?" He asked. "What do you care who I was."
"Do you remember when we talked on the ramparts? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. It's been a while." Isis nodded. Of course, he remembered. 
"I just want to understand you. So, we can work together better." Isis didn't really believe her but nodded anyways. "It would just give me peace of mind, you know?"
"You're not going to ever stop pestering me about this are you?" Mamba shook her head. Isis sighed. "Fine then. Understand though that I'm only telling you, not anyone else. I'm trusting you Mamba, which as you'll come to find out I don't do easily. Interestingly she'd reacted with compassion. "That sounds so sad. I can't imagine how I would survive in your place." She'd put her talon on his as she'd said it too. "It wasn't the best..." He'd didn't say anything else for a while. He'd sat there for a while, with her beside him, reliving his most painful memories. Now Isis didn't know what to do. He was unsure and afraid of his relationship with Mamba and continued to be plagued by memories of his past. He didn't know what to do or who to turn to. Out of desperation, Isis went to Abyss. 
"Hey Isis, what can I do for you?" Abyss smiled genially 
"I need someone to talk to Abyss... You were the only one I could think of." Abyss nodded. 
"Sure thing, anything you need. My door's always open." 
"Thank you." Isis said. He hesitated for a moment before saying: "I'm not sure how much you know about me; about the things I did before I began working for you."
"I know that you're an incredible assassin and that your friend Kyber was making waves in Low Town."
"It's more complicated than that... Have you ever taken a life Abyss?" Abyss paused for a moment. 
"Yes." He spoke. A strange expression crossed his face for a moment then it faded. 
"Do you remember what it felt like Abyss? Did you regret it?"
"No." 
"Hmmm. I didn't regret mine. I didn't regret any of them. Everyone I hurt deserved it. Some more than others." Isis said darkly. "I lived by a code though. I was set onto this path by the desire to protect those I cared about. Innocents who couldn't protect themselves. I wouldn't harm anyone not affiliated with the groups I was tasked with destroying. Even those who got out." He sighed. "I thought I was doing good. But I was just playing with fire... Kyber was insane. All he wanted was power and vengeance against someone he'd once loved but didn't love him back. One night we went after her. He'd lied to me though. I'd never known we were there for her and her mate... Or their dragonet. Kyber ranted and screamed about the past and instructed me to kill them... and I did. I killed both of them. Two innocent parents. No reason at all. They'd just made Kyber made years ago. He told me to kill the dragonet too, but I couldn't. I was done with Kyber. A lot of things had happened to make me see how terrible he really was, but those don't matter anymore. When I told him no, he lost his mind. He said things to me, things that I can't stop thinking about. Can't rationalize against because they're all right. "Without me you are nothing!! Without me, you'd be another eviscerated corpse lying in the street! And suddenly, the monster has a conscience... Where was that when you were slaughtering entire buildings full of dragons?" Things like that. We fought and I killed him. Slit his throat and let him choke to death." Isis sighed. He could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. "I forgot about the things he'd said for a while. Pushed them and everything else to the back of my mind, where I couldn't feel them. Put any guilt I felt there too... But I was talking to Mamba, maybe a week ago and it brought everything to the forefront. I can't sleep Abyss. Kyber's words and the words of my father are all I can hear all the time. How terrible and monstrous I am." The tears began to fall. "I'm not a monster Abyss." He took a deep breath and drew his arm across his face. "I'm sorry... I-I just needed to talk to somebody." Abyss was silent for a few moments.
"There's no need for you to be sorry Isis." He spoke. "Nobody thinks that you're a monster. How could you be. Everything you've done has only ever been for a noble cause, will continue too." Abyss smiled slightly. "If it's any consolation, I think you're wonderful. The things you've experienced were awful, but everything is different now." Isis nodded.
"Thank you, your words mean a lot." Abyss dipped his head. Isis left soon after. He hoped that giving a voice to his demons would be cathartic.
Category:Content (Isis The Masked Dragon)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
Category:Work in Progress
Category:Mature Content
Category:Alternate Universes
Category:Genre (Adventure)
Category:Genre (Romance)
Category:Genre (Tragedy)