The Ruins of the Dragon

**Date Started:** December 14, 2019
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Users Involved:** User:EmperorKamui, User:Starving Skeleton
**Setting:** Hercupeii
**Characters Involved:**
* Crow Feet: Uriel Flynn, Bastian Beauregard

The smell of sulfur filled the air, as it hundreds of eggs nearby had gone completely rotten. Uriel Flynn covered his nose as he kept walking through. A volcano in the distance was giving off a pillar of smoke, showing the natural titan of the planet was still alive and active to some extent. These days, it mostly gave off the stink of the earth as opposed to spewing lava. "It's been hundreds of years since its last major eruption, bet the old mountain is on its last legs before going extinct."

It wasn't the volcano Uriel was after. Hell, he could care less about the ancient mountain. With how little is was active anymore, Uriel proudly believed that, should it some how erupt, he could handle it. He was a lava mage after all, this dying volcano would merely fuel his powers. No, no. It was what was at the base of the volcano that Uriel was after. The ruins of an ancient, once great city rested. They were not visible to the naked eyes, but it was Uriel's distinct belief they were there, preserved under mounds of volcanic ash and igneous stone. He had been working on this for several days, wanting to be careful to not cause a collapse as he used lava-make moles to burrow deeper and deeper into the site. The ancient city of Hercupeii had to be standing still.

As a once great city, it was sure to possess some kinds of riches. Gold, jewels, lacrimas, things like that were sure to be expected. These were things crows like Uriel flocked to. However, Uriel was not drawn to this alone. He was a lover of history and myth. Folklore and legends surrounding objects would be the things to attract Uriel to go on quests with his guild. Sometimes it ended up well and they got treasures and proved the legend was true and sometimes it was merely wealth and that alone. Others there was nothing truly to collect, much to Uriel's dismay. However, he was confident on this adventure. It was a great settlement at one point and said to have been the home of a dragon to guard the people. Beyond that, the tales spoke of something Uriel wanted to make sure could never be used against him.

Bastian followed his friend closely. Careful not to fall off a crater's edge into a pit of lava. He wasn't dressed for his. A blazer over a nice t-shirt and denim pants. But when he heard that Uriel *what* Uriel was chasing, he couldn't turn this down. Crows chase shiny things. The old crone often repeated. A crow doesn't know the worth of a coin or a broken coin. It simply sees something shine and swoops in for it. That's how they lived their lives. The truth being that many of their journeys were nothing more than wild goose chases. But when things proved true, they surpassed even the wildest of dreams. That alone made risk, such as lava-bubble-baths worth it. The ebony mage jumped over a broken ledge. Careful not to slip.

Uriel was a master of history and myth. A scholar through and through. Bastian, however, preferred the battles of life. He studied magic thoroughly and found ways for him to use it in conjunction with his body. Despite his gentleman appearance, Bastian was a fighter. So he hoped that this journey meant some skulls would be smashed. Or bones broken. Anything that'd help him further his magic.

"So if it's been hundred of years, ain't it due for one soon?"

Bastian asked jokingly. "Not that I'm scared or anything...But all this gas can't be good for our skin."

"It could happen, I suppose. I'm no geologist or volcanologist, too science-y for me. Don't worry though, I'm sure a mineral bath is waiting for you back at home so your skin doesn't break out," Uriel chided as he formed a volcanic hammer. They has been working away at the outer of the area for days, hoping to get through. Uriel took several swings at the wall. As he did, sound blasted through the air. The hammer hitting the shell was loud, but there was more. A hollow echo. The wall was thin.

Taking one last swing, the wall shattered. Inside, the dark ruins of a city sprawled out. Uriel looked around the pair, seeing a tree. Breaking branches off of it, Uriel ignited them with the heat of his lava to create torches. "Gotta be able to see, not sure how far in we will make it before another volcanic wall could block us."

## A Sleeping Demon

Walking into the shell, the city immediately brought dread. Along the ground, skeletons rested, showing the last remains of an ancient people. The clothes and size varied. Some were warrior men, some women in the clothing of officials, others were small. Uriel winced slightly at the sight. He knew death and destruction was wrought on the city, but seeing the skeletons of children about the city was not what he was expecting to run in to so quickly. "Looks like they fought for their lives, trying to stop the power of the planet. Maybe that's why the city is mostly encased, the used their magic to try and halt the lava?" Rubbing his fingers on the ground, he was met with razor sharps bits of earth. "Sadly, it looks like they didn't consider that ash would be their killer first."

"True." Bastian agreed. "Though there might be more to this story." However, he was no average thief himself. And as he followed his impromptu tour guide, the young magician noted distinctive marks upon the surrounding buildings. But that wasn't all. Bastian stopped at a skeleton and kneeled over, touching a nearby skull. Numerous lacerations alongside the back of the skull. The rest of the skeleton also had similar damage. "Wait up!" Bastian screamed, chasing after Uriel's light. During which, he noticed that the surrounding skeletons suffered the same damage.

"What is it you're after anyway?"

"Well, aside from our normal shiny objects, the town has legends around it. A dragon guarded the city for a time before it disappeared. Before leaving, they say he left them some sort of magical object to replace the dragon's role in preventing the volcano from erupting on them. While I'm not sure on all the specifics, the thing was called the Volcano Heart and could destroy the lava and relieve the pressure in the earth," spoke Uriel as he continued through the streets of the city.

"If it exists and can do that, well, I don't want it found and used against me. I'd rather have it for our treasury, along with whatever goodies still exist here." Uriel scanned the buildings along the street. To help light their way a little more, Uriel released a flock of molten birds to fly in the city, giving the dead streets an eerie glow as the flap of their wings echoes in the domed city.

"I am curious though, why would a dragon guard such a city? I know some were kind, but it seems like it was fairly involved in the life of the city." Uriel said this as he looked upon the streets of the city, noticing statues of dragons placed amongst the city. He looked closer at the stone and saw the dragon sitting on something... no, someone. He cocked his head to the side as he looked at the old statue, worn by elements in its own time. "Bastian, I thought the dragon was called a guardian, but it's on something alive."

Bastian listened to his story intently. He loved history. Almost as much as Uriel. But the lava-brain was the guild's historical specialist. So much so, that even the old crone held counsels with him in regards to how to move in certain missions. Uriel the historian. Bastian the cavalry. His eyes scanned the streets and noticed it as well. The dragon's influence spread deeply throughout the city. Vases. Statues. The remains of draconic pieces of arts littered the city.

"Yeah..." He noticed it as well. A giant dragon statue atop a statue made of *different* stone. The average treasure hunter or thief would have overlooked this minor detail. But these things stuck out like a sore thumb to the two of them. Bastian approached the stone. A giant piece of a muscular...man? A warrior with long locks and a gladiator's apparel. His expression something chaotic. It drew Bastian to it. Called out...or more asked for his command. He touched the statue of the ancient gladiator.

*Crack.*

Bastian withdrew his hand as the statue started cracking. *Must be old.* He thought to himself.

"Uriel, let's keep going." The young mage ran after his partner. Unsure of what just happened.

Uriel nodded as he saw part of the statue crumple away. "Be careful, the statues and buildings may be unstable from seismic activity related to the volcano. Don't really wanna take the effort to dig you out," Uriel jabbed as he moved away from the strange statue. Their steps echoed on the ancient streets as they walked through the city. Uriel saw what he wanted to find.

He kept his eyes on the glow of the birds as they flew about the city. As they flew, a distant spire became faintly illuminated by their glow. Of all that could be seen, it was the tallest visible structure. Uriel pointed towards it. "It must be the old town center. Be it the city hall, an old temple, or both, they would generally by the central part of the town so all the people could gather together. The heart of the city." Uriel picked up his pace to get to the structure.

As they eventually made it, Uriel saw what broke his heart. The center of the town had indeed survived, but part of the northern city had been consumed by the ancient eruption. It appears as though the citizens did everything they could to protect their city's most important section. Thankfully, their efforts were not full in vain, it has survived under a volcanic dome for years. Unfortunately, they had not survived long enough to see this miracle of human endurance.

"They were fast enough to save this place, good on them," Uriel said solemnly as he looked at the building. Upon its door was a mural of sorts. It showed the volcano above the town and a serpentine dragon coiled in around the city hall. Its head faced the volcano, while its claws held a muscular being. "I wonder if that is what the statues were sitting on? The legends don't really speak of some enemy though."

"You know how legends are." Bastian added nonchalantly. The two of them have explored hundreds upon hundreds of legends between their two journeys. Murals often told the complete story. And when combined with the nearby pieces of art, this "Volcano Heart" had a deeper purpose. "Things get left out in order to protect the truth. And considering that they did everything in their power to make sure that this thing survived whatever the hell happened...Our treasure should be inside."

Bastian smirked and approached the door. Gently pushing it open. The usual aggress Master of Curses made sure to treat these kind of things delicately. Broken vases. Walls. Murals. Ripped art. Uriel had countless lectures about these kind of things.

"Don't ruin history!"

"Be careful, those are priceless!"

"They aren't just pieces of paper!"

It drove Bastian mad. Its hard not to destroy things when someone is throwing him around. Hell, Bastian got a day long lecture for being smashed through some old stained glasses in some ancient church. A golem smashed *him* through the glass. And *he* got in trouble for it. Not for getting hurt. But for breaking "a piece of frozen history".

The nerve!

Uriel watched the door open and look inside. He slowly walked in, looking around. Desks were place around the room, each holding different things. One held papers and documents, another held the bones of some ancient meal once held there. Uriel looked to the walls to see art, depicting the countryside before the cataclysm that befell the city.

Finally, he turned towards Bastian amidst all of this. "Hey, be careful in here! Don't want another mistake like at that church." Uriel held his torch out mire, trying to see the room in more detail. In the middle of the back wall, something shined in the light. Uriel began moving towards it, moving chairs and fallen brick out of the way as he did. As he approached it, a purple pillow came into view, allowing the shining object to rest on it. "Purple was hard to get back then, must be significant." Looking at it more, a pure black, glassy ball rested on the pillow. Uriel felt his excitement rising.

"I think this it. The book said something like the town worshiped a 'blackened sphere' that was gifted to the town by the dragon before it disappeared. I'll give it a little test." Uriel clapped his hands together. When he pulled them apart, a small bug made of lava rested in his palm. Uriel blew on the back of it, sending it flying. It buzzed around for a moment before it landed on the ball. As it did, the color in the bug disappeared nearly instantly, with its form being drawn into the sphere. "It is real, the Volcano Heart is real!" Uriel reached out to grab the orb, feeling the coolness of the glass on his hand.

As he picked up the Volcano Heart, a deep rumbling began in the earth. The ground began to shake and the building did as well. The chairs and tables seemed to come to life as they danced across the room, throwing their contents off as they did. Uriel, caught off guard by all of this, lost his grip on the sphere, watching it fall to the ground. He went to pick it up, but the room was filled with a burning light for a moment. In the light, an image flickered, showing a dragon roar before the orb reabsorbed the light. Uriel, stunned, was brought back to reality as the shaking grew worse. Crashing sounds could be heard outside. He scooped up the ball and ran towards the door. "Bastian, run! The spire could collapse down on us!"

## An Eternal Grudge

"And you wanna warn me about destroying stuff!" Bastian screamed. He groaned. Two massive stone-like wings erupted from his back as he leapt towards the door. Soaring over the crumbling ground and skillfully maneuvering through falling debris. He grabbed Uriel's hand and fly through the massive door with his partner. Their bodies tumbling a considerable distance as he withdrew his wings. When Bastian caught himself, he watched the spire before them both fall to the ground.

A memory of a different time.

"Well, looks like that was a bust." Bastian sighed. "I hope you still got that crystal ball. I'm sure it's worth a pretty penny."

Uriel looked at the ball, holding it up. "I do, but... did you see that? In the room back there, I could have sworn I saw a dragon in the light from it." Uriel signaled one of the molten birds flying around, having it come down towards the two and into the sphere. It was consumed by the orb in a similar display. There was no display of lights this time though. However, Uriel felt something, heard something within him. *You have awoken me from my ancient slumber with my first meal in centuries. I shall thank you with this, run from this place and return only with an army.*

"A dragon? Shit. I only saw rocks almost crushing us." Bastian chuckled. He stretched and sighed before turning away. "Let's get out of here before the whole volcano collapses or some-"

Rare was it for Bastian to get sucker-punched. He's Crow Feet #1 fighter and the first one to run into battle. Yet the famous Devil Slaying Devil soared through several walls. Crashing into three houses and leaving further destruction in his wake. Vases. Paintings. An entire house came down on Bastian who could only grunt between a skipping body. Each jump came with an attempt to latch onto something. Anything!

Before Uriel stood a towering behemoth of a gladiator. A being of countless muscles with long flowing locks. His dark skin steaming with a red hue. Eyes filled with nothing but anger and hatred. He looked down at Uriel. His glowing eyes seemingly searching for something. A step. The ground crumbled from the immense force of his impossibly thick legs.

"Where is the heart." The monster grumbled. His stocky neck causing his words to become nothing more than vocal earthquakes.

Uriel snapped back into reality with the monster's words. He silently slipped the orb into a pouch on his belt for safety. "Usually in the left side of the chest, but I'm not sure if whatever the hell you are follows that." Uriel said as he stood towards the monster. He darted his eyes over to Bastian to see how he was.

Seeing he was still moving, Uriel eyed the demon. *Punching Bastian like that, better not get too close to him,* Uriel thought as he clapped his hands together. He knew his limits, and he was no physical tank like Bastian. The birds illuminating the sky dove down as breakneck speeds. As they came close, Uriel willed the birds to turn into swords, hoping the high speeds would make the blades pierce the flesh of the beast.

But this was no beast. His massive arms slapped away the swords with his ironlike skin. The sheer speed enough to ignore the intense heat that usually accompanied the mage's lava tricks. The monster roared and brought his massive fist down in a thundering slam. Enough force to command the wind to push back Uriel.

"Where is the heart!?" He screamed. "Give me the heart so I shall destroy it and take that overgrown Salamander down for good!"

His feet broke the ground beneath him. The gladiator's body erupted in a mad dash. Aiming to tackle Uriel and take the young mage on a similar trip of his friend. Hoping to slam him through several houses as well.

Uriel was able to evade the attack. He did this by dropping down last second, feeling the demon's fist make break through his hair as it moved down with him. Rolling away from the monster, Uriel jumped back up to his feet. "Bastian, you got any like, super strong demon to help us out here?" Uriel said with a bit of worry hiding within his voice. It didn't matter, he wouldn't back down so easily.

"So you want the heart, huh? Don't know what to tell you, I quite like it myself!" Uriel said as he touched the ground. As he head, lava began to swirl upwards in the form of two golems, roughly the same size as the demon. The two of them lurched forward, dripping lava as they ran towards the demon. Uriel ran over to Bastian to help him up. "That thing is a biggin and brushed away my attack like it was nothing. Can't do this on my own, so you better get up!"

As this happened, the two golems grabbed for the as of yet unnamed demon, with one grappling it to try and hold it in place. The other golem began to remorph its arm into a blade, stabbing at the demon with the help of its molten ally.

"I'm up." Bastian grumbled as he laid among rubble. That attack wasn't something to laugh at. In fact, if it wasn't for his partial transformation at that split second where the wind rushed passed him, Bastian's head would have flown across the ruins. He stood up and gently tapped Uriel's back. His body seemingly cracked apart until a stone-like gargoyle with massive wings stood in his place.

"The usual?" Bastian smirked. The fighter and the battlefield tactician. Uriel, a master of long range combat, was the perfect teammate for Bastian. Someone who could provide support while he danced with the deadliest enemies. So engrained in their adventures, Bastian dashed into the air without waiting for actual confirmation. He watched the demon slam his massive arm against one golem and kick away the other. Seemingly ripping the first one apart piece by piece.

*It's like...he's getting bigger.* Bastian thought to himself. He dove down to the demon and slammed his claw down. Hoping to cut the demon's eyes and blind it. The distraction strong enough, hopefully, to try *that* power.

"Stop!" Bastian ordered. He possessed an ability few knew of. An innate bond with those of devilish descent. The stories he inherited from his father said that his mother once commanded a tribe of demons to protect a village terrorized by bandits. Maybe...just maybe...

The demon froze. Bastian, in an attempt to seize this moment, reached for the massive gladiator's throat. He felt his arm snatched from the air as the demon swung him around and used the stoney devil as a baton against Uriel's golems.

"Ugh! Fuck!" Bastian grunted.

“KYAHHHH!!” A voice bellowed from above.

The ebony-skinned girl shot down from the sky, almost like an angel delivering its final judgment, her foot primed forward and wind circling around her. She launched her foot to the demons head, aiming to not only smash her foot into its skull, but to kick-off and fly past Bastian in mid-air. The girl drove her heels into the ground behind her and threw out her arms, catching the man as he soared through the air, now holding him in wedding position, looking up at the demon as he hood fell down past her head to reveal her braided head.

“Need some help?” The girl laughed, a large grin on her face as she held Bastian in her arms.

"Looks like we got some pint-sized cavalry!" Uriel exclaimed, poking fun at their younger companion. He was thankful for the backup though, the demon was strong enough to fight Bastian and didn't seem at all concerned about the golems he sent after him. Uriel was concerned at the situation to say the least. Regardless, he formed hand movements and conjured a molten hammer. Maybe piercing weapons was not the way to go, but pure force.

Uriel ran forth, swinging the hammer at the demons waist. This was to burn the legs and hopefully break the demons hip to limit its mobility. Uriel swung with all the gusto he could muster. Having done this, he leaped back and away from the demon as fast as he could. He wasn't cut out for close range combat like his friends. He left the hammer behind, with the remaining, more powerful golem gripping it in his hands. While it was a mere magical construct, it let out of roar as though it was mourning the destroyed golem it had been formed alongside of. It swung the hammer down on the demons head, aiming for the same spot that Amaya had struck moments earlier.

Somehow the demon had been knocked a half a step back by the surprise attack. As the saying went, its the hits someone doesn't see coming that does the most damage. Causing it to let Bastian go. He watched the whole thing unwind. More happy that his stupid managed such a clean kick against the monster than to no longer be used as a makeshift club.

"My hero!" Bastian, now in his human form, said with a dramatic lean. He quickly twisted around and pulled Amaya out of the way from Uriel's magic. The demon was bombarded by such ferocious attacks that it seemed to shake the earth itself. And in the chaos, one could think that the battle's end was near.

"Look at Uriel tryna be like us." Bastian teased.

But nothing in life is that easy.

The demon roared through the debris. His burning muscles bulging, seemingly bigger than before. It twisted its hip back into place and leaned over. And with gusto of its own, used its remaining massive leg to launch it towards the earthen sky. Then a skilled acrobatic twist which seemed impossible for something that size. What was once a gladiator became a fleshy meteor crashing into the ground. Causing a shockwave strong enough to finish the last golem and crack the earth beneath. Awakening the dormant volcano with more pressure.

"Uriel...He's gotten bigger!" Bastian called. He held his hand out before Amaya. Stopping her from flying away.

"Me and you'll provide close rang. Uriel will bombard it." His body cracked as he became a gargoyle-like demon of his own. Bastian launched himself forward. This time spinning around the massive arms that attempted to snatch him from the air. His claws rapidly striking at the demon's face. Cutting through one eye and digging deep into the muscle of his neck.

"I got your six! Or is it twelve..." Amaya questioned, imagining a clock in her head and watching as Bastian ran to go confront the beast. "Eh, fuck it." Amaya remarked with a shrug, taking off with a large burst of air, quickly catching up to Bastian. She leaped over the beast to attack from the back, taking advantage of Bastian's frontal attack to make a sneaky back attack. She cocked her knee back and launched it into the beasts back with enough force to shatter a normal persons bones in an instant.

Uriel smiled as he fell back. He focused on his magic more. The normal crows he was use to creating grew in size, becoming volcanic condors rapidly. The larger, more powerful birds flocked towards the demon, pecking and clawing at the creature with are the fiery might. Standing back from the close-range combat, he focused in on controlling his assets. He considered forming more golems, but their big, bulky bodies could possibly damper the fighting of Bastian and Amaya. It was better to stick with his easier to manipulate birds that could be pulled back to allow them more openings.

*Your friends are stronger than they appear, but Beleth is too strong for you mere humans. Get out of here while you can,* rang a voice within Uriel's head. "Who and what are you, am I just going mad?" Uriel questioned himself aloud, out of the earshot of his friends. *You are not mad, boy. You saw me before, the dragon of your vision. The guardian of this once magnificent city, Hephaes. If you want to beat that demon, get more help or surrender yourself*.

"Surrender myself to who? The demon? He looks like he'd rather eat me with a side of Bastian," Uriel said in exasperation, looking the demon over again. The thing was getting bigger and stronger. *Not to Beleth, fool, to me. You could become my vessel to defeat Beleth, it would last a mere moment.*