Knights of the Nine - Beginning of the End

Chapter 11: The Hunt

The whole city was demolished. Ruins of what once was the peaceful Elven culture and home. One of the biggest kingdoms in Condor, only to be destroyed and lost to the Darkness. The green leaves on the trees now blackened. The eggs of the dragon ready to spew with babies at any minute.

Ciri searched the blood and tormented bodies for a clue on where the Elves and dragon went. It was just gore, left, right, and center. She went over to the hut where Jeff ran in, it was burnt up and now one of the four nests for the eggs.

Derek walked up to the main markets and picked up an Elven blade. It was no Skendorian work but it will prove better than a cracked and burnt blade. Derek laid his sword on the crumbled city floor and placed the Elven blade in his sheath. Derek licked his lips and turned around to talk to Ciri.

"Any clue on where this thing went?" Derek whispered due to not wanting to hatch the babies.

Ciri shook her head and went back to looking at the ruined city. Derek opened his knapsack and pulled Drago out. He pulled off the black cloth around Drago's mouth and sent him flying.

"What're you-" Ciri stopped as she watched Derek Chase after the baby dragon.

Ciri followed as she learnt that it was going to its parent. Ciri caught up with Derek and they didn't exchange words, nor glances, they just followed the dragon. Goo was a rare sight now, all the green grass and the trees stayed their summer colours. It would be beautiful if they weren't hunting down a serpent with wings.

After a few minutes, dried blood began splattering on the road. And goo, once again, began appearing. The two were getting close. No sounds of clashing against scales but there were moans. Derek and Ciri saw the deceased Elves and some soon to perish. Derek ran to one which was still in condition to speak.

"Ha-ha. Thought you could handle a dragon, eh? The bitch is long gone, her and her teenage babes." The dying elf squeamed.

"Teenage? They're babies." Ciri said, cutting off Derek before he could speak.

"The buggers... they grow damn fast *coughing*. One moment it was one, the next it was three. I... I believe there's eight now. They flew over to Green Springs, or in that direction. Oh... *coughing* if they fu-uck the world up... it's one you, Knight." The elf said tapping his bloodied hand on Derek's chest plate.

The elf leaned back while Derek and Ciri went in the direction of Green Springs. It was a tiny village made of just merchants and a tavern, along with traveling folk. They ran off the road and into the Elven trees making a quicker route to Green Springs. No goo around anymore, just birds chirping and wind howling. Derek was hungry but he pushed it aside and kept running. For it was people's lives at danger. Derek already failed one city.

Ciri tapped Derek on the shoulder and they both rested.

"Derek... I need to get there quicker. Teleport with me, or I can meet you there." Ciri said gasping for air.

"Let's rest so that when we teleport in their, we are ready." Derek nodded.

The two arrived in the center of Green Springs. It was all normal, merchants making deals and travelers stopping for a drink and some rest. The beasts must have not made it yet, giving Derek and Ciri time to get the people out and hide. Derek told Ciri to get the people out of the Springs while he arranged the local guards to ready their bows and sharpen their swords.

Derek went inside the Tavern to quickly make a potion of brief fire resistance. Derek had a plan that would either kill a dragon or kill himself. Highly risky, but that was a risk he had to take. Derek brewed the potion and placed it in his knapsack. He went back outside to feel the wind slap him in the face.

The guards winced and braced for a dragon. Ciri came back and readied her blade and her teleportation. Derek held onto a pole and watched the skies. After a minute of harsh wind, there the eight beasts were. Flying high and heading straight for Green Springs.

Derek, praying to the Gods, threw his helmet back on and climbed onto the roof of the tavern. The guards shot their arrows above while Ciri teleported onto one of the serpents. Derek pulled out the potion as he saw the main darkened beast fly straight for him.

Uncapped and ready to drink, Derek chugged the fluid down with ease. Orangish red lines blurred over his scarred up face. As Derek blinked he saw no more. He was inside the dragon.

It was black, he was alive as Derek was still moving around. He felt the throat of the beast try to ingest him, it was failing. Derek unsheathed his new Elven blade and stabbed it up into the upper throat. Immense heat began forming behind Derek, they beast was getting ready to breathe fire. Derek looked for his bag, it was gone. He looked up and saw it caught on the dragons tonsils.

"Ah shit!"

Derek tried climbing up the long tongue of the serpent but it was too slimy. Molded black rocks began forming on the skin of Derek. He was merely being infected slowly. Derek needed a curing potion and his pure resistance to fire potion as soon as possible.
Derek pulled out his two daggers and threw out at the bag. It missed and landed atop near the mouth, the beast shot it back down with its tongue, hitting the bag down to Derek.

'Not my plan, but it worked. Great!' Derek thought to himself as he pulled out the two potions.

He drank them and just as he finished the fire resistance potion, the dragon shot fire at Derek. He was launched into the tongue but not thrown out like the fire, he was shielded but the black goo was soon to follow and no potion exists to defend Derek from that.