Bloody Steel

Dragon's Fire

"Dragon! Dragon!" 

The cry of the watchman sent a wave of horrified panic through the small town. Women and children screamed, moving to nearby cover, while men drew their swords, scanning the skies for the winged creature. 

A blood-chilling roar rippled through the air, and a massive shadow fell over the town. Hovering stationary above the small town, the dragon was an impressive beast. With black shining scales, and completely yellow eyes, the creature slowly opened its mouth, the back of its throat beginning to brighten, as fire built up. 

"Catapults! FIRE!" 

Several stones flew from the town's wall-mounted defenses. Most of the rocks fell miserably short of their target. However, a few managed to hit the beast. Far from doing any real damage, this just served to aggravate the beast. Turning its head, the dragon moved its neck from left to right, a spray of fire erupting from its mouth. 

"Get down!" 

The men all scattered, as the massive wave of flame crashed against the town. Several of them screamed in fear, as their clothes caught aflame. They dashed around blindly, screeching, before a massive fireball smashed into them, destroying the men. 

"Get the wizards! We need water barbs! Now!" 

The dragon sprayed another jet of fire across the village, a deafening roar erupting from its mouth. The catapults continued firing uselessly, until the dragon turned to the wall. Taking a massive breath, he exhaled an enormous orb of flame. It smashed into the wall, tearing down a portion of the barrier, and lighting the catapults on fire. 

"The wizards are assembled!" 

A veteran warrior, Linar turned, watching as a group of men in blue robes dashed up, under cover of the men's shields. 

"We need water projectiles! It's a fire-based dragon!" Linar shouted over the chaos around him. The wizards nodded, spreading out. Some of the men rolled up barrels of water for the wizards. Linar watched as the men used their magic abilities to levitate long, thick strands of water, then harden and shape them. Soon, each wizard held a long pike made of solid water. They scattered, moving throughout the town to minimize their presence. 

"Fire when ready! You men, prepare to get the dragon when it's down!" Linar ordered. The man around him nodded dumbly, then scurried away as another plume of fire crashed into a nearby house, setting it alight. Seconds later, the roof caved in. Linar grimaced. He desperately hoped no one had taken shelter inside the house. 

Then, a movement caught his eye. The dragon had jerked to the side, turning its head from side to side in confusion. Then, Linar saw a second water pike rocket toward the dragon, smacking into its underbelly. Instead of shattering against the dragon's scales, the pike sank deeply into the dragon's body. The creature roared in pain, as more pikes penetrated its body. Linar watched, as two pikes ripped through the monster's right wing webbing. The dragon began to careen out of control, spiral-ing toward the ground, just outside of the town. 

"Go! Once it lands, kill that devil!" Linar roared, charging out the town gate, which was half charred from the dragon's fire. All the able-bodied men of the village followed him. The dragon plowed into the ground a little ways outside the town's walls. It crashed across nearly a mile of flat grassland, leaving a trench of dirt and blood in its wake. The dragon finally ground to a halt, stunned. 

In moments, the men had surrounded it. The dragon began to recover from its fall, moving onto its four legs, spitting a blast of fire at a group of men. The humans locked their round shields in front of them, creating a wall. The fire blasted against their shields, throwing several back. But none were injured. They broke formation, charging in, drawing their swords and screaming war cries.