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The Scales of Aeroth

The Frozen Trek

By Marco T.Published 2 years ago 8 min read
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There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Prior to the Frozen Harvest from twelve years ago, dragons were believed to be extinct. The creatures, ranging from the size of a cat to the size of the tallest mountains, became folktale, used to keep children from running away.

Slowly they emerged from under the crust of Vodushk, rising from the caves that led deeper than any dwarf had dared to travel. Their scales absorbed the heat of the land, making the creatures icy to the touch. And when they sucked in their breath, all heat from the land flew into their bellies. The fiery breath of a dragon melted the very ground, and required all sources of heat to form within the monsters. As they grew in number, Vodushk grew colder. The crops failed, and the people of Vodushk were thrown into an endless winter.

Now a single dragon rested in the lower valley, it's head protruding from a frozen, murky lake. A group of six watched from a distance, their breaths quieter than the snow that fell onto the floor.

"The monster remains still," claimed Revinesi, an Elf who towered over the rest. "If we act fast, we can slay the beast before it awakens."

"Never before had I heard such confidence in you, Revi." A dwarf chimed. Ebos was his name, son of Ebok and Sorg. Ebos adjusted the straps of his shield, which rested upon his left arm. As the shortest member of the group, he was a third the size of Revinesi, and half the size of the rest of the group.

"Quiet Ebos. I hear that dragons can hear a coin fall from the other side of a mountain." A large, armored human rested his hand upon the hilt of his blade.

"Then it's rather pleasant that I don't have any coin." The dwarf grinned at the nameless human, who rolled his eyes in disdain.

"Plan takes too long." A fourth figure, indescribable in form as their body morphed continuously, growled at the group. "I not agree to wait. I told to kill, not watch."

"We only watch a tad longer, Duj, I swear on my precious Ebok." Ebos turned to the figures behind them, another human and a demi-elf. The shorter, stouter human kept his eyes on the demi-elf, who rested upon the snow. Her pointed ears turned in all directions. A rag draped over her face and obscured her features.

"Death approves," she said. "He is eager for entertainment."

"You heard the Spector, we strike now."

"Are you sure Mar?" Ebos raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like misfortune awaits us."

"I'm certain, let's make our approach. If the dragon so much as opens its eyes, charge."

"I shall watch over the Spector," Revinesi said. "My incantations will reach from this range."

Mar gave a nod, leading Ebos, Duj and the fellow human towards the beast.

Each step closer to the dragon caused shivers to flow through the party. The group's breaths became cloudier as they fought the ice that formed on their skin. Duj was unaffected for it had no skin, its body formless and without a solid shape, but the others clung onto their hide armor tightly. Icicles formed on the horns of the dragon, a common trait seen in the creatures. The scales on the dragon's neck gleamed from the sunlight, for they were coated in a thick layer of ice. Though it's head was rather large, Mar estimated the monster to be the size of a dwarven hut. Yet as they approached, he realized he was mistaken.

"Hold still." His foot lingered in the air, inches away from the frozen lake. The ice shifted, rising and falling in rhythm. It was apparent that the lake was in reality the dragon's torso. This dragon was a stout neck, a sub-species with stubby legs but an immense body and wings.

"Ebos, you will mount the beast. Human, you will assist me in attacking the legs and wings."

"What Duj do?"

"You strike, now."

Duj roared, its body dissipating into a cloud. The cloud covered the face of the dragon, stunning it as it awoke. Ebos ran through the top of the torso, jumping over cracks that formed in the ice. He struggled to maintain his balance as the dragon stood, towering over Mar.

The dragon rose out of a crater, its limbs cracking. Shattered ice dripped off the midnight scales of the beast. Snow slid off the dragon's wings, forming a mound of snow on either side. The wings were thicker than the hide of any other beast, creating shadows as dark as the dead of night. To attack the wings would break any blade before it pierced the skin.

Mar and the other human pulled out their blades and lunged at the dragon's front legs. The dragon swung its front paws, forcing the pair to dodge its talons.

The dragon's tail whipped around, wrapping around Mar and dragging him away. He dug his blade into the monster's tail, clinging onto his sword as the dragon tried to fling him. The other human thrusted his axe at the dragon's right leg, chipping away at the ice on its scales. Ice shards flung into the air, cutting at the human's exposed skin.

Revinisi chanted to himself, which created a golden-blue rift above the beast. Spears apparated from the rift and rained down on the dragon.

"Watch your aim, Revi!" Ebos yelled, raising his shield over his head. The spears fell through Duj, who continued to blind the dragon. Ebos knocked the spears off his shield before tossing it over his head. He and the shield grew in size. As Ebos's grew, the human ran out from underneath the dragon. Ebos collided on the monster's back, sending a shockwave of ice into the air. The dragon's knees buckled, it's talons digging into the earth. The shield fell back into Ebos's arms, who used it to bludgeon the dragon's neck.

The dragon roared, its bellowing forcing Revinesi and the human onto their knees. Mar's sword dislodged from the tail, hurling him into the mound of snow.

"The blasted dragon won't die, it's neck is too thick!" Ebos continued to strike, his shield chipping from each strike.

Mar groaned as he stood, for the mound was full of ice shards. The dragon flapped its wings, blowing away Duj and the human. Duj formed into a humanoid figure in an attempt not to fade away, forcing it to crash onto the ground below. Duj attempted to form into a cloud once more, but was teleported away. Duj reappeared beside Revinesi and the Spector.

"Why stop me?"

"The dragon would have blown you into the heavens above. Wait for the wings to stop."

The dragon began to rise as its stomach growled, rumbling the earth below. Ebos rattled on top of the beast, his arms growing tired from the repetitive movement.

As Ebos and the human began to sweat, Revinesi teleported them to his side. He knew what was coming next.

Mar pulled out a spear and threw it at the dragon's nostril. The beast turned to him, its blue eyes zeroed in on his location. It unhinged its jaw, an orange glow rising out of its throat.

Mar lunged at the dragon's head, his sword leading the way and splitting the fire that poured out of the dragon's mouth. The flames wrapped around Mar and continued onto the ground where he once stood. The dragon clasped its mouth shut and the flames died out; a crater full of magma replaced the patch of frozen tundra.

Mar thrusted his sword upward, slicing the dragon from the neck to its back. More flames smothered Mar, yet he continued to slice the dragon from within.

The dragon flailed about, its razor wings slicing the air. The dragon attempted to fly, but quickly crashed down onto the ground. After a minute of silence, Mar opened the beast's mouth and stepped out. He held his sword in one hand as it glowed, and his other hand wrapped around a fang as long as his arm.

Mar approached the rest of the party, his skin glowing red. His footsteps hissed and burnt the ice beneath him.

"We fought well today. Quickly, help me descale the slain beast so that we may return home." He looked over to the dragon. He sighed in relief, the vapor in his breath losing opaqueness.

The rest of the party followed Mar towards the dragon. The Spector sat back, waiting for the others to finish. Ebos pulled out a large, obsidian flask and dipped it into the magma. Grimacing at the burning sensation, he pulled out the container and corked it with a metal rod.

The nameless human approached Ebos, still out of breath from the fight.

"Why didn't you warn me that you were gonna pin the stout neck? I barely got out of harm's way."

"My apologies mortal, I thought the dragon would have stepped on you already."

"I'll remember your words."

"Just like you remember your name?" Ebos winked with a wicked grin before placing the flask in a gray satchel. It was smaller than the average satchel, meant only to hold magma-tainted material.

The Spector pulled out an amulet and kissed the emerald it held. In an instant Duj deformed, and a dark cloud seeped into the gem. The Spector placed the amulet in her robe before brushing her hands through the snow.

After hours of labor chipping at the dragon's hide, the party walked away with four bags full of scales. After three years of fighting, the group had finally cleared the lower valley of dragons. There were still dozens within the rest of the Valley, and more than hundreds of dragons roamed the land of Vodushk. Yet as the sun began to fall behind the peaks, the party walked away with confidence, more than satisfied with their small victory.

For the first time in twelve years, the lower valley may be able to grow crops again. That was the only thought that floated in Mar's head, his skin glowing all the way back into town.

Fantasy
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About the Creator

Marco T.

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  • Selene Dream2 years ago

    This is super awesome!!! It engaged me immediately, kept my attention the whole time, and flowed super well. Plus I love dragons!! I’d love to see more in this world sometime!!!

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