The year is x391. This was supposed to be a magical time, a golden age for mankind. Instead the world is bathed in elemental fire as dragons wage war in the heavens. Us humans are a weak and feeble race with only one way to combat this extinction level event.. I am a dragon slayer, and this is my story…
As I soared over the blackened volcanos. Scared. The peaks of these once dormant volcanoes had been decimated by the war that was waged just a few meters above. This was the site of the latest battle in the dragon civil war. My jet black black wings that bear the swirling vibrant blue markings slowly receded to my sides al I landed amidst the carnage that had took place in the days before. To my left lay a dragon's lifeless body. All color had drained from his scales. A huge gash lay across its soft underbelly as if it had been sliced by someone or something. The edges of the cut had green hue to them. It had been dead for some time. Just another casualty of this monstrous war the effects of which rippled across the whole of earthland (the world that these events take place in).
As I reflected on my past, on what turned me into the murderous killing machine that I am now I realize that if it wasn't for this dragon civil war I would not be the man I am today…
Earlier that year…
"Dad, Dad" A small high pitched voice yelled faintly in my ear.
"Im up. Im up!" I growled as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I opened my eyes to see one of the greatest sights a man could behold. The smiling face of his beautiful daughter. Her name was Jessica. She was 4 years old, quite small in terms of height but she had the most adorable face in the whole of Fiore (the country that these events take place in). Her jasmine eyes were large and shining with the joys that which only a child of her age can truly experience. Her hair, that was the same color as her eyes, was curly like her father's yet it was also short and only reached Jessica's shoulders, she had insisted that it be this short. She had her mother's nose including the upturn at the tip. The very same nose that I had fell in love with only seven years ago. Jessica's tiny hands were pushing on my side as she urged "Come on daddy get up! Get up!"
" Alright, alright I'm getting up." I groaned as I slowly turned out of bed and landed flat with my face against the hard wood floor much to the delight of Jessica who too fell on the floor however she was in fits of giggles whilst exclaiming " Your silly daddy!"
I used to live in the forest-city of Emraldia. It was paradise. Being a forest-city all of Emraldia's residents lived in tree houses as they were far easier to construct than a typical house due to the very difficult terrain. Our city wasn't very well known as very few of its residents ever ventured out of the jade forest of which they resided for the simple fact of that everything anyone could ever need was at their finger tips. The clear sapphire lake to the east provided clean fresh water to the people and over time people had discovered how to live of the land. The city had hunters for meat. There were also a group of people called the foragers whose job it was to collect anything from food and berries to medicinal herbs. This job was given to different people every week so that everyone got achance to learn how to live off the land and to help sustain the city.
"Crap!" I thought "Its my week to be a forager." I quickly threw on my cape,I had slept almost full clothed the night before. I quickly looked in the mirror to see if I had anything on my face. My beady, sharp coal, black eyes searched every millimeter of my face to see if there was any dirt visible. I brushed my waist length hair behind my ears the shaggy black curls falling behind. I smiled. Today was a day not unlike any other and I had no reason to smile but I did showing my straight, shining white teeth to the world. I still to this day don't know why I smiled. Maybe its because I enjoyed life. Anyway so I pulled my cloak over so it concealed my left arm. Its not that I had anything to hide it was just comfortable. The torn and tattered edges of my cloak just about touched the floor when I walked.
As I stepped out of my house the radiant light of the sun blinded my for a solid minute. I opened my eyes to glance around the beautiful forest-city around me. The tall scared oaks that had lived for hundreds of years were now places that people called home. They were all around me standing tall and strong like silent sentinels that were always watching over us and always protecting us. The leaves from which the forest got its name from cast an emerald shadow from way up above in the canopy. "Jesse! Come on were going to be late to get you to school!" I shouted to the reply of
"Coming daddy!" As she burst out the door already dressed and ready to go to school. Jessica jumped onto my back and clung tight to the necklace that her mother had made and had given to me on our first anniversary. The dragon bone pieces rattled around my neck as I cautiously made my way down the ladder that was carved into the trunk of the tree. I remember the year this ladder was built when Kate, ,Jessica's mother, and I first decided to live together. I jumped of the last to steps of the ladder and landed with a thud! Jessica climbed down from my back and gripped my scared rough hands in her tiny soft ones.
"Jesse!" I exclaimed "You forget to tuck your school shirt in again." She crossed her arms tilted her head away and said angrily " I don't wanna!"
"But dear its school rules," I explained patiently even though we had been through this a more times than I cared to count. I keeled down in front of her and slowly tucked her white button up shit into her dull grey skirt. "There you go, all better now."
"Hphm!" Was the only reply that I received. The raised collar of my midnight black brushed against the side of my face as I walked so I adjusted it slightly to the left to avoid that from happening again. Eventually we arrived at the school. The air was filled with the sounds of children laughing and playing amongst themselves. We stood at the small white gate that had paint flaking of the cold metal. The outer fence, if you could call it a fence, was completely made out of horizontal wooden logs that encircled the small school building. I had never actually set foot inside a school before as my parents thought it was a waste of time so I don't really know what it looked like inside, however I do vividly remember what the outside looked like. It was a small, square wooden building with fading white walls and a bright red roof that formed a triangle above the school.
"Okay Jesse you have to go in now its time for school now," I said softly
"See you latter daddy!" she shouted back as she ran towards her friends she turned around and waved shouting "I love you daddy!"
"I love you to sweety!" I shouted back one final time.
Latter that day I arrived at the foragers building to begin todays jobs. I was on medicinal herbs today thus I would have to go out the furthest out of all the foragers that were on duty today. I set of eastward so that I could get there in the shortest time possible. As I strolled through the lush green undergrowth I thought about how lucky we were. Word from the outside was that there was a civil war going on. A dragon civil war. Outside our forest apparently it was a nightmare. The once beautiful country of Fiore was now blacked and hellish thanks to the dragon's elemental wrath. However our trees had protected us from the worst of the fighting as we were hidden from view and not many people knew of our existence. Our city was safe from dragon attacks. For now.