Filled with disgust, Bael moved on to the great lair of Pyros, slinking into its dark and moist cave, down into the cool dark depths of the planet. His footsteps made not a sound as he stalked towards the slow and loud breathing of a gargantuan beast deep in slumber. He could see the shimmer of something red to his right and started moving towards it when the breathing suddenly stopped. Bael held his ground but stumbled backwards when fire lit up the cave.
There, lying before him was the Great Pyros. The Blood Dragon of legends. She was well over five hundred feet long, her neck thick with scales and muscle, her wings folded tightly to her sides, talons curving wickedly and tail curled around her body. Her eyes were a fierce orange red flame as she gazed down at him with an untold wisdom in her eyes.
“Who…are you..?” her voice was that of music when heard in the tongues of demons or creatures such as his own.
“I am the demon Bael and I have come for your Ruby Eye. I was sent to collect it by my brother who stole my kingdom from me. If I return with it I get back what is rightfully mine. So please, Great Pyros, would you let me take your precious gem but for a month, I promise you it will be returned just as it is now.”
“You speak boldly for one so small….yet I see truth in your words. But how am I to be sure that you are with you word? You shall do a trial for me. Go out in my lands and find for me the Clan of the Dark Skins…among them is the pale one. Bring me the pale one and you may have my Ruby Eye. But fail and you will either die out there or go home empty handed and most likely killed.”
Bael sighed but accepted the offer, since he wasn’t going to get a better offer. He went out immediately and after half a days tracking he came upon the clan which Pyros had spoken of. They were interesting beings to look upon. All seeming very similar to the ‘humans’ of the planet Earth, but their skin was black or other various dark colours and they had many tattoos and piercings of bright colors. They seemed savage, but this was just their culture.
The Dark Skins were dancing around a large fire that had what looked like the godzilla version of a boar roasting over it. They howled and laughed and danced their hearts out. Bael watched this intently, trying to find the ‘pale one’ of whom Pyros wanted. He soon spotted the pale one. As he got a better look he could see it was a girl. She looked more human than the rest of them and had the tattoos of the shadow of a bird covering both eyes and cheeks. Her nose and ears were pierced with small claws and bones and with a crystal he could not place. Her hair was very dark black that it was blue and her skin a creamy pale. Her eyes were a swirling liquid topaz silver. She was about his age and seemed so out of place with the others. She was alone…good.