Ludope

Ludope Pronounced Lu-doh-pay He/Him Mate of Juniper Swordsman Unyielding Sagittarius Familiar The stars align, showing signs of optimism. (Rockbreaker's Ceremony 2020 Holiday Item) 0 Ludope is a swordsman. He travels the world in search of adventure with his mate, Juniper; a Ridgeback Druid, Feroich; and a Centaur Archer, Villruth. With Juniper, he had a daughter, whom they named Huria. Most recently, he and his party have been in search of a warlock who has been terrorizing travelers in Dragonhome. At long last, they've tracked her to a cave in Greatwyrm's Breach, where their final confrontation is about to take place...

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____Ludope tore through the air, the walls of Greatwyrm's Breach blurs in his vision. His focus was solely on the night sky above as he climbed higher and higher. He was desperate to reach the top of the gorge. Everything was closing in around him; he needed to escape, to fly far away and never look back. He certainly wasn't going to look back now.

____As he approached the gorge's opening, he could just make out a small figure peering over the edge. Villruth, no doubt. He'd stayed behind at their camp to watch over Huria. He wasn't to abandon his post unless something went wrong. Considering the situation, it was safe to say that everything had gone wrong. Ludope himself could barely wrap his head around it. It had all happened so quickly.


____It was only hours ago, at twilight, that Ludope, Juniper, and Feroich had left Villruth and Huria at their camp. They headed west towards Greatwyrm's breach. As the moon rose, they dove silently into the gorge in pursuit of their target: an Imperial warlock. She'd evaded them for some time, but now she had cornered herself in her lair deep within the Breach.

____The three charged into her lair, ready for anything. The warlock had been waiting for them. On guard was another Imperial. He was wearing stained armor, and seemed to be under her control. They put up a good fight, dodging Juniper and Feroich's magic attacks and deftly evading Ludope's sword. The warlock conjured up all sorts of shadow monsters and horror beasts to aid in the battle, but the three dragons had stayed their ground against the horde. They didn't notice, though, when some of the beasts flew past them, out into the night.


____At last, Ludope reached the top of the gorge. Once he crested the edge, he curled himself up and slammed into the ground, enveloped in exhaustion. Villruth ran over to him.

____"Ludope, I'm sorry!" he said frantically. "They came so quickly, and- and- and they took her, and I chased after them, and-"

____"I know," Ludope cut in as he tried to catch his breath. His body ached.

____"I heard the screaming. I felt the ground shake..." Villruth's voice trailed off. He peered down into the gorge. "Where are Feroich and June?"

____"They're... they're gone," Ludope managed to choke out.

____"What?!"


____The fight went on for hours. Feroich suddenly felt the presence of enemies to their rear, at the entrance to the lair. The winged beasts who had left had now returned, and they held something in their clutches. The fighting died down as the beasts handed off the cargo to their master, who chuckled with malevolence.

____"My, what do we have here?" She rumbled, her voice shaking the cave. "Such potent, raw magic! All within a tiny, little capsule." She grinned and showed off the prize to her unwelcome guests: a small, green and purple Spiral dragon. Huria. "Yes, she will do quite nicely..."

____"You monster!" Juniper shouted, filled with rage. "Get your claws off her!" She charged forward, intent on unleashing all her fury into the warlock.

____"June, wait!" Ludope yelled.

____The shadow beasts encircled Juniper as she closed in on the warlock. They latched on to her legs and wings, weighing her down. Ludope and Feroich moved to assist her, but the Imperial guard blocked their path, assisted by the eruption of a wall of the monsters. Juniper was slowed to a walk, then to a crawl, before she finally collapsed in front of the warlock. She growled and snorted, struggling to free herself. The warlock lowered her head to be right in Juniper's face.

____"Such as strong spirit," she said, "wasted on a fool like you." She held Huria upright in one hand, and reached her other hand out to Juniper's forehead. "Say bye-bye, mommy!"

____Feroich and Ludope had nearly beaten their way through the bloackade when they heard an almighty scream. Purple light washed over them as the shadow beasts subsided. Catching his breath, Ludope looked up to see Juniper lying before the warlock. The purple light was emitting from her body, which seemed to be cracking.

____The purple glow grew stronger as the cracks spread. Juniper wailed in agony as the warlock's dark power engulfed her. With one last effort, she swallowed her screams and forced her teary eyes to look at Huria, who was staring right back at her, wriggling in the warlock's grasp.

____"My dear child," Juniper managed to say. "I-"

____The dark magic exploded from Juniper's body with an earth-shaking boom. It filled the cave, burning away the shadow beasts. Feroich clenched his eyes, but Ludope forced himself to watch. The magic swarmed through the room, volatile and angry. It nearly filled the cave in its entirety. Then, slowly, it condensed, working its way down into a small, unsteady sphere before the warlock. With a small pop, it disappeared.

____Juniper was gone. There were no remnants of her, all taken by the dark magic. The warlock hunched over, catching her breath. Ludope stared, immobilized by shock. For a moment, all he could hear was Huria's crying. He saw a shape beside him rush forward and ram into the warlock, pinning her to the wall.

____It was Feroich. Once he'd opened his eyes, he saw that Juniper was gone, the shadow beasts were gone, the Imperial guard had collapsed, and the warlock was vulnerable. He seized the opportunity and blitzed her, forcing her back. The warlock, surprised, released Huria and brought both hands up to try and fend off the attack.

____"Now, Ludope!" Feroich shouted. "Take her and go!"

____Ludope stared. His mind was racing.

____"Ludope!" Feroich shouted again. "NOW!"

____At last, Ludope came to his senses. He rushed over and grabbed hold of his hatchling. He paused for just a moment, long enough to make eye contact with Feroich. Ludope gave a tearful, knowing nod. He jumped up and took flight, holding his child tightly. He raced out of the cave and began his ascent.


____Villruth helped Ludope up off the ground. The Spiral inspected his hatchling. She was still crying. Ludope wanted to calm her, but he was on the verge of tears himself.

____"We... we need to leave," Ludope said. Villruth wasn't so sure.

____"But-"

____"I'll explain more later. Feroich bought us some time, but only so much. Every second we stand here, we waste it."

____As he finished speaking, a horde of shadow beasts erupted from the great chasm, filling the night sky. Central among them was the Imperial guard. Ludope's eyes followed the dark army, and his heart filled with dread. Their time was already up.

____"Move! We need to leave now!" He shouted.

____Ludope took to the air once more, and began flying west along the Breach's edge. Villruth followed suit on the ground. The beasts chased after, their screeches filling the air and echoing across the land. Ludope danced through the sky as his wings cut through the wind. He begged them to carry him faster, faster, faster.

____Soon enough, he noticed that the beasts were only chasing him. Though Villruth was keeping pace on foot, none of them were tailing the Centaur. Ludope knew he couldn't fly forever. Sooner or later, they'd catch up with him. Thinking quickly, he swooped down into the gorge and flew into the first crevice he could find. He curled himself up as little as he could and shushed Huria's crying. He torrent of shadow beasts flew by, squawking and shrieking as they passed. He'd lost them, but he knew it wouldn't be for long. He nuzzled himself against Huria, committing everything he could to memory.

____"I'm sorry, little one," he said. A lone tear ran down his face. "I love you."

____Villruth had skidded to a halt, and was looking over the edge of the Breach, trying to find Ludope. Suddenly, the Spiral appeared. He flew back up out of the darkness of the gorge and touched down next to Villruth.

____"Nice thinking!" The Centaur cheered. "We've lost them, let's get out of here."

____"Not yet we haven't," Ludope said. "Listen, Villruth, I've got a plan. While we were running, the beasts weren't chasing you. The warlock didn't know you were here, so I've got a hunch that she only trained them on me." Slowly, he unwrapped his arms and held his daughter out. "She seems to want Huria. I don't know why, but... you take her. Get as far away from here as you can. I don't care where you go."

____"Ludope," Villruth said in surprise. "No, I can't, we can both-"

____"No, we can't, but yes, you can." Ludope said. "I'll lure them away. If they ever stop chasing me, then I'll come and find you. If not, then... please, take care of Huria."

____"Enough! There's got to be another way!"

____"If you've got a better idea, I'm all ears!"

____As they argued, the pair began to hear faint screeching. The swarm was already on its way back, unwavering in their pursuit. Ludope decided he was done arguing. He thrust Huria into Villruth's arms, turned, and launched himself into the air.

____"Now, Villruth!" Ludope shouted. "Take her and go!"

____Villruth stared. His mind was racing.

____"Villruth!" Ludope shouted again. "NOW!"

____With that, Ludope took off into the night, away from Villruth and away from the monsters. Once the horde spotted him, they turned and began chasing him once more. They flew off into the night sky, their shrieking fading away into nothingness.

____Villruth stood for a moment, holding the hatchling in his arms tightly. Slowly, his feet began moving. He turned around and began walking. His walking became a steady gallop as he ran away from the gorge. The air was still, and the night silent.

____"I'm so sorry, Huria," Villruth said as he ran. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't lost you earlier..." His voice trailed off. Huria yawned, tired and ready to fall asleep.

____"I won't lose you again. I promise."


____The Imperial guard touched down in the entrance of the warlock's cave. The morning sunlight was just beginning to spread across Dragonhome. He made his way into the lair, and found his master busy with the captive. Feroich was suspended in the air before her, limp, held aloft by a spell she was weaving. She acknowledged her guard, but maintained her focus on the Ridgeback.

____"You return to me empty handed?" She said sharply. "I'm disappointed, Darkblood."

____"I apologize, master," Darkblood replied, lowering his head. "I pursued the Spiral for many hours. I did apprehend him, but he had hidden the child."

____"And?"

____"He did not respond to interrogation, so I saw fit to dispose of him."

____"Unfortunate. Go, tend to your wounds," she ordered. Darkblood nodded and ventured past her, further into the cave. The warlock eyed him briefly, then turned her attention back to the captive.

____"You and your friends were brave... but too bold," she mused. The Ridgeback before her didn't respond. Not that he could. "I will not be so easily deterred. You may have delayed me for now, but there are many means to my ends. I will find the power I seek..."

____She paused her speech as she completed the spell. The magic dissipated from her claws and Feroich was released. He fell to the hard stone floor with a thump. For a moment, he was still. Then, his eyes shot open, glowing a pale purple. He picked himself up and stood face to face with the warlock, locking his eyes with hers. The warlock smiled.

____"...and I believe you can provide it to me."

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1. Ludope was gifted to me by oyamibun.