Beginning of Passage 2

As Corleos carried The Dragon Tamer on his back towards the island, the sky suddenly turned a fiery red, and the sound of beating wings filled the air. The Molten Marauder had returned, its white feathered wings glinting in the sunlight as it landed at the center of town.

Corleos carefully descended to the shore, setting The Dragon Tamer down on the short stretch of sand. They were alone. All the townspeople had gathered at the town square. Despite the fear that gripped the island, The Dragon Tamer stood firm, ready to face whatever lay ahead. He knew that the fate of Hartsera rested on his shoulders, and that he would do everything in his power to protect it from the Molten Marauder's wrath.

"Unfortunately, I do not have the strength to go with you. You must go on your own," Corleos said.

"That's fine. I wasn't planning on any help for this. Thank you for getting me here quickly." The Dragon Tamer turned around and jogged towards the town center, two miles away.

The Molten Marauder stood at the center of the paved town square, surrounded by the townsfolk and buildings. "Greetings," he boomed, his voice carrying the weight of the heavens. "As promised, I have bestowed upon thee the gift of time. The choice before thee is twofold: to kneel before The Manticore and acknowledge its divine rule, or to resist and meet thy demise at the hands of my own might, guided by the power of The Manticore. I implore thee to weigh thy decision wisely.”

Mutterings broke out between the townsfolk. None of them wanted to kneel before The Manticore.

"How much different will life be under rule of The Manticore?" a mage asked in the crowd.

"Thy current way of life shall not be greatly altered. Nevertheless, The Manticore doth demand tribute of precious treasures and provisions. Yes, he expects obedience from all, and shall decree laws to suit his fancies. I have herein a list of his mandates, which he desires to enforce without delay. Foremost among them, the prohibition of Mead shall be decreed."

All of the adults gasped. Even the children couldn't believe their ears.

"Go forth!" The constable interrupted.

The Molten Marauder, surprised.

With a fierce battle cry, a dozen Glaciens and a dozen Aquasos hurtled towards the Molten Marauder, their bodies a blur of motion as they charged their elemental attacks. As they unleashed their beams of ice and water, the Molten Marauder brandished its gleaming obsidian sword with deadly grace, swatting each attack away with uncanny ease.

“Does thou understand the magnitude of my force now?"

The mages stood frozen, their expressions a mix of shock and fear as they witnessed the Molten Marauder's seemingly effortless deflection of their onslaught. But their hesitation was fleeting, and they soon rallied to launch another furious assault. Yet, the Molten Marauder remained unfazed. With a swift, fluid motion, it plunged its obsidian sword deep into the ground, sending a shockwave through the earth. The ground beneath the mages' feet split open, a gaping maw of darkness and flame devoured them whole. Screams echoed through the air as they plummeted into the abyss.

"Cease thy pitiful efforts. 'Twould be in thy best interest to heed The Manticore's bidding. Behold, I shall count to ten, and those who refuse to kneel shall meet their doom. The Manticore allows no traitors, and its wrath shall be swift."

The townspeople gasped, and bickering broke out among them. They were torn. Obviously, they didn't appear to have a chance against the Molten Marauder, but they didn't want to change their lifestyles for a different entity. It wasn't in their blood to give in. They had already quarreled with gargoyles, and they had quarreled amongst themselves, the Fyrons versus the Glaciens. Fyrons, Voltruns, and Venomaus had fought the Aquasos, Glaciens, and Winderons. War wasn't unfamiliar to them, but they knew it was nothing they ever wanted again.

But it appeared they didn't have a choice.

Although the constable worried it would come down to this. He had a plan for all the mages to storm after the Molten Marauder and try to outnumber him, but they worried how fruitful that would even be.

"10!" The Molten Marauder yelled.

Everyone in the town could hear his booming, baritone voice.

"9!"

People hesitated.

Would they kneel, or would they try one last ditch effort?

"8!"

Perhaps if they stood tall, they wouldn't all die, they thought.

"7!"

Panic made hearts accelerate.

"6!"

Parents realized if they wanted to protect their children, they should tell them to kneel now.

"5!"

And the parents clutched their children and made them kneel as they also kneeled.

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"4!"

Everyone else noticed that half the people in the town square had kneeled, but the other half stood still.

"3!"

The people who didn't kneel didn't have children to look after. They had to decide before it was––

"2!"

Thousands of people stood tall with their backs straight, and they looked at each other, nodding in solidarity.

"1!"

Thousands of the townspeople kept their posture. None of them knelt down.

The Molten Marauder heaved a tremendous sigh. "The Manticore seeks no further bloodshed, yet it cannot abide insolence. 'Twas with mercy that it deigned to warn thee, yet now, thou hast left no choice. Though thou mayst yet humble thyself and kneel before its might, know this: the slaughter that ensues shall leave none standing in its wake. So it has been decreed, and so shall it come to pass."

The people left standing shouted and decided to follow the plan the constable had prepared. Strength in numbers, they thought. All of the standing mages charged forward. They shouted as they charged their elemental attacks, and they unleashed them as they all got closer to the Molten Marauder.

But the Molten Marauder swung his sword in a rapid circle, faster than any mage could move, and he had killed a dozen people.

The crowd around him gasped and scurried a few steps back.

"Now, will thou kneel before The Manticore?" The Molten Marauder asked.

The mages took a second to think.

Further back in the crowd, some decided to kneel, but another mage shouted, "Better in the grave than to be a slave!" and charged forward.

The Molten Marauder swung its sword and again killed another group of people.

"I tire of this charade. 'Twould be wise for thee and thy kin to surrender. Thy foolishness draws yet more wrath upon thy heads. Know this: to battle us is to court destruction, and we have no patience for the reckless waste of our time and strength."

"Everyone! Stand back and run away! I'm going to try and take him on myself!" the constable yelled. He couldn't help but feel responsible for leading the other charges and inspiring the mages to attack.

"Verily, thou art a fool who courts death with open arms. Yet so be it, for we shall grant thy wish with swiftness and grace. Know this: thou hast faced thy doom at the hands of powers far beyond thy ken, and thy fate is sealed by thine own hubris,” The Molten Marauder said as it raised its sword to the highest point and leaped toward the constable.

As the Molten Marauder brought down its sword to slice the constable, a binding restraint clutched its wrist. The Molten Marauder couldn't bring down its sword no matter how hard it tried. He looked up, confused. It looked like a snake had gripped his wrist and was pulling him back, but as he followed the tail, he saw a whip being held by someone of the same height as him, wearing a spiked helmet radiating a golden light.

The Molten Marauder had no words.

“You shall harm no more innocents, foul beast. Behold me, for I shall be the focus of your existence henceforth,” The Dragon Tamer said.

The townspeople gawked at The Dragon Tamer.

Had a miraculous hero come down to stop The Manticore and the Molten Marauder?

It was too good to be true.

But yes, The Dragon Tamer had restrained the Molten Marauder from another senseless killing, and it yanked the Molten Marauder's hand. The whip choked out the Molten Marauder's wrist, dropping the heavy obsidian sword to the ground. Clanging and echoing upon impact.

The crowd cheered and applauded the efforts of The Dragon Tamer. A mage tried to run and take the Molten Marauder's sword away from him, but it was too heavy to move for one person.

The Molten Marauder took its other hand and gripped the whip, yanking it inwards, forcing The Dragon Tamer to slide closer.

They stared at each other. Both of them paid no attention to the crowd, but many people tried to take advantage of this by charging their most potent elemental attack and releasing it, striking the Molten Marauder and knocking him to the ground.

The townspeople cheered, and the families who had taken a knee stood proudly and clapped for the others.

Recoiling the whip, The Dragon Tamer approached the Molten Marauder and held out his hand, so no one would approach.

The Molten Marauder leaped to his feet and glared at The Dragon Tamer. Smoke plumed out of his nostrils as he exhaled, and a few lava chunks fell from his face.

"This battle is far from over. Thou didst not claim victory by thy strength or valor, but by deceit and ambush. Know this, the tides of fate shall yet turn against thee, and in time, thou shalt face the full fury of my wrath. Prepare thyself, for the reckoning cometh swiftly."

"I hear a lot of blame being cast towards me but no acceptance of responsibility," The Dragon Tamer said. "I'll let you pick up your sword, and we can have a fair fight right here."

"You struck me first without my knowledge. I don't even know who you are."

"The Dragon Tamer. And now we have met."

The Molten Marauder shook his head.

"You want me to hand you your sword, and then we can fight one on one? Or are you afraid to battle someone with similar strength as you?"

Without saying a word, the Molten Marauder marched to its sword and picked it up, pointing the tip of the blade at The Dragon Tamer as he stood a couple yards away.

The audience gazed with amazement. The Dragon Tamer was taller than 7 ft, nearly the same height as the Molten Marauder. They appeared as gods to the people, and little did they know they were right.

"What do you say? A fair fight? A countdown, and then we can battle. If I win, you're most likely dead, but if you're not, you may surrender and leave. But if you're alive and I'm the one who's done for, then you and The Manticore can try and take over this island."

The Molten Marauder sneered and extended its wings and pulled them up to throw a gust down towards the ground and take off, but The Dragon Tamer masterfully aimed the whip and launched it at the Molten Marauder's head. Wrapping around his neck like a lightning strike, The Dragon Tamer had caught the Molten Marauder. He jerked back his whip, tossing the Molten Marauder to the ground. The earth shook, and the whole town of Hartsera pointed and laughed.

Flicking back his wrist, The Dragon Tamer returned the whip, and the Molten Marauder shouted. His deep bellow rumbled the nearby buildings. The Molten Marauder stood back up while The Dragon Tamer grinned.

"You sure you don't want to fight me?" The Dragon Tamer asked.

"This is hardly fair. The crowd supports thou. We deserve a neutral site." The Molten Marauder expanded his wings. He jumped off quicker than he did last time and flew as far as he could away from Hartsera and back to the underground caverns where The Manticore lived.

The townspeople of Hartsera clapped, cheered, and showered The Dragon Tamer with flowers and appreciation.

"Sir, you go by Dragon Tamer, yes?" the constable asked.

The Dragon Tamer nodded.

"What would you say if we offered you a leadership position to preside over our town?"

The Dragon Tamer shook his head. "I have no interest in a position for your city. I only wish to protect the world from the corruption of The Manticore."

The Dragon Tamer returned to the beach and found Corleos waiting for him in shallow water.

"I witnessed everything that happened. Well done, Dragon Tamer, well done," Corleos said.

"Take me back to The Gargantuan. My work here is done for now."

Corleos nodded and crawled out of the water, The Dragon Tamer jumped on his back, and they flew off back to the mountain where The Gargantuan lived.

It wouldn't be the last time The Dragon Tamer would have a run-in with the Molten Marauder. This was only the beginning of their rivalry.

End of Passage 2.