A/N: Okay, I have no excuse. I know I should finish my other two stories before starting another story, but I really like this one. It started to get my head through a writer's blockade over in Retribution and now has about 50k words sunk into it. Like in my other stories, I'll be posting sporadically on this one as consecutive chapters get finished.

Anyway, Shadow of the Blight is a heavily fantasy AU. There will be no spoilers for the games other than character names and possibly skills, and I really don't think those count. Typical warnings for blood, violence, and language, though they will stay in the 'T' rating. There will be romance, awesome battles and adventures, complicated to pronounce names, humor, and friendship. Enjoy!

Ter Dralzen, Hae Demerenth, the Shadow, the Blight. All names for one, encroaching and corrupting evil. None knew where the evil came from, only that it was there, and it was deadly. Once, it spread unchecked across the land, tainting and warping every object, every creature it touched. Any that stood against it, fell against it. To all, it seemed like the evil could never be stopped. And yet, one nameless hero rose up in the world's darkest hour, pledging to stop the Blight.

The hero traveled the lands, begging aid from the dragons, the elves, the dwarves, and the sprites. Using powerful artefacts from each of the great tribes, he stood against the Blight, faced it down, and sealed it in what would come to be known as the Shadow's Gorge. He returned from the battle, weary, but triumphant. The threat had not been destroyed, but it had been contained. What had been twisted slowly regained their former shapes. Those that had been lost were mourned.

For thousands of years after that glorious victory, peace reigned. The world recovered, and her people grew strong and prospered. The Blight remained in memory, though to most it had moved to legend. Few remained who knew it to be truth, and even they assumed the evil would remain contained for all time. However, that belief and hope did not hold true…

OOOOOO

Golden flames flickered and danced, illuminating a large cavern. A solitary young man stood before a semi-circle of five older men. The young man had long, blond hair and clear, blue eyes that blazed as he spoke to them. As he talked, elongated canines could be seen flashing in the golden firelight. He wore a long-sleeved tunic shirt made of black cloth with matching black pants. He had a sword sheathed across his back with a glittering, golden sword hilt and a smooth, red gem set in the crosspiece. The five men he addressed each had fine, golden hair, and golden eyes. All of them wore loose, golden robes. Three of the five looked mildly intrigued by the younger men, but the remaining two had looks of disdain on their faces. Finally, the young man fell silent and gazed beseechingly up at the others. The center figure released a long sigh.

"Matt, you know that what you're saying is insane. You'd never even get close to the Blight's source and you know it," the man said in a deep, rich voice. He, too, had fangs that glinted in the light. Around his neck was a torque necklace of pure gold.

A second figure snorted and smoke curled from his nostrils. "If a full dragon cannot make the quest than it is well known that a halfbreed would never even come close," he said in a disparaging tone.

Matt bristled and spoke in a low voice, "No creature has even attempted the quest in thousands of years. And my blood's purity has nothing to do with my talent. I won the last competition; I'm the strongest of this generation."

A third dragon spoke up in a bored voice, "As I recall, you were disqualified for using a sword."

The drakeling's fists clenched, "None of the rules of the contest outlawed the use of swords. I know the real reason I was disqualified was because I'm not a full dragon. And honestly, I don't really care about that. Having more than one way to defend myself only increases my chances of succeeding."

The first dragon let out a thoughtful grumble. "That is true."

A new dragon spoke, "I must say that I agree with Matt. It's well known to us all that the seal on the Blight is weakening. I fail to see any reason to not let him go."

"Luthradax, you are blinded by your fondness for your spawn," the second dragon sneered.

Luthradax turned a cold eye on him, "Perhaps, but you are just as blinded by your hatred of difference, Lenral. Pray tell: what is your plan to stop the Blight?"

Lenral shrank back some from the furious look and question. He rallied and said, "Not send a halfbreed."

The fifth dragon let out a chuckle, "Perhaps you'd like to volunteer to go instead?" He turned his golden eyes back on Matt and considered him. "I must say that I agree with Luthradax. The boy has a nice air about him and none here can truly deny that he is strong. Not without it being a lie, anyway."

Matt nodded his thanks and turned his eyes to the other dragons. He dared to begin to hope that he would win this fight.

"I cannot agree with this. He is too young and brash. None of the other kingdoms will listen to him," the third dragon said in a flat voice. He cast a glance at the dragon beside him, "What say you, Lumen?"

The center dragon thoughtfully nodded and Matt felt his hopes be crushed.

"Lorn makes a valid point. It is true that the others are not likely to listen to Matt. However, it is also true that he is most fitted for this task. He is strong and is versatile in his ways to protect himself," the dragon said. He frowned at the bright look that shone in Matt's eyes, "Furthermore, we cannot spare full dragons to this cause, and he would not be greatly missed if he died."

Matt flinched at the majority of nods from the other dragons. Only Luthradax and the dragon next to him shook their heads, but they remained silent. The drakeling clenched his fists, but refused to argue with them. It was a hopeless battle that he knew he would lose. The important thing was that he could sense that Lumen would agree, if only to finally get Matt out of his scales.

As expected, Lumen nodded, "It is a majority. Matt will journey to the other lands and ask for their aid in stopping the Blight. The Shadow threatens us all and we cannot sit idle as it spreads once more. To aid his quest, I will send a letter of my approval to deliver to the others. They will not lightly turn away an elder wyrm's words."

There were a few moments of silence as the dragon wrote his message. He rolled the parchment up breathed a small spurt of golden flame around it. When the flames died, a golden ribbon bound the paper shut. Lumen handed the roll to Luthradax, who accepted it with a nod.

Lumen stood and walked past Matt, who remained facing forwards. The dragon paused and said, "You may be best fit for this quest, but bear in mind that you will never be fit to call yourself a light dragon." With that, he swept to the entrance of the cave and with a flash of light, transformed into his true form. A mighty golden dragon roared and took off with the beating of great wings.

Matt remained still as the rest of the council strode past him. He gave a half smile as Luthradax stopped in front of him along with the other dragon who agreed to send him on the quest.

"Thanks for sticking up for my side, dad, Lenth," Matt said in a quiet, but grateful voice.

"You were in the right," Lenth said with a shrug. "Your blood has nothing to do with your skill and spirit, and they know it. Besides, the Blight needs to be dealt with, and you are the first in thousands of years to be willing to try. I hope you succeed in your quest and return safely." He grinned at the young drakeling and added, "If nothing else, at least you'll be able to stick it to the rest of the council when you get back."

Matt nodded with a grin of his own. He smiled as Lenth gave one more conspiring grin and headed for the exit of the cavern. With a flash, the dragon transformed and dropped off the ledge and out of sight. The drakeling turned to his father, who was warmly smiling down at him. The dragon laid a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder.

"You remind me more and more of Clara each day. I'm proud of you for standing up here today and I know that she is too, wherever her spirit now rests," the older dragon said. He squeezed his son's shoulder once and let go. With a thoughtful look, he watched his son, and then glanced at the entrance of the cavern. Finally, he nodded.

"I can fly you to the edge of our lands nearest the Grand Elves. Head for their capital, and request an audience with the queen. She will see you without a doubt, and will be likely to aid you. Take great care in your journey, Matt, please," he said in a soft voice. "Your grandfather might not care about you, but I do. I know you know this, but be careful who you trust, okay? And don't reveal you're a drakeling if you don't have to."

Matt nodded, "I'll be as careful as possible, dad, don't worry. I'll come back someday, and it won't be in shame. Maybe then, Lumen will understand that drakelings can be good as well."

With a small smile, Luthradax led the way to the cave entrance. He transformed into his dragon form and lowered his neck for Matt to grab. Once the drakeling was securely perched on his shoulders by the joints of his wings, he lifted up and soared off the cliff. He banked to the north and dipped to skim the waves of the water surrounding the meeting place. The water rushed past beneath them and changed to soft sand. Soon, they were swooping over a lush forest and finally, he slowed to a halt on the far side. The dragon lowered to the ground and allowed Matt to slide off before transforming back.

"I wish I could do that," Matt said with a wistful grin. "Flying is fun."

His father chuckled, "Maybe you will, someday." He waved away the confused look Matt gave him and held out the scroll from the elder light wyrm. "Take this and head directly north. You should come across a road that will lead you directly to the Grand Elf city of Arthrena," he directed. Finally he wrapped his son in a tight hug and with a smile on his face, "Good luck, be careful, and dare I say have fun with the fighting; I know you will, anyway."

Matt returned the embrace with a tight one of his own. He let go and turned to the north. At the crest of the hill, he looked back and waved as his father lifted off the ground again. The dragon roared a farewell and took off to the south once more. The young drakeling took a deep breath and started walking. He had a long way to go before he could return. And just maybe he would finally be able to think of the land as his home.

OOOOOO

Matt had only been traveling for a few days and already he was as sick of the people he'd come across as he had been with the ones back home. Humans treated him well enough until they found out he was a halfbreed and then they tended to call him foul names or even attack him. Non-humans took one whiff of his mixed scent, or caught the mixed aura around him and turned their noses up at him. Even the other half-bloods seemed to dislike him; although they always seemed more wary of him than anything else. Still, it was tiring to be rejected wherever he went.

With a depressed sigh, Matt turned from the travel house he had been thinking of staying at for the night. He knew that he would be singled out almost immediately if he went in, and he didn't want to deal with that at the moment. The drakeling turned back to the well-worn road and continued walking. His dragon blood made seeing at night no problem, and although his magic was stronger during the day, he enjoyed the nighttime. There were few travelers, so he didn't need to deal with the looks he often received, and he enjoyed the greater challenge night predators gave.

As he walked, he decided that he should probably count himself lucky that no-one had mentioned his dragon blood, or had taken much of an interest in him past mockery. He'd heard many, many tales of drakelings being slaughtered or captured for a number of reasons. Some simply wanted to eradicate any and all half-bloods. Others—namely humans—wanted dragon blood, bones, and organs for medicine and potions, and drakelings fit in that category. Still others caught and sold half-bloods as slaves and pit-fighters. Technically, the unprovoked capture, selling, and or killing of half-bloods were illegal, but many enforcers would turn a blind eye. The hatred and fear of half-bloods ran long and deep and Matt doubted that the message he carried from Lumen would save him from any of those fates.

Matt's hand shot to his sword and he slashed a large bat out of the air as it swooped towards him. The creature gave a shrill cry as it died and Matt eyed the corpse. He debated eating it since he hadn't stopped for lunch or dinner. With a shrug, he sliced a chunk out of the bat and stuffed it in his mouth raw. The drakeling made a face at the tough and stringy texture, but swallowed a few more bites before standing up again. He spat a small stream of golden flames on what remained and watched it incinerate before continuing on.

"Some rabbit would be way better. Pork would be good too. Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers, I guess," Matt mused to himself. "Maybe I should learn to cook. I bet bat meat would taste better cooked. Dunno the first thing about cooking besides heating the meat, though. I have the fire part down already, so that's good. I guess I'll just kill the next thing with fire and see what it tastes like that way."

Matt shrugged the thought away and glanced up at the half moon hanging over head. He figured he had another six hours until dawn and decided he might as well look for a suitable place to sleep. He cast his eyes around, scanning the darkened landscape. What would have been indistinguishable black smudges to a human were clear shapes, albeit without color, to Matt. His eyes settled on a large group of rocks on a hill not far from the road. Deciding it was as good of a place to sleep as any, he headed off the road and into the grass.

To his surprise, the boulders were much larger than he had first assumed. Thy stood in a cluster and the shortest one still reached three times taller than he was. Matt scanned the stones and spotted a shallow indent on one. With a grin, he grabbed hold of a long crack in one and began hauling himself up the side. Soon, he was nestled in the alcove, out of direct sight of the road and out of reach of any ground predators. The drakeling pulled his sword around to rest across his chest instead of his back and slumped back against the stone. He fell asleep with one hand on the hilt of his weapon.

The next day started with overcast skies. Matt dropped down from the alcove and stretched his arms over his head. He turned his head into the light breeze and inhaled deeply. With a frown, he smelled rain on the wind and heaved a sigh. Rain meant miserable traveling conditions; muddy roads, wet clothing, and poor vision. He glanced at the sky with a grumpy look and turned to head back to the road. With any luck, he would make it to Arthrena before the rain hit.

Matt maintained a steady jog for the entire morning. The skies held off on the rain, but the clouds grew darker, signaling that it wouldn't be much longer before the downpour started. He had just crossed a shallow river when he felt the first drops of rain. With a groan, he glanced around for some kind of shelter, and saw nothing but grassland all around with the river at his back. Resigning himself to trekking through the rain, he glanced at the river behind him. The rain grew steadily heavier, coming down in constant large drops.

"Glad I made it across that before it flooded. Still, it would have been nice not to get soaked. Oh, well," Matt sighed as he turned and kept walking.

Before long, the drakeling was soaked. His blond hair dripped water and clung to his skin and back. His clothing was waterlogged. Every step he took was accompanied by a sloshing-squelching sound from the muddy road and water caught in his boots. Every little while, he raised a hand to swipe rain off his face and peered around for shelter before grumbling when nothing was around. The rain had picked up to a thundering downpour that didn't seem like it would ever let up.

Suddenly, some instinct had Matt twisting around with his hand flying to grip the hilt of his sword. He hadn't heard anything over the sound of the rain, nor could he see anything suspicious, but a creeping chill unrelated to the weather had him warily scanning for a threat. Matt cursed the rain for ruining any scents he might have picked up, as well as for muffling any sounds he might have caught. Slowly turning in a circle, the drakeling still saw nothing. It wasn't until he finally lowered his hand that whatever was there attacked.

A crack split the ground beneath Matt's feet, sending him toppling down. He rolled away and sprang to his feet in time to see thick, black tendrils whipping out of the crack. Matt's blue eyes widened as he recognized them as the Blight and he immediately held both hands out in front of him. A blast of pure light erupted from his palms and slammed into the writhing shadows. Almost instantly, the shadows dissipated or withdrew, but the drakeling maintained the attack for a few more seconds.

Matt finally cut the spell off once he was sure the threat had been nullified. He lowered his arms again, and stared at the crack left behind. The dirt surrounding the crack was glowing pale white with the residue from his light spell. Despite the success of his attack, the drakeling frowned. As far as he knew, the Shadow shouldn't be able to form. He had heard rumors of it popping up here and there, seemingly at random, but this had been his first experience with it. The fact that it could manifest merely firmed his resolve that the Blight needed to be dealt with, regardless of what the world thought of him.

The drakeling turned north and kept walking; the sooner he made it to Arthrena, the better. He might be okay against random Blight strikes since he was a light creature, but he didn't want to push his luck. Plus, others wouldn't be so lucky. There had been dozens of reports of people dying from what they were calling Gloom Fever. Most victims who came in contact with the Blight became ill within just a couple of days. They ran high fevers, went insane, and then, if they weren't treated swiftly and properly, they died. Creatures of light were less affected by the affliction than others, but they weren't immune. Matt mused that he was likely more vulnerable than a full-blooded light dragon, but less vulnerable than a non-light creature.

Matt picked his pace up to a slow jog. The sooner he could get the elven artifact he needed, the sooner he could eliminate the Blight. Random attacks of shadows and monsters wouldn't stop him. He squinted up at the still raining sky and added that crappy weather wouldn't stop him either. He gave a grin when he realized the rain was letting up some. His grin widened even further when he saw a rest house ahead of him. The drakeling decided he would deal with the unfriendly atmosphere, if only to have a dry place to sleep for the night. He reached to his side as he jogged up to the door and felt his coin purse. Satisfied that it was still there, and that he had enough gold for the night, Matt pushed the door open.

Immediately, warm air swept over him. Matt stepped inside with a relieved smile and shut the door behind him. There were only two other people inside, much to his relief; the fewer people he had to deal with, the better. Matt walked past an older human, who gave him an uninterested glance, and headed straight up to the person standing behind the wooden counter. He waited patiently as the man finished stacking newly cleaned dishes away and gave a small smile when the man turned.

"Hullo, stranger, you look like you've had a bad trip," the man greeted with a glance at Matt's wet clothing. His eyes glanced at Matt's sharp canines, but he said nothing.

Matt sighed and nodded, "Yes, bad weather out there; got attacked by the Blight, as well. Lucky, I'm good with light magic."

The man's eyes widened, "Lucky indeed. It didn't get you, did it?"

"Nah, I banished it almost immediately," Matt assured him. "Anyway, I'd like a room for the night and something hot to eat and drink."

"We have plenty of rooms open right now. Bed and meal will come out to seventy gold pieces," the man said.

Matt counted out the gold from his coin purse and slid the small stack across the counter. The man brushed them into a small pouch that he tucked in his pocket and passed a small key to Matt. The drakeling nodded as he was told his room was first on the left upstairs and that a towel as well as some water would be sent up. He walked up the narrow wooden stairs and unlocked his room. There was a single bed, a small table with a bowl on it, and a chair. One window sat in the wall across from the door, looking out over the road.

Matt had only been in there for a few minutes when a soft knock came from the door. He opened it to see a young girl in her early teens holding a large pitcher and a clean towel. The girl looked nervous at the sight of him, and offered the items in a trembling voice. Her nervousness increased as she saw his head tilt as he studied her. The drakeling shook his head slightly and gave her a grin as he thanked her before shutting the door again.

As soon as she was out of sight, Matt frowned. The girl's scent was very clearly not completely human, and he wondered if she expected him to reveal that to her employer. He sighed as he stripped out of his clothing and stretched them out over the chair and table to dry. He did a quick scrub with the towel and water before pulling on a spare set of dry clothing. With that taken care of, he strapped his sword back on. He stepped out of his room, locking the door behind him.

Back in the main room, the man at the counter waved him over to a bowl of steaming soup of some kind sitting on a table near the fire. Matt grinned and made his way over to it. He sat down and promptly inhaled the soup, discovering that it was some kind of bird with vegetables. He made a face at the pieces of celery floating in the broth, but ate them anyway. Food was food, even if it was green. The girl from earlier came out of the kitchen carrying a smaller pitcher and a tin cup. She set the cup down in front of Matt and poured water into it. She ducked away as soon as she was done and hurried out of sight. Matt's gaze followed her to the kitchen until she was gone.

"Don't mind her, she's new and unused to seeing magic folk," the man behind the counter said.

Matt nodded slightly, but before he could reply, the front door banged open and four men filed in. They were talking and laughing loudly as they made their way to the counter. Matt warily watched them as they ordered four rooms, some food, and some ale. As far as he could tell, they were all human, but he stood up to head back to his room, just in case. There was no point inviting questions that could lead to revealing his half-blood status. They'd find out as soon as they asked his name, and he didn't feel like dealing with the resulting insults.

The drakeling slipped around their table as they settled down around it with a silent nod to them, and headed up the stairs. He ducked into his room and locked the door. After checking how his clothing was drying, he flopped on the bed with a sigh. He wondered if he should take up an alias or not. It would save him trouble when humans asked his name and found out it was Matt. Still, the thought didn't sit well with him. Even if the name was merely a label to show he wasn't a pure-blood, and therefore 'unworthy' of a pure-blood name, it was still his. With a sigh, he decided he would likely forget to respond to the alias, and pure-bloods would know right away that he was lying, anyway. On top of that, if a dragon found out he, a drakeling, was using a full-dragon name, he would likely be killed.

Not for the first time, Matt cursed the racism that was so prevalent in the world. Even simple things like greetings had to be done carefully or not at all. The magic races had their own unique styles of names, but half-bloods were not allowed to be given them. Parents of 'impure' children were forced to give them a human name to mark them as closer to human than to whatever creature they also were. It was pointless bigotry, and yet was widely accepted by all races, including most half-bloods—if only because they had no other choice. Dully, Matt supposed that considering half-bloods not of the same kind, made it easier to mistreat a half-blood. Certainly, he'd had his share of abuse.

After his mother had died of illness, he had been chased out of his home and forced to live in the wilderness. He had only been six at the time. He had taught himself to hunt for food, following his dragon instincts. He had stolen what he couldn't find or build, leading to sever beatings when he'd gotten caught. There had been numerous attempts to capture and kill him, many of which still haunted his dreams. It had been during one of those attempts that his father had found him. Matt had finally been caught and held by a group of humans. They'd had the insane idea that eating dragon hearts granted immortality and invulnerability, if done with the proper rituals.

They had been preparing the altar, deaf to Matt's desperate yells, when a dragon had plummeted out of the sky and killed them all. Matt had cowered back against the bars of his cage when the massive head turned and fixed a golden eye on him. He was stunned when the dragon had vanished to be replaced by a tall man with long, blond hair. The man had seemed just as astonished to see the drakeling, and immediately set to freeing him.

Although Matt hadn't known during the seven years he had spent alone, Luthradax had been searching for him. His father had been sent on a long journey to 'atone for the sin of loving a human' when Matt was four. Because of that, he hadn't been there when Clara had died, and Matt driven off. Matt didn't even recognize his father when they had been reunited. Instead, he had attacked Luthradax as soon as he was let loose from the cage the humans had been keeping him in. He remembered how quickly and easily his father had pinned him, and how certain he had been that the dragon holding him down would kill him. Instead, he had been pulled up and embraced in such a gentle hug that he had frozen.

Even after that, he'd had a hard life, though it was far better than it had been. He wasn't allowed in the dragon's nests, so his father came to live with him outside them. Luthradax had taken great pains and care to build bonds with his son, despite Matt's bitter and mistrusting attitude. He had trained Matt to use the magic in his blood, perfected his hunting and fighting, and taught him as best he was able. It wasn't long before Matt warmed to his father; only a few months, in fact. Hating just wasn't in the drakeling's nature, and he had also feared that maybe he would push away the only one who had cared for him since his mother's death; maybe the only one who ever would care for him ever again.

That was a fear that held to the present day. Matt knew that Luthradax—though on the council due to his age, wisdom, bloodline, and experience—was scorned by many other dragons for having and caring for his half-blood child. He still half-expected that one day Luthradax would realize how much easier his life would be if he just threw his son away. It was a fear he'd never shared with his father, but he wondered if maybe the dragon knew it anyway. Sometimes, without any prompting or reason, Luthradax would reassure his son that he was important and loved. Matt always complained that it was a sappy thing to say—which always earned him a laugh from Luthradax—but secretly loved his father for saying so. Having someone there to help, guide, and care for him had been a major relief and joy.

Occasionally, younger dragons had come and harassed the drakeling, but that soon became a rarity. They had quickly found out that years of living alone by his own wits and skills had made Matt a very dangerous and resourceful foe. Many times, they were taken down by the drakeling even when they had superior numbers and it was an ambush. Matt had a knack for making his surroundings work to his advantage, whatever they were. They stopped coming entirely when the drakeling began watching sword drills and copying them. He was a natural with a blade and became good enough with one that older dragons began to take notice. That was how he had met Lenth.

Matt hadn't known who the older dragon was when he first met him, but Lenth had never bothered him. He had come by multiple times when Matt practiced, silently watching and appraising. The young drakeling hadn't even known he was being watched for the first several weeks. Even when he found out about his audience, he hadn't been bothered, though he had been wary. It was three weeks after he had spotted the dragon that Lenth showed up outside the cave Matt stayed at with his father.

Luthradax had greeted him as a friend, and that had helped settle Matt's anxiety. It also helped that Lenth had come with a gift in the form of a very nice sword and an offer to join the traditional competition for young dragons. Matt had agreed to join with an eager grin and he had won. And though it had ended with disqualification, Matt gained the confidence and recognition he needed to approach the full council to quest to stop the Blight.

A shriek from downstairs broke Matt from his thoughts of the past. He jolted upright and listened to a sudden commotion from down stairs. Another cry came through the door, and he recognized it as the half-blood girl. Without any thoughts of what the consequences might be to his actions, he charged out of his room with one hand on his sword hilt. Matt bounded down the stairs and around the corner to see the same men from earlier holding onto the young girl with wide, drunken grins. The girl struggled in their grasp with a look of fear on her face. The man holding her threw her to a different man and laughed as she was shoved back and fell to the ground.

Behind them, with an anxious look on his face, was the travel house owner. He watched the men torment his employee with a look of distress, wanting to help, but knowing he was no match for all four of them. Matt, however, knew he was. In a flash of motion, the drakeling charged towards the group. He snagged the girl and carried her free of the circle before the drunken men realized what had happened. With a small, reassuring grin, Matt let the girl go and turned to the men who were now glowering at him.

"Who d'you think you are?" one man slurred.

A second man answered him, "Another high and mighty monster, I'd say."

Matt arched a brow, "The 'high and mighty monster' would like to take this outside. We wouldn't want to stain the floors with your blood, after all, now would we?"

There were four snarls of anger as Matt dashed out the door. As he had hoped, the men followed him out to the yard. They were uncertain on their feet due to alcohol, and completely oblivious to the fact that Matt was already working on disabling them further. One man lunged at the blond, but wound up on the ground, spitting out mud, when he was tripped. A second man tried a similar tactic, and landed on top of the first man. Matt sent the two still standing a lazy and mocking grin.

"Damn you, swine," a third man bellowed.

"Dragon, actually," Matt corrected in an even voice. "Although, I guess it's dark so I can forgive the mistake. Let me fix that problem for you."

A brilliant flash suddenly illuminated the yard. The four men let out yells of surprise and pain as they were blinded by the sudden shift in lighting. Matt seized their weakness and lunged forwards. With a series of rapid jabs, the men were knocked out. He surveyed his work with a satisfied grin then walked back inside. The half-blood girl was still sitting where he had left her, though the house owner had joined her at the table and set a cup of tea down in front of her. They looked up at the door opening with nervous looks that changed to relieved smiles when Matt walked in.

"Thank you, sir," the man said in a grateful tone.

The young girl nodded and said in a quiet voice, "Thank you."

Matt waved the thanks off with an easy smile, "It was nothing. They were easy to beat and I dislike bullies."

The man nodded, though he had a hesitant look on his face. He glanced at the serving girl, then back at Matt and said, "Forgive me if I'm wrong or if I offend you, but you are a half-blood, correct?"

Matt stiffened and stared at the man. His shoulders slumped and he nodded with a sigh, "Yes, I am. Would you like me to leave?"

"No, no, of course not," the man hastily reassured him. "I have absolutely no problems with half-bloods. How can I when my own daughter, Lena, is one?" He gestured at the serving girl and Matt's eyes widened.

"I had no idea she was your daughter, though I knew she was a half-blood of some sort," Matt admitted. "Did you know what I was when I walked in?"

The man shook his head, "No, not until after Lena came back from delivering your water and towel. As I said, it doesn't matter to me, but I am a little surprised that you helped her. Most half-bloods leave a situation like that one alone."

Matt shrugged, "Not me. At least they were just drunks and not picking on her for her blood."

Lena nodded, "That's true. I'm sorry for being scared of you earlier. I wish all half-bloods got along, but I know they don't."

"I wish everyone got along, but they don't," Matt muttered. "Anyway, I need to leave early, so I'm going to go to sleep. I'm pretty sure I can trust you not to tell people that I'm the one who knocked those guys out."

"Of course we won't, good night, sir," the man said.

Lena echoed him with a small smile. Matt climbed back up the stairs to his room with a grin on his face. He locked his door behind him and moved to flop on the bed with a sigh. The conversation he'd just had was an incredible boost for his moral. It was good to have met people who knew what he was—though they didn't know he was a drakeling—and not be rejected and thrown out. Instead, he had been thanked and welcomed. Matt decided he would use their reaction as his reason to fight. He would rid the world of the Blight not only so that it would no longer be a threat, but also to allow people like the travel house owner and his daughter the chance to live safely.

Matt sat up and unbuckled his sword. He leaned the weapon against the side of his bed within easy reach. He flopped onto the mattress again, and, without even pulling a blanket up, fell fast asleep.

A/N: So, I hope some people will enjoy this story. Let me know what you think!