The piles of gold were moved, organized and stacked high once again. The creature picked a single coin with his deadly talons and looked it over thoroughly. Laying it to rest atop one of the piles, it grabbed another. “Did you steal my treasure?”
The voice was unlike any he'd heard before. “Define 'steal'.”
“Did you leave here with my treasure?” The dragon laid another coin down and picked up another. His head didn't so much as glance in the direction of the subdued half-orc.
“No. I was going to. But didn't get that far.”
“Then explain to me why I have four-thousand and seventy-two pieces missing.” The dragon shot up, knocking over several of the piles. He paused inches from the half-breed's face, awaiting an answer. “I could kill you in a moments notice. I wouldn't think twice about it. But your friends and their horse have temporarily sated my appetite.” He backed away, keeping his beady dark eyes locked on the half-orc. “I've counted my treasure several times. I do not make mistakes. Tell me where my treasure is and I may let you live.”
Krenin pulled against the irons, hoping he could dislodge the stakes. “They buried it at camp. Only one bag.”
“Good.” Autzumo reached down and grabbed a single clear gem from his scattered pile. He held it to his face and blew gently. The cloud surrounded the gem, absorbing the color. Do you see this gem?”
“Yes.”
“I've trapped your life essence in this gem. I'm going to release you and you're going to find my treasure. Bring it to me and I'll give you this gem. Your life will be your own, to do with what you please. But trust me when I say, if you skip out on a single piece, not only will I know, but I'll crush this gem and your life along with it.”
Krenin watched the beast for a moment, considering his option. Can he take my life like that? Nobody has that power. He doesn't know where it's at, otherwise he wouldn't be asking me to get it. Defiance in his voice, he made his decision. “Crush the stone. You not have power over Krenin. Krenin the only one who knows where treasure is. You kill me, you never find it.”
A deep roar echoed through the cave. “Insolent half-orc. You'll bring it to me. Days, weeks, you're stuck here. Eventually you'll get hungry enough that you'll agree, or you'll stave to death. It makes no difference to me.”
Krenin felt the breeze wash over him, blinding him for the briefest of moments. He glanced around the room, finding only the tip of a spiked tail slither out the tunnel and out of sight.
***
Night had fallen on the town of Aldridge. The lanterns were lit and the usual fog had rolled in.
Gareth stepped out of the general store, cinching the leather strap around a large over stuffed bag. A coiled rope and several sized bear traps dangled from the side. He tossed the sack over his shoulder and turned to head back toward his room.
A familiar face caught his attention. The warrior from the tavern skirted across the road, headed for the edge of town. He looked young, almost too young. But the expression on his face said more than enough. He'd see things most wished to forget. That alone said he was seasoned. He seemed small in stature. The massive greatsword strapped to his back didn't help his appearance in the over-sized armor. Perhaps he'd not yet reached his adult years. Or perhaps he'd simply chosen a different life. He was of fair height, though short by human standard, by a few inches at least, and he wasn't overly heavy. His body just didn't fit his gear, like he was a warrior made for finesse, but relied on strength.
Gareth watched, there was something familiar about him, something he couldn't place. Deciding silently, he strode for the boy. "Oy, lad!" he shouted, getting his attention.
Kane stopped, turning to see the broad, bald man heading toward him. He waited patiently for him to get within talking distance, not that he had anything to talk about.
"You any good with that sword?" he asked, looking the boy up and down.
"Depends on your purpose, you may find out first hand." he stated coldly.
Gareth let a smirk escape his lips. "Easy son, I’ve no quarrel with you. I'm looking for a few men to assist in the slaying of a dragon. I thought you might be up for the challenge."
Kane studied the man, recalling him from the tavern. He carried a cutlass on his side and his dark gray armor was adorned with several flat round pieces of metal. The leather was thick and looked to be finely crafted at one point, though now it was worn and weak from years of misuse. Nevertheless, he wore it well and it would protect him as intended. What was more curious was that red aura he'd seen before. It persisted after the drink had worn off. There had to be something unique about this man, be it magic or otherwise, he was unlike any other he'd seen before. “I suppose you’re going to tell me to meet you at the edge of town at first light?"
Gareth nodded, "So you've seen the poster then? Very well, if I see you in the morning, it’ll be a welcome sight. If not, safe travels." He offered salute and turned back toward town.
“Hey!”
Gareth froze, glancing over his shoulder and the young man.
“The name's Kane. And I'll be there.”
“Good!” Gareth continued on his way, stepping into the rolling mist.
Kane watched the large man disappear, leaving him to his solitude. Returning to his path, he made for the edge of town. Finding a small clearing inside the treeline, he dug out a small pit and lined it with rock. Piling tinder, he struck his flint and watched the sparks dance to life. The twigs began to smolder and moments later a small fire flared up. He stacked slightly larger sticks around it and again, stacking it to burn for a few hours, but small enough to hide behind the ring. Mostly he just wanted to keep warm for the cool, autumn night. Pulling his bedroll from his pack, he unrolled it. Stabbing his sword into the ground, he unbuckled his armor and draped it over the weapon. Lastly, he tossed his clothes over the polished metal to prevent the morning dew from rusting it. Lying down, he curled up under his blanket and drifted off to sleep.
***
The mist was thick, obscuring all sight beyond a few feet away. Even the buildings of the well-populated town were difficult to see through the blanket of fog. Lanterns hung from post, attempting to illuminate the streets, but they offered little more than a faint glow in the early morning.
The sun was threatening to peek over the horizon when Gareth, Malakai and Ravion made their way for the town's edge.
Kane stood with his greatsword in front of him, the tip was stuck in the ground, allowing him to rest against the pommel. His armor had an unnatural glow in the thick fog, proudly displaying the coiled dragon engraved in the belly. It stood in stark contrast to the polished chrome breastplate. He stood erect, flipping his sword up to his shoulder, watching the others arrived.
"Good morning." Gareth offered, coming into sight of the young man. "I’d hoped a few others would have shown but it seems not all men are cut out for the slaying of dragons."
The others looked Kane over, as he did them.
Gareth offered introductions, "Kane, this is Malakai,"
Malakai lifted his sabre in salute.
"And this is Ravion. Gentlemen, meet Kane. It seems he's gonna to be our meat shield during this little adventure."
Ravion locked his gaze on the young warriors aura. He had to be at least part dalari. It was present but faded, a strange attribute he recalled of his heritage. Though there were no half-breeds as far as he knew. The dalari blood always seemed to overpower the mixture. This man could prove useful. He gave a gentle bow, using his sword to salute, allowing his knowledge of nobility and grace to flourish in the morning light.
Kane returned the greetings, distracted by the large pike in the bald man's hand.
Gareth, noticing the warrior's gaze offered explanation. "The beast we're going after, while young, is still a deadly opponent. This'll help us pin em down without gettin too close. If you'd like I can fetch you one as well.
Kane chuckled, "No thank you, I'm quite comfortable with my sword."
"As you wish
. Well, the beasty ain't gonna slay itself. We'd best be on our way before the sun tells every creature between here and there of our intent.”
The group set off into the dense forest. The morning mist was still extremely thick, as it was every morning. It began to fade with the sunrise.
Ravion took the lead, retracing his steps from the previous day, feigning his tracking skills as if he'd picked up a trail. They didn't need to know he'd already found the monster. He moved as quietly and graceful as possible. Not even the sound of his boots could be heard on the forest floor.
The others were a different story. Gareth sounded as if he wasn't trying to mask himself whatsoever. The crunch of foliage under his feet echoed through the trees, while branches cracked and snapped against his wide form. Even the jingle of his sword echoed.
Malakai wasn't overly loud but could still be heard in the thick vegetation, mostly due to the panting from his fondness of pipe tobacco.
Kane was surprisingly quiet, despite his heavy armor and large sword. The occasional noise came from a protruding branch gliding off his breastplate, but otherwise, he stepped as light as the ranger.
They progressed closer to the dragon's lair, slowing their pace with each passing moment. It was easier to be quiet at a slow speed.
Ravion slowed, sticking his hand in the air for all to see. He waved them forward.
They carefully made their way to his side, looking into the clearing.
"Your dragon’s in there.” He pointed to a wide cavern entrance, hidden by a valley. “If you find yourself in further need of my services, I'll be in the tavern." Denying chance for refute, he turned and started the direction they’d come.
Gareth felt a slight irritation. Reciting their arrangement in his head, he faced the realization. Damn it! I paid him to track and lead me to the dragon, combat was never discussed. "Wait-- If you stay and fight, I'll double your pay."
The ranger spun around, correcting his step and falling back in with the group. A satisfied smile across his face, he passed them and cautiously made his way into the valley. "Shall we then-- " he said, waving them toward the cavern.
They made their way into the clearing, their weapons at the ready.
Kane took lead, marching into the dark cavern. He carefully made his way through the underground labyrinth, surprised at how well he could see in the dark passageway. Broken pieces of wood littered the ground, remains of what looked to be a wagon at some point. The stench was nauseating, but not unbearable, like a butcher's mart on a hot summer day.
Malakai had a bit of trouble seeing anything past the entrance. Only the reflecting sun off the young warrior's breastplate told him which direction to go. But that was rapidly fading. Soon he wouldn't be able to see anything.
A serpentine voice echoed from the darkness. "More visitors come to seek death?"
Gareth replied with forceful presence, "Your reign of terror has come to its end, snake!"
"We shall see!" the dragon retorted, whipping it's tail from the shadows.
Kane felt the impact against his right side. It launched him off his feet, flying into the cavern wall. He slamming hard against the jagged rocks and tumbled to the ground.
Gareth and Ravion readied their weapons, preparing for another attack.
Malakai closed his eyes. They were useless in the dark. It was best he let his other senses take over. Listening for the impact, he charged what he guessed was the fallen warrior and took a defensive position in front of him. “Is that you, Kane?”
His breath rushed back to him, forcing larger amounts of air into him than he needed. Calming himself, he exhaled slowly, then sucked air in through his nose, forcing his body back into submission. “Yeah. I'm okay. Can you see?”
“Nope. And there's no time to light a torch.”
“Alright. I'll try to guide you as best I can.”
Autzumo extended his scaly neck. The muscles flexed, preparing to spew his acidic breath over the group of trespassers.
Kane reached to the small of his back, drawing a dagger. With the flick of his wrist, he launched the blade, striking the beast in the underside of it's jaw. The blade sank to the hilt, spewing a green ooze from the wound. He felt several of the droplets spray against his face, tingling against his flesh like a fly landing for a rest.
The dragon choked, abandoning his deadly breath. With a mighty roar, he whipped his tail in protest, hoping to dislodge the group of would be slayers.
Malakai felt the droplets hit him, burning into his clothing. Quickly ripping away the tainted sleeves, he stood ready, listening for any sound of movement.
Ravion rolled, easily avoiding the wild tail. Coming back to his feet, he swung his longsword, spotting the out-stretched appendage a few feet from him. The tip of his blade scratched into blackened scales, splitting a small section.
Gareth stabbed in with the pike, forcing the dragon back into the cavern wall. It roared against the shaft, fighting to keep ground.
“Legs!” Kane shouted, attempting to defend the blind warrior.
Malakai tried to jump but it was too late. He felt the thick tail swipe into his legs. They buckled beneath the force, dropping him to the ground. Throwing his sabre up in defense, he narrowly deflected a crushing blow from the forceful whip.
Kane wiped the spray from his flesh, noticing the toxin eating into his clothing. Pulled from his observation, he spotted the tail headed toward him again. Prepared for the assault this time, he brought his greatsword down, allowing the force to amplify his swing.
The dragon roared in pain, feeling the last several feet of his tail become severed from the rest. "You'll pain for that!" his wispy voice hissed. Autzumo stretched, swiping one of his front claws at the trespassers.
Ravion narrowly dodged the lethal, foot long talons. He noticed a green ooze dripping from the tip of them.
Using the distraction, Kane grabbed hold of Malakai's arm and pulled him to his feet. Feeling the lightly armored warrior take his own weight, he spun around and charged, hoping to finish the beast.
Autzumo calculated his options. His movement was severely limited. If he pushed forward too much, the steel head of the pike would tear through his beautiful scales. And with his tail damaged, he was unable to keep them at a distance and under a disadvantage. He caught movement out the corner of his eye. The armored man that'd severed his tail was charging him, his sword in-hand and ready to attack. He swiped at the warrior, hoping he could tear him into pieces before he was able to raise the enchanted blade.
Kane fought, his strikes full of ferocity, swinging his greatsword as if it were the weight of a feather. He moved the blade with unnatural speed, deflecting the dragon's swipes.
Each attack chipped away the deadly talons, piece by piece. It wouldn’t be long before they would be too weak to pierce armor.
"Hold!" Gareth shouted, hoping the others would follow suit. Gaining proper footing, he knew he couldn’t be moved. With renewed force, he thrust hard watching the steel tip pierce the dragon's scale.
Kane spun around, putting everything he had into the attack. How he could withstand the dragon's strength was beyond him, but he had to find weakness if he was to end this.
Autzumo roared in pain, feeling the spear head slowly sinking into his soft innards. Blood seeped from beneath the scales where the pole-arm had him pinned. He was on limited time. Did I finally made a mistake? Did I get sloppy by staying in the same place for so long? Where's my flight? The final though awakened something in him. My flight! I have been forsaken! He hissed at the slayers, striking at the armored warrior with everything he had.
Ravion took advantage of the dragon's roar, counting the time between attacks. Waiting for Kane to deflect the next blow, he ducked beneath the swipe and rolling his blade up, positioning himself inside the beast's reach.
Malakai counted out the sounds, timing each one. Hearing the deflection, he charged, flipping his sabre in-hand. The tip pointed down, he jumped, stabbing down as hard as he could
. It passed through scale and sank to the hilt.
Autzumo was caught by surprise. The betrayer had been chipping his claws, distracting him. He hadn't noticed the thin one roll into range. He felt the sticky fluid drip from beneath his scales. He looked down at the severed claw, cut smoothly from him. His leg was pinned to the ground by the other one's sword. The pain hadn't set in yet, but it soon would. I'm damaged beyond repair. These trespassers, these betrayers, they've deformed me. He tried to pull his leg free of the rapier but it wouldn't budge. His other front leg was useless, lying detached on the ground. Only a few pieces if torn flesh dangled around the bone. Pain crept, aching its way into him. He extended his neck to howl louder than he'd ever howled before.
Seeing his chance, Kane spun around and caught the beast in the throat with the tip of his sword. It passed through, neatly severing his windpipe.
Autzumo felt his strength wane. The fight left his body, replaced by the need for air. Panic took hold. He was slowly dying. What's this dreaded feeling-- Fear? So that's what it's like. His body too weak to fight, he laid his head down, his scaly eyelids too heavy to keep open. Beside, he didn't really want to watch his last moments. His entire existence was a betrayal. Knowing death would soon claim him, he counted his gold one last time, feeling lost four-thousand and seventy-two times over.
Gareth knew the fight was won, but the beast had to be finished. Gathering his strength, he thrust deep, sending the pointed head into the dragon's heart. It pierced with a pop, spurting a thick liquid from the enlarged wound.
Autzumo gasp his final breath, feeling the pounding of his ruptured heart slow to a stop.
Kane reached down and pulled his dagger from the dragon's jaw, returning it to his waist.
Gareth placed his hand on the young warrior's shoulder. "Well done lad.”
Chapter XII
A New Friend
The Order of the Trident (Eldarlands Book 1) Page 15