The Story of Baelor and the Echidna (HUGE SPOILER WARNING) (Patreon)

The Continuation of how the darkness came to be.

Mortificus, the first true Vampire, had emerged from the portal at last. His battle with Lalorna had forced them to become separated, Mortificus arriving first to Gaia, and upon his arrival, the world had irrevocably transformed. The original immigrants from the distant realm of Draconia had, over the course of millennia, lost their ancestral ties. As they evolved and adapted to their new world, they grew distinct, their once-shared heritage fading into obscurity. This transformation paved the way for Mortificus's insidious machinations.

The malevolent entity, shrouded in darkness, stealthily infiltrated the heart of a primitive human city, where civilization still clung to the edges of the abyss. Here, he assumed the guise of divinity, unveiling his supernatural powers and revealing his formidable winged form to the unsuspecting denizens. To these primitive beings, he became a deity of awe-inspiring prowess, and their reverence for him knew no bounds. For centuries, they labored and sacrificed in his name, their offerings of blood and devotion quelling his insatiable thirst for power. Mortificus reveled in his assumed godhood, deeming it a triumphant conquest.

Yet, fate had its own designs. In a distant desert, the portal through which celestial beings traversed into Gaia manifested once more. Lalorna, bereft of her divine siblings and diminished in her celestial might, materialized in corporeal form. She embarked on a quest to seek answers, her path fraught with enigma and uncertainty. She found eons had passed since her time, and centuries since her battles with her hated foe. Her quest brought her to a humble farming village that recognized her otherworldly characteristics. To them, she was a divine being, for their own god bore striking similarities, adorned with peculiar scales, mystic markings, and wings of otherworldly design.

Lalorna soon discovered that her cosmic adversary, the one she had battled in the slipstream, had arrived ahead of her, wasting no time in solidifying his dominion. Determined to confront him, she demanded to witness this self-proclaimed god. Guided by the villagers, she was brought before Mortificus, who had grown even more potent, intoxicated by the blood sacrifices offered in his name.

In the presence of Lalorna, Mortificus detected a familiar aura, her energy a beacon in the darkness. He ordered his minions to scour the city in search of her. The villagers, realizing her true identity and fearing their lord's wrath, attempted to betray her to the Karthask, a cult devoted to Mortificus who sought to emulate his divine essence.

In the face of betrayal, a mysterious figure intervened. A rugged warrior, wielding a sword of purpose, stood between Lalorna and her captors. He slew a few of the Karthask and facilitated her escape from the city's clutches. Led through a labyrinthine network of tunnels, Lalorna found herself in the company of the Echidna, a determined assembly of warriors united against Mortificus. At their helm was Baelor, a stalwart leader with ebony hair and bronzed skin. Lalorna grew fond of his courage and, for the first time in eons, endeavored to comprehend the world her siblings had crafted.

Weeks passed, plans were devised, and the day of reckoning arrived. Baelor, Lalorna, and the Echidna would assail the city, staging a distraction at the gates while infiltrating underground tunnels to confront the false god.

Before the fateful assault, Lalorna revealed her true identity and shared her story. Her magic had waned, her divinity diminished, but her essence remained potent. Knowing this would render her even more vulnerable, she offered her blood to the warriors. The Echidna, through this ethereal communion, became living vampires, endowed with unique magical gifts, enhanced strength, endurance, speed, and boundless potential. The infusion of her blood, intermingling with that of her siblings' creations, forged an overdue unity, granting them a semblance of demi-divinity.

As the days dwindled before the climactic battle, Baelor and Lalorna's bond deepened. Their love, unspoken yet palpable, bloomed amid the gathering storm of conflict.

When the day arrived, the meticulously orchestrated plan was set into motion. Yet, when the warriors faced Mortificus, they were confronted by the staggering chasm in power. Mortificus scattered the Echidna, as well as Lalorna, dealing a devastating blow and claiming the lives of many.

As he aimed his cruel talons towards Baelor, Lalorna threw herself into harm's way to protect the human whom she had come to cherish. They fell from the palace, plunging into the waters far below.

The remaining Echidna regrouped, retrieving both fallen heroes and nursing their wounds. Their efforts, however, had not been enough. Baelor and Lalorna lay side by side on their deathbeds. Lalorna, the cosmic dragon in human form, offered her final, selfless sacrifice. She implored Baelor to drink the last remnants of her essence, in doing so saving his life. On her death, she confessed her love to the man, and of how she realized at last how wrong she has been. However, Lalorna’s essence of darkness mingled with the blood of her siblings, purifying her at last and making Baelor a higher being of lesser divinity.

Together, fortified by their newfound connection, they returned to the city. With their immense combined power, they overthrew Mortificus from his tyrannical throne, crippling him to the point of eternal concealment in the shadows. Lalorna was gone, but her essence remained within Baelor, and together they fortified the Echidna to ensure that no tyrant like Mortificus would ever rise again. Their bloodline was passed down through countless generations, their legacy enduring through centuries of toppling corrupt regimes and vanquishing monstrous threats.

Yet, in the ebb and flow of history, a new chapter beckoned, heralded by an unforeseen event that would test the resilience of their lineage.

Attikaus Rex: The Last Chosen Echidna.