Dargonfire: Age of Legend

by LJ Davies

  "There never should have been any old times like this," I admitted.

  The look on her face told me that she wasn't free from regret either.

  "There's at least one good thing to come out of it," she proposed.

  I lifted my head, feeling a fleeting smile cross my muzzle.

  "Thanks. For everything you've done. I just wish it could have been worth more," I stated.

  She hesitated, it wasn't hard to believe that most of her optimism had finally died, especially with the death of her brother. Yet the thought didn't bring as much pain to me as I knew it should.

  "You too." She nodded.

  "Don't despair yet, this is not over," Apollo assured as we reached the end of the corridor, emerging onto a large rounded platform of smooth black stone.

  A swirling storm of clouds mixed with more shards of levitating rock and ruins formed its walls. Most notable of all, a jagged pillar of stone jutted up from its centre, upon which a sphere of purple flame encased the familiar form of my amulet. Strangely enough, there was no sign of Mordrakk, and I cautiously moved forwards, battling against the magical gale pulsating from the central fire.

  "I was beginning to wonder if you would make an appearance. Not that it matters," announced the distinctively grizzled voice.

  Shadow poured to the floor before us, forming his familiar shape, now clad in the dark armour I'd seen in my visions. I stopped between him and Risha, the unnatural wind buffeting at my body.

  "You even dare to bring this pathetic worm here," he added, a pair of eyes materialising to glare at Risha.

  The dragoness bared her teeth and snorted fire, but the Great Master's stare moved past her and onto Apollo.

  "And this, a lowly slave fleeing from its masters," he added.

  Apollo's fortitude stiffened, his gleaming feathers bristling.

  "You are not my master, nor will you ever be," he declared boldly.

  Mordrakk's muzzle quivered as he let out a rasping hiss, flicking one of his mighty talons and sending the construct flying back with a simple blast of wind.

  "I will not let you do this," I declared, stealing back his attention.

  He peered down at me like I was no more than a pathetic speck of dust.

  "What choice do you have? This was always going to be your fate," he mocked.

  Blasting a burst of fire at his chest, I bolted at him, darting between coils of writhing shadow in an attempt to reach the amulet. The blast sizzled on his armour as it glowed white-hot, while he gave no more than an unimpressed growl before swiping me aside with a flick of his claw.

  I hit the floor and Risha instinctively sent blue flames his way. The fire merely dissipated against his shadowed form as he morphed about it with cruel laughter. Undeterred, her blades cut two deep gashes into the hot metal of his armour, distracting him as he twisted back above her.

  In the same moment, I summoned all of the fire I had left, blasting several bolts into his side. When the shots hit their target, his eyes snapped back to me, his idle paw knocking Risha to the floor while his other generated a wave of shadow, forcing me toward the edge.

  No, not this time! Before I could falter, a burst of purple energy erupted from the amulet, drawing his attention.

  "I need not waste my time with this trivia," he affirmed, casually swatting me to the edge, before turning back toward the storm's heart.

  I clambered back onto the flat surface, focusing on Risha as Mordrakk raised a foreclaw to the amulet. The whole place gave a mighty shudder as his grip closed around it, and with a painfully bright flash, he thrust it into his chest. I reached Risha as he lurched, as if in pain, generating a surge of magical wind, flame and lightning from his molten heart. His shadowy scales seared like melting iron, as the amulet's celestial glow darkened, its gold becoming as black as the night sky as it branded its way into him.

  "My power restored!" he proclaimed, his grisly voice harbouring a new ferocity as it reverberated throughout the petrified halls.

  The spikes of his armour grew like winding roots as burning cinders spewed from his ethereal form. Then his molten eyes met mine.

  "Gaze upon the true master of creation and be thankful that such a glorious sight was your last!" he bellowed, flaring his wings as he lashed his claws at the central pillar.

  Without thought, I jumped over Risha and wrapped her in my wings. The world exploded and a violent wave of purple fire washed over us.

  It receded seconds later, and all I could feel was the roaring wind and harsh clatter of the rain as it whipped against my red-hot armour, each drop hissing and boiling away. The levitating cloud of rock and rubble had fallen, leaving only the central light and the slowly crumbling platform upon which we stood. Yet there was a light cough under me as Risha rolled from my grip.

  "Blaze?" she murmured, pressing a forepaw to her face.

  "Are you okay?" I asked desperately, but she didn't seem to care.

  "You're not the one who should be asking that question," she scolded looking over my steaming scales. "What in the creators' name happened?"

  I looked to the sky. Directly above us, the clouds forged into a swirling maelstrom, its centre disappearing into a bright light, resembling some gigantic, upside-down whirlpool.

  "I don't know, but it can't be good," I answered, a fleeting glimmer of hope in my voice as an idea filled my mind, an idea I dared not share.

  "But we can still stop it, can't we?" she asked.

  I glanced back at her with a lost expression, unable to answer. A sharp hum caught my attention and my head perked up as it came closer.

  "What is it?" I asked Apollo as he descended.

  "I do not fully understand, but it would appear the Great Master has opened a gateway, and without proper containment enchantments. At this rate it could permanently tear through reality," he explained.

  "Is there any way to stop it?" I asked desperately.

  "I do not know. But any chances of sealing the breach will not be obtainable from this end, the power source has gone through with the Great Master," he added solemnly.

  "Gone where?" Risha asked curiously.

  "The Golden City," I answered for him, and he didn't correct me as I turned to face her.

  "Well, we have to go after him, we have to..." She stopped as she looked at me. "No, no, no, you're not going up there alone, no way."

  Apollo had a different response.

  "Indeed, the possibility of traversing the gateway is not impossible; there may still be a chance to stop him, although the transition will be treacherous and..." He looked over at Risha.

  I merely sighed, shivering as cold rain ran across my scales. She saw the inevitable and made every effort to fight it.

  "No, you can't, I won’t let you!" she stuttered, restlessly rustling her wings. "Not again!"

  "I have to; this is what I was created to do. I can save you, all of you," I finally admitted.

  "By giving yourself up, you're the only thing I have left and I..."

  I put a paw on her shoulder.

  "I'm not giving up anything," I assured with a smile.

  She stared right at me, almost unable to speak.

  "You have to come back, you..."

  "I promise, I will come back," I assured, but she didn't seem willing to fall for the same thing again.

  She glanced away and closed her eyes as I stepped back and spread my wings. The instant I did so, she wrapped hers over me, pressing her muzzle to mine in a tight embrace. I felt a wave of emotion unlike anything I'd ever known as our muzzles met, and I looked into her closed eyes, before my own slid into darkness.

  She’s kissed me...?

  I'd never understood, I still didn’t, and yet I knew if there was one thing left in the world that was worth flying into oblivion for, it was that. Her embrace lasted for what seemed like forever, and I was content with simply allowing the world to fall apart around us. But no sooner had it begun, did it stop, and reluctantly she pulled away.

  "You wer
e never good at promises," she laughed.

  I was speechless, utterly stunned, the only sensation remaining; that of the cold rain trailing across my scales. Before I took a deep breath and stood tall.

  "I love you." The words left my muzzle in a way I'd no care to control.

  She didn't respond, but there was a furnace burning in her eyes the moment she heard the words. I nodded, glancing up at the storm as she smiled and finally added.

  "I know, you're everything to me and more, but..." she paused momentarily, "go save the world."

  Her expression was enough to show that she believed in me more than anyone ever had. I was her icon of goodness, her beacon of hope, the very thing that had allowed her to see a reason to believe the world could be something more than cruelty and corruption. No matter what I thought of her seeing me like that, it was all I needed to believe before I took off into the swirling wind.

  Apollo was swift to follow, his form becoming a sharp golden arrow as we fought through the tempest. The light came closer, wind and rain cracked upon my scales like whips, and clouds wrapped about me until the only visible thing was the sheen of Apollo's frame as it moved through the swirling funnel.

  Fiery images and the sound of voices whirled about me in the bitterly cold air. Until, with a thunderous crack, a new surface appeared below and the golden world materialised in a blossoming swarm of shimmering dust.

  Before I could steady myself, I hit the floor, clattering against the marble as I bounced to a halt with my head against the polished expanse. I lay there for a moment trying to compose myself, until eventually, my eyes flickered open. As I sat up, the sight stretching out across the cosmic horizon stole my breath away. A sea of stars shimmered behind the great golden spires, bridges and towers of the Golden City.

  So this is it... It's beautiful.

  A rounded platform stretched out around me, connected to a vast network of walkways spanning the city like a magnificent, golden spider’s web. Bridges of glowing light and gleaming crystal sat amongst the numerous things that defied explanation. Yet the endless skyline was devoid of any activity, and despite their gleaming magnificence, the colossal spires lay in scorched ruin. I recalled brief images of the battle I'd once seen take place here millennia previously, and yet it appeared as if such a thing could have happened only the day before.

  The sound of my claws tapping on the floor gave little comfort in the midst of the silence as I approached the edge and peered down into the endless expanse of advanced architecture. Then I looked up to the towering horizon, one great pillar dwarfed the others, surrounded by numerous smaller spires, each one enormous in its own right. Atop its highest peak, a flickering cloud of darkness swirled into existence, and from the depths of the city, another purple glow writhed in response.

  "Remarkable, I have not gazed upon these skies for millennia," Apollo remarked happily.

  Yet even as that joyous realisation struck him, he faltered.

  "Where do we need to go?" I asked uneasily.

  "The Great Master seems to have taken to the summit. It is the central point of the city, constructed directly above the great chamber that once held the heart. There, I suspect he will be able to disrupt the anchor between worlds," he explained, his voice fading a little at the latter part.

  I nodded.

  "Take me there as fast as you can."

  "Of course, Guardian, right this way," he obeyed, darting off into the sky without hesitation as I followed.

  *

  I soon found that flying amongst the golden mountains and magnificent archways was quite easy. Despite everything, they were still some of the most beautiful things I'd ever experienced. The air was like a thick soup under my wings, but it felt completely normal, as if engineered for flight.

  I recalled what Seraphine had said about living here, and it wasn't hard to imagine why she may have thought her life would have never been anything more.

  Who in the creators' name would ever want to leave here, even for glory?

  As I imagined what the city might have looked like previously, a great shadow blocked out the stars, and with several arcs of lightning, a rounded shell of magical energy formed about it.

  I felt my heart fill with dread; it wasn't the only thing to catch my attention, however; as another thunderous boom rang through the air. A great gash of purple light tore its way across the sky, followed by several more. Each strike scarred the tranquil illusion of the stars as they allowed vast swarms of vulpomancers to pour into the city.

  As we flew close to the golden skyline, I hoped they wouldn't notice us, that they were more concerned with finishing the destructive work they had started millennia ago. However, it was a hopeless dream, and one of the writhing masses directed itself toward us like a hungry predator hunting wounded prey.

  "Get to wherever it is you need to go, I'll find you," I commanded Apollo.

  Before he could reply, I dashed aside and curled about the peak of one of the towers. As expected, the swarm came after me, flowing about the pillars and arches marking the edges of the golden skyline like water over rocks.

  Now that I have their attention... I fixed my eyes on another, larger tower, beating my wings hard to gain a lead on my pursuers.

  I circled its peak and turned on them with a blast of white fire. The swarm broke upon impact with the flames, as if it had struck a wall. Unfortunately, their advance didn't stop, and soon they began to flow over the edges of the flame.

  Realising that simply burning them had become as useless as trying to burn dragons, I quickly made for an open corridor, slowing slightly until I could see the open sky at its far end, and as expected, the swarm followed.

  Try dodging this!

  The moment I had them trapped within the corridor’s confines, I fired several more blasts. All that I could see of them vanished in a fit of flapping wings, smoke and roaring fire as chunks of the ruined golden structure came crashing down atop them.

  Despite my success, a surge of darkness overshadowed me and the lash of a large bladed tail struck hard. A vulpomancer that dwarfed me, clawed its way forward from the fire, its skeletal form morphing and dripping with black ichor as it reformed and let out a furious roar.

  I darted back into the air as fast as my wings would allow, heading out of the tunnel with the angry creature close on my tail. I heard it smashing its way through the archway like a living battering ram, crashing its way into the sky. Spinning back, I watched its huge wings uncoil into a tattered, black sheet, while narrowly avoiding its snapping jaw.

  In my rush to escape, I caught a glimpse of Apollo on a platform just below the towering peak he'd called the summit, and sent one last distracting bolt of fire into my pursuer before heading down toward him. The giant beast gave a pained roar, and as if driven by the rage of their larger cousin, more vulpomancers dropped down from the sky.

  All I could hope for was that my companion had a solution as I quickly set down on the polished marble beside him. More golden pillars marked the edge of the platform as well as the base of a large stairway winding up to the summit's peak, to which a magical wall blocked access.

  "I really hope you've got a solution," I gasped, quickly moving to the energised barrier.

  "Yes, it would seem that the Great Master has erected a barricade. I will try to disable it," he responded, inspecting the magical barrier as if it offered far more information to him than I could understand.

  Not that I had time to argue. I did my best to keep the vulpomancers away, but their sheer numbers and the fact that one was larger than a fully-grown dragon made it difficult. I managed to cut several down before the larger one smacked me aside with its claws, cutting deep black wounds into my armour and scales. I winced at the pain as it turned to me with a low hiss of satisfaction, but jumped to my paws, only for it to pin me down.

  "Any time now!" I called to Apollo from under its crushing talons.

  He focused on the barrier, hovering back from it sharply.

&n
bsp; "It would seem I am unable to access the barrier's enchantment matrix, I will have to find an alternative method," he declared, hovering toward a small crystal shard next to one of the pillars.

  I forced back my frustration, slashing across the giant’s claws with my wings. The blades sliced off one of its talons, forcing it to recoil as the severed claw swiftly began to reform. In that brief moment of distraction, several smaller vulpomancers pounced, and I fought them off as they slashed at me with cruel joy. Meanwhile, Apollo glanced back, narrowing his eyes in determination.

  "It appears I will have to overcharge the talisman," he acknowledged boldly.

  I knocked down another vulpomancer and jumped back as the larger one snarled at me with a newfound eagerness. I'd no idea what my golden companion meant, but as one of the creatures leapt at me, I had little time to consider it.

  "Whatever you need to do, just do it fast!" I called, holding the creature's teeth away.

  He moved back to the magical barrier, and spinning swiftly he forced his avian frame into the magical wall. An explosive flash of light filled the world as sparks of lightning erupted from each of his splayed feathers, arcing across the whole barrier. The force of his intervention shattered the magical field into millions of tiny fragments, as the intensity of the energy burst forced the vulpomancers into the sky. With my dark attacker gone, I staggered to my paws to see that the barrier was completely disintegrated.

  "You did it!" I called to Apollo, only to pause as I saw him.

  His frame sat upon the marble floor like broken stones, emitting the weakest of hums, while his eyes still flickered like a dying flame. Regardless of the open stairway ahead, I rushed over.

  "What did you do?"

  "I expended all of my talisman’s power in one burst, overloading the barrier; it will only be disabled momentarily," he answered, as if I should know.

  "What about you, you're going to be okay, aren't you?" I urged.

  His frame weakly forged a frown.

  "Under normal circumstances, I may recharge, but for my kind such circumstances have not existed in an age," he explained.