"You have gone mad, Arthfael." A familiar voice says from the white emptiness. "Was us

breaking your tower truly that much of a blow to your already horrid mental functionality.

You let a dragon, a dragon, out onto Oliron. You don't care for human life, do you? It is a

miracle that it has not killed anything but Goblins yet."

Slowly a vague picture fills Archil's sight. A big muscular man, who Archil recognises as

Arthfael, is pacing up and down in front of the fake god, who is sitting in an extremely

comfortable looking chair. He is drinking a steaming liquid.

"A miracle you say!" Says the angry voice of Arthfael. "Don't make it sound like it was an

accident that this dragon just so happened to meet your group of imbeciles, who somehow

managed to chase it of into the woods. My plan was to have the dragon burn down one

tiny village and the surrounding Goblin camps. The added bonus would have been frying

your puny fake priest as the humans now call him. Yet somehow those humans just

happen to find a mage capable enough to fry its nervous system! I don't know how you do

it, Axsel, and I don't care, but this nonsense has to end! If it doesn't, then it will be your

precious humans that pay the price!"

"You truly believe that your world that once existed down there is still yours to take, don't

you, Arth."

"Arth!" Arthfael says. "How dare you abbreviate my mighty name!"

"But Arthfael is so incredibly longwinded." Axsel says. "Now let me tell you something. Your

reality no longer exists. It disappeared the moment the rifts overloaded with energy and

you all got trapped up here. It is gone! You are not here for your reality, but for theirs. If you

are too blind to see that, then you are unfit to control them at all!"

"You destroyed my tower. I was going to let you get away with it too, but now you have

made me angry. From you I shall take humanity and crush all control you possess over

them and from that ally of yours I will take that precious insect and have it squashed under

my feet!"

"That is where you are wrong, Arth. Don't you remember, you have no feet."

A devilish laugh ends the dream and Archil wakes up at a table at a tavern in Southbank.

"Good evening, Archil!" Xandrian says merrily as he takes a drink out of his pint. "Was our

journey too much for your little city self to bare. I thought we might as well toss you

outside, but Gilbert would not have it."

"Since when..." Archil starts.

"You fell asleep the moment we entered." Gilbert says, handing Archil a drink. "I was

worried for a second, sir. The moment we stepped in you fell face first onto the floor. I had

to ask mister Xandrien to carry you to our table."

Archil slowly becomes aware of a bruise on his face. Little by little the pain increases as

Archil awakens more.

"I saw the fake god again." Archil says. "He was speaking with Arthfael. According to the

fake god, it was Arthfael that called upon the dragon. He lured Laeth here. Arthfael even

admitted as much. Also, Arthfael appaers to want to kill all humans to get back at the fake

god. We must be careful, for I am sure we are high on his death list."

"He has tried to kill you on several occasions." Xandrien says. "Gilbert told me about your

perils. Not once has that blasted god managed to harm the two of you."

"He did manage to kill Lyston." Archil says. "Do not forget that. Even if you would be

unable to harm us, it would be unwise for you to drop your guard. You are not yet included

in the Untouchability Rule."

Xandrien turns noticeably paler.

"Point taken." He says.

"Let's have a look around the village." Archil says. "It would be nice to see some friendly

faces on the market."

Archil finishes his drink and leads Gilbert and Xandrien outside. In the east a dark cloud

rises. It worries Archil little and he thinks of it no more.

The village is incredibly small. The tavern is located on the northern side on the road that

passes the village. Behind it are a few residential buildings surrounding the market. The

market sells little as there is no gain in selling luxury items. You can only buy fist and

vegetables. It does seem like a lot of the stalls are empty.

"Is the market always this desolate?" Archil asks a tall man selling fish.

"A lot of farmers have no ware left to sell." He says. "Some of them are even dead! Those

Goblins are eating this town bit by bit. Luckily for us we have Hansel. He is probably the

only person here who wields a sword properly. If not for him there would be no more

village. If you see him you should speak with him. I think you two will have a lot in

common."

Archil starts walking away as Gilbert approaches the man and buys some fish. Past the

last row of houses, Archil can see a small dock with three or four ships anchored around it.

The day is calm so there are but few waves. A gentle breeze fills the air. The breeze

comes from the east. From the dark cloud they saw earlier. As the smell of ash fills the air,

Archil comes to a horrifying conclusion.

They say that the fire of a Dragon can burn even the strongest of fortresses. Even the

book 'Creatures of Wonder' described them as being small, but capable of burning down a

city. A full size dragon is capable of creating a sea of hellfire that no animal or human can

live through. Even the mystical Atricarians have their immortality ended by the flame from

a dragon's bowel.

Archil now realises what they had done. An angry dragon is not easily calmed. It is bound

to seek revenge. They had left Grimsby in the hopes of being joined by allies to fight the

coming war. Instead they left it without hope for any of those people to draw another

breath. Hellfire must have fallen over Grimsby. The angry Dragon must have lashed out.

Archil runs back onto the marketplace. Everyone has gathered around a woman with a

child in her arms. The child is little more than a charred pile of bones. The woman is

completely covered in ash. She is crying. Burn marks cover her arms and legs and her

clothes are burned and smouldering. Next to the woman rests a horse with a wagon

behind it. On the horse hanging in the saddle is the burned skeleton of a man. Only his

lower legs are still mostly intact. On them are iron plates worn by the guards of Grimsby.

The horse seems to be charred and covered with ash, but somehow it is fairly healthy.

The crying woman sees Archil as he enters the inner circle of the crowd. She stretches her

arm out to him. This clearly brings her great pain and she quickly pulls it back. This again

hurts and she is left writhing in pain.

Archil slowly bows down too the woman. She is the same one that tried to kill Xandrian in

the streets.

"Was it a Dragon that brought you this fate?" Archil asks softly.

She nods. Archil slowly rises.

"A Dragon has burned down the town of Grimsby!" Archil says loudly. This causes the

crowd to go into an uproar. Some flee to their houses, others protest in disbelief. Few are

angry with the fate of Grimsby, few seek to avenge their loss.

"We ride to kill this beast and to prevent any further damage. Those of you who want to

follow us, meet us at sunrise in front of the tavern. Bring extra horses if you can. In order to

protect what we hold dear and to avenge what was, lost we will triumph over the Dragon!"

Even fewer people react to Archil's call, but a young man with a slim sword steps forward.

From the look in his eyes, Archil knows he will be there tomorrow.

The morning shows the village still standing. No Dragon has swept through and burned

everything. No great roar pierced the skies at night. The group that did show up in the

morning was a total of three townspeople. Among them was the young man with the slim

sword.

After a few moments Gilbert comes running with a bunch of harpoons he got from the

fishermen too cowardly to fight the monster.

One of the men, the tall man from the market, has eight horses with him.

"How does one possess eight horses in a backwater like this?" Archil asks him.

"I don't." The tall man states. "They were here before me. Some of the townspeople must

have lent us these."

"They might not be able to fight." The young man says. "But they won't let us go without

the proper amount of supplies."

"You must be Hansel, correct?" Archil says.

"Yes, that's me." Hansel says surprised.

"The only man in the village capable of wielding a sword to fend of the Goblin hordes."

Archil says. He points at Hansel's sword. "You won't be needing that. Gilbert there is

holding our weapons. I will not risk any of us getting within sword range. It is simple put not

worth attempting to scratch its hide."

"You speak as if you are familiar with Dragons." Hansel says. "How much can a nobleman

from the city know about Dragons."

"It is not the first time I face this beast." Archil says. "We fended it off before. I saw Goblins

hammer its skin with their weapons and not causing a scratch. Goblin strength does

surpass a humans. You should know this."

"How long have you been out of the city, noble?" Hansel continues. "Days? What has the

city done to help any of us beyond their walls. We get eaten by Goblins while you cower

behind your walls waiting for the food we provide."

"A corruption has taken hold of the city." Archil says. "Those gods you pray too are at war

with the one I serve. A god that will stand for the human rights. One that does not wish for

us to be pawns. Arthfael plays with our lives. Have you not realised this yet? The city is

under his control. That is the reason I am here. The fake god is who I pray to and the fake

god is the one I serve. I suggest you do the same for we are about to face a demon

summoned by Arthfael himself."

Hansel is left fairly confused. He has never questioned his belief in Arthfael before and yet

this man seems confident that it was Arthfael, the god that shaped this land, that cursed

Grimsby with their fate.

"Do all of you understand what we fight for now. If you are still with me, then follow me. It is

to Grimsby we travel."

As the six men travelled to Grimsby the smell of ash and smoke intensifies. Smoke still

rises from the ruins.

Grimsby is no more. All that stands now is a field of blackened ash. Trenches of crusted

ash mark the places the Dragon struck directly with his flames. The outlines of buildings

are only shown by larger piles of ash, there where once stood walls. Charred bones,

separated from their skeleton, are dotted around randomly. Not a single living thing can be

observed, but for the trees in the distance. Worse than the sight was the smell. Xandrien

explained how Dragons react two chemicals to cause the fire. The smell that lingered after

this reaction was pure death. Archil and the others knew from the moment they smelled it

that if one stays in its presence for too long that one will surely perish. A truly horrid sight. A

sight that fuels the greatest of nightmares and the worst of fears. Dragon fire only brings

death. A normal fire would fertilise the land. Dragon fire simply corrupts, defiles and

destroys. Nothing will live here for the decades to come. A desert of ash between trees.

Trees that will in time also fall to the corruption that Dragon fire brings.

"We better move on, sir." Gilbert says. "Xandrien says that the broken trees to the north

indicate the direction the Dragon left in. It is our best clue."

"Why would a god want to cause devastation like this?" Archil asks. "How can anyone

allow it for any living creature to suffer this horrid fate."

"I would not know, sir." Gilbert says. "Maybe, in some other realm, it is humans that cause

destruction like this. I am sure it is not above us."

"It should be, Gilbert... It should be."

"You guys coming, or would you rather choke on this god awful air?" Xandrien says,

smiling. "Let's go hunt ourselves a Dragon."

"Yes." Archil mumbles. "Let's go hunt a Dragon."

Archil walks back to the horses and mounts his horse. The horses are incredibly nervous

and they almost had to be dragged here. They seem to naturally want to flee from this

smell. Archil doesn't blame them.

They rode for an hour before the forest became denser. After that they lost all perception

of time. They assumed they stopped after three hours of searching the dense forests while

they had only been searching for a mere hour. Time slows down when one is busy and

consuming energy.

They decide to rest for lunch. Archil walks up to the third man that joined their quest. The

man seems fairly reserved judging from the hood pulled low over his face.

"So..." Archil says. "What would your name be?"

The man remains quiet. He just sits there, eating the salted fish Gilbert passed around.

"How rude of me." Archil says. "How can I be expected to be given someones name

without first giving my own. I am Archil of the city of Oliron."

"I know who you are..." The man says suddenly in a deep voice. There is something odd

about the voice, as if it were forcibly changed to sound different and yet it sounds strangely

familiar to Archil. "The question is... do you know who I am?"

"Seeing as you know me by name." Archil starts. "That means that you must be from the

city, since I know barely anyone from the country."

Archil notices a strand of brown hair flow out from underneath the mantel. Hair he knew

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

could only belong to one family from the city. Most people had a very light shade of hair

and some people had black hair. On rare occasions and mainly in the Allard family

someone would have red hair. The only ones Archil knew to have brown hair... were the

Laytons.

"Steven then?" Archil asks.

"Correct." The man says folding back his mantel to show the face of the Layton

representative that was seated next to Archil. "I told you not to throw your life away for

me."

"I didn't." Archil admits. "Master Jardine, my father, was murdered after the vote. After that

I met the fake god. He lead me here."

"I see..." Steven says. "I am sorry for your loss."

"Well, I am not." Archil says. "My father turned out to not have been dead after all. It was

all a trick planned by Maxwell and Arthfael to seize control over Oliron. They share the

power now no doubt. My father as their willing pawn in this eternal game of chess they

play."

"He is alive then?" Steven asks, confused. "But you said?"

"It was a setup, Steven." Archil says. "A horrifically gruesome one as well. A skinless

skeleton in the middle of his room, blood all over the walls. He is not dead, even though I

wish he was. He betrayed not only me, but himself as well."

"I will leave you with your meal then, Steven." Archil says. "Good seeing you again."

Archil walks over to Hansel and takes a seat next to him. Gilbert passes him a fish and he

begins to eat. The tall man from the market is examining the harpoons they will be using

later today.

"Why does a boy as young as you want to proof himself by slaying a Dragon?" Archil asks.

"Why does a stranger from the city come to our village and concern himself with a matter

such as this?" Hansel answers coldly.

"Maybe said stranger feels indebted to the villages for feeding him?" Archil answers. "Or

maybe he just likes to help? What do you think?"

"I think you are more selfish than that." Hansel states.

"Well done." Archil says. "You see, I feel responsible for that Dragon burning down

Grimsby. Even though it was not me who summoned the Dragon it is still me the Dragon is

supposed to kill."

"So you do bring misery and despair from the city." Hansel concludes.

"Quite the opposite in fact!" Archil says. "I bring hope to you farmer and fishers."

"Hope?" Hansel says. "Hope? What do you mean hope. Did that valley of ash look like

hope to you? What would you bring us hope for?"

Hope for change, boy!" Archil says, copying the commanding tone Lyston used to use. "I

bring hope for a world were a boy of your age is not defending a village from hordes of

Goblins out to eat every living thing! I bring with me a change of believe so drastic that it

will shatter the foundations of our government and have it be born anew. Where man rules

out of freedom. That is the world I dream of, Hansel. One you can help me build. So let me

asks again; why does a boy like you wish to fight a Dragon?"

"Fine then." Hansel says, reluctantly. "Since you insist. My parents were eaten around a

year ago, when the village was first invaded by Goblins. Many townsfolk died that day, but

some managed to lock themselves up indoors and waited for the raid to pass. At sundown

they attacked. At sunrise they left. My father was busy with repairs on the roof. When the

Goblins struck he was stuck up there until a unlucky hit with a stone knocked him off. I

could hear his screaming as my neighbour was blocking the door, yelling at me not to

listen. When I saw my father in the morning I was horrified. His chest was ripped open and

his innards were eaten. What they did to my mother was far worse. She was helping the

market close at the time. We never did find her remains in between all the bits and pieces

of the other villagers. Most kids survived, but few adults were spared. I was broken and

lost, until one day an old man passed through town. He saw the empty look in my face. He

asked me if I wanted to learn how to protect not only myself, but also those around me. He

gave my life new meaning. He said that I should help and deal with any threat to the

village as it came along. Now I am here. That enough story for you?"

Archil, who had been obsessed with his way too salty fish, turned his attention back to

Hansel.

"Yes and I'm sorry for your loss." He said. "Thank you for sharing that with me. I

like to know why those who follow me fight. Did that old my have a torn cape

that flowed in the wind by any chance?"

"No." Hansel said. "He did however have a humming noise follow him everywhere he

went. People called him cursed, but he didn't look cursed to me. Just old."

Archil is stunned. Lyston came to Southbank before and thought this boy how to fight?

"Interesting." Archil finally says. "I also knew a man who continuously hummed..." Archil

gets up. "See you in a minute, Hansel."

The tall man is still stood next to the harpoons. He seems concerned. Archil doesn't blame

him. Killing a Dragon with those does seem unlikely. The only reason Archil would even

think of it is because it was Archil himself who is the cause for the Dragon. On top of that,

the only reason Axsel would show Archil the vision from earlier would be to notify him of

Arthfael's involvement. This lead Archil to the conclusion that he is tasked to kill the

Dragon.

"Good afternoon." Archil says walking over to the tall man. "How are they looking?"

"Rusty, splintering, I don't know how we plan to fight it with these weapons." The tall man

says. "It just seems hopeless."

"Then why did you join us?" Archil asks.

"I have a feeling that you are no ordinary man." The tall man says. "The way you talk about

gods and all. I figured you would need someone to go tell the people how the mighty beast

was slain. My name is Nicolas, Nicolas Warde."

"I'm Archil Jardine." Archil says. "I must say, I did not expect you to have a last name."

"My family used to live in the city." Nicolas says. "We decided to leave for some reason at

one point. The last few of our generations have been simple tradesmen."

"Can you write?" Archil asks. "We surely could use someone to document our adventures

and such."

"Yes, I can." Nicolas says. "It is a most useful skill in the business of trading."

Suddenly Xandrien walks up to Archil.

"We are leaving." He says. "The Dragon must be near."

"Well, mister Warde, it has been a pleasure." Archil says.

"Likewise." Nicolas answers.

They climb back onto their horses and prepare to leave.

"The trees are too thick up ahead, sir." Gilbert says, walking out of the bushes. "We can't

take the horses much further. It would be best to leave them here."

"No, Gilbert, after we fight the Dragon it is important to have the horses nearby." Archil

says. "We ride until we can go no further."

"Yes, sir." Gilbert says.

Not long after they leave their resting stop they already hit a near solid wall of bark. They

are almost at the heart of the forest.

"Can the Dragon truly have gone here?" Hansel asks. "These trees would not leave

enough room right?"

"Don't you smell that, Hansel?" Xandrien asks. "That smells like pure death to me. We are

going the right way."

The smell from Grimsby was returning now, but shaper and more aggressive. They decide

to leave the horses and walk into the enclosed part of the forest. It is not long before they

walk into a rotten desolate clearing. In the middle lies the Dragon, sleeping. Smashed

trees are dotted around the clearing, but most trees have simply collapsed under their own

weight after the poison from the Dragon reached them. An occasional burst of fire erupts

out of the Dragons mouth. Its bright red scales glisten and glow as the fire lights them. The

sun reflects brilliantly off of its hide. A blood red hue shines on the clearing adding to the

nightmarish effect. If this matter is not resolved before sundown they would surely lose.

Archil knows this and is quickly proceeding. They have about ten minutes before the sun

would sink below the trees another five before complete darkness arrives.

"We have around ten minutes before we loose the light." Archil says. "We are best off if we

make this quick!"

They rush over to the dragon, while trying to avoid to run over small pieces of wood and

other noisy objects. Nicolas stays near the trees so he might report on their result. They

manage to somehow cross the clearing with the Dragon still noisily asleep. Hansel and

Steven rush over to just below the Dragons head. Archil, Gilbert and Xandrien gather at its

stomach. Everyone has his own harpoon to try and wound or even kill the Dragon.

"We must be careful now." Archil whispers. "One wrong move and we are all dead."

He waves and Hansel who waves back and gets ready to launch his harpoon into the

beast's neck together with Steven. Archil and Gilbert do the same. Xandrien has his own

harpoon ready to stab at the heart.

Hansel drives his harpoon straight onto the scales of the Dragon. A loud crack follow the

breaking of the harpoon. Archil and Gilbert launch theirs as well, but the Dragon is already

in full motion. In one move he arches back his head and swings it forward, completely

devouring Hansel. Next it flaps its wings knocking everyone down.

Gilbert quickly gets back on his feet. He instantly grabs Archil and tosses both of them to

the side as one of the Dragons feet land where they were standing. A huge tail passes

overhead barely missing both men. Xandrien lies dizzy on a stump of some rotten tree,

knocked back by the gust of wind. Steven is in front of the Dragon now. He throws his

harpoon right at it, but it simply breaks.

"You think you can blemish my scales!" Laeth roars. "Die, humans!"

Laeth opens its mouth wide and spews a colourless liquid straight into Steven's face. He

instantly collapses rolling over the ground in agony. His eyes red and bloodshot.

"Breath your last breath, human." Laeth says. It opens its mouth a second time. This time

a yellowish liquid pours onto Steven. Before it hits him, Archil launches an attack driving

his harpoon into Laeth's stomach. The effect is the same as all the rest. Steven is now hit

by the yellow liquid. Upon contact with the colourless substance it catches fire. Steven is

screaming. His flesh is slowly melting and falling of of his face.

"A nightmare of realism opens before you, human." Laeth says.

Suddenly Steven explodes into a great ball of fire, just as his screaming begins to die

down. Steven is no more.

Archil still near Laeth after his attempted assault is moving back towards Gilbert. There is

just no hope in beating this thing. Every attack simply bounces off.

His thoughts are interrupted by Laeth hitting him full in the chest with its tail. Archil flies

across the field into a tree to the east of the field. Nicolas is still stood at the south.

Gilbert is making his way towards Archil yelling something inaudibly. Laeth still thrashes

around behind him, still looking for humans to crush. None of this matters to Archil though.

The world is just a haze combined with muffled sounds and flashing lights. Nothing makes

sense anymore. Nothing matters anymore. Their is just the pain. A pain that filled his entire

back. A pain that would not leave his dazed mind alone.

Vision slowly returns to Archil. The pain still remains, but at least Archil can now see.

Gilbert is almost here, but Laeth is chasing him. Both of them would die here on this

desolate field.

"I'm... sorry... Gilbert." Archil says slowly. "All... m... my fault."

"Don't talk." Gilbert says. "Everything will be just fine!"

Archil looks Gilbert in the eyes and what he sees there is utter believe and trust. Trust in

their chances of survival. Laeth now looms over the both of them.

"Ready to die, humans?" Laeth says.

"Don't... know." Archil says to Laeth. "Are you?"

Laeth laughs loudly, causing the ground to shake.

"Die? Me?" He yells. "You are the one that is beaten, human!"

Xandrien slowly climbs to his feet. Something important. There is something important he

is missing. He can't quite think of it until a great laughter fills the air and does the ground

shake. The Dragon... How could he forget the Dragon. He grabs his harpoon from the

ground. The Dragon is stood over both Gilbert and Archil. Archil seems to be heavily

wounded and speaking with the Dragon while Gilbert tends to his wounds. They won't last

much longer, Xandrien realises.

Laeth lowers his head, ready to finish both men with a single bite.

"Hey!" Xandrien screams. "You big fat worthless amphibian!"

Laeth instantly turns around already moving towards the source of the insult.

"What did you call..." Laeth screams.

In one move Xandrien launches his harpoon through the air pouring all the magic he could

bare into its speed. It blasted off at the Dragon a loud explosion noise occurs and lightning

arcs from Xandrien into the harpoon which flies through Laeth's eye straight into the back

of its skull. A loud roar follows as Laeth writhes and eventually falls down. A cloud of

corrupted dust fills the air.

Xandrien rushes over to Archil and Gilbert.

"He has passed out!" Gilbert yells. "We need to get him back to Southbank. Fast!"