Arkor had enough of walking. Sure, by the end of the day he would be another step closer to his freedom, but was it really worth it? His feet had started bleeding weeks ago, his legs ached to hell, and the straps of his old travel sack had already dug into his shoulders. At this point, the torture of traveling was likely worse than prison.
But, dragon hunting was kind of nice in a way. All that hate Arkor had in him could be taken out on a terrible beast, plunging his rusty silver blade into its back, feeling its almost glowing warm crimson blood pour onto him, watching the creature tumble onto its back as the last embers of life escaped into the beyond. He’d enjoy collecting the eyes, too. Big, red spheres, they were. Sometimes, if he looked into them for long enough he could see the dragon’s last thoughts that were etched into its pupils.
Remembering the good, Arkor continued to trek not far behind from the rest of his group, his blood-crusted sword dragging on the navy-gray pebbles. Luckily for him, they seemed to enjoy the task as much as he did. So they got along.
A drop of water on Arkor’s head. His sullen, pale face looked to the sky, but the gray clouds had made no change.
“The rain is coming,” Lovanar said from the front, not looking back at the others.
“Aye, a cold storm it is, too,” Holtor added. His massive brown beard moved as he talked. “We’ll freeze if the dragon don’t get us first, I tell ya.”
“At least the rain might put out the dragon’s fire,” Marlaf suggested. The exhaustion was especially audible in his voice.
“Don’t be daft. Nothing’s hotter than dragon flames. Keep thinking like that, and the dragon’ll eat you first,” Dolkan spat.
Arkor chose not to participate in the conversation. It wouldn’t get them to the volcano’s summit any faster, after all.
But they eventually did reach the summit, a massive wave of heat rising upon them. Lava bubbled and boiled as the light drizzle of rain landed on it. More lava flowed between the rocks under their feet, appearing as molten veins that beat by an invisible heart. Stepping on top of one final rock, he could see the dragon carelessly snoozing in a cave on the other side of the summit. Its red-orange scales blended into the hellish scenery without flaw. The cave’s entrance was on the inside of the volcano, built almost level to the glowing magma.
“There it is,” Holtor declared, a note of pride in his voice.
“Should we go?” asked Marlaf.
“Well there ain’t no point in waitin’. It’ll only get colder from ‘ere.”
They made the trek around the maw of the volcano, the heat becoming almost unbearable. Arkor made his safety a point—he didn’t want to end up like the others that had fallen into the bubbling lava.
And finally, they stood above the dragon’s den. It was bigger up close, for sure. Arkor could even see the sparks flying from the beast’s nose as it slept.
“So, who will go first?” Marlaf asked the others, nervously glancing down at the den.
“You will.”
Dolkan pushed Marlaf off the edge and down towards where the dragon was dozing. Arkor could see him scrambling to equip his weapon before he landed. Somehow, he got it in time, and his massive gauntlets helped soften the impact. But, now, the dragon had awoken.
Its gigantic yellow eyes opened, both of them glaring at Marlaf as he got up, a faint growl rumbling through the sky. The dragon put a clawed hand on the ground and pushed itself up, baring its teeth now. It was then that the rest of the group jumped down towards the den.
The battle began almost immediately. Holtor charged towards the beast with his magic flail, the chain endlessly extending and wrapping the dragon’s leg. The dragon yanked its leg up, pulling Holtor with it, leaving room for the others to attack. Dolkan came in with his pike, slashing at its exposed belly, and Arkor joined the fray. Marlaf leaped into the air towards the dragon’s head and roughly punched it in the jaw with his enchanted gauntlets. The dragon’s massive head recoiled, exposing the underbelly further.
Behind, Lovanar was aiming a shot from his enchanted crossbow, loaded with a glowing blue bolt. He was the key to the dragon’s demise. If he got a clear shot on the dragon’s underbelly with the bolt, the dragon’s tough scales would be rendered useless. All their efforts were to let Lovanar get that shot.
The chaos continued, the team narrowly dodging pillars of fire, giving the dragon hell as Lovanar perfected his aim. And, finger on the trigger, he shot.
The mechanisms in his crossbow released the bolt with a snap, and it soared through the air and plunged itself into the belly of the dragon. The dragon let out a piercing roar and reared back in agony. Arkor, on the dragon’s back, saw the scales begin to turn a sickly purple. The magic was working.
Arkor lifted his massive sword into the air, and sunk it down into the back of the dragon. It let out another, louder wail, and went into a frenzy. It desperately shook around to get Arkor of its back, swatting away the other dragon slayers in panic. But, barely, he managed to pull himself up to its head. He reared his sword again, and stabbed it into the dragon’s skull.
And strangely, it sounded like the dragon was screaming. A deafening human scream. A beast like that would not be able to scream in such a way.
As the dragon made its final dying scream, Arkor could see its great yellow eye turn up to look at him. And then a female voice echoed throughout the volcano.
“God’s… beard.”
And the dragon died.
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“Nobody else heard it?”
“Did you hit your stupid head on the cavern?” sneered Dolkan. “There was no voice.”
“And what the hell was that about, throwing me into the dragon’s lair like that?” Marlaf interjected, as angry as his small body could let him be.
Dolkan merely crossed his arms and leaned back into the rock he was sitting in. He lost eye contact with Marlaf and instead stared into the campfire.
“Really, Dolkan. You can’t do things like that. We can’t risk getting killed,” Lovanar lectured Dolkan, his authoritative voice immediately catching Dolkan’s attention. Dolkan didn’t respawn.
To Arkor’s right, Holtor took another swig of beer he had stored in his canteen.
“And you, Holtor,” Lovanar continued. “Keep drinking like that and you won’t be able to fight properly.”
Holtor slammed his empty canteen on the hard stone. His face was bright red.
“I drink to ferget, mate. I need somethin’ to help me stop missin’ me wife.”
Holtor let out a big hiccup. It was a ridiculous sight to see. Lovanar was shaking his head disapprovingly.
Arkor did not have a wife to miss. Or kids. Or friends, or family, or anyone. He was just as happy being punished and banished from society as he was being part of it. If anything, being assigned to a job like this made him better off. It didn’t matter if slaying the dragons helped his king, he didn’t care for that, but he liked the ability to kill.
Or at least, except for the last fight. Arkor couldn’t get the scream of the dragon out of his head. That time, he didn’t enjoy the kill at all. And what in the world was “God’s beard?”
All these things swirled around in his mind like a maelstrom, confusing Arkor to the brink of insanity. Was he insane? Surely he would have to be to have heard a voice like that.
“Excuse me, I need to go outside,” Arkor told the others, getting up from the fire. He needed to calm himself. Maybe a few minutes in the light rain would lighten his mood.
He pushed the boulder to the cave aside and stepped out into the blustery weather. The rain had eased up slightly since it started those hours ago, and now consisted of just a pathetic drip from the sky. He sat on the damp stone, letting the rain fall on his body. Arkor closed his eyes, and let his mind drift.
Where did it all go wrong? Was it really his own fault he did those things?
“No! Don’t kill me! Please!”
No. It wasn’t. It was the world’s fault, for bringing him into it. It was his country’s, his king’s fault for making the rules so strict. Those people deserved to die.
“I have children!”
Their children were evil. Arkor couldn’t let anyone who produced offspring like that survive.
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“Please!”
Everyone was evil. He didn’t regret his actions one bit. All Arkor wanted was to be anywhere but in his kingdom.
“God’s… beard.”
Arkor’s eyes snapped open. What if, by any means, Arkor wasn’t hallucinating? What if the dragon had said words then, and only he had heard?
His opened eyes drifted around the mountain range, taking in the spectacle through the setting sun and the dripping rain. And, to his right, a waterfall caught his attention. The waterfall ended on a cliff’s edge, the water pouring into the air and being swept away by the wind. The swaying movement, the way the mist flowed, and its enormous size reminded Arkor of something.
The beard of god.
Arkor pushed himself up and gave the waterfall a better gander. That had to be it. No other waterfalls were in sight, and nothing else looked the way the waterfall did. He looked back towards the cave the others were in. None of them knew. This was Arkor’s secret alone. What would he do? Would he go to it? He had to. There wasn’t anything better for him to do.
But, why listen to a possibly-hallucinated voice from a dragon? The one creature he was supposed to kill?
“You’ll be banished for life.”
Maybe he would listen. Maybe it was the only voice that told the truth.
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The loud snores of Arkor’s fellow dragon slayers reverberated inside of the cave. Arkor wasn’t bothering with trying to sleep—not that he would get any with all this noise. But now, he was sure that he was the only one conscious. He pushed his hand into his sleeping bag and very slowly pulled himself up. Arkor slipped out of the cave with silence not even he could hear, and mentally praised himself once he replaced the rock back over the mouth of their hideout. Now, all he had to do was make the trek.
The wet rocks were dangerous to climb on, every step risking his fall. The issue now wasn’t making noise—it was survival. Underneath was hundreds of feet of air and nothing to protect him. So, care in mind, he continued to scale the mountain.
Eventually Arkor reached a point where he couldn’t tell if five minutes or five hours had passed. All he was doing was climbing, forever, infinitely, to a summit he couldn’t yet see. This was very different from getting to a dragon’s den—at least then he had a path to follow.
But, finally, he reached the top. He was now level with the waterfall, but it still sat at least a mile away.
And then he walked, and walked, and walked until he could hear the water’s whisper as loud as a busy pub. The water fell but ten feet away from him now, and he wasn’t sure what to do from here. But then he saw it. Behind the falling water, he could faintly see an opening. And then, looking harder, he could see that it was a massive cavern. This was it.
Arkor pushed through the water and into the opening, and was met with utter darkness. The sound of the waterfall echoed into the nothingness inside. Arkor mustered up the courage to break the quiet.
“Hello?”
Arkor had been told stories of how if you saw a glowing eye in the night, you were dead. He had been told that a dragon’s eyes are the only ones in the world that really glow, to make it easier to see their prey. And a pair of gigantic glowing eyes is what exactly he saw emerge in the darkness in front of him. They were twisted into a seething glare, and peered deeper into Arkor than anyone ever had. And then, a deep, booming voice rang out through the cavern.
“Are you… the one?”
It spoke slowly and clearly. If Arkor was hallucinating now, it had to be the most vivid thing he’d seen.
“I was told to go to God’s Beard by a dragon in the volcano nearby,” Arkor answered, attempting to match the dragon’s clarity of speech.
“How is she?”
“I killed her.”
An angry clamor filled the room, and multiple other dragons opened their amber eyes and pointed them towards Arkor.
“Don’t tell me you were sent by the king,” the first dragon sneered.
“I was.”
Another angry clamor, and the pairs of eyes got closer to Arkor. Arkor stood, unwavering.
“Did you come here to kill us?” a dragon in the back asked.
“I didn’t know there would be dragons here. And, no, I don’t want to kill you.”
“Even if it will give you freedom?” asked the first.
“How did you know that?”
“Plenty others like you have been punished by the king by making them do his dirty work. He wants to kill every one of us.”
“I don’t care about the king anymore. I hate that goddamn country more than anything.”
The first dragon turned its head to make eye contact with one behind it. They whispered something to each other, and then turned back to Arkor.
“Are you interested in a deal?”
Arkor was taken aback. “A what?”
“A deal. We have been looking for one like you for a long time, to get our revenge on the king.”
“I’m not helping some god-forsaken dragons.”
“Are you? Well, would you rather help the king?”
That hit Arkor where it hurt.
“No.”
“Then help us. We will burn the king’s city to the ground, if you do a favor for us.”
“How many more of you are left?”
“Enough.”
“What’s the favor, then?” Arkor asked.
“I assume that you came with a party. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“One of you will have a weapon. It takes many shapes, but it is always made of glowing blue substance.”
“Yes, I know who has it.”
“Good. That weapon is the only thing that can stop our invasion of the kingdom. It is also our key to surviving the attack. Do you know of the magic it possesses?”
“It’s a counter-spell. It neutralizes the magic that makes dragon scales so strong.”
“Although it is the sole reason for the death of hundreds of dragons, it is not a flawless attack. If the magic is intaken by a dragon in a more basic form, an immunity can be built from it. That is what we need from you. Retrieve the weapon, and we will launch the attack after that.”
“I understand.”
“And we have one more favor to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“Human flesh.”
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Arkor woke at the clanging of metal against metal, and got up to see Holtor smacking his flail against Arkor’s sword.
“The day is young! The dragons ain’t gonna kill themselves! Let’s go!”
Everyone reluctantly got up and moved to the mouth of the cave, where Arkor stopped them.
“I found a dragon nearby.”
“Are ya sure? You don’t want to wait fer our next orders from the kingdom?” Holtor looked at Arkor as if he was totally crazy.
“They might give us a dragon location that’s closer by,” Lovanar pointed.
“Trust me,” Arkor said.
Holtor looked at Lovanar, and then the two looked back at Dolkan and Marlaf. They gave a nod of approval.
“We’ll go then. Lead the way.”
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After a long trek, they reached the mouth of the cave, hidden by the waterfall.
“The dragons are in here.”
“Well, that was easy. Why don’t we go inside then?” Holtor asked.
“I need to check first. To make sure it's safe.”
Arkor was halfway in the waterfall when Dolkan called his name.
“Hey! Get back here.”
Arkor reluctantly stepped back and faced the others.
“You’ve been acting real suspicious today. What happened when you went outside last night?”
“I found where I think the dragon is.”
“Think? You brought us all out here on a think?”
“Fine. There’s a dragon in here. Now will you let me do something?”
“No. I won’t. I think you’re plotting against us, Arkor. I’ve seen the way you look at us like human scum. We’re just more people for you to kill, aren’t we?”
Lovanar grabbed Dolkan’s shoulder. “Dolkan, stop. That’s enough.”
“No. If you’re going to kill me, why don’t you do it now, huh? Come at me! COME ON!”
Behind Arkor, the massive waterfall was split by the head of a dragon emerging. Dolkan’s face became one of shock, and then he lunged at Arkor. Arkor dodged by and grabbed Lovanar’s crossbow, loaded with the blue bolt. Dolkan, unable to stop himself, ended up running straight towards the dragon. The dragon bit into Dolkan and swallowed him in an instant.
The dragon slayers all charged at Arkor, whose hands were still on Lovanar’s weapon, and tried to attack. Arkor narrowly dodged their weapons, and continued to yank on Lovanar’s crossbow. Lovanar, with frightening strength, pulled up the crossbow and turned it to face the dragon. The dragon’s face was immediately filled with fear.
And then, many things happened in an instant. Lovanar pulled the trigger on the crossbow, launching the bolt, and Arkor grabbed the crossbow’s front. The bolt shot through his hand and continued towards the dragon. Marlaf roughly punched Arkor in the gut and sent him flying into the cliff wall.
The dragon, unharmed by the slowed-down bolt, lunged towards Marlaf and ate him whole. The other slayers turned their attention towards the creature and began their futile assault. One by one they were eaten alive, a muffled scream audible before their demise. And at the end of it, there was a glowing blue bolt laying harmlessly on the ground.
“Well done, human. You kept your end of the bargain.”
Arkor continued to writhe in pain, gripping his bloody hand.
“Come inside. We will help you.”
The dragon delicately picked up the bolt between its teeth, and let Arkor into the cave.
Once inside, the dragon put the bolt down and spit a ball of fire towards a wall. The fire lit a pile of wood, and then Arkor could properly see the true number of dragons inside the cavern. There were at least ten of them, all lounging in the darkness, watching Arkor with curiosity. It was then that he realised that the dragon who he had been talking to this entire time was a bright red.
“Have this.”
The red dragon nudged a roll of bandages towards Arkor, and he wrapped his bleeding hand with them. Once done, he watched the dragon move the bolt into the center of the cave, the other dragons getting up to watch.
“With this,” the red dragon declared, his deep voice growing triumphant, “We will enact our revenge.”
The dragon reared a leg into the air, and then stomped the glowing blue bolt with immense force. It shattered into a tremendous cloud of blue smoke, and all the dragons began to roughly cough as they breathed it. Arkor was unaffected.
The dragons continued to struggle against the blue smoke, some collapsing in bouts of coughs, until Arkor could see their scales beginning to turn a shade of purple. The purple scales began to lightly flash and then glow, until they all turned a deep shade of black. The coughing stopped.
“Thank you, human, for your services. Now, it is time for us to uphold our promise.”
The previously red dragon leaned down towards Arkor.
“We won’t be long.”
And then the dragons left the cave, one by one. They formed a disturbance in the sky, like a flock of gigantic black birds. And Arkor could tell which direction they were going—towards the kingdom.
It seemed that Arkor would get his wish. He could watch the world burn.