Draft:Dragonero: Tales of Paladins

Upon being awakened from her slumber in courtesy of the evil technocrat Mekan, Arcana unleashed a Destroyer to demolish one of nine magical nodes that form the protective net that protected Erondàr from the forces of the Underworld. The same node happened to be beneath a tree beside Old Hamlet, a town not far from where Ian, Myrva, and Gmor lived.

Summoned by Draiken, Ian, Myrva, and Gmor become Paladins and set out to dispatch a second Destroyer sent by Arcana to demolish another magical node.

The Paladins are sent to snowy mountains at which the next magical node targeted by Arcana lies, only for the mission to go awry and Skidbladnir got damaged in the ensuing battle against her latest Destroyer. Under the guidance of local ogres, Ian, Myrva, and Gmor have no choice but to turn to the reclusive blacksmith Brokr.

In exchange for his service, the Paladins must retrieve necessary materials for Brokr, which is easier said than done.

The Paladins return to Old Hamlet only to see the town marred by corruption Arcana's first Destroyer left behind.

The Paladins track down another of Arcana's Destroyer as it searches the next magical node in the floating islands, unknowingly crossing paths with a community of local reclusive elves who lived there in the process.

Separated from his fellow Paladins, Ian soon teams up with Elyana, the princess of the floating islands' elves, in destroying Arcana's fourth Destroyer. By the time they meet up with Gmor, Myrva, and Elyana's people, everyone finds themselves facing the fallen Paladin's fifth Destroyer.

While returning home, the Paladins take their time checking on Old Hamlet only to see its corruption worsen to the point that the kingdom had to intervene. To make matters worse, Aran, Ian, and Myrva's father are still evacuating the survivors there.

The Paladins navigate through a series of trials in an ancient temple that, according to desert nomads led by Alhazared, contained a sacred relic that remained undisturbed for millennia.

The sacred relic in the ancient temple is revealed to be another magical node and worse, Arcana's sixth Destroyer had followed the Paladins in order to reach it.

Ian, Myrva, and Gmor team up with Alhazared in order to prevent Arcana's sixth Destroyer from leaving with the Colossus, the ancient superweapon sealed within the temple.

Still reeling from their failures, Ian and Myrva had a fight all while unable to tell their father that what befell Old Hamlet is the beginning of the very disaster they and Gmor attempted to stop as of late. Things don't go any better when the remnant of Arcana's sixth Destroyer, Automaton, chooses the moment Myrva walked out of their home to try to ambush her brother. Fortunately, as Myrva and Gmor agree to talk things out with Ian since the latter is affected by their shortcomings most for some reasons, Draiken alarms them of Ian's situation, prompting the two to make haste for his rescue. Myrva and Gmor join the fray just as Ian finds himself overwhelmed by their tricky adversary, leading to all three Paladins finally destroying the Automaton through exemplary teamwork which involved sending it to the sky leading to the remnant of Arcana's sixth Destroyer struck by lightning.

As Ian finally revealed to Gmor and Myrva about his encounter with Arcana back at Old Hamlet and assured by the latter two that their enemy was trying to sow discord among them and importantly, Draiken might have his reasons, the fallen Paladin visited the Archdemon to receive his dark blessing.

The Paladins are ambushing Arcana's seventh Destroyer in the ruins at a swampy region and successfully dispatched it. However, Myrva realizes too late that the Destroyer is trying to distract them long enough for a larger automaton of Mekan's design to capture Ian rather than demolishing its targeted magical node as with previous ones, which it managed in its defeat. Dismayed that Draiken is torn between saving Ian and continuing to protect the nodes, Myrva and Gmor decide to take matters with their own hands. Realizing that Arcana must have taken Ian to one of the places associated with Paladins in general, Myrva and Gmor figure out the way to track Ian down through the energy signature of his bracelet in conjunction with Skidbladnir's systems. Meanwhile, Arcana confided to Ian her side of the history between her and Draiken in addition to the petrification that would eventually befall those who were corrupted by the Underworld's demonic influence. The actual reason she betrayed her fellow Paladins and Draiken by establishing a pact with the Archdemon was so the latter revived her petrified family, even with the knowledge of the evil entity was accountable for the corruption which turned them and other innocent lives into stone statues in the first place. Arcana further expressed her disillusionment toward her fellow Paladins and Draiken whom she believed too focused on their duties to the point of indifferent to the well-being of those caught in their against the Archdemon's forces before seemingly knocking Ian out with her dark magic and returning him into his cell. As Myrva and Gmor finally reach Arcana's castle, the repentant Draiken attempts to catch up with them only to realize he's not strong enough to break through the magical net around his lair that forced him to rely on his proteges from the start.

Ian discovers that Arcana also imprisoned a girl in a cell beside his own. He tells her a series of events leading to him, Gmor, and Myrva becoming Draiken's latest Paladin students. As he concludes his tale, the girl, Maila, reveals that she hailed from a noble family who safeguarded one of the magical nodes; hence the reason Arcana imprisoned her. Simultaneously, as they infiltrate Arcana's castle, Myrva and Gmor look back at everything they had gone through, wondering whether they are truly ready to face whatever nasty surprises Arcana has stored for them in her lair and Draiken is more than what he appears to be...

While Myrva and Gmor fight their way through the defenses of Arcana's castle and overcome a vault full of Destroyer components, Arcana reveals more of her past to Ian in her armory: At the height of the war between the Paladins and the forces of the Underworld, she and Draiken engaged in a fierce duel day and night; neither of the two combatants was able to overpower another, explaining why her former dragon partner-turned nemesis resorted to seal her away. The fallen Paladin attempts to convince Ian to turn against Draiken as she introduced him to the Archdemon only to be forced to return him to his cell upon learning the presence of intruders, ironically (and unwittingly) allowed Myrva and Gmor to find him. After reuniting with his fellow Paladins and freeing Maila, Ian wastes no time retrieving his bracelet from Arcana's armory, unwittingly redirect the fallen Paladin's dark magic back to her. Despite Arcana's efforts, the Paladins and Maila managed to escape, much to her frustration.

Unknown to everyobe, Mekan smiled deviously while observing this turn of events for some reasons.

Returning to Draiken's lair, the Paladin assures the wary Draiken that Maila is not a threat. Ian then confronts Draiken over his past history with Arcana as her former dragon partner, in which the latter doesn't deny what the fallen Paladin told to the young man yet pointed out that the Archdemon is exploiting her through her grief; their already uneasy conversation doesn't help by the wise dragon sensing traces of dark magic inside Ian. Myrva and Gmor assure Maila that she's safe only to be caught off-guard by the latter revealing herself as a Destroyer. A skirmish ensued between the Paladins and Maila that not just matches their weapons with her agility, sharp claws, and smokescreen, but also her ability to summon a portal for Draiken to enter and engage Draiken. Armed with Arcana's spear, Mekan manages to overpower Draiken only for Ian intercepts his final blow on his larger opponent at the last moments. Intrigued by Ian upon realizing why Arcana captured him in the first place, Mekan gloats that the darkness in Ian's heart will prevail in courtesy of Arcana's magic. Before long, Myrva and Gmor defeat Maila and subsequently assist Ian in cornering Mekan, leaving him no choice but to retreat back into Arcana's lair. Draiken can't help but be proud to see how far his Paladins have come.

Meanwhile, Arcana is unamused to see Ian managed to retrieve his bracelet and even stole her spear along the way before being assured by the returned Mekan that he got her weapon back (unknown to Arcana, Mekan took the weapon without her permission and framed Ian for it). Despite their shortcomings, Arcana is confident that Ian will fall into darkness and she will be able to settle her scores with Draiken both in no time, praising Mekan for making the latter possible.

Cleaning up the mess from the skirmish against Maila and Mekan, the Paladins are still astonished by their enemies' success in infiltrating their base. Myrva and Gmor note Ian's soured expression from Maila's betrayal reminded them of the time he threw up at the fireplace and unwittingly ate Gmor's frog sandwich. Just then, Draiken sends them to protect another magical node where, unlike previous ones, situated in the sky and being the protective web's weakest link — its destruction would result in the dragons' protection over Erondàr falling apart. Simultaneously, Arcana has Draiken preparing another Destroyer, which harpy-like features made it suitable for reaching the same node all while reminding him that they only have one Dragon Tear left. En route to the node, the Paladins are surprised to see the node in the eye of a brewing storm and Arcana's ninth Destroyer flying towards it. Exploiting air currents surrounding the node strong enough for him to reach both it and the Destroyer as he discovered while falling from Skidbladnir, Ian, despite feeling unwell for some reason, battles the construct as Gmor joins him. Overcoming its agility and feather missiles, they successfully defeat the ninth Destroyer by ripping its Dragon Tear off its torso, saving the node. Myrva catches up with the two as they are plummeting toward the ground far below with the Destroyer's Dragon Tear. With the most vulnerable of the nodes that make up Erondàr's protective web saved, Draiken congratulates the Paladins and implores them to get some rest for their next task; to set out for corrupted regions in order to set the spirits of his fallen comrades free.

As the frustrated Arcana dismisses Mekan, Myrva notices the dark magic taint in Ian's body begins to spread.

Ian finally reveals his condition to his fellow Paladins and Draiken. Draiken stated that the corruption being not unlike the one Arcana and other Paladins afflicted with — it can only be cured by consuming dragon blood near the source of corruption in question somewhere in the Underworld as attempts to find the alternatives ended in failure. The wise dragon further reveals that the dark realm is accessible at the most unstable of regions tainted by the same corruption, which happened to be what remained of the first magical node Arcana's first Destroyer demolished. Upon being assured by Myrva and Gmor that they will get through this together, Ian and his fellow Paladins enter the rift, alarming Arcana who proceeds to investigate and leaving Mekan to his own devices, unaware that her said minion proceeds to contact someone to reveal the whereabouts of her castle. In the Underworld, Ian is uneasy upon sensing that he's much stronger there due to his corruption as he and his fellow Paladins navigate through a pathway made of floating platforms which disappears without warning because of Myrva and Gmor's lack of the same taint, sending them into a void where they are forced to face their worst fears:

• Myrva being forced to marry a noble she never knew against her wishes.
• Gmor is being forced to adopt a barbaric lifestyle preferred by his more savage kin who hunt humans for food.
• Ian being too helpless to help others — his loved ones in particular as he finds himself unable to leave his manor while his father disintegrates and Myrva and Gmor are taken away.

Overcoming illusions projected by the forces of the Underworld, the Paladins return to where they started only to fall again, showing that their trials and tribulations in the home realm of demons have just begun.

Remembering how things in the Underworld work differently than in the mortal plane, the Paladins manage to land safely on the ground far below. Simultaneously, Arcana assures the Archdemon that she will take care of the intruders in the dark realm. Unsure of where to go at first, Ian senses the presence of dead paladins and hears a voice calling for him, prompting him to investigate with Myrva and Gmor following, despite the latter two not being able to perceive either. As Mekan arrives at the rift near Old Hamlet, the Paladins overcome the demon horde, including the largest one, and reach a dark pool surrounded by remains of deceased Paladins of the old. Just then, Arcana shows up with the intention of allowing Ian's doppelganger that is emerging from the pool to merge with the original. Unable to overpower the fallen Paladin, Myrva and Gmor can only support Ian, distracting Arcana long enough for Ian to fight back and consume the vial of dragon blood as per Draiken's instruction.

With demon hordes on her side, Arcana soundly overpowers Myrva and Gmor before they can assist Ian further all while revealing how she's at her strongest in the Underworld. When it appears Ian is on the verge of merging with his dark doppelganger with the fallen Paladin, trapping them inside summoned rocks so his fellow Paladins won't be able to interfere, Draiken's dragon blood purges the corruption within him, effectively restoring him back to normal and disintegrating the doppelganger. As the restored Ian, Myrva, and Gmor's battle against Arcana and her forces is getting nowhere, the Paladins are forced to retreat back to the mortal plain through a floating pathway and later, a portal Ian summoned under Draiken's guidance. Returning to Draiken's lair after emerging back at the remains of the magical node near Old Hamlet, Ian, Myrva, and Gmor celebrate their success with Draiken granting Ian the ancient Paladin title of "Rome Varlo" aka. Dragonero for accomplishing what his predecessor failed to do.

Unknown to the Paladins and Draiken, Arcana assures the disappointed Archdemon as she comes across Ian's forgotten vial which still have a few drops of dragon blood left just as Mekan figures out the way to open a portal to the Underworld through witnessing Ian and co.'s return.

Unsettled by a nightmare in which he beheld the sight of Arcana, Arcana's petrified family, and a distressed dragon, Ian consulted with Draiken in which the wise dragon confirmed the worst: The destruction of the three magical nodes and subsequent spread of corruption around them have also affected their respective dragon spirit. As such, it's up to the Paladins to exorcize these spirits with their respective dragon tear before it's too late. Myrva expected that they may start with the one in Old Hamlet only for Ian argues the dragon spirit who haunted the node in the mountains where Brokr lives needs their help most. The plan worked, allowing the two to assist Ian in bringing down the tainted dragon spirit. With the tainted dragon spirit subdued, Ian uses their dragon tear to purge their corruption, restoring them along with the whole mountain region back to normal. Returning to Draiken to report the success of their mission after repairing Skidbladnir with Brokr's help, the victorious Ian notes that they have two more magical nodes to repair and resolves to become a proper Paladin, at which the wise dragon acknowledges that he will since he has friends and family supporting him — something that set him apart from Arcana.

Mekan is unsettled by the news of the mountain node's restoration, though Arcana remains confident thanks to the back-up plan she has in mind with Ian's forgotten dragon blood vial before assuring her ally that they will share the glory of conquering Erondàr. Unknown to her, Mekan has intended to take the glory all for himself.

Anxious about the Paladins' progress in restoring the magical nodes, Mekan confides with Arcana only for the fallen Paladin kicking him out of her castle. Meanwhile, Ian decides to save the dragon spirit in the desert ruins before they may start doing the same with the one back in Old Hamlet instead of the other way around as Gmor wanted. The ruins' corruption has warped scorpions and bats living there, which made the attempt to reach the tainted dragon spirit difficult, though Ian manages to reach the dragon spirit by having Gmor launch him towards them. Despite nearly losing the dragon spirit's dragon tear at one point, the Paladins' teamwork allows them to emerge victorious. With the dragon spirit exorcized, the corruption marring the region surrounding the desert node becomes undone, at which Alhazred and his people thank Ian, Myrva, and Gmor for it. As they part ways, Alhazred once again reminds the Paladins that he and his people are ready to help them. Reporting their success to Draiken, the wise dragon is confident that they will deal with Arcana in no time and Alhazred and his people's help wouldn't be necessary. Unfazed from being dismissed by Arcana, Mekan communes with Archdemon through corrupted citizens of Old Hamlet. Meanwhile, Ian, Myrva, and Gmor return home only to see the corruption has reached Aranill manor and worse, Aran has been petrified.

Ian blames himself for taking his, Myrva, and Gmor's time restoring other tainted regions instead of starting with their home. Gmor points out that their success so far means there's still hope, which Draiken agrees on: They must make haste to restore the dragon spirit whose node located near Old Hamlet lest the corruption become irreversible. Wasting no time to reach the dismantled magical node, the Paladins outsmart the town's corrupted citizens, which are more aggressive than usual, leading to Ian facing the tainted dragon spirit there while Gmor and Myrva keep the former busy. However, the fight is soon interrupted by Arcana who arrives through a portal and, unable to appeal Ian's sympathy, proceeds to subjugate the tainted dragon spirit as her steed, command them to surround the whole town with a ring of fire, and leave to prepare for her endgame. As their defeat seemingly becomes certain, Draiken informs the Paladins through Ian that it's a decisive moment for them all, so they regroup in his lair for their next move. With Old Hamlet admittedly the least of their worries and that there's still hope for both it and the tainted dragon spirit, Draiken ritualistically calls forth the spirits of his late brethren and has them restore his power just enough for the battle ahead, turning his scales red once more.

As Draiken, with Ian, Gmor, and Myrva set out for a battle that shall decide the fate of their world, Mekan approaches the rift and proves his worth to the Archdemon by absorbing the power within Arcana's tainted dragon tear — the same one she used to try to corrupt Ian prior.

Apologizing to the petrified Aran, Ian, Myrva, and Gmor look back at the events leading to their adventures unknown to him as well as his part in dealing with the current crisis before bidding him farewell. Ian reveals that Arcana's family had it worse, giving them another reason to spare Aran from the same fate. The group then depart alongside Draiken to confront Arcana in her castle, fighting their way through her golem soldiers. Strangely, she is nowhere to be found in her throne room, leading to Draiken guessing that the fallen Paladin must be in the Underworld upon seeing the gate there. Sure enough, Arcana and her demon horde are gathering before the Archdemon there, assuring her master that the rift near the dismantled Old Hamlet's magical node is ready to facilitate their invasion. Using Draiken's blood and the dark pool where she failed to corrupt Ian prior, she ritually strengthens the corruption that took over the dragon spirit under her command, giving them a purple semi-corporeal form. Mekan soon enters the scene in his corrupted state, revealing that he also made a pact with the Archdemon and that she's just a pawn for his and their master's purposes. Back in Arcana's castle, the Paladins have searched the whole place and confirmed that the fallen Paladin has indeed departed to the Underworld. Sensing what befell the dragon spirit under Arcana's influence and their decisive battle is going to take place somewhere else, Draiken rally everyone to make haste. Meanwhile, the debate between Arcana and Mekan reveals that the two have manipulated each other for their respective ends: Unlike the fallen Paladin who only wanted to revive her family, the evil technocrat sought power and knowledge from the Archdemon. Now that the desire to conquer Erondàr brought them together, however, Arcana and Mekan agree to join forces for a time being.

Discussing their shortcomings, Draiken correctly deduces that the remaining content of Ian's forgotten dragon blood vial was sufficient for Arcana to revive the tainted dragon spirit she enslaved as the Dark Dragon. For their decisive final battle against Arcana and the forces of the Underworld, the wise dragon finally grants the Paladin their suits of armor. Arriving at Old Hamlet, they find the circle of flames surrounding the town had since extinguished, though it was more than sufficient to further spread the corruption so the invading forces of the Underworld are able to easily cross over to Erondàr through the rift at what remained of the destroyed magical node there. Taking advantage of the link between her Dark Dragon, Draiken, and worse, Ian, thanks to Draiken's blood, Arcana commands her steed to stabilize the rift, causing Draiken to briefly lose control shortly after he drives away the corrupted citizens and allows the vanguards of her forces to reach Old Hamlet. As Myrva and Gmor assist Imperial guards stationed at the town in keeping the demon horse busy as per the former's suggestion, Ian and Draiken confront Arcana and the Dark Dragon. Unable to reason with her former Paladin partner, Draiken engages both her and Dark Dragon with Ian on his side, which is easier said than done since Draiken's current strength pales in comparison to how he was millennia ago. At one point, Arcana and her Dark Dragon knock Ian off Draiken, prompting Myrva to save him with Skidbladnir. Entering the fray, Mekan briefly battles Gmor before revealing his status as the Archdemon's true servant before jumping into the rift, emerging as a towering demonic version of himself and strengthening it so the Archdemon may cross over. Losing Skidbladnir from the shockwave the Archdemon conjured while entering the fray, the Paladins and Draiken believe their failure in protecting Erondàr to be certain until Ian utilizes the necklace Elyana entrusted to him, opening a portal for her and her batallion of elven warriors to come to their side. To Myrva, Gmor, and Draiken's pleasant surprise, the necklace also allows Ian to summon Brokr as well as Alhazred and his fellow desert nomads. Now that everyone is present, the real battle to determine the fate of Erondàr has just begun.

The battle to determine the fate of Erondàr rages as Gmor and Brokr fight the demons on the ground while Alhazred and Myrva similarly deals flying demons before being joined by Elyana on board of Skidbladnir. Ian's attempt to reason with Arcana fails because she's too bitter to listen. Having enough of their fight which is getting nowhere, Arcana blasts Ian and Draiken off the sky before asking the Archdemon to fulfill his part of the bargain now that she has fulfilled hers. Unfortunately, the Archdemon renegades their pact and casts her aside, stating that Mekan made a better servant and that the fallen Paladin had outlived her usefulness. Horrified by this, Arcana and Dark Dragon retreat into her castle only to see her petrified family's forms crumble in courtesy of the Archdemon, leaving the fallen Paladin devastated. Catching up with their nemesis, Ian and Draiken take pity on the despondent fallen Paladin who can only tell them what must be done. So, the two depart back to the battle, but not before Draiken apologizes for his accountability for her poor choices. Although Draiken soundly scorches a significant portion of the demon horde, thus providing their allies a brief respite, more of their enemies are pouring out of the rift, making it apparent that striking the Archdemon down was the only way to ensure their victory. Brokr reveals to Myrva that Skidbladnir has an emergency feature for defeating Mekan, intriguing Myrva since it wasn't written in the journal he entrusted to her. The feature in question happens to be its ability to open a portal leading to wherever the driver wishes — the same one she and Gmor discovered while setting out to rescue Ian prior. Using their bracelets, Myrva and Gmor use Skidbladnir to ram Mekan into a portal leading to outer space. Because the portal closes as soon as Mekan passes through and the flying ship crashes again because Myrva, Gmor, Brokr, Alhazred, and Elyana jumped off it at the last moments, there's nothing the evil technocrat can do as he plummets to his death as a meteor. Simultaneously, the repentant Arcana and Dark Dragon eventually join forces with Ian and Draiken. Both Ian and Arcana struck the Archdemon's forehead with their weapons together, staggering him long enough for Draiken and Dark Dragon to vanquish their foe once and for all through a devastating kamikaze attack, effectively undoing the corruption plagueing Old Hamlet and beyond, and banishing his forces back to the underworld. At the last moments, however, Arcana pushes Ian away so the latter may continue his duties as a Paladin he meant to be and ensure the Archdemon won't evade the incoming final blow. In the aftermath of the battle, Ian is found by his fellow Paladins and the rest of their allies, in which he reveals Arcana's sacrifice. Subsequently, Ian, Myrva, and Gmor reunite with the restored Aran, who apparently had no recollection of his petrification.

While bringing their allies home with the repaired Skidbladnir now that Erondàr is safe, the Paladins notice a familiar draconic silhouette among the clouds; the sign of Draiken is still watching them despite his death. Unknown to them, Arcana is still alive and surprised to see herself restored to how she was prior to being corrupted.