Last Quest

Chapter 3: The Dragon

Dravon stood in the forest, his breaths growing shorter as his mind sobered up. He had no weapons or means to protect himself against the stalker. The first time he saw the creature, it darted between the trees, still trying to hide, even though it knew Dravon was aware of its presence. He felt as if it were mocking him, getting closer with every leap between the trees. When it came close enough, the creature emerged from hiding to reveal itself. It was tall, its body slender, with light gray skin. Its face was almost human, with small, dark eyes sunken into its skull. Its mouth was slightly open, revealing human-like teeth. It had no weapons, but long yellow claws, now covered with blood. The creature looked intelligent, and as it approached Dravon, he could see its armor bearing the symbol of a black three-headed serpent adorned with human skulls. This creature being a Trosun explained why it seemed to enjoy stalking him, but the Trosun never came this far north; that was the reason he never left Oakliff. But there was no time to think of this now, as the creature leapt towards him. He braced himself for the monster to tear him apart, but it never did; it was thrown aside by an unseen force. Dravon looked to his right to see the cloaked man from the tavern. Maldric motioned for him to move away from the attacker as he murmured a spell, his voice echoing through the dark forest. His staff emitted a white light, and the leaves and rocks lifted off the ground around him. As he sent another blast toward the Trosun, it leapt into a tree, dodging the attack, knowing the sorcerer would need time to conjure another spell. The creature smiled at the two before landing on the ground before them. Just as it raised its clawed hand, a loud thud echoed, as if something heavy had struck the forest floor. The creature turned its gaze in the direction of the sound. Maldric looked at Dravon, who glanced back at him quickly. The trees swayed in the distance, as if something massive were leaping from them, getting closer with every jump. Maldric stood in awe as Melrytos dove from the fog, right into the creature, wrapping his jaws around its left arm and ripping it from its body. Biting its right arm, the dragon lifted the Trosun from the ground. It tried to fight back but was thrown into a tree with a force previously unknown to it. As its lifeless body hit the cold ground, the dragon turned to face the sorcerer, baring his teeth and growling at the unfamiliar face.

"It is real," Maldric whispered, still in disbelief at the dragon. "What is your name?" he asked.

"Dravon Nivereth." He realized he could have at least kept his last name to himself. "What is yours?" he asked back. Maldric revealed his name and quickly turned to walk toward the village, expecting Dravon to follow him.

"Wait!"

"I will be happy to tell you more than just my name, but we first need to get to safety," Maldric cut him off.

As Melrytos realized Dravon was safe, he leapt back into the trees, disappearing into the fog in search of a branch to sleep on. The two returned to the Inn, which was now calmer, as most of the panicked patrons had run to their homes.

"No one has seen a Trosun this far north. I mean, most people in Oakliff do not even know of them," Dravon said.

"That is why I came."

"For the Trosun? In that case, you are welcome—"

"Not for the Trosun, for you and the dragon."

"I am not following."

Maldric explained his dreams. Making sure to emphasize the meaning of sorcerer's dreams as much as he could. He told him of his latest dream, depicting the return of Dov Troso, and how he could feel the Forsaken Magic spreading.

Dravon thought for a moment about his next question. "I thought that the magic was gone with the rift..."

"The rift is not gone, it's closed." He interrupted him.