Tales of Fire and Ruin - Chapter 1: Chapter 1

I smelled the copper tang of death before I saw a carcass. The trail of blood on the path started as nothing but a light spotting. A few feet further, it grew into a thick streak of reddish brown which led to the remains of a deer that was missing its body from the waist down. Sharp teeth had cleaved skin, fat, and bone, leaving the animal's entrails oozing freely into the snow. There was no stench of decay in the biting cold, but I still felt the urge to squeeze my nose shut while my guide, Endris, crouched to study the carcass.
"The dragon's nest shouldn't be far now." Endris' braided dark hair slipped around the curve of his shoulder to his back as he turned to look at me. "The tracks are fresh, and the deer died no longer than a few hours ago."
"Ah, good," I said, nudging the half-eaten carcass with my boot. "If I ask the dragon nicely, you think it will make me a fire? I'm freezing."
Endris groaned as he rose to his feet. "We part ways now," he said. "Finally."
"Aw, I'll miss you too, Endris."
I looked up at the steep path ahead of me. It'd lead further up the mountains and to a dragon's nest, where I would have to face the beast alone. Such were the rules. Man versus dragon, with no interruptions and no help. Endris was only here to act as my guide through the mountain passages.
The Serpentine Mountains could easily be mistaken for a serene place. Ice crystals growing on sheer cliffs sparkled in the sunlight. Pine trees reached higher than the queen's castle to the heavens, and at the summit, one could overlook valleys of green, stretching into the distance as far as the eye could see. Wind whistled along the slopes of looming mountains, eager to engulf trespassers and fling them off the crumbling paths. It was a long way down from here.
For all his moodiness, I was still grateful I took Endris with me. Some refused to 'waste' the coin. Many of those people never returned, or so the innkeeper at the Last Stop had claimed. There was some ulterior motive there, given that she also received a share when she recommended guides like Endris to travellers.
"This is your last chance to change your mind, Laurence," Endris said. "You don't need to do this. You can leave the beast in peace."
I turned to Endris. His dark brown eyes bored into mine, solemn and pleading. "You know, you keep saying that," I said. "But if you don't want people to slay dragons, consider stop guiding them up these mountains and finding them dragons."
Endris sighed. "You're right. I don't believe in these hunts. The beasts never leave this mountain. They keep to themselves, and we should offer them the same courtesy. But lofty morals do not put coin in my pocket. So, if you're certain of this..." Endris pointed at the path up ahead. "The wind is in your favour; it won't be able to smell you coming. You will have one surprise shot if you're quiet."
I tapped my chin. "I don't know, Endris. Being quiet is going to be a challenge."
"Right, I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe you can crack jokes until the dragon loses its will to live."
"Sounds good. I'll do that. Maybe the dragon does like my jokes and it will give me one of its teeth willingly."
Endris shot me a tight-lipped smile. "I know this is all fun to you, but a dragon is not a joke. Be careful and don't be long — I think commander Ytel may try to leave without you. He was muttering about wanting a quiet ride home last time I saw him."
"I'll try not to make the fight drag on. Get it? Drag on?"
"... I hope the dragon eats you." Endris ducked deeper into his leather coat and turned away from me.
"At least it will be warm in there," I joked at his retreating back.
Nerves clawed at my insides, however, as Endris nimbly climbed down and disappeared from sight. I knew he was right. Much as I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to joke or charm my way out of a fight with a dragon.
Before moving on, I checked all my equipment one last time. My quiver was full of arrows made of wood with copper heads to bolster my storm-touched powers. My trusted yew longbow was slung over my shoulder. I had named her Stormbringer.
Satisfied with the state of my arrows and bow, I resumed my climb on the winding road. The higher I went, the more intense the cold became. I grew up in a town near the Thundercoast, but even in stormy weather at sea, I had never felt such biting cold. The wind sawed at my throat. My fingertips, which were not covered by gloves, had long gone numb.
The cold wasn't the only danger one faced in the Serpentine mountains. Aside from the obvious dragons living here, many had told me cautionary tales of scarps and crumbling stone. Brilliant scholars and dragon hunters plummeted to their death before ever reaching a dragon's nest. Poor sods.
I could not let that happen to me. I had to reach the nest, kill a dragon, and be knighted by the queen. It was that, or facing much more dangerous dragons at home; disappointed parents. I'd take my chances with the one in the mountains.
"You carry the hopes and dreams of house Montbow, Laurence," I mockingly imitated my mother's voice. Then I lowered my voice to imitate my father. "You were storm-touched after generations of no magical abilities in our family. Every single moment of your life has been leading up to you shooting that one arrow between the eyes of the dragon. Then you will charm the queen and ask for money for our house. And while you're at it, also fix our old trading contracts, secure your sisters and brothers good marriages, have the Thundercoast rebuilt, jump higher. No pressure, though."
I sighed and walked on. For a while, snow crunching under my boots and the wind was all I heard. Then a deep rumbling blended into the howling. The breathing of a beast, and a testament to its sheer size. I came to an abrupt halt. That would have to be the dragon. My fingers trembled on the grip of my bow as I sneaked further. I drew an arrow from my quiver and stayed low.
I wasn't Endris, who possessed a wealth of knowledge on dragons ( even if I'd never admit he had good traits to his face), but I knew instinctively that I could not face this beast head on. The dragon's fiery breath was its most dangerous weapon, aside from its teeth and tail. If I got caught in its fire before it died, I would be a pile of ash. My eyes darted to the right. There was a natural opening in the rock with a path leading upward.
Deciding to take my chances with more cover, I stepped onto the path. It was dark, but shafts of light slipped through cracks in the stone overhead. Water was running somewhere behind the tunnel, and the ground was slimy. I had to shuffle forward slowly to prevent myself from losing my balance on wet rocks, but my gambit paid off. Light shone from the other side of the tunnel. I sidled forward, back pressed firmly against the bumpy rock wall. Once I reached the edge, I peeked around the corner.
There, I saw it. The dragon.
I sucked in a shuddering breath and held it. I couldn't help but marvel at the sight. The beast was pitch-black, like charcoal in a fireplace, with webbed wings I estimated could stretch as far as the pine trees were tall. Its eyes were closed as it appeared to be sleeping, but its mere presence emanated raw power.
I understood, for a moment, what Endris meant. Part of me didn't want to kill a magnificent creature like this. It deserved to be free and soar through the skies. Unfortunately, like Endris, I couldn't afford to have lofty morals. Morals were reserved for nobles who weren't of an all but decrepit house and on the brink of losing their title and their crumbling estate.
I would have one surprise shot. One chance. Taking a deep breath, I touched the copper tip of my arrow with an ungloved finger and charged it with my storm magic until the copper glowed green. I attached the arrow to my bow and took aim.
Between the eyes. No suffering. Nice and clean.
I breathed in and out and released the arrow.
I realised the direction was off immediately. I'd missed. Shit, shit, the wind. I hadn't accounted for the wind; it was stronger outside of the tunnel where I was standing. Such a foolish mistake.
The arrow swished past the dragon's head and buried in its left wing. A deafening screech echoed through the mountain range and vibrated throughout my entire body. The dragon's emerald eyes settled on me, and my heart stopped.
In a wave of panic, I balled my right hand into a fist and unleashed the magic in the copper head of the arrow. The dragon shrieked in pain as thunder rippled through its flesh. I had torn holes in the membrane of its wing — it would not be able to catch wind. If the dragon couldn't fly, I still stood a chance.
I drew a second arrow, but the dragon didn't give me the chance to take another shot. It opened its mouth. Hot flames burst forth, and I dove into cover, groaning as my elbows caught the brunt of my fall. Even while hidden behind solid rock, I felt the scorching heat of its fiery breath. One touch of that and I'd be cooked like a boar on a spit.
My breathing came shallow and fast as I tried to come up with a new plan. I had relied on finishing the fight with one arrow, maybe two. I wasn't prepared for a long battle, nor did the dragon seem to want a long battle.
Heavy thumping moved my way, and the ground shook as the dragon charged the tunnel and slammed its body against the entrance. I nearly lost my footing. The stone wall crackled dangerously, and I got pelted with dust and small pieces of rock. One more slam like that and I feared the tunnel would collapse on top of me.
"Oh, shit," I swore.
I did not sign up for this. I couldn't stay here — I had to run to the other side and pray the dragon lost my trail. I fought to keep myself from slipping on uneven, wet stone while I made a run for it.
I made it halfway before the ground rocked again, and I fell. A shadow cast overhead, and I realised the dragon had climbed on top of the tunnel trying to pursue me. But the stone could not carry its weight for long. The crackling noise grew louder.
When I looked up, the wall on my left ruptured in front of my eyes. Cursing, I threw myself against the opposite wall, right before the tunnel partially collapsed. Light poured into my face as rock broke off and hurdled down the slope with an ear-splitting noise. The dragon, unable to fly, got swept along in the landslide and disappeared from sight in an enormous cloud of dust. It crashed into the valley below, and then the mountains grew silent again.
The ground under my feet was stable. I slumped down, trying to gain control of my breathing and my drumming heart. The dragon fell down into the frozen valley, but our battle had not ended yet. Not until I confirmed it was dead, and I took its scales and teeth as proof.
"Come on, Laurence," I told myself. "At least you're not cold anymore. And they're counting on you. You are the hopes and dreams of your house."
I grinned despite my dire situation. Saying the words 'hopes and dreams' out loud made me snort every time. I allowed myself one more moment to catch my breath, then forced myself to my feet.
Thankfully, most of the paths Endris and I had taken to travel up were left intact. On trembling legs, going down took an eternity, but eventually I arrived at the foot of the mountains.
Following the destruction the landslide had left was easy. All I needed to do was pursue the trail of snapped pine trees, boulders, and rubble. The trail led all the way to the lake... and there it ended. No more rocks, no more snapped trees, but also no dragon.
All I saw was water, snow, and pines swaying in the wind. I didn't understand. How could the dragon have gotten away? It couldn't fly, and it was too large to move in this dense forest without leaving traces of where it went.
I looked left and right, looking for clues regarding my missing dragon, and that was when I spotted a strange shape near the edge of the water. It almost looked like a... I squinted as I walked closer, and then my eyes grew wide once I realised the form I saw was a young man.
A naked young man laying with his face down and his legs dangling in the water.