City of Sin

News From Far Away

Richard’s demiplane had grown several fold in the months he hadn’t seen it, now at a diameter of over 500 metres. However, on it was a new teleportation gate that had never existed before, thirty metres tall with a hint of mystery around it. The frame was in different shades of blue, made purely out of energy but still looking tangible like any other permanent gate.

There was only one person in all of Norland who could build a portal like this, but why would Sharon suddenly make a portal on his demiplane? Richard walked through the icy portal, immediately arriving at a beautiful world that was nearly fifty kilometres wide with energy-absorbing trees lining the edge. In the distance was a mountain made entirely of magic crystal, pools of liquid energy surging down into various ponds below. These pools then formed a vast lake at the foot, the water so concentrated it could be used as a mana potion.

In another corner was a hexagonal mountain floating in mid-air, filled with caves that made it look like a beehive. Within were all sorts of different dragons; this was a small weyr! However, it looked like larger dragons would barely be able to squeeze themselves in, finding it difficult to turn over.

Richard’s heart slowly started beating faster as he looked to the sky, seeing the pitch black void. This was a demiplane, that of a legendary mage. The owner’s identity was obvious, but she was nowhere to be seen.

He looked at the palace and portal in the centre of the demiplane, where he could see a dozen elven puppets. They were now all on the ground, as if in a deep sleep. A chill appeared in the depths of his heart, his limbs grinding to a halt as his entire body went cold. Even his legs lost their strength, leaving him crumpling to the ground.

It took a long time to be able to gather his wits, staggering towards an elven puppet that had collapsed to the ground. Turning her over, he inspected her to find a soft breath. It was still alive, just unconscious.

Sharon was in trouble! These puppets were tied to Sharon’s soul, able to move entirely according to her whims. Using them was quite convenient, but they relied on a small thread of their master’s soul to function. They would collapse the moment they lost their connection.

At this point, it was obvious that Sharon had set up that portal long ago, making sure it would appear on his demiplane in case her own connection to it was lost. The portal to the Deepblue had also been sealed off, which made it clear that it was being handed over to him.

Richard felt like his body had turned to stone, unable to move it at all. He desperately tried to clear his mind, but an image stubbornly rose from the depths of his memories. It was the fragment of a future, of a legendary mage floating in the boundless darkness in eternal sleep. She floated away further and further, disappearing into the depths.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” He howled like a beast, his throat ripping open with the sheer force he put into it. Blood started pouring out of his mouth, but he kept going until he couldn’t even stand anymore. His bloodshot eyes finally saw the ground as his neck went limp, just in time for his knees to crash into the ground.

Millions of images ran through his mind, each one involving Sharon disappearing into the depths of that cold darkness. He had to use both hands to keep himself from falling prone, but even so it took five minutes for his fingers to twitch and form fists. His joints kept squeaking, as though he was a rusty machine.

What could only be called a zombie finally got up, staggering to the lake at the foot of the crystal mountain and dunking its head in. It swallowed large gulps of the liquid within, slowly returning to life.

The dragons in the weyr had all noticed Richard by this point, quieting down as they watched him in silence. Amongst them was a special existence; small, agile, and absolutely adorable, but also much more deadly than the rest. Tiamat’s eyes were fixated upon Richard, her own mind lost in thought.

A black dragon soon peeked out of his nest, speaking softly in draconic tongue, “That kid’s the one who inherited this demiplane, right? He looks weak, we can kill him and get our freedom back! We’ll also get all of Sharon’s wealth! What do you think, my Lady?”

Tiamat gave no immediate answer, just staring at Richard without blinking. Her eyes flickered in thought, but as the black dragon pressed on she suddenly turned around and crawled back into her nest, “I’m tired, do whatever you want!”

The former Prime Evil quickly started snoring, leaving the dragon gritting his teeth in anger. How could anyone fall asleep so quickly? However, Tiamat was far stronger than him so he didn’t dare say much. All he could do was turn and glare at Richard, eyes sparkling with killing intent.

There were other dragons with that same glint in their eyes, but Sharon’s restraints were quite sturdy. Most of the dragons just couldn’t leave the weyr at all, only given the freedom to move around for a limited amount of time in a day. Still, the few that could move now were already preparing to, but Sharon’s might was fresh in their minds and they couldn’t help but wonder about the beating if she suddenly returned.

By this point, Richard was done drinking and started gasping hard by the lake. He had been injured grievously before, and the sudden influx of mana injured his body further. However, he suddenly straightened up and a thin blue layer of flames appeared on the surface of his body, blazing so hot that even the fire dragons were intimidated by the sight.

He finally got up, blue flames leaping around his body with a powerful aura of destruction around it. Every single one of the dragons shivered, feeling like they were staring death in they eye. They were filled with fear of an unknown power that they could do nothing against, some of the weaker ones collapsing to the ground.

Many of the dragons that had felt like they could eat Richard in one bite were unable to even move, frozen in place with terror. They couldn’t even stand, bowing out of fear to a superior being. Tiamat was the only one still snoring loudly in her nest, but if one looked closely they would see that her snout was trembling and her four little paws were digging into the ground.

Richard silently stared at his reflection in the lake, his handsome figure distorted by the heat of the blue flames. They were suddenly pulled back into his body without a single trace, grass sprouting from the barren land under his feat.

The sudden appearance of dense life force stunned the watching dragons, the stark contrast especially jarring to their senses. However, Richard turned before they could react and swept his gaze across them, “I’m pissed right now, you bastards. Anyone who comes over will die.”

The dragons felt humiliated by this threat; even with their pride stemmed a little by Sharon, they considered themselves supreme beings. Many of them had been waiting for a chance to rebel, and this seemed like the perfect chance.

Richard headed straight into the weyr, faint light flashing in his hands as a sapphire scroll dropped from the sky. All of the dragons started breathing roughly, sensing their own souls in that scroll.

This was the contract that gave one control over all dragons in the city. As long as they obtained and destroyed it, they would be free!