Dragon Realm
Episode 7's
There was no sign of the Dragon Monarch's mount. It seemed to disappear a short while after the death of its owner. Cabe's own mount was still where he left it. He went up and considered his next action.
He could not return to his village. It's gonna kill itself. Where then? Zuu Town? No, Zuu was too controlled by the Green Dragon and too close to the Barren Land. Although the ruler of the Dagora Forest rarely interfered, it was too much of a chance to take.
A penacle? The Gryphon rules there. He had taken over the City of Knowledge after the death of the Purple Dragon. Most claim it gets better. Everyone knew that the Gryphon was the enemy of the Dragon Monarch.
That'sthat's all. That meant an extra few days, but it was the only safe place for him to travel. If he survives the trip.
He looked one last time at the form on the ground. A strange shimmering trunk protrudes from the back. Somewhere, there seems to be an ally, but where? Nervously, he looked around and then drove at full speed.
HOURS PASSED.
Riders come. They seem to be without substance, only the shadow of a human. Yet they bore a resemblance to the Dragon Monarch lying at the foot of their mount. They stopped, unsure of what action to take. Finally, one person came down and touched the body. He recorded clear injuries, but saw no signs of projectiles. Carefully, he turned around that limp body. When he saw the face wearing a helmet, there was a mutter from the group, which consisted of five people.
Two more riders got off and helped the first one. The body is placed with one of the mounted horsemen. When that was done, the others reassembled their own animals.
The riders turned around and left at full speed. They don't move in the direction from which they're coming. Instead, they were now facing north. There was fear in their movements. It was so rare in their kind that it became much more visible.
On top of them, two months went on, unaware of human and inhumane occurrences. However, beneath them, where the Dragon Monarch had fallen, a few small strands of daring grass had been lifted.
They were soon followed by others of their kind.
I'M ME I'M
WITH THE BLACK sword clanging at his feet, Cabe drove through the wilderness. The Barren Land had long since turned into a grassy plain, which immediately turned into a forest. However, he was not fooled by the beauty around him. Wyverns often made such trails as their hunting grounds. Even though the little dragons only had a little intelligence compared to the King, they were still more than cunning enough to deceive a man.
The sun was shining brightly above the head. According to Cabe's estimates, he's almost halfway to Penacles. That he had not encountered any obstacles so far had sped up the journey, but he was sure his luck would not last.
The basilisk rose in front of him. Such a creature has a keen sense of hearing, because to make its presence unknown, the basilisk must close its eyes or it will leave a large pile of statues wherever it goes.
Cabe saw the creature right before he tried to see it. The horse was not that lucky; even as Cabe jumped, the basilisk saw him. The stone beast flipped over and fell to the ground, almost catching its rider as it rolled over.
Turning into the surrounding forest, Cabe struggled to pull out the sword. Somewhere on the side, he could hear the basilisk moving slowly in its general direction. Giving up on the weapon for a moment, he picked up a piece of wood and threw it as far as he could in the other direction. There is a pause and then the sound of the basilisk pushing through the bushes towards the noise.
Pulling his sword free, Cabe walked back to the path. Moving through the forest will alert the creature. The trail, though it will keep it open, promises better pace and a quieter pace.
He could hear the basilisk looking for him in the area. With any luck, the monster would continue to stay away. If no…
Cabe didn't care to finish such a thought.
The trail is soft. That nice. Cabe walked calmly, his sword ready. He doubted that he would have many chances if he went head-to-head with the basilisk, but that still made him feel a little better. He stepped over the frozen form of a horse. Losing it would make his trip three times longer.
The sound of a collision erupted from the forest behind him. Cabe ripped in the street dead. His only chance—and he knows it's so thin—is beating the creature. Judging from the sound that was getting closer, even slim seemed to be overestimating his chances.
He tripped. His sword almost slipped out of his grasp, but he somehow survived. Treading on the basilisk was so loud that the monster almost approached him. Completely reflexively, Cabe turned to face the lizard, not realizing how stupid it was for the other man.
The basilisk leaped in front of him and stared.
Cabe's first reaction was his shock at not turning into stone. Its shock was mirrored by the basilisk; it had never failed to freeze its victims before. The beast stood still on the rock, almost as if it had been petrified like its countless victims.
The basilisk turned around and fled.
Seeing the beast blur, Cabe heaved a sigh of relief. Now that it was done, his body felt like a piece of crushed fruit. Fear, however, warns him not to stand admiring his luck; other, bolder beasts may come.
Slowly, he went down the path. It was always possible that he might find a village on his route, but that possibility was quite contrary to him. The land around here is known to be quite uninhabited, at least by humans.
He was still pondering the implications of his immunity to the basilisk when he saw the hooded figure. It sat near the side of the path, a horse grazing next to it. The traveler did not seem to be too afraid of the forest creatures. Cabe recognized the figure and knew the reason.
The witch's blurred face smiled—or seemed to smile—to her. Cabe stopped, his sword pointing in the general direction of that shadow form.
"Greetings, Cabe Bedlam."
“You're the one in the store, aren't you? The man who calls himself Simon.”
The necromancer nodded. "Yes. I see you've been traveling since the last time we met. ”
"traveled? I was almost killed by one of the Dragon Kings, only someone killed him first!”
"So I've heard."
"He'll use this!" Cabe raised the black sword.
Simon frowned. “The knife was damned three times. If things were the opposite, I'd tell you to throw it away and get rid of it. Unfortunately, it may be the only thing between you and death . that is, until your power manifests itself correctly.
“Transformed correctly?”
“As in the stall. You remember your fight with ogre.”
Cabe's eyes widened. “That's me?”
That half-shadow face was probably slightly smiling. “You let yourself go. When power was released like that, it could attack with potential. ”
The hood shifted partly to the back. Cabe caught a glimpse of the silver outline in someone else's hair. Unknowingly, he touched his own hair.
Simon nodded. “Yes, silver has spread. My confrontation with you was the catalyst. Witches always react to other witches. Brown, the Dragon Monarch who sought your death, also contributed, although at that time your true nature was very clear.”
Cabe remembered the words of the reptile king. Now there seems to be no turning back. If everyone is determined to call her a witch, Cabe must learn to use her powers. When he came to this decision, he saw his friend nod again.
“This is the only way left for you. Without you, without your strength, this land would still be under the rule of the Dragon King.”
"How can you?" Such a prospect made Cabe shudder.
“There is in you ... strength, because there is no better word. Great potential. More than most men have ever achieved, even Nathan—and you are untrained, which makes it all the more unusual. That power turned into a skill is what we need. Ever since the Dragon Master, drake had been searching for humans with dangerous potential. You are one of the few that they miss, which is why you are so valuable. Without you, we do not have the strength to withstand a concentrated struggle with the Dragon Monarch.”
“Then why do they never overwhelm us? Why let us grow up to be so dangerous?”
The hooded figure shrugged his shoulders. “Two reasons, maybe. We outnumbered the main drake, who were smart, by a large margin. Even in defeat, we have a chance to turn them towards extinction. Their clan is too small. The second reason is related to the first. Their culture has become too intertwined with ours. We were too efficient in the subject race. We do so much that they no longer care to do it, and we do it because we need to. Why bother what works so well?”