Deep in the bowels of a forgotten citadel, once the home of a mighty but now dead Lich, a group of adventurers fought bravely against an oncoming evil. They were few in number, but together they stood strong, for it was they who had laid the lich to rest mere months prior to this new threat.

“Maria! Hurry up with that teleportation circle!”

“Get Sam to safety!”

“I’m fucking working on it!”

“This fucker ate his limbs!”

“I’m helping!”

“Lux you get to the circle!”

“Awww…”

The ragtag group consisted of a relatively young, pretty disembodied turned vampire, a tall man with angelic wings, a fae touched human, the floating skull of a little girl, a young sassy lady with an arm made of her own blood, and a tall anthro furred dragon paladin who just dumped a still living torso, Sam, a lucky survivor they managed to find, into a teleportation Circle. 

The furred dragon turned to the floating skull, “You wait here and watch over Sam.”

“You got it Step-Mama!” she said, turning to stare at the unconscious man.

Luxnore, the skeletal remains of a little girl, experimented on and used as a test subject to make liches. So innocent and pure, adopted into the party as they searched for a way to bring her back to full life.

Rokta, the furred dragon, rushed back into the fight. Their enemy: a Void Beholder. Some twisted and far deadlier version of a beholder created by a mad god. It was holding open a portal to another plane simply called The Void, allowing its essence to seep into their realm. The Void’s influence is marked by the dense purple crystals forming before their eyes. 

Rokta joined the melee, granting her power to her allies and weakening the monster's attacks, if only slightly, with her mere presence while also inspiring her allies, granting them bonuses to resist the beholder’s curses and spells.

“The circle is almost done! Fall back, I’ll catch up!” She said, noting the battered and bloodied bodies of Lucian, her Aasimar lover, and Nyra, their die hard disembodied vampire sangromancy wizard. She raised her shield, blocking and parrying the physical attacks while jumping and dodging the eye beams as best she could.

She counter attacked, slashing her vorpal sword against its thick hide, unfortunately doing reduced damage as she aimed to hit the main eye but missing. It roared in frustration as it was evenly matched. It vanished in a flash, appearing next to the circle where it eagerly eyed the weaker party members.

“Hey! Bad weird eye thingie! Bad!” Luxnore admonished, swinging at it with a stick held in a telepathic field. The beholder shot an eye beam, reducing her to ash.

“Luxnore!” Lucian cried. She would be back, he knew, her phylactery was with him. He cast a spell radiating pure sunlight, much to Nyra’s annoyance, the flesh of the beholder searing as it wailed in pain.

The beholder bit down on him, but he managed to avoid the worst of it, as Sam was proof of the consequences. Nyra cast another lightning spell, but it was weaker than the others she had cast previously. Time was running out. 

“The circle is ready!” Maria called out as she was joined by Izari “The Curse Collector”, sword slashing out against the monster one last time.

The cavern shook as the monstrosity unleashed a barrage of attacks, Izari going down as a hole burned through her stomach, Lucian falling to his knees weakly, and Nyra on the brink of death.

Rokta rushed forward, quickly closing the distance back to the Void Beholder and used her momentum to stab into it, her aim striking true as it plunged deep. As their lives were on the line, she released the last of her holy power, smiting it with a holy radiance deep into its body.

It stilled, then started to shrink. They let out a sigh of relief as it was over, they had won at long last. Rokta tried to pull her sword free, but it stuck fast.

“Uh, guys? My sword is stuck…” She said, looking at the others with worry.

“Shit, don’t tell me there’s more, Maria get us out of here!” Lucain commanded.

“I need a few seconds to activate it!” Maria said as she quickly drew out the final components of the teleportation circle.

The pull on Rokta’s arm grew stronger, starting to pull her in. “What the hell is happening! Nyra!?” She yelled, starting to panic.

Nyra, one eye swollen shut and bleeding, studied the void beholder as it continued to collapse. “Oh fuck… That’s an annihilation sphere! It’ll destroy this entire cavern!”

Rokta pulled against it harder, managing to pull back a bit. “It’s going to take us with it at this rate!” she yelled, arm still halfway into the body. One of the eyestacks wiggled and seemed to stare at her, as though daring them to try to escape its final attack.

“Lucian! I have an idea, be ready to heal me!” Nyra yelled, pulling out her trusty dagger.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Lucain cried as he rushed to her side.

“Make sure everyone is in the circle!” Nyra said, ignoring Lucain’s protests.

Rokta managed a final pull with all her might, finally breaking free of the orb’s influence and falling back into the circle with everyone else and sheathing her sword.

“Maria! Once I do this we need to get out of here!” Maria nodded as Nyra turned the blade on herself. “Nobody is dying here, not on my watch.”

She plunged the blade into her stomach, then pulled it across, disemboweling herself with a horrid scream of pain. Massive amounts of blood poured out of her body and through the pain, used the blood to power a last ditch sangromancy spell. With her own blood as the fuel, she magically grabbed the sphere of annihilation and threw it and the void beholder towards the void portal. “N-now…” She said, blood spurting from her mouth as Lucian tried to hold her guts in place, his hands glowing with healing magic.

Rokta bent down to lend her own healing powers, but as Maria activated the teleportation circle something grasped Rokta’s foot. Before she could react, she was pulled back. Her friends, her family, her fiance, vanished before her eyes as they teleported to safety right before her eyes. The horror dawned on her, the beholder was still alive, and it was taking her with it.

She was helpless as she felt herself getting dragged through the portal, the foul magic almost choking her, but suddenly the orb exploded between the two points, shattering reality and throwing Rokta between the planes.

She felt her body getting crushed against reality before the walls gave way, and in a ball of fire she was thrown back into the material plane. She hit the ground, hard, and bounced before crashing through a pane of glass. Wood and steel shattered against her armored body as she ragdolled across the floor and slammed into the opposite wall.

She lay still for a moment, knocked out from the impact but slowly regaining consciousness to the sounds of screams. She put a hand to her head, her eye rolling in its socket as she tried to focus. She groaned and slowly moved her limbs, battered and bruised, but all five were there and in one piece. Her vision still swam, but the pain helped her focus on her magic, using the last of her paladin healing to ease the pain of her body. Her one eye focussed, she appeared to be in some sort of pub. 

Shattered remains of tables and chairs littered the area, the wooden floor gorged from her armor scraping against it, and splatters of blood on every surface. She checked herself, still bleeding in several areas and covered in gore from their gauntlet of combat. She still had her shield stuck to her arm, and her sword still sheathed at her side. She appeared to have her packs and their contents as well. 

She struggled to her feet and stumbled forward, pausing for a moment as she found a body, unfortunately crushed as she flew through the place. standing over it was a ghostly apparition, it sobbed in a voice only she could hear. Even battered and beaten, she would do her duty.

“Hey… it’s alright… I’m sorry, I think this was my fault.” The ghostly man glared at her, he would never be able to pass on peacefully at this rate. She drew her sword, “Be free.” She said, and she severed its connection to the material, the shadowy form of a reaper appeared through a wall. It gave a brief pause as they looked at eachother, then it stabbed its scythe through the spirit and whisked it away.

As she slowly regained control of her bearings she noticed she was in quite a strange place, the magical lighting overhead was rather bright and the array of confections behind a glass counter were all strange and intriguing, but what caught her eye the most was outside the shattered glass window.

It was daylight. Actual daylight. From the sun. It’s been years since she's seen it, ever since the sun’s rays were stolen by the lich, and taken over by the mad god once they destroyed said lich. She stumbled forward, almost as though she were in a trance. As she exited the building, hands outstretched, she failed to see the looks of horror and hatred and fear on the people around her, staring and gawking. Instead she cried, tears of joy as she felt the warmth of the sun.

She looked up, and it was beautiful. The sky was blue, and bright, so bright it hurt to look for long. And up there she could make out the white fluffy clouds she hasn't seen since her childhood. But the sky was different, there were tall metal towers reaching far overhead, blocking parts of the sky.

Her pondering was cut short as a loud screech broke her out of her starry eyed wonder. A great metal beast was barreling down on her! Its eyes shone with malevolence as it screamed in anger!

She raised her shield as it struck her, flinging her body on top of it heavily. She drew her sword and stabbed into the beast, her blade cutting deeply through the thin metallic hide. There were mighty clanging sounds, and suddenly the beast grew still and silent, smoke and fire starting to engulf it as more people screamed and yelled.

She withdrew her sword and stood triumphantly on top of her kill, using her new point of view to take a look around. A large number of humans had gathered, many of them holding strange rectangles that flashed a light on occasion. 

More loud sounds met her ears as more monsters, these were colorful and flashing red and blue lights, came blaring around a corner not too far away. She reached into her pack and withdrew a strong healing potion, downing it quickly and feeling life surge back into her. She may be out of magic, but she refused to go down without a fight.

She raised her shield, when suddenly the color drained from the world, the sounds and movement of the people stopped and died out, leaving her standing in a monochrome world filled with an eerie silence. She recognised a time stop spell of this calibur when she saw it, and knew what this meant. 

She took a breath to calm herself, and sheathed her sword. She felt a familiar presence behind her and spoke as she turned around, “Zilax, you are not going to believe the day I’ve been having-” she stopped. Before her was a dark, cloaked figure, its face hidden in shadow, one bony hand clutching a common scythe.

She fell to her knees as a chill ran up her spine, her heart clenched and burned as the figure looked at her, through her. It seemed to stare at her heart, where she had stabbed it as she made her oath to Death only months prior, and to her empty eye socket, her mortal eye replaced by a magical one, a gift from Death for her deeds well done. And as she looked, she knew, that is who this is, Death. Although, strangely, not her Death.

It spoke to her, the words pressing against her mind rather than spoken, but they were no more than gibberish. It tilted its head, before trying again, but Rokta shook her head. “I’m sorry… I don’t understand you.” She said as the last few minutes ran through her mind. She recalled hearing screaming from the humans around her, that was rather universal, but the words mixed in? She couldn't understand those words either.

“Where am I? What’s going on?” She asked. The figure said nothing, and instead motioned for her to stand. She did, and it glided closer. It reached out and touched a bony hand to her helmeted head. It seemed to ponder, then moved to her empty eye socket. There, it seemed as though it could see her magical eye while others could not. Then, it reached inside her head, the chill of death radiating from the touch. It was only a moment before it pulled back out.

“Be at ease, child.” it said, this time the words made sense to her. “I have gifted you the power of understanding, of language. You should now be able to speak the primary language of this land.”

Rokta nodded, “I can understand you now, yes. Thank you.” She said with a bow.

It held up a hand to stop her, “No need for that. Now, just what manner of creature are you? Who are you, so attuned with my gifts, but yet these are not my own gifts.” it said, motioning towards her armor. “This armor, bonded to your very soul, and fused with my own essence.” It motioned to her eye, “The ability to see that which cannot be seen by mortals.” It motioned to her heart, “And a mark of devotion, of an oath, so strong that should it break your very soul would be at the mercy of myself.”

It stepped back and with a note of finality said, “You are not of this world.”

Rokta looked around once more, strange beasts and buildings, strange people in strange clothing surrounding them. She turned back to Death, “I believe you.”

“Tell me, from whence do you come?” It asked, never demanding, but curious all the same.

Rokta told Death of her world, ruled and enslaved by vampires and threatened by monsters, of the sun vanishing from the very sky, of the lich and the mad god, and of her final battle against the void beholder. “And through all of that, my oath and devotion to Death and the cycle of life, where souls are cleansed and reincarnated back into the world. I am the Envoy of Souls, and it is my duty to pass on any souls I see that are still bound, and kill any beings who have lived past their races given lifespan.”

“I see. I am afraid I am bound to this world, and this world alone. My reach does not extend past the boundaries, and I am afraid I cannot help you to return to your own land.” It explained. Rokta’s face fell, she was about to ask for help getting back home. “I also fear, this world of magic and vampires you speak of, also does not exist here. There is no magic among the living, and even in death that power is limited. I’m afraid that if you are to be rescued, that task lies on the shoulders of your allies back home.”

Rokta nodded, trying to get a grasp on her situation. “Then… what am I to do?”

“Your oath has no power here. You are not in my service, as it were. However, if you wish to assist as your oath decrees, then you have my blessing. For you to be rewarded with such gifts, you must hold great promise with my counterpart. As for what you should do next? I would suggest not resisting the ones with the flashing lights, so many souls end up in my hands by resisting. Take care Oathtaker, we shall meet again.”

Suddenly Death was gone, and the world of color came back and the noise of the crowd and sirens once again assaulted her ears. Heeding Death’s advice, her sword remained in its sheath and she raised her hands over her head, waiting to see what was going to happen.

The beasts flashing red and blue stopped as they formed a circle around her, and out from them came a number of people in blue uniforms, each of whom held up a small black bit of metal. She presumed them to be guns of some kind, having seen crude ones in action from one of her previous party members. Rokta took care not to prompt an angry response from these people.

One of them held something to its mouth, and a loud voice rang out, “YOU IN THE COSTUME! GET OFF THE VEHICLE AND KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!”

Rokta cocked an eyebrow, a costume? She wasn't sure what they were talking about but complied, hopping down from what she now presumed to be a vehicle with ease.

“FACE AWAY FROM US AND SLOWLY WALK BACKWARDS!” He commanded.

Rokta complied with the strange order, turning away completely and walking straight backwards, being mindful to not step on her tail.

“STOP RIGHT THERE.” She stopped, “PLACE YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD, INTERLOCKING YOUR FINGERS.” She did so as well. “NOW GET ON YOUR KNEES.” She bit back a witty retort and followed the order, her armor clanked as she knelt onto the stone ground.

“REMOVE THE SHIELD!” He demanded.

She raised her voice to be heard, “My shield is attached to my arm. I can remove it, or one of your men can remove it.” She explained calmly.

She heard them talk amongst themselves then she heard footsteps approaching, her ears the only movements as she followed them. They stopped right behind her and she heard a metallic jangle of a chain. 

“Alright, let me just… Oh, I see it's a strap. I don't want to hurt you or cause any damage.” a new voice assured her as he loosened the straps and set her heavy shield aside.

“Thank you. Though I doubt you could damage it if you tried.” She said, magic items can only be damaged by other magic items of a higher quality, and if what Death said is correct there is nothing magical in these lands.

He apparently declined to respond and took her left wrist, guiding it around behind her as a metal loop was secured. He thendid the same to her right hand, joining the left. Another metal loop was secured, binding her wrists against each other behind her back.

“Alright, stand up and walk with me to the car.” The man said, hooking a hand under her arm and trying to help lift. He had little effect but Rokta was used to her heavy armor and stood with ease. “Christ man, that shit weighs a ton.” The man grunted.

“I believe it weighs about seventy pounds, but I've got a lot of other equipment on top of that.” She said as they walked. The man gave her an odd look, but said nothing.

She was stopped in front of a large white vehicle with red symbols of intersecting lines plastered on it, “Alright, are you in need of medical attention?” she was asked.

She tilted and cracked her neck, “Yes please, some of this blood is mine.”

“Alright, before we let the paramedics look at you we need to pat you down…. Wait, is this real armor?” The man said as he pulled at one of the plates before he sighs. “We’re going to need to get you out of the armor and out of the costume so we can process you.”

“Yes, this is real armor. However, I am not wearing a costume, just my armor.”

“Uh Huh. Sure. Do you have any weapons, needles, or drugs on you?” He asked as he started running his hands over my person.

“Yes, I carry three swords, all of which are very dangerous, the black one is the most dangerous. Please leave it in the sheath. In my packs I have several healing potions and other things but nothing dangerous.” She said truthfully. “Oh and do not attempt to wear my armor once removed, it will kill you.”

The man paused as more blue shirts gathered around her, “Is that a threat?”

She shook her head, “This armor is bonded to my soul, if anyone else wears it they will freeze and then die as their soul is forced from their body.”

They chuckled at her words, “Alright sure. And what are you supposed to be anyway? Some kind of armored dog?”

She frowned, “I am a dragon, of the furred and wingless variety.”

“Right right, of course. Could I get your first and last name?” Another blue shirt asked.

“Yes, my name is Rokta Tsuyoiryū.” She said, “In your tongue, it means Strong Dragon.”

“Uh huh, and what year were you born?” he asked.

“I was born under the waning moon of early spring, in the year 802.”

“.... Social security number?” he asked after a pause.

Rokta tilted her head, “I don't know what that is. I grew up in an orphanage, does that help?”

He shook his head, “Do you have any form of ID on you?”

Rokta motioned to her shoulder, pointing out an emblem on her armor, “This is my badge, indicating I am a Seeker Paladin, of the Order of Moonlight.”

“Okay then, and what is this, Order of Moonlight?” He asked with a smirk, others starting to laugh.

“It is the Paladin Order, who took me in and trained me once I was ten years old.” She said, narrowing her eyes at those around her in irritation, “Every word I speak is the truth!”

That earned her several more chuckles as someone spoke into a black box, “Dispatch, send word to the hospital to have a psych evaluator on standby.”

Rokta grunted in frustration but said no more. She smugly said nothing as they struggled to remove her armor, some of the straps could only be accessed under her arms which were pinned behind her by the cuffs. She even chuckled as they tried to cut through said straps with their small knives, but her heavily enchanted and reinforced armor would not be bested by such twigs.

Eventually with much struggle Rokta now stood naked in the street, arms still bound behind her. Her long white hair fluttered in the wind, her hollow eye socket almost whistling in the breeze as her white fur shifted and moved.

However, her usual majestic fur was matted and smeared in dried and fresh blood, stained pink in some areas and a number of fresh wounds still leaked crimson. Her body sporting a large number of scars hidden just under her fur, and one on her stomach and lower back telling the story of her first close encounter with death as she was gored by an undead minotaur. She hates minotaurs.

“So.” She said to the openly gaping people around her, “Still think I'm wearing a costume?” She asked smugly. One of the people wrapped a cloth around her hips for modesty. “Thank you.”

“Uh… dispatch, you’re not going to believe this…” One of the men in a blue uniform spoke into his black brick, disbelief heavy in his voice, “But uh, we arrested a fucking alien… And I mean the ‘green men from Mars’ kind of alien…”