Dragon Onslaught

"There weren’t always dragons in the valley, said Jaurus, the seasoned Guardian, looking absently at his mead cup while playing with his long black braid. In fact, it's said that, many cycles ago, we humans were the masters of our domain and our destiny." Rookie Guardian Hope had heard the story before, of course, but she still enjoyed hearing about the legends of old and listened intently to the tale told by her mentor.

"Ages ago, back when humans and Spirits were still allies, a pact was made between the two races. The Spirits would bless humans with a fraction of their powers and in return, the blessed would take care of this world's balance. Provided that they accomplished their part of the accord, men and women would have the means to take charge of their fate. Infants were chosen by Spirits before their birth and were gifted with unique abilities. These blessed children would come into the world during special events. Their Guide would help them unleash and understand these blessings and how to use them to keep the Onslaught at bay. But, as it's usually the case, some of the Blessed became intoxicated by the powers given to them. One particularly gifted Blessed was named Adeus. He was born during a solar eclipse, strayed from the path of Balance. He had the exceptional ability to detect one's deepest desires and to contol minds. "Why serve when I can be obeyed?" he mused. With diligent practice, he honed his abilities and before long, he managed to corrupt the very Guide that bestowed him with his gift. In the process, he all but absorbed the life force of his benefactor stealing his powers in the process. With this added boon he tried to hoist himself above the Pact. Using his incomparable powers, he turned many humans to his cause subtly at first and more and more brazenly as his confidence grew. His treachery was finally discovered but the Spirits, while some were angered by Adeus’ actions, most were saddened by it. Maybe humans were not worth the effort? Maybe the Onslaught should take place? Thus, the Pact was broken. While some Spirits decided to remain and to keep blessing an individual every few generations, the vast majority left humanity to its fate." 

Hope was more than aware of what came next. The winged demons of death and destruction continued their relentless assaults on human settlements. With fewer and fewer blessed Guardians to fend off the attacks, the Dragon Onslaught kept gaining ground. The lush fields of the valley which provided food for the past generations were now a distant memory. The remaining humans were forced to flee their fertile lands into the barren mountains. Now residing inside caves and ancient mineshafts, humanity had to scrape a living through foraging and hunting. Dragons were bad but with the Onslaught also came the drake-kins, humanoid lizardmen keen on slaying humans in the name of their Dragon Lords. Bigger, faster and stronger than the average man or woman, they often made incursions in the mountains hunting and killing any human unlucky enough to be found, adding yet another hardship to their already perilous life.

Her mind wandered as she contemplated the harsh reality that is now her kind’s daily existence. She was so deeply lost in thoughts that she didn’t notice the four individuals who just arrived. "Still boring the young one with tales of the past, are you?" asked one of the newcomers. Hope recognized the voice, it was Vanguard, one of the few remaining Guardians; born during a volcanic eruption, Vanguard had the ability to generate and control fire at will. "He’s not boring me sir! I truly enjoy hearing about what once was." muttered Hope startled by the sudden appearance of the group. "Relaxe little one, Vanguard is only teasing our old brother-in-arms" said Eldee, another veteran Guardian.

"We had to pass the time somehow bothers. It took so long for you and your pupils to get here." said Jaurus wryly looking at his partners with a smile. Eldee smiled and replied solemnly, "Well, now that everyone is ready, we might as well start our hunt, the food reserves are really low and the night is not getting any younger."

It was safer to hunt at night. Humans noticed with time that the Dragons had a more trouble spotting them from the sky in the shadows and the drake-kins also had poor nightvision. Armed with bows and spears, the hunting party prowled in the forest at the foot of the mountains. Being born during a shooting star rain, Hope could see as clearly in the darkest night as if it was the brightest day. This ability by itself was a huge advantage for night hunts. She easily spotted to hares and with her uncanny speed and accuracy, also believed to be bestowed by her Guide, she bagged both of them before the hares even noticed the hunters.

After hunting for a while, skulking between the trees, the party heard what seemed like sounds of a fight occuring nearby. Following the noise, the quickly found a band of five drake-kins beating… something. "They are too close to our hunting grounds and they might have captured a human, whispered Jaurus, we need to dispose of them."

Jaurus, born during a lightning storm, launched himself at superhuman speed, tackling one of the lizardmen down. Holding him on the ground, he put his left hand on the forehead of his enemy and shot lightning through his skull.

The commotion alerted the drakins but before they could react, Vanguard shot streams of flames hitting two opponents on their scaly bare chests, the heat was of such intensity that they were carbonized within seconds.

The remaining two quickly spotted the firewielder and charged him baring their claws and fangs. Half a step before they reached their prey, they were riddled with a hail of sharp stones. Eldee, born during an earthquake, saved Vanguard in the nick of time.

With the drake-kins dispatched, the party approached the being that was badly beaten previously. It was a humanoid yet, neither a human nor a drake-kin. It had traits reminding of a human but it was tall, freakishly so, Hope thought, she assessed it was probably close to eight feet tall, it was thin yet obviously muscular. Its hears were long and ending in sharp points which was also weird but it was the blood that stood out the most… Blue blood.

"It’s still breathing! said Larinna, born on a blessed monsoon and adept at healing wounds as easily as a seamstress would mend clothes, But my gift does not seem to have any effect on this… this man." She put her hands over the many wounds, the cuts and bruises would start to heal but then reopened or swelled again. Eldee, Larinna’s mentor put his hand on her shoulder and told her "We can’t stay here, more drakins might be on their way or the Spirits forbid, a Dragon."

"Should we take this… person back with us?" asked Hope. "Yes little one, answered Vanguard calmly, something tells me that Fate might be handing us a chance at redemption…" Bram, Vanguard’s pupil, awkwardly lifted the injured stranger on his shoulders and the hunters steadily but slowly made their way back home with a little bit of food and many questions.