Dargonfire: Age of Legend

by LJ Davies

  Without warning, a furious roar overwhelmed the sound of battle as the gateway exploded in a surge of fire. Pyro's wings emerged draped in flames, driving the black dragon forwards like a hurricane of blazing shadow. I dropped below the others, twisting back as I spun in the air, half focused on trying to keep myself airborne while the furious ebon wing surged at me.

  He swerved to avoid the first bolt I sent his way, leaving the blast to scatter treasure and stone in a cloud of clattering riches. The explosion knocked him off balance while the shockwave launched the four of us towards the surface. Scraping my claws against smooth stone, I came dangerously close to slamming into the shaft's cylindrical walls, before emerging into the Elders’ chamber.

  "Go, head for the doors!" I ordered, noting the golden metal had been bent and warped.

  Pyro and those monsters must have forced their way in. I noted, sparing no more than a fleeting glance at the ruined architecture.

  Passing the destruction, I beat my wings harder, catching up with the others as they flew toward the temple's main entrance. Several vulpomancers prowling about the pillars prevented us from slowing, torrents of fire all that stopped them from ripping us from the sky. Those caught in the flames began to melt into one another in the same way as they had done below, while those spared the fire leapt into the air. I cut down at least two as they took off, only for more to swiftly emerge from the shadows.

  How did so many of them get down here!? Claws and bladed tails lashed at me as I battled through the temple's main door and out into Dardien’s open sky.

  The air reeked of smoke and death, the stormy skies awash with torrents of rain cascading down from beyond the great overhang. The world was a battleground of writhing tendrils, each formed from thousands of vulpomancers surging down like the twisting limbs of one great beast. Plumes of dragonfire met their descent as waves of Seraphine's fire elementals materialised to form great glowing swathes of fire. Their gallant efforts began to push back the dark tides, all the while offering hope to what remained of the New Order's battle-worn soldiers.

  While the swirling masses of vulpomancers recoiled and began to morph into more horrific forms, the lashing blades of griffins and hippogriffs magical blasts met their transformation. Our defence looked to be stronger than I could have hoped, but as more vulpomancers poured in, my flicker of salvation began to dwindle.

  We have to find a way to put an end to this soon, or there'll be too many of them. I thought, twisting back and preparing to send a blast into the streaming shadows pursuing us. That was when something slammed into my back.

  Pyro said nothing as he hooked his teeth around my neck and tried to twist. I folded my wings, yanking them away from his claws, sending us both spiralling toward the archways within one of the great stalactites. Through flashes of lightning, I caught glimpses of the vulpomancers shifting their attention from me to my friends, harrying them up toward the rain-strewn battlefield above.

  Kicking up against Pyro’s underside, I tossed back my head, slamming my horns into his metal mask. The armoured plates hardened upon impact, forcing purple fire to erupt over my neck as he roared and jumped away. The moment I was free, my own wings snapped open, halting my descent dangerously close to the vast walls of stone. Immediately, I swerved, darting into one of the arches. Navigating the rapidly passing maze in an adrenaline-filled flurry of sharp twists and turns as my wings caught on the pillars and tunnel walls, before I finally emerged into the open sky.

  Free, I did nothing other than surge upwards after the others, until I passed the cliff top. Rain lashed over my scales and harsh winds forced me up higher. A sea of explosive colours illuminated the spinning image as blazing elements waged war on the night and lightning lanced across the cloudy maelstrom. Within the ruins of Andruid, fierce fires burned the last of the orkin to ash, and within the midst of the chaos, like a set of gleaming jewels, I saw my friends. Their armour was battered and drenched, while a pair of vulpomancers still harassed them. In the limited time I had to glance back, I saw no sign of Pyro, and didn't hesitate.

  I slammed into the foremost shadow monster like a comet. It gave a shriek of surprise, its tattered wings flaring as it floundered away. In the same moment, a great gust of wind caught us both, forcing it back toward me, and I seized its horned head. My claws cut deep wounds of glowing white through its hide while the magical light of my amulet dispersed its shadowed cloak. It hissed and thrashed, but I opened my muzzle wide, unleashing a river of white flames, turning its body to oily ichors.

  The second of the pair wouldn't be taken so easily, and spinning round, it slashed its tail across my face. The trident blade narrowly missed my eye as it cut a deep wound across my armour. In retaliation, I kicked it away with a buck of my rear legs, sending it swirling at the others.

  "Look out!" I warned.

  The creature used the burst of speed to steady itself, but it was too late. The combined rainbow of flame from my friends dissolved it in an instant. I dropped down to fly alongside them, panting heavily as exhaustion caught up with me.

  "We need to get back down to the city!" I wheezed.

  Our hurried conversation was cut short when Pyro tore through us, blasting us apart like frail insects in a breeze. I spun in the turbulent air, battling to right myself as purple fire and the force of the storm forced us further away. Spinning around, he barrelled at me with tremendous speed, wings tucked at his side and claws outstretched, turning him into a gleaming arrow of black scales. Fire flickered from his muzzle and his scarred metal features shimmered in the flashes of lightning. I heard a plethora of shocked and panicked voices amidst the howl of the wind and pouring rain.

  I opened my muzzle, yet his claws sunk deep into any part of my scales they could find, and with a great heave, he forced me from the sky, like a falcon dive bombing its prey. The force knocked the wind from my lungs, weak flames and smoke hacking from my throat. I squirmed in an effort to escape, but every movement forced his talons deeper.

  "This was entirely your fault!" he roared, flames flying from his muzzle as his eyes narrowed.

  Emphasising his words, he tore away one of his claws, leaving a visible stream of blood trailing from my wounds. With all of his fury and rage, he slammed his razor-sharp talons deep into my scars, and searing pain lanced through me, igniting every nerve ending like lightning. The sensation felt as if it did far more than hurt on a physical level, as if he was ripping out my soul and I could do nothing to escape. With a final surge of his wings, he tore his claws from my scales and sent me flying like a rag into the ground. The sound of wings snapping open boomed like the crack of thunder, and he vanished into the darkness.

  I battled through the intense agony in an effort to steady myself, but it was too late, and with an almighty crash, the cracking of stone and an explosion of dust came the inevitable impact. Rock crumbled under the force, while my armour strained to protect me. The pain was unbearable, and darkness almost took me there and then as my mind fell into a muffled silence.

  In the fiery light of the smouldering ruins, the dancing rain, smoke and flames surrounded me. Another surge of agony coursed through my body as the rock crumbled under me and I slid down to a bloody ditch, my shattered wings and back against a pile of wet rubble. All the while, I could feel the battle between pain and healing as my body rapidly repaired itself, my amulet glowing in harmony with the new feeling.

  Before long, a dark shadow ignited a ring of purple fire around me and Pyro reappeared, wings folding to his side as he landed with deceptive grace.

  "Great Master or not, I'm going to finish this," he snarled.

  I wonder if he knows he can't kill me, no matter how hard he tries. I found myself thinking again. He doesn't care about any of that, does he?

  Shivering with pain, I pushed myself to my paws, mud and water falling from my battered scales as my scars throbbed. Pyro swiped at me with his metal claw, the dark blade smashing into my head, tearing another deep wound through my shatter
ed armour and exposed scales. Before I had a chance to react, another blow struck from his tail, the force of the impact throwing me over the rubble and into the waterlogged pit.

  At its far side, the ground fell away at the cliff's edge, and I could just about make out the fleeting lights of battle in the sky. He prowled into the pit like a dribbling torrent of shadow, silhouetted by the flashing battle behind him as he loomed over me with a cold empty stare.

  "You never were one to harbour any faith," he sneered, jabbing his metal talon at me and smiling cruelly.

  I felt the pain in my scars flare again as an invisible weight began to crush me.

  "And you still fail to fight back with any nobility," he added, flicking the blood from his claw. "Say good bye to your legacy."

  He rose up on his hind legs, ready to come down on me with both foreclaws.

  "Pyro, stop this!" a desperate voice called as a jet of fire erupted overhead, reducing the rain to a cloud of steam.

  His attention instantly focused on its source, as the others landed around us – Risha and Boltock close to me, while Ember landed to block the ebon wing.

  "Stop it! Your words hold no meaning to me," he growled, stepping back.

  "I know that Pyro would never do this. This is not you; you don't have to do this!" Ember insisted, stepping toward him without any hint of fear.

  His blazing eyes narrowed.

  "I wouldn’t have thought you'd have been foolish enough to believe any of us have a choice," he answered, tail brushing against the edge of the cliff.

  Meanwhile, I stood with Risha's help, but I was little more than a shivering wreck. The more I rose from the floor, the more the intensity of my pain forced me back down, until it felt like the only thing holding me together was my battered armour.

  "You won't win," Pyro continued.

  "And you think you have? By giving up everything you fought for, all you cared about?" Ember countered.

  The dark dragon scoffed at the idea, snorting a jet of flame.

  "I fought for nothing but a blind leader, a power that quells that of all those beneath it. The Great Master does no such thing. He promises all the power in the world, all that we want will be ours, and we must only serve him as our true ruler," he stated, the faintest hint of a plea in his tone.

  Ember looked away, raising a paw to her eyes as she shook her head.

  "I really don't know who you are any more," she whimpered.

  He smiled, a weak and hopeless gesture wrought by madness. It was the look of someone who'd lost everything and had now finally sacrificed any care for such things.

  "I told you, I won’t be like you. I know the dragon I loved would never have done so either, and for him I'll do what I have to," she admonished, stepping back and opening her bladed wings.

  Surprisingly, I could see the conflict in Pyro's mind. His former mate was right – this wasn't him; he'd died long ago.

  This is just the darkness using him the same way it used Mordrakk.

  "So be it!" he growled once more, bounding forwards.

  Ember spun, darting aside and slashing at his metal leg with her blades. The sharp edge glanced against the metal, and Pyro landed where she'd stood with a hard thud, before knocking her legs out from under her with his tail.

  "Ember!" Risha cried, springing to her friend’s aid, leaving me to bear the crushing weight of my scars.

  Pyro instinctively swiped at her with his metal claw, but before his strike could land, I bolted forward, forcing myself between them. The power of his swipe flung me back into her, throwing us both close to the edge of the cliff. I sank my claws into the stone to avoid slipping over, but the rain-soaked ground made it difficult to get a grip and we slid slowly to a halt only inches from the precipice. I collapsed in the water, little more than a panting wreck as the pain oppressed me like a great dragon’s claw. Risha stood, gasping for air as she glanced about.

  Pyro returned his focus to Ember, knocking her to the rain-soaked rubble, glancing back at us and raising his metal claw for a final blow. In that moment, a bright bolt of lightning lit up the scene perfectly, and I dared not close my eyes. With a low whoosh, a block of rubble suddenly struck Pyro's head, forcing his intended blow to fail. Block after block followed, each one striking his head, bending metal, snapping crooked horns and cutting purple wounds into his scales. With a wicked growl, he whipped round, swatting another boulder aside with his tail.

  "Leave her alone!" Boltock warned, focusing on the shards of rock levitating about him.

  Pyro scraped a metal talon upon the ground, drawing purple sparks as it raked stone.

  "Oh, how long I have wished I could tell you the same," he hissed, coiling his legs and springing forward.

  His wings sprung open, propelling him through the air directly at his target. Boltock released one of the boulders levitating at his left before darting to the side. Pyro, swerving to avoid the rock, crashed down into the rain-filled pit. With more stone projectiles hovering about him, Boltock’s attention shifted, conjuring rocks and soaked sediment out of the watery pit, to swarm over Pyro like ravenous ants.

  The ebon wing squirmed as the manipulated earth pinned him to the ground. Throwing back his head, he unleashed a torrent of flame, and with a forced flick of his tail, struck at the rubble beneath the earth elemental's paws, bringing the pile down. With Boltock's concentration broken, the rubble about the ebon wing returned to loose debris. Free, he jumped up to face his attacker as the rock fall almost buried Boltock.

  "I have waited a very long time for this," he growled, striding slowly toward his partially buried adversary.

  "So have I!" Boltock shouted as he opened his wing and launched all of the rubble he could into Pyro's face.

  Staggering back with a cry of fury, the ebon wing shook his head, raising a defensive forepaw to his one good eye. In the same moment, Boltock jumped up, landing atop Pyro’s head.

  "Boltock!" Risha cried, rushing to help her brother.

  Under the pressure of my searing scars, I couldn't stop her as her elemental marks flared, forcing the water around Pyro's paws to spiral up, encasing his legs with solid ice. Her efforts to reach her brother were halted when the dark dragon swept her aside with his tail and Boltock’s grip failed as the ebon wing threw back his head.

  In an effort to secure his grip, Boltock took his chance and bit down on Pyro’s armoured neck, bracing himself as the larger dragon tried repeatedly to throw him toward his jaws. Each attempt forced the green dragon’s claws deeper, until they finally pierced his scales and Pyro shrieked in pain. Pure purple light and dusty ichors erupted from the wounds as he threw his head forwards with enough ferocity to finally cast Boltock over his muzzle like a drape. The moment he realised where he was, the earth elemental fought to get away, but it was too late, and with one furious snap, the black dragon seized him and bit down hard.

  "Boltock!" Risha cried, her tone of my nightmares.

  Battling against the force of Mordrakk’s scars, I fought to get back to my paws, while Pyro glanced at Risha leaping at him with a fury equal to his own. The ebon wing was too quick and forced her aside, sending her rolling back into a pile of rubble.

  I... I have to do something! Battling the pain, I glanced between them, but with my mind in so much turmoil I couldn't focus on anything.

  Dragging myself toward Risha, I collapsed by her side gasping for air. The determination in her eyes burned brighter than the most potent fire, a look even Mordrakk would do well to fear. Yet there wasn't enough strength left in her mortal body to support it as her quivering legs struggled to lift her.

  "Get off him!" Ember suddenly demanded as she jumped from the rubble.

  Despite being battered and bloody, she moved with the strength and prowess of the Fire Order’s finest, and with one flick of her muzzle, she ignited her scales into a coat of flames. With one heavy beat of her wings, she slammed into Pyro's side. He lurched forward as the wind left his chest and fire burst from his muzzle, sen
ding Boltock’s battered body crashing into the rain-swept rubble. In response, he spun, smacking his former mate with a wing, knocking her to the floor.

  "Enough!" he bellowed, raising his metal claw. "There will be no more of this, Ember!" he spoke her name through gritted teeth as he swung his metal talon round with newfound ferocity.

  In that moment, it felt as if time stopped. I saw her eyes close and his claw shimmer against the dark, rain-drenched scene. Risha sat up, eyes wide and horrified, as Boltock leapt up between them and in a flash of lightning Pyro's claws sank deep into his chest. The green dragon's eyes widened, and as he gasped, a cruel smile crossed Pyro’s muzzle as he plunged his claws deeper.

  "Boltock!" Risha cried again, launching herself at them, no care or realisation of her wounds as she charged, half-limping, half collapsing.

  Pyro glared, and with a flick of his talons, tossed Boltock at her, the pair falling in a pile over a mound of rubble.

  "Boltock... Boltock!" she cried, standing over her brother’s limp body.

  I felt as if every scale had been ripped from my body, as if all the hope and joy that I'd ever felt was no more. I felt dead, and worst of all, I couldn't do anything while the pain and ferocity of Mordrakk's will forced me down.

  All the while Pyro peered down his snout at us, as if finally satisfied.

  No, He... I... I lurched forwards, but my broken body made no effort to carry me. He can't...

  Just ahead of my grounded muzzle, I saw Boltock gasping for breath under his sister's focused gaze, and that fearsome determination in her eyes completely stole her from the world.

  I saw Ember beyond them; she'd moved enough to see the green dragon that had come between her and Pyro's formidable strike. A cold realisation dawned on her face, and her eyes grew wide.

  "You monster, you’re horrifying, you…" Her words died as she lashed out, striking Pyro with her tail.

  Raising a forepaw to the large gash across his face, the strike caught the proud dragon by surprise. Spreading his wings, he flew back toward the cliff edge, but Ember leapt down to face him, her teeth bared, fire dancing across her scales and eyes filled with rage.