by Logan Jacobs
“This is my last root.” He shook his head like he was shaking off a fly. “Now, please stop asking questions, I need to concentrate.”
I wondered if I could find these ingredients myself. I didn’t fully understand the enchanting process, but from what I’d gathered already, there was quite a bit of experimentation involved.
I still had two more griffon feathers, and all I had to do to get more was climb up to the hybrid creature’s nest, but I wanted to save those for a rainy day. I didn’t know what would be required to repair my boots, but I expected I’d have to use at least one of my remaining feathers.
Once all my magical items had gone through the enchantment process, I checked the stats and found them all perfect. Everything was cleaned, repaired, and ready for my next battle.
My women and I waved goodbye to Burnyolf after I paid him with a few copper coins, and then we headed back out into the streets of Bullard. The sun had started to set along the western horizon, and I could see the light flicker from the window of Kane’s tower in the distance.
My stomach grumbled, and Mahini’s piercing blue gaze shot to my face.
“You are hungry, Great One?” she asked in a concerned tone.
“Seems so,” I laughed.
“Me, too!” Elissa agreed, and she wrapped an arm around my elbow. “Let’s hurry back to the castle for dinner.”
“Let’s do it,” I replied with a shit-eating grin. The castle’s cooks were fantastic, and every meal was mouth-wateringly delicious, so I picked up the pace as we turned toward the castle gates.
Before we could reach the palace, though, a sudden, loud, animalistic screech echoed through the air, and chills ran down my spine.
It sounded like something I’d only ever heard in movies.
A dragon.
Chapter Two
The ear-splitting screech of the dragon’s roar echoed out over the town as it swooped into view. It was monstrous, probably the size of a semi with a trailer, and I could make out the vibrant red hue of its scales from where I stood. Spikes that looked sharp as swords ran down its spine, and each claw was bigger than a full-grown man.
“Dragon!” a voice yelled from somewhere behind me, and the streets went wild with motion as people darted in the opposite direction of the monstrous beast. The citizens of Bullard screamed out in terror, but their cries would not protect them from death.
Fear clenched my gut, and the palms of my hands grew clammy.
Was I about to fight a motherfucking dragon? What the fuck was it even doing here?
It was both awesome and terrifying at the same time, and I took a deep steadying breath as I wracked my brain for ideas. I had to do something.
Suddenly, the dragon opened its mouth, and a river of lava-like flames flowed out from the opening to pour onto the rooftops of the buildings on the edge of town. It swooped through the air like it weighed as much as a feather, and the leathery wings kicked up a gust of wind that spread its fire breath onto the walls.
The blaze bathed the stone walls that wrapped around the town like protective arms, and soot stained the gray rocks in the wake of the fire. It looked like they would hold for now, though, so I let out a sigh of relief.
“Bash!” Elissa screamed, and I suddenly realized the crowd had swept my women away from me. “Help!”
I searched the chaotic street until I spotted the terrified emeralds of my wife’s eyes. Mahini was nowhere to be found, and I cursed under my breath as I scanned the faces running in every direction around me.
“Where’s Mahini?” I demanded once I’d reached the tiny goddess.
Elissa began to sob, and her shoulders shook with fear, so I wrapped her in my arms and squeezed her tightly. I stroked her fiery-red hair, but the flame-like tendrils only brought me back to the dire situation we currently faced.
“Great One!” Mahini’s melodic voice rang out over the crowd, and I spun to face the direction of the sound. Her piercing blue eyes were open wide, and her sword was out as she made her way through the people toward me. “What are we going to do?”
I worked the muscle in my jaw as I thought about the best approach to the problem. First and foremost, Elissa needed to be safe.
“Take Elissa back to the castle,” I instructed. “Alert as many guards as you can, if they don’t already know about the dragon, anyway. Stay with her, Mahini, and don’t let anything happen to her. Please.”
“Here, I’ll take anything you don’t need back to the castle,” Elissa offered as she blinked tears from her emerald eyes.
I could tell she was trying to be strong for me, and it made me want to hold her in my arms until the danger passed.
“I just need my armor and my sword,” I said, and then I handed the tiny goddess her mace. “Keep this close, and tell anyone you see to seek refuge in the castle.”
“It shall be done.” Mahini nodded curtly, and then she took Elissa’s hand and turned toward the castle. The desert goddess looked over her shoulder at me before she left, and her gaze was full of worry. “Be safe, Bash, please.”
“Always.” I gave her an encouraging grin, and I gestured for her to go.
“I love you, husband!” Elissa called out as Mahini pulled her away.
“I love you, too!” I hollered back, and I blew her a kiss. I hoped it would be enough to ease their concern for my safety, but I knew better. They would be out of their minds with worry until we were together again, but I felt much better with the image of Elissa safe behind the castle’s stone walls.
I watched them leave for a moment while my heartbeat pounded like a high school drumline inside my chest, and then I turned my attention back to the dragon.
I needed to get ready to fight this thing, but it was hard to concentrate over the sounds of the dragon’s rampage. I watched in abject terror as the scaled-beast swooped over the edge of the town and blanketed it with flames. The roof thatches caught fire, and people screamed as they ran in the opposite direction. Smoke filled the air, and then the stench of burning flesh assaulted my nostrils.
This was bad. Very bad.
I shook off my fear, and I thought about how I was going to handle the dragon. I was fortunate enough to have all my weapons and gear with me already, so I hastily began to strap on the armor pieces over my clothes. I was much better at attaching the armor than I used to be, and I was completely geared seconds later.
I strapped my two daggers and my feather sword to my waist, and I slid my left arm through the straps of my shield. If the dragon fire was considered magic, then I was in good shape, but there was still a chance one breath would melt my shield down to the molten metal.
I’d never been more grateful for my abilities than I was now since I’d never faced something quite so deadly before. I was prepared to die a million times if it meant protecting the castle town and my two beautiful women, though, so I steeled myself for the inevitable and then scanned the skies for the dragon.
A hundred guards trotted past me through the streets toward the source of the town’s destruction, and I fell into pace beside them. At least I wasn’t the only one standing up for the people who lived here. I could feel the fear radiating from the armored men at my side, though, and I wondered how many would turn tail and run at the first opportunity.
But I couldn’t quite blame them, since the urge to run far, far away was rushing through my veins and getting stronger with each second.
I made a new save point, right then and there, by focusing on the moment and telling myself I could come back to it if I wanted to.
Or if I died. Well, when I died, because I was probably going to die. A lot.
Fortunately, I had the ability to restart and try again, so even if the worst happened, I could undo the damage and start over.
I ran with the guards down the streets of Bullard toward the wall where the dragon swooped through the sky once more. The men hardly noticed me join them, but I got a few sideway glances before we reached our destination.
“Into formation, men,” one of the guards commanded, and I assumed he was the captain of this unit.
I trotted over to the leader of the guards, and I patted him on the shoulder to get his attention.
“Hey, there, need a hand?” I asked with a friendly smile.
“Are you crazy?” The captain’s eyes shot wide open, and he gave me a look like he thought I’d lost my damn mind. “That’s a dragon, or have you lost your sight as well as your wits?”
“I’m Bash,” I said, and I ignored his surprised expression. “I’m the God of Time, and I’m here to help.”
“How exactly do you plan to do that?” the captain asked with disbelief written on his face like a novel.
“I just need to borrow a bow and quiver,” I replied in a calm voice. “I left mine back at the castle.”
“Are you pulling a prank on me?” The captain’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, which would have been comical if it weren’t for our current situation. “Get the fuck out of here before you get us all killed.”
“I’m staying,” I said in a firm tone. “I can help more than these kids about to piss their armor, so give me a bow. Now.”
The dragon swooped by as if to emphasize the urgency of the moment, and another blaze of fiery liquid poured from its fanged maw to douse the building beside us. We all leaped back away from the molten fire that ran down the side of the structure and pooled onto the street.
It was fortunate Bullard was made mostly of stone, but the thatched roof caught fire an instant later, and the heat in the air intensified. Sweat dripped down my forehead, and my clothes beneath my armor were already soaked in perspiration even though I still hadn’t done anything.
Where was the fire brigade? The people with buckets of water to douse the flames? Did such a thing even exist in this world?
I looked around, but there was just me and a hundred terrified men, so I sighed and tried to figure out the best way to both help and prove my worth to the men who would inevitably die by my side.
Then I remembered my magic lessons from Kane. Ice would combat the flames, so I summoned my will power and uttered the magic word.
“Chs,” I said in a forceful voice, and I directed the palm of my hand toward the burning building. The chill crept up my arm from my fingertips, but icicle shards shot out from my hand and landed in the fire. The ice melted into water, and as I poured more and more energy into the spell, the flames abated until there were only embers.
“Here, take my bow,” a guard nearby insisted as he shoved the weapon into my hand. “I’m out of here.”
He took off running toward the castle without a second look, and a few more guards followed in his footsteps. I shook my head in awe at their lack of courage, but I had what I wanted, so I nocked an arrow to the string and turned to set my sights on the dragon.
The monstrous beast seemed to anticipate my plan, and it flew up above the clouds before I could take aim. I cursed under my breath.
This was going to be even harder than I thought.
I watched for the dragon to come back into sight while I worked to calm my pounding heartbeat. I wouldn’t be able to shoot anything if I was shaking with adrenaline, so I took the small reprieve from the dragon fear to soothe myself. I pictured holding Mahini and Elissa in my arms after the fight, and the thought lifted my spirits and chilled me out.
Then I spotted the crimson tail of the dragon as it flicked up and down in the clouds, and I traced the trajectory as the beast flew above the city. It was headed to the west, so I stomped my foot to activate the fleetness ability of my boots, and then I dashed down the street in the same direction.
I skidded to a halt beneath the court wizard’s tower, and I lifted a nocked arrow to my cheek. I held the bow with my left hand, and I pointed my finger to help me aim as I moved the weapon around until I had the dragon in my sights.
“Take this, you scaly fuck,” I muttered before I loosed the arrow, and I watched it zip through the air toward my target. The projectile hit the dragon’s underbelly as it flew overhead, but it bounced off the thick scales of its stomach and fell to the ground.
“I kind of expected that,” I snickered.
Suddenly, fire rained down on top of me, and I realized too late my arrow had only alerted the dragon to my presence. I couldn’t see anything but red, and the heat scorched my skin instantly. The stench of burning flesh reached my nostrils at the same time the pain rocked me to my core.
I’d never been burned alive before, and that was saying something since I’d died more times than I could count.
Chime.
I trotted alongside the platoon of guards until I spotted the man who’d handed me his weapon before he ran away, and I sidled up beside him before the dragon showed up to douse the nearby building in its fiery breath.
“Hey, give me your bow and get the fuck out of here,” I suggested under my breath. “I know you don’t want to be here, but I do.”
“Here, take it,” the guard said as a spark of hope flickered in his brown eyes. Then he shoved the bow into my hands and took off running.
Well, that was easy.
I went ahead and dashed toward the western tower in hopes of cutting off the dragon’s path. A few minutes later, I spotted the tail as it flipped through the clouds, and the beast looked like he was having fun spiraling in the air.
I nocked an arrow to the string, pulled it to my cheek, and waited for my opportunity. It came a moment later when the dragon flew within range, and it headed straight toward me. I released my breath in a smooth exhale, and then I let my projectile loose. It zinged past my ear and shot through the air with enough force to kill a man, and it dug into the scales of the beast’s side.
The dragon roared and let out another blaze, but it had already flown over my head, and I was out of reach of the flames. I jogged even further away as I nocked another arrow, and I resisted the urge to pump my fist. The fight was far from over, but at least I’d managed to land one hit.
Then a blood-curdling scream split the air, and I spun toward the sound to see a woman lit on fire by the dragon’s breath.
“Shit!” I cursed and ran toward her as fast as I could. I skidded to a halt once I was within reach of her but far enough away to keep myself safe. Then I took a deep breath, gathered my strength, and summoned ice.
I covered the burning woman in ice as fast as I could, and she moaned in pain as she fell to the ground. The smell of her burnt flesh stung my senses, and my eyes watered from the heat that radiated off her flesh. Her pained cries grew silent, and I knelt down to check her pulse.
She was dead.
“Motherfucking dragon,” I mumbled to myself, and bile rose up into my throat, but I swallowed it down. Fuck this. I wasn’t going to let an innocent woman die. Not if I could help it, anyway.
Chime.
“Give me your bow,” I commanded in a stern voice as I fell in step with the platoon, and the guard immediately obeyed. Then I raised my voice and addressed the rest of the men. “Get everyone off the streets and to the safety of the castle. We don’t need any casualties, do we?”
“Who the fuck--” the captain started to say, but I cut him off with a lifted hand.
“My name is Bash, and I’m the God of Time.” I gave him a steady look. “The duke sent me.”
“I don’t care who sent you,” the captain argued.
“Do you want the city to burn?” I lifted my chin, and I waited until the moment I knew the dragon would set fire to the building beside us. Then I gestured to the structure, and perfectly on cue, the beast roared, and the blaze rolled over the gray stones. “Follow my fucking commands or that is going to happen to the whole city.”
The guards all scrambled back to get away from the river of fire now splattering onto the cobblestones.
“Y-Yes, sir,” the captain stammered as he snapped a salute, and he looked like he was about to shit his pants.
I supposed the firm, direct route seemed more leader-like sinc
e their reaction was one I would have expected toward the duke. The nobleman was likely hiding in a bunker somewhere inside the castle, and I didn’t expect him to come to rally the troops himself, so it looked like it was up to me to save Bullard.
I got the bow and quiver of arrows from the turncoat guard, and then I dashed through the streets of Bullard toward the western tower. I searched the street for people, and when I found the woman, I urged her to get to the castle. Once she disappeared around the corner, I let out a sigh of relief, nocked an arrow, and turned my attention back to the dragon.
This time, my arrow struck the dragon in the side, but it bounced off immediately. I hadn’t pulled back the string far enough, and the projectile didn’t have enough force to puncture the beast’s thick hide.
“Shit.” I nocked another arrow to the string, and I followed the path of the dragon’s flight as it circled the city in the air. I managed to get another shot off before it swooped out of distance, but my second arrow bounced off the creature’s scales the same as the first.
Then it swiveled and turned back toward me again.
“Fuck off!” I shouted as I backpedaled away, nocked another arrow, and pulled the string on the bow taut.
The dragon opened its mouth and poured out a river of lava hot flames onto the street in front of me, but I turned, stomped my foot, and ran at superhuman speeds until I was out of harm’s way. Then I spun around to find the beast again.
This was going to be harder than I’d thought. Not only did I have to avoid the fiery blaze, but I also needed to figure out how to get a hit to land. I resisted the urge to reset and try a different tactic, but so far no one had died during this attempt, so I let the clock keep going.
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed through the air, and the ground shook, which caused me to almost lose my balance. I staggered over the shuddering cobblestones as I scanned the area to see what had caused the disturbance.
Then I saw it.
Two buildings away, the dragon had landed on a thatched roof, and the structure crumbled beneath the weight of the beast. It was so big its front claws scraped the ground, and its tail swung around wildly and bashed into other roofs.