The sandstorm continued to rage on outside as the scavenger climbed the base of the turret. Even with his goggles, he couldn't see anything as the sand bounced off the glassy surface covering his eyes, the sand instead passing against his cloak and mask. Even with all his gear though, he did end finding sand in his mouth and nose.
"This will all be worth it." He muttered to himself angrily as he continued to climb against the wind and sand, as if nature was trying to push him back herself.
He glanced up as he heard the familiar and faint sound of a sand dragon's hiss as it flew close, the massive wing beats still seemed too far away to be of any major concern... "I'll have to move before that thing flies past, being dragon chow is not what I saw in my future." He thought aloud as he increased his pace. The pain of the lactic acids flooding his body increased as he strained every muscle to get to the giant window above.
He continued to climb till he finally reached the ledge, picking up his grappling hook and putting it back on his belt as he then looked down and took off his gloves, revealing his pale skin as he picked up the crude map of the sand palace from his pocket, at least a very crude one he had got from others 'claimed it was like.'
"I'll show them all, and then I'll kill that filthy lord." He assured himself as he slowly crawled down towards the giant barrels, before finally jumping down on the lid of one, causing a small but noticeable thud. "Shit!" He muttered to himself before taking a deep breath. "Don't panic, maybe none of them heard me-" He started only to be cut off by a sudden roar.
He whipped his head around as he heard the sound of approaching talon-steps, quickly hiding himself on the other side of the barrels as he heard the growling getting louder, the dragon's rumbles increasing in volume as it got closer. He started off panting and making a loud gasping noise before quietly slapping himself in the face and taking a deep breath. He started to measure his breathing, exhaling and inhaling as slow as possible, barely making any noise as he hid, not that it would matter.
The dragon ended up picking up the barrel right in front of him. Their eyes met for a moment before he suddenly flexed his arm as he threw his sword up towards the dragon, aimed directly for the eye.
The dragon fell back and let out an agonized roar, it didn't take the scavenger long to hear the echoes cries and roars of other dragons starting to rouse from their sleep. The dragon ended up dropping the barrel of black powder in the process, the black sand falling out and spreading all across the ground in a large black and gray sea of black sand.
"C'mon c'mon c'mon!" He muttered to himself as he scooped up as much of the powder as he could, before the dragon could get back on its talons. He glanced back as the dragon was fuming and roared at him, blood dripping from the eye slot where the blade was still stuck. He heard a hissing noise from the mouth. He instantly started to sprint to the other side of the room and trying to duck into a crack on the wall, only to fall short and land face first in the yellow sand. He heard the sound of flames crackling as they hit the powder, before a sudden thunderous boom sent him flying and crashing against the stone wall then back to the floor.
After a few moments, his hands slipped against his own blood on the wall while gripping the crevices in the stone wall, so he could try and get back on his feet. His legs trembled as he managed to pull himself, he felt a large gash on his head by the blood running down in front of his eyes but he paid no heed. He was only concerned with the pouch of black powder he had and once he saw it was intact, he let out a loud sigh of relief.
He took a good look around at the splattered remains of the sand dragon, a piece of it there, a piece of it there, and a piece of it way over there, staining the wall. Actually, there was a lot of flesh and blood staining the wall and ground. Half of the wall had been completely shattered and destroyed, letting parts of the raging duststorm into what was left of the room.
He quickly put his mask and goggles back on as he limped his way out of his new entrance and into the sandstorm, while also readjusting his goggles as he used his compass to head north. He was completely oblivious when it came to noticing the two large eyes peering in on him from above. The dragoon didn't make a sound and didn't dare move, just keeping its distance on the top of the tower.
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He continued his journey, the blood trail he left behind quickly covered and swept away by the sand, but that didn't erase the scent completely. He finally let himself fall on his knees as he reached his destination, noticeable by the feeling of splinters in his face as he fell into the wooden trapdoor. He dropped inside the small makeshift cave with a small thud, not wanting t get up for a few minutes, before he had to sneeze. He quickly closed the bunker's door as he took off his extra garments off and lied on the thatch foundation, panting as he looked in his pouch to see his reward.
The black substance practically glowed in his hands, before he decided to put it back into the pouch and headed towards the chest. While standing by the chest, he grabbed some parchments and bandages to tend to his wounds, having to throw away the first one due to how quick it soaked all the blood on his head. "Tomorrow, once I buy that horse, I'll go back, get the others, then claim Midas's life!" He assured himself as he lit the candle and made sure the wood pipes and filters were steadily providing enough oxygen, before going to the cot and laying down. It didn't take long for him to promptly pass out with his wounds still freshly covered with bandages as he readied himself for the next day, a day that wouldn't come, not for him.
***
"They think they can come into my stronghold! And think they can steal my powder without consequences!" She roared as she threw what seemed to the remains of the dragon's head against the wall, next to some other parts of the splattered creature. "Whoo do they think they are!
"My Queen!" A Sandwing called out as they landed in front of her.
The queen let out an irritated sigh and grumbled before addressing the other dragon. "What do you you want, Smolder? Make it quick or I'll throw your head just like that dragon there." She asked as her barbed tail flicked angrily back and forth. She considered stabbing it through his brain right now, even while speaking to him.
"I know where it went your majesty!"
Her eyes widened and her tail stopped as she approached Smolder. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I can show you where the scavenger is hiding." Smolder quickly responded as he bowed his head. "M-my queen."
The queen regarded him with cold eyes before a wicked grin formed on her face as she smiled. "A scavenger, perfect, now I'll get some of my powder back as well as a good meal, maybe it will be fun to hear it's screams as I rip it limb from limb." She started walking away and motioned for Smolder to lead. "But why didn't you tell me sooner little brother, and you two!" She turned to the other two Sandwings standing there. "Clean this mess up, or I'll have your heads mounted on the pikes outside!" She roared before following Smolder again.
***
The candle had dimmed to a low glow as he slept on the cot, his blood had dried at this point, but his sheets were stained red and probably wouldn't be cleaned so easily. He quickly woke up as he heard the sound of wing beats outside, it didn't take long for the small thatch room to begin to shake before he felt the dragons land somewhere above him.
He sprung to his feet and quickly limped to grab his invention, while also grabbing a metal ball and a rod. He quickly scooped some of the powder into the capsule before sticking the ball inside and jamming it all the way through with the rod, before closing the lid and putting the rod on his belt as he aimed it up, with his finger on the trigger.
There was one minute of silence before he heard the faint sound of growling above, close to the trapdoor. His finger tightened, but the trapdoor suddenly flew to the ground and with one talon, the entire ceiling was ripped off to reveal the two sand dragons above. Yet he didn't hesitate and aimed his rifle at the one with the crown. His grip tightened and he pressed his finger against the trigger, only for it to be too late as her talon rushed towards him and sank into his skin. As she gripped into the human's skin, the metal tool suddenly let out a loud, thunderous sound, before the metal ball flew and grazed the dragon's shoulder.
The dragon snorted before lifting him up and squeezing him enough that he let out a pained yell as his bones snapped under her pressure. He struggled and panted to no use as the dragon simply lifted him closer to her mouth till it noticed his hand, and his unusual, pale color. It then saw the two teardrop like marks under his eyes and let out a thoughtful hum.
His metal tool fell to the ground and he let out another yell as she squeezed and made a sound resembling a chuckle. "What are you waiting for-" He let out a pained gasp as her claw pierced his back and dragged down, letting the blood flow out of his spine. He watched and stared back at the dragon, as it looked back at him, he let out a few deep breathes before his vision eventually faded to black and his body fell limp.
***
"At least some of my powder survived." She muttered as she picked up the pouch of powder. She looked back to Smolder and handed him the limp, albino scavenger. "Tend to its body, it'll look appealing on display in my tower."
"Yes your majesty, it will be done." He tried to hide the sadness in his voice. He thought about how Flower, his pet scavenger, would see him now if she knew what he had done. "She's probably be so terrified of me." He said sadly to himself as he opened up his wings and took of into the air. His eyes then turned to the pouch of blackpowder that the scavenger had on him. "Why would a scavenger risk their life for blackpowder?" He wondered aloud as he flew back to Burn's Stronghold.