Chapter 1: Timeline
So, now we can properly begin the story of 'Destiny'. Honestly, the prologue was kind of messy, and I'm hoping that this chapter will be much less so. Knowing my luck, though…
Well, try to enjoy, but if you don't, I completely understand.
(Obsidian's POV)
The ride through the portal was rather… confusing, to say the least, but at least it wasn't painful. I come out of the portal headfirst, Nifred in hand… but I'm not prepared for the sudden change in gravity. I end up falling in what at first feels like the wrong direction, but by the time the portal fades I have regained my bearings, and am flying stably through the surprisingly cold air.
I pull up seconds before I hit the ground, my left wing grazing the roof of what I assume to be a forge. I manage to land upright on what I assume to be a statue built in the middle of the sea, and begin viewing the… carnage that is going on. There is no other word for it. Unfamiliar dragons, and… HUMANS! …are slaughtering each other in what looks more like a bonfire than a village. I make my decision. I may be a half-dragon now, but I was human by birth. I'm going to help the human village.
I take off, and fly towards the human village, gripping Nifred tightly. Thank goodness, my element runs of anger, pain, and willpower instead of the elemental energy inside green mana crystals.
When I arrive at the village, I spot a blue, two-headed dragon stealing sheep. I fly down, and decapitate the left head of the beast using the clean side of Nifred. The beast drops the sheep it is carrying, and flies off. It won't get far. A bleeding neck is a bleeding neck, after all.
The rest of the night goes pretty much the same way. Dragon doing something he/she shouldn't, I swoop in and kill it quickly. I must have gotten a kill count of at least 10 before the night was over. I feel slightly guilty about killing the dragons, but since none of them spoke, it is safe to assume that they are not intelligent on the same level as humans, or the dragons of the Dragon Realms.
The dragons leave when the sun rises, with very little in the way of stolen goods. I'm standing on the edge of the village, Nifred planted in the ground, Darksign banner flying in the wind. I hear multiple people approaching me, muttering their disbeliefs under their breaths.
"Did you see him?"
"A friendly dragon? In armour?"
"Is he intelligent?"
"Why did he help us?"
"Was he sent from the gods?"
I shake my head, and turn around to face the humans behind me. They don't seem to know what to believe. Half of them are gripping their weapons, while the other half are staring at me in wonder.
I pick up Nifred off the ground, and I decide answer some of those questions.
"Alright, I heard those questions you muttered under your breaths, and I will attempt to answer them."
The villagers stare at me in shock. Right before I can speak again, however, a large, burly human walks out of the crowd, a stone, engraved hammer in his hand.
"Don't get involved, lads. This dragon is mine."
The leader, I'm assuming, charges me, his hammer swinging in an arc. When it reaches me, I simply catch it in my left paw, barely being pushed back.
"I am not here to harm you." I twist the hammer from the leader's grip, before handing it back to him, handle first. The villagers, and the leader, are staring at me, more in awe now than in shock. "I am here to track down, and kill, a large purple dragon by the name of Talmaris. Now, is there any among you with the authority to speak with me?"
The human who attacked me straightens his back, before announcing himself.
"I am Stoick the Vast, chief of this tribe. And you are?"
I smile. So, these humans have a sense of honour after all.
"I am Obsidian, Morgul Warrior of Warfang. Trust me, you don't want to know what that means."
Stoick raises an eyebrow.
"Try me."
In response, I force some of my elemental energy to gather in Nifred. The shocked expressions in the crowd, and the look on the chief's face, tells me all I need to know.
"That," I gesture to the burning glaive. "is the short answer. The long answer is, for lack of a better term, complicated."
"He's a devil!"
Whoever said that is honestly kind of right… but at the same time, kind of wrong.
"You are closer to the truth than you realise. I'm not quite a devil, but at the same time, my power is on the darker side of the spectrum."
Stoick stares at me in disbelief.
"So, you expect us to believe that a devil like you is here to help us, and that you won't kill us in our sleep?"
I laugh. These idiots!
"No, I am not here to help you. Talmaris is a threat bigger than you, and this island. I am here to kill Talmaris, not to help you. If a dead dragon helps you, then that is a side benefit. And as for killing you in your sleep, what could I possibly gain from that? I am not like the dragons of lesser intelligence, as you can tell. I can think, plan, and theorise. Now, from my understanding of Talmaris, he knows enough to manipulate the timeline. Is there a greater plane of existence here? You know, a realm of the Gods?"
A small, fat boy with blond hair steps forward.
"Well, Asgard is the realm of the Gods. Why do you want to know this?"
I smile. An inquisitive mind. I could take advantage of this… and possibly expand the knowledge of the young human in the process.
"Because Talmaris is cunning. He found his way into Convexity, an immaterial realm, from which he has been manipulating time for millennia. I have no doubt that he could find his way into Asgard, and possibly kill the Gods living there." A few angry murmurs go through the crowd. "No, that is not because I think your Gods weak, that is because Talmaris is incredibly strong. He was the first Purple Dragon, for crying out loud! Do you realise the significance of that?!"
Everyone starts staring at me with dumbstruck faces.
"Oh, for the love of… Purple Dragons are born once every ten generations of Dragon kind, and not the pathetic animalistic excuse for dragons who you've been killing. I'm talking about true, intelligent dragon kind. Purple dragons can master the light elements, control time to a certain extent, and under very rare circumstances, they can even manipulate the dark elements. Please tell me this rings bells somewhere?"
Everyone starts scratching their heads in confusion.
"*sigh* This is going nowhere. Stoick, is there anywhere I can stay while I search for Talmaris? I'm not asking for a five-star hotel, just a pile of hay I can rest my head on. I'd prefer a bed, but since you lot seem to hold dragons in low regard around here…"
The chief stares at me, confusion showing on his face, before he comes to a decision.
"You can stay in the arena, with your caged dragon brethren."
I smile.
"Thank you. And, for the first and hopefully last time, those unintelligent excuses for dragons are not my brethren, hence my ability to speak and my unnatural strength. Now, with the pleasantries out of the way, could someone, preferably someone armed, escort me to the arena?"
A large, blond human with a missing hand walks forward.
"I'll take you there, Mr… what was your name again?"
"Obsidian."
(Time skip)
The arena was certainly… something. Not the most impressive of places, but… well, it is sturdy, and it serves its' purpose well enough.
Gobber, as I later learned his name was, brought me some hay, along with a bowl of water and some scraps of meat. I appreciate the sentiment, but if I need food, I'll go catch it myself. I've never been hunting, but I'll need to learn to survive in the unfamiliar worlds I'll be traveling between.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, my draconic ears register something. The sound of charcoal scribbling on paper.
"You don't have to hide, you know."
A skinny boy with brown hair shows himself outside the arena. He seems slightly scared, but more curious than anything else.
"I'm sorry…" The boy begins speaking. "I just wanted to… you know…"
Boy, I know better than you can imagine.
"Social outcast, am I right?" The boy jumps in surprise. I nailed that one. "I've been in your situation before. Trust me, the best thing you can do is ignore everyone else. In my experience brains usually beats brawn anyway, hence why I'm still alive."
The boy opens the arena gate, and walks in. He sits down next to me, apparently too curious to care about the potential dangers. He picks up Nifred, and begins examining it in close detail.
"This is a vicious weapon. Where did you get it?"
I smile. Looks like I have found a friend.
"I had it made by the blacksmiths of Warfang. Ebony blade, obsidian shaft. Light, sharp, and strong. I named it Nifred, which means 'fear' in Sindarin. Trust me, it lives up to that name."
The boy whistles, before turning his attention to the flag on Nifred.
"What is this flag?"
"That, my dear boy, is the Darksign. It represents perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye, and the story behind it is a grim one."
The boy looks me in the eye, before cowering in fear.
"Let me guess. Bloodshot eyes, black blood, glowing orange irises?" The boy nods. "Sorry, I can't help it. A side effect of my element. I have black blood. My eyes go bloodshot whenever I'm feeling strong emotion, and my irises glow whenever I'm either angry or in pain. Since my armour is designed to cause me pain…"
I leave that sentence unfinished. The boy is drawing quick images of me on some paper.
"Question. What is your name, boy?"
The youngster looks at me.
"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third."
My right eye widens slightly in surprise, simply because of the size of the name.
"A bit of a large name, even by my standards, but each to his own." Both me and Hiccup sit in silence for a few minutes, the occasional scrawling being heard on paper. "If you're curious about me, you only have to ask."
(Stoick's POV)
"Either we finish them, or they'll finish us! It's the only way we'll be rid of them! If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave. They'll find another home." I stab a dagger into the part of the map representing Helhiem's gate. "One more search, before the ice sets in."
"Those ships never come back!"
Someone shouted from the back. Gobber walks up to me.
"Err, if I may, chief." I nod for Gobber to continue. "We have just acquired a dragon who can speak. We could always interrogate it for the location of the nest."
I have to exert an extreme amount of willpower to keep from facepalming. Why didn't I think of that?
"Good idea. Spitelout, gather some men, and go interrogate Obsidian. I want to know where the nest is by dawn."
Spitelout nods, and sets off with a couple of men in tow.
"Now, assuming this works, who's coming to the nest with me?!"
Almost every hand in the great hall is raised.
"That's more like it!"
I mutter under my breath.
Gobber sits down on a bench, drinking from his tankard.
"I'll pack my undies."
"No," I say firmly. "I need you to train some new recruits."
"Brilliant!" Is it me, or is Gobber being sarcastic? "And while I'm doing that, Hiccup can man the stall. Lots of materials, plenty of sharp objects, a large amount of time to himself… what could possibly go wrong?"
(Obsidian's POV)
"So, you accidentally choked this Spyro?"
I shift uncomfortably in my seat.
"That about sums it up, yes."
The door to the arena opens, and three men walk in. One of them is carrying torture equipment.
"Hiccup, leave. Now. You don't want to see this." Hiccup nods, and runs out of the arena. I turn to face the three men. "Well, isn't this a welcome surprise. Let me guess, you want the location of the nest." The leader of the three men nods his head. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I know nothing about the nest of those winged reptiles. They aren't dragons in my book, by the way, so don't associate me with them."
The three men draw their weapons, and walk towards me, obviously intent on subduing me.
"And you think that is going to work… why, exactly?" I pick up Nifred, and force it to burst into flames. Two of the humans run away, but the leader stays behind. "A brave one, then? A bit foolish, bravery in the face of overwhelming odds, but considering some of the things I've done, I'm being a bit of a hypocrite, so make of that what you will."
The human advances, axe at the ready.
"I'm going to give you one chance to tell me the location of the dragons' nest. If you refuse, I have permission to torture you."
I twirl Nifred around in a show of skill, hoping to intimidate the foolish warrior.
"Please, my armour is designed to cause me as much pain as possible. I can take any torture you-"
Out of reflex, I jump upwards, just as a throwing knife flies where my groin once was. My eyes fill with blood, as I realise what almost happened. I manage to track down the thrower, a young blond girl, and shadowy fires start to escape from between my scales.
"Really? REALLY?! I know some humans can be pathetic, but that is a new low, even for you." My dark power flows to my voice box. "Torturing me is one thing, but severing those from me is another matter entirely." I close my eyes, and force my power to dim. "However, girl, I am not without mercy. I try to avoid killing children whenever possible. So, leave now, and I will forget this ever happened."
The young girl steps out of the shadows, battle-axe at the ready. Well… these two asked for it.
The older warrior charges me first, attempting to sever my leg with a single swing from his axe. I lazily block the blow with my tail blade, and I knock the soldier unconscious with a fist. The girl charges me at an impressive speed for her age, before swinging her axe downwards, trying to cleave me in two. I catch the axe with my paw, before tripping the girl up with a leg sweep. I point Nifred at her.
"I'm not going to kill you. You have a talent for the art of battle, and it would be a shame to waste it before it is in bloom. Instead, I'm going to give you advice." I lean towards the girl. She is practically shaking in fear. "When you next attack a dragon, make sure he isn't a demigod hunting maniac with every intention of ripping the corrupted God of Fate in two. And replace that axe with a cross spear. Much more effective at getting through armour."
I lower Nifred, and offer the girl a paw. She doesn't take it, and walks out of the arena. That went well. It didn't, though, that's the only problem.
(Winter's POV)
From my perch, I saw most of the dragon raid. How an armoured dragon with a glaive helped the human village. Could it be? A friendly face? I hope he discovers me at some point, and that the humans take his arrival better than they took mine.
Ancestors, what am I thinking. They'll try to kill him the second they realise he wasn't sent by their gods. I make my decision.
I have to help him.
And that is the end of Chapter 1 of Destiny. Unlike 'Obsidian' I do not have this story fully planned out, so it will probably feel a bit… poorly done, to say the least.
Until next time… if there is a next time…