Vegenrage: Dragon Reclaim (28 page)

“You can kill me, Blethstole, but do not let the humans have this power. This will give them the ability to kill dragons.”

“I will take care of the human and Hornspire as well. Swear your subservience to me, and I will let you live.”

“I swear.”

Blethstole bites the left wing of Rippencore in the center and twists his head, breaking his arm and his wing. Magical white lightning sparkles through Blethstole’s teeth as he bites the wings of Rippencore. He does the same to the right wing, and this is something that Rippencore cannot heal completely. This makes Rippencore very weak and less of a threat when he heals, but Blethstole allows him to live.

“Go to your home, Rippencore. You will never be the dominant dragon. I have a human and a dragon to take care of.” Blethstole takes to the wing and flies away. He left Rippencore alive on purpose for all the other dragons to see how completely dominated he was by Blethstole. This Blethstole wants to be seen by all other dragons that may see Rippencore. Blethstole also knows about the writings of Hornspire, and Rippencore is the first dragon to come in contact with a human that Hornspire has told prophecy about, so Blethstole may want to talk with Rippencore at some point in the future. Hornspire’s prophecy said that Blethstole would battle Rippencore and defeat him but let him live. The prophecy also says that Rippencore will not survive much longer, but what happens to him is not written about.

Blethstole flies high and did not let on how badly Rippencore had wounded him. He has serious tears and gashes all throughout his body that he will heal from. His left wing is badly torn and ripped, and he struggles to fly and in a lot of pain. Being that all dragons are magical, they cause wounds to each other in battle that take longer than normal to heal. Blethstole is able to stop the bleeding all over him, but the deep wounds will take a few days to completely heal. He is heading back to his lair on Kronton and getting ready to fly through a Dimension Door when he notices a lone man riding on a horse toward Erkensharie. This will be a good meal for him, and he can regain some much-needed strength from the nutrition. This is an easy meal, so he thinks. One man and horse is no match for a dragon even in the wounded state Blethstole is in, so he makes his descent to snatch the meal from behind.

Persen is riding hard to get to Erkensharie. He is focused only on getting there as fast as he can. The Staff of Barrier Breath comes alive in his mind, and he can hear Vergraughtu speak to him. “Persen, there is a dragon approaching you.” Persen turns to see Blethstole approaching from behind him. He halts his horse and lifts the Staff of Barrier Breath and faces it at Blethstole. Blethstole realizes this is the man that consumed his breath attack back in Hiltor and knows this is the man Rippencore was talking about. He diverts his attack and heads back into the air to study this man, and he can see he has the staff and is ready to defend himself. Blethstole descends to the ground, a good distance away from Persen, and stands there, staring him down. He is still a mess with dried blood all over him and very noticeable wounds all over his body. Persen can’t help but try to calm his beating heart because Blethstole is very intimidating. He does the best he can to calm and steady his steed that automatically wants to run away. “Whoa, Andelboise. Whoa.” Persen pats him on his neck. “It’s all right, boy. We are gonna be okay.” Andelboise calms down a little but maintains to stomp his feet and flare his nostrils with a wide open mouth and his eyes noticeable wide and paying attention to the dragon.

“There will be no easy meal here, dragon. I will defend myself, and you will see that I am very capable.” Blethstole takes a step to the right and another, swaying his body broadside to the man but keeping his head and attention focused on him. He is studying this man and his reactions. He turns to face him and is hesitant to get any closer. He does not want any more wounds cast upon him, especially magical ones like the ones he saw on Rippencore.

“It has come to my attention that you carry a very powerful staff—one that can slay dragons. I know of this staff, and the only way this staff can be powered is if you have captured a dragon within it.”

“I have a dragon. Want to make it two?”

“Hahahahaha. Very confident you are. So if you have captured a dragon in this staff, you know that this dragon must answer your every call. He must obey your every wish.”

“I know, dragon.”

“So I just wonder why you face dragons by yourself instead of having the dragon face them and destroy them for you. I mean, surely you are capable and sure of yourself, and to face a dragon must be thrilling, but why put yourself in such a life-threatening situation?”

“Don’t play word games with me. Your charms and persuasions do not work on me.”

“No, no, of course, they don’t. Ah, you don’t know, do you? The dragon you have captured in the staff can be summoned, and once he has been summoned, you can order him to, well … Surely, you know all the secrets of the staff, and surely, you know of the prophecy saying that a man will order the invincible dragon to kill all other dragons.”

“I know of no prophecy. I only know that should you come any closer, dragon, you will feel what I can do with this staff. So why would you tell me this? Why would you want me to raise my dragon and have you killed?”

“Because, human, by raising your dragon, he will be brought back to reality, and before he can adjust, I will have torn his throat out, and then you can consume me with the staff and use my life force to power it. Ah, you did not know that you can summon your dragon. You did not know that should your dragon die, you can still consume any dragon you wish with the staff, but only one dragon can power the staff at a time, but the more dragons you consume, the more powerful the staff and you become.”

“Why would you want to be ruled by a human?”

“Because, human, well … I know your name. It is Persen, is it not? I know this because I know the prophecy that has been written. The dragon that powers the staff will be the only dragon to survive when all other dragons have died, but the race of dragon will not die, it will transform into a new superior race of dragon, and you, unfortunately, will not live to see this new dragon. That is just what has been written. I did not believe the writings until now, now that I see you with my very own eyes. You are the human that will lead the dragons to their end and bring in the new dragons, and I want to be that dragon.”

“You are a bloody mess, weakened from a previous battle, and you think you can take Vergraughtu on like this.”

“Vergraughtu. Don’t ever say that name in my presence. So you have captured the Violet Violator. I will show you who the real violator is. Just read the words on the staff backward, raise your dragon, and see if he can take me on.” Persen looks at his staff, and this is the moment Blethstole has been waiting for. He spits black magical darts that shred Andelboise, and he falls, dying. The darts hit Persen, but the staff blocks them, and he is thrown clear of his horse. Blethstole follows with lightning bolts that dance along the ground, exploding dirt and rock into the air. The lightning bolts cannot harm Persen, but the dirt and rock in the air blinds his vision. Blethstole sends a force spell that hits Persen, and he flies through the air. When he hits the ground, the impact separates him from his staff, and Blethstole is quickly there to charm him. Persen shakes his head and sees the massive dragon towering over him. He looks at his hands and sees the staff just feet away from his reach, and this is enough to release its protection. He looks at Blethstole, and it’s all over. Blethstole has him under his charm. Persen lays still as Blethstole approaches the staff. As he gets near to it, he backs away like it is causing him pain. “Ah!” Blethstole yells in anguish, not being able to do anything about the staff. He casts a bubble from his mouth, and it encapsulates Persen, and Blethstole flies off with Persen in tow and leaves the staff lying on the ground.

There was a witness to this event that Blethstole did not notice. Shortly after Blethstole had fled with Persen, a presence flies up to the staff and becomes visible. This young strong man with long black hair and deep blue eyes bends down and picks the Staff of Barrier Breath. Cloakenstrike has fortune on his side. He has been here on Fargloin, following the dragons and their destruction. He knows that the people of Hiltor are sitting ducks and figured why not see what happens here, and maybe he can find some valuables. He is mostly practicing his magical abilities, the ability to conceal himself, and he may get lucky and come across some magical items, and he hit the jackpot. He picks the Staff of Barrier Breath, thinking he can command its power, but he is in for a shocking surprise for real. He starts to get electrocuted by the staff and starts to shake, and his hands burn. He cannot release the staff, and smoke starts to rise from his hands and arms. Before he is actually killed, the staff flies from his hands and lands on the ground. Cloakenstrike falls back flat on his back, gasping for air, almost electrocuted to death. Fortunately for him, he has mastered healing techniques, and he is able to recover, but he is very badly burned for now.

The head on the Staff of Barrier Breath grows and moves. Vergraughtu is birthed from the mouth on the end of the staff, which is a replica of Vergraughtu’s head. Vergraughtu is birthed but only about half of his normal size, and he is covered in slime, weak and unable to move for now. Slowly, Vergraughtu starts to flap his wings and move about. He is coming to and rises, shaking the slime from his body.

Cloakenstrike is able to get up now too, and he sees the smaller than usual dragon but still, in his weakened state, does not dare tangle with a dragon. He uses all his magical strength to teleport to a safe place far away from the dragon and the staff. He is unaware that the magical power behind the staff is Vergraughtu, and now that Vergraughtu has been released, he can pick the staff, but his only thought right now is to escape and heal to come back and fight again.

Vergraughtu stands and grows very quickly, regaining his original size. He shakes and flaps his wings, noticing that the staff lays on the ground, and there is no sight of Persen. He roars into the sky, yelling the human lost me already. He takes the staff and rests it under his right wing where he magically secures it. Vergraughtu takes to the wing and heads for Hiltor.

Hiltor is defenseless, and Vergraughtu flies in and destroys what is left of Hiltor. He makes a point of eating the king and his wife, and all the remaining humans are eaten, killed, or flee. This is the last of the Hiltorian Kingdom, and this is ultimately what ended the human civilization here on Fargloin. Some people did survive the final attack by Vergraughtu, but there just was not enough people left to continue the human race here. The rest of the Hiltorian people were taken by predators or hid until their final days. Vergraughtu was in the very beginning stages of creating a link between him and Persen, and his warning to Persen about a dragon attacking him was his first telepathic communication with Persen. Vergraughtu could sense a dragon was going to attack Persen but was not completely sure which dragon it was. He knew it was a very powerful dragon and suspected it was Blethstole. Vergraughtu was already planning his self-proclaimed prophecy by taking the writings of Hornspire and manipulating them to serve him. He needs to find Persen and be put back in the staff, and only Persen can do this. Vergraughtu and Blethstole are two of the very few dragons aware of the writings of Hornspire at this time, and Vergraughtu hopes it is Blethstole that has Persen. Blethstole may keep Persen alive, being that he knows of the power that this human is written to have. Vergraughtu heads off to Kronton to face his biggest rival—Blethstole.

CHAPTER 22
Rippencore, the First Slain Dragon

Oriapow has returned to Erkensharie, and the courtyard is overly fortified with bowelves and warriors. Tunull and Whenshade are here, and they are obviously worried.

“Tunull, what has happened here? Did the dragons attack?”

“Yes, it was Rippencore. He used invisibility to get past the Terrahawks unnoticed and came into the courtyard. He ate half a dozen elves before our defenses were able to engage him. He took out some bowelves, and when the warriors engaged him, he took to the air, and we have not seen him since.”

“What about the Great Erken?”

“He only attacked in the courtyard. Shandorn is with King Ellith in the Great Erken right now, and we are preparing for another attack. If he comes back, we will be waiting with all our defenses.”

“He won’t come back here. He has gone to Hiltor. I know he has. They are much less equipped to deal with him than we are. If he runs into Persen though, he will get a big surprise. I must go talk with the king at once. I have some incredible news to tell him.”

“I want to hear about what happened with you and the human, but for now, we must be prepared in case the dragon comes back.”

“I will tell you about it later. Right now I have to go see Ellith and Shandorn.” Oriapow teleports to the Great Erken and is granted entry to see Ellith and Shandorn who are in the throne room. Oriapow enters the throne room, bowing to one knee. “King Ellith, I have some unbelievable news. I have seen it with my own eyes. Persen can use magic. He can defeat dragons with his staff. I saw him defeat Vergraughtu, and with him and the humans of Hiltor, we can fight back against the dragons and defeat them once and for all.”

“Are you sure, Oriapow? I have not felt the loss of a dominant dragon.”

“Yes, Shandorn, the dragon, was actually consumed by the staff Persen had made. The staff ate the dragon, and now the life force of the dragon powers the staff. This is why you have not felt the demise of the dragon.”

“Oriapow, the green dragon has attacked here in Erkensharie. He has killed our people. I have no tolerance for this. You and the human have defeated Vergraughtu. Do you think you can defeat the green dragon as well?”

“I am sure of it, my king.”

“I will grant you twelve of our best swordselves and bowelves. Go to Persen, hunt down this dragon, and come back here so we can unite the humans and the elves. I have already sent word to the Glaborian dwarves, and they have accepted our invitation to meet in the hopes of uniting our peoples in mutual benefit to fight against the dragons. Go to the courtyard, and any that want to travel with you have my best wishes. Shandorn will go with you to assure those that wish to go have my approval. May our ancestors continue to bless your travels, Oriapow.”

“I will slay this dragon and all others that we find. Thank you, King Ellith.” Oriapow and Shandorn head back to the courtyard, and sure enough, Oriapow finds six warriors and six bowelves that wish to travel with him. They get the best horses they can and head to Hiltor.

They ride hard, and it takes them a day to reach the Dry Flats of Hilternor. They come across the scene where Blethstole met with Persen, and they see blood and scale along with the remains of Andelboise. The elves inspect the scene, and Oriapow realizes that there is a lot of dragon blood here. He has the faint sense of human magic that was here. “Persen was here. He may have slain another dragon. Let’s get to Hiltor.” The elves ride on to Hiltor. About an hour later, they see the scene where Rippencore and Blethstole had their battle. There is dried blood and scales from both dragons all over. It is very easy to see that a dragon fought another dragon here.

“Oriapow, two dragons have fought here, but why is there no corpse? Don’t dragons fight to the death, and by the looks of all this blood, it looks like both may have died?”

“I do not know, Cremsblyle. Obviously, two dragons have fought here.”

“Over here.” They all head over to Sileyen who has discovered a trail of blood leading off to the north. “Look, a dragon has gone in this direction. He must have been so badly wounded that he cannot fly. We should go after this dragon. He may have died from his injuries. Look, green scales. This must be the green dragon that attacked Erkensharie. We should go after this dragon and end his misery if he still lives.”

Oriapow takes the lead. “Let us ride after this dragon and see where it leads us. It heads to the lair of Rippencore, and I bet this dragon is Rippencore. It looks like he is badly wounded, and we may find him healing. Whatever has happened in Hiltor is done. We will follow this trail, and if a dragon is at its end, we will slay it and then head to Hiltor.”

Oriapow has already found the lair of Rippencore, but he has never ventured into it. His adventurous nature takes over as he rides for the lair of Rippencore, ready to enter for the first time. The elves ride all day and notice that the forests that once thrived here have all slowly vanished over the years. It is now a flat grassland, and the horses make good time on their way following the tracks, blood, and fallen scales from the badly wounded Rippencore.

On the ride, they come across twelve humans riding on horses. This is a band that escaped the dragon attacks in Hiltor, and they cautiously greet the elves. “Elves of Erkensharie, I am Stranton, and we are all that is left of Hiltor. Our kingdom was attacked and ravaged by Rippencore, and Persen was able to thwart the dragon. Persen headed for Erkensharie to unite the elves with us, but before he could return, the Violet Violator attacked and destroyed all that was left of Hiltor. The violet dragon ate our king and queen and killed everyone else. We few have survived and are all that is left of the Hiltorian people.”

“Stranton, I am Oriapow. I was with Persen, and I saw him defeat Vergraughtu and consume him with his staff. The violet dragon could not have attacked in Hiltor. I saw him defeated by Persen.”

“It is true. The violet dragon destroyed the kingdom of Hiltor. Persen thwarted the green dragon, and then the violet dragon came and finished us off.”

“Stranton, we follow this trail and believe it leads to the wounded green dragon known as Rippencore. We mean to slay this dragon. This is the green dragon that attacked Erkensharie and Hiltor.”

“If you want our swords, we will aid you in any way we can. There is nothing we want more than to slay the green dragon.”

“Stranton, your help is a welcome addition.”

The band of elves and humans, now twenty-five strong, head toward the base of the Carson Hills where Rippencore has his lair. “Oriapow I know this land well and have watched all my life as the forests have receded. There are still forests remaining at the base of the Carson Hills, and this is where the lair of the green dragon is. This is a very dangerous place, and most that venture here fall prey to the dragon.”

“I know the lair of the green dragon. It is in the remaining forest at the eastern side of the Carson Hills. This dragon is badly wounded and can’t even fly. If we are swift enough, we can catch him while he is still weak from battling another dragon. Not only that, if this dragon suffered wounds from the staff held by Persen, his strength and power will also not return soon. Do you and your men wish to continue with us?”

“Yes, Oriapow, my men and I are with you.”

They ride on, and Oriapow stops them about an hour ride from the lair of Rippencore. “We are now about an hour from the lair of Rippencore. We should rest here and get something to eat. Later tonight, we will face the green dragon. Get your strength and courage because even a wounded dragon is very dangerous. The party dismounts, and they brush down their horses and get some rest. The Hiltorians are used to hunting these lands and come back with small rodents, and even a little food is better than none. They do not start a fire, but Oriapow can roast the meat with his magical fire, and they all enjoy what is actually pretty good food, especially when you are hungry. They are in the wide open and very vulnerable should they be spotted by a dragon, but luck is on their side this evening, and they rest until a little after midnight and ready themselves for heading to the lair of Rippencore.

They ride knowing there is no way to enter the lair of a dragon unnoticed, especially if a dragon is present. There is anger in all their hearts. Almost all here have lost loved ones the previous day of this second Dragon Feast, and the humans have lost everything. They ride with one intention, to slay a dragon. Their plan is in motion, and nothing except death will stop them now.

The lair of Rippencore is in the forest, just south of the Carson Hills. He has one of the least protected lairs of all the dragons. There is no fear of being attacked by a man in any of the dragons, but this night and the years to follow change this thinking for all dragons. His lair is near a fast-flowing stream where the earth rises and forms a natural cave that Rippencore has dug out to meet his needs. Rippencore is in his lair and sleeping deeply. He has used all his magical know-how to heal himself the best he could, and now his body needs sleep to regain its strength and heal. The wounds left on him by Persen have struck a deadly blow not only to his physical strength but to his magical strength as well, and Blethstole has nearly killed him from their fight. He sleeps on his golden bed and is unaware of approaching danger. The night is cool and quiet, and at the moment, Rippencore is defenseless.

The men and elves reach the cave and free their horses. They waste no time as Oriapow turns invisible and magically enters the cave. The bowelves follow next with the warriors and men behind them. Rippencore has his sleep interrupted by a magical noose that is lowered and tightened around his neck. Oriapow, who is hovering above Rippencore, tightens and raises the noose, catching Rippencore in its strangling hold. His head is raised high in the air as he wakens to the stinging pain of arrows penetrating his healing wounds. He tries to roar, but only a whimper squeaks out. The elves and men charge, slashing and stabbing the giant dragon. Rippencore tries to swat at them with his wings, but they are so badly damaged they serve him no use, and the warriors cause his wings more damage from their very sharp swords. Oriapow shoots a lightning bolt at Rippencore’s head that strikes him at the tip of his snout, exploding it off. Rippencore is still very large and has a lot of weight behind him. He manages to thrust back and forth, sending Oriapow flying into the wall near the entrance of his lair. Everyone else is barraging Rippencore with sword slashes and arrows. They now concentrate their arrows on his badly wounded head. Rippencore stomps on the ground with his hind legs, killing three elves and four men. His front legs are still useless, and the elves and men can see them dangling at the tips of his ripped and broken wings. The warriors concentrate on slashing at his wounded front legs, and his right front leg is cut off by sword slashes. Every time Rippencore makes a move, he is hit by another arrow and slashed with another sword. He is hopping and stomping in a panic, taking deadly wounds from this band of twenty-five. He stomps out the life of a few more humans when an arrow takes out his left eye, and he screams in pain. More arrows strike up through his jaw, stapling his lower jaw to his top jaw that he breaks with his swiveling mouth. Rippencore speaks in words not understandable, but the effect of his words hold true, and a cloud of thick mist forms around him and expands outward, suffocating and choking all caught in it. They have to back away from Rippencore, but he is still being pelted by arrows. Rippencore says more words, and lightning bolts dance from his bleeding mouth around the cave in all directions, killing more of the elves and men. Oriapow shoots a powerful force blade right for Rippencore’s neck, looking to decapitate him, and Rippencore catches this magical force with a lightning bolt, and both spells negate the other in a fantastic array of bright blue and white lights. Rippencore releases his Breath of Emeraldsheen, spraying the green liquid straight from his mouth while blood gushes out from the tip of his jaw. His Emeraldsheen catches all on the ground except for three of the humans and two of the elves. Oriapow is almost caught in this but narrowly escapes its path. Rippencore raises his head, breathing deeply, ready to catch the remaining in his breath attack, when his head slides to the right side and off. Oriapow looks to the right side of the cave to see Cloakenstrike materialize, and he levitates over to the body of Rippencore and stands on it, roasting Rippencore’s head with extremely hot flames from his hands.

“I hope you don’t mind a little help.”

“I don’t mind. As long as the dragon is dead, I don’t mind at all. I am Oriapow, and who are you, and where did you come from?”

“I am Cloakenstrike, and I am from Strabalster. I was drawn here because I could sense a human becoming powerful in the art of magic. I know the Dragon Feast was coming, and I have come to help in the survival of this human. We can use all the help we can get against the dragons.”

“Yes, we sure can. Man and elf alike.” Oriapow lowers himself to see his brothers and men trapped in the Emeraldsheen. “What is this?”

“It is Emeraldsheen. They are not dead. We can break the emerald, and they will be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yup, watch this.” Cloakenstrike pulls a Staff of Power from his Bag of Holding and slams it down on the head of one of the elves. This is a cool sight. He slams the head of the entombed elf, and the staff stops dead on impact. The Emeraldsheen starts to crack all throughout, and it breaks, crumbling shards of pure emerald to the ground. The elf regains his full functionality like before he was entombed. Cloakenstrike releases the others in the same fashion. They all regain their composure that turns to bittersweet happiness, as they are so proud of defeating the great Rippencore but then have to bury the six elves and the nine humans that did not survive. Oriapow makes a bag out of the materials within the lair and puts the head of Rippencore in it to take back to show their king. The surviving humans of Hiltor and the elves of Erkensharie here band together, and all swear to hunt down dragons together. Oriapow has been taken by complete surprise by Cloakenstrike. Here is yet another human with fantastic magical abilities, and this greatly excites Oriapow. He asks Cloakenstrike if he will join with this group and hunt down dragons. Cloakenstrike says he will. The survivors make a memorial right there in the lair of Rippencore for those that have not survived this first successful dragon kill by the elves and humans on Fargloin. Oriapow returns to Erkensharie magically, while all the others wait here in the lair, going through all the treasure that Rippencore has stolen over hundreds and hundreds of years.