A Monster Like Me

Mission Failure

Dazai lay quietly for the rest of the night, but sleep had fled his eyes. To make matters worse, he was forced to listen to the sickening munching and tearing noises as Chuuya devoured his horse. He shuddered and pulled his blanket closer around himself, trying to block out the noise. Dazai's thoughts were in turmoil; the dragon was nothing like he'd expected, and was a far more terrifying opponent than he could have imagined. It was unlikely that he would be able to outsmart it, and there was even less hope that he could win in direct combat. Even if he somehow won, a mountain of gold and a river of silver wouldn't do him any good since he had no way home without his horse. All in all, his prospects looked bleak. It was not until the sun had risen that he finally fell into a fitful sleep.

"You're still here, huh?" 

Dazai's eyes snapped open, and he jumped to his feet, nearly falling over as he untangled himself from his bedroll. The dragon was right there, just casually lying next to him and looking down with distaste. The beast looked even more powerful and majestic in the full light of day, its scales gleaming like pearl and ruby, its mane the fiery orange of an autumn sunset. Before he knew what he was doing, he was looking into Chuuya's eyes, the dragon's gaze freezing him in place. One eye was blue; the enchanting blue of deep water, while the other was a rich, vibrant brown. Dazai felt enchanted by those eyes, his resolve wavering and his mind wandering. He quickly turned his gaze downwards, realizing that he had nearly fallen under the dragons spell. 

"You need to leave. I have no mercy for humans who trespass on my land." Chuuya said, his voice commanding and filled with power. 

"It's not so simple," Dazai replied. "My king ordered me to slay you, so I can't go back even if I wanted to. I have to either kill you, or die trying." 

"There's no way you can kill me, you pathetic excuse for a dragon slayer. The iron scales that cover me give me armor like tenfold shields! My teeth are swords! My claws are spears! The shock of my tail is a thunderbolt through the sky! My breath of fire, my signature, is death!" He roared proudly, puffing out his chest and swinging his long tail from side to side. 

Dazai took an involuntary step back, clutching his sword in a white knuckled grip. It felt like a toy when faced with this creature of destruction, who's boasts, though vainglorious, were likely not far from the truth. 

"That's right, give up while you can~" Chuuya taunted, looking down at the warrior with contempt. He could pick him up with one paw if he really wanted to. How could this little human possibly expect to kill him?

"I know I probably won't win, but I'm gonna fight you anyways. Heroic death and all that shit," Dazai said with a smirk. He pulled himself together and charged, aiming a sweeping blow to Chuuya's foreleg. 

Chuuya roared with delight, parrying the blade with his claws and making Dazai stagger back. He always loved fighting, and this strange, spunky human was fun to banter with as well. 

"I'm not that hungry after eating your horse last night, but if you're offering, I won't pass up on dessert!"

Dazai shuddered as he imagined Chuuya's teeth ripping him apart, his bones crunching in those powerful jaws. Even though he wanted to die, such a violent death suddenly seemed less appealing now that it came to it... That thought distracted him enough that he barely dodged Chuuya's jaws, which snapped shut a fingers width away from his face. 

Dazai stepped back, holding his sword on guard while the dragon crouched down, its tail swaying from side to side. 

"Come on, try to hit me!" 

He's just playing with me, Dazai realized. He's so confident he can win, he's not even really trying!

"Don't underestimate me, you lazy wyrm!" Dazai said with forced bravado. He attacked as he spoke, feigning a right slash before jumping to the side. Chuuya tried to parry with his claws again, but he wasn't fast enough, and Dazai's sword slashed him across the paw. Chuuya hissed in pain, but the cut was shallow, most of the force spent on his thick scales.