Dragon's Dogma - A Forgotten Tale of the Arisen and his Pawn Chapter 1: Peaceful Chaos, a dragon's dogma fanfic

Chapter 1: Peaceful Chaos

"HEY! How long are you going to daydream? The fish aren't going to dry themselves."

The hardworking Quina had interrupted his reminiscent daydreams with a wet fish to his face. He had gotten accustomed to her presence. Her caring nature was something that was a bit odd towards him but he accepted it just like morning rays.

"I am goin already. You're always so demanding." He said with a smile.

"Well hurry cos, the last time you allowed the nats to beat you to the food"

If you don't dry fish fast enough they begin to rot, which is why it's always time sensitive to preserve it. The life of a fisherman surely had its own perils but he would rather do this than anything else. Every day, the same tedious routine; fish, eat, talk, and sleep a boring life that no one wants, except him. After searching for so long he had finally settled down and in the worries of his world past, he finally felt like they were slipping away. Even his true name he had all but forgotten, was this peace?

His thoughts were interrupted by another wet fish to his face.

"How can you be so slow yet so fast at every festival competition? If you continue this way cos you'll ne'er find yourself a woman" she said with a faint blush and looking away.

He knew very well the young lady's growing feelings for him and although it did not annoy him he always avoided the thoughts. His neglect towards her was the result of hard work towards his peace, having a woman in his life would be nice but he knew it was as ephemeral as the seasons. He would be alone, and that is better than mourning…

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"TAKE UP ARMS FOR THE DRAGONS COMING IS NIGH!"

"Do you believe it to be true cos?" She asked.

"Hardly" He said with a scoff.

"There hasn't been a Dragon in who knows how long. If you believe in dragons you might as well believe in fairies."

She pulled on his arm, a playful insult, for someone who loved the stories of Dragons and fairies ever since she was a child she wouldn't let that comment go.

"Fairies are real you oaf!"

This was their daily flirting that she loved but he was sure that someday she would move on so he accepted her flirting for the time.

"Show me one then! Or she as been n the herb storage for too long" Hardly able to speak with her arms now clinged around his neck.

Their little farce went on but the villagers never paid them any mind. The village was like family, experiencing everyone's comedy routine; it was not strange for the small family of villagers to see something so typical as two people enjoying themselves. However, right now the villager's attention was turned to the fliers and talk of the recruiting soldiers. "The Enlistment Corps", a chance for young men and women to prove their valor and earn some coin under the duke's domain. "A young fool's valor", the thoughts echoed through his head but quickly erased it with the girl pulling him towards the basket of fish waiting to be delivered to the beach for drying.

The days went on and the talk of the Dragon became an everyday conversation with the villagers which in turn sparked other conversations that the wyrm was responsible for the monsters that have been attacking nearby villages and raiding caravans.

"Preposterous!" "Only fools believe in such hogwash"

The talk near the boats was distracting him from his daily chores. He finally readied his boat for a peaceful fishing trip and now it was ruined from the talk of monsters that would prowl the shoreline and the rumors that something would swallow fishermen when they went too far into the sea. It mattered not to him; he looked towards the sea and calm waves but the only reason he had not set sail towards his happy voyage was because Quina would have him wait until she brought him his meal. She would have made a great wife if only he had not been infatuated in making his peace in the village. The last thing to do was to remove the anchor and begin but since Quina was not yet here he decided to sleep in the boat for a while. The talk died down and the air was pleasant, the waves and rocking of the small boat would null him to sleep. Even a baby can't sleep this good, to let all of ones troubles wash away, was this paradise at last?

***Dream***

"HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND TO DELUDE YOURSELF?"

The sky had turned dark in an instant, and the sea was the color red… Red like… blood… but he had just turned away for an instant. Skulls, skeletons, abandoned toys and the demolished houses had turned to rubble. He knew the deceased; they had familiar faces even if they no longer had their living flesh. The waves now sounded like cries of many who had suffered, the cries of the innocent could be heard in the distant and the laughing of evil could faintly be heard by those who would take pleasure in others suffering.

"No"

"NO!"

He laid back down hoping to return to that peaceful paradise he found, he did not want this. Whatever happens to the world is not and should not be his responsibility. But he could not ignore the chaos even though he covered his eyes and ears tightly.

"Go back to sleep, Quina will be back real soon and I will finally be at peace again" he told himself.

The boat was rocking too violently for him to try anything and before he knew it the boat was tossed aside as a child playing with his toy in a bath. Maybe the fall wouldn't have killed him but the boat landed on top of him and the thousands of splinters from the wood had shattered his body.

"No, let me return… back to the calm sea's…" the blood spewing from his mouth clouded his words, he didn't even know how he was conscious.

"YOU HAVE NEGLECTED YOUR DUTIES FOR FAR TOO LONG. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR EXISTENCE? TO DIE LIKE THE REST? LIKE A FISH? YOU PITY YOURSELF AND HIDE FROM THE WORLD AS IT CALLS OUT. PATHETIC!"

Through the blood covering his eyes he could see a monstrous figure that stood out and covered the skies.

"I do not want this, please just leave me be. Allow me to live my life in peace; I want to die peacefully with no more bloodshed."

"ASKING FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE? YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A WORM, IF YOU WANTED PEACE FROM THE BEGINNING YOU WOULD HAVE HAD IT. STAND MORTAL! STAND AND FIGHT FOR I SHALL NOT DIE."

"Please stop, STOP!"

***Dream End***

He woke up sweating with Quina looking into his face.

What just happened? He wasn't sure but Quina looked at him in concern.

"I apologize, cos" Quina had said this with a sad look on her face.

It finally dawned on him, it was a dream, and everything that had happened was a nightmare nothing more.

"No I was having a nightmare please don't apologize."

"I am really sorry" Quina said once more with the air turning awkward and silent. His thoughts were not on the girl but of the voice. He had come back to his peace and the silence was beginning to get awkward even for him.

"Did you need me for something?"

"Your meal, remember?"

He had completely forgotten the meal; his mind was elsewhere still trying to wake up to reality.

"I am going back; there are still other chores that need my attention"

With a heavy heart he looked down at the basket of food she had left as she walked away.

"I must be a fool"

Indeed he felt like one at the moment. Why couldn't it have been a pleasant dream instead? His thoughts: he kept thinking about the dream as he took a bite of dry meat and listened to the ocean. It felt so real, he kept remembering as he listened to the waves gently slap against the boat. What he didn't remember is that he was on the boat as a wave crashed down on him and submerged him in the deep waters of the ocean completely.

Again? Did it happen again? Is he dreaming again? He was unable to breath and was now struggling to resurface, NO! This was no dream, the oxygen in his lungs was quickly fading as he struggled against the waves and piles of concrete with wood making its way to the bottom. A few more seconds would remain until he was either dead or unconscious, and with every last effort he kicked towards the surface.

No time, he wasn't going to make it towards the surface, his oxygen levels had nearly depleted even his strength was beginning to fail him. Was there anything else left to do? As his consciousness began to fade the last of his air was knocked out of him as something massively crimson threw him out of the water and unto the roof of a house. He had gone through a roof and landed on a stockpile of silk the villagers had collected. Somehow the rush of coming to the surface and the impact had forced air into his lungs along with pain to his whole body. What just happened?

"Am I alive?" he asked out loud in surprise.

Nothing seemed to be broken but everything hurt, he thought that maybe the boat really did land on him. Was he still dreaming? NO! The sounds, the screams, the deafening roar of a beast that had come to devour its prey rang in his ears.

He shrugged off the pain ignoring the protest his body made towards his mind to lay down and rest. He limped outside still not quite use to the pain. Seeing the villagers run towards the village gate made him lose his focus for he wanted to run too. The projectiles in the skies were heading in one direction and that is where he saw it.

The Red Dragon, the one he had heard about in children's tales was nothing compared to seeing the beast reduce his friends to ash. He could see the Dragon and the glorious destruction the bringer of death was making with just its breath. The steel tipped volley of arrows were sticks of paper against its ultimate armor; they weren't even fit to be called arrows, for all it could do was bounce off the Dragons armor. Yet the arrows fired turned the attention of the Dragons breath towards its users.

"I should run…" he mumbled.

He might have if Quina and a few cowering children were not under the village pier, and in the Dragons path.

"QUINA!", the thought of leaving someone behind did not sit well with him and leaving her to die was not something he would have done, but he still wanted to run. Now his instincts had taken over and he was rushing the Dragon at full sprint. He avoided the Dragons breath as he took cover behind a concrete wall, the heat was enough to burn him lightly even though it didn't hit the wall directly; a nearby soldier fell to ashes and drew his last breath screaming. Looking to where the soldier fell he knew he could take his sword as soon as the Dragon looked away. Lucky, though unlucky, there were plenty of other sacrifices to be made as the screaming villagers and soldiers were a touch of pleasure for the overpowering giant. Quickly taking to the sword, he was rushing the massive beast again avoiding burning wood and carcasses. With one amazing thrust that he did not know he had, he plunged the sword into the Dragon's foot piercing its armor, exposing its blood. The Dragon instinctively jerked and threw him to what seemed to be miles near the side of the beach and into the water once more.

Strange, an injury had not occurred to the Dragon in so long.

Waking up with a tower of death looming over you is no way to rise in the mornings. Yet the tower of death was looking at him with all curiosity for no mortal can harm a Dragon unless that mortal possessed something special. Yes, something very special within him.