Sky City Chronicles

Chapter 2: Unexpected Company

Unexpected Company

As I got up the next flight of stairs, my mind wandered to when things had been so much simpler in life. Father was always there to teach me how to be a strong dragon like him, while mother supported me when things got tough for us. Even a famine was not enough to shake the bonds of our hearts, father giving me his share of sootleaf to keep me strong through that long and harsh winter. A tear betrayed me by slipping down my cheek, and I shook my head to clear it of the painful memories. Like it or not my parents were dead from the moment I left home, and grieving over their ghosts would do no one any good. The only thing their memory will do for me is give me the strength to fight on and avenge their lives, along with all of the dragons now under the power of the Bloodbane and Lord Igneous. I nearly stumbled as my foot hit open air, and I realized that while I had been daydreaming, I had somehow reached the top of the steps. I looked around and saw that the hall had only one door at the other end, and boy was it a doozy. The metal had to have been formed while it was still partly molten onto the door, the patterns and markings too intricate to have been cut or bent. The gold shined in the light coming in through the set of floor to ceiling windows that covered both walls. Even the wood seemed alive in the glow of the midday sun. The view was so breathtaking that I nearly missed the dark blue dragon standing at the base of the doors. His silver armor had a more harsh shine than the doors, and his nearly black eyes bore into me even at almost fifteen body lengths away.

"I see that Sunwing ran into some trouble in defeating you." he said, his voice deep and resonate in the long hall, "No matter, if he was not strong enough to beat a farm brat, then he did not deserve to be a general under Lord Igneous." He fanned his wings a few times, his tail blade coming up to a fighting stance, "Let's see how you fare against a far more patient opponent with skills in counterattack." Even at the distance he was at I could see the grin on his face, his teeth pearly against his dark scales.

I scoffed, trying not to favor my injury as I sniped a quick insult, "And which general are you? Captain blueberry?" I sniffed as he stiffened at my jibe, "What are you, some kind of fruit dressed up in silver wrapping paper for me to rip apart? You don't stand a chance and you know it."

Apparently my condition was not lost on him, and he laughed under his breath as he took a few steps towards me, "Throwing insults when you have no way of backing them up. What a joke. The name is General Stormclaw, and you have clearly been weakened by Sunwing's poison slash. You are in no condition to offer me much more than a bit of sport using you as a punching bag." He continued to walk forward until his muzzle was just inches from mine, "I have a secret for you to hear, my foolish little opponent, but only if you can defeat me in a duel. All tactics are allowed and all combat skills may be used, but be warned that I have trained with Igneous himself in the art of counterattack. Defeating me will not be as easy as beating Sunwing." He took off and set down at the foot of the doors once more, "Now give me everything you have. I have a feeling you're going to need it."

I growled and stood to my full height, ignoring the pain that ripped through my body as my wound re-opened. I raised my blade as I prepared to strike, but at the last minute took a deep breath and shot out a small, yellow fireball at Stormclaw, hoping to catch him off his guard with a distance attack. It sailed down the hall and looked like it was going to be a direct hit, but at the last second Stormclaw jumped up and over the blast, the flame missing his belly scales by a mere claw's breath as he landed on his feet again, the flame bursting apart against the metal in the doors.

"You'll have to do much better than that if you want to have a chance of beating me." Stormclaw called out, "Think of something that I won't see coming a dracometer away and you might stand a chance."