The Silver Flame

"There weren't always dragons in the Valley." the older elf begins as worry lines crease his forehead. "The Valley once belonged to the Elves until the humans settled the other side and drove away nature's purity. They can not help it but their mundane methods are corrosive to nature's magic. When nature withdrew so did the Elves save for a few foolishly bent on encouraging them to leave. Beg them to leave even before they draw the attention of something far worse."

The human knight sighs hard and removes his helmet, depositing the half charred thing on the table. "Spare me your scolding Elf. The king will not hear it. We earn to much from the mines and the bounty the valley gives. You said you knew about the little devil so tell me. Why do we still have this problem? Where did It come from? Didn't we get them all?"

The elf gestures to the seat which the knight nearly falls into, tired from the scuffle. "Humans attract dragons. Without fail, anywhere you find humans, a dragon is sure to wander. Humans with their metals and their fires and their farms. How could dragons resist the bountiful stimulation of food and comfort glimmering off of their settlements? The dragons are clever and powerful, but they are bound by instinct. The worst part of it is the humans make them stronger. Their greed and desire for wealth compels them to hoard gems and gold with no consideration of what it will bring."

The knight snaps and brings his armored gauntlet down on the table and points at the elf in frustration "Blast it elf I said enough blame, I was not apart of that hunting party. You were there and You claimed Victory. Get to the point and explain or be dragged off in chains as a fraud!"

The elf lifts his hand up and waves dismissively at the Knight's anger. "I am getting there Ser. You must know how to hunt deer or you will never sneak up on them, Never bait them, Never figure out where to ambush them. Dragons are much the same. If you do not know why they came and what they are after, what hope do you have to catch it? Magic, my sword swinging friend, Magic is the thing you humans struggle so hard to grasp. Gold and Crystal conduct magic and you are feeding these creatures magic with every little stone and every little coin you lose. Every single chunk you carve from the earth and bring closer to the dragons is one more step to ensuring this place burns to the ground!"

His voice while calm and passive this whole time rose to the height of aggression and passion. The elf lost his composure for a moment there and after clearing his voice he settles back down with the knight more than slightly ruffled "So excuse me friend, if I put blame at your feet. They sleep for hundreds of years basking in natural formations of crystals or deep in the world where none even know about. Humans rile them up by making such treasures easier to get, far more pure than they find anywhere else. So more abundant than they otherwise would get. My friends you made this monster consider you the ultimate food."

The knight's brow furrows under the strain and discomfort of the elf's take on the beasts. There would be no way to curb how presentable the town looked to something with such cravings. They would have to live like the elves and not one person in the town had the will to try. "You did not answer the question."

The elf points at the knight's helmet "We failed then. Doesn't matter if it was a new dragon or a survivor, we failed. Its here now, in your valley reaping the rewards of human lifestyle. But you know its here so why even ask me about it, why the sudden interest in dragons. You obviously ran into it."

The knight looks about the empty pub and sighs "I just had to be sure my mind did not break. It used magic at me. Never seen anything like it. the thing can spit fire but its a small dragon so it missed. But that's not the part that worried me. I had the little bugger. I had it cornered and got the drop on it. One hard swing would have been all over. I would have cut it in half or stunned it enough to smother it in a rain barrel with just the weight of my armor." the knight unsheathes his sword and sets the remains on the table. the blade had been melted only a few inches above the the guard. A well made sword ruined by fire.

He sighs and continues as the elf looks over the blade "It raised its right paw and swiped at me and screamed at me in Latin. That was enough to give me pause and slow my blade. I thought it was a demon in that moment. Fire sprung from its paw. Fire with a purpose, fire in the shape of a sword. Thin, hot, and unnaturally it was silver. Could have just been my eyes from how sudden it all was. How bright even. Still it stopped my blade. He parried with this magical fire and shoved me back, rending the sword where it struck and shouted at me again. I only caught the tail end of what the little beast screeched at me and I repeated it to the priest later. He corrected me and told me to repent. The creature had meant to say 'Leave me alone' but it had the words out of order or, something I don't understand the language. No one speaks Latin around here but the Priests. The creature wasn't copying someone. Gold isn't the only thing missing. Books are gone too. God I don't think it's just a beast."