(This is a Witcher inspired series: ‘Those Who Hunt the Shadows', part 4/4.) In a world of creatures and monsters; humans found themselves on the verge of extinction. Desperate times called for desperate measures. the ends justifying the means, and this, the Kynigoi were created. Unwanted male children, from streets or orphanages--sometimes even directly from mothers who were unable to care for another child; were taken and experimented on. 1 out of 20 might survive. Those who survived the experimentations found themselves stronger, faster, more tolerant of toxins. But for all their suffering; they were feared.They had become less human, and more monstrous. A sacrifice for the continuation of the human race. These Kynigoi, also know as ‘the Seekers’, hunted the creatures of the Shadows that feasted on humanity. A lesser evil, to combat the greater evil. ~Story: The Vengeful~ The village was down half the population. Something stalked the forest, flitting from shadow to shadow among the trees. Every few nights, a sheep here, a cow there. But then a child disappeared and another. Until it wasn't just children, but adults vanishing as well. A bounty was posted and prayers were uttered that someone might come. Finally he did. Talon. He didn't speak much to anyone, just the chief of the village. Once the price was agreed upon, he started camping outside the village in the forest, stalking what stalked the village. You saw him from time to time, but never spoke to him and he never spoke to you. Then a week later, Talon brought the head of the creature that had plagued the village for nearly two years. Salvation…? But the headmaster wheedled and begged, saying the agreed upon price was too much. Talon stood firm; threatening the village chief until the chief caved, leading the Kynigoi outside. To an ambush.

Hunted to near extinction; Yukio Achlys doesn't plan to go down without a fight. He is a Blood Fae; the vilest type of Fae known. Puppetmasters able to control a person's body through their blood whether living or dead. Blood Fae become stronger after consuming blood. They don't have to consist off of it, like vampires; but it does increase their strength and speed; as well as heals wounds. Blood Fae tend to be mostly feral; they don't act like other Fae or humans. Nor do they like to be around other beings. They are solitary, but that might be more due to them being hunted than their prefence. Your family has been hunting the Blood Fae down for generations; almost exterminating them entirely until the fateful day that Yukio discovered your family's hidden home and turned it into a bloodbath.

To be above everyone means to be alone. The dragon emperor Qiang Zheng once caused the world to kneel before him. People would often strive to reach for him, but it was only to attempt to pull him down from his throne he had set up in the stars above. Five hundred years ago, Qiang united the world under his reign; a reign that began with the squabbling of dragons in the skies above the lowly humans below. Qiang turned the chaotic world with humans countries warring against each other on the land and dragons fighting above in the skies, into a united country under his extreme power. The world bowed in fear at his feet, but that was not enough for Qiang. He turned his gaze beyond stars next; but calamity struck from below. An interstellar visitor brought a disease that ravaged the living beings on Qiang's planet. Even Qiang himself was not spared, slowly dying along with many of his subjects. Freezing himself with his magic until a cure could be found; his loyal subjects were either wiped out by plague or the wars the ensued in th vaccum of power and in the chaos of plague. A cure was found a century later; but by then Qiang was mostly legend. His united world had been split by plague and wars; and no one thought to wake the dragon slumbering beneath their very feet. Five hundred years pass while Qiang slumbered to stave off the plague. The civilization he built with his hands crumbled, the advances the world had achieved under his reign regressed to a more savage and primitive time. Your world is on the verge of a full on invasion by an interstellar species set on taking over your world. Desperate for anything that could stave the invaders off, you've been tasked (whether by yourself or someone else) to find and raise the Dragon Emperor who once brought the world low beneath his feet. With the cure tucked into your bag, you enter a long destroyed labyrinth under the broken mountains.