Chapter 4
The pigs it is! The decision to save Folo's pigs was made while talking to the New Order officer guarding them, a fellow named Lomax; a by-the-book kind of man with a good heart and a huge crush on a female Seeker named Elisabeth, the one the newborn had spoken to the day before. And ran away from like a frightened little boy…
The reason as to why he decided to rescue the pigs after he had spoken to Lomax was the man's attitude. He was cordial, polite and even laughed when the newborn poked fun at the New Order. He was also very dense and gullible; if such a man didn't deserve being messed with, then who else did?
"You know, I heard that there were three round-bosomed sister lost in the woods," the newborn said casually. "They may need assistance…"
He could barely contain his laughter as the eyes of Lomax and his two comrades lit up.
"Then we have a duty to save them! Off we go, Seekers!" Lomax yelled. Idiot…
The three Seekers ran of shouting about justice and duty, while the newborn went up to the biggest pig at the farm. According to Folo, his name was Kevin.
"Er…" he began, unsure. It was rather ridiculous, what Folo had told him to do, but here goes… "Rosebud?"
The pig – Kevin – perked up with an excited squeal and dashed off with other pigs following him. As soon as they were gone, the three Seekers returned looking rather annoyed.
"Slayer! Why did you send us on a wild-goose chase? There are no gorgeous triplets in the woods!" Lomax exclaimed indignantly.
"Too bad," said the newborn with a grin.
"Exactly! I mean… We're here to help, ahem…" Lomax tried to regain his composure when he noticed the open gate. "Hold on! Where… Where are the pigs?"
"They've moved on, Lomax," said the newborn as he placed an apologetic hand on the man's shoulder. "At some point, you just have to let go."
"What are you even talking about?" the flustered Seeker said. "Divine! You Slayers are a strange bunch!"
The Seekers went back to their posts and the newborn left the farm, feeling very satisfied. He made a mental note to visit Lomax again. Gorgeous triplets in the woods! Hah!
He approached the walls of the village, nodding to the guards on top of it. He had managed to make some acquaintances in the village, and he was generally liked. The only ones who seemed to have a problem with him were the ill-tempered blacksmith Derk, a pompous Champion of Aleroth named Richard, and the arrogant, self-proclaimed "Greatest hunter in Rivellon"; Brave Sir Robin. They all had their own motives for disliking the newborn; Derk believed that Slayers were a bunch of wannabe warriors who chased fairies; Richard thought that the Champions of Aleroth were the greatest warriors in Rivellon, something that the newborn disagreed with; and Brave Sir Robin was just an ass.
Folo was ecstatic to have his pigs back and rewarded the newborn with some coins and a hot meal. The newborn thought the man would cry when his wife – a lovely woman named Rose – served him some pork chops.
What now? The newborn had spent the entire morning – and most of the afternoon – hunting goblins, fighting bandits and doing other, menial tasks for the villagers, such as helping Folo. Now, he was getting worried about the other Slayers. How long would they be gone for? Were they alive?
Deep in thought, he passed the chapel. Father Romon saw him tried to get his attention, but the newborn was too lost in his own mind to notice him. Until Romon put his hand on his shoulder, and he spun around, ready to strike.
"Easy, Slayer! Easy!" Romon said as he held up his hands to show he meant no harm. "I was just trying to get your attention, but you seemed to be lost to the world."
"My apologies," the newborn muttered, embarrassed. "I have a lot on my mind right now."
"Ah, well, that's fine, my friend," the priest said sympathetically. "Something I can help with? I am a priest, after all."
The newborn smiled appreciatively at the older man, then shook his head.
"No, that's okay, I'll work it out on my own," he assured him. "But what can I do for you? Now that you finally got my attention."
"Ah yes! I had a small request, actually," Romon said, then clearing his throat. "As you may know, this valley was once the home of a mighty Dragon Lord named Lovis." He waited for the newborn's nod, and continued. "He was slain, for one reason or another, and now his spirit dwells in the old ruined tower."
The prospect of an undead Dragon Knight gave the newborn chills.
"Now, what I would ask of you, being an experienced warrior, is to enter the tower and bring me any unique magical item that you might find," Romon said, once again clearing his throat. "I would go myself, but I dare not venture too close to the ominous tower. Also, there are rumors that suggest that the tower is crawling with undead!"
He sure knows how to pitch a sale…
"Yeah, fine… I'll go to the tower," the newborn conceded. "Maybe I'll find out where the Commander and the others went off to."
"Great! Come find me when you've got something!" Romon exclaimed happily.
After stocking up on supplies, the newborn ventured out into the valley as the sun was at its zenith. There was no danger to speak of around the village, thanks to his efforts. Though, truth be told, he only really helped with the goblins and bandits out of boredom and the need to rediscover the abilities he'd lost while obtaining the Dragon memories. One such power was the manipulation of fire, or in layman's terms; he was now able to conjure fireballs.
The newborn never saw himself as a wizard, even though he knew how to use magic. It wasn't really his thing; he'd always been more of a warrior, excelling in close- to midrange fighting using blades and the like. Standing in back, throwing fireballs at your enemies was all well and good, but the beauty in the deadly dance of swordplay had always fascinated him, ever since his childhood… To think that a Champion of Aleroth would spark his interest in blades as small child…
He shrugged of the memories and focused on the lush landscape that surrounded him. In the distance, he could see the tower of Lovis. He knew that he was disobeying orders by leaving the village, especially considering that he was actively searching for the spirit of a deceased Dragon Knight. Rhode will be so pissed…
He followed the river, making his way towards the ominous tower in the distance. As he was walking, he passed some ruins of an old shrine. His curiosity took hold of him, and he decided to take a closer look.
The old shrine's foundation was circular, and there were stone pillars standing on the edges of it, some were broken. As he approached the ruins he heard a sound. Very quickly, he looks around and his catches sight of a woman clad in armor stumbling in between two pillars. Her hair is a as red as blood, and her skin had the color of ash. But her most prominent feature was her eyes; the same silver eyes that the newborn shared with all the other Slayers. But hers were different from a normal Slayer; they were fierce, yet wise; beautiful, yet cold. They reminded the newborn of his own eyes; eyes that were sure to make an enemy's heart stop.
The woman stumbled and fell to her knees; one arm on the ground, the other clutching her side. Their eyes met, and she grimaced.
"Not another of the Order," she complained with obvious pain in her voice. "I've seen enough of such vermin today already…"
She began to cough up blood, leaving a small pool on the ground beneath her. When the coughing receded, she continued.
"If I still had my strength, I'd rip you apart just like I did so many Slayers!" she hissed. "You pathetic soldiers who, like bloody excrement, persistently trail in my wake!"
Another cough-attack interrupted her rage. By now, the newborn had figured out who this woman was; Talana, the Dragon Knight that Rhode and the others were after.
"But Rhode – she fights like a demon possessed," she continued in a hoarse voice after catching her breath once again. "And that sword… how it did sting. Wielding such power that it might extinguish the life of Talana, last of the Dragon Knights."
Even though he'd already figured out the identity of the fiery woman, hearing her name made terror rise within the newborn Dragon Slayer. This was the sworn enemy of the Slayers; the bane of mankind! But looking at her, this terrifying creature of flames and death, he could not help but to feel pity. She was the last of her kind, and had been hunted for, Divine knows how long. And now, she was bleeding to death, knowing that it was the end of the Dragon Knights.
Their eyes met once again, and he could see the anger, rage and sorrow that swirled around in their depths. And loneliness… so much loneliness. It made an old memory from his childhood resurface…
The stone hit him, splitting both his lips on the left side of his mouth. Salty tears soon mixed with warm blood, and as the stones kept coming, he huddled up in a fetal position while hugging his knees.
"It's just a name… It's just a name…" he wept over and over again.
He fought back the memory fiercely, letting the old emotions of that day wash away from him.
They were both still staring deep into the other one's eyes, and she must have seen some kind of change in him, because her anger changed into that of disbelief.
"Could it be? A Slayer with a heart?" she almost shouted, her voice dripping of disbelief and sarcasm. "One who sees beyond the veil they held before those silver eyes? Surely not"
Talana looked down at the ground, and body began to shiver, as if she was cold. When she continued, her voice was filled with spite.
"How I lament the idiocy of mankind," she hissed. "They chase the Great Ancient Ones, paying no heed to the true evil that prepares to rear its head again."
She suddenly looked up again, her eyes narrowed, focused on the newborn's own.
"Let me show you the lurking bane that will one day claim dominion of this world anew. Let me show you!"
Blood suddenly began to rush in his ears, and his knees buckled underneath his weight. As he fell towards the ground, the world was engulfed by a white light. The newborn never felt the impact of the fall.
The sound of rushing wind and far off shrieking made the newborn open his eyes, only to close them again in disbelief. When he finally got courage to open his eyes again, he still could not believe it; he was flying, high above the treetops in an unknown location. But that was a minor shock compared to what he realized next; his wings. On each side of his body there were wings – large leather-like wings – attached to his arms. And they were flapping continuously, keeping him airborne.
He turned his head and realized that he was able to bend it unnaturally far in any direction. Looking down on his body, he found that he no longer had the body of a human, more the body of a lizard. His skin had been replaced by a thick, grayish hide. And instead of toes on his feet, there were four, razor-sharp claws.
Then it dawned on him. He was a Dragon. A Dragon.
Panic took its hold on him, and he tried to move, but nothing happened. He wasn't in control, but who was? The answer became obvious when a familiar, smug voice echoed in his head.
"How does it feel, Slayer?" said the voice of Talana. "What's it like to suddenly find yourself in the body of the being you hate above all?"
Damn her! He didn't know what was going on, but panic was replaced by anger as he involuntarily moved towards a huge, demonic-looking statue standing tall in a mountain pass in front of him.
"You had better get used to it," continued the disembodied voice in a serious and more formal tone. "I bestow upon you the very essence of my existence."
Suddenly a shriek cut through the air, and a ball of fire flew right pass the newborn's head – well, it was almost his head. The creature that attacked him was like nothing he'd ever seen before. It looked like Dragon for most part, put its hide was sickly green, and its mouth was more like an opening at the end of the neck filled with sharp teeth.
With a bone-chilling shriek, the creature attacked again, sending another fireball the newborn's way. He dodged it and opened his mouth and shot a fireball of his own at the flying abomination, hitting it dead-center.
The creature yelped and fell towards the earth. As he watched it fall, the newborn felt as though he was more in control now, than before. But there was something that pulled him, something that told him to continue deeper into the mountain pass.
"Slayer no longer, Dragon Knight reborn."
Talana's voice echoed through his mind, her words giving him chills. Dragon Knight. It was a lot to take in, if it was true. All of it could just be a trick created by Talana. Though, something told him that it was unlikely.
As he made his way deeper into the pass, the newborn flew through what looked like a giant ribcage lodged between in the rock, and on the walls of the pass there were roots of some sort; roots that looked more like lava than anything else, and gave of a sinister aura.
He soon heard, and saw, more of those disgusting creatures from before. They weren't very clever, strong or fast, as he barely had to make any effort to kill them. It was like they were attracted to fire… What did pose a slight problem were the two ballista towers up ahead that began to shoot bolts at him, bolts as tall as a man.
"Do you see those horrid constructs?" Talana said with disgust. "They are the perverted machinations of Damian, Rivellon's true nemesis."
The newborn managed to dodge a bolt that was aimed at his head, and flew towards the ballista tower and opened his mouth, but instead of a fireball there was a steady stream of fire coming out of his throat. The ballista caught fire and broke down.
Another bolt from the second tower flew through the air. The newborn sped towards it, opened his mouth and spat a fireball at it, which exploded on impact, leaving the tower in a wreck.
With all enemies taken care of, the newborn approached the other side of the pass. The sight before him made his throat close up.
Before were hundreds of flying isles made out of black rock. On each isle there were ballista towers and other constructs, all obviously made for war and destruction. The air was thick with black smoke that made his eyes water.
"With my powers I leave you my crusade," Talana said with something similar to pride. "Damian's destruction, a Dragon's legacy."
Suddenly, all of the towers began to fire at the newborn. A swarm of bolts and fire rained down on him, and as he began to dodge them he felt a strong presence behind him. He looked around and came face to face with another Dragon, much larger than him and wearing some kind of armor. As it clawed and bit at him, more of those flying creatures from before joined in as well, tearing and slashing his hide and wings to shreds. The pain was unbearable, and he soon fell towards one of the isles.
The impact was almost as painful as the other Dragon's bite. The newborn tried to get up, but could not find the strength to do so. He tiredly opened his eyes at the sound of heavy footsteps. A tall, bald man with silver eyes approached him. He wore a heavy armor with spikes, and as he got closer, the newborn could see his own reflection in the armor.
The man stood over him; his face covered in shadows. He raised his foot and brought it down hard on the newborn's head.
The world went black…
