The sun peaked in and out from behind clouds in the cool afternoon. An incessant buzz of radio chatter crackled through the guardians' earpieces; each transmission layered with urgency and tension.

Vexx had finally returned after several long months. He had a sizeable group of adversaries with him.

Vexx’s men advanced through the streets like a relentless tide, their movements coordinated and ruthless. Any guardian who dared confront them found themselves quickly overwhelmed. The sound of clashes and roars echoed off the buildings.

Meanwhile, Vexx and a couple of his associates surveyed the chaos from the air, ensuring their operation ran smoothly. The glint of their weapons caught the afternoon rays of sunlight, a sinister reminder of the violence unfolding below.

As the overlapping radio talk filled his ear with urgent updates, Blackthorn immediately issued a command to the guardians to assist in the fierce battle unfolding outside and to make every effort to apprehend the elusive Vexx.

With wings spread wide, the guardians took to the sky, skillfully maneuvering through the buildings, desperation fueling their speed as they raced toward the chaos that engulfed the streets below.

Meanwhile, Vexx’s men advanced with calculated precision, their fierce drakes charging into the fray. The mercenaries moved like a well-oiled machine, systematically cutting a path through the streets. Their intent was clear: to reach the Dragonguard’s base at the shoreline.

The Commander ascended briefly into the sky, the cool wind washing over him as he surveyed the chaos unfolding below. With his binoculars firmly in hand, his keen eyes noticed the faces mingling amidst the turmoil. To his disbelief, he spotted some of the notorious members of the Black Clutch gang—a ruthless organization that had long haunted the city with its nefarious underground drug trafficking operations.

“And just when I thought he couldn’t stoop lower,” Blackthorn muttered to himself, a wave of frustration washed over him. He clenched his jaw as he tucked away his binoculars, his furrowed brow conveying the simmering anger within him. He maneuvered his dragon into a steep descent, the creature's wings cutting through the air. He landed with a heavy thud; anger surged through him as he dismounted with a fierce urgency.

“Can he fight?” Blackthorn addressed Zella with a bold voice, pointing to Sabretail. The dragon perked up in disbelief that the Commander wanted him in the fight.

Zella was surprised herself and replied, “Sabretail? Well, he has been training with the blade in his tail fins, so I’d say he’d be able to.”

“Great, I need everyone I can get. Looks like Vexx has recruited some of the Black Clutch, maybe made a deal with them or something. That tail of his should prove useful for the guys on the ground.”

“Oh no, I’m going for Vexx. That fucker’s mine.” Zella asserted as she climbed onto Sabretail’s saddle.

“He can fly? Well, even better! But Vexx has a few others with him in the air; we’ll need to get him alone.” Responded Blackthorn.

“Have a few go for his wingmen; that’ll distract them so I have a chance to get in.” Suggested Zella.

The Commander ordered a squadron in the air over the radio to attack Vexx’s wingmen. He gave a thumbs up to Zella, and then Sabretail took flight, his wings making a myriad of mechanical sounds. They flew low to the ground, flanked to the side, between buildings to avoid detection by the enemies' scrying eyes.

As they turned down an alleyway, flanking Vexx from the side, Zella noticed guardians engaging his wingmen in the air. They briefly fought when Zella said over her headset, “Draw them away! I’m going underneath Vexx; I can’t risk them seeing me.”

The guardians listened and drew the enemy away from their positions. Vexx was the only one in sight in the vignette view of the alleyway.

“Almost there, just a few blocks away,” Zella said to herself, her heartbeat pounding with adrenaline from the intense high-stakes situation about to unfold.

As they approached the intersection beneath Vexx, Sabretail quickly pulled up into a vertical climb, grunting with each powerful stroke of his wings. At the precise moment, he halted his ascent and, reaching the apex of the climb, twisted his body to the right. He whipped his tail for added strength and his left tail fin sliced through Ignistra’s throat. Sabretail finished the wingover maneuver by diving down, then off to the side to dodge the falling wyvern corpse.

Vexx clung tightly to the saddle as his wyvern plummeted from the sky, his heart racing with confusion and despair. It took a moment for reality to sink in—the brutal death of Ignistra, his loyal companion, flashed through his mind like a speeding Ire wyvern flying by.

As he was free-falling, he frantically called for one of his airmen over his radio. The chaos around him felt like a violent storm. Just then, his wingman swooped in from behind a building, still being chased by a guardian.

With an impressive display of agility and precision, and in a moment that felt surreal, the dragon extended its powerful back claws, snatching Vexx out of the air with grace.

The lifeless wyvern tumbled from the sky, its massive body hitting the street below with a resounding thud. The impact was so forceful that it sent a shockwave through the ground, scattering dust into the air. The weight of the impact formed a small depression in the street.

The relentless pursuit continued, suspended from the clawed grip of his ally’s dragon, the wind whipping through his hair. With adrenaline fueling his every thought, Vexx reached for his pistol, the cool metal feeling reassuring in his hands as he aimed it directly at the looming figure of the guardian. His finger slowly squeezed the trigger, anticipation surging through him when suddenly, the guardian’s dragon spread its wings and decelerated.

The guardian hovered in mid-air momentarily before their dragon dipped its massive wings and swooped down gracefully, landing on top of a nearby building.

Vexx had a maniacal expression etched on his face as they pulled away from the city. His gaze was locked onto the lifeless corpse of his companion, a pool of blood surrounding its head.

“What about the others on the ground, sir?” Inquired the rider.

“Let the drug runners be slaughtered; they are of no use to me,” Vexx replied with a voice that rumbled like distant thunder, his anger apparent with every syllable. They withdrew into the depths of the Forgotten Forest.

A few of the gang members heard the heavy thud reverberate through the air of the corpse crashed onto the street. They turned just in time to see Vexx being carried off by one of his loyal wingmen. As they soared back into the dense cover of the forest, the reality of the situation began to sink in for the remaining members of the gang. Panic surged through them as they realized that Vexx had strategically abandoned them so he could escape, leaving them to confront the full force of the city’s Dragonguard.

As the rest of the gang grasped the gravity of their situation, they quickly mounted their drakes, the magnificent creatures snorting and pawing the ground in anticipation. With urgency propelling them forward, they darted in different directions through the narrow streets, weaving skillfully between towering buildings and shadowy alleyways. Their hearts raced as they sought to outmaneuver any guardians who might be on their trail, the echo of this pursuer’s footsteps growing distant.

Once each member managed to shake off the threat, they sought after strategic hideouts scattered throughout the city. They squeezed into dark recesses of abandoned buildings, where the air was thick with dust and memories of a once-vibrant life, or slipped into the cool, damp embrace of underground tunnels.

Unfortunately, fate was not kind to everyone. A few members found themselves cornered and were captured by the relentless Dragonguard. Among those apprehended was a high-ranking gang member, whose knowledge and experience made them a particularly valuable prize. The tension of the escape mingled with the dread of betrayal as the remaining members were left to contemplate their next move in the shadowy depths of their hiding places.

While the guardians diligently swept the streets and patrolled the area, Sabretail and Zella soared gracefully back to their base; a bloody red streak stained Sabretail’s left tail fin. As they landed, sounds of celebration greeted their ears. Their fellow guardians, filled with gratitude and admiration, erupted into applause and cheers. The camaraderie of the team was warm and inviting, each member expressing their appreciation for the bravery and determination displayed by Sabretail and Zella during their mission, with several guardians beginning to elevate Sabretail’s status to that of a legend.

“Outstanding work!” Blackthorn exclaimed, a broad grin spreading across his face as he affectionately patted Sabretail’s head. However, the atmosphere of celebration abruptly shifted into a frenzy with everyone scattered about when two dark, large, imposing dragonkin shadows appeared around them.

The imposing Ancients descended from the skies, Airigold, his gilded tipped scales, claws, and horns glimmered in the evening sun. His powerful wings stirred the air with such intensity that tendrils of dust spiraled upwards from the ground. Just beside him, an Ancient Novascale amphithere swooped down, its elongated body adorned with shimmering iridescent scales that reflected colors akin to the twilight sky.

Both creatures landed with a grace that defied their immense size, the ground trembling slightly under their combined weight. A hushed ripple of awe swiftly spread through the assembled crowd, their eyes wide with wonder as they recognized the dragons as Ancient Dragonkin, beings of legend.

Amidst the gathering, Blackthorn stood frozen in place, his expression a mix of disbelief and reverence. The sight of an Ancient creature, so close that he could almost feel the warmth radiating from its majestic form, left him momentarily speechless. It was a moment he had only ever dreamed about, and now, standing before a couple of the legends themselves and the embodiment of ancient power, he felt an overwhelming sense of both fear and fascination.

“You must be the Lieutenant Commander, yes?” boomed Airigold, his voice resonating with a calming authority as it echoed through the expansive courtyard.

Blackthorn, still grasping the reality of the magnificent creatures before him, stammered as he struggled to find his words. “Y—Yes. You are Ancients, no doubt. I never imagined any if you were still alive in this age.”

Airigold’s expression turned somber and let out a sigh. “Yes, you and everyone else. Unfortunately, I do not have good news.” He paused, his golden eyes caught the peculiar dragon next to Blackthorn

“What happened to this one?” Airigold inquired, his voice a mix of concern and curiosity, as he studied the mechanical wings and tail fins of Sabretail with a keen interest.

Zella took a deep breath as she stepped into the center of the circle formed by the watchful guardians. “We believe it was Vexx,” she began, “my daughter and her friends found him in a cave, chained up, his wings and tail fins cut off. He was brought back here, and I designed and created prosthetics for him.”

“Incredible,” Airigold said, his voice tingled with disbelief and admiration. He then turned to Azier and quipped, “You weren’t kidding about Vexx being a piece of shit, weren’t you?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Blackthorn interjected, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Airigold took a deep breath, recalling the previous encounter. “We came across each other in the forest a while ago. I specifically warned them not to disclose it to anyone; I did not want to incite fear about the Ancients returning into the light,” he explained, his tone growing more serious. He paused briefly as if weighing his next words carefully.

“Speaking of which,” he continued, shifting his focus to the pressing matter at hand, “Sphyii and I have uncovered alarming information about the Wyrm of Chaos and his sinister plans; important enough that the Dragonguard should be informed.”

“The Wyrm of Chaos?” Blackthorn exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief and fear as he let out a nervous chuckle. “You fucking serious?”

Airigold’s expression was steely and unwavering. “I’m afraid not. I felt it was important to relay the information to you directly, as to prevent any doubts and rumors that might otherwise arise,” he said, a hint of gravity in his tone that dispelled any lingering humor of the moment.

“Additionally,” he continued, “I am much closer to you than I am to the city of Eldrya, so I figured you would use long-distance communications to reach the Dragonguard headquarters.”

“And it would be faster than you flying there; good call,” Blackthorn commented, impressed that another creature poses such intelligence. He ordered the crowd of guardians to disperse and return to their duties. The guardians somberly broke off and disbanded.