x
Several moons had passed since we first took the request from the Guild hall job board; from the weeks of preparation to the journey we set off for. Many nights we’d slept underneath the stars, the constellations paving the way to our destination. Our sights were set on the Hinterlands, said to be where a crimson dragon was making its nest. Our employer requested the beast and her eggs be slain before a dragon horde descended on the city.
Our party was composed of four individuals, myself included who was chosen to lead the group. We’d travelled as a party for many years but this job request was unlike any other, we’d yet to meet an adversary I couldn’t best with my blade. A dragon was rare in our corner of the realm and despite our reputation within the Guild, it would prove to be a worthy opponent even for us.
Klaus, our tactician and scholar adept in the arcane arts, gave the party a brief history in draconian beasts before we set off on our adventure. Even with his well-considered plan of attack, I held my reservations for the execution.
Tonight was our last night before we’d reached the dragons nest. I stared into the embers of the fire, steeling my nerves for the upcoming battle. Beside me, the Druid Rowena, hummed a gentle melody while she crafted healing salves and fire warding charms for our armour. Both Klaus and Noah were wrapped in their bedrolls by the fire, and it wasn’t long before Rowena and I joined them.
We woke as the sun rose, just as the last of the campfire embers died. Rowena issued each party member with the warding charms, a single draconian scale imbued with her magic. Klaus went over his strategy once more while we ate our rations, reminding us all there was little room for error if we wanted to secure victory.
I struggled to stomach my meal, feeling my nerves wavering. All the pressure was on my shoulders as their leader. It was my duty to keep my party safe, even if it might cost me my life.
We journeyed to the base of the mountain, where the dragon’s nest awaited. The stench of death hit the back of my throat as we entered the mouth of the cave, but we pressed on until we found our mark in the antechamber.
A scarlet dragon curled up in a makeshift nest of livestock carcasses, the crimson pool surrounding her body was as deep as her scales. Blood red with wicked charcoal talons that gripped the nest as a smog escaped her lips. She’d sensed our intrusion despite the spells we’d used to prevent our immediate discovery. A roar erupted in her throat, shaking the earth beneath our boots. Her wings stretched to their full span and ignited as her amber eyes fell upon me.
I cursed under my breath, gripping my amulet in my gauntlet until my armour illuminated with a golden halo. The mark of the Tempest provided me with the might of a God, and under his protection I felt immortal. I stared down my adversary, the scarlet dragon roared until I was coated in a film of her saliva, yet my moral never wavered. The nerves that’d plagued my mind an hour before became the fire that fueled my fight. I stood before the dragon, readying my shield and sword.
The first strike belonged to me, my blade pierced her left ankle. The dragon retaliated launching a breath of fire in my direction. I held up my shield deflecting the blast away. I had all her attention on me, allowing the party to cut her down.
Klaus summoned countless spells with the arcane arts, while Rowena worked her magic, weaving healing spells in with the natural elements she’d summoned to fight on her behalf. A stone golem rose from the earth, driving a rocky fist into the dragon’s side. The beast snarled as she stumbled on her talons. Noah latched onto the dragon’s tail, hacking chunks of scaled flesh with his twin daggers.
I used the opportunity to my advantage, a miscalculation on my part. I launched myself off the ground, my blade making purchase with the dragon’s amber orb. I’d intended for my movements to be swift, but my blade refused to budge from the crying cavity.
The antechamber shook as the scarlet dragon plummeted to the earth, her wicked talon sliced through my armour like a knife through butter. My body was thrown into the carcass nest, the splintering of bones pierced my exposed skin. I tried to stifle the scream in my throat, but it was the only noise ringing in my ears.
‘Not like this,’ I coached myself to move despite every inch of my body crying out in agony. I hauled my tired body off the ground, struggling to stand and glanced back at my adversary, but all I could see was a haze of crimson. I could barely make out the outlines of the party frozen in place by my condition.
I reached out for my amulet yet my hand couldn’t locate the trinket. ‘No, not my…’ I cursed under my breath, without the Tempest’s amulet there was no hope of defeating the beast. I fumbled amongst the bones but my vision was too badly obstructed to locate the item, and instead I grabbed the thickest bone I could manage and wielded it like a weapon.
‘Change of plan, cover me,’ I called to my party as I ran to the fallen beast. I fought my way up her snout, smoke choking my lungs until I found my beloved blade.
The scarlet dragon wasn’t going down without a fight, just as my fingertips kissed the hilt, she spat flames separating the party from me.
‘Ophelia, watch out!’ Klaus bellowed. ‘Rowena, do something.’
‘My mana is all but depleted. Noah?’ she called to our final member but squealed when she noticed the halfling was lying face down in the dirt.
I stretched until my muscles were threatened to tear, until I was finally reunited with my blade. No sooner was the sword in my hand, the scarlet dragon swiped with her talons, launching me from her snout into the air.
‘Now’s my chance.’ I used the gifted momentum to my advantage, holding the blade close to my body and striking myself in a downward motion, piercing straight through the dragon’s spine and straight through to her heart.
Darkness closed around me as the dragon roar echoed in the antechamber. Then I heard Rowena scream, as I emerged from the beast, drenched in crimson entails. The last thing I remembered was smiling at my party before I succumbed to my injuries, drifting into a dreamless sleep.199Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlEMPetakC
