The raven squawked and fluttered away as the skeletal figure got up off the throne. “Blast,” he said as he walked forward a few steps. “So they’ve got someone helping them, eh? Someone of great power it would seem.” He looked up at the two humans.
Both of them were tied to a large revolving disc made of bone, high up in the air. They found themselves upside down as it spun around. One of them opened their mouth to let out a scream.
“Oh, do be quiet, would you?” the figure shouted up. “I haven’t got time for your nonsense.”
The other man shouted down. “Please. We’re sorry. We’ll work with you, we’ll help you! Please!”
The skeletal man thought for a moment. “And what, exactly, can you offer me? hmm?”
The man who’d asked the question closed his eyes tight to prevent sweat from his forehead from entering them. He rasped a ragged breath. “Anything.”
“Very well.” With a swish of the his hand, the disc stopped revolving, and the two men’s ropes were untied. They fell to the ground, sending up a cloud of grey ash.
The skeletal man sat back down on his throne, and the raven joined him once more. “Come,” he gestured to the men.
The two men dusted themselves off and gripped at the area on their wrists where the rope had been tied. Hesitantly, they moved forward, stepping through piles of broken bones and skulls. “Who … who are you?” Arkanius asked.
The man let out a guttural laugh. And then said, “My name is Adavanta. I am the ruler of this realm. Three hundred years I’ve moped around this wretched bone yard. Why you ask? Well, someone needs to guard this much power. That’s me.”
Ruthal scratched his chin. “Right. You’re the keeper of the Red Dragon. I see.”
Adavanta raised an eyebrow. “Well, aren’t you the intelligent one?” He laughed.
Arkanius got down on his knees. “I’m – we’re sorry, lord. Please let us serve you, to right our wrongs. It was stupid of us to try and steal your power.”
Adavanta laughed again. “My power? Man, this isn’t my power. This is simply THE power, and it needs protecting from idiots like you. That’s all.”
Arkanius frowned. “Sure, got it.”
Ruthal thought for a moment. “You said something before you freed us, about someone getting help? What was that about?”
Adavanta sighed. “There are people who wish to steal this power for themselves. I – well, we … can’t let that happen. The power of the Red Dragon in a mortal’s hands could be devastating. I sent some of my minions to these people, so I could see the scene in my mind. They have found help, from a great mage.”
Ruthal’s eyes opened wide. “Let us take care of them for you, lord.”
“You two? You wouldn’t be able to handle this. I fear we require help from elsewhere, and in that, you CAN help.”
“Anything,” Arkanius said. “Name it.”
Adavanta leaned closer to the two men. “Ever heard of Dark Dragons?”
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