Dawn of a Hybrid

by Ryan Johnson

  At first, he was just tracking down the thieving riders. Now his path came across a giant no human had seen in some centuries. Even the Minotaur he fought hadn’t been seen for centuries. The stories and legends he heard when he was a kid of big monsters like Cyclops and Minotaurs had been beaten by ancient heroes and thought to be in hiding in snowy mountains.

  But here was a monstrous giant that he was following out in the open walking without drawing attention from human eyes. Vaeludar followed the giant. He lost the scent of the thieves, but he could pick up the scent again coming from the Cyclops and felt he needed to follow the giant.

  After the Cyclops turned around the opposite end of the boulder, Vaeludar followed the Cyclops around the boulder, through many trees and bushes, and to a layer of mounted rocks turning into the base of a mountain-like hill.

  Several long rocks were piled over and made into a long hill and few plants were grown from the cracks from the rocks.

  Vaeludar then found a large curve-in going through the hill, forming into a cave. He thought the Cyclops was going to enter into the cave, but as the Cyclops went past the cave, the hybrid thought the Cyclops was going to meet someone or something.

  Vaeludar kept his distance from the giant and made sure he wasn’t discovered by the one-eyed giant. He also needed to watch his step, so his dragon feet wouldn’t snap a dead vine or a thin branch. Stepping on an easily breakable branch would make a loud snapping noise to draw the Cyclops’s attention and make Vaeludar lose the trail completely.

  Vaeludar found it strange that a Cyclops was taking a stroll through the woods, in the middle of daylight. Cyclopes are considered to hate sunlight, as it blinds their one eye. Even the Minotaurs have been considered to hate sunlight. How these two monsters are walking in sunlight was concerning Vaeludar somewhat: if the Minotaur attacks in the middle of the day, then it could mean the other monstrous creatures could be attacking elsewhere under the day of light.

  This Cyclops walked some distance from the cave as Vaeludar followed closely behind. He was determined to find out what was going on and see what this Cyclops was doing outside the mountain ranges Vaeludar thought the creature was supposed to be living at. As Vaeludar would have seen anything he needed to see, he would have the opportunity to head back to the village and report what he saw to Geraldus. But he just needed to follow after the Cyclops.

  Just then, the Cyclops halted and sat down suddenly. The area the Cyclops and Vaeludar had stopped was a wide open area. Trees had been cut down and the stumps rooted from the ground. There was enough space to build a large house.

  Behind the Cyclops were about five hooded men walking around carrying quivers of arrows and short swords. About three were sitting beside the giant.

  To Vaeludar’s surprise, the Cyclops wasn’t attacking the humans. Instead, the large one-eyed giant sat beside the men: the thieving riders. It was odd for Vaeludar to be seeing a giant sitting down with humans the Cyclops would see as enemies. The Cyclops should have attacked the men at first sight or being the other way around.

  “You sure you weren’t followed?” said the Cyclops.

  “Of course, the dogs would have made sure we weren’t followed,” said one of the thieves. “I successfully led the thieves against the small burglary. These horses shall do fine in our raid against this small town. Otherwise, the raid will end up becoming a very short one.”

  Vaeludar though the thief talking to the Cyclops was the leader of the thieves. If he could capture the leader and find a way to make the leader spill the beans of what these people and the Cyclops have planned, then he could prevent a massacre erupting in the village Geraldus and his family lived in.

  Vaeludar was right to have followed the Cyclops and heard what they were planning: attacking Geraldus’s village. However, it seemed odd for him there was one large human with a squad of small humans; those enemies would need a larger group of men and a few giants to raid Geraldus’s village.

  Geraldus had an army of a few thousand men in the village while the other thousands of soldiers he commanded were stationed elsewhere. It would be impossible for a Cyclops and a small group of men to attack.

  Just then a trio of Cyclopes walked from the trees and sat beside the one Cyclops. A group of four Cyclopes were with the group of thieves.

  Right before Vaeludar’s eyes, four gigantic, walking, talking Cyclopes sat beside one other and near a human that would be the size of an ant to the giant Cyclopes. Enemies of enemies were conjoining into a group of invaders planning an assault.

  “So, what are we waiting for?” asked one Cyclopes.

  “Yeah, I don’t get it,” said another. “We have the horses. We have four Cyclopes. And there is the Minotaur, which should be returning. We should strike now.”

  “The Minotaur will not be returning to this route,” said the thief leader.

  “What do you mean?” asked the third Cyclops.

  “There is word spreading around like wildfire. The Minotaur had been slain by a particular specimen people are calling a human dragon hybrid.”

  The four Cyclops and the men remained silent. Apparently, from what Vaeludar was hearing, the Minotaur was supposed to wreak havoc in the village then come to this meeting spot of men and giants.

  “What? What did you say?” asked the fourth Cyclops.

  “Weren’t you listening, one-eyed giant? The Minotaur has been killed by an unusual specimen. A hybrid in other words, like a Merman or a Centaur, but the other half being a dragon. A human dragon hybrid. I don’t know much, but from what I’ve heard, he managed to kill the beast with no armor or weapons. He breathed a fire-breath to decapitate the beast. Now we’re one bull short.”

  “You are right about that,” said Vaeludar, loudly.

  Alarmed, the four Cyclopes and the thieves drew out spears, swords, bows and arrows. They seemed to have heard Vaeludar’s voice echoing all around them. Vaeludar tainted his voice so his enemies would think they were being watched from all around.

  Slowly Vaeludar walked from the trees’ shades and revealed himself to the people and the giants. The trees’ shades covered his body while he was hiding from the group of bitter enemies. Now, he was going to reveal himself to the people planning on storming the village he grew up in.

  “Who are you?” asked a thief.

  “I’m the human dragon hybrid who killed the Minotaur,” said Vaeludar. Then Vaeludar lifted his head to the sky and blew out a large blaze of blood red fire. From a small heating steam exhaling from his mouth making a giant flame big as the trees, Vaeludar made sure the fire was big enough for the enemies in front of him to know the size of the threat they were dealing with. “I killed the Minotaur.”

  He talked loudly as he was still blowing fire, making sure his enemies understood what they were looking at. After several long seconds of exhaling a mountain size fire, Vaeludar closed his mouth and looked at his enemies. “I killed the Minotaur without getting killed, and I might as well to the same to do you. All of you. I’m going to make sure no one here goes into town on my watch.”

  Then one of the thieves charged at the hybrid at great speed with a long spear. Unknown to the thief, the hybrid had a tail whipping in front of him.

  Vaeludar whipped his tail right beneath the thief’s chin, which sent the thief flying up to the sky. As fast as the thief went running was the same speed he was sent flying upwards. “Well, there goes thief number one,” said Vaeludar. He gazed back at the four giants and the other thieves.

  The four Cyclopes and the other thieves saw their comrade flying straight into the air and then turned to see the hybrid looking at them. “Get him!” they all shouted.

  All the thieves charged forward with many weapons pointed at him. However, the four Cyclopes stood still.

  Vaeludar readied his arms, bent his legs, curled his tail, and folded his wings. These people don’t know what they got themselves into, he thought.

  When the people came
running and surrounding him and a flap of his wings, he bent his legs tightly and pounded them into the ground.

  A giant earthquake erupted from Vaeludar’s pounding. The thieves stumbled and tripped and lost their balance.

  Vaeludar seized his chance and growled loudly. He charged at them. Vaeludar ran and pounded the thieves with his knuckles. Anyone he missed got whipped by his tall and sent flying into the barks of trees.

  There were a few he jumped on and squashed with his dragon feet, digging his claws into their flesh and gravely injuring them. A few bunch he blew fire upon, incinerating them with hot dragon fire.

  Even the last few didn’t have a chance in getting up and killing the hybrid. Vaeludar made sure he went at the fastest he could go and kill all the thieves that attempted to raid his home. Vaeludar quickly subjected all the thieves standing before his eyes.

  As quickly as they were the first to attack was the same speed they the thieves were brought down by one creature, one hybrid. Vaeludar stood victorious above his fallen opponents. Now the Cyclops remained.

  “How did he do it?” asked one Cyclops.

  “I don’t know. I’d never seen a small insect kicking bigger insects.”

  “He don’t matter, just eat the small fry. Complain later.”

  Battle horns echoed in the air. Dark figures with spears and axes and longswords charged with a great amount of speed. Horse riders charged on horseback and came across the four giants. They began to clash against the four Cyclopes.

  A small group of white horses came with the horseback riders and digging their horns into the Cyclopes’ legs. Unicorns!

  Vaeludar excited to see Geraldus’ men charging and Unicorns charging into battle. The Unicorns and men joined Vaeludar’s fray, with their horns pointing at the legs. Both the men and Unicorns jabbed in different body sections of the Cyclopes.

  But they all were coming from all around the Cyclopes and a few passed Vaeludar. Vaeludar flew away from the ground and watched a big battle going on the ground. From high, Vaeludar could see Alaric on horseback leading the charge.

  The men-at-arms and the Unicorns jabbed at the four Cyclopes. Men battering with clubs banged at the legs, men with swords and axes cut into the ribs, and men with spears swung at the Cyclopes’ eyes. The Unicorns used their horns to cut deep into the legs of the Cyclopes.

  However, the overwhelming Cyclopes used their arms to swipe back, knocking back seven men with one swing of their arm. No matter how deep the men and the Unicorns cut, the Cyclopes were feeling the weapons like an ant bite. Nothing harmful was coming their way. Suddenly, the fight ended: two Cyclopes were holding a Unicorn in their arms.

  The men stopped attacking and the Unicorns looked at their captured friend.

  “Lay down your weapons,” said a Cyclops, holding the Unicorn. “Or the little horsy loses its head.”

  The men and Alaric hesitated. They have come this far deep into the woods only to be bested by having a single Unicorn held hostage by two Cyclopes. The Unicorns stood still like statues. They may have looked helpless to save the Unicorn captive, but there was something the Cyclopes did not know about:

  Vaeludar!

  “Don’t throw your weapons away!” he shouted, flying towards the two Cyclopes holding the Unicorn.

  Vaeludar whipped his tail in the eye socket of the first Cyclops and blew red fire in the second Cyclops’s eye.

  The Unicorn was freed but fell upon being freed. Once it collided with the ground, the Unicorn trotted to rejoin the other Unicorns.

  Vaeludar flew up and down and all around three of the four giants. While the three claws of his wings ripped the hard skin of the third Cyclops’s legs, the fourth Cyclops came forward to try to help his comrades.

  The forth Cyclops ran towards Vaeludar, but Vaeludar scratched the fourth Cyclops belly with a scorning, spiky tail. After dealing what could be a bee sting to the giant, Vaeludar swiped his wings at the giant, landing the middle of the four injured Cyclopes.

  Vaeludar stood still while the four Cyclopes wounded by the eyes, legs, or belly. Like with the Minotaur, the pack of Black Dogs, and just now the thieves, Vaeludar had won without getting a scratch on him.

  The four Cyclopes before him had been defeated easily without giving them a chance to fight back. However, they got up even as they were injured by Vaeludar’s half dragon body. The two that had injured eyes had opened their eyes in gushing red, the belly-scratched Cyclops, and the leg-scratched Cyclops got on their legs as if they had never felt the pain Vaeludar gave them.

  “What do you suppose you are?” asked one of them. “A human wearing a deceiving dragon costume?”

  “Oh, no,” answered Vaeludar. “I am very much human and dragon. I am a hybrid; half human half dragon. The name id Vaeludar.”

  “Vaeludar?” exclaimed the leg-scratched Cyclops. “I heard that name before; that is the name of that one little kid of that dragon Ralenskrit and that woman Belverda. Yeah, that little midget guy.”

  “Midget?” Vaeludar’s eyes grew in great anger. “You’re saying I’m two inches tall? Now you have gone and done it.” Vaeludar rose high into the air. “Let me show you what happens to those who would call me small.”

  Vaeludar closed his eyes and reopened them, showing they were pure white. “Now turn to stone,” said Vaeludar.

  From head to toe, the blinded Cyclopes turned into pure, solid stone in five seconds. Normally he would breathe fire, but he suddenly had the power to turn living creatures to stone like a Gorgon.

  After turning the four giants to stone, Vaeludar blinked and his eyes went back to what they were: blue-sclera, gold-iris, and red-pupils. Having another easy victory, he touched back on the ground.

  Vaeludar sighed heavily, turned away and saw the men, Alaric, and the Unicorns all staring in shock, awe, and amazement. It seemed there was more to Vaeludar than met the eye.

  Alaric was the first to walk to Vaeludar who was flying down from the high boulder. Many reactions were in Alaric’s eyes.

  “How did you do that?” he asked. “No Dragons or humans could turn any creatures to stone.”

  “I have no idea I could have,” answered Vaeludar. “I felt like I suddenly turned off and was possessed by a different spirit. I felt like I lost control of my own body. I may have more powers than I could imagine. Only the creatures of the Gorgon species can turn humans and creatures to stone.

  “Question is: how do I have such a power and where did it come from? I could see only one answer: my mother. She may have been a Gorgon instead of a human, but she had been a friend of your father so that can’t be true.”

  Vaeludar turned to the four, stoned-sculptured Cyclopes and he saw something different; only two were Cyclopes and the other two were not; they only had badly damaged eyes.

  Giants!

  Two stoned Giants, which both had one badly battled-cut eye, were with Cyclopes. When Vaeludar first learned about Cyclopes and Giants about years ago, he learned they were bitter enemies and rivals, fighting for territory in the northern mountain border that hide the Forgotten Lands (or the Northern Region) beyond.

  “Alaric,” Vaeludar pointed at one Giant and one Cyclops. “Look at their eyes very closely.” Vaeludar showed Alaric the four humanlike giants and their eyes every closely.

  Every man and creature looked at the four stoned creatures they thought to be Cyclopes, and their eyes caught the differences between the regular Cyclopes and the Giants with badly, beaten eyes.

  “When did a Giant and a Cyclops start working together when they are supposed to be rivals in snowy mountains?” asked a man.

  “Not ever in a lifetime,” said a Unicorn.

  The Unicorn King with five Unicorns and Geraldus, with ten men riding on horses, entered the open area. “They’ve never been allies for anything,” said the Unicorn King. “They have long been enemies.”

  “And they moved in direct sunlight, but their eyes can be stunned by t
he sunlight,” stated Vaeludar. “I found a cave not too far from here. Here let me show you.”

  Before Geraldus followed Vaeludar or went anywhere, he ordered a few men to fetch his stolen horses and head back to the village.

  After that happened, Vaeludar led the groups of men and Unicorns to the cave he found, descending about five feet. He was joined with five men, six Unicorns, the Unicorn King, Alaric, and Geraldus who were dismounting from their horses. When they first entered, there was a horrible stench: dog’s breath and dried food waste mixed with the worst odor of a skunk.

  “That smell,” said Alaric, trying to hold his breath.

  “This is a cave where Cyclopes and two bad-eyed Giants dump bones of their victims,” said Geraldus. “You’ll get used to it.”

  “I’ll never get used to the smell,” argued Alaric.

  “I do not smell anything,” said Vaeludar. “I am capable of holding my own breath for hours.”

  “Just look around,” ordered Alaric.

  The group explored the large cave stretching back a long way.

  Vaeludar went to the back of the cave and saw tall, web clayed pots, hardly worth a single gold coin. He passed other rusty, old items such as kitchen pots and pans. No gold or jewelry were among the rusty metals he saw.

  Then in one corner he saw sheathed swords piled on the ground. Several long spears stood along the cave’s walls. Several axes were placed next to the swords.

  He picked up one spear and brushed off the dust. The grey metal shined and showed no sign of rustiness after the dust was brushed. He placed it back and grabbed a sword lying on the ground. He pulled the swords a few inches and saw the blade colored as grey steel.

  He gazed at a bunch of weapons piled in the corner he was in. The sword he was holding he flew back into the pile.

  Vaeludar was enjoying himself by looking at the weapons. He never saw anything like them: snake-curved spears, light swords, long axes with spear-pointed ends, and bows shaped with animal-headed corners. The weapons Vaeludar found were in feathered scabbards that were easy to carry.

  “Geraldus and Alaric, come see what I’ve also found,” said Vaeludar.