The hunter becomes the hunted

POV Captain Delgros of the Arcadian Empire

"There have been reports of Medium class red dragon going to and from a mountain bordering the Nemphan theocracy my emperor. Its current behavior suggests that it may have hatchlings. Dragons only spawn once every century so this might be our chance to eliminate a future threat."

I looked up at the emperor with a serious expression waiting for his response.

"Are you sure that these reports are valid, there has not been a dragon spotted on this continent for the last 50 years."

"Yes your grace, I have confirmed the validity of these reports myself."

"If that is the case I would have you take 50 of your best dragon slayers and kill these hatchlings before they get the chance to grow."

"Your will is my command your grace. I will leave at once."

- A week later at the base of the mountain -

"Alright boys get ready to climb, the red dragon left this morning meaning we will have at most likely until the end of the day to both reach the cave it was seen leaving and then tomorrow once the hatchlings are dead we will climb back down. No questions? Good then lets get climbing."

Hours later after a few breaks on a couple cliff edges along the way to keep the men fresh we finally made it to the cave entrance.

"quiet now we need to catch the hatchlings unaware, you all know the plan knights up front will use their shields to protect the casters in the back. Lets move in slowly."

With that we all started to quietly walk inside prepared to see hatchlings sleeping in the cave, but even though I was leading the formation in I could see no hatchlings at all the only traces where bones littered about the massive cave. Suddenly as the last man entered I heard a muffled scream along with the horrible sound of ripping flesh and finally a popping sound. Turning I saw a blackish red dragon with blood red wing membrane having just ripped off one of my men's head off, looking at us with so much blood lust that it was almost visible. It stood between us and the cave entrance, spreading its wings and rearing up on its hind legs it let out a roar that shook the cave. The sun reflected off of its scales and shone through its wings, it was the most terrifying creature that I had ever seen.

"Form up men, avenge our fallen brother!" I yelled, then a scaly angle of death descended down on us all.

___________________

POV Valorian

I let out a roar that was loud enough that it shook the cave, then immediately lunged at the closest man before he could form up with the others.

My teeth pierced through his black plate armor like a hot knife through butter as I ripped a section of his torso off. The man fell to the floor screaming with his intestines spilling onto the floor, knowing he was out of the fight I moved on to the next. I was a whirlwind of destruction, after I felled the fifth man they finally got into a formation where I couldn't pick them off one by one. 

I charged the shield wall only for a abnormally long spear to be trust into my left shoulder. Initially the spear could not pierce my scale but one of the humans in the back chanted something and runes appeared on the tips surface. Once they appeared the spear slid right through my scales causing my to roar in pain. The humans cheered at the sound of my pain thinking that they where gaining the upper hand.

Hearing their cries of joy stirred something primal within me, 'how dare these lowly humans mock me!'

I immediately used my wings to give myself a boost of speed appearing in front of the shield wall so fast that I could see the shocked looks on the knights faces.

Using my momentum I swung around using the spikes embedded in my tail to throw most of the first line of knights most getting thrown straight into the wall of the cave getting knocked unconscious.

Seeing that the front line was broken I heard the slightly more decorated human in the back yell something, it seemed the more I heard their language I was slowly starting to understand them. The mana circulating within my body stirred and it felt as if it was licking my very brain.

With the front line broken I had unconsciously started to feel a tingling sensation coming from the back of my throat, instinctively I knew that it was my breath glands heating up. Preparing for activation. All dragons possess a form of breath attack, it is one of the things that make dragons so deadly.

I guess I was going to find out what element my breath produced.

Not wanting to get surrounded by them I jump back slightly and reared up on my back legs ever so slightly, I could feel something rising from the back of my throat. With this feeling in the dark cave and the only light being some torches that the knights where carrying, A pale red glow could be seen cascading off the floor as a deep red color dimly shone through the scales that covered my throat.

In the next moment as I was about to unleash my breath attack on them I heard what now seemed to be the leader of the knights give an order than some of the other knight broke out of their stupification and chanted some words. Appearing around the knights was dome with swirling runes, now that I had the chance to see them for longer they where not the same as the ones my mother produced. Neither in power or quality, they felt wrong, like they where using something that should never be touched. With that on my mind I unleashed hell upon them, spewing from my maw was a river of deep red flames and every so often black tendrils could be seen swirling within.

The knights seems surprised by the violent power that was pushing up against their shield. I could still hear orders being given and some of what I previously thought to be grunts now where clearly words.

"%##$ Brace!" I heard the commander say. Still not quite understanding him I could only understand part of the command.

Slowly as I pushed more and more mana into my breath glands the dome around the knights started to crack.

Seeing this I gave one final push of mana, as I did the dome shattered and my dragon breath smashed into their already reformed formation with such force and heat that the first two layers of knights where incinerated instantaneously.

My flames seemed to have life of their own as I could feel a slight connection with them. Not only did my flames burn the knights but as I watched momentarily I could see the black tendrils that where mixed within turn some of their shields and bodies into a grey mist like substance. It did not look the same as the charcoal that was being produced by my scorching hot flames but like the matter that made up their very being had been broken down at the molecular level.

Now seeing that about half of the knights where now dead and their shield wall in ruins. I resumed my charge, propelling myself with my wings I lunged into their formation.

I killed indiscriminately until I felt a tingle on my scales and instinctively jumped backwards. Narrowly dodging the glowing long sword of the commander.

The commander widened his eyes in surprise that I was able to evade his attack. I jumped backwards to stage for another attack, with a quick glance I could see that there where fifteen knights remaining. They all quickly reformed and braced for another assault.

I could sense that only three of the remaining knights where of any threat to me. The commander who I narrowly dodged, what looked to be a mage, and knight with a long halberd that gleamed with a magical aura.

Seeing that they where now on the defensive, I paced along the front of their formation just out of reach. "Steady men don't leave any openings" I heard the commander shout resolutely. My eye flickered with understanding I didn't know how just yet but it seemed that I was now capable of understanding their language.

I decided to try something now that their numbers where fewer and it looked like I had them on the back foot.

"Why did you come here?" A deep booming voice left my throat one that left no room for the question to be unanswered. I surprised myself hearing the sound of my own voice in a language that I had only just started to hear about an hour ago. Or at all for that matter seeing as I had only been able to converse in draconic speech until now.

The knights stirred with shock, not understanding how this creature they saw as unintelligent could converse in their language.

"Y-you can speak!" the commander shouted in shock.He quickly regained his composer and said "We are searching for hidden smugglers dens." the commander replied.

"Lies!" I roared back at him with palpable blood lust wafting off of my body. I could see the remaining knights all except the commander and the knight with the halberd shaking in fear.

With my roar the commander responded "It is the truth. If you let us leave we will never return I promise!" the commander said with hopeful eyes.

"None of you will leave here alive." I responded then used my claws to decapitate two of the remaining knights on the left while swinging my spiked tail into a third.

Seeing that there was no hope of negotiation the knight with the halberd charged me, swinging it down on my tail still embedded in the torso of his now dead companion.

I was not able to pull my tail from the knights armor in time leaving the end that was still in his armor to be chopped off just above the spikes.

I roared in pain as my blood flowed onto the ground. I immediately retaliated biting the end of his halberd and ripping it out of his hands. Again I felt the familiar tingle on my scales, knowing what this meant I moved to dodge only a beat to late. The commander seeing his opportunity embedded his long sword in by shoulder nearly chopping my arm off. Once it got halfway through my bone I flexed my shoulder muscles bringing it to a screeching halt and swung the halberd still in my jaw at him slamming him into the cave wall.

Having been gravely injured I lost myself to rage and proceeded to massacre the remaining knights now that their two strongest where dead only coming out of my primal rage when the only one remaining was the commander slumped against the was with his left leg shattered.

I turned my head and pulled the sword from my shoulder letting out a low growl in the process. Then turned my attention to the commander, I slowly limped over to him and wrapped my claw around his throat.

"From what kingdom do you hail?" I asked

"The sun will never set on the Empire. You are already doomed." the commander said without a hint of fear in his eyes.

knowing that I would get nothing else from him I severed his head. Looking back at the other knights that I had knocked unconscious earlier I limped over to them and dined on their flesh.

Once I had made sure that they where all dead the adrenaline of battle finally wore off. I was hit with a wave of fatigue and slumped to the cave floor. The last thing I heard was the sound of my siblings rushing to the front of the cave before I passed out from blood loss.