It was dark, and a single small flame was all the warriors could afford to warm themselves without being discover. They whisper, like every night, but tonight was different. Tonight will be their last night, for tomorrow they will fight the dragon. The dragon thought that they never spoke of their plan to make sure it would stay a secret, which it would be for the best -it was hardly a fight one dragon against four humans, but that night they asked each other about their plan. The beast almost turned around to offer them some privacy, but he would had heard it anyways.
"wait-what! What do you mean?!" Rai almost screams.
"I don't know the plan." Kimiko sounds as desperate as Rai does. "I thought Clay knew"
"Yes!" The young village boy adds almost enthusiastically "I saw when the plan was being handed to you. Did you lost it? You did, didn't you? Because this cannot be. They should trust me with the plan!"
"Pardners, this is what they gave me. I'm sure, and as surprise as you are."
Kimiko moves closer to the floor and inspects the plan -the dragon guesses is a letter of some kind.
"is really all it says? It cannot be, right?" The silence and quiet groans answers the Dragon.
"What do we do?" Rai asks with more insecurity he had ever hear from the young man.
"We wait, as the paper says, to the dragon to come to us" Omi, spoke. A heavy silence follows.
The dragon observes the four figures through the bamboo wall, and he knows they will die.
No one moves or sleeps, and before the sun comes to kill what is left of the night the warriors stand. All dressed on their armors, pick up their weapons, hold their positions, and wait.
"Princess," Rai says softly and there is no movement at all. "it is an honor to fight with you, with all of you"
The dragon distracts himself hearing the heartbeats of the four strong hearts. The warriors move slowly but surely, leaving their weapon that took weeks of work to build behind, and all at the same time step through the bamboo wall. The dragon knew his opponents were young, but he wasn't prepare to face how young they were. The oldest one, an Anglo-man, couldn't be a day older than twenty and he hold a maze with both hands and hide his eyes behind a leather hat. Next to him was a dark skinned young man, he haven't yet loose some boyish features, he might be sixteen at most and he holds two twin swords. Kimiko was wearing a whole ceremonial kimono and pieces of an armor on top, and adorn with hundreds of different sizes daggers. She wore make up to hide her youth, but her body and girlish features scream her age; she must be fifteen or sixteen at most. The last one was Omi, and the dragon recognizes him. Not from the camp but from years before, a mother or a father abandon a baby on the river not far from the dragons cave, and the beast saw him -the nine dots in the youths' forehead meant he was destine to greatness and yet their parents abandon the creature. The animal approached the creature who cry at the lost of warm, and the dragon knew the boy would die -small and weak looking, no one would take pity on him. The beast wasn't thinking when he let a few golden coins and jewels fall in the baby's basket, he knew it would be dishonorable to steal a baby's only possession – who wanted the money would had to take care of the baby. The memory took place eleven years in the past. Now the baby knew how to speak and stand, and his name was Omi. A strange feeling surface in the dragon's chest, he observes Omi standing proud with a simple wooden staff as his weapon, and the dragon wishes today wouldn't be the end of the boy.
The warriors stand, waiting for the dragon to attack, and the dragon had decided that he wouldn't fight them -wouldn't kill Omi, at least that they draw the first attack.
Many were the forgotten emotions that resurfaces in the dragon's mind, but they were the emotions of a man -a man he had stop being centuries ago. However, unable to ignore the strange feelings and memories forming and reappearing inside him, the dragon did what he hadn't done in two centuries.
He spoke.
At first his throat hurt and couldn't form the words, and instead a ear-shattering roar rip through him. The warriors aim to attack, but the dragon simple chuckles at their actions.
"Young warriors," The dragon didn't show how startle he feels at hearing his own voice after so long, it was husky and deep, yet a seductive tone of an sophisticate tongue. The dragon smiles, he had miss his voice.
"why the hurry to meet your end." The warriors hold they positions, but each tremble in their place.
"The only end that will be meet will be yours, Great Dragon!" Omi screams with a voice too high to be intimidating, but it encourages his companions. The dragon smiles at the tittle.
The princess and the dark skinned boy scream in agreement, and then they faces change to plain confusion and alertness. Smoke appear covering the cave and in seconds the heat of fire was eating in the dragon's under belly. The beast rushes out of his cave hurt and confuse, and the four warriors wait for him. Each warrior was stronger than ever expected, Kimiko had tied ribbons over her nose and mouth, and teared her kimono to offer them to her fellows warriors. She was small and disappear in the smoke, from where she aims and shoots her daggers. The dark skinned boy did not fear battle, and move like a man that had live in fights. His sword style was different, new to the dragon, and it attack in random and fleeting motions. The blonde man would run without the intention to hit the dragon, but to serve as shield to the others. The huge hammer used as a shield and hitting the dragon's side to save other warriors. However, it was Omi the gifted warrior. The youth runs through the smoke and over the largest of his companions' back to jump and attack the dragon from the skies. The beast movements stop being perfect and plan. The smoke wall, the growing fire at the dragon's back, the skill warriors, and the little space did not let room for planing. The animal launches forward trying to get away from the fire, and he breaks the bamboo wall and hits the warriors weapon. The wood and even metal of the platform was easily broken by the dragon, and a thick net falls from the top of the bamboo. The net is made out of leather and metal, alike of fish-nets used to trap sharks, sturdy and full with hooks. Once the metal hooks had curve into the dragon's scales any movement tightens the net. The beast cries and howls on pain, and soon he can only move partially his head and and the bottom of his tail.
He sees the four figures come closer, they are afraid of the beast but not let him see his death would be dishonorable, and the youths stand in fronts of the dragon. The four warriors are breathless. Clay has a deep cut on his tight, arm and side. Kimiko tries her best not to fall, she ran during the whole fight, her feet burn form the fire. Raimundo's hands tremble, unable to let go of his swords -even the broken bloody left sword. Omi has his eyes close, both suffering the dragon's fire breath when the youth tried to attack the dragon from the sky.
Between gaps Omi speaks to he beast.
"Great dragon!" It was a silence, all presents breath heavily and Omi tentatively opens his eyes slowly. The eyes of the boy were full of tears, his body trying to relief the pain, but it almost looks like Omi is crying for the dragon's death. The young boy looks like the son of the emperor, The Great Master Dashi, one hundred years ago when he came and said; 'You had lost yourself, and the man you were is long gone. Please, find him, and peace on death. Good-bye...'
"Great Dragon!" Omi said again, now that he can see his opponent, but he is interrupted.
"Chase" The four warriors blink.
"My name is Chase Young"
The four youths stare in silence, they all had heard the legends but no one had really wanted to believe.
That the Great Master Dashi didn't climb the dragon's mountains to avenge his dear friend, but to kill his dear friend Chase Young.
Chase observes the true sink on the warriors, and he inspects the weapons left. A broken sword and a blunted one -because of the dragon's scales. Tiny nettles that would be deathly on humans and most creatures, but not in a dragon -at least that they plan to make Chase eat them. A broken hammer -it could kill the dragon, but it might take the night. Last was burned off wooden staff. Not that the dragon wanted to die, but if he had to he would prefer to be in battle -to be outwitted.
"You are very skillful fighters, and I underestimated you because of youth. I accept my defeat and won't implore for mercy, since I do not deserve such a virtue, but I do deserve knowledge." The four heads nod, still ingesting information -the dragon could speak civilize-, and unsure where Chase was going, so the four heads just nod again.
"I'm honor that you will face me during my end, but my end wouldn't had come without the strategy. Without the plan -without the trap and fire, this battle would had end very differently"
Chase lets the new idea sink, and enjoys the look in each face once they had come to the realization.
"So, the master mind is my opponent as much as you are."
The next was a hard true to swallow, to say that someone who didn't risk their life in battle deserves as much glory as the wounded warriors. Chase enjoys seeing the hit in each on their pride.
"You are right" Finally spoke the blonde man.
"However, he won't face you. I don't think he is brave enough to face your corpse" Raimundo adds.
The dragon makes a mocking 'o' and his tail very slowly curves inside the net and cuts the leather strings on his leg.
"He was hired by the emperor, and so are we" Kimiko explains.
"So, that is. My death and your bravery was bounty"
The dark headed boy nods while the other three assure the dragon it wasn't about the money.
"I feel so relief!"
Chase was actually relief, his back left leg was free and his tail was working in the next one.
"Yet, I'm still no please. Could you tell me the names that brought me to my knees."
The dragon felt so cheesy after that line but he needs to buy time.
"I'm Kimiko Tohomiko, Princess of Hanade and I came to fight you to prove myself worthy of the throne" Kimiko bows perfectly.
"Raimundo Pedrosa, sailor and merchandiser."
"Clay Bealy, I fought you because you had taken too much from the land and too many before their time." Chase nods in fake approval.
"I'm Omi." 'Omi' Chase thinks 'simply Omi, no last name -no family' "I came here to become the next dragon warrior." 'You should had been' Chase still thinks, too busy trying to free himself, distract the warriors, and thinking of the kid he should had save and train -and Chase doesn't hear the footsteps that direct towards him.
"I'm the duke of Ireland, Malbosa; Jack Spicer."
Chase turns to see the owner of the voice, another young voice, and he sees a beautiful young man. It takes a long moment for Chase to drink up what he sees. A man no yet twenty, dress on heavy western cloths and adorn with tick jewelry that only make his thin features stand out even more. His thin oval face with high cheek bones, and his skin no fair but white, as milk but captivating as moonlight. Jack's plum lips smirk, and his big ruby eyes shine with pride. The white hair is short and unruly, and a small army marching behind the boy's silhouette.
"What?!" one of the warriors yell, obviously annoyed at what Jack saw as necessary. However, not the dragon or the duke move, both stare into each other -trying to dominated the other. Chase cuts the net and set free his third leg free and stands. The look in the albino's eyes when he sees the dragon suddenly become twice and more his height. When the deathly beast shadows the duke.
"I will take over the world" Jack says before the beast runs off.