<div class="align-center">Dranuki’s Tales</div><br><div class="align-center"><span style="color: #595959;">1: The Knights</span></div><br><div class="align-center">By: Lumus King</div><br><div class="align-left">“Are you sure this is the place?”</div><br><div class="align-left">“This is… where guards pointed me\.\.\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">Two orcs stood on the side of a somewhat busy street\. The two stood out from the rest of the crowd\. While everyone around them wore simple clothing, they were fully prepared for combat\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Muho stood next to his knight\. Contrary to what his title suggests, he was not much younger than his knight; he was only about 2 years younger\. While his armor was not as grandiose as his charge, it served its purpose\. It consisted mostly of leather while metal plates covered his vital parts\. On his back was a large bag carrying various necessities\. Attached to it was a flail for when the need arises\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Dhaag, the taller of the two, wore full plate armor\. The thick steel shone brilliantly in the mid\-day sun\. While highly polished, the few scrapes and cuts in it were a symbol of pride for the knight\. Each one proof of an evil vanquished\. Just looking at it made one wonder how does the earth below him not sink under its weight\. His sword was fastened to his belt and a shield on his back\. His long black hair flowed down to his shoulders\. Despite his confusion, his stern expression didn’t falter\. His amber eyes stared dutifully ahead at the building across the street\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The store both men were staring at was unassuming\. Above the door hung a circular sign that read “The Dragon’s Den for Tanuki Treasure”\. The words were over a red and gold background in a partial swirl mimicking a taijitu\. Underneath the words were a cartoon Dragon and Tanuki playing some sort of board game together\. In front of a large window looking in sat a table with four chairs tucked neatly underneath\. Above it was an awning with the store’s logo printed on it\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“This is the most… unassuming lair of a demon I’ve seen…” Dhaag’s tone barely hid his own doubts\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“What can a demon’s choice of lair say about them?” He questioned Muho trying to turn this into a learning opportunity\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Uh…” The squire had to think\. “Well… demons’ influence tend to show in their surroundings…”</div><br><div class="align-left">“Yes…” He coached him on\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Really bad ones tend to be in big castles and the like\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">He looked down the road\. While there was a large castle in view, it was not where they were directed\. Instead, they were informed of this building in the middle of the shopping district\.</div><br><div class="align-left">What’s more odd is who this city belonged to\. This city is the heart of the Water God’s realm\. The castle was where he lived\. So how could such a monstrous demon be left unchecked so close to it?</div><br><div class="align-left">Dhaag coughed in a subtle way to get the squire to continue\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Oh\. Uh… So, we can conclude that either this demon is a low\-level threat or really good at hiding?”</div><br><div class="align-left">While he didn’t like the questioning tone, he got a close enough answer to what he was looking for\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“While no obvious corruption can mean that the demon is fairly weak, it can also mean that they simply do not want their presence known\. Those types tend to specialize in more subtle methods to lure others in\. Be wary\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">“Yes sir\!”</div><br><div class="align-left">Dhaag’s hand rested on the hilt of his blade as he marched towards the store with Muho close behind\. He did not want to draw his sword just yet\. As a knight he had a duty to keep the order of the public\. If the intel he had gotten had proven wrong, as he currently wants to believe, charging into a helpless store with his blade swinging would do several times more harm than good\. But on the other hand, if this was a demon of subtlety, he would have to be prepared for anything\.</div><br><div class="align-left">\*Ding Dong\*</div><br><div class="align-left">The door chime went off as Dhaag entered\. He was half expecting the inside to look completely different than the front but was so far disappointed\. Instead of the smell of rot and decay, it smelled of cardstock and electronics\. Instead of gloom so strong it was visible, there was light perfect for reading with minimal discomfort\. Instead of macabre decorations to make the place feel more like home were standees of various characters\. The whole store was designed to have the aesthetics of a tavern\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The two split up\. Each taking a different route through the store\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The front of the room was filled with all sorts of games and related knick\-knacks for sale\. Near the center of the room was a rectangular desk with a register\. The floor it encompassed was slightly raised; most likely so that whoever was supposed to be there could keep a better watch over the customers\. In the back were a set of booths on one side and a pair of large tables on the other\. Between both sets of seating was a clear path to a door in the back\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Mayhap this demon likes to toy with his victims?” Muho suggested after looking out from behind Dhaag\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“That is a possibility\. They love to play with their food\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">Suddenly the back door swung open, and a booming voice came through\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“<strong>AH\! WHAT NEW PLAYTHINGS HAVE COME INTO MY TOYBOX?</strong>”</div><br><div class="align-left">Both orcs turned to look at the new entrant\. </div><br><div class="align-left">They both saw the dragon straighten to his full height; he had been hunched over to fit inside the doorframe\. The dragon’s horns almost scraped the roof as he walked towards the pair\. His sinewy body shifted in hues from the red of his head to the gold of his midriff down to the green of his legs\. He wore nothing but a cape adorned with various symbols of unknown origin\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The reports stated he takes the form of a red and gold dragon\. This dragon matched the description of the demon they were looking for\.</div><br><div class="align-left">With a malevolent grin, the dragon continued walking towards the pair\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“<strong>WELCOME</strong>,” he waved his hands in a grand gesture\. “<strong>WHAT BRINGS SUCH FINE SPECIMENS HERE?”</strong></div><br><div class="align-left">In response to the dragon’s advance, the two orcs started slowly backing towards the entrance\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Dhaag spoke up\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“We’ve come seeking a demon\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">The dragon stood close now\. Just barely out of sword reach\. He leaned down so his eyes would be on the same level as the orcish knight\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“<strong>OH?</strong>” the dragon chuckled\. “<strong>WHAT FOR?</strong>”</div><br><div class="align-left">“T\-to slay\.” Muho replied, having mustered up the courage to speak\. “W\-we’re here to end t\-the tyranny of the one called ‘Lumus, Puppeteer of the Strong”\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The dragon couldn't help but laugh at this\. He turned around and walked back to the rear of the shop\. Each step thudding against the floor\. He stopped laughing a few feet away and turned\. His face back to a better\-than\-you smirk\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“<strong>WELL, YOU’VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE\.</strong> <strong>BUT DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD DEFEAT ME?</strong>”</div><br><div class="align-left">The dragon punctuated this by conjuring a small flame\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Dhaag drew his sword and looked the dragon in the eye\. He did not see malice, nor did he see really anything\. What he saw was glee like a child opening a new toy\.</div><br><div class="align-left">He steeled his nerves before pointing the blade right at the dragon’s throat\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Dhaag’s sword started glowing as he started chanting\. Suddenly a beam of light shot out towards the dragon illuminating the store\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Aggethron Laid on the ground having barely dodged the attack\. For just a moment his face was of complete terror\. The orcs did not see, though\. Thankfully for him they were both blinded by the attack\.</div><br><div class="align-left">He quickly got back up and resumed his previous demeanor\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“<strong>DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH?” </strong>he boasted having gotten back his bravado\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Truthfully, Dhaag was well aware that wouldn't be enough\. He was never good at actively using magic, having spent most of his time trying to defend himself from it\. At best he hoped it would be enough to at least stun the demon long enough for his sword to end him\. But alas it appeared to have done nothing\. There it stood as if nothing happened\.</div><br><div class="align-left">But he would not be fazed by this setback\. He raised his sword again\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“We will slay you foul demon as my honor as a knight of\-” </div><br><div class="align-left">All were caught unawares by a loud slurping sound that came from in between himself and his squire\. They both quickly turned to face this new threat\.</div><br><div class="align-left">There stood a new dragonoid\. This one was lacking physically\. Standing at about chest height to Dhaag, he must be about the size of an average human male\. He wore a simple blue T\-shirt with the store’s logo on it and a pair of tan cargo shorts\. A pair of half\-rimmed glasses sat on his face\.</div><br><div class="align-left">In his hand was a cup with a straw\. A straw he was sucking on despite the leaf between his lips\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“What ‘cha doin’?” he spoke in a singsong way further accentuated by his just noticeable southern drawl\. He spoke a little too slowly for most people in the city, like he was in no rush to get his point across\. Despite the ambivalent expression he had\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“<strong>W\-WHO DARES DISTURB\-” </strong>the large dragon stopped mid speech\. While the two orcs were a little surprised, the dragon was visibly shaken by the new arrival\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The two dragoniods stared at each other\. The shorter one’s expression remained unchanged, but the larger one was getting increasingly unraveled\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Well, Aggethron?” The shorter one spoke again, this time flatly\. “Don’t tell me you’re harassing my customers again\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">The orcs became more confused than worried\. Who was Aggethron?</div><br><div class="align-left">“<strong>I\-I…</strong>” The big dragon started stammering, now being stared down by the two orcs as well as the smaller one\.</div><br><div class="align-left">As he seemed like he was about to pass out, suddenly the big one split apart into three smaller people\. The cape the dragon had been wearing fluttered between them and the orcs\. As it settled on the ground the three beings were kneeling in a row behind it\. Their heads were touching the ground in an act of submission\. Now Dhaag could tell the three were a set of kobolds\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“We’re sorry\!” said the red one\. He was the smallest of the bunch\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“It was all Agi’s idea,” said the gold one in the middle\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“\-” The green one, the largest of them all, remained silent\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Don’t throw me under the bus, Geth\. You went with it\!”</div><br><div class="align-left">“You forced me to\!”</div><br><div class="align-left">“Really?” The dragonoid between the orcs cut the bickering short\. “Get up\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">All three stood and got into attention\. Their heights matched their sizes with the green one standing about a head taller than the red one\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The shortest one, Agi, had the strongest magical aura of the three\. It wasn’t that much stronger than average but still could be trouble in a fight If left ignored\. His thin frame suggests he was not much for physical labor\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The green one was his polar opposite\. Silent and large\. He could easily pass as a dwarf in a lizard suit if one did not get a good look at him\. He had an occasional scar here and there\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The gold one, Geth, was the middle in every way\. He wasn’t as thick as the green one, but not as skinny as Agi, either\. But unlike the other two, he had a more weaselly feel about him\. The kind that makes you hold your wallet more tightly if you know he’s around\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The new dragonoid sighed as he made his way to the counter\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Shouldn’t y’all still be cleaning up the mess you made last night? I doubt it’s done that fast\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">“We <em>were</em> but heard the door chime,” Agi said\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Knowing you were out getting lunch we decided to man the shop for you\.” Geth finished\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Uh huh…” He clearly wasn’t buying it\.</div><br><div class="align-left">But before he could say anything else the green one picked up the other two and slung them over his shoulder\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Ron\!” the green one stopped\. “Please keep them on track this time\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">Ron grunted in acknowledgement before carrying the two out the back\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The remaining dragonoid jumped over the counter\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Fuck\! My knees\.” He muttered under his breath before addressing the two dumbfounded orcs\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Hey\! I’m Lumus and welcome to my shop\!” He said now in his customer service voice\. “Before you ask: Yes, I’m half dragon, half tanuki\. No, my genitals are still internal\. No, I don’t know how they did it nor do I want to know\. Yes, I do know I’m short for either species\. Now then\. What ‘cha lookin’ for?”</div><br><div class="align-left">Dhaag was the first to recover his wits\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“<em>You</em>… are the demon we are looking for?”</div><br><div class="align-left">Lumus rolled his eyes\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“For the last time I’m not a demon? Do I look like one?\!”</div><br><div class="align-left">Both orcs’ eyes roamed around the apparent shop keep\. His blood red body, His leathery wings, all topped with a pair of red horns jutting out of his long, golden hair\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Neither of them vocalized their answer\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Sensing their answer, Lumus spoke again\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“As I said,” he said with emphasis\. “I’m half dragon and half tanuki\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">Having realized the two weren't going to buy anything his tone changed\. He pulled out his phone and started doing something on it\. He gave off a surprisingly chill vibe for the situation\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“I don't even know how the whole ‘demon’ thing got started…” he mumbled just loud enough for the orcs to make out\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Don't you devour men’s souls and wear their bodies as a meat shield?” Asked while stepping out from behind Dhaag\.</div><br><div class="align-left">In the blink of an eye, Lumus was staring the orc down with such intensity that Dhaag reflexively raised his shield in preparation of an attack\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“I have NOT, nor will I ever seat a soul\!\!” Lumus roared with an intensity befitting his draconic heritage\.</div><br><div class="align-left">He closed his eyes, took a breath, and sat back down\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“As for the body thing,” he continued, having calmed down from that outburst\. “It’s not wrong to want to feel good sometimes, is it? Most like it anyways…”</div><br><div class="align-left">“Like it? You expect me to believe people like you taking their bodies?”</div><br><div class="align-left">Lumus shrugged\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Yeah…” Lumus said with a slight annoyance\. “Some people really <em>like</em> it\. Borderline addiction\. Apparently, I feel really good inside\. Probably more than how I feel inside them\. It's not unheard of for some to seek out being possessed afterwards\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">“So, you're a drug?” Dhaag stated more than asked\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Well, that probably explains some of the ‘demon’ thing\.” the squire pondered out loud\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Hm?” Lumus raised an eye at that\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Well, you said it yourself\. Sometimes people get addicted to you\.\.\.” He tried his best to phrase this in a way that wouldn't upset him\. “And your… appearance\. One could easily see it as some form of bewitchment\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">“Whatever\.” Lumus sighed\. “The chances of addiction are so low I don't even know how enough people could happen to start a rumor…”</div><br><div class="align-left">Dhaag sheathed his weapons, having given up on the whole situation\. He still believed Lumus to be the demon he came to vanquish, but the dragon\-tanuki’s whole demeanor gives just enough doubt to warrant sparing him\. For now\. At least until he has proof of his evil\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Let's go\.” he ordered as he turned to leave\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Huh? Uhm, yes sir\!” Muho followed suit as usual\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Hey\!” yelled Lumus hearing them make for the exit\. “Y’all still need to pay for the mess y’all made\!”</div><br><div class="align-left">Dhaag turned around\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“What mess?”</div><br><div class="align-left">The dranuki just motioned behind him\. On the wall of the shop there was a clearly damaged display\. The wall itself had a burn mark while the figures inside the mark had melted\. Around that some more were scattered about the floor having been knocked down from the force of the blast\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“That was only because your minion\-”</div><br><div class="align-left">“Employee\. They are paid to be here\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">“Your… employees attacked us\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">“Doubt it\. They're all bark with almost no bite\. They couldn't beat a child in a fair fight\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">“I’m not arguing with you\.” He looked at his companion\. “We're leaving\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">“<span style="color: #d28f3e;">No, you're staying</span><span style="color: #bf9000;">\.</span>” Lumus’s eyes glowed as he gave the command\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The two froze in place\. Not as if they were restricted, but as if their bodies refused to listen\. They did not hear the command, but instead thought it as if it was their own will\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Lumus started to hop over the desk but remembered what happened moments before and walked around it instead\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Gotta do everything myself…” he grumbled as he stood in front of Dhaag\. He placed his hand on Dhaag’s armor\. “Told you, you're gonna clean up\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">To Muho’s horror Lumus walked forward, straight into the massive orc\. Dhaag gave a slight moan as the dranuki pushed inside with almost no resistance\. It was as if he were walking into thin air\. In seconds the only thing left of the dranuki was his tail sliding in\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Dhaag blinked a few times before stretching\. He moved like someone trying to get their clothes to properly fit in place\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Let's get this over with\.” he said before walking to the damaged display\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Even though whatever force stopped him earlier was gone, Muho could only stare in horror at what he was seeing\. Dhaag looked so… normal\.</div><br><div class="align-left">He moved the exact same as he normally would\. The same authoritative gait with each heavy footstep marking his solid stance\.</div><br><div class="align-left">He sounded the exact same\. Spoke with the same tone, same pitch\.</div><br><div class="align-left">The only thing different was his face, but it was also the same\.\.\. His beard had grown out to be braided and his blue eyes were gold, just like Lumus's\. But at the same time, they were exactly the same\. It was as if his mind added those features even though his eyes couldn't see them\.</div><br><div class="align-left">What he saw was his knight cleaning the shop\. He saw him walk to the back and come back with a duster, broom, and dustpan and clean up the debris from the damaged toys\. He saw him placing the figures back on the shelves like they were when they had first entered\. He saw him sweep up\. He then grabbed the broken displays and brought them to the register\. He scanned each one, pulled out his wallet, and placed some money in the till\. He grabbed the receipt that was printed and shoved it into the front of his pants\. The whole time he was humming what Muho knew was his favorite song\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“There\. I know no one will bother it there,” he chuckled\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Muho was suddenly reminded he was physically there when he felt Dhaag place a hand on his shoulder\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“Now, y’all can go\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">Dhaag’s face contorted into one of pleasure as a pair of wings erupted from his back\. A blue shirt quickly followed as the rest of the dranuki stepped out backwards\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Seeing the whole dranuki standing behind Dhaag sparked something in him\. He grabbed the knight and rushed out of there\. as fast as he could drag him\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Behind them Lumus waved goodbye\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Muho lay on the bed, completely exhausted and carrying a fully armored orcish knight halfway across the city\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Moving Dhaag was like trying to move a drunk man\. Dhaag himself was still in a daze\. His thoughts were fuzzy after someone else was in charge, even if it was for less than 20 minutes\. Thankfully he recovered after only a few minutes\.</div><br><div class="align-left">Now the knight sat on the side of his own bed facing the window\. Both had changed into their smallclothes, their issued plain woven shirt and pants\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“I can't believe we made it out of there\.” Muho said breathlessly\. The adrenaline finally wore off leaving him barely able to speak\.</div><br><div class="align-left">“So, he’s not a demon, but what <em>is</em> he? I’ve never seen a mortal do something like that before\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">“I… don't know\.”</div><br><div class="align-left">Dhaag hated to admit that\.</div><br><div class="align-left">He has come across powerful mages before\. Mages that had the power to create inferno that almost rivaled gods and demons alike\. But he had never encountered one that had that sort of magic\.</div><br><div class="align-left">But what he stuck in his head was how casually it all happened\. The dranuki just made them do what he wanted using words alone\. No collar, no symbols inscribed on their flesh, nothing to defend against\. And after that he just walked into him…</div><br><div class="align-left">Lumus didn't just walk into his body, but him\. He could feel the dranuiki’s thoughts not overpower his own, but become them\. Lumus's thoughts were his own\. His body just responded to his forced volition\. With no resistance\. Not fighting back\. It felt like he was doing everything himself\.</div><br><div class="align-left">But he wasn't\. It was that thing…</div><br><div class="align-left">“Muho, we need to\-”</div><br><div class="align-left">He turned around as he spoke only to be met with Muho’s snoring\.</div><br><div class="align-left">He should have been upset, but he wasn't\. He still wasn't sure how to tell him that he has a better understanding of the rumors\.</div><br><div class="align-left">He missed Lumus being inside him…</div>