by C Woodward
I was dazed and short of breath. My vision was blurry. My chest beat loudly. I saw Jerak lying still. I quickly climbed over the dead wyvern to reach him.
"Blake," he cried out and winced a bit.
"Jerak, are you okay?" I asked while having trouble speaking.
He only had one eye open and gave me a forced grin, "I'll live, but." He rolled onto his back and took several deep breaths, "I don't think I'll be any use in this fight."
"Don't worry about it," I said with a smile.
"I see you do have some fight in you," Fidalus mocked. He casually walked over with wyvern riders on each side. He was dragging an injured Amgati along. He shoved Amgati toward us.
"Amgati!" I cried out.
Amgati fell a few feet from Jerak. Slowly, he tried to pull himself up. His right arm was bleeding quite a bit. He gave me a painful look, "I took one out!"
I reached over to pull him up. He quickly scampered away from the three Drake Guardsmen. He lifted his blood soaked curved short sword but his arm wasn't strong enough to hold it for long.
"You killed three of my wyvern and two of my brethren," Fidalus shouted in anger. He gave me an angry stare. "I don't know if I should slaughter you right now or let you live long enough to watch me butcher your friends!" he shouted. His expression turned to a sadistic grin as he held up Clagmir's sword.
The sword's blade lit up brightly to display Fidalus' cruel face. "Such a beautiful weapon. I think I will keep it," he said in a mocking tone.
"Don't you dare," I shouted. I suddenly lost my breath, my chest hurt so badly.
"Oh, looks like you are suffering," Fidalus taunted. "My only regret is that your dark elf wench isn't here to witness this."
I glared at him, "You!" I grunted from the unbearable pain in my chest. My knees buckled.
Fidalus laughed at me, "I can always hunt her down after I take care of you." He came a few steps closer, "Pity you don't seem to have enough life in you to buy me the time to gift you with her head!"
I kneeled over on all fours. Tears ran down my face from both the searing pain and the fear of losing her and my friends here. We heard a faint cracking sound right over my chest. As soon as that happened, I felt a rush into my body and I could hear two heart beats.
My body shook as if the very blood in me was starting to boil. The joints in my shoulders started to pop, quickly followed by my elbows and wrists. Every joint started to pop. Then, I felt something inside of me. It felt like the inside of my flesh was trying to push itself outward. I could only cry out as I felt every inch of me pushing itself out.
My flesh felt like it was burning as the armor I was wearing became red hot and melting. I felt my bones growing and reshaping. My skull pushed out of shape. Two limbs in my upper back were forcing their way out of me. I felt something in my lower back and lower jaw and a sharp pain in the back of my head. Up my back and even my fingers and toes felt like bone was trying to push its way out.
I let out a deafening cry of pain which sounded like a monstrous roar as my skin burned. Soon the feeling of burning faded. I found myself staring at the ground, breathing heavily. My body felt so different but yet somehow familiar. I look down and now saw talons like claws instead of hands. I saw four large curved claws instead of five human fingers. Now my knees were made of shiny, black scales, not human flesh. I lifted my head and gazed at Fidalus. Slowly, I stood up in my new body which now dwarfed his.
"What! How!? This can't be!" Fidalus cried out in horror. He staggered back. His eyes stared up at me in terror.
I let out a low growl as I slowly stepped toward Fidalus. My legs were not like a human but like the hind legs of a beast; a drayken. I took another step toward him. He turned and retreated to his two allies. Even their wyverns seem less frightening to me.
I lowered my body and with open wings leapt at one of the wyvern riders. My large wings gripped the air and gave me enough lift to get over the snarling wyvern jaws and onto the surprised rider. I knocked the rider off his mount to the ground below. I drove my claws into his chest. The drake steel armor resisted only marginally as I carved into him like a tin can. The other wyvern turned toward me and growled.
The wyvern barred its teeth and saliva sprayed me. I could only growl and swat at it. As my claws slashed into its face, its throat lay open for my teeth. I bit down hard, and tasted the copper flavor of its blood. I moved my head to increase the impact of my fangs. The wyvern cried out and flailed about, but soon lost the strength to move. I shoved its dying body away and stared at the remaining wyvern.
Fidalus climbed behind the rider on the last remaining wyvern. "Go!” he cried".
The wyvern flapped its huge wings and made its way up into the sky. I charged on all fours but they managed to get high enough out of my reach. I stared up at them as they quickly began to fly away. I steadied myself and jumped into the sky. My wings spread open once I gained enough height. My wings pushed the air down and pulled me up.
It felt so natural to flap my wings as I tried to catch up to them. My wings moved franticly and I got above them. Fidalus looked up just before I dove onto them. The wyvern moved around wildly as our wings hit. At this point, it was pure chaos as I swiped away with my claws. The wyvern and I spun around in the air several times. The result was two armored foes falling onto the ground below.
The wyvern snapped at me. I grabbed its jaws and proceeded to pull them apart. I heard a sickening snap as something broke. Its spinal cord must have been severed since the beast died instantly. I spread my wings and moved away from the falling corpse. I flapped my wings to keep myself airborne. I slowly glided downward toward the two fallen foes.
We weren’t as high as I thought since they both seemed to be alive but struggling to get to their feet. I glided along the path of one and dove right into him. I pinned him to the ground. It wasn't Fidalus but he still had to go. I grabbed his shoulder with one hand and his head with another. I pulled my arms and snapped his neck. His body plopped on the dirt when I released it.
"Get get away, you monster!" Fidalus cried, holding Clagmir's sword with both hands. He was shaking and I felt his fear.
I spoke in a new, deeper, booming voice, "What's the matter? You were so confident just a moment ago." I slowly advanced toward him.
He backed against a large rock and let out a yelp of fear when he found he couldn't back away anymore.
"Your kind are supposed to be dragon hunters. Well?!" I spoke. I stood up with wings open in front of him, "Here's your chance!" I back handed Clagmir's fiery blade out of his hands. I didn't even feel the flames of the sword as I swatted it away.
He stared at me in pure terror. I almost felt pity but then saw past the fear and saw the evil deep inside. It was almost sickening. I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. "You are a sadistic coward! Only caring about yourself. You are weak."
I paused as I saw Jerak and Amgati staring at me. They quietly gawked in disbelief. Jerak struggled to just sit up. Amgati lost some blood but he had stopped it. I felt a bit of peace knowing they survived. I turned back to Fidalus.
I shoved him hard against the boulder. I couldn't look at his eyes because all I saw was cowardice and evil. "Your selfish pride is your weakness," I said as I straightened the fingers of my right hand into a spear-like shape. I sighed, "Real strength comes from caring about others and selflessly fighting for them." I sunk my claws into his torso, "I care about my friends too much to let you live."
Fidalus let out a loud gurgle as blood gushed out of his mouth. I pulled my blood soaked claws out and let his body drop to the ground. I stared in disgust and some pity as he died like an arrogant coward.
"Blake?" Jerak called out meekly.
I slowly turned my head toward my two companions, almost ashamed of my monstrous appearance. I couldn't think of what to say to them.
"You are you all right?" Jerak asked. I heard fear in the tone if his voice.
I smiled back, "I am still me."
"Good
," Jerak smiled back. He coughed a bit.
I stepped over to him, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just a bit beaten," Jerak answered.
I looked at Amgati, "And you?"
Amgati laughed, "Lost a bit of blood but I have had worse."
A huge rush of relief flowed over me. Jerak seemed to be suffering from a few broken bones and bruising and Amgati stopped his bleeding and suffered from a sprain at worst. I suddenly felt sore and tired. Any energy and adrenaline pumping into me had run dry. I kneeled down by my friends and felt exhausted. My large body slowly laid next to them and it became difficult to move anymore.
"Blake? Are you alright?" Jerak asked again with concern.
I laughed which sounded almost intimidating, "I am just so tired." I closed my eyes and quietly spoke, "Besides, I am not as banged up as you." My mind began to wander off and had trouble staying awake.
I found myself waking up to the smell of meat cooking by a fire. It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened. The sun shined brightly as I opened my eyes. I stared at my dragon-like hands. The palms were dark grey but the rest of my hands were black. The claws were stained in blood but were otherwise white. I stretched out my limbs and wings and let out a big yawn.
"Hope you rested well," a deep voice called. I turned my head and saw Koj kneeling at the fire.
Amgati gave me a tired wave. Jerak was still sound asleep a short distance away.
I sat up, noticed I had my blanket on me.
"You might want to wrap yourself with that because nothing in your pack will fit you anymore," Amgati said in a jokingly matter.
I slowly stood up, wrapping the blanket like a towel. My body still felt sore. It was really strange having this body now. I looked over and saw the corpses of the Drake Guard piled up a distance away. The fire pit was quite large and had what appeared to be wyvern meat being cooked.
Amgati sat peacefully with his arm bandaged up and the blade of his spear lying on his lap. He just stared at the fire with a tired look in his eyes.
"Sorry about your spear," I apologized.
He looked down at the bent blade and back at me and laughed, "Oh, I have replaced the handle of this thing dozens of times. I will have to sharpen it really good, since someone dulled it by shoving it through a wyvern and someone wearing armor." He then gave a hearty laugh.
"Hey! I am trying to sleep! Oh, Blake!" Jerak complained as we woke him up.
"How's your legs?" I asked.
Jerak sighed, "I broke the right one in two places and sprained the other." He sat up, revealing a sling," I broke my left arm in one place and might have cracked a rib." He lifted his mace with his right arm, "This works just fine though!"
Koj remarked, "I found you three on my way up." He glanced around the area, "Five dead poachers and their wyverns," he said shaking his head. He started to laugh, "The others are going to be thrilled to see you three!" Koj slowly got up, "Now, would you want to help me strip off their armor?"
"Their armor?" I asked a bit confused.
Koj walked over, "It is bad to just waste it. We have someone back at home who is skilled in metal crafting."
I walked over to the pile of dead Drake Guardsmen, "I guess that make sense."
Koj pulled up a corpse, "I don't know the means of crafting it but one component in making drake steel is using the blood of our kind."
"Oh, so the Drake Guard are limited in making their weapons and armor." I replied.
Koj started to pull the armor apart in a careless fashion, "Killing five of them and taking any means of recovering their drake steel will weaken their strength. I am sure they will still have no trouble getting more men and their collection of drake steel is still great. Any little part we can take from them makes us feel safer."
I picked up the body of Fidalus. It was quite unsettling to see his face with the expression of fear on it. If he wasn't such an arrogant, disgusting person, I might have felt sorry for him. I flipped him around so I wouldn't have to see his face as I stripped him of his armor.
"You know, our metal crafter once met you," Koj mentioned.
I hurled back some armor behind me, "Oh, yeah?"
Koj smiled, "He and his brother were in the entry islands when they met you and some other human."
I could hear Jerak chime in, "Oh, that was me! I remember those two!"
Koj turned his head, "You were the one that wondered who was the female?"
I could hear Amgati laugh.
"Hey! I didn't know!" Jerak protested.
Koj turned to me, "I heard you were beaten up back then. What happened?"
I placed my hand over my face at the memory of that pain, "It is a long story."
"That was when the Blood Witch deeply cut your face!" Jerak chimed in once more.
I growled a little, "Thank you, Jerak."
Oblivious to my annoyed tone Jerak replied, "You are welcome! You nearly died from blood loss!"
Koj looked at Jerak and then at me. He turned his attention to the northern sky.
I looked up and saw a large figure flying our direction. I dropped Fidalus' corpse and watched it, unsure what to expect.
"Easy, that is our friend," Koj reassured.
The figure came closer and I saw it was actually a feral dragon. It had been a while since I had seen one and was still shocked at how massive they were! I thought the wyverns were huge but they were tiny next to a feral dragon. The creature let out a roar which for some reason seemed almost cheerful. It had thick green scales and wore heavy leather harnesses. It landed fairly close to us and caused the ground to shake a little.
I turned and saw the expressions of Amgati and Jerak. They stared in surprise. Amgati had stopped his wineskin by his mouth before drinking. It was almost comical.
Koj calmly walked over to the dragon and placed his hand on its forehead, "Thank you, friend. There is an elf and a human over there that you need to carry. They are friends."
"Wait. We are riding that?" Jerak asked in surprise.
Koj faced Jerak, "Well, you are in no condition to travel by other means, and the elf is weary as well."
Jerak looked at the dragon, then at me, and then at the dragon again. "Oh, man! This is going to be amazing!" Jerak cried out in excitement and then cringed, "Ow! My ribs"
Koj walked away from the large feral dragon and toward me, "Help me load him up to carry your friends and the supplies."
I glanced around, "He is going to carry all of us?"
Koj laughed, "Naw, just your friends and our stuff. You and I will just fly behind."
I rubbed the top of my hairless head, "Flying. That concept is still new to me." I recalled my fear of heights. "In the fight I was so pumped with adrenaline and rage that I hardly had time to think let alone realize that I was flying," I thought out loud.
Koj gave me a puzzled look, "You sound like you are afraid of being up high." He then laughed and tapped me on the back of one of my wings, "You'll be fine. By the time we reach the village you will master the sky!"
I let out a deep sigh, "I hope you're right."
Chapter 10
It took a while to get everything loaded on the dragon. It was so odd to be this close to one. He seemed friendly enough. Jerak and Amgati were nervous but excited when Koj and I helped them on. Jerak was bundled like a cocoon to reduce causing him any more pain during the flight.
Amgati sat at the base of the dragon’s neck, "Easy, easy, we are friends here." He calmly petted the back of the dragon to assure it that he was a friend.
Koj strapped on the supply packs and packs of armor. He tugged on the leather straps, "It is a bulky load for him but he can handle it." Koj then turned to me and handed me a cord and Clagmir's sword.
"Oh, thank you. I must have dropped everything when I, well, you know." I responded. I tied the cord around my waist to help keep my blanket from slipping off during flight. I had Clagmir's sword sheathed on. It looked more like a dagger than a sword now due to my size. I
place my hands on my side and realized I had other things missing.
"Wait, where is the small scroll and carving you gave me?" I called out while looking around.
Amgati lifted his hand, "I collected the scroll among your other belongings. The scroll is on me for safe keeping. I’m not sure about your trinket."
"Oh, I have that!" Jerak answered. He tugged at a string around his neck, "Hope you don't mind me wearing it right now."
I laughed, "You need the luck more than me now anyway Jerak."
