A thunderstorm crackled above. What resembled trees in the valley below glowed upon being struck by the lightning crashing overhead. The sound of rock tumbling echoed above them on the mesa above. A shrill roar enveloped their ears as they continued heaving rocks aside.
There was a young creature trapped beneath the rubble. A fledgling dragon, which had strayed from the clan. The harsher, deeper growls of the hunter team silenced the youngling, as their sharp talons tore into the rocky tomb the imp had trapped itself in.
One human stood among the thunder of dragons, but he wasn't lifting a single rock. His hand was raised, clenched into almost a claw-like shape. His amber eyes twinkled, as a boulder that was pinning the young dragon to the ground floated into the air. With a swift motion by the man, the boulder was cast aside, but not too far from the digging site.
One dragon next to the young man growled at him, its eyes in a near sneer. Hrgghrrrr, "Not so far away." It pointed to a pile of boulders the others had arranged.
The man hissed back, clearly annoyed. He turned his attention to a black dragon, who was only a couple feet taller than he was. His eyes glowed a dull yellow. Tanwen, why are they so afraid of them?, he asked the dragon, telepathically.
The black dragon, Tanwen, snarled a response. Because they have something to lose, was his reply. He picked up another boulder and motioned for the human to do the same. The sooner they finished, the sooner they could return home.
The man lifted another boulder telepathically, crushing it mid-air into near microscopic particles with a clench of his fist. He put the remaining dust in the pile of boulders.
The dragon hatchling was freed, and it was carried off by its mother towards the mountains on the horizon. The other dragons followed suit, with several flanking the mother and child for protection.
Tanwen coiled his wings around himself, looking at the human. His left claw was raised, held into what most people would recognize as the international sign for peace. Actually, this was the easiest way for the dragon to call the human by his name. His red-stained fangs still shone in the bioluminescent glow of the night, as the duo took flight towards home.
Warm and hearty roars greeting the rescue team as they landed back in their homeland. Arcton village was ablaze with dragons of nearly every size and color, but it sat in the valley below Mt. Amarkeeri. The mountain glowed an eerie blue, with enough warmth to reach even the village below it. A massive volcano sat dormant in the mountain, where only the most elite dragon could enter.
A feast was to be held in celebration of the young dragon's retrieval. But to do that, the hunters would need to catch some fresh game. Two grinned at Tanwen, as they were soon aloft.
The hunting grounds were vast, and creatures were plentiful. Though a similar shade of blueish brown across the land, the slimy atmosphere proved welcoming to the few creatures who dared live here. Blooming deaths were in mating season, and several had wandered into dragon's land. Their five-petalled faces coiled up as they tried to snare their predators in their multi-jaw. Limbs were torn off, or eaten on the spot, until the prey stopped moving.
Two twitched his fingers, and a blooming death's head exploded, leaving a fresh carcass in its wake. He smiled in satisfaction of the kill.
Tanwen growled at Two, shaking his head. There was no sport in the hunt if he killed them that way.
Two grinned, accepting the challenge. Another bloom leapt at him from atop a mossy hill, but a blue beam of energy formed on Two's hand and wrist, as he slashed the creature's throat. The head fell to the wayside as the creature writhed in its death twitches. He pulled out a blade he had hand-crafted, using the hardened bones of an elder bloom. Two's blade cut through its lessors like a knife through syrup, creating clean slices but also a mess in its wake. Though Two only was able to harvest remains from seven creatures, he had done his fair share of the hunting.
Arms and legs of various creatures were showered into the horde of dragons. The five-fold faces of blooming deaths, the innards of vaguely human origin, and the delicate flesh of large rodents roasted on the dragon's breath were enjoyed by both beast, and the one human.
The feast had lasted two days, and it would have continued had there not been an angry bellow from a sentry. There had been an enemy sighting on the borders. Many roared, some just growled. The mothers covered their young under their wings, in case the worst should happen, such as an invasion. Only a few seemed to suspect imminent danger.
Tanwen let out a low growl, his eyelids drooping. Hnnnngngh…urghhh.."They want something from that place, again."
Two knew full well what he meant. How many humans had he brought to them? Ten? Twenty? But none of them were what they wanted. They were never satisfied, and they never would be. Their territory was not enough. They wanted out. He wanted out. Two hated him most of all. He controlled them, or at least their minds. He kept them fed, so they did his bidding. That is, Two lamented, when he wasn't eating them. What kind of ruler ate his subjects?
The mostly hollow corpse that once lived and breathed independently was jostled around in front of Two tauntingly. That which used to be human was now nothing more than a flesh puppet for him. It made translation between parties much easier, but the calloused degree of his manipulation even disgusted Two. "Well, well. Somebody here owes me a fee. You know the cost of an invasion on our territory. I am being incredibly generous despite this, by not immediately declaring war," he said through his puppet. His towering form leered over the dragons, as his almost featureless maw seemed to grin.
One royal blue dragon roared, Then what do you want?
The puppet let out a forced chuckle, as it jiggled around wildly, "Oh nothing, just your head on a platter! But I doubt you will give me that. And you have made it clear you are not going to give us more land.
The dragon snarled, a puff of smoke flashing between his fangs.
"Tell you what, lizard, let me talk to the kid. Let us make a deal. Then you can keep your precious little imp," the hand of the human mannequin pointed back towards the dragons' land.
Though they backed off, only some of the dragons flew back towards one of the villages. Others, such as Tanwen, were steely glaring at their enemy as Two approach him.
The overbearing storm-like beast glowered down at Two. "You're a pretty good excavator, kid, so how's about you dig your older brother a grave?" Another corpse dangled in the beast's tentacles. The corpse twitched slightly, as a tiny hint of light could be seen in its left eye. It was alive.
Two visibly shivered. He always knew how to get underneath his skin.
"So, here we are again. On the cusp of war, though not entirely because of you. You know, you've been a great errand boy, as I believe they're called. However, I think it's time for us to part. Permanently."
Two flinched, his eyes aglow.
"You've been a hindrance ever since you first ended up here. You started helping the wrong side, kid. But I've got a way to fix that. You'll never have to see me again!" the human puppets said gleefully. One of the puppets' face scrunched up, "Well, except in your nightmares."
"You're giving up?" Two questioned half-jokingly.
"No. You are," was the calm reply.
Several dragons roared, some growled with fury. Tanwen bared his fangs and claws, shooting a shot of blue flames into the air as a warning. He landed beside Two, his eyes solely focused on the storm.
Two looked up at the beast questioningly. His eyes narrowed. He pointed at what once was his brother. "He goes with me."
"Not this time," was the cold answer. The puppet's body was absorbed back into the being, who leaned down on its enormous tentacle legs to face Two. "Two came here, but only one leaves."
Two's teeth snapped together, as both his arms were stretched out at the beast. He made a ripping motion with his hands, as the beast's head began to split in two. Two felt himself being lifted into the air by rough, talon-like claws as he started tearing into his flesh. It didn't matter; he was going to tear him apart, even if it cost him everything. Bodily fluids leaked from both parties in this life-or-death game of tug a war, but Two felt himself knocked to the ground by a heavy blow to the chest. The adrenaline coursed through his veins despite the injury from the fall, and from the slashes on his stomach.
Tanwen had knocked him free.
The being's head slowly melted back together, but he staggered and dropped his corpse puppet on the ground.
Tanwen howled at Two, a long, deafening roar. It wasn't an angry roar.
Two tried to stand up, but he too twitched and wobbled. He let out a chuckle, which soon devolved into cackling.
"You laugh in the wake of your defeat? While your debt is unpaid, and you're on death row? You humans truly are all alike. You knew you would never have him back, right?" he asked, confusion clear on the puppet's face. He took out the second body, the body of Two's brother, but suddenly recoiled in shock. The carcass was damaged beyond repair; no words could be spoken through it. It was dead. A shrill screech erupted from him as he lunged at Two. But he couldn't budge an inch over the border.
Fires erupted across the dragon's territory, and the fields next to the border also flared up in a brushfire. Fire engulfed the dragons, but they were clearly unharmed. Even a bit of smolder spat out of Mt. Amarkeeri.
Fire swallowed up Two, in a blue explosion. He looked around himself and began trying to harness the energy of the blue flares. But he couldn't do so for long, as the tentacled claw snatched him at last and dragged him onto hostile land.
"You're nothing without them, you know. You don't even belong here," he said, pulling on the loose organs exposed from his gouges he had made on Two.
Two coughed, a bit of blood on his lips. He smirked, despite his weakness. "I don't belong there either. I don't belong, period. So, go ahead. Kill me…please…" he whispered.
Stranger Things: 4
Prologue: Enter the Dragon
The battle had happened a couple years ago, but he was still haunted by the memory. The day his brother died. But now One was at peace, no longer trapped in the mortal coil by that monster. It cost Two greatly, and now he was lucky to still be alive. But that fact remained: Two had lost. Two couldn't remember the last fight he had lost. The easy way out seemed all too close for Two. But that was forbidden among his clan.
Tanwen found Two atop one of the mountain mesas. Two was standing on the edge, poised as though he was going to jump. He let out a low roar, that reeked of a familiar, almost questioning tone.
Two saw him, his face tensed. He sat down, dangling his feet over the edge. It looked to be a several thousand feet drop. It would take him about five seconds to reach the bottom, if he jumped. But Tanwen was right there. Two put up a brave smile.
Tanwen snarled, eyes glaring down at Two. His wings flapped in place, while he continued growling a low rumble.
Two lifted his ratty shirt, to reveal the large, black scar tissue on his stomach. His smile faded.
Tanwen snorted, then showed off the many scars on his wings and tail. He also pointed to his missing left horn. He walked to the ledge, standing beside Two. He looked down into the valley below. A blooming death could be seen traversing the mountain's base. He lightly tapped Two with a single claw, then motioned to the prey. His mouth glowed a warm blue for a moment.
Two looked hesitant, but a blue flare burst to life in his right hand. His eyes glowed yellow, as he launched the fireball at the bloom. He used his left hand to force open the bloom's petalled head, then to close again once the fireball was snared inside. The blooming death met its own, cooking to a crispy dark brown.
Tanwen roared proudly, which caught the attention of some more dragons flying overhead. They swooped down to the valley, to gather the remains of their prey. Tanwen patted Two's shoulder, looking down at his kill, then back at Two. Though he couldn't smile, he tried to make the corners of his mouth curve up as much as he possibly could.
Two had decided. He wanted to become one of the clan. He wanted to become a dragon. He had been living with them for years, but he never undertook the training required to officially become one of them. He had always been on the fence about the trials, unsure of what path in life he should choose, if he even chose to live at all. Two felt aimless, and life had become monotonous and meaningless. His close encounters with his own mortality influenced Two's mindset, slowly opening him to the decision to hone his body and mind. He had been right, in that Two would never see his brother again, but that pain only fueled Two's desire to become strong enough. Strong enough that he would never lose anyone again. Only one problem: right now, it often felt like Two had nothing, and no one, left to lose.
Two's physical strength was average at best, even after training his muscles for months, with rigorous training. He knew he couldn't rely on his body for anything other than transport. So, he would hone his mind. His mind could crush boulders, just by imagining it. But it cost him energy, and blood. It was worse when he was a child, where he could only crush small rocks or levitate them. He needed to find a way to use the existing energy around himself, instead of just relying on his own strength. Until then, he would focus on strengthening his power.
The mountain range surrounding Mt. Amarkeeri offered plenty of boulders to practice with. And none of dragons tended to live in the eastern valley, so any concern of an avalanche was unwarranted. To start his daily training, Two tried to lift a nearby boulder with as little energy as possible. The boulder jittered, but it refused to move. So, Two dug the edges of the boulder from the soft earth, as he hoped to loosen it a bit. Two tried again, and though the boulder shuddered, it still refused to budge an inch. Clearly frustrated, Two used more energy, but he was confused at the difficulty of this particular stone. The stone finally moved, but it didn't completely unearth. Two's eyes flared up in a yellow blaze, as he used the maximum of his energy, but seconds after he had, he realized he was tumbling down the mountain. He had accidentally dug out a stone mesa from the side of the mountain, which had been deeply buried into the mountain's side. He was quick to roll aside from the large rock formation he had broken, and watched it plummet the rest of the way into the eastern valley with a deafening crash. The ringing in his ears stopped once they had stopped leaking blood.
Though he felt rather stupid about rolling down the mountain, he was impressed that he had been able to lift out the entire mesa. That was his new goal. To be able to reliably control and lift a rock of that size. To just get a little stronger each day.
The first major trial was fast approaching, so Two practiced his hunting skills. Tearing apart a blooming death was easy, but the regenerative kraken, could simply repair itself almost instantly if it was injured. You had to completely kill it, shutting down its nervous system in one crushing blow if you sought to feast on its delicate meats. And that's assuming you could even lure one to the surface long enough to face it. They hid beneath unforgiving murky depths of the darkest seas. Any creature foolish enough to enter their bay oft find themselves deeper than they ever could have imagined. Even the mighty dragons respect the might of the krakens. They are the rulers of the sea, but should you manage to kill one by some means, you've earned the respect of nearly every land creature, and sea creature.
The final phase of Two's first trial would be to hunt down two of them. But not only did he have to hunt two kraken, but he only had a day to track them down and to kill them. Their scarcity, mostly due to the incredible difficulty of the hunt, made them a rare delicacy for dragons. Dragons were one of the few creatures to hunt krakens, and usually a team of them work together to take down a single kraken. But that was to Two's benefit, as this meant he wouldn't be facing the beast all alone.
The first trial had begun. Two was fortunate to be paired up with several dragons he already knew. Tanwen was one of them, as was a younger, orange dragon who Two had also trained with. They had fasted for about a week, in preparation for the first trial. The hungrier they were, the better they hunted.
Each dragon in the group had their role in the hunt. Tanwen was a glass-cannon, who had enough firepower in his breath to kill any smaller prey, and talons sharp enough to force a kraken into a self-healing status. The orange dragon, Drake, was younger, and nimbler, so he would land strategic hits on their prey's weak points while avoiding any retaliation. Two's job was to track down their prey, and to finish off whatever they found, if necessary, by crushing their nervous system using his psionic powers.
Their first target would normally be a small, rodent-like creature that loved forests and nested in the tree canopies. However, it had been a particularly tough year for these creatures, so hunting them now might drive the species to extinction. Though they were easy prey, the dragons knew better than to completely eradicate any food source. So instead, their first target would be a herd of fledgling blooming death.
Finding the nest of a blooming death was difficult for most dragons, as they tended to burrow underground. Not an issue for Two, however, as he located a nest only a couple miles from the valley. There was a slight sense of guilt felt by Two, as these bloomers were not allied with him. But, they were still an invasive species, and therefore prey.
Raw meat was baited and placed outside what would soon be the bloomers' tomb. Its pungent scent drew out most of them in minutes, as they were desperate for a meal. They soon found themselves in hot water, as their tough flesh wilted from the intense heat of the dragons' breath. Two could feel the raw power of the fire's energy, and how it used the atmosphere around itself as fuel. He too cast a scorching flame on their targets, aiming for the face to kill the beasts faster. Like moths to a flame, the remaining members of the burrow of bloomers surfaced in an attempt to subdue their predators, but it was a futile effort. The dragons crushed the weaker ones heads using their jaws filled with razor sharp fangs, and by slashing their blooms from their bodies with their talons. Two used his psychic powers to manifest a blue blade of energy, to cut any bloomer deserters to ribbons.
Not only were they not the first squad back in the valley, the team knew they had merely completed the easy first half of the trial. Fire tends to not mix with water, so the real challenge would be not only summoning a kraken, but they had to find a way to kill it without being drowned by its strong tentacles first.
The sea was over one hundred miles away, on the very outskirts of the dragons' land. Even then, most of the sea was not governed by the dragons, meaning a kraken would ideally be lured to the dragons' coastline. But how would one lure it to the surface? By appealing to their natural instincts. A select few krakens had been able to escape this world, and they entered an unsuspecting ocean of another realm. Their kind feasted on sailors and large ships, dragging anything aboard to a watery grave. But as time advance, so did the harsher resistance against them. Horrible, disfiguring explosions scarred many of them after centuries of dominance, or so it was rumored.
A few had returned to the Blackened Sea, the memory of ships still fresh in their minds. So, a decoy was created. A trojan boat, based upon a design by Two, who knew boats better than any of the dragons. It would be the deadliest game of fishing imaginable, with the boat acting as a bobber, and a poisoned hook underneath. They had forged a hook from the raw metal buried around the valley, welding it to their makeshift boat using their flames.
As the afternoon wore out, evening on the sea set in. The cold waves lapped at the shoreline, almost rhythmically. The enormous metallic pole linked to the boat via a strong chain rocked gently back and forth as the boat rode the waves. None of the dragons, nor Two, stirred the boat as it coasted along the coast. Kraken were known for only feeding when they were desperate for food, or when they are still growing. Younger kraken tended to behave more riskily, and their delectable and silky meats were practically to die for, making them the ideal target of a hunt. Not that aged kraken didn't have its merits, but they tended to be smarter, less susceptible to an aerial attack or the team's enormous fishing lure.
It was late into the night. While most of the dragons were sleeping, some were keeping watch on their lure to ensure they were ready the moment anything surfaced. Two was still awake too, gazing into the murky depths of the Blackened Sea. He, like the other dragons was careful not to set any fires or do anything that might distract their prey from the trap they had set. Anything that might alert the kraken could easily convince it to remain hidden.
Ripples appeared on the water's static surface, and the boat bobbed a bit more enthusiastically. The sound of creaking wood groaning awoke the sleeping dragons. The sails aboard the boat fluttered from some unseen force.
Tanwen leaned over the edge of the coast, a bright energy aflame in his eyes as his claws tensed. His tail wagged, the blue flame on its tip blazing excitedly.
Drake looked ready to take flight the moment the ship sank. His scaly wings fluttered in place as he eagerly eyed the ocean.
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. The boat snapped apart, being dragged to the nether by large, bioluminescent tentacles. But try as it might, the boat would not sink.
The horde of dragons descended onto the tentacles, slashing them. Others grabbed the remaining tentacles, as they began to drag the kraken towards the shoreline.
But the kraken clearly resented being beached, as it fought to stay under. But another strong force began pulling on it, forcing the creature to surface.
Two was helping the others reel in their prize, using his power. Though the dragons were stronger than him, the strength of his psychic pull was a key part of their successful haul. Two knew that they just had to wait for it to tire out from the poisoned hook, then it was as good as theirs. But what he, nor his comrades couldn't have anticipated, was another, bigger, darker shadow rising up from the murky depths.
In the early dawn, or what would have been dawn in a seemingly never-ending night, an enormous tentacle snatches a dragon from midair, dragging it to its beak-like mouth. The poor victim is crushed into chunks and miscellaneous body parts as the elder kraken enjoys the quick snack.
The other dragons hasten towards the shore, as Tanwen roared at Two. Rearrrrgh! "Kill it, now!" Tanwen imitated Two's crushing motion he made when crushing rocks.
Two looked confused and surprised by the order. Rwooaarwww? "But, there's not sport in that!"
Tanwen roared back, then rejoined the others dragging the now weakened young kraken to the beach.
Two nodded, and using both hands in a crushing motion, he tries to kill the beast. The clouds above the ocean crackled, with the humidity in the air having cumulated into a near-storm. Two saw a quick flash of lightning.
The elder kraken thrashed violently, and used one of its longer tentacles to strike Two across the beach. It used its remaining tentacles to knock several of the dragons from the sky, allowing the younger kraken to gain the upper hand in the struggle to shore.
Two leapt to his feet, then shouted a loud roar to the remaining dragons. Roooooohhhhaaaahhh! "Let them go! Get to shore!" He pointed above them to the incoming storm. Once all the dragons were away from the ocean surface, Two forced the powerful lightning surges to strike both krakens below. The ocean glowed with electrical energy as a thundering surge wove its way through the waves. Using the raw energy of the bolts, Two fueled them with his own energy to strengthen them, frying the flesh of the two krakens. The smell of burnt skin filled the air as the krakens struggled to break free of the painful volts. Two used even more energy to force down five more thunderbolts onto the kraken's heads, blackening them until they were borderline unrecognizable. Though his ears were bleeding, as was his nose, he had succeeded. But his consciousness was quickly fading. He fainted.
Two finally awoke, back in the village. He was woken up by the sounds of cheer and merriment. But he was equally startled when a stick of food was shoved in his mouth. Tanwen was holding out a second stick to him, his eyes twinkling. The taste was, incredible. It was salty, but the meat was tender and juicy. It had a smokey flavor, as well as an excellent tint of fish. Two looked around, after he accepted the second stick. And sure enough, there they were.
At least, what was left of the krakens. Everyone in the village was enjoying the feast provided by the brave trial goers. There were several ceremonial fires intertwined with the feast and festivities. Chunks of kraken were being roasted carefully over the open fires, while some were seasoned with finely-ground powder and other meats.
Two groaned, as he had a pounding headache. He rubbed his face, and still felt crusty blood coating his ears and nose. He was grateful when a clay tub of water was offered to him, so he could wash up. He felt cleaner, but he was still feeling light-headed. But despite his mind threatening to fade out of consciousness, he felt a sense of pride as he sat down beside the rest of the team. The trial was over. The weak had fallen, but not in vain. The dragons had won.