Wind rushed through his entire body, slamming through his armour and against him, thundering against his ears. He clutched tightly at Entalia’s scales as his heart shuddered within his chest, his entire body as cold as ice as they soared through the air. His gauntlets dug into his skin, causing him to wince. The air was too much for him, causing him to gasp as his lungs burned needily. He slapped Entalia’s back, who began to slow down in the sky.

“Is everything okay?” Entalia asked, her voice filled with uncharacteristic worry.

“I couldn’t breathe,” Adam gasped aloud.

“I should have warned you. The first few moments need to be harsh and quick, otherwise the flight will become awkward.”

“It’s alright. Are we going to fly like this then?” Adam asked, reaching out to her neck spikes, giving him more leverage. He looked out over her shoulder, his eyes blinking as the air began to part around her body. The air whistled as they flew, though he eventually tuned the sound out.

“If it doesn’t bother you. This pace works well for me."

The white and grey under them passed by, blurring together. Adam’s eyes remained glued to the landscape, which seemed so far away. He wondered if he could survive a drop, and then clutched at her spikes a little harder. His eyes then fell to her body. She was beautiful. Long and slender, her silver scales catching the light and glittering. Her spikes along the back of her neck weren’t too long, they came out to be about the same size as the tip of his finger to his wrist. They were sturdy too, though he didn’t try to tug or snap, in case it hurt her.

This felt very different to when he looked through his familiar’s eyes. On Entalia’s back, he still felt as though he not in control, but there was something more domineering about his position. His adventuring heart filled with something, fulfilling a desire he never knew he had. No. He knew he had this desire, he just hadn’t expected it so soon.

He was riding a dragon.

The blood in his body grew hot with excitement, and his heart continued to pound wildly. He clutched at Entalia a little tighter and then pulled back so he could sit on her. The wind rushed against his armour, and Entalia seemed to slow. He could feel how the wind pushed him back, so he laid forward again.

“Your armour is not designed to be flown in,” Entalia said.

“There’s armour designed to be flown in?”

“That is how you humans are, aren’t you? Always wishing to conquer what you set your sights on, including the skies…” Entalia’s voice was laced in sarcasm. “There has been some armour made when human’s conquered our lessers, the wyverns. There have been few dragon riders in history, and very few who rode dragons who were willing.”

Adam was surprised to learn the little tid bit from Entalia. “How long ago was the last dragon rider?”

“I do not know exactly,” she said. “There may be some who have yet to grace my ears in this time, but very few have ridden upon me.”

“Then I would like to thank you for such an honour.”

“Do not worry, I’ll be taking more than your thanks soon enough.”

Adam swallowed. “You know, Entalia, you are quite the woman.”

Entalia laughed a hearty laugh, which flowed out like music. “I hope you remember that.”

Adam kept holding her tight as they flew. After a while Entalia dropped down to land on the ground.

“What’s wrong?” Adam asked, dropping down and then stretching his body.

“We have no harness, so flying will hurt you if we fly for too long.”

Adam raised his brows. She was right, for his body was already filled with a low ache. He stretched out his fingers and then walked around in a circle, moving his body this way and that.

“I need to buy more comfortable armour.” Adam frowned to himself.

“With how much coin you have, I’m sure you can afford it.”

“It’s the time,” Adam replied. “I didn’t have much time to go and get some made, and I’m not sure if I could afford Thundersmith’s prices.”

“I am sure the dwarf would be willing to work with you if he can see your talents.”

“My talents?”

Entalia smiled, revealing her toothy maw. “Your outstanding abilities which no single man should possess. You’ll be taken advantage of if you keep revealing so much to others. Some, like myself, can smell it on you.”

Adam shuddered. “You can smell it on me?”

“Not quite smell, but it’s the best way to describe it. I can smell, taste, see and envision your strength. It is the ability of dragons that we can sense such things, we do hold such a connection to the arcane after all.” Her toothy maw widened and her eyes slanted, her face playful in her smugness.

“Aren’t you taking advantage of me too?” Adam asked. “Accepting my offer for a favour and then taking my blade.”

“You offered both, and I gladly accepted the offers. Only a fool would decline such a delicious offer, and I am no fool, my little Adam.”

“I’m not your little Adam.”

“Not yet.” Her smile only grew with each passing moment.

Adam shook his head. “How far have we travelled so far?”

“About sixty miles,” she said.

“What?” Adam gasped. “Sixty miles?” That was roughly five days of travel in the snow. “You did that?”

“Yes I did,” she said. “I can usually travel quicker, but I need to keep you safe.”

“Shouldn’t the cold be affecting me?” Adam asked. “I don’t feel too cold.”

“You are still wearing their cloak,” Entalia noted, motioning her long head towards him.

Adam looked at the flashing yellow around himself. “Oh… right.” Adam wrapped his cloak around himself again as they relaxed for a short while. “How long until we’re at the village, do you know?”

“We are more than a third of the way there, so a little past noon and we should arrive if my estimation is correct.” Entalia lay on the snow, letting it cover her body. She melted against it with the quiver of a smile.

Soon they were off again, the wind rushing against him again as he shuddered with pain before the flight finally calmed again. Adam spied a few ruins as they flew, some of which seemed to still hold a little life. There was even an arrow that was shot nearby, not at them, but near enough to let them know to stay away. Entalia’s giggle shook Adam, who clutched her even tighter since it had vibrated through his body.

Entalia landed down, shaking slightly as she looked at Adam. “Trouble,” she said.

“Where?” Adam grabbed his javelin, since he no longer had his magical sword. His eyes darted from side to side.

“Not here, ahead,” Entalia said. “The village.”

“The village?!” Adam gripped his javelin tighter. “We need to…” He looked at Entalia, who had fallen into the snow. She was panting for air, stretching her entire form. Even his body was feeling the ache of riding on her for so long. He nodded his head at her, and she closed her eyes, inhaling the air deeply.

“I may be a dragon, but I am still a maiden. It has been so long since I have taken this form, and…” Her eyes flashed open in alarm and Adam turned around, javelin still in hand. Yet nothing approached. He looked back to her, and she relaxed again. “Isn’t that how you humans are?” She had changed the subject quite obviously. “You allow your women to remain at home to take care of such necessities, crippling half of your potential?”

“Well…” Adam froze. He probably shouldn’t talk too much about his own world. “That has been changing. Women have been taking prominent positions recently. My mother was a powerful elf woman.”

Entalia opened an eye. “Your mother?”

“Yeah?” Adam wondered if there was something weird about what he said.

“Which mother?” She smirked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you are a machination of that chaotic god, aren’t you?” Her lips grew into a smugger smirk.

Adam had forgotten that Entalia knew quite a bit about him. He narrowed his eyes and then nodded his head. “Well… anyway.”

She closed her eyes again, leaving the matter be thankfully. “You humans are a weird lot.”

“I’m only half a human anyway.”

“Indeed you are,” she said. “The other half smells of someone I once knew.”

Adam snapped his head towards her. “What?”

“Please do not ask. I was respectful in letting you remain silent with yours.”

“Fine.”

Entalia seemed to hold a lot of secrets. He’d need to remain in her good graces to peel them away from her. They rested for a short while before Entalia stretched out her entire body and then crawled over to him, letting him leap over her body. Then they were off, soaring into the sky.

They didn’t remain in the sky for quite as long as they were already quite close to the village. The sun had been at high noon when they had flown, and was still fairly close to it as they saw the village. The mountain face had been caved in on one side, and the rock had been destroyed as though a hundred battering rams had crushed it.

“Oh my god,” Adam whispered as they landed in the ruined village. He looked around to see the familiar houses now turned to broken twigs.

“The smell of the My’dai is prominent as well as…” Entalia sniffed the air. “Hmmm. A strange smell. It is blocked to my senses.”

“Something that’s trying to block their scent?”

“No, not just their scent, their entire being, or beings.”

“So someone who knows you are here?” Adam asked.

“Not exactly. Some mages try to block their scent always. Not their scent, but their… being. It’s hard to explain to a mortal who hasn’t been a dragon.”

“Well sorry for being a mortal who isn’t a dragon. One day I’ll turn into a dragon to make it easy for you.”

Entalia stopped a snort and coughed out some ice. “You are such an interesting little one!”

“So they’re not necessarily hiding themselves against you?”

“Perhaps they are. They may know that I roam these lands, so they may have taken some measures against me.”

“That sounds dangerous…”

“We will have to keep it in mind. The easiest measure are a set of dragon slaying arrows, which will affect me quite harshly, though if I transform, they will affect me less.”

“I’ll try and keep an eye out for someone like that then,” Adam said. A dragon slaying arrow was a powerful tool. Ylra had bought some, and they were ridiculously powerful. If only he had the ability to use them well, then he’d probably keep a few with him.

They continued to explore the ruins, finding no skeletons around. “They didn’t kill anyone?” Adam whispered.

“It seems not,” Entalia agreed, sniffing the area and then licking the rock nearby. “They stayed here for a night and then continued.”

“The mud giants?” Adam asked.

“Yes. They had spent the night and they quickly continued on. They left the morning previous.”

Adam recalled his dream. That had been today, so it must not have been about them attacking the village. Unless…

“Have they caught up?” he whispered. It carried along with the wind until it touched Entalia’s ears.

“I don’t know,” she said. “There are…” She sniffed the air a few times and then examined the floor. “Fifty mud giants.”

“What?!” Adam gasped. Fifty mud giants? ‘That’s insane…’

‘Oh ho ho ho!’ Bandlor’s voice boomed into Adam’s mind. ‘I had not expected so many!’

‘That’s way too many, isn’t it?’

‘It is! I doubt the village could survive, unless they receive the help of another dozen Iyrmen.’

Adam looked to Entalia. “Are there any other Iyrmen around?”

Entalia licked the air and shook her head. “Just ten.”

“Ten?” Adam asked. There weren’t that many last time. “Yes, ten.” She nodded. “There were twelve,” she said. “Two have passed recently.”

“Was it the giants?”

“Most likely.”

Adam clicked his teeth. “Damn it. That sucks.” Adam sat down on a small rock and then rubbed his face with his hands. “Can we handle so many mud giants with how many people we have?”

“With the humans assisting us, it would be quite difficult. Also…”

“This unknown force.” Adam sighed. “This is going to be troublesome… do you have any idea at all what they might be?”

“Mages. Demi-gods. Other dragons.”

“All of them powerful and very bad news.” Adam said, kicking a piece of rubble away. The people had left a few of their things, though most of it was destroyed. He grabbed a small cluster of dirt as he looked around. The wind was still like death.

Entalia continued to snoop around, trying to ascertain something else from the area. Adam remained sitting down, waiting for her to finish with her investigation. He looked up towards the open sky and noticed how grey it was. A small smile fell across his face.

‘Grey,’ he thought. ‘Just like home.’ He looked around himself. ‘This could have been how it ended up after everything that happened…’ Adam sighed and then rubbed his face.

“We should continue,” Entalia said as she approached him. There was a wariness in her eyes, they darted about as though trying to find an unseen enemy.

“What’s wrong?” Adam asked, reaching down to grab his javelin.

“There is a darkness near us,” she said, swiftly leaping to him to wrap around his body.

“How near?” Adam asked quietly.

“Close.”

Adam tried to put away his javelin quickly, but dropped it. Somehow the sound echoed around, hitting Entalia’s scales and bouncing off of them to the walls, growing even louder away. She looked at him and Adam frowned. He threw an apologetic look before he dropped down to grab at the javelin.

Then there was a flash of light, and Adam covered his eyes. He grabbed at the javelin and then slowly began to stand. His eyes snapped around all over, but he didn’t need to look for too long. There, standing atop the peaks of the broken encirclement of rock, were two figures. One was large and boxy, the other much thinner. The sun was gently cresting above them, causing their faces to be darkened.

“Oh my, lookit what we have brothers. A dragon and a boy,” the thinner man said.

“I’ve heard that story before,” the boxy man said. “I don’t like it.”

“Father will be annoyed we’ve taken too long to gather the souls.”

“Will he be happy with a dragon’s soul?”

“Oh, he will be.”

A flash of light covered the area as two bolts of lightning struck the earth around both Entalia and Adam.

‘Oh damn it!’ Bandlor exclaimed into Adam’s mind.