Short story: Dragon Sorcerer Part 2 (Patreon)

Part 2- Awakening

Something woke me. I couldn’t put a claw on it at first, but I felt a disturbance. Danger might have been a bit too extreme, but I could smell something. Breathing in deeply, I realized what it was. A stinky monkey or human, as they preferred to be called. The dragon dream had shown me a time when they were little more than furry creatures hiding in the trees from their reptilian overlords. The greatest of which were obviously dragons.

I lazily lifted my head. As long as it wasn’t a bunch of adventurers, I would be fine. My eyes settled on them. Oh, maybe some of the humans claimed ownership of these cows because there was a right big cluster of them. Several were on horses and wore those metal turtle suits. They even had long sticks of wood that were tipped with barbs of metal.

It was all laid out to my vision. If I chose to focus, I could see even the tiny insects which lived upon these mammals despite the fact that they were on the next hill over a good five hundred feet. Being able to see that distance and more was necessary as an aerial hunter, but all it did was increase my contempt.

I tried to listen in and heard the humans speaking in their squeaky language. Mother had insisted all the hatchlings learn what she called common, elven, dwarven, goblin, and orc as essential languages. She had told us we would learn many more in if we lived long enough. The dream made learning a language known by my ancestors into the work of a few hours, so it was hardly an accomplishment.

One of the humans without the armor on, but holding a stick with three metal tines on the end was saying, “We’ll pay you the fee you demanded. Just get rid of that dragon.”

The lead man in armor replied, “You told us that it was a small dragon. That thing is nearly an adult. We would need a wizard to be sure of bringing it down.”

Another man practically screamed, “We were told that Baer’s Chargers could handle a dragon. There are six of you. Sure, you can drive it off. We don’t care if you kill it. Just make it leave.”

I snorted upon hearing that. As if some humans could make me leave anywhere. Then the memory of being chased from my birth cave by five adventurers came back to mind. Perhaps the dream didn’t tell me all I needed to know. There might be things worth learning about these humans. I felt my curiosity stir. It was a deep thing, different from most of my kin, and I felt like it would overwhelm me.

Suddenly, I wanted to know everything there was to know about these humans. Not just these, but all their kind and maybe elves, or goblins or even orcs, but definitely not the thieving dwarves who tried slay my ancestors as they slept and steal their hoards over the bearded ones’ lust for shiny metals and sparkling gems. A dragon’s hoard meant so much more to the dragon than mere baubles, but one couldn’t expect treacherous dwarves to understand that.

The humans in armor astride their horses were speaking to one another when one of them finally realized I was awake. Screaming, fidgeting horses, and one farmer running around waving his arms until someone hit him over the head all ensued at the same time. My lips peeled back as I presented a smile with teeth the size of a human dagger or greater. I wasn’t sure how well humans could see at this distance.

The oddest thought came to my mind then. I wondered for a moment if I should try talking to them. Not in the way I might sometimes speak to my food while I dismembered it, but more in an actual, let’s see what I could learn sort of discussion. I just knew that none of my clutch mates would have ever had such a bizarre thought in their head and my mother would have lost her mind at such a proposition, but what did I have to lose?

I stood up and shook myself. It was cool here even in the sun compared to the desert I was used to, and my weight had made an indentation in the ground. Moisture had been pushed up against me as I had compressed the soil, but I didn’t mind the fluid on my scales. Despite generally living in deserts, blue dragons were actually quite prolific when it came to swimming and were clean freaks to the point of obsession. Not that any of these humans would know that. They only saw the spray of water fly off of me as I shook myself.

In an attempt to appear unthreatening, I walked toward them rather than flying. Dragons may prefer flying, but I was hardly slow on the ground. None of those humans’ horses would be able to keep up with me, not at least over a short distance. I walked forward, and they immediately reacted. The ones in soft clothing either started running or began trembling and wailing.

The ones in metal appeared to be made of sterner stuff. I could see the sweat upon their brows and the way their faces contorted while trying to shake off their fear. By all the gods, human faces were ugly. Everything was all flat and yet squished at the same time. And pink, ugh. Their noses were barely buttons on their faces, not at all like my proud nostrils, which I flared subconsciously. And those mouths. It was a wonder they could even manage to eat with those.

Now that I had been observing them for a bit, my innate ability to detect the relative strength of beings told me that none of these were a serious threat to

Apparently, one of the armored me was braver than the others. That or more fool hardy. He lowered his long stick and drove his heels into his horses sides. The tiny beast bolted forward, charging for me.

I almost laughed it off, but then I remembered the discomfort those tiny sticks were causing me in my wing. I certainly didn’t want anything that big rammed into me. It was a most unpleasant thought.

He closed the distance between us when I stopped walking in just seconds. I resisted the temptation to rear up. The memory of one of my ancestors said that was a good way to die. Something about how they could shove those long sticks into my soft underside if I did that. As incredulous as I was about that dream memory, I wasn’t going to test it.

A dragon can be crafty and sly when need be. I waited for him to be within range and then I spun around. Tail sweeps were one of my favorite tactics back when I had learned to fight with my clutch mates. It was largely to credit with me being here and them not.

My tail was as thick as a man’s thigh even at the end, so when it suddenly whipped around it was devastating to the horse’s scrawny legs. The force of it not only took out the horses legs but spun it a full 180 degrees so that its legs were up and the metal clad moron upon its back was underneath it when it came down. Apparently, judging from the brief screams the man let out, and the pained whinnying from the horse, it was quite painful. Brief I say for the man because there was an awful lot of blood gushing out of the gaps in his armor.

I looked down and then left them. He’d be dead soon and his low moaning might serve to teach the other humans that dragons are not to be trifled with. Instead, the others in armor seemed to take this as a sign that they needed to attack me. They apparently didn’t understand the most important safety lesson about fighting a dragon. Namely, that they don’t have to be faster than me. They just have to be faster than the guy next to them.

Two others had the long sticks with metal tips while two of the other held shorter sticks with large, curved blades on the end. Well, large by human standards, I imagined. I couldn’t help but wonder how insecure they felt, realizing just how much bigger I was than them. The final metal human allowed his horse to move back behind the other and was digging in a pouch hanging from his waist.

He cried out, “Ah hah” and then pulled out a small glass sphere filled with what looked like a finely ground dirt. I didn’t pay it much attention until he started trying to use to little slivers in his hand to make sparks. Then a sting in the sphere started hissing and smoking as it caught fire.

How odd. I didn’t know what to make of that. None of my dream memories told me anything about such an object, but I was close enough now that they should be able to hear me.

I coughed to clear my throat and then decided it was a good thing that I hadn’t licked up any of the other human’s blood. At least I hoped it would make me less intimidating. Although another part of me wondered why I would ever want to appear as less than I was. I just felt it was the right way to communicate with these fragile little people.

“Greetings, little ones.” Wait, as I said that, I wondered if they were sensitive about their size. Oh well. If they couldn’t handle a little truth, then I didn’t think it would be worth speaking with them.

No sooner had I finished speaking than the man in back threw the small orb over his companions so that it landed on the side of the hill they were on and rolled down towards me. He screamed, “Die hell spawn!” as he did so.

The absurdity of his words almost caught me flatfooted while I was working it out. Didn’t he know that the lesser races owe the fact that their world is not overrun with hell’s minions to dragons? It isn’t like squishies could do anything were a horned fiend to appear.

But as much as I wanted to offer up a retort, my mother didn’t lay any stupid eggs, at least not the ones who were still alive. Dragons are crafty and while I didn’t recognize what that little sphere was, I did know enough to recognize a trap or weapon when I saw it.

I pushed back and up with my legs and spread my wings to take off. Just at that moment, the orb exploded, and I felt my body rocked. It was what I imagined a red’s fiery breath would feel like. Well, maybe not that bad, but it seared my flesh even though my scales and sent a concussive wave that knocked me back.

Because I was already moving backwards, it probably appeared to the humans that the explosion had hurled me much further than such a device was possible. I found myself rolling side over side as I stung. The two in front with long sticks didn’t wait, but as soon as I was rolling they were charging me astride their horses.

This is the point where highly sensitive hearing came back to haunt me. The explosion had my ears ringing and left my balance just slightly off. I was still probably up faster than they thought I would be, but it wasn’t fast enough to save me. The first of them drove his stick into me. He broke against my shoulder, the scales being too tough for it, but I felt like one of my scale slipped and the force of the impact left me open to the other.

This one was driven into the softer scales on my underside. On my mother, even those scales like would have been enough to stop the impudent human’s weapon, but she was a mature adult whereas I was more like the dragon equivalent of a teenager. I screeched in pain as I felt the wooden shaft piece into my chest. It was far from my heart, but I think nicked one of my lungs.

That didn’t stop me from reflexively sucking in air and turning my head to breathe sparking death at the two foes who had just ridden past me. My experience with the adventurers earlier had taught me that those turtle suits of armor could strangely protect the humans from electricity despite their metal composition. It was something I would have to learn about, but the men weren’t my target.

Both horses were caught within the field of my breath as they tried to loop around behind me. They were scorched and shocked and just like the cows earlier were spasming. These, however, had been at a full run and had riders on their backs. Well, they had riders for a moment before both men were thrown.

I couldn’t spare a moment to see if they got up as I clawed to remove the wooden spear inside me. I screamed to the heavens as I pulled it free. Curse these humans. They would die. Slowly, oh so slowly, I pulled the wood from my chest. In the meantime, the three remaining humans were rushing their horses down at me. The one who had thrown the sphere had a stick with a metal ball on the end while the other two lashed out my wings.

The first cut in so hard I felt like it might have severed a tendon. I shrieked in rage and flung my wings wide. The second one on the other side was caught by the force of my wing and flung thirty feet off his horse. I could hear as all the air left his lungs,, but I finally managed to spin around to go after the one who had cut me now that the wood was removed from my chest.

It pained me, but I tucked both my wings to my sides as I rushed after the horse. The one wing pained me and if one had to be tucked, then both did so that I could maintain my balance. In fifteen steps, I had caught up with him. My tail went rigid and assisted my forward motion as I pounced on my prey. My front claws dug into the horse, practically ripping it apart while my mouth came down over the top of the man’s head. I was careful not to go too far as memories of choking on metal armor were mine through the dragon dream.

That didn’t stop me from biting off his head as easily as a human might bite through a bit of cheese. I spat the head loose and turned again to see the final man in armor was fleeing. He must have finally developed some brains,, but it was too late. I felt a power rise up within me and a short laugh went through me.

The stress of my day had finally brought me to my awakening. As easily as breathing, I threw out an illusion of myself in front of the fleeing man. His horse reared up, and he was all but unseated. The image had no power at this level, but it was hereditary power of blue dragons which I had yet to use.

My magic was now alive within me and the second great power of dragonkind was mine to wield. Well, at least in its rudimentary form. Other races might study magic to master it; but dragons were magic. It had only now come to me, but I immediately understood how to use it. I felt so powerful as magic coursed through every inch of my being.

I launched myself forward, careful to protect my wing, and pounced upon the final armored man. He died with a short scream as my six inch claws ripped both steel and flesh with equal ease to disembowel him. While I might have liked to leave him to die slowly, repenting from his sins against me, I didn’t want to misjudge these humans again, so I set my foot down upon his head and mercifully ended his suffering.

Then I went from human to human doing the same till I was sure all the metal clad men were no more. The fatigue which comes at the end of battle entered me then, but it was amplified by the impact the awakening had on my system. I was about to close my eyes when I saw a small human still standing trembling atop the hill.