Draconia - Medieval fantasy style short story

 It's been a while since my first post, but here's another short story. A little piece of medieval fantasy, video game-like idea that came to mind. 😉

DRACONIA 

I sincerely hope there is enough ink and parchment for me to register my most recent undertaking. As I made my way to the Northlands to receive the payment for my recent job, I chanced upon a town called Æsterya and decided to visit it and offer my mercenary services. That way I would make some more money and perchance easily get my hands on a few gold pieces before moving on to the Northlands and their big walled city. 

 

You see, I've had a sword in my hands ever since I was a kid. It is what I do. I wield it, I swing it and sometimes kill with it. Services may involve dealing with creatures of the night, demons or simply despicable humans. With the latter kind things tend to be easier, since, at times, there's no need to tarnish my sword with blood and I can simply use intimidation tactics to solve a situation. 

 

This was the type of quest I expected in Æsterya. Upon entering the town, that curiously was not heavily guarded, I noticed signs of destruction in several buildings aside from not being the most attractive town I've ever set foot in. Mostly grey, with a few fortifications dotted around as if it was erstwhile a prison that blew up and part of it was rebuilt into a settlement people could live in. Nevertheless, I thought better to not judge and focus on earning some money.  

 

I walked into a tavern to inquire if there was any work available for a mercenary like me and as luck would have it, there was. According to one of the clients, there was a dragon harassing the city. Which would account for this place looking so ugly and ruined. 

 

I introduce myself as Belgard, which seemed too much for the man I was conversing with, because he kept mispronouncing it as Beruga. Quite vexing, but I would not allow that to ruin a possible contract. 

 

The man, whose name I had no interest in asking, then takes me to the one person that could grab my attention: The payer.  

 

He was strangely referred to as "Father" by the tavern client. He mispronounces my name one last time as he bids farewell while "Father" and I sit down to discuss what this quest would entail.  

 

I asked if he was the mayor of Æsterya, but he said there was no such thing. He was “The Father" but said I could call him Ludovic.  

 

He tells me the plight his town is going through and offers me 100 pieces of gold to kill the dragon. I immediately thought it was strange, because small towns such as these usually don't have many resources. Even in the big walled capital city in the Northlands hardly anyone would be able or willing to pay that much. However, as many other dirty leaders I've met, he could be overtaxing his people and amassing a small fortune. Not good for them, but great for me when I get paid. 

 

Ludovic proceeded to emphasize how he needed that dragon to be killed and how much his people was suffering. He said the dragon swoops in, burns what little crop they had, the houses and sometimes abducts women and children. 

 

“Women and children?” Thought I. “Do dragons choose specifically what person they’re going to capture?”, then again. I have faced a few larger monsters, such as trolls, but never crossed paths with a dragon. If it is such a hideous evil creature, guess I could put my services to good use and of course leave this town one hundred gold coins richer. I may be compassionate sometimes, but I’m not a monk, nor do I offer charity.  

 

Ludovic, with his watery eyes, spoke with such passion about the dragon it made me realize this wasn’t about a certain creature being a nuisance, but rather a great calamity. 

 

Before heading off to the top of the mount where the monster was nested in, Ludovic finally showed me around. This happened after a few minutes of persuasion on my part, because if it depended on him, I’d be already on my way to the nest. 

 

I wanted to have a look at the town, get a better understanding of what was at stake. Don’t get me wrong. I am a mercenary. Payment is as good a reason as any to complete a contract, but I figured that the ‘why’ part of a job would psyche me up when it came to the ‘how’ part of the job. 

 

We walked around, took in the sights, which included the population of men and women all bowing slightly when Father passed by, a square and a few butcher shops, until we reached a construction akin to a temple. I asked if we could go inside to continue the sightseeing, but Ludovic simply wouldn’t allow it. 

 

I paid it no mind at the time and moved on. Rested at an inn until the next day and made my way to mount Draconia. Ludovic revealed that is how the people of Æsterya called the place. Quite fitting, I thought, for the area a dragon is nested in.  

 

I depart in the morning and reach the summit in the evening. After navigating the tough terrain, I behold a massive opening, a cave, big enough to fit a giant flame-spitting lizard.  

Even though not much of a shield user, because of the cramps you get from holding that heavy chunk of metal in your arm, I had to raise it and keep it in front of me, lest a continuous stream of hellfire came my way.  

 

Luckily there was no need to light my torch, for I noticed small dots of light keeping the cave from becoming the pure stygian darkness I’m used to. These dots turned out to be some sort of rock and, if they were valuable, this undertaking would prove to be even more profitable than I thought. 

 

Before I could verify if the glowing rocks were in fact valuable gems something echoed through the cave: “Give me a reason not to burn you to ashes.”  

 

The acoustics inside the cave worked in such a way that I could not pinpoint the location of what could only be the dragon I came to kill.  

 

Yes, dear reader, if you’ve never faced a creature of the night, demons and otherworldly apparitions you may not know, but many of them do speak. Even if not articulating words as we do, they find a way to communicate directly to your mind. 

 

Knowing that, I promptly replied, “I came here searching for a dragon that is tormenting Æsterya. That is you, correct?” 

 

“You speak as if they requested you to come annihilate me... Are you some kind of bounty hunter or just stupid? If you are not a citizen of Æsterya, I give you permission to make a wise decision and walk out of here with your life.” 

 

“‘Annihilate?’ ‘Give me permission to walk out of here?’”, dear reader, I mentioned I am no stranger to having monsters speak to me, but that vocabulary and reasoning is something completely new. Oftentimes what they say is how much pain they’ll inflict on me before eating my bones. At that moment I thought dragons are mayhap higher beings and not walking natural disasters as people make them out to be.  

 

I told the beast it sounded like the smartest creature I’ve spoken with and invited it to show itself. To my amazement, a great tremor shook my surroundings when the great winged predator dropped from the ceiling in front of me.  

 

Despite being caught by surprise, I tried my best to keep an expressionless face in front of it. I was preparing my mind and body for a fierce battle when the dragon says, “You don’t seem to be part of their cult. Those cowards wouldn’t dare come here, but at the same time you’re alive, so clearly that answers my question. You are a bounty hunter who was deceived into trying to hunt me.” 

 

Those words not only caught me off guard, but also left me intrigued. Therefore, I literally asked what it meant by “cult” and me being alive. Never would I expect a dragon to be such a powerful communicator, because it closed the gap between us in mere seconds and uttered, “You stupid little man. Have you not realized they are cannibals? And worse of all...”, the dragon continued after a change in its pitch, uttering the next words with a level of dejection I’d never expect from a ‘monster’: “they’ve taken my child.” 

 

It all made sense. It’s a “she”, a mother trying to retrieve her abducted child. That would also explain the denizens calling Ludovic “Father”, the strange sense of devotion to him, not to mention an uncanny amount of butcher shops for such a small town... at that moment I knew whatever was available in those shops could only be fruit of an inhumane carnage. 

 

Then it dawned on me that her child could be in the temple Ludovic prevented me from entering. Perchance the baby was held in an underground area, which naturally wouldn’t allow for such a huge creature as its mother to get into.  

 

The epiphany lasted mere seconds in my head, but it was enough to completely change my motivation. I quothed, “That wretch! I knew something was suspicious! I was expecting having to taint my sword with his blood in case he wouldn’t pay me, but now I realize I’ll do it out of necessity!” 

 

Dragons don’t have facial features conducive to expression, but that proved unnecessary, for I could clearly see in her eyes she felt hope again. 

 

Since she was such a lucid being I imagined she’d have a name. Upon asking, she reveals it is Draconia. “So they named you after the mountain?” I asked. 

 

“No,” she clarifies, “You are not the first human with whom I’ve had contact. Before reaching maturity, I was once saved by a man who cared for my wounds. He named me Draconia.” then she proceeds to explain the cultists in Æsterya named the mountain after the first attack in which she announced herself and demanded her child to be brought back. 

 

“Now you know two humans who are not mindless savages. Speaking of which, we have some to deal with ourselves down there.” 

 

As I said these words, and emboldened by a sense of justice, I flied down with Draconia, who greeted the town with a gush of scorching fire, before dropping me at the entrance. 

 

I immediately rush to the temple when men and women seemingly crazed with both suicidal and murderous intent throw themselves in front of me, attacking with all manner of utensils, from hoes, to knives, to bludgeons... basically anything that could potentially cut flesh or smash bones. 

 

Reasoning was ineffective, try as I might, so I resorted to a language they would truly understand. 

 

Maniacal displays of brute force are checked by my shield, as my trusty sword slashes away the brutes who seem much more animalistic than the dragon I was supposed to kill. 

 

Dispersing such a crowd was made easier by the occasional rain of fire provided by Draconia, which allowed me space to seek refuge in one of the buildings. 

 

Ready I was not to experience the atrocities in display. The building I entered to escape the mob was one of the butcher shops.  

 

If you have read this far, pardon the details, but this is the only way I can impart the terrors captured by my senses... it starts with the familiar shapes hanging on clotheslines. These are human thighs, arms, feet... then the hideous reek of dry blood with putrid carcasses and human heads displayed as trophies. 

 

At that moment I knew this was no ordinary town, it was a hellish place, inhabited by hellish inhumane savages. Disturbing indeed, but I would not allow that to be my final contract. I decide to face the horrors outside and fight my way to the temple. 

 

As cultists behind me are burned and thrown as ragdolls, courtesy of Draconia, I walk down the flight of stairs inside the temple to find a perfect copy of the dragon fighting out there. Draconia’s child. Impressively adorable for the kind of creature it will grow to be. 

 

After setting it free the escape was not immediate, because Ludovic stands there in front of me with a lance in his hands. Before engaging in battle, I inquire why the dragon was kidnapped.  

 

His response, “at the right age, not too young, not yet an adult, a dragon’s body is a treasure box. From scales, to bones, to the eyes and organs all fetch the amount of money you can only dream of.” 

 

“You’re a mercenary. I can let you partake in the profits if...” 

I didn’t let him finish. Before he could complete the sentence, my blade was already tainted red when I rushed in. He left himself open and soon was grabbing at his neck. 

 

Yes, a mercenary I am. I offer my services for money, and these usually involve sullying my hands, but certain lines I won’t cross. I won’t allow myself to lose my humanity. 

 

I returned the baby dragon to Draconia and minutes later I was out of the blazing nightmare Æsterya had become. I didn’t get the one hundred gold pieces as promised, but I guess the satisfaction of doing the right thing was enough... well, that and getting on the good side of Draconia, who became an ally and offered to aid me whenever I needed.