A/N: And here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Dsiclaimer: I don't own Dungeons and Dragons. I only own my original ideas

Chapter 83: Darkness Within

After traveling a bit deeper into the Cursed Barrens, we found a suitable campsite, and lay down to rest. I slept fitfully, the wound inflicted by the Roc still throbbing with pain. I suddenly jolted awake, and looked around. I was alone. None of my companions were anywhere to be seen. No signs of a campfire, nothing. I heard a pearl of thunder, and saw the dark clouds roiling in the skies. Flying wouldn't be a good idea right now.

'What's going on here?' I thought, 'Ashardalon?'

The ancient spirit within my necklace didn't respond. I lifted the stone to examine it, and saw that its warm glow had gone out.

'Hells, I'm truly alone here,' I thought, 'did something or someone kidnap them? Or did someone do the same to me?'

What wever the case, it didn't matter. I needed to find out what was going on. I set out across the rocky ground, beginning my search. As I moved away from where I awoke, I noticed it was getting colder rapidly, until I was trudging across a snowfield that sretched as far as the eye could see, strange as we'd been trekking through a blazing hot desert. Ahead, I could see a column of smoke rising from a campfire. I moved closer, seeing I my companions were anywhere to be found. Instead, I discovered a quartet of Gnolls, dancing and snarling aroud the fire. They were scarred, and wearing patchwork animal hides as makeshift armor. Before I could back off, they took notice of me and charged, wielding crudely made iron blades.

One of the gnoll reached me before I could react, swinging wildy with its swords and attemping to bite me. One blade glanced off my hide, but the second found purchase, while I evaded its snapping jaws. I inhaled deeply, and unleashed my fire upon the Gnolls, the flames burning more intensely than before. All but one of the Gnolls were instantly incinerated, while the one that remained was still badly burned.

"Tell me, Gnoll," I growled, "where are my companions? What did your pack do to them?"

The Gnoll didn't reply, only snarling louder and charging at me. Again, only one of its blades pierced my hide, but not that badly. However the motes of flame left over from fiery breath coalesced around the gnoll, slaying it.

I moved up to search their camp, but there were no signs of my allies. However, there were tracks leading off to the west. With no other clues, I began to follow the trail, and before too long the snowfield gave way to grasslands in another strangely dramatic climate shift. As I continued along, out of the corner of my eye I spotted something diving from the clouds towards me, and dodged its attack. As I looked towards my attacker, I saw an Orc riding atop a griffon. The pair landed nearby, and the orc dismounted, hefting a large axe.

"Well, look what we have here," said the Orc.

"I've no quarrel with you," I said, "I'm looking for someone, more accurately several people".

"You won't find them, Dragon," said the orc, "your path ends here, if not by my hand, then the Blazing one will be your end!"

"We'll see about that!" I snarled.

I charged towards them roaring loudly. The orc flinched, and hid behind the griffon, cowering in fear. I struck at the griffon first, tearing into it with claw and fang. The griffon responded in kind, slashing back with beak and talons. The Orc seeing me engaged with the griffon ran further away, heading towards a large boulder. I attacked the griffon again, wounding it further. The griffon went to attack again, but I managed to evade its strikes with ease. The Orc continued to run, and made it behind the boulder. With one final bite, and took down the griffon. Behind the boulder, I could hear the orc whimpering in fear.

"I ask you again," I growled, "where are my companions!?"

"N-North! The Blazing One has them!" said the orc, "just let me go!"

I stared at the boulder, and sighed.

"Get out of here," I said, "I shall confront this 'Blazing One' myself."

I turned and began making my way north. As I did, I began seeing familiar sights, places from my past. I saw Riverpoint, but I looked like no one had lived there for years. More than that, it looked like the town had been burned! Looking at the pattern of the burn marks, and all other evidence, I knew what had happened. It had been burned from above… by dragonfire. I searched the ruins, but there were no bodies to be found… at laest nothing that could be recognized as such.

'Guilty... your fault' whispered a voice, almost imperceptibly.

Was I? Had I put a target on the heads of the people of Riverpoint? No, that couldn't be right, if someone wanted to come after me, they would have done so while I was still living there. I shook my head to clear my mind of such dark thoughts, and continued on after pausing to lick my wounds a bit. I continued through town, and at the far end I discovered a cavern entrance that I knew for certain wasn't there. I knew this place well, and this cave didn't belong. I went in, my eyes easily adjusting to the gloom. Inside, I was met by a complement of 6 Kobolds. Four of them seemed fairly normal, but two stood out. One was wearing makeshift robes and had a pair of fake wings made of leather and sticks on its back. The other stood pridefully, carrying a shield and wearing a draconic skull as a mask.

"So, you'e come, as expected," said the kobold wearing the skull, "you are a fool, to think you can defeat the Blazing One".

"Get out of my way," I ordered, "If you do, I promise to let your clan live on in peace".

"And what good is that?" said the Kobold, "the word of a Red Dragon? Only a fool would trust you! Your father was right, you know: you really are nothing but a useless weakling, barely fit to be fodder for our hatchlings!"

How did this Kobold know of my father's words? There was no way that was possible! I was literally on the opposite side of the continent!

"In any case, if you desire to face the Burning One, you'll have to get through us first!"

The kobold with fake wings brought his clawed hands together, and an orb of magical energies build up, shifting between various colors before settling on an icy blue-white. The kobold launched the orb at me, and I was chilled for a moment as the frigid blast ran through me. It was my turn now. I charged into battle, slashing at these kobolds with my claws, taking out two of them. One of the kobolds ducked in close, and deftly drove its dagger between my scales. The kobold's leader stepped in a jabbed at me with its shortsword, but the blade didn't pierce. However, it twisted and jabbed at me again, this time managing to wound me. As well as the sting of the blade, I felt the burn of the poison upon the blade, but shook off its full effects. The other kolbold jabbed at me as well wounding me again with its dagger.

The kobold spellcaster cast a spell upon itself, and began dashing away, but I caught it with my claws, wounding it. as it fled it fired a blast of greenish gas at me, which I avoided. I turned by attention to the kobold chieftan, slash at it with my claws, but it remained standing. One of the lesser kobold poked at me with its dagger but to no avail. The kobold chieftan tried to stab me with it sword again but this time I was ready, and his blade was turned aside. The other kobold had the same luck.

The kobold mage cast its poison gas spall again, and again I simply blew it away. I continued my assault against the kobold cheiftan, and despite the wounds I'd inflicted thus far, it was still standing. Again, I felt a dagger bounce off my hide. The chieftan angrily jabbed at me with his sword, but his lack of focus also equaled a lack of accuracy. I spotted one of the kobolds trying to flee, only to get slammed by my tail.

The kobold mage continued trying to blast me with poison spells but to no avail. I tore into the chieftan with my claws again, and it was looking to be in poor shape. The remaining dagger-wielding kobold contined to try to wound me, but failed again. The chieftan swung at me weakly, breathing heavily. Neither of its attempts we even close to hitting me.

I dodged another spell from the mage, and with one swipe of my claw I finished off the cheiftan. The dagger wielding kobold and the mage ran off, fleeing down side passage too small for me to enter.

I licked my wounds, and continued deeper, following the main tunnel and trail of scorch marks on the walls. The passage became darker and darker, supernaturally so. The passage ended at a larger chamber, with a source of illumination in the center. There, sitting upon a pile of gems and melted trophies of its conquests was a dragon. It It was somewhat larger than me, bore black scales, seeming more charred than naturally colored. Cracks between the scales blow a dull red, turning to glowing yellow-white on the belly.

"So, you came all this way to see me," said the dragon, "what makes you think you're worthy to stand in my glorious presence?"

I glared daggers at this dragon, and replied.

"Where are my friends!?" I snarled.

"Imagine that, a wyrm so weak that it must rely on humanoids to fight at its side," said the dragon, "how pitiful… I shall take pleasure ridding this world of your worthless existence! You think you can better the world just by being the lone paragon against the owverwhelming tide. You will fail, you know this in the deepest, darkest corner of your heart!"

"WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS!?" I roared, ignoring its taunts.

"Oh, there around… not that you'll live to find out!" said the dragon.

The enemy dragon and I circled each other, reading for our battle. The enemy dragon struck first, biting at me powerfully. As well I felt the sear of its flames overcoming my defences. Luckily, I evaded its claws. I retaliated with my own claws, wounding the dragon. In the back of my mind, I felt something familiar, comething comforting. The dragon went to attack me again, but this time I evaded all of its attacks. I slashed at the dragon again, and it seemed to weaken slightly. Another attack from the enemy dragon, another set of dodges on my part. I tore into it again, and now it was clear, with each stike it was getting weaker. It attacked me again, and this time stuck with its claws, wounding me again. As I attacked it again, I stared to get the sense this wasn't a real dragon. No variety of dragon I knew of became noticeably less powerful when wounded. It swung at me again, and missed. I struck at this strange replica of a dragon, causing it to get weaker still. My foe tried again to attack me, but it again couldn't pierce my hide. I felt a surge to strength course through me, recalling that my friends were waiting for me. With one final strike, the enemy dragon dissolved into nothing but a pile of rapidly cooling lava.

I saw an exit that I hadn't noticed before, and ran towards it. I could see a light ahead. I rushed towards it and…

I awoke with a start and examined my surrounding. A short distance away, I could see the remains of a camfire, and lying around it were my allies. I noticed Uxarix sitting atop a boulder, and glancing down at me.

"Valignatirisk, are you alright?" asked Uxarix.

As I went to answer I noticed I felt sore. Sore in the same places that I had been struck in that… whatever it was.

"I… don't know," I said, "I think so?"

"I looked like you were having quite the nightmare," said Uxarix, "you were mumbing about 'giving them back' as well. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I… I dreamt that all of you had vanished, and I went looking for you," I said, "I ran into a number of different foes who tried to stop me from searching. Gnolls, and orc riding a griffon, a pack of Kobolds that wanted me dead… no offence meant to you".

"None taken, I know that not all of my people are as… civilized as my tribe," said Uxarix.

"As well there was a dragon, seemingly made of volcanic rock and living flame, it seemed to know everything about me," I said, "taunting me with things I'd thought I'd left behind".

"It must be this place," said Uxarix, "we were warned of the dangers of these lands, that its power could twist the mind. It sounds like the fell power of this land was attempting to destroy you from within, and replace the part of you that makes you who you are with a dark spirit of its own".

"It was strange, at first this dragon seemed to have the advantage, but then I felt something, and I seemed to be empowered against it," I said.

Uxarix smiled, and replied.

"I'm glad I was able to aid you my friend," said Uxarix, "when I saw you were in distress, I began praying for you, it seems my prayers were heard".

I glanced towards the horizon, seeing was nearly sundown.

"It looks like it's too late to get back to sleep, we better get ready to continue our journey." I said.

A/N: And there we go! Valignatirisk managed to fight off the corrupting power of the Cursed Barrens... with a little help from Uxarix. Next time, our heroes continue deeper into the Cursed Barrens. See you then!