Draconia:

“There weren’t always dragons in the valley.” Bill said as he sloppily sipped his bottom shelf meade. “I’m tellin ya. It’s that demonic witch’s fault!” Immediately, my uncle snapped at the town drunk. “Bill, you’ve had so many drinks this morning, you don’t even know your nose from your elbow. Something tells me that you don’t even know what you’re talking about.” My uncle, the owner of the Sunslayer Inn was taking out last night’s refuse to the box on the corner as I scrubbed the front windows clean. “But it’s true!” Bill practically belched. “Everyone an’ there mother knows that girl is nothing but cursed!” “Was.” Replied my uncle. “Past tense. She’s been missing for over two winters now.” As they both talked, I felt my body continue to tense up. I had shared much of my early childhood with the very girl they were openly talking about. She was, important to me. “Axel, I’m tellin ya! That blasted wench is the spawn of the devil!” “BILL! If you plan on having any of our meade today, you will still your tongue!” My heart began pounding as my body continued to fill with tension while I scrubbed the last few small window panes. “But Ax, we need to find that THING and put it down so the dragons..” CRACK! Both of the older men quickly shifted their attention to me as I accidentally fractured the window I was washing. Bill gulped in anticipation after he realized how angry I was feeling. “What do you think, Icarus? Do you think Mae is a cursed child? Why don’t you put Bill in his place here..” I cleared my throat before replying. “Ahem. What do I think? I think that girl is special. She was born with abilities that nobody could understand nor control, in a world where the rich rule over the weak. She had the ability to help so many people, if only they gave her a chance. But.. Because the king listened to his crooked advisor, he turned the people against her. They made her a demon. The Mae I remember liked to dance in the flower patches and gaze at the stars. She was no monster; not until she was betrayed by the very people she loved.” My words hung in the air as the two men were silently moved. “Well said, nephew.”, uncle Ax said before disappearing into the inn. Bill had froze. He often joked with me about how he felt I was one of the strongest and most able men in the village, even if I wasn’t tall. Though he was a drunk, he had a good heart, and he openly respected me. “Ike..” He said, shakily. “I’m sorry Ike. I forget that girl, er, Mae, and you were good friends way back. It’s the spirits I’m drinkin ya know? They got little devils in em. It makes me forget stuff. Well.. Anyways, I’m sorry.” The poor old man looked as if he were about to cry. I felt the anger leave my bones and let out a large sigh. “It’s okay Bill. Thank you for the apology.”

As the sun passed through the sky, my shift cleaning dishes and helping out in the kitchen when necessary came to a close. Thankfully, I had a younger sister that liked to sleep in and stay up late, so she regularly relieved me when the evening came. Every day, she would make it to the inn just as the regular drinkers would show up; just like clockwork. As I stood still for a moment, I looked up to admire my father’s shiny, green buckler as it rested on the wall behind the bar. It was the only thing we had left of him. It was because of him alone that this place was even named “Sunslayer’s”. My father was a hero. During his adventures through Gallahan, it was said that he faced a gigantic steel dragon whose breath was like the sun. It was said that he single handedly saved an entire village from the “beast of the sun” with nothing but a sword and that green buckler. “Oh how I wish I could follow your footsteps.." I quietly mumbled to myself.

A moment suddenly turned to minutes, and as the regulars arrived, for some reason my sister wasn’t on time. Puzzled, I stepped out of the front door and looked around the muddy street hoping I would see her barreling toward me; but, nothing. “Hellooo!” A regular called out. “Can we get some ale in here?” Mildly annoyed, I hurried back in to assist the customers until my sister arrived. “Coming!” Within a half hour, the inn was packed with hardy drinkers. “Uncle!” I yelled, spilling ale. “Any idea where Allia is?” Completely out of my element, my stress began to turn into concern for my little sister. “I haven’t the slightest clue, Ike. Just keep doing your best for now!” He yelled back over the busy crowd. As I carried another order of drinks out to some tables, I noticed a man in strange looking clothes at the corner booth. His skin was quite pale and he was wearing a dark, wide-brimmed hat. I approached him to take his order. “That’s a fine hat, Sir. How can I help you tonight?” Looking up with piercing eyes, he replied. “I’ll have a water, please.” “Uhhh, sure. Coming right up!” As I walked back to the bar, I felt something was off. I could not remember the last time someone ordered only a water. As I returned to the table, I noticed several copper coins sitting on the table. “Here you go, Sir! Don’t worry about paying, at Sunslayer’s our water is free to guests.” “It’s not for the water, boy. I was hoping you could sit for a moment as my company.” I immediately thought, is this man so desperate for someone to talk to he’ll pay me? I looked around the inn, and sure enough, everyone’s drinks were still three quarters full. “Uhm.. Sure.” I said, hesitantly, as I sat down. “I have a few minutes.” “Great.” The man said. “What’s your name boy?” “Icarus. You?” “I’m William.” As he said his name, I felt a small shiver run down my spine. Was he lying about it, maybe? “Well, William, what’s on your mind?” “Oh, not much.” He said, spinning his mug of water. “How does an inn come up with a name like ‘Sunslayer’s’ anyway?” He asked. “It’s a bit.. Dramatic, isn’t it?” Naturally, I perked up, sensing an opportunity to share the story of my father with a new customer. “Well, the man that originally opened this place, Elias Windsong, left the inn to venture out the mystic continent! Throughout his travels, Elias came across many beasts and dangers. One of the last times anyone had heard from him, he was witnessed saving the village of Hawthorne from a giant steel dragon! It was strikingly similar to the ones that have been spotted roaming the valley nearby, but it was far larger.” “Interesting..” “The fire it spewed was said to be as bright as the sun, and armed with nothing but a short sword and that shiny buckler up behind the bar..” “Buckler?” he asked. “What, that strange looking arm device?” I stopped for a moment. The way this man spoke was very strange. “Well yeah. You’ve never seen a buckler before?” Sensing my suspicion, William changed the subject. “What can you tell me about the prophecy of the chosen?” Beginning to get uncomfortable, I looked around the room for an excuse to get up. “Sorry I’m late!” Allia yelled as she burst through the front door. “Icarus, I owe you big time! Victor wanted to show me something on the edge of town! It took longer than I thought. Don’t go out there though because there are rumors that the dragons have been getting closer!” “Boy.” William said. “Icarus, I mean. Can you tell me about the prophecy or not?” “Uh, sure. For the past few generations, there have been rumors from medicine women and seers that a time would come when the chosen would step forward to end the world as we’ve known it.” “That’s it?” “Well, according to the rumors, the chosen would have great powers that would allow them to perform magnificent feats of courage that would lead the people through a hard time that could bring everyone back to the ways of the mystic continent.. Why.. Do you ask?” “They say they found the chosen in this town.” As he spoke, a deep shiver rippled down my spine. This man was not a good person. I could feel it in my entire body. “I heard that she was taken away.. Somewhere.. To prove herself.” I felt tension in the air. “I.. I hadn’t heard anything about that.” “They say that she couldn’t prove that she was the chosen. That she was.. broken. Do you think she was the prophesied one?” With my heart racing, I breathed as steadily as I could. “I don’t know, Sir.”

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the village tower erupt into fire with a bright light! The front end of the inn filled with gasps and screams. “My lord! What was that!” one patron yelled. William turned to his left and whispered something into his sleeve. What the hell was he doing, I wondered. Then he looked at me and said, “I guess we’re out of time.” Again, we heard a loud sound and watched the night sky light up a dark orange. “DRAGONS!” A man yelled outside. The inn went into an uproar as everyone fled through the front door. As the townspeople ran through the street in terror, I took my eyes off of William for only a moment and lost sight of him in the chaos. The screams began and then, they wouldn’t stop. “Icarus! Allia!” Yelled Axel. “Get in the cellar!” Instead, for some reason I decided to disobey and go outside. “Icarus! I can’t lose you too!” “You won’t Uncle! Stay with Allia!” As I stepped out into the dark street, I felt the ground pulse beneath my feet. Sure enough, four blocks down, I watched in disbelief as a man was sent flying around the corner of a building by Fletcher street. Thump. Thump. THUMP. I could hear it, feel it, approaching. Then, I saw it. The dragon turned toward our street, with its adamantium hide creaking as it moved, I could hear a low, yet rising, hum as it knelt down toward the ground and arched its tail over its back toward me and the townspeople. “EVERYONE!” I yelled. “GET OFF THE STREET NOW!” In a split second, the light of the sun erupted from the fifteen foot tall beast and shot across the village, ripping through a dozen townspeople in an instant, ending just before it reached me. For a moment I froze, thinking I had died. Then, the dragon looked right at me and let out a piercing screech as it began charging me.

Without time to think, I immediately ran into the inn, jumped up onto the bar, put both hands on my father’s buckler and tried to pull it off. “IKE! What are you doing?! Get down here!” Axel yelled from under the floorboards. I barked back “Axel, Allia, do NOT come out for ANY reason!” Placing both of my feet on the wall, I peeled the buckler from the ornamental board with all of my strength and tumbled over the edge of the counter. I began to fasten it on my arm as fast as possible, but then.. CRASH! Before I fastened the last few straps, the dragon ripped through the corner of the inn, splintering wood and iron throughout the mess hall. I dashed for the stairs, leaping up four stairs with every single bound. Just behind my legs, the dragon clawed the staircase into splinters. As I reached the third floor, the legs of the beast fell through the lower floor into the area that was dug out for the cellar. I need to be careful of where I lead it, I thought, as I fastened the remaining straps. I can’t let it hurt my family. For a moment, the dragon scanned the area quietly as it anticipated where I would resurface. As it looked for me, it kept moving closer toward Allia and my Uncle. I could feel my time running out as I began to hear the low hum spinning up again. It was about to unleash the fire of the sun. Instinctively, I grabbed a wooden stepping stool and threw it across the inn through the third story, stain glass window, the only ornamental window we had. As the stool shattered the art depicting my father’s triumph those many winters ago, the beast shifted its attention to where I was and began to unleash its deadly flame. Running across the third story balcony, with all my might, I jumped off the railing and through the broken window as the ray of destruction swept across my body. In that moment, time seemed to come to a halt as I felt a spirit twist me through the air in such a way that the dragon’s fire directly hit the shiny, rectangular shield positioned at the top of the incredible armor my father had worn before me. In slow motion, I watched as the beam of fire ricocheted off of the shiny plate and entered the face of the beast, causing it to rip itself apart. The force of the blast sent me flying out of the third story window as time began to move normally again. Tuck and roll, tuck and roll, I thought in a panic. Just in time, my legs became parallel with the ground as I landed into a roll with incredible force through the mud. Tumbling five or six times, I finally slammed into the shop across the wide street with my back flat against the wall. I finally had a moment to realize what I had done. A pile of dragon innards laid still in the base of the inn, surrounded by flames.

Then, I forced myself to my feet and called out to my family. “Allia! Axel!” No answer. “Allia!” “We’re okay!” My uncle yelled from behind the fire. “We’re going to go out back and evacuate!” “Good!” I replied, filled with relief. “Please Icarus, you do the same!” For some reason, I knew I could not reply with compliance. “Go!” I yelled. Then, behind me, I heard a voice. “I told you, I’m right about him. He took one out. Send the other units.” My entire body filled with intense vibrations and I whipped around. It was William. He was talking into a strange box. “What.. Did you just say?” William smiled. “She couldn’t open the door.” He said, as he slowly walked towards me. I began backing away up the street. “It didn’t matter what we did to her. We tried to be nice. We tried to work with her, but then she began to refuse. So, we resorted to more, dramatic, methods. But still, no results.” “What the hell are you talking about?” I yelled. “We forced her to use her powers to open the door, but it just, wouldn’t, work. Then I got to thinking, what if she isn’t the chosen? What if it was someone else?” It was Mae. He was talking about Mae. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” I screamed as he brandished a sharp blade with deadly intent. “You won’t have to worry about it soon, boy.” I could tell I was no match for him in a head to head fight, and in that moment, two more dragons burst out from the buildings behind him and turned towards me. In that instant, I could tell they were ignoring him. In absolute disbelief, I thought, are they targeting me? Why me? It did not matter. I had to run, but I had to do everything I could to keep the town safe, just like my father; no, just like the person I knew I was destined to

be.

I opened up into a full sprint as the two beasts followed close behind leaving a path of destruction in their wake. Weaving in between alleyways and heading toward the fiery area of the village, my best chance became clear. I had to lead them back into the valley. By going downhill, I could run faster and use the trees for concealment. I could hear William yelling from behind the barreling dragons “YOU WON’T GET AWAY FROM ME BOY.” Finally on the edge of the village, I was about to break the line of sight by heading down the slope into the valley. From behind, I could hear the hum of the dragons as they readied their flames. Then, time slowed as I jumped over the edge of village road and, again, twisted. One dragon missed, but the other sliced across the plate of my buckler. This time, my buckler only defended me, but it saved me from certain death. I then tumbled down into the slope of the valley as time resumed and rolled into a sprint. There was one small outcropping I knew of, and if I ran to it, I could see the best path to move forward. Finally reaching the outcropping, I walked to the edge and looked in every direction. “No.. Way..” I let out. From every direction, steel dragons were heading straight for me. The only opening led me to the ruins of the old chapel at the base of the valley. It was easily a solid twenty-minute run, if I was sprinting the whole way. As my only option, I began without hesitation. With every bound, I could hear death around me in all directions. Screeches, creaking, fire, and the yells of a clearly tiring William pushed me to keep sprinting. Coming out of a clearing, I could see the old ruins. Then it hit me, what am I going to do when I get to the ruins? As I took the last few steps behind the dilapidated chapel walls, multiple fire-beams scorched the land and the stone behind me. I finally made it.

Gasping for air, my exhaustion began to finally set in. I had not yet realized it, but even though I had defended against multiple attacks, I had some pretty significant burns around my chest and back. Even still, I was not afforded any time for respite. “BOY!” William screamed from outside. “You cannot hide! Say your prayers as the walls crumble around you! This is the end!” Peeking over the edge of a low wall, I could see dozens of dragons moving toward me in a slow but steady approach. Then, I began to pray. “Force of creation. Please hear my call. I am in need of your help. I am not yet ready to die. If you assist me in discovering the path forward in this perilous moment, I vow to serve the people of this world as their protector and their shield. I will dedicate my life to making a better world for all. Thank you for the gift of life. Thank you.” I slowed down my breathing, and then, it happened.. The dragons that surrounded the ruins began to create cracks in the earth beneath them. A massive crumbling of the soil beneath the ruins opened up and swallowed everything. Every dragon, the ruins, and myself, all fell down, deep into a strange underground cavern. Hitting my head, I lost consciousness for who knows how long…

“Warning. Seismic activity detected. Warning. Seismic activity detected.” I woke up to a powerful voice speaking in a strange way. “Warning. Warning.” I sat up and looked around. Somehow, I had landed on a metal bridge just large enough for one or two people to walk across at a time. Below me was an open cavern with symbols, colors, and structures I had never seen before. “What the hell?” Where AM I, I thought. The droning voice continued to spit out warnings on repeat as the dragons struggled underneath the rubble, and as I looked closer, what seemed like an army scuttled about on the cavern floor below. “HEY YOU! STAY PUT!” A voice called out from one end of the walkway. As I turned to see who it was, a huge, scaly man with the head of a lizard came bolting towards me in a skin tight, black uniform. “WHAT THE? STAY AWAY FROM ME!” I yelled, completely surprised to see such an odd being coming at me. Again.. I turned and tapped back into the speed I cultivated over years of training with the village guard. Thankfully, though the reptile-man was fast, he was too far from me to catch me before I entered into a labyrinth of hallways. Running as fast as I could while attempting to not be discovered, I looked around every corner. Then, I saw a weird wall of magical mirrors that had moving pictures on them. The pictures changed every few seconds, and for a moment, I saw her. It was Mae. I rushed over to the room, only to find a short, stubby man with pale skin eating a circular pastry and drinking a steaming, dark liquid. Before he could scream out, I instinctively slammed his forehead into the counter he was seated at. “Urghhhh!” He let out in pain. “Do NOT make a sound.” I said as I wrapped my buckler around him to keep him quiet. “Show me how to get to that girl. NOW.” “Okay! Okay! Jeeze! You didn’t have to break my nose! I’ll take you straight there! It’s right down the hall!” Holding onto him as he stood up, I kept a grip around his neck as he stumbled through the hall toward where Mae was being held captive. Then, I began to notice something. Every hallway we did not walk down, lizard men were standing there, still; not pursuing us. As we approached the room, the words “Final Gate” were written in white across the door. It opened without any sort of interaction. I could feel it. I was walking into a trap.

As I entered the massive room, I saw Mae in some sort of contraption that held her forward in an obviously uncomfortable position. “MAE!” I called out, pushing the stubby man to the side. I ran to her. “Mae! What have they done to you?! I thought you were dead!” Weakly, she raised he head to look at me. “I-Icarus? Is that you?” I finally made it to her, and started to attempt to release her from the metallic contraption. Tears started streaming from her eyes. “Why you, Icarus? Why…” She said, beginning to sob. “You have to run Icarus.. He’s here..” “Mae,” I said sharply. “Now that I know you’re alive, I am NOT leaving your side. Do you understand me? I’m here, Mae!” As I reassured her, I began to hear laughter all around us. As I turned to look, lizard men began stepping out from the distant shadows as they laughed and began hooting and hollering. “What are they doing?” “They’re getting excited to feed us to Skarniks; their leader. He is the dark one. The hunter of the chosen.” “The what?” So much was happening that I could not understand, but it didn’t matter. I knew what I had to do.

Then, the air went cold. In an instant every lizard man silenced and knelt down on a knee. A dark figure, perhaps twelve feet tall, cloaked in black shadows and covered in burns stepped into the door. “Chosen.” He said with a husky, evil tone. “Your end has come.” My body began firing off warning alarms in every way imaginable. My heart raced and I could feel the murderous intent in the air. I turned to Mae. “Mae, you have to use your powers, we can get out of here if you do!” “No.” She replied, melting into tears. “I can’t. I can’t. I can’t! He’s too strong..” I looked around for a weapon and saw some tools on a nearby table they must have been using on Mae. I ran over and grabbed the longest blade I could see. Skarniks approached us and the tails of the lizard man began to wag in anticipation. “Mae,” I said, getting close to her in an endearing way. “I don’t know what I can do, but I will never give up. Not when my friends are on the line. Whatever happens, we can figure it out together.” “No..” She said, whimpering. Then I turned to Skarniks, when I faced him, he seemed, startled. I began to walk towards him with the blade. Mae screamed in terror behind me. “NOOO ICARUS!” “LISTEN. You will NOT come between me and my friend!” I yelled out to shadowy being as I lifted the blade to him. “I do not fear you, evil one.” Then, I charged him. The lizard men began to yell again as I came closer and closer to Skarnix, then, with a smile, a blade of shadow came out from his hand and hit me in the chest, lifting me off the ground. Was this the end, I thought. No. I threw the blade as hard as I could and lodged it into his eye. As I did, a force spewed from his face and blood curdling scream from Mae filled the room.

I fell to the ground and looked around as all of the lizard men began to shriek in fear and float in the air. I looked back to Mae, and somehow, she was now freed from the metal contraption and levitating above it. In a trance, a powerful voice came from her mouth as blood came out of her eyes, nose, and ears. “The Light shall purify you all.” SPLATTER! Every lizard man fell to the ground in a heap of strange blue mush and innards, and then behind Mae, a massive door of some kind opened. Skarnix, covering his eye, looked up in disbelief, as the last one standing. “The final gate is opened.” Mae fell unconscious and collapsed onto the ground beneath her. Behind her, a massive tunnel had opened up to reveal a beautiful yet dark forest that seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. In that moment, there was only one clear path. I ran to Mae, threw her over my back, and as tired as I was, I began running into the tunnel with her. Skarnix let out a howl as more soldiers from his army entered the room to aid him and chase after us. I had no idea what was in store for us, but all I knew, was that I had to run.

This is the beginning of the greatest adventure I never could have imagined.

This is the tale of the chosen.