A massive dark shadow flies through the red and black storm above, light highlighting his craggy form as Bayle soars above the thick clouds. His lightning-made wings crackle with raw power. In the clutches of his remaining leg is a woman, trails of her once pristine white silken dress hanging between his talons.

His head turns occasionally to check she remains asleep after screaming herself hoarse when he stole her from her village, from her would-be husband—the Dragonslayer Igon. The mere thought of the mortal who slew so many of his brood makes a thunderous growl rumble in his large chest.

It was coincidence that he'd taken a different path from his hunting grounds back to his Jagged Peaks home. High in the sky, the fresh scent of Drake blood caught his attention, agitating him as his fiery gaze peered down. There, near a village, lay the corpse of a young drake, covered in harpoons and great arrows. The rage always dwelling within Bayle surged to new heights.

Within moments he brought the village to ruin, facing Igon in battle. As he prepared the final blow, he spotted a woman in white—a bride, he realized. When Igon shouted her name, bidding her to run, Bayle recognized his greatest opportunity. He snatched her up in his taloned foot and took to the sky, leaving behind the village ashes and a severely injured Igon.

Harpoons and arrows still protrude from his hide, though many fell out during flight. In the distance loom the Jagged Peaks he claimed as home for himself and any brood seeking refuge from mortals. Orange lightning crashes against mountain sides—a warning to others, a beacon to those who embrace his power.

He descends below the clouds, soaring to his chosen peak where a clearing awaits. Red fulgarbloom plants decorate the area, grown from countless lightning strikes. On one side lies his massive nest, carved from stone by his heated breath, lined with bones, cloth, and melted armor from fallen challengers.

With surprising care, he places the woman in his nest where singed cloth has bunched up. His fiery gaze gleams over her. Rather than devour her before Igon, he has grander plans—ones that will haunt the famed Dragon Hunter for eternity.

He possesses dragon hearts from ancient dragons who dared fight him in his home, kept as trophies. Now they'll serve a better purpose. He'll feed them to her, using the dragon lord's forbidden methods to transform her into his personal drake.

Lightning crackles around him as his body shrinks—an agonizing process as muscles and flesh contract, pulling at old scars around missing limbs. Rarely does he take human form, preferring his draconic body's natural feel. But he doesn't need her losing consciousness again when she wakes.

A grumble resonates in his chest as he crouches beside her, his translucent electrified limbs glowing softly with small lightning arcs traveling along them. With one arm, he brushes back a stray lock of her disheveled hair. "Thou art a comely prize indeed," his voice rumbles like distant thunder. "Soon shalt thee be transformed, made anew in flame and lightning. A fair trade for the price that knave incurred."