Rather than just sleeping, Vect pulled himself into the mindscape he and Erress shared. As the familiar forest clearing took shape, a familiar voice met him. He noted how his avatar mimicked his current physical state.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping kid," questioned Erress like a parent scolding a child that was up past their bedtime.
"As tired as my body is, I am still full of questions and I doubt Duinir could answer half of them," Vect sat on the soft grass with his legs crossed.
"And you think I could answer them? I am flattered you think me so knowledgeable, but there are still many things in this world I don't know about," Erress lowered herself to the ground across from Vect in anticipation for a lengthy interview. "But I will answer what I can. I like how your hair looks by the way."
Vect ran a hand through his hair while he thought up a question. After a moment he decided. "What happened to us during the battle? It's all mostly a blur to me."
"Why not ask me," a deep voice suggested from outside the clearing. Erress and Vect turned toward the source of voice. From the thick foliage that surrounded their clearing a human emerged. Dressed in well made black and grey button up tunic and trousers, a pair of high class boots and gloves, and a flowing black cloak hung from his shoulders. His bright red hair was pulled into backwards in a ponytail and along with his well trimmed beard helped frame his chiseled face. The human's demeanor gave Vect the impression he was one that was not used to being denied.
"Who the hells are you and how did you get in here," Vect demanded, jumping to his feet and prepared for a fight.
The human chuckled, "now now, is that any way to treat family," the human held out his arms like a relative expecting a hug. "You even have my hair."
Vect's hand almost went to his head reflexively, but he held his arms in position. "You're the voice I heard in the arena."
"Guilty as charged. I am known as Amnael," the 'human' bowed mockingly. He still kept his distance from Vect and Erress, keeping to the edge of the clearing.
"Get out. You are not welcome here."
"Aw, why so angry?"
"I'm not very welcoming of things that take control of my body against my will."
"If I hadn't taken control or even made my improvements to your body you would have died. It's hardly my fault your mind was too frail to cope with the power I had to offer."
"And I am just supposed to accept that you would give me back my body when the danger passed?"
"Oh my dear boy, of course not."
Vect was shocked he openly admitted it and took an involuntary step back. "Infact I plan to take your body again at the first opportunity I get."
Erress stepped between the 2 of them. "Stay behind me Vect," she growled, smoke wafted through her bared teeth.
This only seemed to amuse Amnael. "You really have no idea what you are trifling with, do you," he smiled. His cloak seemed to take on a life of it's own and encircled Amnael, then it quickly spread outward and soon all of the forest was covered in a thick blanket of darkness leaving Erress and Vect surrounded.
"Coward! Show yourself," Vect yelled, searching for some indication of where Amnael was. What sounded like metal grinding on metal made him whirl around at its source just in time to see something large disappear back into the veil, only for the sound to repeat elsewhere. "Enough of these games! I've got better things to do than play hide and seek."
"Hahahaha," Amnael's laughter seemed to emanate from everywhere at once. "Fool, even with my eyes, you cannot see what is towering over you." Vect and Erress looked up to the sky. As Vect narrowed his eyes they changed to their golden coloration and the darkness seemed to dissipate slowly. Vect felt his heart tighten with fear as a quartet of large yellow eyes stared back at him.
"Vect, stay behind me," ordered Erress. The darkness parted and the monster became clear to the pair. It resembled a dragon; black scales that seemed to absorb all light with its underbelly covered in light grey scales, a pair of long horns swept backwards from the back of its head, and a pair of fins where the ears would be. But that is where its similarities ended; instead of spikes or plates along the length of its spine a long mane of red hair started at its head and ran along its length to its tail tip that ended on a large tuft of hair like a lion. On its head instead of a pair of eyes it had 4, one set behind the first and all glowed with an unsettling aura. But what scared Vect most was the dragon's size. It towered over them both, large enough that it could have filled the Grand Colosseum arena. 'Its gotta be over 500 feet tall at least,' Vect gasped.
Suddenly a pair of jaws lunged downward from above and tried to swallow them both. Vect closed his eyes and braced himself for the end. But it never came. Vect cautiously opened his eyes and looked up. The incredibly large maw stared down at him from above, but the jaws were being kept from closing on them. A barrier had appeared around the pair and encapsulated the area of the forest clearing.
"But how...," Vect looked around at the shimmering shield.
The jaws withdrew from the shield. "Damn that sage," Amnael roared and a claw crashed down on the barrier followed by another, but both attacks were stopped cold. The dragon fired a torrent of black fire at the barrier. As the stream continued, the barrier glowed brighter and brighter.
"Is it going to break," Erress wondered.
The firestorm abated, but the glow of the barrier continued to grow brighter. "Grr, damn it," Amnael growled. As the barrier brightened the darkness was pushed away, as was Amnael. "You might be out of my reach for now," the dragon commented as it began to disappear, "but know this: I will get through one day. I will be watching." The dragon disappeared in a cloud of smoke and the barrier faded.
"I think we will be safe for now," Erress glanced around.
"I think I'll take that nap now," Vect felt drained. But his mind was full of questions.
"A rest sounds good. We can figure this out tomorrow with the other's help." Vect let himself leave the mindscape and felt himself drift off to actual sleep.