A bit of background... So on DeviantArt I'm taking part in a Grand Magic Games-style competition and the first week's challenge was to write a story about Acnologia's Past. This was my submission.
With every battle the soldier faced, with every charge and war-cry and bloody victim, he came away able to smell the sulphur and ash all the more clearly. He began to recognise his companions not only by their names and faces, but also by hearing their breathing, smelling their body odour, feeling their magical energies and sometimes a sensation beyond words. These were his dragon senses, as his fellow soldiers had affectionately named them. While they helped him taste the sweetness of fruit, track pray skilfully through the forests, smell the softness of his wife's hair and see the speckles of light in his children's eyes, they also made moments even more painful.
It was starting to become a familiar sight. The smoke rising in the autumn air. The smell of ash brushing through the wind. The sounds of sobbing, screaming or that awful hollow silence. The faces around him grew grim and taunt as once again the army knew that they had arrived too late. The rumours of the flaming dragon had proven too true with too little time to save lives.
"It grows worse every day," said one rider to another, their footsteps slowing in exhaustion despite their haste to find survivors.
His companion nodded, trying to edge the terrified horses on. "That's the third village this dragon alone has burned down. How are we supposed to fight an entire species of these creatures…?"
The commanders ahead faced forwards, saying nothing. They continued to push their horses' on, gripping their harnesses with white knuckles.
Acnologia could feel his stomach turning. The smell was growing more pungent and he just couldn't fight the nausea like he used to. It felt as if the dragon that had cursed him with their power was using this as one last mockery, giving him the ability to fight against creatures of indescribable forces and unable to hold down his lunch. If ever there was a reason to feel sick, however, it would be the smell of burning flesh.
"We aren't supposed to fight it. The Dragon King is…"
He gripped the reins tighter. While the title had been given in good humour by the royal family themselves, it was little comfort when spoken in terrified whispers. The more days that he saw smoke rising on the horizon, the more he just wanted to return home. But that was something he couldn't even consider until he knew that they were safe, and the world had been freed from this devastation. If they needed a 'Dragon King' to do so, then so be it. He would be their Dragon King.
That, of course, required them to find their dragon. While they continued to search for clues and protect villagers, the creature would only grow further away from them. Luckily or unluckily, there would always be another around the corner. And another, and another, and another…
"Acnologia."
He turned back to the superior officer, realising that he'd once again faded out of focus. The man looked worn, tired, and while these were not unusual looks during the draconic civil war, there was an edge to it that made him sharpen his senses. The man was paler, sweating, eyes flickering to the point just ahead of them, all in ways that only a true Slayer could see and feel. He gestured forwards.
The trees ahead cracked and parted under the immense heat of towering flames. Feeling the horse's fear, the Slayer jumped off his steed and patted it gently, passing it to one of the lower ranking soldiers. He walked forwards, step by step, cautious against the intense fire. He felt a heat much hotter than any human could ever hope to create. With every inch closer, his skin grew dry and cracked. He ignored the feeling of it turning dark and smooth and inhuman. The blue marks etched into his skin could protect him against most of the harshest elements, but there was nothing in the world that could protect against the might of a dragon.
"There's nothing here," Acnologia called back to his leader, his voice hissing with a defeated growl. "Nothing could survive this."
There was a sudden scream. He turned, eyes darting through the flames and cracking branches. It was impossible. Nothing could have survived. No one could be screaming. But it was shrill and pained and filled with the familiar anguish that tore through him.
"Acnologia!"
He was beyond listening. His feet were running on their own, towards the inferno of fire. That voice was a child, he was sure of it. It was young and in pain and he was supposed to protect them, not hide in the shadows.
He could barely hear the sounds of his own pain. His skin was tearing away from the muscle, revealing a dark, smooth layer beneath. His heart was racing fast and powerful, as if too big to fit inside his chest. His breath turned hot and tingled with magical energy against sharp teeth. His eyes reflected red against the fires, flickering around for the child.
Children.
A dozen or so hunched together in a tight group, most of them too terrified to scream or lying too still to feel terror. Only one voice carried over the snapping of buildings and trees. Only one still had the courage to look up into the eyes of the beast that had destroyed their lives, shaking the body of a smaller boy beside him.
And towering above the group was the dragon. Its skin burned as red as the flames it created, saliva dripping from its oversized fangs. There was desperation in its eyes. Huge talons made permanent scars across the ground as it circled its pray, tail swinging viciously as he poised himself ready to begin this feast.
The rage burned inside of the Slayer. His vision faded into red, every muscle in his body tensing and shifting and clawing and snapping and moving in ways he'd never felt before.
When he cried out, it was the roar of a dragon.
And everything else blurred into oblivion.
….
…
Time had passed. It could have been seconds, hours or days and the Slayer wouldn't have known any different. One moment, he was filled with adrenaline and burning rage, feeling the magical aura blurring his body and mind into a fierce charge. The next he was on the ground. One by one, his senses came back in sickening glory. The smell of blood and ash filled the air. The earth was charred and blackened, but he could feel the heat had died down significantly. The fiery blazes were now nothing more than twinkling embers.
He had seen similar scenes a thousand times before. He was used to the end results of battles, red stains deep-rooted into the upturned soil, buildings crushed by huge wings or melted by intense flames. But as Slayer's eyes landed across his own skin, his heart leapt in his chest.
His arm was black.
Only one arm was marked with the strange affliction. The muscles bulged and throbbed against the unnatural coating, his familiar bright blue markings painted against the midnight sheen. As he reached to touch it, it felt silky smooth, as if it was almost amphibious, but quickly his sharp eyes saw the subtle ridges of scales running up and down the flesh. As he turned it over, the underside was adorned with even larger scales in a bright, crystal white.
"What have you done?"
The Slayer glanced upward just in time to feel the cloak wrapped around his shoulders. It felt too heavy. His magical energy was low, next to nothing was left. How much had he used in his black out? In that… dragon force…?
He pulled the cloak tighter as he sat up as best he could. "I don't remember," he grumbled.
The superior officer was staring, his eyes yet another weight against him. "You killed the dragon."
"Good."
"No, not good. That dragon was on our side."
Acnologia's eyes swept up. The officer's gaze was more stony than usual, a disapproval and concern written across his face. It seemed that Acnologia created quite a mess for them, but the Dragon King couldn't help but feel… indifferent. "He was attacking the children," he replied with a shrug.
"He was protecting the children."
He scoffed, looking away. That wasn't what he saw. He saw huge, sharp teeth and claws buried into the ground. He saw bloodlust in the dragon's fierce glare. He saw a natural born killer sizing up its tiny pray. "I know what I saw."
"The child says differently."
"Only one?"
"The one you left alive."
Acnologia stopped. He must have misheard.
He stared back at the commander. His dragon slayer powers had given him the skills to see the world in a sharpness he could not have imagined, but this sensory information could so often be miscalculated. A look of concern where one of terror was more accurate. Desperate denial instead of disappointment. The stronger the emotional reaction, the more difficult it was to place and the more frustrating it became.
"What are you saying?" Acnologia asked defensively.
"I'm saying that your fight against the dragon levelled what little of the town was left, and the people inside it. We have next to no survivors and-"
"And you're blaming me?!" He stood. Despite his weakness and pain, he would not sit idly at such cold-hearted accusations. Standing against his superior, he was clearly almost half a foot taller, and now more than ever he made full use of his height to bare down against him. "After all of the years that we've fought beside each other, you would rather blame me? You saw the town burn, you know what the dragons are capable of! They are killers, every last one of them, no matter what they say."
The officer met his gaze. He was shaking, but whether it was in anger or fear or pure adrenaline was unclear. "I don't know what to think anymore, Acnologia. But I know what I saw. There were two dragons in the sky, one of them with the exact same markings as you."
The slayer bared his teeth, sharp fangs glistening in anger. "I'm not one of them."
"Your skin says otherwise."
He paused, realising that the officer's eyes were drifting down to his cloak. At first, he'd assumed it was a gesture of kindness, but now he could finally understand the clothing was given just to hide the evidence. Beneath the thick material hid the smooth black skin, the tiny scales and sharpened claws. He held onto his draconic arm with the human one instinctively, feeling the cold flesh under his fingertips. The men were terrified. The officer was terrified. Acnologia himself could feel a fear creeping down his spine as he touched the thing he despised only to find it a part of his own body.
"You lost control, Acnologia. You've been losing it for some time…"
"I can control this. Next time-"
"Next time?!" the man's voice finally elevated, a harsh whisper that turned heads as it sliced through the air. "People are dead. We have precious few allies in this world and you have just slaughter one of the only good dragons that we have fighting for our side. Not to mention your battle killed children! You don't even remember what happened - how am I supposed to believe you will have more control 'next time'?"
"I killed a dragon and lives were lost in the process, but this is war. Every day we fight and every day we lose people. I know what I saw; that dragon was blood-thirsty just like the rest of them. Those children would have died either way."
As he boomed his hollow words, he could feel their looks against him. Several more heads turned, several more pairs of eyes filled with terror as the Slayer met the accusations and the horror simply, his resolve never once faltering. "We have seen this behaviour before. They round up the women or children and protect them from the flames until they are ready to feast. The only desire to protect is to keep the meat tender. You can't understand dragons the way that I do. They are all monsters. It is in their blood."
The officer's teeth clenched together tightly. There was every chance for disaster with one wrong statement. "And what of yourself, Dragon King? Are we supposed to believe you're any different?"
"I am not a dragon."
"Not yet. But you're becoming more dragon than man every day."
"I am not a dragon!" Acnologia barked, feeling the draconic roar growing in his chest and the chaotic magic ready to burst in anger.
"You went too far this time, Acnologia. If you can't keep control now, what happens with the next village or town? Your home is three miles west of here, what happens if that is the next village?"
"I won't let that won't happen."
"Oh? And what lengths would you go to stop it? No, that is a risk we can no longer take. I am relieving you of duty. Go home. Go back to your wife and children."
The Slayer's breath was taken away. The words rang in his head a thousand times. He had been an excellent soldier all his life. He had followed orders to the letter and had been a ruthless killer. He had taken the bond to his country to the next level as he allowed himself to be cursed with the dragon blood which ran through his veins. He had sacrificed so much already, including seeing the birth of his daughter, for a chance to create a better future for them.
It could not end here.
"You can't do that. You have seen what they are capable of, you have seen the future that they will leave us! They will continue to hunt and kill if we don't fight them. You don't stand a chance without me!" he screamed.
The officer met his vengeful gaze, once again with those troubling emotions that Acnologia couldn't decipher. He tried to think of what expression fit best but nothing felt quite right. The only part that he was certain of was that the officer was afraid; afraid of losing his comrade after so many years, afraid of the retaliation, afraid of future without a dragon slayer and afraid of a world where a Dragon King tore through the skies.
"I saw two dragons today... and only one monster."
Every muscle in Acnologia's body was ready to scream. Ready to burst. Ready to let the dragon instincts consume his soul and rip apart the man in front of him, just as he was certain there were instincts from the officer to do the same.
"I will not stop. I am the Dragon King, and I will not rest until every one of those monsters has been destroyed. There are villages like this one still being burned. Those monsters are still killing our people, still killing children. If I have to fight you to stop them, then I will."
The officer's gaze hardened. He was no longer waiting to be convinced of the impossible. As he held his head high, he stood before the Dragon King not as a comrade or a superior, but a threat.
"Acnologia. If you do not stop, we will be forced to stop you and you will be declared an enemy of this Kingdom."
The moment the officer raised his sword, the army rippled in anticipation. Weapons poised, shields raised, and within seconds the pair were surrounded. These men were soldiers, ready to battle and ready to die if necessary. All they needed was one command to tear apart their comrade, their greatest weapon and their Kingdom's hero. With or without a Dragon King in their ranks, they were a formidable force and it was clear there would be no winners if they fought.
Acnologia gritted his teeth. This was the last chance to prove that he was still a soldier and not just a King. And, in their own way, they were both trying to save the world. They wanted nothing more than to take down the evil dragons, even if they disagreed on their targets.
The Slayer stared at the edge of the blade. The army did not move.
The silence made the shaking chain mail echo through the air, the shuddering breaths swim through the growing crowd, and terror spread. With one step forward, he watched the wave of bodies tense and sweaty hands adjust their grip. He dared to take another. Again, the soldiers grew tense, their battle stances sturdier as their fear grew. These men had seen him fight. They had seen the might of his roar, the crackling of his magical energy, the blood that still stained his skin.
They had seen the true dragon.
When Acnologia raised his arm to them, the black scales glistened against the dying embers. His talons stretched and retracted. But the look of determination in his eyes went beyond man, dragon or monster.
"I recognise you as my enemy. And I will destroy you."
Hope you enjoyed, remember to review if you did :)
I'll be posting up the other submissions to the Fairy Fest challenges over the next couple of weeks too!