The figure landed flawlessly on his feet, standing between the broken house and the fallen dragon. Somehow Herial managed to free his mouth of his mother’s dress.
“Arrdum! It is Arrdum!” he said breathlessly.
His words were enough to get his mother to look over her shoulder, ensuring that her body still acted as a last line of defense to protect her son. She was so afraid, she was sure she had heard the loud crash, but thought the sound of the dragon yelping in pain was imaginary. She didn’t know if Arrdum had truly returned, for the man had his back to her, but she could see him clearly. She took great notice that he wasn’t trembling, not from fear or the cold, even when the dragon picked itself up and began staring right at him. He was large and powerful looking, but compared to the dragon that now stood over him he appeared small and insignificant. Yet he was the only thing now standing between the dragon and the mother and child.
The dragon peered down upon the man, its black eyes filled with anger. How dare this man interrupt its rampage! The man could see the blood trickling from the dragon’s nose, he was sure it wasn’t use to smelling its own blood. He stood silently, his eyes unflinching even against the tremendous stare of the serpent. To him it seemed only fair that the dragon make the next move. The dragon opened its mouth, but unlike Herial its sword like teeth didn’t intimidate the man. Neither did the dragon’s roar, in fact he was annoyed by it. The roar drowned out the sound of the dragon’s blood that was now dripping from his hammer. Unimpressed that the man didn’t show expected fear at the roar the dragon ensured its next movement was far deadlier. From its mouth a flame was formed, quickly turning into an inferno that sprang forth, consuming the man entirely. Elheria and her son both felt the intense heat of the flame, whose light was strong enough to sting their eyes. The only thing Elheria could think of was why didn’t the man go on the attack? Why didn’t he throw his hammer? Why didn’t he even try to move out of the flame’s path? The flames didn’t spread, this attack was only meant to destroy the man, not anything else.
The inferno eventually burned itself out, fire replaced by a foul smelling smoke that stood like a storm cloud briefly where the man was standing. But then the smoke began to rise and what remained caused both the mother and child to gasp loudly. The man was still standing, the fur that once covered his torso had been burned away but his skin wasn’t scorched in the slightest. In fact the only real change was the man now appeared to be covered in water, as if he had just stepped out of a cold deep lake he had spent the day swimming in.
Herial and his mother weren’t the only ones awash in confusion, the dragon’s eyes seemed filled with bewilderment as well. No doubt it had burned ten thousand men to death with its flame and couldn’t understand why this man was not amongst them. Water drops falling from the hammer had replaced the faint sound of the dragon’s blood dripping from the weapon he held. The dragon’s own blood hadn’t survived the inferno, but the weapon that spilt it had. It remained a faint sound, but everything else seemed silent, like the entire world was watching to see what would happen next.
The man then threw the hammer, not at the dragon but away from himself like he was throwing away an insignificant item. Even in such a swift motion, there was a skill to his act, the hammer bounced only once before landing on its head. Confusion was as thick as fog in the air as the man took another weapon from upon his back and threw it away as well. Every movement he made seemed very calculated like he was in complete control of this entire situation. As he continued to throw away weapons he spoke.
“Do you think I am a fool dragon?” His voice was like his actions, powerful, swift and controlled. “I saw the warriors of this city try to slay you with their own axes and spears, but none could pierce your hide isn’t that right dragon?”
The dragon continued to simply stare at the man, but it was clearly concerned by his actions.
“Would it not be arrogant of me to expect that I could pierce your hide with the same kinds of weapons dragon?”
He continued throwing the weapons away as if they were no more useful to him than vegetables were to a carnivore.
“You are confused aren’t you dragon?” he asked throwing away the last of his weapons. “You are not use to your flames failing you are you dragon?” His words remained very calculated, he seemed to be taunting the creature. The way he ended every question or statement with the word dragon, seemed very deliberate, ritualistic even, like he was casting a wicked spell of unknown power. It was subtle but definite, with every statement he made his voice grew louder and more intense.
The man slowly raised an open hand towards the dragon, as if he was offering something invisible as a tribute. His hand began to change color, becoming a faint pale blue. It was a very slow metamorphous, like the first few days of fall after spring.
“I won’t make you ponder any more dragon! I shall explain it for you dragon!”
The blue of his hand became fuller, the color no longer so faint. It wasn’t just his hand that seemed to change, the pink of his eyes was becoming more intense and for the first time in its life the dragon narrowed its own eyes in concern.
“I have spent the last 15 years of my life wandering Shillvii, you know what a harsh place Shillvii is don’t you dragon? Even your kind doesn’t stay there for too long. I understand this, I have seen the frozen corpse of every kind of species out there dragon!” His voice seemed on the brink of turning into an all-out bellow, increasing in volume with every syllable he spoke.
“But the one species that has escaped the collection is your kind dragon! You would never freeze out there would you dragon?” He now seemed almost to be smiling, his teeth appearing sharper and more menacing than any normal man. “Your fire sacks keep you from freezing don’t they dragon? I know they do because they are what has kept me from freezing dragon!” He now formed a blue covered fist and even this simple action appeared intense and intended.
“But the Shillvii ice is what really keeps me alive, it is what prevents the dragon sacks I devour from burning me from the inside while the fire sack prevents the ice from freezing me from the outside dragon!”
Now he was definitely smiling, a gesture that could only be described as monstrous. “You see Shillvii ice and dragon flame wage a constant war within me! A war that neither can win! A war that I benefit from greatly dragon!” The dragon didn’t need it spelled out, this combination of special ice and fire had given the man unique powers, making him an extremely dangerous foe.
“But you see dragon!” the man continued, his voice still half-yelling. “The war within is filled with costly battles, troops constantly need to be replaced! Shillvii ice is easy to come by, but dragon flame is so rare!” The man opened his mouth wider, taking a long breath as if savoring a meal that was about to come. “Which means that I cannot let you live dragon! Because I need your fire sack and only know of one way to get it dragon!”
As he pulled his fist back the dragon roared, but the sound was completely drowned out by the bellow that came from the man. It was a sound loud enough to be heard all throughout the city. The man drove his fist forward, moving with the velocity of an arrow. He bypassed the defending claws of the dragon effortlessly. Like the bolt of a ballistae his fist pierced through the neck of the dragon as easily as an arrow through parchment. Blood, sinew and bone poured forth like violent vomit from the mouth of a plague victim. It was a grizzly act that lasted only for a moment. But the image was beyond shocking, lasting much longer than that in the eyes of those who had witnessed it.
A heavy crashing noise than occurred sounding severely distant compared to the man’s bellow that continued to be heard long after the man had stopped yelling, echoing through the city.
When silence finally came upon the city it was heavier than any snowfall the city had ever suffered. Like an injured spider sound slowly started to crawl back into the city in the form of hurried footfall. Soldiers from other parts of the city were rushing to the street in order to see what had h
appened. Elheria understood their gasps and shocked faces, because she had seen the entire act unfold and her mind was still struggling to comprehend what had just happened. The dragon was dead, no one doubted that, the real problem was accepting how it died.
“He decapitated the dragon…simply by punching it?” asked a soldier, so consumed by shock that his tone sounded otherworldly. Like puppets operated by a single string the soldiers looked to the man, his arm was still raised, his fist still clenched, it was hard to tell if the skin was still blue because his entire arm was covered in the thick dark blood of his victim. But more disturbing than the act itself was the fact the man was smiling, his eyes burning with satisfaction for what he had done.
The puppet soldiers continued to be pulled by that single string as they looked over to the severed head and neck of the dragon. Blood still spat forth from where the neck had been severed, it rested a good 100 feet from the rest of the corpse. The act had been undeniably brutal but Elheria wasn’t sickened, she was grateful, this man had saved her and more importantly her child from being devoured. His back was still turned from her, so she didn’t know if it was Arrdum. She wouldn’t care if it weren’t; she just needed to see the face of the man who had saved her son. She tried to stand but her legs felt frozen, her body seemed too shocked by it all to move.
The man had finished admiring his own accomplish, taking several steps towards the dragon’s body in order to claim his prize. He had taken three steps when a haunting sound came from the giant corpse. It was a strange sound that was daunting to listen to. It sounded like pounding, although it was a far more powerful noise.
Something then burst through from the chest of the corpse, a horrific sight that caused another choir of gasps to fill the street. What it was, was difficult to describe although there wasn’t a single person that didn’t find the image offensive. It stood on two legs and was vaguely shaped like a man, but there was nothing human about it. It dripped in blood, sinew and entrails, the blood seemingly boiling like pan water upon its skin. The appearance of it slew the smile right off the man’s face as panic filled his pink eyes. Now he joined the others in a state of disbelief, this was bad, worse than a thousand enemy armies.
The man had seen one of these things once before in the lands beyond Shillvii. A dragon that had been slumbering under the shadow of a mountain had been crushed by a tremendous rockslide. A creature identical to this one had burst out of that dragon’s chest as well. He remembered how the creature had looked at him, a being from the darkest corner of a twisted god’s mind. That was one of the few times the man had ever been terrified. That creature hadn’t attacked him, it moved on without incident as if the man couldn’t possibly be a threat to it. Three days later he saw a dragon soaring overhead. He had killed enough dragons to know that no two were exactly alike. But the dragon he saw on that day was identical to the one who had been killed by the rockslide.
The lands beyond Shillvii were unknown to most of the world, but the stories about those lands were dark and terrifying. If the stories were to be believed this creature was actually the heart of a Luloc dragon, the oldest of their kind. A breed of dragon so powerful that even gods could be burned by their flame. It was said that even if the body was eviscerated as long as the heart remained intact it would regenerate a new body. This dragon had taken the time to cross Shillvii just so it could taste human flesh. Which meant in three days it would have a new body and would be terrorizing this city once more, unless someone was able to destroy the dragon heart, because that was what this creature was.
The man didn’t wait to volunteer he rushed into action, driving his fist directly into the creature’s face. The blow that had so easily decapitated the dragon moment’s ago now seemed far less impressive. The sound of the impact was loud and mighty but the effect was anything but. The punch that had easily decapitated the dragon didn’t even cause this creature’s knees to buckle, let alone draw blood.
A silence strangled the city, disbelief infecting all senses. A sound like a whistle then slowly rose into the air, the sound was bizarre but an accompanying smell quickly revealed its source. The sound was actually the man’s skin burning, the blood that covered his arm was now bubbling like overcooked stew. Even with his powers the heat of the dragon heart was overwhelming.
The man barely had time to gasp before the creature had seized him by the throat. A bellow escaped from his lips, but unlike its past brethren it wasn’t powerful, it was pain filled as agony consumed him. With disturbing violence the creature picked the man off of his feet, hurling him through the air like he weighed no more than a pebble. The stone wall of a house stopped the man’s flight. Suffering such an impact, the house collapsed upon the man, burying him from sight.
With the man dispatched the creature turned towards Elheria and her son. Instantly she shielded her son’s eyes away from this abomination. It was more disturbing to look upon than any nightmare she had ever suffered. Terror ran through her like ten armies of hostile warriors, cutting into every part of her mind, body and soul. The dragon had been about to devour the two of them before the man interrupted its meal, now it seemed this creature was going to finish the feast.
The once brave soldiers did nothing to stop it, the burden of knowledge was a powerful thing. They had seen just how easily the creature had dispatched the man and no amount of training could overcome their fears. Elheria and her son had escaped death once this night, hoping to do so again felt too much to ask for. The creature took its time, its step slow and deliberate. It wanted to savor this moment. This time Elheria didn’t look away, she wouldn’t give this monster a second satisfaction of fear. As it reached its hand out towards them she held her son tighter, willing the moment to be over.
A large piece of stone came into her line of sight, smacking into the creature’s head with a great deal of violence. She didn’t look away from it as it sharply turned in the direction the stone had been thrown from. It was the man, bloodied and injured, but back on his feet. His hand, the one that had thrown the stone was covered in blisters, scorched with pain. But he looked at the creature’s face with unflinching eyes.
It was hard to tell if the dragon heart had any specific features, there were too many entrails and boiling blood to know for certain. But it seemed the creature was staring at him with unseen eyes, eyes that wanted to rip him limb from limb. He quickly picked up another piece of the house, this one larger than his head. The sheer speed the piece of rubble moved with through the air proved there was still a lot strength in his body. The sound of impact was loud yet the creature seemingly was unscathed.
Though concerned the man didn’t waste a moment, claiming another piece of the rubble. This time the creature rushed towards him, sick and tired of this man who distributed its meal. He threw the third piece and again his aim was on target, yet the creature didn’t break its step. The man grabbed another piece but this time held on to it, driving it hard and fast into the creature’s face. It was only enough to make the dragon heart briefly flinch before it went on the attack. He could feel its hands as it seized his shoulders. 4 of his 5 senses were being violated, this thing was hideous, it smelled awful, its touch burnt his skin and the soft whistle it emitted sliced at his ears. He was sure that it would have tasted like manure if he were to bite into it.
The defense of the rubble was ineffective, no matter how many times he drove it into the creature’s face it did not release him from its grip. He could feel himself being taken off his feet and thrown once again. The creature seemed more interested in simply getting him out of the way instead of killing him. The man landed on his feet, having now gotten use to the feeling of being thrown. Pain exploded in his shoulders where the creature had grabbed him. Even the rubble he still held onto felt like it had been warmed within the sun itself. He went on the attack, using the rubble as both a shield and a weapon. This time he swung the rubble like a true weapon, proving his burnt hands hadn’t lost their skill. The creature avoided his wild s
wing of an attack, countering with a strike of its own. Jerking his body sideways he was able to avoid its limb of boiling blood.
He swung again, the rubble scraping along enemy’s shoulder. The blow did little to weaken the creature who now grabbed onto his hands. Its touch remained excoriating, but the man didn’t surrender his weapon. Instead he drove it forward into the creature’s stomach. But that part of its anatomy was just as dense as its disgusting head. In retaliation for his attack the dragon heart struck him deep in the stomach, using its own leg like a twisted spear. The man couldn’t stand his ground as a burning sensation filled his gut. It was as nauseating as it was powerful and finally his grasp upon the stone was broken as he was thrown by the kick.
The cold hard ground offered him no quarter as he slid across it, pain filling every inch of him. He had gotten to one knee before the creature had thrown the rubble back to him, clearly it didn’t need such a weapon. The rubble was now burning as if coal taken out of a large fire. The man didn’t catch it so much as he guided the rubble downward bringing his boot up to meet it. His feet were just as skilled as his hands, sending the rubble squarely into the face of the dragon heart. This blow had more power to it than his other strikes and it showed. Upon impact the dragon heart stumbled back, shaking its head in both pain and confusion. But it was far from incapacitated and as it ran towards him it became obvious that it hadn’t sustained any real injury.
The man held his ground waiting for it, a bellow exploded from his mouth, sounding more like one of power than pain. He struck his foot out with more skill than any soldier’s weapon, striking his foe directly in the chest. The blow was powerful but not enough to stop the creature’s charge. It pushed him backwards driving his body through the air again. He couldn’t manage to land on his feet this time but was sure to get to one knee quickly.
He could smell it before he saw it, the momentary impact with the dragon heart had set his boot on fire. He worked quickly to put it out, a painful task but fortunately a successful one. He looked at his hands, they were red with blisters and burns, making it difficult for him to summon the ice under the skin. He realized now that if it hadn’t been for the unique way he had trained his body he would be nothing more than ashes. But even his powers weren’t enough to defeat the dragon heart, not in this city anyway. His attempts so far had been fruitless, when the heart was inside the dragon it had been like a diamond wrapped in cloth. The cloth had been easy to rip through, but the diamond was practically indestructible.
9 Tales From Elsewhere 6 Page 8