Fire, that was all he could see all around him for his world was burning, his hometown, the only place he knew, was burned by a dragon, monsters of old long thought extinct.
He ran across scorching streets using his ability as a Sensor, a person capable of enhancing its own body through the use of mana, to avoid falling buildings and people and monsters seemingly subservient to the the draconic being from what he managed to see through glances, these cultist were breaking into yet intact buildings, looting for anything that seemed to have anything of physical value, coins, gems and other objects made from precious metals.
For what Purpose? Why does a being of seemingly great strength need such things? competition? attract a mate? Are there even more of them and from where did it appear? Questions ran across his head, not making sense, he fled towards the bastion at the center of the town, the only place yet spared from the devastation.
Once inside the protective walls and battlements armed with ballistas that kept the draconic forces at bay, he crumpled to the floor in despair, he was not the only one as many more took refuge in the safety behind the walls, many like himself having lost their loved ones in the sudden attack, their homes and all they have worked for, resentment quickly took hold of everyone present as it tends to do after a tragedy of such scale, rage overcoming their fears.
Many of those present vowed revenge for themselves and their lost ones as the news of this event would soon spread across the continent like wildfire, once dawn arrived those who hid or otherwise managed to run from town found the devastation around them, many worked alongside the townguard to search for survivors as they crossed the many scenes of carnage that littered the streets, burnt bodies with limbs melted into the body, claw, tooth and stab marks were found on several of the corpses, a gruesome sight that many would never forget, the resolve for revenge grew, including in the man that ran away that night, Arnold Crow.
Since that day, he along with many men and women across the Kingdom of Haltained would call for the monster to be slain until King Larinor The second announced that the blood of the dragon would be spilled, with a call to arms to avenge the decimation of Greinford, a bounty was set for those who could find it’s lair.
Many went out to search but even then there was no results for weeks, but the time was not wasted as an army was raised amongst the territories of the kingdom, including survivors of the tragedy, such as Arnold, he rose through the ranks thanks to his capability to use mana, even if only for himself as people with such powers were rare, alongside the construction for light towers across the border was started, these monoliths of stone would light up if a threat to the kingdom was ever spotted, and clear signal of where it was seen from would arrive to a nearby fort, were garrison forces could be quickly dispatched against the threat or if it proved far above what a quick reaction force was capable, prepare the defenders to allow time for the evacuation of nearby settlements, this would come to be known as “The Grand Beacon”.
Eventually, after over a month of dedicated search parties moving across the realms the lair was found, it was in an abandoned mineshaft, with the old buildings repurposed as houses and workshops by the thralls of the dragon, many weren’t even human, mostly kobolds, usually found in nomadic tribes that plagued the countryside, these savage lizardmen were usually a head taller than the average man, with sharps claws, teeth and a brute strength that surpassed the common man, most of the time they did not pose a huge threat due to their recklessness and terrible eyesight that made any use of range weaponry night impossible for them.
However, this was a rare case where hundreds of them were all in a single place no larger than the capital's forum, but they weren't alone as the report indicated the presence of a large cult worshiping the being that have brought devastation to their own kind, yet they did not seem to mind as they praised the monster, launching their own raids against villages and hamlets to pay their tribute.
The main obstacle between them and the Army of Halftained was that this mineshaft was on the Iron Ridge that belonged to the Dominion of Irindur, call to let the army pass were ignored for unknown reasons, many suspected that the Irinduran Council were more pawns of the dragon and patience grew thin, eventually, the border was crossed and a route was secured by force towards the hideout of the beast and it's corrupted followers.
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It took months to clear a road across the overgrowth that could be safely traveled but at last the army, comprised of thousands of men and women, with a dozen ballistas mounted in carts to shred through the dragon’s wings, marched towards the location of the lair, the march lasting for three days before coming near the reported location, the fourth one left to prepare the troops for the offensive, formations where drawn and weapons sharpened.
The fifth day was when the battle began, trumpets announcing the arrival of the army that was quickly being organized to face their enemies, the defenders were prepared, trusting in what they perceived as their deity to win them the day, crossbows and bows fired on each side as the zealous servants of the dragon charged forwards against the Halftained lines with both sides clashing in melee, Halfained troops using their numbers to single enemies out and skewer them with spears, shortswords and maces, the cultists launched themselves with daggers, spears and claws for those who had them.
A loud roar dwarfed the sound of steel meeting steel, from the opening of the mineshaft a large winged reptile exited the crevice, it was large, over a dozen meters long, with a wingspan at least triple that, and at least half a dozen meters tall with its neck fully extended upwards, the monster took to the skies with a great flap of its wings, the ballistas that were quickly lowered to the ground the moment the fight commenced let loose as they aimed for the dragon wings.
For its large size the dragon proved to be surprisingly fast, dodging incoming projectiles with a grace that did not belong to a thing that size, those that hit the main body caused superficial damage at best due to the tough scales that were further strengthened with the magic inherent of a monster, it opened its jaws and a stream of fiery death incinerated entire formations, many of the siege engines were lost along with their crews, however a lucky shot from one of the surviving ballistas was enough destabilize it’s flight as it came crashing down to the ground near the frontline.
The servants zealotry increased with the proximity of their master even in it's wounded state and the battle intensified, soldiers surrounded the dragon in an attempt to pierce it's hide and end it, while momentarily incapable of flight, it was not defenseless, with sharp talons it cut through armor like a hot knife through butter, it’s flames burning many of it’s attackers, those who didn’t perish from the blast wailing in pain as their armor started fusing with their own skin before death took mercy on them.
Bolts kept peppering the monster until a man rushed towards the dragon at a speed surpassing those of his comrades, strengthening his own legs with magic and forcing his way through a sea of people, friendly and hostile alike, pushing the latter out the way with the shaft of a spear before being in the direct sight of the dragon itself, he slid forward narrowly avoiding the dragon’s breath and claws, with a practiced ease he cut the mana connection to his leg and poured it all in to his arms and chest, with a mighty thrust he impaled the monster in the chest and pushed with all the strength he still had in his body to force the the spearhead deeper in to the body before reaching straight to the heart.
The movements of the dragon became sluggish as the flow of blood stopped, with a last pitiful growl the being fell to it's side, lifeless and with the death of their master, the most sensible of the cultist fled in a rout, the day was won for the forces of Halftained who after scouring the battlefield of remaining enemies they were free to plunder the camp for their hard fought victory where it was revealed the treasures that were kept inside the mineshaft, a large hoard of money from bronze to gold, with almost as many items made from those same materials, from rings and necklaces to a silver sword and more.
Along with that, the ridge wasn’t fully tapped in as a large expansion no doubt dug by the dragon's underlings revealed a large amount of metals, with these findings the occupation of the ridge was ordered and to defend it from any Irinduran attempt to reclaim the area, tensions rose between both sides, however no war was declared with no side willing to fight one another.
A treaty was signed indicating the occupation of the ridge by Halftained as payment, Arnold Crow was declared a hero and knighted by no other than the Larinor the second himself, along his own order to him to command as reward for his efforts and thus the legend of the Dragonslayer was born, but our story is not about him, for it starts in a dark cavern in the Greyfold mountain range to the south.