Chapter X - Dragon Keep Falls

Arawn roamed the halls of the keep distraught, his most prized prisoner had escaped, the only one he enjoyed torturing anymore. Dreq left days ago, and Arawn knew the dragon might not return at all; while waiting he daydreamed about Dreq drowning Furbaide in ichor. Burning away his dark earthy toned skin leaving Furbaide vulnerable and in great pain. Whatever fate awaited the living god Arawn wished he could witness it with his own eyes.

Broken out of his daydream Arawn heard a deafening roar that shook the walls his keep, Arawn wondered if Dreq returned as he ascended the a series of stairs and ran down long hallways. As Arawn ran by the cells of his prisoners he saw them shake in fear of the dragon, even the damned had fear of the great beast. Climbing onto the battlements Arawn searched the skies and saw the black body of the dragon spiral out of the sky, Arawn was too awed by the sight of the dragon to noticed that the dragon was plummeting down. One of Dreq's eyes was streaming blood, the black scales of the dragon had burn marks with blood blood spraying of opened wounds, once Arawn noticed Dreq's state he became terrified.

Arawn soon understood that Furbaide compelled the dragon to return, Furbaide managed to wound the dragon so badly it would need to sleep for a millennium to regain his strength. The exiled king created in his mind a deep hatred for Dreq's weakness, enraged he slammed his fist against the stone of the battlement, Furbaide won and was free in Crel once again. Looking up in the sky in dismay Arawn cursed at the black dragon but noticed the beast was falling; its descent would have it crashing into the keep. Upon impact the dragon's colosal would smack the keep apart and cause it to sink into the lake of ichor.

Wailing in despair Arawn was crippled by grief and misery about his fate, forbidden to die Arawn would feel the eternal pain of burning alive forever. Arawn was broken out of his despair however by a the stone beneath his feet shaking, the dragon had crashed into the side of the keep. Dreq had sunk into the ichor along with more than half the foundation of the keep, made with pure blackened rock which kept the ichor from burning away the upper section of the structure. Sinking into the ichor the stone structure of the keep began to crumble from the bottom up, sending large chunks of stone downwards into the burning lake below.

Prisoners who sank with the keep were relieved of their eternal suffering and were given the rest of true death, as Arawn cried out in a high pitched wail begging to be saved. Fear soon silenced Arawn as he felt the unbearable heat intensify the closer he got to the ichor. All the prisoners were free from their anguish, leaving their warden to face his own eternal turmoil, only his would see no end. The pounding of Arawn's heart almost made him unable to pick up a distant noise that became louder as it got closer.

Flapping wings were clear as he searched the skies for it's source but before he could spot it a large talon gripped his shoulders and lifted into the air. Arawn didn't see what picked him up as he was immobile by the tight grip that clamped down on his body. The only distinct feature he could see was that whatever was flying him away from the sinking keep had a missing leg. Able to look downwards Arawn saw his prison for many centuries become consumed by the ichor, the black rock that held up the stonework was crumbling away.

Dragon's Keep was gone with all the prisoners whom the gods sentenced to suffer beyond their mortal years. Arawn didn't know who saved him from his fate but he was grateful, not only for that but for allowing him to see through his remaining ambition; for his only escaped prisoner to suffer like he would've in that lake of ichor. Exiled for all those centuries in the keep had given Arawn a madness, one that made him sadistic with the desire to bring suffering to others. Furbaide wa the prime prey Arawn wished to bestow great suffering upon, a task he vowed to make happen whatever the cost.

Arawn with fresh ambition saw the ichor below fade away a he was being flown into the sky of Annwfyn. Whatever carried him was swift, even more so in the fog that separated the worlds, all around the dense gray fog obscured his vision. Within the fog hours were minutes minutes, days and weeks became mere seconds to any that passed into the fog. Any mortal who did would age away into dust in just a few moments but to Arawn it was nothing to him, being cursed with never ending life aging had no affect on his body.

Weariness of the soul however corroded his mind, as the fog got denser Arawn could feel he was emerging into the realm of Crel once again. Moonlight covering landscape was the first thing Arawn saw when he was flown through the fog wall. Tilting his head to the night sky he saw the twinkling of countless stars, the scent of fresh air and the cooling wind over his body was euphoric. Those feelings of freedom were dwarfed by a new feeling of great jubilation brought on by what he saw in the distance.

Towering above a pool of blackness Arawn saw through his tear filled eyes his home and seat of power the Stagnant Fortress.