The woodlands of Katherin region could handle be considered peaceful ones. At day ravening packs of giant wolves prowl the woods and insectile aberrations snatch those who wander too close to the swamps. At night, everything living either retreats to safety or braces themselves to become monsters stronger than the unfathomable horrors that spill out from the night. The human concentration shelter behind massive strongholds that are governed by strict order of knights, while whole orders of monster slayers hold their counsil away from the public, until the call of hunt arrives and they take arms to fight against the onrushing darkness.
Despite all this, life in stronghold "Kraventoof" was remarkably stable. The stronghold was smaller than usual, but was part of an chain of similar strongholds that dotted the woodlands to form a type of barrier. Trade flourished and the underground slayer orders often worked together when the call of hunt arose.

That was, until the sky turned red.

The moon was blood red and gazing upon it hurt the eye. A similar mist had descended upon the streets and shadows seemed deeper and more animate than usual. A mumbling could be heard arising from freshly dug graves and local priests arose in alarm as they reported blood seeping from them as well. Unrest spiked suddenly to arsoning and the local militia were forced to be roused to contain them. Worse of all, same kinda activity had been reported happening in the other strongholds and many of them suddenly showed open hostility towards the denizens of Kraventoof.

Suspicion rose along with panic.

Violence became common place.

Only sir. Samen Morotho knew the cause of all of it. His order of hunters had studied the disturbed flow of magics that had eventually cultivated in the red night. Shadowy figures had been noticed prowling the streets and some whispered seeing a black figure cutting through the bloodstained skies. Samen had tracked this insidious shadow as sightings of it had become more frequent, delving into the woods armed with blessed steel and years of refined battle magics. To his surprise, the usual monsters in the woods didnt bother him as much as they should have, as if even they were disturbed by the red mist that clung to everything. The nightly action was rendered silent as he finally found an yawning cave that seemed to have been carved to the hillside. The darkness inside felt like radiating cold, making Samen grip his sword tighter and flex his shoulders in preparation for the inevitable. Muttering an incantation that lighted his blade in shining light, he set out to dare the darkness of the cave.
The first thing he noticed was how his invocations light only illuminated around few meters around him. Usually whole rooms would look as if swathed by morning light after he casted it, but this time the darkness truly clung to the walls and refused to be relinquished. The other thing was the smell. As Samen held back an reflex to gag, he came aware of movement before him. Raising his sword, he slowed his steps and began concentrating harder to be aware of even the slightest movement or sound. Time slowed as he walked through the cave, until it opened up to an wider cavern. His light didnt reach the ceiling, hinting of its enormous size and the smell was even worse.

"A hunter?" A deep and strangely accented voice echoed suddenly from the depths of the cavern, stopping Samen to his tracks.

"Show yourself fiend so this will be quick for you." Samen hissed through clenched teeth. The perverting darkness struck chords of fear into him that he hadnt felt for years.

No response came, before the flicker of movement appeared again and a form marched through the darkness. It wasnt an abomination Samen had expected, not an demon of myth with form that defied logic. It was an serpent, clad in a mail of crimson that was etched with obsidian black. Its eyes... no, its eye, was a glaring red orb, iris striking red while the pupil was of the deepest darkness, along with its surroundings. The other was an mangled mess, seemingly an old wound of some kind, reassuring Samen that the thing was made of vulnerable flesh. It spread its torn wings like an damned angel and clawed the ground with multiple fragile looking fingers. It was his height with head bowed, but the most disturbing detail wasnt how it looked or how it promised lethality. It was the smile it bore.

"But I dont want it to be quick, for didnt we just meet?" Samen could swear the thing was cackling. "I dont get many visitors, especially not those who wander this deep. All but you have just... broken."

Samen was already moving as the serpent finished its sentence, calling a holy blessing that armed his fist with divine reckoning and smashed it square to the beasts snout. A sickening crunch echoed through the cavern, but Samen kept on moving, bringing his sword down on the exposed neck of the beast and cleaving it open. Leaping back then, he flicked his sword and surveyed his prey as it flopped and gurgled in death spasm. To his mounting horror, he only realized that the creature wasnt simply dying, it was turning its lolling head towards him to eye him with its only functional eye. "Marvelous! Order of True Blade, yes? Clean work, but didnt cut through, no, no. Only partially. A hunter truly!"

Samen clenched his teeth to bite a retort, only relenting as the surely slain beast finally tumbled to the ground and somehow exhaled a dying breath out from a severed throat. Samen began chanting the Litany of Purification to get rid of the corpse, before he saw its features blurring. The crimson cloak seemed melt and slip into the darkness, revealing an azure blue hide beneath. Soon the scarred reptiles features were all gone, leaving an seemingly young drakes body in place. A sea drake, far from the coast, but how?

"Poor thing wandered in and sought for my gold." The voice was back and echoed through the cavern, now laced with a sinister hiss that made Samens temples feel pressured. "I let him in and showed all I could. Gave him jewels, yes...."
"What are you? " Samen cursed under his breath, but the voice kept on talking.
"... showed him all, then gave him ALL of it. Filled his gullet with gold and diamonds until he collapsed! A just price for greed, a true reckoning as you will agree!"

Samen muttered incantations of protection to shield him from harm, but bile suddenly filled his mouth. He vomited violently and tried to compose himself, his mind wheeling wildly. "I... I killed..."
"Yes, you killed him. Again, be as it was a cheap trick from me."

From the darkness came the sound of something dripping to the cold stone floor. A moment later a red eye opened in the depths of the cavern, this time far larger than before though. Samen found his breath caught in his lungs as the things features came open to his still burning light, the earlier crimson serpent standing before him, with its spiked fins open and foul black liquid falling from its ruined eye socket on the left. In a fit of panic, Samen tried to pull off his face mask but found it not budging"

"Now, now. We just started." The serpent clearly grinned at him, displaying rotten teeth and a breath that stinged skin.

"Hunter. You worthless lickspittle will carry a message for me tonight."

Samen tried to pry his hands open from clenching his fist, only to find it impossible. His eye lids felt sticky as he blinked, until one refused to open anymore.

"The people here should not be afraid of the weeping graves, not the red moon nor the creatures of the night. " The creatures words pounded on his temples to a point of pain where they felt like burying inside his mind. Samen tried to scream, only to find that his mouth wouldnt open. With his final open eye, he saw the red serpent mere only a meter away from him, breathing a caustic black breath over him that burned his skin.

"Tonight, the people will learn to fear chaos. They will learn to fear ME".

---

So... I kinda subscribed to Flight Rising and got an irresistable urge to draw one of these mythical beasts again, adding another odd character to my list. This one was fun to draw, as the pose was insanely hard for once and I think I managed to pull it off rather well, but not nearly as well as I would have liked.

So this is Erebus, a character whom is quite batshit crazy and classically evil. I have written a bunch of lore about him, but I aint posting all of it here, unless someone proves interested. This has been an enjoyable project for me. I hope you all enjoy!

Inspirational music:

Turmion Kätilöt - Lapset ja Vanhemmat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuxS--YJyqc

Erebus & Art © : sylvio