Dragon's Consort

An intense searing pain spread throughout my torso as I looked down to find a gaping hole in my chest...where my heart had been.

Lesions spread throughout, my body fell lifelessly to the ground. Mind numbed by the pain, my life flashed before my eyes as I realized that this life was no better than my previous one.

I was lucky enough to get another chance, and this one went to waste as well.

Lying in a pool of my own lifeblood, I inwardly chuckled to myself bitterly as I realized that I wasn't even given a fighting chance in this life.

My mind started to give in, my nervous system finally starting to shut down, when I saw an orb of white light racing towards me, until it finally hit me square in the stomach, jolting me awake...

I woke up with a start, my chest heaving and my body drenched in cold sweat.

Between laboured breaths, I quickly placed my hand over my heart , just to make sure that it was in it's rightful place.

Finally satisfied, I pulled myself out of bed and checked the time on my wall clock:

                                  6:15 AM                                

Shit! I'm late! I chided myself as I grabbed my savings box and ran out the front door towards the only weaponaire that I could afford, even after all these months of saving up.

Running out the dirt path, I looked back at the shared apartments I lived in, a run-down building covered in faded paint, originally intended as a storagehouse for a trading company, abandoned due to it's close proximity to the Dyre Forest.

As a result, the only ones that lived here were either rookie adventurers or those with unusually shallow pockets, by which I meant people like me.

"Atleast I have a roof to live under." I thought as I picked up my pace , and after a few minutes of running, reached my destination. 

"Olivia's weaponaire", the worn down sign read, dangling upon the roof of a dilapidated shack that looked like it was about to collapse in on itself.

Ignoring the signboard that read "CLOSED", I pushed open the rusted door, stepping inside what seemed to be a huge cloud of dust, causing me to cough violently.

"Can't you read the DAMN SIGN?", came a loud, shrill voice that stopped short as soon as the speaker laid her eyes on me.

"Oh it's just you, twerp", her voice going down several octaves as she regarded me with a gentle smile.

Olivia Gerarde, a tall, well-built woman, with strong arms and a toned body, placed her cofee-brown eyes upon me, regarding me with a contented expression as she patted me on the head.

Supposedly in her mid-thirties, she was more of a mother figure to me than even my own mother in this world.

"Your uncle just left this morning, leaving me with the clean up of this hovel he likes to call home", she retorted as she bent down to mop the floor.

She certainly looked the part, dressed in a white apron atop her black dress which seemed to accentuate her olive complexion.

Realizing I was staring, I quickly averted my eyes and asked her about the armor I had ordered.

"It's in the back of the shop", she replied, urging me to go try it on.

Tiptoeing around the narrow shelves lined with dusty gauntlets, unused helmets and boxes filled with rusted chainmail, I managed to reach the end of the aisle, almost toppling a box labeled 'FRAGILE' along the way.

What awaited me at the end nearly knocked the wind out of me. 

"It's so...beautiful!", I murmured out loud as I laid my eyes upon the gleaming piece of armor that lay on the desk.

An iron breastplate lined with protective runes sat beside a matching pair of steel gauntlets that looked as sturdy as any you would find at an otherwise posh outlet designed for nobles.

Although not as resplendent, the legwear looked decent enough, and finally, on top of the armor plate sat a silver helmet engraved with countless little runes following the same pattern, producing an eye-catching effect.

"It's as reliable as it is flashy.", chimed in Olivia as she abruptly appeared behind me and put an arm around my neck.

"The Breastplate is enchanted with stab protection while the helmet is enchanted with blast protection as well as advanced neuron stimulation, after all, I wouldn't want my li'l Ryne to get hurt, would I?" she added upon seeing my cheeks color up.

Quickly dislodging myself from her grip, I cleared my throat and tried to control the raging hormones in my adolescent body.

"Umm, thank you for this, but the quality of this armor... even the materials should have cost more than I'm paying you!", I claimed, although my voice came out a bit higher than intended.

"Hush, that's not for a kid like you to decide, and anyways, aren't you kinda late?, I heard that the participants will be gathering at Dyre about an hour from now.", she asserted.

Realizing the urgency of my situation, I placed the armor inside a box and carrying it with me, headed towards the door.

"I'll pay you back when I make it big!", I hollered as I rushed out the door.

Quickly finishing with breakfast, I started donning the armor piece by piece. Looking in the mirror, I was surprised despite myself.

The greaves and kneecaps were exquisitely carved to fit my lean legs, as such, it allowed for a great deal of mobility as well as an adequate amount of protection.

The gauntlets were well-fitted as well, portraying an imposing look as well as accentuating the muscular build of my arms, honed by grueling years of felling trees.

Albeit, the breastplate was a bit tight, but after a few minutes, I somehow strapped it onto my broad chest.

Lifting the helmet from my bedside, I finally slid it over my rather ordinary looking face. 

The light brown eyes visible through the eyeholes of my helmet seemed full of motivation, and a promise to give myself a better life.

Peeling my eyes off of the mirror, I finally stepped out of my house to make way towards the testing ground of my dreams,...Dyre Forest.

"THE FIRST TEST WILL TAKE PLACE HERE IN THE FOREST OF DYRE, HOME TO NIGHTMARISH BEASTS AND UNTAMED WILDLIFE.

THE FIRST FOUR PARTIES TO GATHER ALL THREE OF THE REQUIRED ITEMS WILL PROCEED TO THE NEXT PHASE.

FUTURE HEROES OF KYRIA, STEP FORWARD AND VENTURE INTO THE UNKNOWN, LIKE THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE YOU, FOR HONOUR, FOR YOUR KING, FOR KYRIAAA!!", boomed the voice of the examiner as each candidate was handed out a sheet containing a list of the items that needed to be found.

====================================

1x Fern of NightSong

5x Veral Petals

2x Lybeast Claws

(Per person)

Additional requirements: Quest must be completed in a party of atleast five people

(Surplus items will be duly compensated for)

Happy Hunting!

====================================

I folded the parchment and placed it inside the side pocket of my bag. Not being a very sociable person, I would have preferred it if the test was an individual one.

I was just pondering on how to get somebody to let me in their party when a familiar voice exclaimed "If it isn't my business partner, Mister Rybane!"

Willis Sanders, a shrewd man with beady eyes and a handlebar moustache, could be called the very incarnation of the word 'Crafty'.

He was one of the leading figures in wood smuggling, and had a reputation for cheating his clients by providing them with materials of subpar quality.

Nevertheless, he was the reason I was able to sell my wood without a license, and as such , I felt slightly indebted to him even though I knew that he cheated me with the prices.

As it turned out, I ended up joining his party owing to the lack of alternatives. Aside from us, the party consisted of two warriors named Alec and Brody respectively, and a young bronze-tiered mage by the name of Celia. 

Owing to my keen eye for flora, we quickly found the first two items on our lists.

The Fern of NightSong was used in curing mild burns and due to it's commonality, we found a patch in the first fifteen minutes.

Veral Petals on the other hand, would have proved much more difficult to find as they were scarce this time of the year, but I knew of a glade they used to grow in, as I often used them as painkillers whenever I was injured in a scuffle with the occasional wandering beast.

I couldn't help thinking that Willis had included me in his party for my apparent usefulness at finding the requisite items. 

"It's lair is right up ahead", Brody's voice brought me back to reality as I clutched the handle of my axe tightly in my hands.

Little illumination was provided by the luminiscent moss that lined the walls of the cave, covering even the stalactites that hanged precariously from the roof of the cave.

Huddled in a close formation, the team inched slowly but surely towards the end of the cave.

An eerie feeling set over the atmosphere as the faint light made disproportionate shadows on the cave walls.

After what seemed to be a quarter of an hour, we reached the cave's end. There was no sign of the Lybeast we had come for, it seemed that it had gone out for hunting.

Lybeasts were known to hunt for days at a time, so rather than waiting for the beast to come to us, we started to head back the way we had come.

A heavy mood set upon my teammates as they realized that they had no more leads to go off of.

Just as Willis started to grumble about the uselessness of his hired comrades, a snarl reverberated along the walls of the cave.

Everyone instantly had their weapons out and their guards up, sporting enthusiastic expressions as they realized that their venture had not been in vain.

A deep unsettling feeling set upon me however, upon hearing the sound. It seemed like the sound came from multiple individuals rather than just one.

"But that can't be true", I chided myself as I remembered that Lybeasts were extremely territorial creatures, preferring to live their lives secluded, only intermingling during the mating season.

The fact there were still a few months to go before the mating season cleared my mind of all doubts and we proceeded towards the sound.

Turning around a corner, we came to face a gruesomely disturbing scene.

Two Lybeasts were feasting on the carcass of what seemed to be a fallen comrade. A third looked in our direction, radiating an unusually large amount of bloodlust towards us.

Suddenly, it's two partners halted their meal as if noticing us for the first time. "It can't be...how are thre-three of them in one place?" mumbled Alec in a fearful tone.

Celia started whimpering uncontrollably at the sight of the half-eaten corpse behind the creatures, probably in shock at the cannibalism that was certainly NOT a characteristic trait of these lupine fellows.

"Something is definitely odd here", I thought as I observed the black skin tone of the fiends instead of the usual gray, all the while trying to keep my fear in check.

Realizing that we had no choice but to fight, I reminded my companions to keep their bearings about themselves and to keep their guards up.

As if on cue, the beasts launched themselves upon us with an unrestrained ferocity.

Dodging one of the beasts' paws , I sidestepped and brought my axe upon the beast.

Realizing it's predicament, the creature twisted it's body in midair to avoid my swing. Landing gracefully on its paws, it instantly pounced towards me, roaring for blood.

Just as I thought I was done for, Brody slammed into the Lybeast from the side.

Tangled in a whirlwind of claws and fangs, he fought for his life against the feral menace.

Lifting my axe, I charged at the distracted creature, lodging my weapon deep in it's head.

It whimpered loudly for a few seconds before it's body fell limp and it fell lifelessly to the ground.

As I was about to extend my hand to Brody to help him up,my eyes went to the gaping wound in his abdomen.

Realizing his situation, he just croaked "He-Help them...G-Go". 

Leaving my fallen comrade, I rushed to help the rest of my team. Celia had sustained a few injuries, while  Alec was lying lifeless along with the body of one of the beasts he had probably taken down with him.

Rather than bringing myself to a stop, I used my momentum to pack power into my blow, and brought my axe crashing down on the neck of the remaining enemy.

With a stifled roar, the creature's decapitated body fell to the ground, its head rolling a few feet away. 

Still keeping my guard up, I checked my surroundings for any other potential threats. Deeming the area clear, I returned to a despondent Willis cradling a limp Celia in his arms.

Upon closer inspection, she appeared to have died due to what suspiciously looked like a stab wound in the bottom right corner of her abdomen.

'What am I thinking?'

'It's probably because of that weird dream'

Shoving those delirious thoughts in the back of my mind, I told Willis to carry Celia's body outside, while I hauled up Alec's lifeless form on my shoulder.

Just outside the cave, I lowered his body onto a soft patch of earth, and motioned Willis to do the same.

I set to work, using my axe to dig a grave for my late companions. They had died protecting us, the least we could do was give them a proper burial.

After I was done with the gravedigging, I left to bring Brody's body back, ordering Willis to lower Alec and Celia into their respective pits. 

Reaching the battleground, I looked around until my eyes locked onto what seemed to be my ally's corpse.

"You were a much better man than I", I muttered to his remains as I lowered myself to haul him up.

Just as I was about to get up, an intense searing pain spread throughout my torso as I looked down to find a gaping hole in my chest...where my heart had been.

Brody's body slipped from my grasp as I fell down with a thud.

"Sorry old friend, but I can't pass on half of the loot to you now, can I?", announced a familiar voice as my vision started to fade.

"Y-You filthy piece of scum" I spat blood at his feet. "You asked for it", chimed Willis as he registered a kick to my wound. 

Mind numbed by the pain, my life flashed before my eyes as I realized that this life was no better than my previous one.

I was lucky enough to get another chance, and this one went to waste as well.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you" uttered Willis as he started to head back the way he had come. 

Lying in a pool of my own lifeblood, I inwardly chuckled to myself bitterly as I realized that I wasn't even given a fighting chance in this life.

"No, it's not over until I say it is", I reprimanded myself as I tried to get up.

Even with my failing breaths, I refused to give up, I refused to let death take me.

Even as my vision went black, I vowed to get revenge against this life and all the unfairness that had come with it. 

The last thing I heard was a faint roar echoing throughout the cavern before my senses abandoned me.