A fantastic full color commission by  Animaloftheelements depicting the first meeting of Arcten and Junnoshu!

Received 07/07/2023

Please see Animaloftheelements's submission here or on Twitter!

Artwork ©  Animaloftheelements

Arcten Sorrenan Talematros, Junnoshu Talematros, and the Shan-ghaul are © Me!
Story is by me!

You can also find Animaloftheelements at: https://twitter.com/sariahoward

      The desert was beautiful. The large, rolling dunes, clear sky, and the intensity of the sunlight appealed to me. The Ri (world's magic) here felt distinct, but familiar. I had left Cellis Ryoven after the conflict with Ambergrace. I didn't have a destination in mind, other than someplace new, somewhere unknown to me. I made my way toward the largest settlement I could sense. I thought that would be the quickest way to get a sense of this world. The city appeared primitive. I could not feel any electricity, nor did I detect significant concentrations of metal indicative of industrial production. What did stand out was the feeling of a kind of magic. Some type of necromancy. Thousands of... maybe I would describe them as the stabbing of hot, dull pins into sore flesh, but without the personal sense of pain or discomfort. A color of a bold, deep, red, glowing darkly. There was a powerful psychic flavor of eager malevolence to these points. Underneath the center of the city, the points were dense enough that I could not pick out individual instances. Above this crimson mass, a large palace rose commandingly over the rest of the city. I felt power there. Something? Someone? Best avoided until I had a better sense of what I may be getting into.

      I decided to hop the walls around the city in, what I hoped was, a somewhat discreet manner. I remained in my smaller bipedal draconic form. Whenever I though about becoming something more discreet, I felt a familiar itch between my shoulder blades, and an inner disquiet. This place was dangerous, and somehow transforming would increase my peril. As I walked the streets, I began to understand that I would have failed to blend in regardless. The people I saw had a beaten down cast to them. Something in how they stood. Not quite fully straight. Eyes slightly downcast. Avoiding attention or confrontation? The points of undeath? The power residing in the palace? The sounds of marketplace activity, blocks away, was subdued. As I walked the tertiary routes and alleys, keeping to the outskirts of the city, I listened to the speech of the inhabitants. Passing a few small, subtle, and most importantly, quiet divination and information spells over the foreign words gradually taught me the local language. The people I did come across, stared, and gave me a wide berth. They felt of high, and wary caution. I made a point of not displaying interest in them. I didn't want that caution to turn into alarm. Though caution instead of fear? I think that whatever these people imagined me to be, they were acquainted with worse.

      After having wandered for the better part of an hour, a group of four armed men in lightly armored uniforms, caniform in appearance, came up behind me on one of the winding minor streets. They were clearly intent on me. I kept them in the periphery of the vision of my tail-head. I did not want to start a chase or a fight. Not yet. I decided to let them initiate contact. The men slowed as they approached me, their manner becoming less certain. I stood head and shoulders taller than them, and had a significant mass advantage. My wings added to the appearance of my size, though I think it was my second head that was the most off putting, like walking up to a coiled serpent. Stopping several yards away, one of the men addressed me. "You! Ah.. winged creature! Identify yourself and state your business here!" I turned to face them with my shoulder head. I took note of how the handful of other residents were reacting. Most of the other people were walking away with some mild urgency. A few chose to watch from a healthy distance. The points of necromantic energy were mostly further in the city, but a group of a half dozen would pass close by soon.

      "I am Arcten", I addressed the guard who had spoken. I added a shallow, polite bow. "I seek learning. Please, what is the name of this city?" I kept a polite tone and what I hoped would be taken as a neutral, but civil expression. Play for time, play for information. The guard whom had spoken glanced at one of the men on his left, and gave him a small nod. "You are in the city of Iar Dahnnem, by the sufferance of our lord, the Shiramghul.", he said as the second guard left. The second guard's path would intersect with the crimson points. This would come to a head sooner rather than later. "How can it be that you do not know this?" The guard's face hardened, as his two companions began to spread out.
      "I come from very far away. These lands are entirely new to me, and I know little."
      The guard replied, "I need to present you to my captain. He, and perhaps others, will have questions for you. Turn over your weapons, and equipment. Please do this peacefully. If the Shan-ghaul become involved, this will not end well for you."
      "What are the Shan-ghaul?", I asked.
      "The servants of the great Shiramghul, servants of his will.", the guard's tone was one of caution, not of pride. "It is best that you come with us now. If they take an interest in you... it is best you are in our custody. They may overlook this trespass if we are already handling the matter."
      The guard who had left earlier rounded the corner, leading what appeared to be six figures made of sand, with burning red pits for eyes. Six points of crimson. From the guard, I felt fear. From the undead sand beings. Bloodlust. An intense desire to do harm. Eagerness.
      "It appears that opportunity has passed. Would those be the Shan-ghaul?". The guard followed my gaze. His ears flew back as his eyes widened. I felt all but one of the onlookers had fled. The guards felt near to flight themselves. "The honored Shan-ghaul have ordered me to bring them to the stranger", said the returned guard, a tone of fear in his voice. "Honored Shan-ghaul," began the first guard, "we were about to escort this one to-".
      "Flesh to feed the dunes." The words came out as a sharp whisper of wind from one of the Shan-ghaul. The first guard's mouth closed with an audible click. "Blood... for the thirst of the sands...", continued the creature of sand. The guards fled. The Shan-ghaul began to spread out, nearly vibrating with violence-lust. "...bones for the master..". Outstretched fingers formed into razor edges. I could sense energy gathering in their claws, enhancing their cutting power. "...for us...", the words a soft sigh.
      I took that as my cue. Focusing my Kohor (power of body) and Dar (power/magic of dragons), I lunged forward, and kicked the first Shan-ghaul in the chest. Hard. The creature's torso exploded in a spray of sand and bone. At the same time, I swept my wing arms out. Claws lashing out as the heads of the two creatures flanking the first, shattering their skulls. Tough things, I thought. The sand was soaking up a good deal of the impact before my blows reached their bones. More than it should. These undead were well crafted. Spinning around, I whipped my tail head into my fourth target. Reinforced with my Kohor and Dar, my skull hit like a wrecking ball. The upper body of the Shan-ghaul was *gone*. Two left, and then I am out of here! I paused to gauge the reaction of the last two. No fear, no hesitation, minimal disorientation. The Shan-ghaul were more formidable than the hive warriors back home! Smaller, but more durable. Just as fierce, and their claws, reinforced by some magic, more dangerous. I didn't care to find out first hand if they hit harder. I lunged toward the leftward of the two sand covered undead. With a vicious downward right punch, I cleaved the horrid creature in two. At the same time, I snapped my right wing hand at the Shan-ghaul on my right, seizing its skull, and driving it into the building behind it. Focusing power into the muscles of my wing hand, I closed my fist, shattering the undead's skull.
      "Creature!" I heard a voice cry out. The remaining bystander! I kept my shoulder head tasked on the fight. Verifying the Shan-ghaul were truly down. My tail head whipped to face the speaker. I pushed the shock I felt down into a free corner of my mind for processing. Handle these tasks simultaneously. Time had now become precious. I saw a white and blond furred tigress, dressed in light robe. She hesitated a fraction of a second, meeting the eyes of my tail head. "You must come with me, quickly! I know where to hide!" she hissed in a soft voice. The tigress felt of caution, hope, and most of all, urgency. The crimson of the six Shan-ghaul were either gone or rapidly fading. Inside, I felt a certainty. *Go with her.* "Lead on.", I replied softly through my tail head.
      As I turned to face her, I reached out with my Mes (power of mind, psychic power), and raked the last of the essence from the Shan-ghaul who had not yet finished expiring. No sense in taking chances. The tigress quickly turned and dashed back into the alleyway in which she had been lurking. I followed, using a flow of Mij (one's own personal magic) to disturb our footprints. I dedicated a bit of my mind to examine my situation. I had thought I came here randomly. Perhaps, I was guided here? The thought felt right. I was meant to be here. There was a purpose at work in me being in this place, at this time! How did this bold tigress figure into it? I had many questions, and at last, someone to ask!

Random fun facts (subject to change!):
Arcten is in his early 80s here (~83).
Junnoshu is her early 30s (~31).