A sudden interruption

Ilithyia's eyes scanned the small crowd we formed, there near the cliffs. We were a strange group, but a Dragonfall tended to usher in strange times. It was always a time of change. A benevolent Great Dragon may unite and shelter many nations under their influence and be just as impactful to the world as a selfish one who simply took whatever they desired without concern for others. As the sixth such Great Dragon to grace the world of Elderia with my presence, it was my turn to leave a mark. And I would leave a mark, whatever I did. Beings as powerful as I simply couldn't help but stir things in their wake, no matter their choices.

The girl, barely a woman by rights and still childish in her approach to the world, managed to surprise me when she actually stopped to think about what I'd said. She looked at my other Companions. A fiery and zealous worshipper of the Ur-Wyrm, a beautiful scaleling Archmage who was quite possibly one of Ilithyia's subjects, and a luscious archdemoness-turned-sex-**** who was currently sucking on one of her own fingers.

"I don't like it." She said at last. "Why would you want to start a war? What benefit is there for you? Do you simply delight in carnage and chaos?" Ilithyia looked me over from head to tail. "A Purple Drake. Are you evil, Great Dragon? Come to destroy us for fun? Is the Scaled One punishing us by sending you to my home?"

Just then, a loud crack of thunder sounded nearby, accompanied by an unmistakable sensation of a powerful magical presence. Everyone turned to the direction of the sound.

A group of men and woman had arrived suddenly, maybe fifty feet from where my party stood. The ground beneath them had been seared into a polished stone disc about thirty feet across, carved with magical symbols and markings. Some kind of long-range teleportation stone?

Azralynn hissed and rushed to my shoulder, raising her hands into a defensive casting position. "Great Dragon! Hunters. From the Wyrmsblood Guild. They must be here for you." She looked at the Statis Sphere I still held where Yolfi remained trapped, then back to me. "They'd have seen your Dragonfall, then followed this magic."

Sephillia giggled excitedly, clapping and bouncing on her feet like a child. "Oh, yes. Finally something fun to do. May I kill them, Master? It's only six mages."

I released the Statis Sphere spell, allowing Yolfi to move again. She stumbled forward, confused for a moment, but quickly picked up on the tone of the group and noticed the hunters with a scowl. "Enemies."

"Yes, pet. Enemies." I said. "Please ensure the young Lady Ilithyia does not go anywhere. I want to meet these fools who would hunt a Great Dragon so boldly."

Yolfi latched onto Ilithyia's arm. "Of course." To her credit, Ilithyia did not make things harder for herself by struggling.

"Um... Great Dragon?" she called as I walked towards the hunters, and her voice was joined by Azralynn's.

"These hunters are not here for diplomacy, Great Dragon. They are trained Dragon killers. Specialists. We are in great danger! All of us." She glanced at Ilithyia. "Well, except maybe that one, if they're here on behalf of Cendoran nobility."

I looked at the scaleling. "They hunt using magic?"

She nodded. "Powerful magic, specialized for—"

I walked past her, ignoring her attempts to slow me down. "I am magic."

As I approached the hunters, they moved into a formation, with shield-carrying soldiers in the front and a semi-circle of mages spread out behind. Most of them were humans, but I did see one dwarf man and, unless I was mistaken, a kitsune woman among the soldiers. She met my eyes without fear, but there was something like wonder in them. And something else. Was it... pity? Remorse? What was she even doing in Andor? Her kind was from the other side of the world.

The male human in the middle spoke to me. "That's far enough, monster. I take it you are the Sixth Dragonfall?" His tone conveyed doubt as he surveyed my small band of Companions. "Is that Azralynn, the famous enslaver of dragons? What are you doing here? Don't tell me you wished on this Dragonfall..." He spat on the ground before him. "Disgraceful."

The scaleling lifted her chin defiantly. It was hardly the first time she'd been goaded or insulted by men like him but I could tell his words had an impact. Her entire life had depended on people believing the stories she told.

"I am the Sixth. And you are intruding. If you are come to kill me, you are misguided. I will not be merciful to those who come into my domain with weapons in their hands and **** in their hearts. If, instead, you have come for a much wiser purpose, state it now. Or surrender. Or die."