The Trial of Kings

The Dragon

The Black Dragon stood tall and roared louder than any of the Monsters and Demons he had faced in this trial. The ground shook and the General winced as his ear drums took a pounding. Standing his ground, he quickly took out a blue and red potion and down them at the same time. The crowd cheered him on as they leaned towards all of the screens available and climbed over each other to get a better view. This would be the end of the Trial of Kings and every adventurer in Oron did not want to miss a thing.

“Burn,” he cast the spell to ignite his magic and engulfed his arms and swords in fire. The audience erupted as he did so and he raised his swords in preparation. The Black Dragon did not move but watched him intently. He took a few steps forward and began to pick up speed. What most did not pay attention to was the breathing techniques he had been using during his recovery. It was that of the Iceman, which allowed him to regain a lot of his energy and vigilance. He was more prepared than most knew he could be. And the trained eyes could see it. Some murmured as they watched him move, side stepping and picking up pace, charging at his enemy. “He’s recovered what he lost for the final bout,” the Hunter in the back of the Tavern said to himself. “How?”

Fire in his heart and swirling around his arms, Sir Damon attacked. The Black Dragon anticipated his approach and stood on its hind legs and slammed its front legs into the ground creating a thunderous c***k send the General into a nearby boulder. “What was that?!” screamed Goddess Luna at the monitor. She was leaning between the engineers again and looked up to the speakers. “What the HELL was that, Anne?” she asked the speaker where Anne spoke from. She not only answered the Goddess, but everyone who had the same question.

“General of the Dungeon, Red Dragon, Sir Damon. The Dragon you now face, can and will affect your physical reality,” she ended the announcement and the crowds where up in arms slamming their glasses on the bar counters and tables while screaming profanities at the screens. Anne no longer answered the Goddess. She no longer responded to anyone. The General got up and raised his swords again. The Dragon leaned backwards and Sir Damon could see that the Black Dragon was getting ready to breathe fire and blast the entire area. He immediately ran towards a boulder across the room to get shelter that was closer to his target. The sound shook the dungeon and lit up the room where the battle took place. He held his swords and feet together watching the rivers of fire flowed over and beside him. Not seeing what came next, he was could off guard as the Black Dragon swiped at the boulder and it cracked behind him, launching him into another boulder nearby. With his swords in his hands and the surprise of being tossed off his feet, he wasn’t able to prevent smashing his head on another boulder nearby. The ground shook as the Black Dragon stalked its prey. Trying to find his bearings, the booming of the Black Dragons’ steps and its deep growl help to remind him that he was in a battle. He touched his head as he stood up and jogged around the now broken boulder to a crevice that seemed secluded. Blood ran down his face, his HP had dropped to less than 30% and it was flashing red. He had made it all the way to the end only to be close to defeat without landing a single blow. His belt was damaged and two of his potions were destroyed by the fall. He had one more blue potion left and no red vials left. Which meant that the full bar of Magic was all that he could use after replenishing his HP. He hated the fact that he didn’t have the physical abilities of the Hero in his story.

But he had the two spells that could do some decent damage. And that is what he decided to do as he grinded his teeth and turned to see where the Dragon was. Just then a huge strike came from above and the secluded spot exploded. The boulder behind which he was hiding and the area that he was hiding broke apart and struck him in all directions. “NO!” the scream left her mouth before she realized it. The Goddess stood dumbfounded watching the monitor as did so many of the onlookers. A silence fell on the crowds as they watched the dust settle to see the General of the Dungeon lying face first under a pile of rubble. His right sword had flung out of his hand and he had managed to hold onto the left until he hit the floor, his fingertips only lightly touching the hilt. The monitor showed his HP gauge was down to 9% even though his Magic gauge was at maximum, he never had the opportunity to use it. “Get up,” whispered the Goddess. “Get up Damon,” she repeated to the screen. The engineers sat in silence glued to the screens in front of them and the Black Dragon roared, shaking the ground. The Goddess let out a short gasp as she saw his left hand begin to move. Trying to grip the sword at his fingertips, the Red Dragon tried to move once again. And as the rest of his body began to shift, the audience all over Oron began to cheer. Their cheers were hushed as the Viking Leader noticed that theatrical music began to play signaling Magic being cast in the Dungeon. The Red Dragon, General of the Dungeon, gripped the sword in his left hand and slid his right under his shoulder to lift his head. The Black Dragon expanded its wings and looked to where the General had fallen as if it noticed that something wasn’t right. The words were clear with the way Anne had set up the acoustics and speakers. He got to one knee and saw the Black Dragon position itself to strike again. Thinking to himself that he needed to get this done as soon as he could manage, he formulated the strategy.

“I am the plague of darkness that has no end, possessing a power that none comprehend.”

The Black Dragon tilted its head and turned back to look for its enemy.

“I am the force the drives all the world, watch my destruction unfurl.”

Leaning back and lifting its head, fire gathered from the Dragons’ lungs into its mouth and nostrils. Sir Damon raised his right hand as black clouds gathered above him, hiding behind the same boulder that still had his blood on it.

“I hold the world in the palm of my hand, my fire will scorch the land.”

Fire erupted from the mouth of the Dragon and sprayed all around the Dungeon as he removed the last vial of blue potion from his pouch and downed it while keeping his left hand in the air. And as soon as the Black Dragon was spent of his fire, the Red Dragon stepped out of his hiding place and aimed his right hand and his enemy.

“I am the sword that cracks the Earth slicing through heaven, raining down lightning, hear me now,

DRAGON OF DESTRUCTION!”

The crowd was beside themselves as the lightning stuck the Black Dragon like Zeus rained down thunder bolts. It bellowed in anguish contracting and expanding its wings and Sir Damon held on waiting for the Magic to reach the half way may mark on his gauge. As soon as it hit that mark he ran to get his right-hand sword in the rubble and reappeared charging into the recovering Black Dragon.

In mid stride he chanted, “BURN,” his arms bursting into flames and he went straight for its left side. Using his previous tactic, he remained out of eyesight and went to work on the Dragons legs. Narrowly dodging its steps as it stomped wildly not being able to tell where he was. Its HP gauge dropped as he thrusted his blades into the Dragons’ legs. The size of its limbs made it incredibly slow and easier to evade than the Chimera and that was his advantage. His arms ablaze and his health at 80% because of the minor brushes he had with the body of the Dragon, he made his next move to draw him closer to victory. Sir Damon sensed that he was close and paid close attention to the HP gauge of both himself and his opponent. The final opponent…

Completely involved in the battle were the people in the control room, that there was no music playing after the Magic Spell. “Play Machine by Pandorum, QUICKLY,” squealed the Goddess kicking herself for forgetting to play the one song that would send him over the edge. The engineer on the left already had it lined up and played it at full volume as Sir Damon evaded another stomp from the massive Black Dragon. The song to Sir Damon was like pouring rocket fuel on an inferno. He heard it begin and immediately took a fighting stance. The Black Dragon seemed to be unable to use its fire as it desperately tried to stomp and s***h at him. He gripped his swords even tighter than before and slid his right foot back assuming a defensive stance with blood still dripping down the left side of his face. “Increase,” he said loud enough to be caught on the mics in the dungeon. His entire body burst into flames and the Black Dragon jumped back in shock. It tried to swipe at him and he slid out of the way and slashed at its massive claw as it passed him. Taking every opportunity to land a blow, Sir Damon struck with every drop of energy he had. And as the Black Dragon began to wane in strength, it tried again to regain its fire. Seeing the red and yellow glow build up in its enormous chest and neck, the General made his move.

“Fire from the sun, ice from the Stars, grant me your strength.”

The crowds began cheering, crying out and pumping their fists in the air. They knew which spell would come next and that as long as he landed it on point, this fight was done.

“Grant this humble form the strength of the Old Gods.”

Sheathing his right sword and holding his right hand towards the Black Dragons’ snout as the fire in its throat began to spill out of its nostrils. And just as it tried to open its mouth to unleash its fire, The Red Dragon shot off his own final attack.

“Unleash the flames of the Sun and the Ice from the Heavens, DUAL CALAMITY!”

The Magical swirl of Fire and Ice struck the Black Dragon just as it was about to release its own Fire, drowning it in a mixture of Fire Energy and Ice Magic. Its HP gauge plummeted and so did its front legs and wings as the Black Dragon fell. Out of breath and unable to focus, the General depleted his Magical Energy even though the Dragon wasn’t moving. It had not disappeared yet so he withdrew his right sword and set his arms ablaze in preparation for the next move. Looking at that last line of power on the Dragons’ HP gauge, he switched up his right sword grip like a spear and sent it sailing through the air directly into the crown of the gigantic Black Dragons’ head. And just before it reached the Dragon, the beast expanded its wings and rocked the Dungeon. The body of the Black Dragon began to pixelate as the room shook. And even though he held up his arm and sword, the General could not stop the rock that hit him from the left.