The final night of the newly awakened Drakos' Royal Procession was upon the Seas and it was full of life like the people had not seen since before the Great War. The crowd seemed to double with each town he travelled to and eventually thousands began to follow the Dragon who was to become their new Lord. It was clear to the Seas of Linemall who would inherit the throne from Lord Rodan, and they knew the Seas were in good hands.
Not only was he capable, Lukas Drakos knew how to fucking party.
This was something honestly Lukas had not done…ever. Julien Fronterra was a legendary fighter but to build such a legacy, he'd had to sacrifice everything for it. Partying, getting drunk and having a wild night was not something a champion could do. As Lukas Drakos, he relished in it.
Every single night, he put on a festival where all came together to forget about the problems of past and present and just had some fucking fun. After times of what seemed like endless tension, Lukas' Royal Procession was what allowed the Seas to loosen up.
The final night was no different and with the army of followers he had gathered, it had become the greatest one thus far.
Outside the Palace, the townspeople and visitors from all around the Seas came together to celebrate. The training grounds had been turned into a large dining area welcome to all.
Lukas Drakos wolfed down plates of food without hesitation and laughed heartily as the people urged him to down another barrel of alcohol. It did not take much persuasion for him to obliged as he drank to his heart's content.
He was in a good mood. He was relaxed. He was too relaxed. The crowd continued on with their celebrations as a lone figure walked past the throngs of people gathered in the training yard. Lukas did not seem to notice as the large hooded humanoid seemed to approach him. Dragons and wyverns seemed to glance in his direction, confusion passing over their faces only for a split second before returning to whatever they were busy with; as if they'd never seen him at all.
Lukas' face was red and he stank of alcohol, clearly intoxicated after having finished off 8 barrels of alcohol. He didn't even notice the figure taking a seat across from him. When he finally glanced upwards, the figure was hunched over a bottle of gin, pouring himself a glass. And then he saw those eyes, like red daggers piercing into his own.
"Lukas Drakos. You really are a pain in my fucking ass." The Kraken said with a laugh before taking a drink from his cup.
Lukas remained silent, setting down the plate of food in his hand.
"Really, I'm impressed. You've done more damage to my reputation, to the power I've built up over the last few decades, to my pride than I ever could have imagined. Tritons…a currency system. You're far smarter than you look, Drakos. You pissed me off. Even your father never angered me to such an extent. You should be proud, Lukas. Truly." The Kraken stands and reveals his hideous features, pulling the cloak off of his massive frame.
All of Kraken's wealth came from his control over businesses, mainly the ones that provided food, construction, shelter and all the essentials; for they were the businesses that thrived in a barter economy. The creation of the Merchant's Guild had made it hard to remain in control of his businesses and the installation of the Tritons had rendered his pools of wealth useless.
The armies of giant octopuses? Lukas had been behind all of those attacks, for he knew the kind of message it would send if he took them all down.
The crowd doesn't seem to take notice, continuing on with their celebrations. It's as if the Kraken doesn't exist, influenced by the magic of the mind. Lukas has sobered up now, his smile completely vanished. But he does not move. He does not speak.
"I am anything but persistent. I will build my wealth once more, even with these new systems in place. In the end, I will be the one to rule the seas. Linemall is just the start. But I am also petty, Lukas Drakos. So before that, I must ensure I pay you back. Right now, your mother is in the Palace. She does not like the noise and thus she's turned in for the night." The Kraken laughs now, taking the bottle by its neck and gulping it down greedily. His laughter is deep. It's unsettling.
Lukas stands up, the bench behind him falling with a crash. His face is grim but the Kraken holds up a hand to stop him before he can say anything.
"Right now, thirty of your Dragonborn are heading towards her room on the upper left wing. They are going to slaughter her. Do you understand that Lukas? And I want you to drink with me, my dear Lukas." The Kraken pushes the table standing between them away with a simple flick of the wrist, pouring him a glass of gin.
The Kraken holds the cup out to him, grinning with his tentacles squirming in disgusting glee. He is savouring this moment with every fiber of his being.
"Drink with me, Lukas Drakos. Drink with me as your world falls apart."
Then the Lordling laughs. It escapes his lips and soon Lukas can hold it in no more. He doubles over, one hand clasping the Kraken's shoulder to hold himself up. The Kraken does not even move away, completely dumbfounded by such an absurd reaction.
Is this guy fucking insane?
"Do you know what my mother's name is, tentacles?" Lukas snatches the cup from the Kraken's hand, accepting his offer and downs the cup.
In the distance, there is a giant boom as the upper floors of the Palace explodes with a cacophony of screams and shouts. There is another incredible thunderous crash as the Kraken watches as five Dragonborn are flung through the walls of the Palace.
"My mother's name is Selene."
Selene of Dawn. Perhaps the most decorated and fearsome warlord of Linemall and the only general to have survived the Great War. Though unrecognizable in her human form, not a single person in Linemall could not recognize the red serpent-like wyvern who emerged from the Palace. In her jaw there were three Dragonborn who she spit out like chew toys and she let out a rumbling roar that shook the Palace grounds. The crowd roared with approval at the spectacle, recognizing the Sea's Wyvern war heroine.
Thirty Dragonborn? Not even an army would be able to take her out.
There was a reason why Lukas had come to her to learn how to move in this new dragon form of his.
Not Katrina.
Not Lady Kaitlyn.
He went to his mother.
During the one month of training he underwent, there was not a single time that Lukas had ever been able to best her mother in a clash of titans when both of them were in their draconic forms. He did not think there was any in the Seas that stood a chance, regardless of magic.
The Kraken didn't know what to say. How could he not know who the bastard's mother was, she had killed many of his own kin. He didn't know what to do. He realized that in all of his centuries of living, he was up against somebody who was two steps ahead of him. He was up against a fucking mastermind. Caught off guard, the minds that had been under his control were set free.
In that instant, the winds swirled through the water as wyverns, dragons and dragonborn all around them were whisked away. Tables and benches, plates and goblets, everything was cleared away all thanks to the Sterlings who had been preparing for this moment since the festival had started.
Lukas grabs the Kraken by his tentacles, pulling him close. The Kraken reels back but is unable to do so, his grip is like iron.
"Tonight is the final night of my procession. I say we go out with a bang no?" Lukas shouts, his voice amplified to the crowd who seems to all be watching in great fascination. They roar in approval, the spirit of the festival still very much alive in the air.
"Let's put on a show, shall we?"
Lukas' body convulsed as the Draconic Flow surged through his veins, a raw, unrelenting force that tore apart his human form from the inside out. His spine cracked and lengthened, vertebrae stretching into jagged ridges that split through his back, flesh giving way to overlapping plates of obsidian-hued scales. His ribs groaned, twisting outward as his chest expanded, the sound like wet branches snapping underfoot. Fingers blackened, nails warping into hooked talons as his hands elongated, caught in a grotesque in-between state of beast and man. His jaw unhinged, splitting wider than it should, teeth multiplying, reshaping into jagged fangs as his tongue slithered out, lengthening into something serpent-like. His skin peeled away in places, revealing sinew and shifting muscle beneath, until it was no longer flesh but armored hide.
The Draconic Flow was far from graceful in nature. It was like horror you could not take your eyes off of.
From his sides, short but powerful wings tore free, the membrane glistening with fresh, viscous ichor as they stretched, adapting to their newfound freedom. His eye, once human, bled into a haunting abyss of sea blue, pupils splitting like a serpent's; inhuman and predatory. It was as if the depth of the ocean had found itself in those eye sockets.
Lukas took his time, allowing the crowd to see the full transformation through the Draconic Flow.
The final shift came with a sickening crack as his skull elongated, reshaping into the unmistakable visage of an ancient sea dragon, crowned with straight razor, jagged horns that dripped with residual energy. The transformation left behind steam rising from his form, his body thrumming with power, his breath thick with the taste of brine and blood. The man was gone. All that remained was the Dragon.
These were the sea serpents, the beasts of the ocean, the ones who had ruled the Seas of Linemall since the first of their kind. This was the power of the Drakos Family.
Oh how Lukas had waited patiently for this day to come. He had been dreaming, salivating at the thought of this event and it was finally upon them. He was going to enjoy this.
Tonight would be the execution of an escaped criminal of Kuria Prison and the end of a rivalry that had gone on for far too long.
The Kraken watched on in horror, his tentacles still tight within the grasp of his claws.
Wow. He was royally fucked.