The Eclipsed Scale

by Maneiac

The Pariah

“This diversion was adequate at best. My honor has been reinstated once more.”

The outcome of this duel was set in stone long before the first slash of claw and gnash of fang. My opponent, once “Salazar of the Western Hills”, laid dead at my ankles; his once vibrant and shimmering blood turning almost abysmal in color as his Spark was snuffed.

I lifted my plum-colored scaled claw to my maw and licked the crimson talons clean. Dragon’s blood was quite delectable, even for members of the same species. And although I would never view myself as a savage cannibal; I still found satisfaction in the lemon zest taste the blood of my kin carries.

Even so, I found the notion of burying the losers of all duels to be tiresome and unneeded. Additionally, to challenge me in combat is to throw away life itself. Many dragons know this, which is why I have been made a pariah amongst my kin, banished to this one mountain in the middle of plains and grassland.

They thought it was hilarious. Unfortunately, for their corpses, I did not.

Regardless, I hunkered down and sunk my teeth into the recently torn out neck of Salazar, using a fraction of my strength to lift the dead drake’s body from the ground and drag him sloppily to the foot of my mountain. The taste of lemons was titillating, and I found my tongue lapping hungrily at the bloody wound in my maw.

My intent in taking this carrion should be obvious, seeing as how I haven’t consumed game in quite some time. In fact, these challenges by “honorable” dragons provided me with over half my food in a year’s time. It should stand to reason, then, that I know strife and altercation like bloodkin.

Taking three more laps of the oozing blood in my mouth, I stretched out my right claw and sunk it into the stone of the mountain. Snapping my head up in order to slam Salazar’s corpse onto the mountain face, I began my slow climb up to my cave some three-hundred feet up.

On my way there, my eyes fell over the familiar evergreens and oak trees which covered the awkward slits and grooves of my mountain. The grey stone underneath my moving claws clashed against the intense tan and dark-green of the trees. The noonday sun didn’t help much in alleviating the warring colors, either.

“Hmph. I should do a fly-by and scorch any flora I come across. It’ll help with destroying the stark contrast of my abode.” Frowning as I moved out of the way of an oncoming evergreen, I hastily made visual contact with the mouth of my cave. It sat a good twenty feet above me. The sun attempted to hinder me by hovering right at the peak of my mountain, so I slid my nictitating membranes as a visor against the harmful glares.

When I finally reached the mouth, I gave a grunt of annoyance. It had taken far too long to get here, and my jaw was beginning to tire from carrying Salazar’s sixty-foot bulk. And since I was by myself, I couldn’t count on the altruism of others to help me lug this bronze beast into my abode.

“Not like I would’ve asked for help...” I gave a long grunt of exertion as my head lowered, and then snapped back up to throw Salazar’s corpse into my cave. I followed after my meal quickly, letting the cool air of my cave wash over my plum scales and red underbelly.

Salazar had landed so that his head was facing the entrance of the cave. His body was on its side, his red eyes glazed over in the throes of death. I chuckled as his mouth dropped open and his tongue slipped sloppily onto my cave floor, giving him the appearance of a dead fool.

“Tis a good look for anyone issuing me a challenge,” I spat with distaste and backhanded the dead drake’s head, nearly severing it from his neck. The sound of bones breaking made me sneer, his neck now bent up into the shape of a rainbow. “I fear it may not be the last time someone like you gets brought here, young Salazar. There will be more fools claiming me to be a disgusting, treasonous pig; the sort that insults dragons just by existing, and therefore, must be killed off in order to protect what all Scales hold dear...” I lifted a claw and looked at it, imagining the heads of all my would-be enemies on my palm, before balling my claw into a tight fist.

“Their honor,” I hissed with finality before walking over my company who, ironically enough, is the life of the party. But fate made sure the carrion’s fame was ephemeral, because a tiny pebble crashed into my vision, floating in the air.

I would like to state here, in my defense, that rocks cannot float by themselves. So, if we apply this fact, I can safely discern this rock to be suspended with magic. And, if the red and black aura around it was any indication, I’d venture it to be the work of an Alicorn.

Now I was torn between two things: my curiosity, and my hunger. Hauling a premature drake’s body three-hundred feet up a mountain is tiring, and my stomach demanded sustenance for overexerting myself so quickly. But, the floating rock, barely the size of pebble, beckoned to me softly.

“Almost as if... it’s pleading...”

I shook my head and gave a short frown. “Who would beckon the Pariah of Dragonkind? I am exile given form, and therefore, need not know what machinations this stone holds for me; especially if the rock is suspended by foul Alicorn magic,” I thought with a snarl. “The Alicorns... blasphemous equine creatures! They pollute the purity of magic without the proper incantation of the Elder Tongue!”

I hissed in pain before bringing up my left claw and inspecting its palm. Apparently, my ire was so vast that I had succeeded in puncturing my scales with my talons. Self-mutilation is quite unbecoming, but the train of thought I had entertained myself with was proof that Alicorns deserve nothing short of extinction.

And that’s exactly why I’m all the way out here; on this rock in the middle of nowhere, being challenged by “heroic” dragons every other night and day. “All I did was bring up the sheer blasphemy of Alicorns using magic without incantation via Elder Tongue, and I get exiled for being a potential genocidal powerhouse. I cannot help the fact that I am so strong, and so steadfast when it comes to my personal opinions. It is they, the Seven Lords and King, who have overlooked what will eventually be their downfall.”

My eyes found purchase on the floating stone once more, and I gave a dismissive snort towards it. It hummed back, almost as if it was annoyed by my hesitance in drawing closer.

“Foul pebble! You reek of unholy magics; no doubt created by your demented and possibly revenge-obsessed equine master, who probably seeks retribution for being ignored or written off somehow, and is trying to enlist the help of one of the strongest dragons in existence to do his dirty work.” I smiled treacherously, leaning down and taking a massive bite out of Salazar’s broken neck.

The scales and bones were crunchy, and only added to the lemon flavoring of all dragon blood. Cartilage, however, reminded me of cow fat and so, was very chewy. Muscle and tendons were lean, almost like a finely cooked steer.

“Delicious as always, my fellow drakes. I could never tire of your bodies, my kin,” I thought with no small amount of delight, savoring the lemon zest and feeding my affinity for the acidic. I used Salazar’s bronze-scaled tail as a napkin, wiping my mouth daintily before eyeing the floating rock again.

It had saw fit to move and levitate over Salazar’s body, coming up to my slim belly. I frowned and lowered my head to inspect it further, inhaling some of the black and red wisps of magic mightily.

“You are definitely from an Alicornial spell, sediment. I do not trust you, nor your cud-sucking creators. If your master requests an audience with Ragnarok, Pariah of Dragonkind, then an audience shall be given. But know this, small stone of unholy magics; I shall not be underestimated. The Elder Tongue is a welcoming arm, but in times of strife...” My claw encircled the stone, feeling the heat radiating off its aura warm my palm. “... Becomes a smoldering fist!” I crushed the stone in a deathgrip.

My eyes widened as that same warmth spread throughout the entirety of my being. Images of space filled my mind as the rest of my body went numb, and I fell backwards with my head barely outside my cave’s mouth.

Here’s the thing with blasphemous Alicorn magic: it’s instant and needs no provocation, no incantation to work. There is nary a need for the Elder Tongue, and the Elder Tongue is the language of Gratitude and War. By using it, you are giving thanks unto the creators of our very selves, and using their strength to aid you in battle.

In reverence to Elder Sjach do I hold onto this belief with all my heart. Ever since I used to be an Arch-Dragon; a title given unto a dragon by the Seven Lords and King of T’Rell-Vadriz for his, or her, prowess in magical knowledge and aptitude. The title of Arch-Dragon was mine to hold, before I expressed my distaste of Alicorns to the Lords themselves; which, at the time, during their meeting with some nobles from that race, was a horrid idea.

“Lords be damned; Alicorns are nothing more than disgusting abominations, perverting the beauty of Magic one horn glow at a time. Even then, they continue wallowing in their sin, never once giving thanks unto the creators with the Elder Tongue.” I opened my eyes, which I didn’t know I had closed, and stared into the vastness of the outer-world.

“There were tales told around Jennu Gribkoan, the Great Feast, of hearty drakes that grew overconfident with their ability to fly. One drake in particular; one of green scales named Drivum, boasted that he could soar through the heavens themselves. And when his bluff was called by the creators, he sought to prove them wrong. He never returned from his flight, and it is said that the creators snatched his Spark from him the moment he flew above the clouds.” It was a tale used to teach hatchlings, whelps, and adolescents to humble their rambunctious prides early, lest the creators smite them.

With a sigh, I used my legs and arms to heft myself up onto all fours, standing up in the outer-world. Looking down, the blue and green planet of Equis made itself apparent to me, as well as multiple swells of white clouds. Nodding towards my home, I was promptly brought out of my pondering by a clearing throat.

Casting my gaze to the left, my eyes fell on a heathenish Alicorn male. He looked nothing like the females, for his face was more bold and challenging; seemingly alight with the notion of conquest for all things. Two-toned eyes, fading from left to right the colors of silver and gold, made contact with mine. His coat was a shining topaz, and his mane reminded me of thunderclouds and yellow lightning.

“Hail, Pariah of Dragonkind. I am Lord Eliahcus, he who controls the Eclipse and Destruction, and only bloodkin to Lauren Faust.” His voice was like running water, and played upon both my purple aural fins.

“Pleasantries are well and good,” I returned in annoyance, “But what is it that you truly desire, Alicorn? In truth, you should have been mashed into a yellow paste by now; seeing as how I have a strong distaste for your blasphemous ways with the Gift of Magic.”

Eliahcus did something which did not suit his facial features: he hoisted an eyebrow, anchoring it to the top of his brow in askance, or mild annoyance. “Blasphemous? Should this not be a topic conversed upon with someone who cares enough to entertain your ‘holier-than-thou’ opinions, Ex-Arch Dragon of T’Rell-Vadriz?”

I growled at his quip, knowing he was insulting me with my loneliness. “Enough! What is it you want, horse!? I’ll not suffer your presence much longer!”

At my fiery rebuttal, Eliahcus narrowed his eyes and seethed with rage for a while, before inhaling and exhaling to calm himself. “I am a pony, Ragnarok, not a horse. Furthermore, I believe we started out quite the opposite of well. In fact, I propose we sh-”

“I am going to leave. I am going to leave and carve my way into Alicorn territory, kill as many as I can, and use the bodies as fertilizer for my mountain’s trees if you do not tell me what. You. Want,” I boomed, seeing Eliahcus grind his teeth in frustration before nodding.

“Very well, Dread Dragon Ragnarok; I shall acquiesce your demand. As you may recall,” Eliahcus spoke while walking over towards me, his fetlocks blowing in an unseen wind, much like his styled mane and tail. He stopped right beside me and sat down, staring at the huge blue orb of Equis. He even reached a hoof out towards it with a look of supreme dissatisfaction. “I am the only brother of Lauren Faust, Lady of Creation and Light. I had wanted Equis to fall under the control of Alicorns only, and still hold onto that belief to this very moment. My sister, however, did not share in my dream.”

I scoffed. “It’s like looking in a mirror: a sick, twisted, ironic mirror of mockery. You and I are the same in that regard; only that instead of Alicorns, I wished for dragons to rule. Not with the proverbial iron fist, mind you, but in wisdom of the Elder Tongue.” I turned my head to inspect my company, unpleasant as it may be.

Eliahcus scoffed this time, a faint smile working at his lips. “Irony indeed, Ragnarok. Tell me,” He said, craning his neck to face me, “How long have you been fighting like this? I’ve noticed how often you come under attack by uprising warriors of your race, and I see you kill them as they come quite effortlessly.”

I blinked, caught unawares by the sudden personal questions. “I... I am sure this was always the case. When I had expressed my dream of uniting Equis under dragon rule, and was promptly exiled by the Seven Lords of T’Rell-Vadriz, I had to fight my way out of the “Land of the Glittering Scales” a thousand miles north of my mountain. I had achieved the title of Arch-Dragon when I was... seven-hundred, I believe. An adolescence to be sure, but with plenty experience in the Elder Tongue to put me above many drakes.”

Eliahcus nodded in understanding. “And the fights? Truly they did not start the moment of your exile.”

“Two weeks after reaching the mountain I reside on, if I’m not mistaken. My first challenger was the hardest one. A dragon known only as Xilla,” I smiled lecherously, remembering how the inexperienced queen thought she was enough to beat me. “It was not hard in regards to difficulty, mind thee; but with the fact that I had to take the life of a female. This would have tarnished what little honor I had left. So, after I won, I gave her two options.”

Eliahcus remained silent, prompting me to continue.

“Xilla had the choice of bearing my children, or becoming my dinner. Torn between the two options, she submitted and decided to help me sire offspring. And so, she returned to T’Rell Vadriz, and every two weeks she would come back, ready for the act of copulation until she did what she’d sworn to do.” I turned and walked off towards a floating asteroid, watching its lethargic speed take it nowhere fast.

“During the twelve months of carrying my offspring, I offered Xilla shelter within my cave. Time went by, and I found myself eyeing her not as a defeated challenger but... as a mate. Every night, she would close the distance between us when we laid down to slumber. And somedays... I would be awaken by a bath from her tongue. Massages around her swollen belly would be given by me, and I brought back trees and mashed them into a nest for her comfort.” As the memory of my light-green mate with light-purple spikes played in my head, a sigh of depression left from my mouth and into the air of the outer-world.

“The bonds formed from nurturing an impregnated mate are stronger than those of love,” Eliahcus added impassively, his voice reminding me of this lethargic asteroid.

“I was in love before she completed half her labor. It was near impossible for me to leave, and when I did, I made sure to make my business quick in order to return. Hunting for game proved quite bothersome, considering our location. Ten miles west were grounds for buffalo, and the east held plenty stag; but, they diverged due to the numerous amounts of challenges I received from those dragon heroes,” I snapped, baring my teeth at the asteroid in front of me before punching it.

My punch cracked the entirety of its face and sent it hurtling off into the black abyss.

Shaking the notion of strangling Eliahcus where he stood, I continued my tale. “As my mate grew larger with her clutch-filled belly, I made it my duty to protect my cave from any would-be predator. So, I lit the leftmost face with my fire, creating a wall of flames where I had happened upon a den of Rockwolves.”

“Rockwolves,” Eliahcus asked, and even though I couldn’t see him, I knew there was a raised eyebrow there.

“Think of timberwolves, but they’re held together by magic and sediments. I made sure the fire stayed lit, going back to the same spot every day to add more flame. After that, I would go out and hunt, bringing back food. Every other week, I changed her bedding. And, in that time span, I learned about my mate.”

“She was the only daughter of Yil’Plagnam; the youngest of the Seven Lords and leader of all Green Scales. Her life was like that of any dragon belonging to one of the Lords; it was spent in self-indulgence. ‘To be a Noble is to set your offspring on a pedestal for all to follow.’ Those were the words Yil’Plagnam told me when I was still an Arch-Dragon.” I turned around and strutted towards Equis, stretching my wings with a couple flaps.

“Moreover, he never told me, his best friend, that his mate was fertilized. When news reached me, however, we promptly celebrated with the upcoming Jennu Gribkoan. His mate, a Blue Scale with white spikes named Saphira, found my company to be quite...” I trailed off, snickering as that displeased face popped into my head. “Intolerable. She called me every curse under the sun by the time the festivities ended, and also stated that she didn’t want me hanging around her lush of a husband.”

Eliahcus snorted, making me think he didn’t have the function of laughter. “Hilarious.”

“But, as fate would have it,” I stopped walking and sat down with a frown. “Our happy life was not meant to last. Skipping forward, on a cold day in May, I just got done killing another would-be vindicator from T’Rell Vadriz. Returning back to my cave, I noticed Xilla’s heavy breathing and perspiration-ridden face. I ran over and took her claw in mine, her other one held firmly against her stomach.” I mimicked Xilla’s motion for Eliahcus to have a better picture, placing it somewhere near my lithe abdominals.

“‘It hurts so bad, Ragna! The clutch is coming!’ She told me. I wasted no time in asking her what I should do, while thinking about the hell Saphira was going to put me through because I hid Xilla’s pregnancy from them. But, it was my mate’s safety and comfort that took precedence over my worry, and I helped her with labor for nine hours. Colorful was our clutch, and healthy-looking too.” I sighed and remembered each egg that came out.

“Xilla fell asleep after birthing them, so I moved them into her warm thigh pockets, where they would be safe should she decide to move about. We took care of the twelve eggs well, watching them hatch into beautiful whelps. The Firstborn: Antilla; she was a beautiful chromatic black with topaz spikes. I’m not kidding; her spikes were really topazes. The Secondborn: Relius; clearly the strongest of his siblings. His looks mimicked mine to a tee.” I gave a weak chuckle as I remembered my son tackling me when he was an adolescent, and the days when I secretly taught him more magic than his siblings.

“He was clingy to me, however. The Third was another dragoness named Priscilla, who loved nothing more than fighting physically. Her wings grew larger than her body, but she was not too bright when it came to learning the Elder Tongue; which might’ve been caused by her green scales and crimson spikes.” I chuckled harder, and I place this on my Father’s Tear that Eliahcus laughed as well.

“Which brings me to the Fourth: Lizøran. Sky-blue scales and spinach-green spines slicked back like a hedgehogs, he would often compose stratagems for hunting and gathering food. He learned the Elder Tongue almost as quick as I did when his age was my own. But, his athletic capabilities were horrid, and even the lightest of exercise caused him to tire. I chalk that up to most of his endurance manifesting itself within his powers of comprehension and magic.” My frowned returned like a bad itch, and I felt an abandoned feeling inside me.

Regret.

“The rest of the eggs,” I paused and tightened my claws into fists, clenching my eyes and snarling. “If only her pride weren’t so bountiful! If only she didn’t see a need in being more than the average dragon! Xilla killed herself when the other eight eggs did not hatch. She, in her rage against herself after finding the eggs to be duds, took a lavender egg with purple spots and heaved it out of the cave. And then, she jumped to her death in the midnight hour, clutching the remaining eggs in her arms. The impact woke me, and when I went to inspect the disturbance...”

“... I may be more critical than my sister, but a heart does reside within this chest of mine. My condolences for your loss, Ragnarok. I do not understand the pain, but my regards are sincere, I assure you.”

I blinked in confusion when I felt something on my bent knee. Looking down, I could see Eliahcus’ hoof on it, and he was looking up at me with a face of stern resolution. “It is not often a dragon is caught grieving, or regretting for that matter. As rare as this is, it seems rather unnatural and disturbing.” With a nod of his sagely head, Eliahcus flapped the yellow wings at his side in order to fly. Now he was eye-level with me, which means he climbed a difference of seventy feet seamlessly quick. I counted three down strokes.

“I don’t even know why I told you any of that, to be honest. I never share how I feel with anyone... so why you? You’re an Alicorn; the very epitome of blasphemy in my eyes, and I still told you more about myself than anyone will know.” I narrowed my eyes and snarled.

Eliahcus raised his eyebrow in response, studying my snarling features with an analytical eye. “I guess that twisted mirror shows differentiating reflections of ourselves, no? When I gaze into its surface, I see you, and vice versa.”

I huffed, not really satisfied with that answer. “Feh. Why did you bring me here in the first place, Eliahcus. I’m starting to get hungry.”

“Ah, yes.” He closed his eyes and sighed. His horn began to radiate a two-toned aura of gold and silver, pulling the stars above me into some sort of swirling mass. These same stars hummed and took shape, forming an... island.

“Atlantis? Why are you showing me the Floating Island of Oceans?” I raised my brow as Eliahcus opened his eyes with a mischievous grin.

“I am participating in a game, and wish to have you as my Piece. You are strong, capable of giving even me pause.”

I lowered my eyelids into a death-glare. “Have I not expressed my distaste of your kind, Eliahcus? Asking me to represent you is like cutting me open, squeezing every acidic substance there is in the world into the wound, and then giving me a splint with no form of bandage! Now, you are treading on crashing waves! Do your best not to go under, Alicorn.”

Eliahcus narrowed his eyes before sighing and shaking his head. “I’ll give you something no other dragon has. A power with no knowledge of it, not even by the Elders of your kind. It is a power I have spent my years in exile harnessing, shaping... molding, into something so catastrophically powerful; islands would be moved, and mountains shattered!”

I shifted my snarl into a low growl, not buying this at all. “He’s obviously trying to butter me up with a new power of sort, hoping I’ll accept his proposal and do his dirty work! I oughta rip the wings off this annoying-”

“The Seven Lords will be nothing compared to you; Ragnarok, who was exiled for keeping the interest of his people close to his heart,” Eliahcus enthused with a smile, making me blink blankly.

“Oh... stronger than the Seven Lords, you say? I do not wish to rule T’Rell-Vadriz, Eliahcus; I merely want it to succeed. The only way this will come to pass, is to exclude Alicorns from our matters. The Council of Equis needs to be disbanded, for everyday, more and more of my kin give up the Elder Tongue! It is inexcusable and blasphemy against the creators themselves!” Breathing in out from my rant, Eliahcus tittered with his eyes closed before staring at me impassively once more.

“Kinetomancy: the magic of energy and movement. A kinetomancer is able to move, repulse, compact, and crush, an object at will, with nothing but magic and your own will. It is undetectable by the senses, excluding touch.” With the sound of jingling bells at the end of his explanation, Eliahcus summoned a total of ten large red arm rings. “These rings are to be placed on both of your arms, and can be charged with kinetic energy by doing even the most remedial of activities.”

“Activities of a more strenuous disposition will charge the rings twice as fast. Once at full power, you can access abilities of which Equis will never see again. You’ll be able to take the kinetic energy from moving objects: take the electrical and heat energies of friction and release it in a blast of burning energy, harness energy into your muscles to keep the from tiring, increase your reaction time and thought process, and ‘Sprint’,” Eliahcus explained, looking at me with eyes full of hope.

I was hanging at the end of every word, wondering just how strong I was going to end up should I say yes. But the last word of his explanation gave me pause; so, I raised my eyebrow before asking, “Sprinting? Can’t I already do that?”

Eliahcus looked at me like I had suddenly grown a second head. “Are you daft? Your version of sprinting and mine are two completely different things! While you may run at a speed of sixty miles an hour; the sprinting I’m referring to can reach up to speeds of three-hundred-forty-five miles an hour! But, this speed will be inaccessible to you, if your greenhorn in this subject is anything to go by.”

“I’m no fool. Just becoming your representative in this game isn’t enough to warrant these new powers, Eliahcus,” I rebutted in a warning tone, watching as Eliahcus whipped his mane at the congregation of stars above us, swirling them about until they formed another Alicorn.

She was slimmer than Eliahcus, allowing me to confirm her femininity.

“This is my sister, Lauren Faust. She shot down my notion of having all of Equis under our control; just the two of us. And, when I made this notion known to her, she simply told me to approach her when such silly ideals are vacant from my mind. Yet, I remain steadfast in my desires, so I allowed her space from me. Now I wander the vast outreaches of space forever more, until my desire to rule Equis dies out. But, that is beside the point.”

“Lauren and I have enlisted ourselves into a game ran by one of the Dark Lords, Tirek; King of Midnight Castle. The winner gets any desire fulfilled, no matter what it may be. I, personally, don’t care who wins.” Eliahcus grinned enough to showcase only the left half of his teeth. “But a loss, however, is in store for someone I loathe. My sister, to be exact.” With a glow of his blasphemous horn, Eliahcus floated the arm rings over to me. “She has already found her Piece, and the female happens to be from another world.”

I quirked my left brow. “So? I fail to see what that has to do with you, Eliahcus.”

“It has everything to do with me,” Eliahcus returned with a dip of his head. “But, to keep the power of a Kinetomancer, your task is rather simple. I want Lauren’s horror, her fear of losing to Tirek and throwing Equis into the hands of darkness and disarray to become reality! To be less poetic, I want her Piece to die.”

I was amused by how exuberant Eliahcus was during the first half of his rant, but was shocked when his face whipped back to impassiveness way too quick for normalcy. “Do this, and the power is yours. Don’t, and I’ll merely find someone else. The choice is yours, Pariah of Dragonkind.”

My head was a roaring battlefield, one side belonging to the notion of accepting Eliahcus’s proposal, while the other warred against the aforementioned side. Neither faction gave quarter, and I’m sure my face was reflecting this inner battle to the Alicorn with little difficulty.

After what felt like an eternity of fighting inwardly, I gave in to the first notion. “I accept. I’ll be your Piece, if it means rescuing my people from their ignorance in consorting with Alicorns; ignoring the irony here, that is.” I grabbed five of the ten red arm rings with my left claw, sliding them onto my right arm with ease. Once they were on, I repeated the process with my left.

I didn’t feel any different in comparison to when these rings weren’t on me, so I readied myself to roast Eliahcus where he flapped. But, he raised his yellow hoof in a manner of telling me to hold on. “I will send you back to Equis. The rings are not charged, and need kinetic energy to acquire power. Remember the two ways to charge them, for a ring depletes after every spell you use. With remedial tasks, it takes ten hours to fully charge them all. Strenuous tasks half that time, making it five hours. Be warned though; the Kinetic Rings will be extremely draining at first, due to the new magic I’ve developed seeking refuge through your body. You will be hard pressed to stay vitalized.”

I nodded in silent agreement, cancelling the flame I had surged up from my fire glands. Eliahcus eyed the grey smoke lifting from my nostrils with a frown on his face, making me snicker. “I am not apologizing.”

He sighed. “I see. Well then, all that’s left is marking you as my Piece.”

My eyes narrowed instantly as I roared. “You will not mark me as anything, Alicorn! The rings should be enough!”

“They are not! If you take them off, I cannot claim you as my Piece, and therefore you’ll lose your powers! I am only drawing on you with my magic anyway! There’s no shame in wearing an Eclipse upon your back, dragon,” Eliahcus roared back, making me growl in warning.

“It’s just an Eclipse, right!? If it’s anything else, I will use your pelt as a towel for when I bathe!”

Eliahcus opened his mouth for another rebuttal, but closed it and dipped his head. I huffed out more smoke and turned around, exposing my back to the Alicorn. “Do what you wish, Alicorn. But, I demand to see what you did when you’re finished. If I do not like it, you will change the picture.”

“I have already marked you, Ragnarok. This is what it looks like.” Eliahcus- after flying around to face me -changed the color of the yellow stars and molded them once more into a black circle highlighted by a soft lavender light that was radiating behind it.

I made the connection quickly. “A solar eclipse? It’s not bad, Eliahcus. That’s between my wings, right? I feel the magic right there,” I asked, getting a nod from the Alicorn. “Works for me. Now send me back to Equis.”

With a smile, Eliahcus glided down until he was standing in front of me. “Then we have an accord! You will find the one called Megan on Atlantis. Get rid of her, and keep your powers. Fail, and perish. I have great faith in your abilities, Ragnarok.”

“Send. Me. Back,” I spat, getting a quick glare from the silver-tongued Alicorn. With a sneer and upturned nose, a feeling of magic washed over my being, and I awoke back in my cave....

... And in the blood of Salazar.

“This is why I hate Alicorns. Nevertheless, I have a job to do. And I’ll do it, gladly.”

My stomach scared me with its growl, causing me to spread my claws and whip around to face the mouth of my cave. But, there was no foe who was ready for taking my life. I sighed and turned around, grabbing the carrion by its bitten neck and dragging it further back into my cave.

“I’ll head for Atlantis tomorrow, at the noon hour.”

Author's Note:

This is for the Prequel Arc in the Chessgame of the Gods. I think Ragnarok is up there with Silas in terms of badassery, but we'll have to wait on further chapters until then.

Other than that, I really only have one question. What do you guys think of him?

Stay tuned for more! I hope this ancient setting of twenty-thousand years ago keeps you interested!

Maneiac, signing of! (Silas Epista will be updated shortly.)