'The Darklings are a very odd being, the creators of the Touched Ones and other reanimated dead. They come in a few forms, the most common being the form of which they are born into this world as. This form is simply just a black formed shadow that looks to be human, the only way to see otherwise is that it is transparent as well as solid red eyes. There are no whites, just red where the eye sockets would be. If they touch the living and feed off the life force they can slowly turn into a human form as well as walk into light, if they do not feed and are in the light they slowly die a painful death, only to be reborn into a new darkling form unless harnessed in a special amulet, long ago lost. At least if the tale of the great Touched Draconian is true. There was a draconian that was turned into a touched one but was so strong minded that it was able to stay within a state of mind and not be controlled by its creator. It found and harnessed such an amulet, trapping all darklings who ever tried to beat him as well as using his firey heritage to bring down the darklings. It was never found out if such a draconian existed but it was said he some how found a way to beat the heat of the sun.' Dieter had been reading from the darkling book that he had lifted from Etzel's museum outloud. His eyes had slowly drifted off the page to look up at Cordula, it had been two days since the heist and Cordula was worried sick when he came back wounded, not even covering the wound; He only had burned the wound shut, infection could still occur. Cordula lightly put a piece of cloth to the wound and placed a mixture of crushed healing herbs in the wound which made Dieter cringe and curse, profanity that made Egon cringe himself. Dieter bit his tongue before any more curses came out and his gaze moved back to the book, reading outloud once more.
      'The legend says, and I've seen this hole, that a hole in the Axiuson's underground caverns comes directly from Doellion. Now if this is Doellion or if it is something else, I can't say but there is a hole that the darklings seem to come out of. I wasn't able to get near it as my dwarven guides refused to let me go passed the steel gates. They had all but one entrance to the hole heavily guarded and the other they had primarily guarded but they left it open some to see what was inside it. They said if they closed it completely the area filled with darklings that would fill it so much that they were starting to combine. When they did do this, the combined darklings busted out through a solid steel door and killed over two hundred of the dwarven inhabitants before the dwarven race was able to combine forces and beat the darklings back. If the darklings legend of them coming out of Doellion is true then it is possible that the legend of them being the rejected ones by Ouallion to be sent down there to rot. The hole somehow grew out later and now the criminals are grown to sucking the souls straight from their victims.' Dieter paused as he lifted one finger up to brush against Cordula's chin, pulling her close for a kiss. She had just finished cleaning and even stitching his wound up. She rested against him now as he would continue to read when the last word on the page was the 'victims' comment, she even turned the page for him in which he started his reading again.
      'Either way, the fact is true. They must feed to live in any other way than the shadows. What do they feed on? The blood and the 'soul' or 'essence' of a human being, or any living being I should say. They start feeding simply by touching their victim and wanting to drain them. It is possible to not be eaten from when they touch, if they truly aren't wanting it. The only way to fight them is with anything lighted. The victims if fed off of to an extreme will start to look as if they are aging at a rapid rate, if fed off of fully the body will become nothing but a skeleton. They've gotten the following aliases simply by what they do: Wraiths, Soul Suckers, The Grim Reapers, Death in Shadow Form and many more.'

      "Dieter!" Alfred said as he grinned towards him. "We're gonna get to see our creators then?"
      "No," Dieter said softly as he never let his eyes leave the page but that didn't stop Alfred from talking and coming up to stare at him.
      "I'm going!" Alfred said with a low tone almost growl, it wasn't his nature to growl but he wanted to know why they created him, why use him? When he was growling a wolf by the cave entrance slowly came towards Alfred and positioned itself behind him and staring at Dieter, dead on.
      "Adolf, take care of him. I'm going to Axiuson with Cordula, we're going to go get ourselves my prized jewel that are locked with the darklings and hopefully fine a clue to where my next one is. I can't sit here and re-explain the fact that any of the touched ones will be controlled by the darklings if they want to, unless you are of ancient mind apparently." Dieter said slowly standing up, waving his hand towards Alfred almost to say 'shoo' and turned to the heated entrance. It was light out now and the touched ones were standing just out of reach of the sun rays. When Alfred came towards Dieter his eyes grew flames in the center of them and a small burning sensation started to grow in Alfred's feet and hands and traveling through all his body until his whole body had a small burning sensation. As soon as it happened it started to grow hotter and Alfred was screaming, the wolf went running off. Adolf and Egon stood their dumbfounded at the acts, they never saw him strike out with such force towards them. Adolf stepped back and hung his head like a defeated dog and Egon rushed forward and put his hands on Alfred, sending cool moisture through the body but it didn't last long as Dieter's anger rolled in and he started to set Egon on fire too, the battle of fire versus water didn't last long as Dieter's powers were seemingly magnified by the sun while Egon's powers were weakened even though he wasn't touched by the sun. It took mere minutes for Dieter to summon enough power that set both Alfred and Egon ablaze, their bodies on fire and soon they turned to ashes and the ashes glowed with such blinding light that Adolf and Cordula had to cover their eyes. Dieter was amused by the light and watched as they were going away to be judged. Dieter did believe everything of the reincarnation myths, the fact of Doellion and he also didn't believe his God was dead, as if his God was then his race would be exist. The first one should trigger a chain reaction that would kill all of his or her children.
      "Dieter! Why did you kill them? We still could have used Egon!" Cordula said frantically in a way but at the same time knowing that they could do it themselves. Her tone seemed to tell Dieter all though, she was worried for him. She didn't want him to go on a psychotic rage which his acts had at times caused such things to happen. Never has he heard Cordula on accident or purpose though, she knew he cared for her.
      "Because we don't need them and I hate people disobeying me," Dieter's eyes turned to Adolf and he watched him carefully. Dieter's eyes were flaming and it only took mere seconds to send chills down Adolf's spine. "Now it is your choice, do you want to obey or fall victim? If you run, the sun will burn you. If you lie to me and leave at night, I'll catch you by morning. I never did except to keep you all around but honestly Alfred has been bothering me to much. He always has be disobeying me and arguing. Egon has been nothing more than some weakling living form of the good. You, Adolf, haven't really disobeyed me though. You I can stand, are you going to give me reason to not?"
      "No sir!" Adolf said in a firm tone and a tone that showed he would be a soldier if he had to be. He knew it was better to live than to die at the ends of the human torch.
      "Good," Dieter said with a grin. "Then you guard this book and the rest of the belongings while we go. If we come back and you aren't here. I'll hunt you down and everything you ever have liked or loved will burn in the flames just as Egon and Alfred has."

      "I'm fine now, lets go." Teagan said impatiently as Etzel gave her a long lexture about why he shouldn't leave her wounded if all she is going to do is come along. Thats why they ended up waiting another day or two before they would leave the museum. Dragomir relucantly agreed to the terms since both had made the plans to go right away. Kuno, however, refused to wait as Berko and Kayin forced plans ahead of time to go that morning. They did agree to meet back in Axiuson's capital before doing anything more. Dragomir was writing as usual while Etzel and Teagan continued to go at it.
      'It is funny how they fight. I'd assume they were married how they act to each other or father and daughter. Etzel is repeating the same thing over and over about being worried that her wounds will gain infection or that she'll be too weak if she gains any other wounds. Kuno has went on like he said he would, Berko and Kayin went with them. They'll be arriving at Axiuson in a day or two at worst. If we take to the sky we'll have terrain out of our way. I assume we'll be taking a passenger though so that may slow us some. Teagan may be able to turn into something again to fly though, so really only Jirair. Oh yes, he is coming too. He fears going back to Gobilis and he also has a love for adventure that he often is taking with me. He thinks of me as some kind of great draconian and a warrior he can look up to. I don't fear Suk Kwan but I know he will kill me first chance he gets now. I think it may be because of what I am or maybe it is because of what I did in the arena. Either way it isn't a good thing for me. You do know how Elves have a strong hatred for us draconians and the goblins often act like the elves bodyguards. So maybe in some indirect way I have angered the elven king and queen, maybe the prince. Ediz, the pure blooded elf prince, is a very stubborn and spoiled man from the texts I've read and the few dealings I've had with him. They have refused to give full interviews with us and anything said I cannot repeat. As of current time I can't think of one thing that shows me anything but their rudeness. They are very sufficent warriors and rulers and I'd hate to ever fight them or their army. As with their army, also comes the goblin army. There are a few elves of other elven races thatfight to be stronger or better than the pure bloods. There are also some that just strive to be true to the elven goddess. The one that was one with nature over the cities and lawful ways. Another sad thing is a mixing between races of elves, called half-elves, where there is a human and elf parent is frowned upon and results in them not getting any respect in either province. As they see them as possible enemies.' Dragomir adjusted his glasses with a smile as finally the two had finished. He put his pen behind his ear and tucked the journal in his bag. They had decided they'd go out and that Teagan was strong enough to leave. Etzel, Jirair and Teagan all went to the front door while I finished packing up. When I arrived they Etzel was in such a beautiful form, the hawk wings and silver scales. He literally shined in the sun while Teagan stared off towards the sun. She had turned into a hawk person, body like a female but her back having long hawk feathers for wings. Jirair was leapting up and down waiting for me.

      "Masters Dragomir!" Jirair shouted out to me as he wass the first to spot me as his eyes were locked back to me. "Can you turn into a draconian dragon and fly off to axiuson? Etzel said he'd carry me and we could go to axiuson by flight! Mes never flown before, is it fun?"
      "Yes I will, I assumed that is the most probable way to get to the province. It'd give us some time on Kuno and the others as well as everyone but you can fly so we can easily keep a fast flying pace." Dragomir said as he scratched the side of his face while staring at Etzel who seemed to hold some kind of alluring effect to him, his powers probably.
      "I'd carry him because Teagan isn't fully healed and no offence, cousin, but I'm alot stronger than you. You were born quite a few years after me and with my dreams of past I feel like I know much more, lifetimes of things." Etzel said as he picked up Jirair and got a slight glare from Dragomir, not a glare of ate but a glare of curiousity.
      "Dreams? What kind of dreams?" Dragomir asked in a fast paced curiousity, no waiting at all. It was rather a rude tone too but not meant to be and Etzel knew. All he could do was laugh at the tone and attitude.
      "I was wondering when you'd ask," Etzel said as he tilted his head around to look at Dragomir who was turning into a draconian as he had before. Etzel smiled before he closed his mouth, letting off a breath through his nostrils and starting to talk further, "I believe the dreams are memories of who I was in a past life. I do believe in reincarnation for the simple fact of that I can't stop seeing the words being written on the papers with the quills, can't stop hearing a woman's voice speaking those same words when I dream. I've had a dream of a book being buried in some location, I go to that location and it is still buried there. I think I was Aditi Aldana in a past life. Thats who I see through her eyes when I'm dreaming. Never in third person, always in first person, through her eyes."
      "You have to tell me more!" Dragomir said shocked and excited to hear more, he always wanted to be like Aditi and after she vanished, everyone assumed she died. This may be the case but at least she was still around if this is reincarnation and Dragomir has seen some of Etzel's work, they are great works at that.
      "Later," Etzel said as he signaled to fly with his head. "We got a flight to take care of."
      With that all three took flight, Etzel barely noticing that he had Jirair in his hands, the muscles of the draconian out doing themselves, where Jirair's weight is less.

      "This is Axiuson's borders, huh? Only took us two days an a halfs journey." Kuno asked as he looked up at the giant stone wall. It went as far as his eyes could see and the only way in was the giant stone door that had to be pushed in and over, then back otherwise the dwarves would bring their wrath to those that left it open. The door was only obvious to the dwarves, them spotting the craft marking changes in the wall to see where to push. Kayin turned to Kuno and pointed to the stone door. The wall also went up at least twelve feet and had no way to climb it. The only way in was up and over or pushed in. Kuno knew of the hidden door and looked for those markings, once found thanks to Kayin, he used his gravitional pull and pushed it back and over. The black mare went up and nearly knocked him and the dwarves off it before Kuno could settle the mare down.
      "What the hell...." Kuno breathed the words out to the point no one around heard them. Inside the axiuson province it was obvious something was happening as the mountain areas were cracked, the snow at the tips were burning and there seemed to be moving shadows on the mountain tops.
      'The darklings are waging war?' The voice inside Kuno's mind spoke up, asking the question which Kuno was thinking as well.
      "Berko is that the darklings?" Kuno asked in a worried tone as he took hold of his katana and the other the hold of the horse's birdle to force the horse into axiuson, closing the gate behind. Berko and Kayin both nodded their head, thinking of how the darklings could've broken out of the underground caverns. If they got out it meant the dwarves were massively hurt, they wouldn't go off their post unless killed, at least the main ones. The rest might have gotten into town. The darklings had to have fed recently, as it was sunlight, for them to be roaming like a moving carpet of shadows. Kuno watched as that same carpet came barreling towards them, as soon as it got within feet of them it formed five humanoid shadows with glowing red eyes but soon after they formed skin and were in the nude with no genitalia, scarring going all over the nude form. The five figures started to grab at the shadows that came passed them and swords appeared, shamshir scimitars. The five figures charged at the horse and with all Kuno's force he pushed all five back with gravity, leapt off the horse and slapped its back end which sent the horse heading for the capital. Berko and Kayin shouting to Kuno but Kuno remained behind to fight. The darklings in their new forms battled against Kuno very easily, they even seemed to be mimicking some of his style. Kuno finally got the upperhand on one, slicing it acrossing the throat and impaling the sword into the heart of the darkling. The figure seemed to disintegrate into shadows, a fizzle of the shadows into the air and then gone. The battle seemed to be futile, Kuno would kill one and the darklings would have another one appear in its place. Kuno was also sustaining wounds from scratches to bleeding wounds. His light armor was holding up to most of the strikes he couldn't block, but it was one versus infinity. After he had dropped his dagger and the darklings seemed to swarm it and age it to the point it was rusted, touching it would turn it to dust. He couldn't get the best of them, when he grabbed the darkling's shamshir his hand stung and it slowly was turning blue, as if the life was being sucked out of it. Kuno's mind went into a daze and hazy feeling as the darklings seemed to turn back to the shadows, flying through Kuno's body. In the front and out the back, in the side and out the other side. They were feeding off his life force and Kuno's body was slowly becoming blue, like he was lacking oxygen as well as his face gave off the appearance as if he was growing older.
      'Fight Kuno!' The deep voice, which Kuno could only assume was Kane's voice, shouted to him and jerked Kuno's eyes open; but it failed to get his body moving. The more they struck him the more he weakened and the more he wished he was dead already. It was excruciating pain to be eating away like that. It wasn't actually causing scars, but all his wounds were being dried of the blood and his body was feeling like it was being ripped clear apart. It was long agonizing minutes before he heard something in the distance.

      "KUNO!!!" A voice was at the pitch of a loud roar that sent the darklings away from Kuno, cowering in form together. Just as the roaring voice got above Kuno a goblin was thrown down in a swoop as it went to tending to Kuno. The flying beast was none other than Etzel with Dragomir and Teagan right behind. Etzel swooped down, his claws seeming to sharpen and become almost like daggers, and sliced clean through one of the darklings humanoid forms. The rest of the shadows when he swipes at it just scatters, only the solid forms were able to be killed.
      "Let me try!" Dragomir shouted in the same kind of roar that Etzel had said, his mouth opened up and he started to blow the blue streams out as he had before to the point that the shadows were starting to hard and turn into ice. Etzel then stepped in and slammed the force of his dragon-like body down on the ice, cracking the ice into a million pieces. The ice glowed before the ice melted and the shadows vanished into nothing. There seemed to be infinite numbers just as when Kuno was fighting them. Dragomir started to ice the darklings while Etzel was cleaning them up. Jirair was tending to Kuno and Teagan had turned into a human sized salamander that was blowing fire on the darklings, the fire burning at them and killing them; as did breaking them into a million pieces end up killing them.

      Dieter's arms were around Cordula, who layed her legs slung over the Steed (both legs over to one side), and cracking the Steed's bridle to make it fly faster. The faster it went, the faster they got to the province. When they got near the wall they could see the draconians far off in the distance, striking at the darklings. Dieter's eyes were wide, they had followed! Cordula held tight to Dieter as they took heavy shifts and turns towards an opening cave, Dieter's body was ignited all over but where Cordula and the Steed was touching him. The flames burned at the darklings and kept them from touching them as they dived further and further into the caverns, they had slipped unnoticed into the caverns by their enemies; They had been to busy fighting the darklings to notice Dieter or Cordula. The darklings were hot on their tail. The Steed lost balance when a darkling grabbed hold and was draining the life force from the Steed's feet and sent Dieter and Cordula flying off the Steed and into the cave wall. Dieter broke Cordula's fall and when a darkling came to grab her he ignited even hotter and kept the darklings away from her. His flames were the only light and the only weapon against the darklings. He held Cordula closed to him as they slowly got up and started to walk further into the cave. The flames would explode towards darklings that came near them. It took them at least thirty minutes before they found the steel gate that had the hole to 'Doellion' and it took another ten minutes or more to find the open side, the entrance was swarming with darklings that spread like wildfire when the flames of Dieter came at them.
      "Dieter are you sure we should go in there? What if your jewel isn't there?" Cordula asked as she tightened her grip on him, terrified by the darklings. Cordula was a good warrior but she only had to ever deal with shapeshifters or similar things, nothing that could suck her life out of her body.
      "Yes," Dieter paused as flames came shooting up from the hole and Dieter caught them, changed its direction towards the darklings. "The flames are coming from the jewel, I can feel it. It is drawing me towards it, it has been activated, that much be why the darklings have left the hole and are leaving them at a massive rate."
      "If you're sure." Cordula said softly as Dieter kissed her cheek, reassuring her that she would be alright with his hands holding her and his kiss.

      Both of them leapt down together into the hole, flames swirling around them to keep the rushing darklings away from their bodies. Dieter landed with Cordula slightly off the ground, making sure she didn't hurt herself. Dieter ran with Cordula, channeling his powers to force the flames away from them. The jewel was drawing him closer and closer towards it. Though as soon as they got into the hole deeper there was some kind of fleshy tentacle that shot out and bit down onto the upperarm of Dieter, starting to suck at the blood, ignoring the flames completely. It seemed to be heat immunity, actually feeding off of the flames as it seemed to get thicker based on the blood and flames. Cordula quickly tugged at Dieter's sheath, pulled the sword out and sliced the tentacle thing in half, disabling it at worst.
      "Guess it isn't just darklings down here." Dieter said as he kissed Cordula's forehead softly, "Thanks my beautiful queen."
      "Anytime," She said softly but the worry was very apparent in her voice. She was scared of what the creature possibly was doing.