Good evening everyone! This commission has been brought to you by Raxrie, who've I had the pleasure of meeting in association within a Discord server that I have the pleasure in being a developer for in a Writing project! If you are ever looking for someone to do quality work, commissions, etc, I would highly recommend their services! As for this story, this is one short story novel that I will eventually publish once when I have completed the writing for it. However, it will be a Modern Fantasy story taking part in a bigger project that will become a whole series!

For now, the title of that series will be called: The Dragonscale Enterprise

Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/raxrie

And now, I am pleased to present a Preview of:

Tales of the Crimson Brood


A cratering force leveled the earth within the city of stone, killing hundreds of creatures in battle on both sides. The beast inside the crater rises from the rubble, spitting out ichor pretending to be blood. Already, the creature was reforming, remitting in a resonance of violet energy that swirled around it like an anchor. Above him, a purple dragoness in golden vambraces slowly lowers herself across him… reeking of a power that swirled around her like an enlightened angel, as if she was above the dragon that lurked in rage. Her landing is as silent as the wind, claws touching the ground as she adjusted her figure against the towering giant ahead of her… the demon that sought to end the world.

Ragnarok, the first purple dragon of their kind… collided against the dragoness in a burst of elemental fury. Stone was reduced to pebbles in the wake of claw against claw, the cracks of tail whips, and the clash of Fire, Electricity, Earth, and Ice.

Behind the dueling demigods, the battle within the city of dragons rages. The orcs draw near, and the dragoness senses them coming, hears their howling. Ragnarok backed away in amusement as the dragoness hacks and hacks and hacks the charging orcs apart, blood spilling all around the ground. His amusement is short lived the moment the dragoness’s wounds close, absorbing the essence of the orcs that lay fallen before him before the dragoness takes off into the air.

The Dark Master knows he cannot match her momentum in the air. And so his mouth glows in a violent collection of dark energy, his golden eyes glowing before unleashing it at the dragoness above him. However, the dragoness shows him her skill. What would have been a streak of dark power that would have killed any dragon, the dragoness turns around, opening her maw and releasing a concentrated blast of Convexity, cutting into the Dark Master’s beam of dark energy and splitting it in two. One beam would rip a gaping hole into an Ape skyship, blowing the vessel and its doomed crew to splinters as the other beam carves a building in two.

Faster than any draconic eyes could follow, the dragoness lets out a roar as she unleashes her power, cutting the purple dragon’s beam and sending her attack into the dragon. The Dark Master had no time to react as the beam impales him right into his chest, sending the dragon flying across the crater with the drag of his claws against the blood-stained earth. More blood drips from Ragnarok’s scales, darkening the ground like a poison to the bright and heavenly light that the purple dragoness brought.

In a battle lost to time, the purple dragoness would gaze upon a smouldering city where orcs, Dragons, drakes, and nameless creatures clashed in the thousands; waging war and dying in the shadow of two demigods. What had been a pillar of draconic civilization fell to the shadow of the first Purple Dragon, casting a doom upon all dragonkind. Everything depended on this very moment in the Fall of Silverhigh; the sacred home of the dragoness herself.

The dragonesses memories are swiftly interrupted as the Dark Master uses his power to violently surge into her with his mastery of Electricity. His horns sends the dragoness back several paces, her chest scales cracked in a surprise twist of elemental mastery. Yet, with the same arrest of power, the dragoness’s scales heal in an aura the female possessed. Her power enrages the Dark Master and they both meet in the sky as dark and light joined battle again.

In a flash of movement, the dragoness impales the Dark Master’s body with her claws, pinning him against the walls of the city’s Temple Grounds. The dragoness stares into the dragon, face to face. One of them a visage of pure and enlightened purple dragones… the other a darkened dragon of corrupted divinity… a once venerated dragon fallen to darkness and despair.

For several seconds, the dragon’s close, but slower than before… growing weaker. The Dragon’s blood oozes onto the female’s scales, the wall, and onto the sacred grounds of the temple.

“Die… release yourself from this torment!”


*_*


Aurelia paused as she was finishing with the scene she was writing. The crimson dragoness, looming several feet over her own human-made laptop, grunted in the overall style of her texts. Even casting a spell to have magical hands type on the device for her proved a challenge, for even dragons had writers block.

“Curse this block of words!”

Taking a sigh, the dragoness merely closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let steam flow out of her nostrils. Around her, students of all species and races moved around the library to hone their craft or complete their homework assignments… much like Aurelia was doing now. Sunlight filtered through stained-glass windows, giving the dragoness enough light to think of what to do next in this community college. The library resonated the history of how the races interacted in the Age of Beginnings all the way to the present day. Rows upon rows of towering bookshelves were filled with this history. Even the conflicts of old.

In the age of mankind, of their lords year of twenty and twenty-one, things were different as they were three centuries ago. It was a testament to the times, for dragons were no longer the machines of war, but like their counterparts to the East. They were revered for wisdom and insight unlike their Western cousins of blood and scale in ages past. America was a place where dragons like her were dwelling, including the state of Texas in the providence of the Alamo city. It was many a females home. The world had dwelled in many a conflict both civil, political, and martial.

But here, in this humble college, Aurelia never knew either.

The dragonesses claws tapped delicately against the floor while her magic wrote a story for her. She was an attuned creature of the world, bearing the gift of the universe’s wonders and natural sciences. All dragons were naturally affixed to this great power. And as the ethereal pair of hands weaved from a simple spell floated over the keyboard of her laptop. Aurelia had it type out the words of her most recent and favored ideas, another novel she was seeking to make. The essays assigned from yesterday’s historical lectures were easy to complete and turn in digitally… especially when she had lived through several of those events personally in the last three hundred years.

Aurelia was someone that was of a long line that extended to the Roman period. Her name was descendant to the mother of a great leader, Julius. Dragonesses like her were many in these parts, young in draconic youth, but as old as the nations that housed them. Some dragonesses were as old as Rome, but they were considered adults, broodmothers… ones who lifted their tails and continued the legacy of dragonkind.

Not that it didn’t stop young dragonesses like Aurelia anyways.

While Aurelia turned to her surroundings, she would begin to see a group of elven scholars nearby that debated the validity of a newly discovered star chart. Their slender fingers, adorned with delicate silver rings, pointed at shimmering constellations projected onto a nearby table. They wore clothes that blended traditional elven silks, each coated in glowing runes. Across the expansive hall, a trio of burly dwarven engineers were fixing several computers in a separate chamber.

That chamber was merely a room where alcohol was allowed on campus, and the dwarven employees of the school made sure to petition a workshop in it to provide maintenance and support for the whole campus. And already, there were several kegs of beer already drained.

A young man would be sitting across from Aurelia, meticulously sketching a griffin in mid-flight which referenced both ancient texts and his own… studies from a perched female presenting her hindquarters in a lewd photo. Instead of using the messy linings of traditional art on paper or canvas, the young man had drawn on a digital pad, just as the dragoness was writing via magic on her laptop.

“Still drawing your lover, Mark?” Aurelia humored in a light chort.

The young man, Mark, startled by her voice, snapped his head up. His face, usually a mask of calm focus, reddened. "Aurelia, seriously? Can you just… fuck off for once?" he mumbled, quickly minimizing the offending image on his digital pad.

Aurelia chuckled, a low rumble that vibrated through the library's quiet hum. "Oh, my dear Mark. Deny it as you might, your fervent attention to that particular subject matter speaks volumes. So, tell me, is she indeed your lover?"

Mark sighed, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "Yes, Aurelia. She is."

Aurelia's emerald eyes, usually sparkling with amusement, narrowed slightly. "Then why the long face, Mark? You are a truly gifted artist, and your… specialized subject matter clearly inspires you. Why wouldn't you capitalize on such talent? Do you not make money from these… depictions?"

Mark blinked, a confused expression replacing his earlier embarrassment. "Money? No, I just… I draw for myself. I don't take commissions or anything."

Aurelia stared at him, a slow, disbelieving shake of her head beginning. "Mark, you are an absolute imbecile. You will take commissions. I know hundreds of gryphon flocks, from the most modest of aeries to the wealthiest, who would pay a king's ransom for your particular artistic interpretations of their kind. Or perhaps a rich dragon, with a taste for such things, might find your work… inspiring enough to line your pockets." Her gaze intensified, a hint of ancient draconic imperative in her tone. "You are sitting on a goldmine, boy. It's time you started digging."

Mark spluttered, "Why would I do that? I just told you, I draw for myself."

Aurelia sighed, a puff of warm air that ruffled the pages of a nearby ancient tome. "Because, Mark, I am utterly weary of hearing your incessant complaints about your inability to afford proper gifts for that young hen you so clearly adore, and your endless lammering about tuition loans. It's truly becoming quite monotonous."

Mark's eyes widened slightly as he processed her words. He looked down at his digital pad, then back at Aurelia, a flicker of something akin to consideration in his gaze. "But... why didn't you say something before? Why let me struggle with all that?"

Aurelia shrugged, her massive shoulders shifting beneath her crimson scales. "I thought you would find a way, my dear. One often does, when sufficiently motivated. But it appears you are having a rather significant difficulty in the simple act of purchasing a suitable token for someone you profess to love, all while possessing a skill that would fill your coffers many times over. It is simply inefficient."

Mark sighed again, this time a long, drawn-out sound of resignation. "Fine, Aurelia, fine! You win. What exactly do you need me to do?"

Aurelia's emerald eyes gleamed with satisfaction. She closed her laptop with a soft click, the screen dimming. "Excellent. The first order of business, young Mark, is to establish your presence. No one can purchase your talents if they don't know you exist." She gestured with a claw toward his digital pad. "We will build you a proper portfolio."

Without further prompting, Aurelia's magical essence swirled, and her claws, no longer delicate, swiped over the keyboard of her laptop. "Firstly, a website needs to be made. It has to have a domain, which I will help you with making. I will set up the basic framework, purchase the domain and get your account information set up." Aurelia would access a website builder called ‘ScaleShare’ to create the website, forming the skeleton that would form the domain. "Next, social media. Not your personal accounts, mind you, but business profiles. Instagram, ArtStation, perhaps even a presence on a platform favored by your… particular subject matter." Her magical essence flickered, displaying a pair of hands that soon started typing on the keyboard at the dragonesses command… and new tabs opened, and tasks being taken care of at alarming speed.

"And finally," Aurelia continued, her voice gaining a strategic edge, "connections. You will engage with other artists, join online communities, and more. Networking is crucial, Mark. Especially when your clientele might be spread across continents."

She then paused, turning her laptop toward him. "The websites are drafted, the social media profiles are established. I have used temporary credentials for now. I will send you the access information, and you will, by sundown, personalize them. Your portfolio content, your descriptions, your artistic voice. All of it." Her gaze was firm. "Best of luck Mark, I shall be heading to class.”

Mark stared at the glowing screen of Aurelia's laptop, his mind reeling. The websites, the social media profiles were all laid out, clean and professional, a gateway to a world of potential income he'd never seriously considered. He looked up at the immense crimson dragoness… before nodding his head in thanks.

"Aurelia," he began, "I… I don't know what to say. Thank you." He gestured vaguely at the laptop. "This is… a lot. I'll get on it right away. Just don’t… tell anyone about this."

He carefully slid the laptop across the table towards her. Aurelia, with a delicate flick of her wrist, would take the laptop into her claw and rose it up to her chest. Her long, serpentine neck curved down, and she nudged a black duffel bag that rested beside her. The bag, which appeared to be made of some robust, dark fabric, looked like a small, unassuming accessory next to the massive dragoness.

Aurelia opened the bag with another almost imperceptible movement, her claws expertly manipulating the zipper. With a soft click, she deposited the laptop inside. Mark watched, fascinated as the bag swallowed the device without a visible bulge. He knew from experience that Aurelia’s "duffel bag" was more of a large magical bag of holding, capable of containing an absurd amount of material without seeming to gain weight or bulk. He'd once seen her pull out an entire set of ancient, leather-bound encyclopedias, followed by a full-sized gaming PC, all from that seemingly modest bag. Today, he suspected, it was laden with textbooks and technology for her classes, easily fifty pounds or more, yet she carried it as if it were empty.

"See that you do, Mark," Aurelia rumbled, her voice losing its strategic edge and returning to its usual playful tone. "A potential goldmine requires diligent excavation." She then stretched, her powerful limbs extending, and the library seemed to shrink around her. A low, contented sigh escaped her, a sound like wind through ancient caves. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I truly must depart. My 'IT Business Startup' lecture begins shortly, and Professor Eldrin has a particular fondness for punctuality."

Mark stood up, still feeling a bit dazed. "IT Business Startup classes? Seriously? What do dragons need with starting a business? Don’t you already own a mountain?"

Aurelia paused, her head tilted, a mischievous gleam in her emerald eyes. "Why, to better understand society, of course. And perhaps," she added, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "a means to have access to other pleasures in life… there’s so much you can do without simply watching YouTube videos."

She winked, a slow, reptilian blink, then turned to leave. Her immense tail, usually held with elegant poise, swished lightly, creating a soft whooshing sound that caused some papers to fly around. Students looked up, some with knowing smiles, others with annoyed glances.

Time to catch a class!

*_*

There was much to the community college that Aurelia would be able to see here. Besides the comfortable couches, cool water fountains, and the ease of access to the classrooms; the magical wards and runes of the building made it to where a technically small building on campus was actually bigger than the rest of the campus itself. Five minutes of straight walking was enough to tell that the building itself was at its peak census population.

A surprise for Aurelia, since this college opened up merely seven years ago.

After all, three school districts had local academic programs for the young students of the modern age anyways; which filled the college’s finances and budgets for countless decades. Even a distant dragoness like Aurelia could tell that such colleges like these would last a long time and grow to even greater heights. Just looking at the room expansion wards and glyphs were enough to tell that the campus had a great deal of funding to rapidly expand their institutional capacity…

The College of Dragonview was far off from the alamo city’s community college district and closer to the subdivisions that centered it on the northern side of town. It was by a lake and held a great view along the natural landscape bridging between the swamps of the Texan eastern coasts, and the long trek to the hill country west. Yet, there was one more thing that the campus had in abundance of in the local swamplands that were within its own natural reserves…

Dragons, dozens of them. Federally protected by ancient laws both of the Fae, the gods, and the void.

Still, the walk down the campus’s cool air conditioning and long stacks of hand sanitizers were a refreshing scent to catch onto. Places like these were new and had a way of making a dragoness like her feel like she was in paradise. Long taps of her claws soon gave way to the opening of a pair of metallic doors, leading outside where the academic building stuck out like a wizard’s watchtower.

That was when the harsh humidity of the coastal environment suckled into the dragonesses scales. Aurelia simply grunted in a choked cough as the pollen filled her maw as the heat cooked her fire-resistant scales, causing sweat to gloss along her hide as she walked out into the open. Countless dozens of young men and women of countless races passed by the dragoness as they tried to break past the searing heat of the peak afternoon sun. Elves, humans, dwarves, orcs, hell… even gryphons and lizardkin were cooking under the heat of the spring.

And making a rush to the academic building had begun when the dragoness rushed her pacing to the opening of the building. Aurelia would pass great statues of draconic soldiers rising over great hills, officers who stood by in the shades, and even the marching formations of the college’s ROTC program. Dragons and the smaller and wingless drakes were the ones who could withstand the constant heat of the coastal environment, and so they would be out there in mass.

One dragon, in particular, was leading a formation of fifty this time.

Tiberius. A black dragon with boundless scars all over his body and eyes redder than even Aurelia’s own scales. His gaze was far and wide, glaring upon the marching drakes and young dragons in his formation that panted and struggled to keep up with him in the marching throngs of his militaristic roars.

“We are the followers of our ancestors ways! Their blood flows through you, through me! Conquer this environment, as many have done before you! Some may be converts from man, elf, or otherwise… new to bearing the scale… now claim the blood that has been given to you! Fight this heat as I fight to know you! This is the will of Draconia!”

“This is the will of Draconia!” Roared the young dragons and drakes still strong enough to stand on their four legs.

Such words were once banned in the regulations of old America. Draconia, the home to all dragons and draconic beings. Where once there was the tower of Babbel for all mankind, same too for the race of dragon kind. Humanity was broken apart like their god had decreed, but with the nation of Draconia, it had merely faded into legend. No one knows what had happened to the dragon nation, only that it vanished in the rising conflicts of man and dragon.

Now a new dawn was beginning to emerge, starting with the rise of technology and magical innovation.

As the troop of drakes and dragons rushed through the hot concrete padding ahead of Aurelia, the black dragon Tiberius merely walked past her. His eyes glinted at her for a moment, looking her up and down in familiarity. In this passover, the dragon’s mouth simply stretched upwards and a toothy grin would emerge.

“Oh, we are getting together after class… you and me.” The deep and dominant voice of Tiberius spoke within Aurelia’s mind. “...Aurelia.”

“Tiberius, we’ve known each other since before Texas was a country. Of course we’ll have time to talk.” Aurelia sneered back at Tiberius, shaking her head at him in her regular tongue before flicking her crimson body away from him and making way to the academic building. However, feeling the mutual affection resonating in the dragonesses mind…

Aurelia simply hiked her tail upwards, revealing the sweaty and slick creases of what dwelled below. It was rewarding enough for a dragon two centuries of draconic companionship.

“Meet me in the swamps outside of campus after you are done with your classes… I’ll arrange a proper conversation.”