Dragon Hero

by C. L. Woodward

  Jerak sighed, “Sorry! I was going to say that it looks like something crazy is going to happen.” I pondered that for a moment until my head felt dizzy again.

  I fell back asleep as soon as everything stopped moving. Being injured sucks when you wake up and have to take a moment to recall where you are. I think I woke up three times before morning. Jerak and Bolam left early to find a way to get some money or at least figure out why things were getting crazy in town. Teltar, on the other hand, slept in and then left to retain his old job as a bouncer at the tavern. Teltar was a strange guy who didn’t say that much, but he was reliable when needed.

  Talestria, at least, kept me company during the boring stretch of the day. I had to tell her that I was taking a break from a few things so she wouldn’t have to worry about me lying on the floor recovering from arrow wounds. She was a bit busy. One of her golems caught a chogul near her place, so she was testing her alchemy on it. Talestria said that being good at certain schools of magic could leave you lacking in the schools of magic at the opposite end of the spectrum. She told me she pretty much knows all there is to know about enchanting. I believed that since even her bath tub was enchanted to generate heat to warm water. She said alchemy was the opposite and judging from the sounds of a yelping chogul… she was really bad at it!

  Bolam came in with some soup for me around lunch time. “It looks like we might be stuck here for a while,” he told me as he sat the bowl next to me.

  I turned my body and reached for the soup, “Thank you… what do you mean?”

  Bolam sat on his cot and let out a long drawn out sigh, “I will spare you all of the details, but if we are going to venture out to the Spirit Temple and then toward Icreyn Canyon, we will need to accumulate significant funds.”

  I looked away, “I really hate being a burden to you guys.”

  Bolam shrugged, “Don’t worry about it. I’d rather do some work than deal with your wounds…” He stopped for a moment and scratched the side of his head, “About that fight with the elves…”

  I put in a mouthful of that soup which could use more flavor. Bolam stared at me, “You didn’t seem… human.”

  I chuckled though I felt a bit worried about that remark, “I don’t consider myself all that human anymore.” Bolam chuckled a little but maintained a serious expression. I took a deep breath and stared at my soup, “That fight… it wasn’t me doing those things.”

  Bolam lifted a brow, “Really?”

  I nodded, “The Dragon Spirit took over… all I could do was watch.”

  Bolam blinked a few times and his jaw dropped, “Amazing… so you were possessed.”

  I shrugged and cringed from the pain in my left arm, “Yeah… ow. I felt a burning pain at first in my chest.” I tapped on my chest and felt something solid.

  I lifted up my shirt and felt a chill ran down my spine. At the center of my ches,t there was a dark green stone that looked like glass.

  Bolam leaned over and looked just as surprised as I was, “Oh my!”

  I tapped on the stone and it felt solid, “What the…” before I could think I heard a voice.

  “Worry not.” My body froze-it sounded really familiar.

  My eyes went wide, “Dragon Spirit?” Bolam looked around and then back at me.

  I stared down at the stone and heard the voice again, “Only you can hear my words. I have used all of my current powers to aid you. It has required taking possession.”

  “You do not need to speak words, I can listen to your thoughts” he said. I glanced at Bolam and felt insanely paranoid all of a sudden. The voice laughed a little, “Think freely as before, I care not about your idle thoughts.” So he could read my mind… this was too weird. “Yes, but I will only speak with you when needed,” the voice said. Bolam gave me an odd stare but my attention was riveted on the voice in my head. “You are close to the next piece. Rest and let your wounds heal, then travel toward the temple in the desert. Keep strong!” the Dragon Spirit commanded. After that, there was just silence.

  “Blake? Are you alright?” Bolam asked. I let out a big sigh, “Oh, it’s nothing. He was just talking to me.” Bolam leaned back and, for a second, he looked at me like I was going insane. I could tell, though, that he knew what I was saying was true.

  There was a moment of awkward silence until Jerak walked in. He wiped the sweat from his face, “Hey Blake! How are you feeling?”

  Bolam pointed to my chest, “I believe Blake was possessed by the Dragon Spirit.” Jerak let that process for a second, “Oh, that is why you have that thing on your chest!”

  Bolam lowered his head, “Jerak, you knew about that?”

  Jerak nodded, “Yeah when I administered first aid to him, I saw it.”

  I looked at Jerak, “And you didn’t think that was weird?”

  Jerak shrugged, “You are full of weird stuff. It just doesn’t surprise me anymore.” Bolam and I started to laugh.

  Bolam and Jerak wandered off again while I finished my soup and slept. I was a bit worried about my dreams since there was a dragon deity possessing me. That wasn’t the most pleasant or comforting idea. But he did tell me not to worry and he didn’t really care to know my inner thoughts and all that. It might be best to just ignore the fact that he was there and just keep going. For a moment I thought he agreed to that, but it might have been my imagination.

  I woke up in the middle of the night. Everyone was asleep, but I was suddenly wide awake. I was able to move but the pain was a bit more than I cared for. I still couldn’t gauge how fast I was healing, though considering how long it took me to recover from a bolt wound this seemed a bit faster. Three arrows were stuck in me and I was sure whatever the Dragon Spirit did to take care of those elves would just cause trouble later.

  Two days had passed and I was able to walk without feeling too much pain. Teltar was called up by some of the dwarves about some business. He didn’t really know for sure himself what it was all about and he had not yet returned. There was a good deal of work going on outside of Golashe. They were building an outer wall to the city. Jerak and Bolam were able to get jobs as part of the labor. The dwarves only hired their own kind for the construction but there was plenty of need for workers to haul materials back and forth all day. When I was well enough, Ibegan helping them until Teltar approached us.

  “Hey, Teltar!” Jerak said while wiping his brow. We stood outside the inn after working. I didn’t do any heavy lifting but just making trips back and forth made my thighs hurt.

  Teltar gave a casual wave, “Hey.”

  Bolam sighed, “So what is the news?”

  Teltar scratched his beard, “Oh. Uh, the elves claimed my people retaliated and attacked the north part of their woods.”

  I sat down on a bench to let my legs rest, “That was when the elves were traveling north-when we were in the area.”

  Teltar nodded, “It is stupid. There is no need for us to attack like that.”

  Bolam looked at me and then at Teltar, “Do you think it was staged?”

  Teltar nodded, “Yeah…”

  Jerak picked at his ear with his pinky, “I kind of wonder if the attack at the lumber yard was staged, too.”

  Bolam stared at the ground, “It is very likely. The trick is finding out who is doing this.”

  I wiped the sweat from my face, “Someone must really want the elves and the dwarves fighting.” The four of us sat around in the front of the inn thinking. Well, Jerak was preoccupied with something in his ear.

  Bolam sighed, “It might be likely that the elves or whoever is manipulating all this might pin the missing Dragon Armor on the dwarves.”

  Teltar nodded in agreement, “Since we have been around in most of these events, the King wants to speak with me about it.”

  Bolam looked surprised, “Really? When?”

  Teltar scratched his head, “I think tomorrow morning. I am heading to Trawlast.”

  “You think it might be good if one of us tags along with you?” Bo
lam asked.

  Teltar shrugged, “It couldn’t hurt.”

  Bolam looked at me and then at Jerak. I was trying to move my arm around slowly and wincing with the painful effort. Jerak went straight for his other ear.

  “Maybe I should come” Bolam said.

  Teltar started walking inside, “That’s fine, it might take a couple days though.”

  Bolam looked at Jerak and me, “Do you think you guys will be fine for a couple of days?”

  Jerak wiped some ear wax on his pants, “We are not underlings.”

  Bolam smiled, “I want to see what is going on with all this… maybe it will shed some light on who could be behind it.”

  The four of us had a cheap dinner of soup in our room. Bolam and Teltar packed up for their big day tomorrow while Jerak and I sat around bored. Bolam looked at me, “Just try to take it easy and we will venture out into the desert when we return.”

  I sort of felt like I a kid that was allowed to be home alone for the first time.

  Jerak yawned, “Well, I am tired.” Something seemed a bit off with Jerak. He was normally the last one to fall asleep unless he was drunk. I just shrugged and took out my contact stone. It was time to chat with my girlfriend before getting some sleep.

  I finally slept through the whole night. I woke up as Teltar and Bolam left early in the morning. I waved as they walked out of the room. Not a full minute had passed before Jerak jumped out of bed, “Alright! Let’s get going!” I stared back at him. I didn’t even know he was awake. Jerak grinned, “It will take us about two days to get to the temple.”

  I was shocked, “Wait… you mean just the two of us?”

  Jerak nodded, “You feel well enough, right?”

  I slowly stood up, “It hurts a little, but yeah…”

  Jerak grinned, “By the time we get there, you’ll be set!” Was Jerak serious?

  Jerak was already packing up as I was stretching, trying to loosen up. “You can’t be serious?” I complained.

  He just laughed, “Aw, we will be fine! We can handle whatever comes our way!”

  I shook my head, “I kind of doubt it.”

  Jerak slapped me on the back, “The only real threat we might face is ghouls and you have no trouble slaying those!”

  I sighed, “True but…”

  He started to help me pack, “We will end up staying here doing boring labor waiting Bolam and Teltar come back. We might as well show them what two crazy heroes can do!”

  Against my better judgment, I packed up and followed Jerak outside. I had my armor on which attracted a few stares but no one bothered us beyond that. For some reason, I felt a little different wearing it. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it was a good thing. “I saved up a bit from the last couple of days. We can get plenty food to last for our little trip. Who knows!? We might get back before Bolam and Teltar return!” Jerak laughed. I chuckled. That would surprise them if we came back with the piece of armor.

  We bought some of the cheapest dry goods we could find. There was barely any meat but plenty of dried fruit and some kind of dry bread that resembled a thick round cracker. I had a few dwarves ask me who made my armor-I just pretended to not hear them. I felt confident with it on. I just hoped I wouldn’t be attacked at the arms and thighs. Or better yet, having nothing attack me would be great.

  I was surprised but glad that my legs didn’t hurt as we walked along the road. For some reason, I felt a little lighter in my step. Jerak even noticed when I passed front of him as we walked. “Hey, you don’t have to show off so much how fast you have recovered,” he joked.

  I looked down, “I wasn’t trying to show off…”

  A voice spoke to me which nearly caught me off guard, “Your body is no longer immune of the effects of the armor.” Ah, it was him again.

  I just faced forward and kept my eyes on the road. I took a deep breath, so you are telling me that you made it so the armor can affect me?

  The Dragon Spirit answered, “Yes, but you don’t have to worry about my curse in the armor.” I swallowed a bit. I recalled that the armor had the tendency to kill anyone who wore it. The voice just laughed which made me nervous. The Dragon Spirit spoke once more, “I have no desire to cause you harm, I am grateful for your deeds.” That gave me some comfort.

  We traveled all day without any problems. Jerak didn’t even mention sparring. It made me wonder if he was actually bitter that I could beat him some of the time. Or maybe, we hadn’t sparred for so long that he didn’t think about it. I didn’t bother reminding him since I was actually really tired. The sky grew dark and the only light we could see was from a small campfire in the distance.

  Normally, we wouldn’t bother anyone else on their travels but because it was just the two of us we thought it might be nice to have a few others to help with the nightly watch. We found a good -sized tent and two men in white armor sitting by the fire. Jerak and I gave a friendly wave as we approached their camp. To the left were three horses in barding, tied to a tree which led me to believe there were three people staying here. One of the armored men smiled and waved, “Greetings travelers.”

  I took off my helmet and smiled, “Hello!” I really didn’t know what else to say.

  Jerak causally walked up to them, “Hey, there! Are you guys staying around for the night?”

  The two men nodded and one answered, “Yes, feel free to rest here if you wish.”

  Jerak dropped his pack and sat across from them by the fire.

  The other man asked, “So, where are you two headed?”

  Jerak grinned, “Oh we are off to the Spirit Temple!” They both stared at us in shock.

  “Uh… is that a problem?” Jerak asked.

  The door of the tent opened and an older man in white armor came out. He stared at Jerak, “There is rumor that necromancers under Xum’gol’s banner have been lurking about that area…” He took a deep breath and sat down, “Well, you don’t look like a necromancer… wait…” he looked at me. The older man looked surprised, “I think we’ve met… are you that outworlder?” It took me a moment to recognize him, but he was the paladin I met when I first came here. If only I could remember his name.

  “Blake, isn’t it?” the paladin asked.

  I nodded, “Yes… um, sorry but I don’t remember your name.”

  The paladin chuckled, “It is Clagmir.”

  Jerak glanced at the both of us, “Wait, you know each other?”

  Clagmir nodded, “You are that fellow that was summoned by Xum’gol by mistake.” The two armored men looked at me with surprised. Clagmir laughed, “Falstrid told me that you are on your own quest.”

  Jerak nodded, “We are collecting the Dragon Armor.”

  Clagmir laughed but looked at us oddly, “Wait, are you serious?”

  I pointed to the armor I was wearing. Clagmir ran his fingers through his wavy brown and grey hair, “I had heard stories of such powerful armor fatally cursed by the creator of the dragons but to see it…”

  Jerak grinned, “We just need the last two pieces.”

  Clagmir stared at my armor, “So one of the pieces is in the Spirit Temple?”

  I nodded, “Yes, we are planning to retrieve it.”

  Clagmir looked at the two of us, “This may be a good turn of events… Say, are you two handy with a sword?”

  Jerak frowned defensively, “I am great with a mace!” I could see Jerak was still touchy about swords.

  Clagmir smiled and glanced at me, “We had sightings of Xum’gol’s forces that way… but I am required at an audience with Wotmire.”

  The two armored men stood up and bowed their heads, “Sir let us go with you to cleanse the land of these foul forces!”

  Clagmir shook his head, “No… I can’t refuse the request of a friend. I need you two to represent me before Wotmire.”

  Jerak tilted his head and then smiled, “Wait… we can go with you to the Spirit Temple!”

  I rolled my eyes, “You just now figured that out?”r />
  Clagmir smiled, “I was planning to tackle it alone, but you two might make things easier for me. My men and I were going to investigate but I will think they will rest easy if I have two men of your caliber at my side.”

  One of the armored men protested, “Sir, shouldn’t at least one of us assist you?”

  Clagmir shook his head, “King Wotmire would scold me if I carelessly sent one my paladins alone to meet with him. I will also travel easier knowing you have the strength instead of only one.”

  The two paladins looked disappointed but bowed their heads, “Yes, sir.”

  Jerak whispered to me, “Do you know Wotmire, as well?” I laughed and gave him a shrug.

  The thought that there might be necromancers at the temple worried me, but the fact that Clagmir’s presence gave me some comfort. He was one of the three guys that had taken out a large number of undead when I first came arrived in this world. Clagmir stood up, “It is time for me to retire. I suggest you all do the same. We have a big day tomorrow.” He walked inside his tent and there was an awkward silence between Jerak and me and the two paladins.

  Jerak took a deep breath, “So paladins, eh?” I stood and decided it might be a good time to check on my girlfriend.

  Jerak and the two paladins chatted about our adventures. I was grateful he excluded the part about the elves. He had mentioned meeting Talestria which caused them both to laugh. “It is true. He is speaking to her now with some magical rock,” Jerak said as he pointed behind him in my direction. They just shook their heads and laughed.

  “Sounds like you guys are having fun over there.” Talestria said through the contact stone.

  I looked over and smiled, “Oh, Jerak is telling stories.”

  She laughed, “I am glad you are actually feeling better, instead of pretending to be.” Goose bumps covered my body, “Um…”

  Talestria giggled, “Oh, I am not mad at you. You were just trying to keep me from worrying about you. It was rather sweet of you.”

  I lowered my head, “I should have known you would be too smart for that.” She giggled, “It is nice to have a man who will go such lengths to give me comfort…” She sounded like she wanted to say something more but refrained. I had a feeling in my gut that I knew what it was. Instead she yawned, “I should get some sleep. You should get some rest, too, Blakey Poo.”