Even with their god sleeping, turmoil raged within Verzak. The Twin Arch-Dragons ruled from the mouth of Ragnagedon’s cave. A testament of their strength. Within the Verzakian Dragons were gathering ever more. Joining the horde that Lira and Thesan called for. The later Arch-Dragon particulary was in a foul mood the last few days. His scars were an eternal reminder that he was bested by the hydra god. In the early days of his existence, several dragons taunted and challenged him. That stopped after the first skull got crushed below his leg. Now very few dared to even snarl at him. In the meantime Lira has ruled as nothing short of a queen. Unchallenged, undenied, her rule was absolute. With the merest command she could whip the dragons in a frenzy.

Deep within the central cave laid Ragnagedon in a restless slumber. Even adrift in his own mind, Ragnagedon never stopped observing the world around him. When a few fires died in a particulary confusing way he knew something was off. Something greater than he thought. With a voiceless command he whipped his dragons into a frenzy and commanded his Arch-Dragons. Outside several vulcanic explosions heralded their leave. Both Arch-Dragons quickly understood what they had to do and took flight. Behind them the others were quick to follow. Flying through the smoke filled air of Verzak, the horde grew fast behind them. Until all of the Verzakian Dragonflight was away. Traveling north-east.
[hr] They arrived just in time to see Drakairos do its thing and laughed. Through their eyes Ragnagedon witnessed the attempted destruction. But when the fire turned to maple leaves, he let out a roar of laughter. Which echoed through all dragons present. For now he stayed his hand and the dragons obeyed, pulling back towards a safer distance. A mountainside. They were swift to claim the terrain from the natural predators. “Let us see what the three headed thief-god will accomplish.” Thesan said. His eyes ever fixating his nemesis. Lira was focused on other things though. “What’s that tiny thing down there?” She asked. The mere confusion prompted three dragons to fly off the mountain side and go into the dangerous aura to investigate the tiny disturbance.
[hr]These were different dreams he had. In the past Ragnagedon dreamed of a high gate taunting him and a world aflame. It was a dream made by the barren world Ragnagedon had found himself  in. Right after  he was born. Now his dreams were different. He saw the night sky above and below a valley filled with tents. A hundred fires were gently burning and burning away Oao’s domain. Behind him though, there was something different. Small, hidden embers and people all around them. Talking in hushed whispers. The sense of serenity Ragnagedon felt quickly vanished as he recognized one person. Fir, the first of his followers. The fire god had seen the man’s fate unfold with every prayer. A faint grin formed on his lips.
[hr]
“Still nothing?” Ghoran had been trying to interrogate his heretic prisoner for the past ten days now but the woman was more stubborn than his own wife. Even when starved for days she never said a word. In fact, she never even lost the defiant fire in her eyes. The sort of gaze that made very clear that she wanted to kill him. “You have to realize it is hopeless.” He continued on. At the very least she did appear to listen. “We outnumber you ten to one. There will never be a fight. Just a slaughter.”

Esif kept her lips sealed. She would never give in. Not even after the torture they subjected her to just because she killed a bear. A supposed holy animal for their god. What idiot god kept a bear as holy animal? Still, she remained faithful to her master and her god.

“At least tell us what sort of mad god you’d worship that makes you burn so much and suffer so much. He must not care for you at all, looking at those scars. They’ve made you ugly.” Ghoran said, pointing at the one just below her eye.

Out of all the scars he could point at, he pointed at the one she had before she followed Fir. The memory of it only made her seethe more. Until she could bear  his ignorance no more. “Ragnagedon.” She whispered.

“What’s that?”

“Ragnagedon is my god and he loves me. He has set me free from men like you.”

Ghoran rose up. Those were the first words the woman spoke and they were sneered at him. Still, he knew more and he had to report it. Or he would if the sudden loud scream from outside didn’t distract him. He ran outside to see a tent fully ablaze. Men were fleeing away from it while others with buckets of water ran towards it. “What happened!?” Ghoran yelled but none of the men were from his tribe. He ran towards the great flames when suddenly another tent, right of him, burst into massive flames. “What is happening!?” he repeated. 

“Fire! Fire! Ghoran!” he heard screaming from a distance. One of his warrior ran towards him yelling: “Fire!” Out of breathe he collapsed before his chieftain. “My lord! Lord! Fire! Everywhere! They walk amongst the fire! They’re mad!”

Ghoran looked up, just in time to see what his own man was talking about it. Men in masks and covered in mud walked between the burning tents. Throwing torches and leaving hot coals on the ground. Every man, woman or child they encountered they killed and let the blood drip into the flames.

“Attack!” Ghoran yelled as he made a mad dash back towards his own tent ring. His warriors were already picking up their weapons. “Go south! Protect the tents! Kill the masked ones!” His warriors did as commanded, after which Ghoran rushed into his own tent.

Where he coughed Esif cutting her bounds with his bronze sword. For a second they looked each other in the eyes with wide disbelief before Ghoran leapt for the blade and Esif leapt for his neck. She was fast. With one move she could jump almost over him. But he caught her midair and made her fall. Quickly he slashed towards her but she rolled away in time. With both her feet she kicked him away from her and jumped up. The next moment she was running outside. Ghoran was in fast pursuit. Outside tents all around were burning while people screamed. Canvas was painted red with blood. “Kill them all!” Ghoran yelled to every warrior passing him. Having no idea what tribe they were. There were no more tribes in this pandemonium.

He couldn’t find Esif at first. Until she suddenly appeared behind him and threw both of her wrists over his shoulders. She hung from his back as she tried to strangle him with the bounds. While Ghoran was slashing backwards again and again. Eventually her weight and his weakening muscles made him collapse on his knees. Esif reacted quickly and threw her full weight upon his back. Knocking him against the ground. She kept strangling him as she headbutted him again and again. Letting a vicious scream every time she hit  him. Ghoran below her tried to fight it. But the dizziness began to take over. When blood began to pool below him, his vision blurred. Then everything went black.

It wasn’t a clean kill and it wasn’t a cheap one eather. Esif finally managed to cut her bounds. Something hot ran off her brow and down her cheek. Still, with stolen bronze blade in hand she began to make her way towards the thick of the chaos. Leaping up in the air and onto a tribesman back before cutting open his back. Then she found Fir. Who looked almost overjoyed when he saw her. “Esif! You’re still alive! Help me kill these curs!” He said as he slapped an enemy with his fire staff and setting him on fire with the liquid in the bowl.

Esif continued doing what she did best. Fighting with the raw savagery of a cat and Fir witnessed it well. Her capture and imprisonment did nothing to temper her apparently. For the first time in a very long time Fir felt proud. No, more, he felt love. Love for a second daughter he could find. But the situation around them was dire at best. Even with all the chaos and the burning and flames, the enemy was still outnumbering them greatly.
[hr] The god of fire watched his closest follower intensely. The battle wasn’t going well. Not anymore. Chaos was being worn down. There was only so much you could do with the element of surprise. For a human, Fir was remarkably resilient. Yet he was inching closer and closer to his breaking point with every raider slaughtered. Ragnagedon wanted nothing more than to know what this mortal would do once everything became utterly hopeless.