Note--all dragons are in gijinka’d forms, unless otherwise noted!
--
Daasdrei grumbled under her breath, pulling her cover around her. She hated going into the city. It was dirty, full of lower-class citizens, and was too crowded. Too full of buildings, stalls, and just people. Only a few that she passed smelled delicious, but she resisted. She had her fill, after draining Xuvo. She’d be good for a few days. No need to overindulge.
Besides, her killing Xuvo is why she was here in the first place.
No body was found. She had watched him fall out of the window, and heard him hit the ground. He was dead, she was sure of it! So then, why wasn’t his body discovered? Why hadn’t it been found? Why didn’t the Troopers understand how awful this was? Corpses couldn’t just...get up and walk away!
And Chiqail wasn’t close enough to the palace to revive any corpses like that.
Instead, Daasdrei left in the dead of the night, heading to the only place that would possibly have answers for her: the City of Executrix’s Morgue.
All lights were out. But these fellows worked all through the night, right? Right? But even if they were asleep, she was the Empress of the Executrix Empire. They had to rise and shine, if she came a’knockin’. And a’knockin’ is just what she did.
“Open up!” she called out, pounding on the door with her fist, “I have a question, open the door!”
She paused, waiting for someone to come. But there was just silence. And just as she raised her fist again to pound on the door, she heard a lock jingling, the doorknob twisting, and soon the door opened, revealing a well-dressed Guardian. It stunned her a little, as he was in a slightly different form than what she was used to. He had all the Guardian features, only he was bipedal. He didn’t look like herself, having softer features. Interesting...
“I need to know of a body you have in your...place.” said Daasdrei, struggling with what to call the Morgue. She couldn’t ask ‘what they had in stock’ as that was just strange. And a bit morbid.
The well-dressed Guardian tilted his head, before making gestures with his hands. It took Daasdrei a moment to realize he was signing, and she waved a hand, dismissing that.
“I don’t understand sign language, and don’t have the time for that.” she said shortly, “Do you have something to write--?”
As if on cue, he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a notebook. As he quickly scribbled down, Daasdrei noted that his eyes were a messy, Plague infected mess. Plague Primal eyes, she realized. She didn’t understand how he could see, but he apparently could, as he wrote down something, before showing it to her.
‘The manager of the morgue is asleep right now. What may I help you with?’
Daasdrei sighed, “I need to know of a Ridgeback corpse that you might’ve acquired. Do you have one?”
The Guardian tilted his head, moving to sign again, before remembering and writing more down, before showing the note to Daasdrei.
'We might have some Ridgeback bodies. Who in particular are you looking for?’
“I’m looking for a water Ridgeback named Xuvo. He was...killed...near the palace a few nights ago. I need his body, though, to confirm something about his death.”
The Guardian frowned, tapping the pencil on the notepad, before writing something more.
'I’m afraid we don’t have a water Ridgeback here. Perhaps he’s not really dead? Or someone else had taken his body?’
“How can you not have him? He’s dead, so that means his body would’ve been brought here!” hissed Daasdrei, causing the Guardian to step back a little, “And if his body was on palace grounds, then those who took his body would be tried for tresspassing! And I know he’s dead, because--”
She paused, chewing her lip. Should she admit that she drained him of blood? That she was the cause of Xuvo’s death? But before she could go further, a mighty yawn escaped from inside the morgue, and a large Ridgeback emerged. But not the one she was searching for.
Like the Guardian, he was bipedal, but retaining the majority of his Ridgeback features. ...Or at least, Ridgeback-like features. It looked like his skin--no, his body was sitched and patched together from various things. Other dragons? Other Ridgebacks? It was strange to see. He yawned again, before looking at Daasdrei and the Guardian.
“And what might we have here, hm?” he asked, leaning against the frame of the morgue, smiling almost lazily at Daasdrei, “And so late at night, too. You do know us morgue workers need to sleep, too.”
The Guardian jumped in, before Daasdrei could speak, putting away the notepad and quickly signing to the Ridgeback. He nodded, humming in thought and affirmation, “I see, I see. Thank you, Igor.” He then turned back to Daasdrei, “I am Rhes, the owner of this morgue. And this is my assistant, Igor.”
He gestured to the Guardian, who gave a friendly wave to Daasdrei.
Daasdrei rolled her eyes, “Okay, now that you’re done wasting my time with that, can you answer my question?”
“Which is?”
“Do you have a water Ridgeback in your morgue? Red coloring, would look like me, drained of blood, and possibly heavy trauma from falling several feet?”
“Nope.”
Daasdrei blinked, “P--Pardon me?”
Rhes shrugged, “I don’t--” The motion, however, made one of his arms fall off, landing with a thud on the ground, where it twitched. Daasdrei let out a noise, seeing it moving around, scuttling around the ground, searching for it’s owner. Igor quickly picked up the limb, and put it back in the right spot, moving to sew it back on, “Ah, thank you, Igor. See? Not enough sleep, and I keep falling apart!”
He laughed, and even Igor looked like he was laughing silently.
Daasdrei felt herself turn red with anger.
“How dare you treat me--and this matter--lightly!” she hissed, baring her fangs, “Tell me if you have him--!”
“And I don’t.” said Rhes simply, “I have many bodies in my morgue, and I know exactly who and what they are. And I do not have a water Ridgeback, drained of blood, with fall damage, in this morgue. That’s the facts.”
He nodded his thanks, as Igor sewed his arm back on. He moved it slightly, nodding his approval before looking back at Daasdrei, “And why would someone like you want a body? Is it to cover up something that you did?”
“Excuse me?!”
“You said you were looking for a Ridgeback, ‘drained of blood.’ And it’s no secret that you’re a vampire, Princess--”
“Empress!”
“--So anyone can put two and two together.” Rhes continued, ignoring Daasdrei’s outburst, “And if you’re looking for a corpse drained of blood, it means that you’re the cause of it. Though, being a vampire for so long, you’d think that you’d check to make sure he’s dead, before leaving him be. You’re sloppy, Prince--excuse me, Empress.”
Daasdrei could feel her blood boiling with how laid back and rude this Ridgeback was being! “Are you insinuating something, Rhes? Choose your words carefully, or else--”
“Or else you’ll drain me of blood, too?” asked Rhes cooly, before shrugging--carefully, “I’m afraid you won’t like what I have. I technically don’t have any blood flowing through my veins. And Igor here has been experimented on so much, that his blood might basically be poisonous to you. So your threats mean nothing.”
Daasdrei growled, but said nothing, allowing Rhes to continue.
“Have you ever sired anyone, Empress?”
She paused at that, “...Sired? I’ve birthed heirs, if that’s what you’re--”
“No no, not that.” said Rhes, waving a dismissive hand, “I mean, have you ever sired another vampire? Some legends say that, you have to just barely leave a victim alive, before they start to transform. Is that the same with you?”
Daasdrei fell silent.
“...Bingo. I think you have your answer, as to why I don’t have your Ridgeback here in my morgue.” said Rhes, simply, “If that’s the case, then we’re done here. We’re going to go back to sleep now. Good night.”
He gave her a smile and a wave, before leading Igor back inside, ignoring her, as she opened her mouth to protest, only to be met with a closed--and locked--door.
--
Once inside, Rhes yawned grandly, and started to head towards his room, an add-on to the morgue, “Back to sleep. You may continue what you were doing, Igor.”
A tug on his sleeve made him stop, as he turned to face the young Guardian.
‘That was Empress Daasdrei. Won’t we get in trouble for being so short with her?’
Rhes shook his head, “No, my dear Igor. She has no power here, in the morgue. When she dies, she’ll end up here, too. Same with Janto. Same with anyone here in the city. We’re in no danger.”
Igor frowned, ‘But what about the Ridgeback she’s looking for?’
Rhes shrugged, “Not our problem. He’s alive. ...Well, ‘alive’ so to speak. But since he’s living, he’s not our problem. We deal with the dead.”
Igor nodded. Rhes yawned again, heading towards his room again, “I’ll be up, come morning. Feel free to head to bed, when you’re ready.”
Though as Rhes headed to his room, he couldn’t help but wonder what would becoming of the poor Ridgeback that Daasdrei unknowingly turned into a vampire. The City of Executrix was in the middle of a desert. During the day, the sun was scorching. A vampire would burn up within seconds. He’d be very lucky if he was still alive.
Igor is the brother of Analise, and Dr. Vaux. As little ones, Igor was experimented on by his siblings. It was just small things at first, somethings kids would just do to one another...but as they grew up, the experiments became much more serious. Surprisingly, though Igor didn’t care. They could cut him open, inject him with several things, electrify him... He was a Plague dragon. He’d survive. Plague dragons always survive.
After leaving Rottaway, Igor traveled around, before ending up in the City of Executrix, not knowing his sister, Analise, was part of the mafia there. He found work with the mortician, Rhes, and helps him prepare bodies and processes them. Working with the dead lets Igor see those that ‘fail’ to survive, but at the same time, he respects them with their next step in life. The next cycle is going back to the earth, and perhaps their spirit continues on surviving. He’s not exactly sure about spirits and ghosts, but he’d like to believe surviving continues, when the physical body can no longer go on...
Igor is mute and deaf, and communicates via sign language. If the dragon he’s speaking with doesn’t know sign language, he always has a note pad he can write on. Despite having been experimented on by his siblings, Igor is rather friendly, and positive, though with a slight sadistic side. Because of the experiments his siblings put him through, some of his skin can morph and mutate, especially along his legs and arms. It’s almost like a liquified solid, and yet it’s pretty firm to the touch. A nice set of ‘armor’ should he ever need it. And while it can’t reach far, it does occasionally give him an extra limb or two, to help with multitasking.
And, despite having been the subject of Analise and Dr. Vaux’s experiments, Igor still loves them.
A Plague monster, Carnidine is a hulking force, snarling and growling as means of communication. He's got extremely long claws, several pulsing eyes, and has the ability to spit out a vile puss-like substance, that's highly dangerous, even to fellow Plague dragons. He's Xarles' pet, and the two guard the entrance to the Lower Tier.
54. Most friendly dragon?
--That would probably be Spire.
Despite being the girlfriend of the head of the Torn Wings Mafia, Spire is friendly towards everyone. She has no self-preservation, and will even be kind to enemies. To her, everyone is a potential friend. And everyone deserves kindness.
73. Pick two dragons and talk about their relationship.
--Hmmm...
Igor and Analise! They're actually siblings, and are quite close...despite certain things. See, Analise and her other brother, Dr. Vaux, experimented on Igor. Poked and prodded around inside of him, and eventually the experiments rendered him mute. Surprisingly, he doesn't mind too much. And they still love one another, to boot. They're quite the strange family...
