Rebirth of the Nephilim

Weigrun had changed in the time Jadis had been gone.

The Demons who had once roamed the forests and hills freely were no longer present. At least, not in any number that could be seen as a true threat to the sparsely populated settlements the empire had founded on the southern tip of the continent. All of the Demon Matriarchs had been slain; Jadis had killed off three of those monsters, but the last had fallen to soldiers. With no more matriarchs in the area, no more new Demons were being born, thus the population had quickly declined thanks to the ruthless extermination carried out by the soldiers and mercenaries under General Egilhard’s command. Running into packs of twisted wretches was a thing of the past. If one were to encounter a Demon, it was most likely to be a possession type, hiding inside some animal or magic beast. Those who lived in Weigrun still had to be on the alert for Demons, but overall, the region had returned to a state of peace, comparatively speaking.

A part of Jadis wished that she could have stuck around in Weigrun longer, taken the time to truly establish roots in the area. Certainly, she would have liked to have seen the positive change that had come from her actions in the area, rather than be told of it by another. Still, it was just nice to know that things were getting better in some part of the world, even if the rest was still pretty damn messed up.

After a long, long conversation, during which Jadis and Yorath gave each other the full stories of how the months since their last meeting had treated them and everyone around them, sleep was the only reasonable option. Jadis and her lovers bedded down for the night in the comfort of the Dryad grove’s hospitality, sparing no time for any of the more lascivious impulses that they normally would have indulged in. There was real business to attend to, and a short amount of time to complete said business in, which meant they had to stay focused on task. Before the next day’s dawn had fully risen, Jadis and her companions were up and ready to follow Yorath’s directions to get to Vetregin’s lair.

She just hoped that the token she had brought with her still counted for something with the big blue lizard.

The mountain that Vetregin had claimed as his own wasn’t far from the split peak that loomed over the Dryad’s valley. It would have been a grueling ordeal to reach it on foot, requiring one to cross over several high passes between towering mountains whose flanks were perpetually covered in snow. Seeing the frozen depths of Kalters Wall for herself, Jadis could understand why others had believed her bad lie about her fabricated Nephilim village lost in the mountains. No one would try to climb these slopes for any reason except for necessity. Or perhaps suicidal thrill-seeking. A whole city could be buried under the ice, and no one would ever know.

Yorath had said there was no name for the mountain. The place was simply Vetregin’s, as any Dryad or dragon in the area would well know, if for no other reason than to stay far away. Flying towards the imposing peak, Jadis couldn’t help but feel just the tiniest bit stupid. Vetregin hadn’t been the welcoming sort during their last encounter, and she doubted that had changed.

That tiny feeling of nerves grew to a sizeable concern when she caught sight of a distant figure rising in the distance.

Vetregin.

The great ice dragon could not be compared to Vetraka or Korsregon. Those two were powerful, mighty beasts that ruled their territory as apex predators. Vetregin was a king. Huge beyond compare, his ice-blue scales shone like a fast sea reflecting the early morning light. His wingspan darkened the snow-laden land far below like a storm cloud. His roar, when it reached Jadis’ ears, reverberated in her soul. The purple runt Tefrathok didn’t even rate next to Vetregin. This was a dragon.

“Brace yourselves,” Jadis called out in unison to her passengers. “I may need to pull some fast maneuvers.”

“Bring me close and I will speak with him,” Meli replied confidently.

At that moment, the still distant dragon released a massive spray of icy frost into the air, twisting its snake-like neck around as he created a literal stormfront in the sky with one rumbling bellow.

“…If you can get close,” Meli amended her statement.

Cautious yet undaunted, Jadis continued her approach towards Vetregin. Since she was purposefully not running or hiding, and her speed was slow and steady, she hoped that he would interpret her behavior as non-hostile. Yorath had said that the ancient dragon wouldn’t attack her so long as she acted with due respect. As Vetregin and his self-generated storm cloud of frost continued to barrel towards her, Jadis felt the sweat run down her spines. Even then, with all of her increased power, she wasn’t certain she could take the colossal dragon in a straight fight.

Just as Jadis was about to abandon the low and slow approach, the storm surrounding the shadowed Vetregin fell away and the massive beast flew before her in all of his unmitigated glory. Tilting to the side, one huge wing dipped low enough for the breeze of his passing to disturb the mountain below them and whip up a spiraling torrent of snow, Vetregin circled around her, his crimson eyes flashing with intent. Jadis made sure to come to a complete halt, hovering in place, to give the dragon time to examine her and see that she wasn’t there to fight.

“Vetregin!” Jadis shouted in a chorus. “My name is Jadis! You know me! I’m here to call in the favor you owe me!”

Withdrawing the stone from a side pouch, Jay held the scarred rock high so that it was easy to see.

“I have your token!”

Another roar split the sky, a bestial screech that seemed to shake the very foundations of the mountains themselves. Leveling out, Vetregin flapped his gigantic wings and launched himself towards her, his massive jaws open wide to show teeth as long as Eir was tall.

“Wait!” Jadis shouted, then moved quickly back and away from fast-moving beast. “Wait! I don’t want to fight! I’m just here to—”

And then, as the ice dragon drew within a stone’s throw of her, he was gone.

No sound. No storm. Not even a ripple of wind. There was, simply, no dragon.

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But there was a winged man floating only a few feet away.

“You still need to work on your defenses against illusions,” the man said as he crossed his arms and smirked condescendingly. “I almost feel bad for how easy that was.”

“Hello, Jack,” all three of Jadis exhaled through her noses. “Nice to see you again.”

The possibly ancient Fetch had chosen to take the form of a Seraphim. With purple feathers and iridescent gold hair, he presented a striking appearance. The fact that he was wearing nothing but a simple loincloth, and thus had put a body rippling with lean muscles on display, certainly accentuated his borrowed handsomeness. Jadis wondered if the figure Jack had taken was that of a real man he had met in the past, or if he was some figment of his boundless imagination. She could believe either, when it came to the Fetch.

“Wonderful to see you as well,” Jack grinned and pointed a finger at Thea. “And you too, cutie. There are nights when I think back to your performance during that lovely ritual of Jadis’ before the big battle. It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it?”

Jadis didn’t need to look to feel the blush that burned across Thea’s face. However, before she could tell the annoying Fetch to shut the fuck up and stop teasing Thea, Jack had already moved on.

“You two, however, I don’t recognize,” he pointed first at Meli, then at Noct. “Did the harem change? Replacements or expansion?”

“Expansion,” Noct answered immediately.

“Jadis has thirteen lovers,” Meli elaborated. “I believe at the time that you last met her, she had seven.”

“I see, I see,” Jack nodded as he rubbed at his chiseled chin. “So many, and such a wide breadth of variety, too. And yet, you still have no room for me in your bevy of beauties?”

“No,” Dys stated firmly. “Not saying it to offend you, but no.”

Rolling his eyes, Jack sighed and waved a hand dismissively.

“Fine, fine, I get it. I’m just too sexy for you. Not just anyone could handle all of this.”

With a ripple that lasted only the briefest of moments, Jack changed, his form shifting so that rather than being a bare chested, masculine he-man of a body-building Seraphim, he was a gorgeously voluptuous Seraphim with breasts big enough to overflow even Jadis’ hands. And still very much bare, Jadis had no trouble noting.

“Your loss. Those who have never been with a Fetch just can’t understand what they’re missing.”

“I think I understand just fine,” Syd replied with a smirk of her own.

Giving her a look up and down, Jack narrowed her eyes at Syd. After a moment, she crooked an elegant finger at her, like she was motioning for a child to come closer.

“I see that you do understand… but who has given you that understanding? And what are they doing hiding from me inside of that backpack of yours? Come on out, little changeling, and let’s have a chat about adult things, shall we?”

Jadis wasn’t exactly sure she liked the way Jack had emphasized the word ‘adult’ when she spoke, but she held her tongue and waited. While she was there to support her lover, this conversation was between Maeve and her grand…parent.

Slowly, the orange-colored woman pushed her way out of Syd’s backpack. Rising up so that she was leaning over Syd’s shoulder, Maeve calmly waved one hand while the other clutched tightly to her Nephilim lover.

“Hello, Madoc,” she said with only a hint of strain to her voice. “You still out here fucking dragons?”

Jack stared at Maeve blankly, her face completely still for several seconds.

“Oh. Oh!” she said slowly at first, then exclaimed a little louder as her expression rippled through a series of emotions. “Wow! I’ll admit, I didn’t see this coming. Maeve, it’s been too long since you last checked in! I’m glad you’re still alive.”

“Yeah,” Maeve said, squeezing just a bit more tightly against Syd. “I found my anchor.”

“I can see that,” Jack nodded consideringly as she tilted her head, one finger against the tip of her chin. “I didn’t expect it, but I can see it. And I’m glad. Very glad! Unless… I suppose I should have known that granddaddy D would push you two together.”

“He didn’t push us together,” Syd corrected. “Maeve and I are very much in a relationship of our own volition, thank you very much.”

“Then that’s even better!” the voluptuous Fetch revealed a stunning grin. “He may or may not have wanted to pair you two, but if you’re doing it for your own sake, that’s all that matters.”

Floating closer, Jack shifted up and to the side so that she could get a better look at Maeve. The movement unintentionally, or perhaps otherwise, put the shapeshifter’s sizeable assets on close display for Jadis. Noct and Thea were both staring hard, even if they were trying not to be obvious about their observation. Meli just blankly gazed at the purple-winged vixen, not hiding where her eyes went at all.

“What an interesting form you’ve taken,” Jack drawled. “Where did you get the idea?”

Lifting her head and squaring her shoulders, Maeve looked Jack in her purple eyes.

“This form is my idea. Orange is my favorite color.”

“Is it now… How very interesting.”

The gaze between the two Fetches lasted for an eternity. Then, just as though no time had passed at all, Jack grinned and reached out one hand, lightly tapping Maeve on the end of her nose.

“You look good in the color! It suits you.”

“Thanks,” Maeve replied while rubbing her nose.

“Now,” Jack said as she floated slightly away, “I gathered from your impassioned screams for mercy that you all didn’t come here for a social visit.”

“I wasn’t—tch, whatever,” Dys clicked her tongue.

“We’re here to see Vetregin,” Jay said, holding up the stone token for Jack to see. “I need to call in a favor. We’re kind of dealing with a lot of shit up in Volto and we need all the help we can get.”

“Oh, well, if you’re thinking about asking him to fly all the way up to Volto to fight in one of your legendary battles, I think you should put that idea out of your mind. Vetregin isn’t going to leave his territory unprotected for that long. He’s still a bit paranoid after that whole Demon possession incident.”

There went one of Jadis’ primary ideas. It would have been nice to have a giant ice dragon flying overhead, strafing Kastoria with blasts of ice shards and melon-sized hail. But the rejection wasn’t too much of a disappointment. Jadis’s main idea was still on the table, and she thought that it would be the better long-term decision, anyway.

“Fair enough, but I do have a different request,” Jay said. “I’m going to ask him for an enchanted weapon; the strongest one he has in his hoard. Ideally one meant for a Nephilim’s hands, but I’ll take something that will empower one of my lovers instead.”

“Now there’s an idea,” Jack nodded while crossing one arm under her breasts in a way that couldn’t not be on purpose. “You think that because old Vetty has been around for so long, he’s going to have amassed a huge collection of all kinds of powerful artifacts from way, way back, hm?”

“That’s my suspicion, yeah,” Jay agreed. “And that’s why we’re here, looking for him. And you, but that’s for different reasons.”

“Of course,” Jack’s eyes drifted to Maeve.

“So, do you know where Vetregin is?” Syd asked. “Is he home? Or maybe out hunting?”

“Of course I know where he is,” the Fetch waved a hand nonchalantly. “He’s right behind you.”

Spinning around at a speed that caused some vocal complaints from her passengers, Jadis turned around just in time to see the illusion Jack had cast fade away, revealing the utterly titanic form of Vetregin flying in place just behind her. The gigantic ice dragon’s vicious maw was mere yards away from Jay, and she knew without a doubt that he could have snapped her up in his jaws like a kernel of popcorn at any moment. Even as she stared at him, Vetregin’s long, snakelike tongue flicked out, tasting the air, and a low rumble like a train passing emanated from the beast.

“Oh good, he remembers you,” Jack commented.

“Did you have to design this interaction so that I’ll have a heart attack or two?” Syd grumbled while cautiously wrapping a protective arm around Meli.

“Well, we can’t be too careful nowadays,” the Fetch teased. “You never know just who might come knocking at your door.”