Hunting Fire

The street crowds went wild as the Order made their way down the road. They were cheering and clapping, and jumping with excitement. Fredric looked behind him at the wyvern corpse he was dragging. It had taken them a month to track the black beast down and when they did find it the fight was grueling, but now it’s body was full of punctures, blood covered its black scales and its warm belly had gone cold. Fred looked back to the crowd and raised his fist in celebration. The feasting hall all cheered as the hunting party barged in! Heaving the wyvern onto an empty table Fred grabbed someone’s mug and began chugging. Standing up and taking his drink back Hroarr patted Fredric on the back, “Back at last Fred. I thought you finally died.”
“You’re not that lucky! It was a hell of a hunt though I’ll tell you what! It took us weeks to reach that cave and when we finally found the thing the bastard ran! It flew for weeks more into the Golden Hills! So we climbed and climbed and climbed even more, by the time we found its nest we were just mere miles away from Sky Castle, I thought the Daggers were going to tan our hide for sure!”
“The Daggers don’t even slay Draconids.”
“True, Oh it was furious when it saw us! It darted out of the hole slashing at us with its prickly tail, nabbing at us with its jagged teeth! Alan here put a spear into its side so it tried to take off flying, but I hooked my sword around its neck and kept it in range! Oh boy was it pissed, It started breathing fire and writhing about in the air!
“I noticed you had less hair than when you left.”
“Finally Kreegar shot a bolt into its neck and the bitch finally died! God it was a glorious hunt,” Fred said, finally sitting down and resting. Taking a breath Fredric asked, “So how is your lad fairing? I hope he’s improved since I left”
“Tomm has improved, but he still has romantic fantasies about the hunt. That damn school gave him too many ideas. If he went on a hunt now he would be dragon lunch for sure.”
“Hm, and what of your personal endeavor?”
Hroarr sighed, looked at the chandelier and took down another swig, ”It seems since the battle he has returned to the Isles, his guard dog with him. That day might have been my only chance to kill him and I blew it!”
“Why are you so invested in Riderson anyways? It was his father that wronged you.”
“He murdered the love of my life Fredric!” Hroarr boomed, smacking his hand on the table. “I will kill him, no matter the bloody cost. Besides his father is dead, killing him is the next best thing.”
“Ah, so double revenge? Be careful Hroarr, Riderson is some beast to be slaughtered. He sunk over a dozen ships at Dragon Coast, he smashed through the walls of Greenhavne, and sunk all of Slaver's Isle."
"You sound like his number one fan."
"Come on Hroarr, he's a bloody hero. He rode a fucking dragon into battle on the Darkest Day!"
"My parents were the real hero's. They took in and protected a Nathairian family. Then he came, atop his monster. He dragged my parents and that family outside and fed them to the dragon; and his son rides that same dragon, and beheaded the love of my life."
As Fred opened his mouth the sound of the gavel echoed across the hall. The hunters all drew their attention to the podium where Captain Belmont stood. He was wearing his armor, the hunters knew this to be a bad sign. His armor was a silver colored breast plate that was badly scratched and scuffed, under it was an entire chainmail dress and his shoulders held up his mighty spiked pauldrons. He wore a dark red cloak with a fur trim around his armor. The Captain took off his gauntlets and spoke, “Welcome back Valors! It seems like your hunt was a success,” he said looking at the corpse on the table. “It does me good to see you have all returned alive, but you have little time to lick your wounds. A new call has come in, the Order is needed.”
“Point me at the wyvern Captain, I’ll kill it myself,” Hroarr boasted.
“Is that courage or bravado Hroarr? Courage makes a warrior; bravado makes a corpse. In any case the call isn’t for a wyvern.”
The entire hall went dead silent and the hunters all exchanged looks and went pale.
“The dragon has been nesting around Green Mountain. Thrice is has decened on the people of Wolden. Its ravaged livestock and killed two people. The locals have taken to calling it The Silver-Death. I need six men to face this death."
The hunters all cried with outrage! Hroarr stood up, “Six? Dragon hunts require thirty at a minimum, this is indirect execution!”
“You’re right, but parties of Valors are out and we have lost sixty two hunters in the past two months. We are stretched thin, six will suffice, but I myself am going on the hunt. Fredric, Hroarr, Tomm, Kreegar, and Draymon you are coming with me! Prepare yourself we leave before first light!” ****************************************************************************************************************************** The amory was dimly lit, the only sources of light were mounted wax candles that were nearly gone. The shadows danced over the suits of armor and the fire reflected off the hook swords. Tomm slumped up against the wall and buried his face in his hands, tears fell onto the dark stone floor. Fredric stepped through the threshold and looked down at the boy. Saying nothing he took off his broken mail and took another from the chest. He grabbed a whetstone, sat down and began sharpening his hooked blade. “This is your first dragon hunt,” Fredric stated.
“This is my first hunt,” Tomm murmured.
“I see, I suppose they told you what we are in for?”
Tomm bursted out and sobbed uncontrollably, “I’m not ready to die! I..I..I wanted to make my life mean something! I’m too young, I never married, never bought a house!”
Fred sighed and put his sword down, “I understand, I am terrified myself. This will be my first time hunting a dragon; I don’t want to die either, but neither did those sixty two before us; the twenty seven before them, but they all gave their lives to make this country just a little bit safer. They lived up to this guild's name and threw away their dreams so that others may pursue theirs. Now I suppose it’s my turn.
Tomm wiped his eyes and stood up slowly. He walked over to the coils of chains hanging on the wall rack, “The Captain, he has killed a dragon before hasn’t he?”
“Twelve.”
“And he came back alive. Maybe I will too.”
“Maybe you will.”
Tomm smiled and left the armory. Fredric waited for him to climb the stairs; once the boy was out of sight he puked next to the stone pillar. His legs shaking he stood up and grabbed his sword. He looked at the tapestries hanging from the walls. He stared into the bleeding white dragon sigil. The bells began to ring from upstairs, it was time. ******************************************************************************************************************************* The view was spectacular, to their right could see The Vale, the Capital city of Xares looked like a tiny dot on a field. To their left was the vast expansiveness of Tir Orail, home of the Elves. If only there was more time to take in the view. The air began to grow uncomfortably hot. The Valors began to sweat and squirm in their armor. “Ready the chains,” The Captain ordered, stepping to the front of the party.
The dirt began to shake and a boulder rolled down the mountain side. A gust of air hammered into the party and the dragon flew up from behind them! It was the size of a house and its scales were a radiant silver. Its eyes were a deep crimson as were the insides of its wings and the spines down its neck. The beast roared and swung its tail into Kreegar! His breastplate caved in and he went flying off the mountain! Hroarr and Tomm swung their chains and wrapped them around the dragon's wings!
Not wasting a moment Belmont and Fred ran in and began prying the scales off its belly with their hook swords! They ripped off five before its belly began glowing orange. “Loose!” Belmont ordered. Hroarr and Tomm let go of the chains and ducked as the dragon let loose a torrent of fire. It screeched and began flying above them letting loose more fire! Draymon was burned black but the remaining four found cover behind a boulder. “Tomm, they taught you magic at that school correct?” the Captain asked.
“What, uh yes they did.”
“I need you to use some of it right now! Do you see that passageway in the north rock face? We need to lure the dragon into it!”
“Captain, I don't have any kind of spell like that! I can’t!”
Belmont grabbed Tomm by the shoulder, “I need you to try. If you don’t we die on this rock, but more important than that, Wolden will be left at the mercy of that thing! You are the city's only hope boy! I need you to do this, for The Vale.”
Tomm rose slowly, his knees shaking. Fredric could smell the urine coming from his armor. The boy clasped his hands and formed a magical shield around his body, “For The Vale,” he said, running out from behind the rock! The dragon locked onto him quickly! Tomm ran and ran, the silver beat unleashed napalm at the boy! His shield broke and he went flying into the passageway! His whole body ached and the taste of blood filled his mouth. The dragon roared and charged at the boy. Tomm couldn’t even stand, he knelt as he watched it get closer. Fire surrounded him and filled the passage and the silver and crimson beast crashed into him!

The monster screeched and squirmed but it was trapped in the rocks. The Captain, Hroarr and Fredric all ran in and began tearing off its scales. The dragon howled and shook but it was of no use. Belmont tore the scales off of its chest and sunk his hooked blade into the dragon’s heart! The majestic beast let out one last flame and fell limp! *******************************************************************************************************************************
Having drug their remains together, the Valors all stood around Draymon and Tomm’s bodies. The sun was beginning to set in Tir Orail and Fredric strangled his sword’s handle. “You're a bastard Belmont. You sacrificed him, like a pawn!” Fred roared.
“It had to be done,” Belmont sighed. “Had I not we would be laying next to them.”
“He was one of us and you threw his life away like the core of an apple! Is that how all the others have died, is it? Did you gamble their lives away as well! Who is next Captain, Hroarr or myself?”
The Captain drew his blade, “Calm yourself boy before I do. Did you think killing dragons was easy? Did you think hunting the world's most dangerous predator came with no risk? I informed and trained all of you the best I could; you all knew the risk and you still came!”
“Of course we did, we don't have a choice!”
“You made your choice when you took the oath!”
“I took an oath to protect, not murder Captain.”
The Captain grabbed Fredric by the neck, “But you took it, and it is binding. More dragons will be found, and blood will continue to flow, and we will not have peace until every single dragon is dead.”
Fredric said nothing; his heart dropped and a stern stillness covered his face. As Belmont and Hroarr began down the mountain he looked to the west, clenching his fist.