Under the dark cloud, thunder roared as if warning everyone to refuse themselves inside their homes.
Rain poured down onto the ground, making the soil damp and slippery.
Yet, they rode their horses through the forest fearlessly—the knights of Revhahra.
Their bodies were covered with dark coats, although they didn't shield them completely against the water.
"General! We will be arriving there soon!" A knight at the front line announced.
Zayden, their leader, gave his subordinate a brief nod.
"Everyone, get ready to strike!" He ordered, one hand on the hilt of his sword in his scabbard.
"Sir, I heard it's a large dragon this time," Helain, the captain of the army, stated. "Are you in the mood for some steak?" She joked.
Her dark brown hair drenched in the water, stuck to her cheeks. She would occasionally pull them away to clear her face but the wind was stronger and persistent, not letting her catch a break.
Zayden's red eyes trailed over the crowd standing a few meters away, ignoring her words.
"Focus, Helain," he said, his voice low. "You are a captain now."
"It's not my fault my hair!—"
She was interrupted by the growl of a monster.
Above them, a red dragon spread its wings, flying across them. Its large body darkened a large part of the forest as if it were already night.
"Get ready everyone!" Zayden ordered.
The elves at the back of the crowd whispered a spell, green light flickering around their hands. When they pointed their hands ahead of them, large thick stems grew out of the soil instantly.
"Let's use these to climb and kill it," one of the elves said.
But just then, a blow of fire from the dragon and everything burned down as fast as it grew.
"We need something else…" Zayden sighed.
"Sir, you could just fly—" James, a blonde-haired knight, suggested.
Zayden glared at him, his red eyes no different than that of burning phenox's.
"I-I mean… we could," James stammered, trying to think of another way.
"We could use our magical ropes and pull it down. Then, kill it," Liam suggested, and Zayden nodded.
"Do that," he ordered, going towards the crowd of people.
"Help us, please!"
"M-My son! He is stuck in the house!"
"That monster… it burned everything!"
The people cried, pleaded, and cursed as soon as General Zayden approached them.
He gestured to a few knights to come and bring them to a safer place.
Once the people were sent away by the knights through teleportation portals, Zayden gestured to his remaining knights to proceed with the plan.
One by one, glowing purple ropes infused with magic flew through the air, twisting like glowing serpents. They latched onto the dragon's wings and horns. The beast shrieked, flapping furiously, trying to tear free.
"Pull!" Zayden ordered, and the knights all nodded, following the command.
The ropes tugged, pulling the large beast to the ground.
The beast shrieked, enough to deafen a normal human. Its body hit against the trees, scratching its scales.
Purple drops fell on them.
The knights, blinked, confused.
Zayden rubbed off the purple liquid. He stared at it for a moment.
Dragon's blood.
"Eww!" One of the knights shouted, disgusted.
"Shut up and keep pulling or it'll get away!" Helain shouted.
After another forceful yank, a loud crash. The dragon landed on the ground, the earth trembling, and trees falling down one after another.
But it didn't die.
A shrill roar echoed through the woods as fire surged from her mouth, scorching the battlefield. Knights screamed and scattered. Several barely dodged the blaze, their armor singed. But some were burned. They groaned in pain. Even the pouring rain wasn't enough to extinguish the flames.
Zayden dashed ahead, avoiding her flames as if they were mere stones, pulling his silver blade from his scabbard.
"She won't stop until we're ashes!" Helain growled, pulling out her arrows to draw the attention towards her, giving Zayden the chance to end it.
Zayden rushed forward, meeting the dragon's eyes—a majestically deep red, terrifying. She exhaled smoke, ready to strike again.
But Zayden was fast—his blade cut through its skin—scales, piercing its heart—the essence of a dragon's life.
The beast let out one final cry, louder than the thunderous sound.
Its body crumpled slowly, wings folding, and a loud thud. The light in its eye slowly dimmed, her breath fading, turning dark.
Zayden stood, panting. His hand around the hilt of his sword loosened. He stepped back, pulling out his sword from the dragon.
Rain poured hard, and the knights began moving.
"It's done," Liam muttered.
Zayden turned away. Yet, something in his chest stirred. Something didn't feel right. Why did it feel like it was merely trying to survive?
The dragon's massive corpse lay on the ground, its blood mixing with the mud.
Zayden finally sheaths his sword.
"Check if anyone is remaining alive in the village," he ordered his knights.
They nodded and rushed into the scattered woods, broken glass, burned bodies.
The scene wasn't for the weak-hearted.
They entered the houses, finding no one. At least, not alive. They looked through the surroundings, nothing.
"It's strange," Liam, stopping halfway through his search, murmured.
"What?"
"Don't you think it's weird that there are no dead people? The people earlier said that their kids were stuck here. I don't see any."
"Maybe they were burned to ashes? I mean it's not impossible," the other knight shrugged.
"Maybe…" Although unsure, Liam sighed.
Zayden looked at his subordinates.
For once, even Helain, the most talkative and loud person in the army, remained silent, making no sarcastic comments.
"Make sure the villagers are safe. Burn the remains before it draws scavengers," Zayden said as he walked toward the forest.
His coat clung to him, soaked.
A few knights followed him, although not asked.
Zayden halted his steps, turning to those who followed him. They were low-ranked knights and half-elves.
"Go and scout deeper in the forest. Find the dragon's lair," he ordered, leaning against a large oak tree.
He planned to do it himself.
But they should do things on their own to improve.
He thought and decided to give them a chance to prove themselves, and if they deserved their current rank, or maybe lower, or higher.
The half-elves nervously nodded. They simply wanted to ensure the general's safety. But now that they were assigned a task, they doubted their skills to complete it.
"What if there are wolves?" One of them whispered.
"Stop thinking bad stuff! It might happen if you think about it!" Another hit him on the head.
With trembling legs, they were headed deeper into the forest. Then, a large cave. They looked at each other, giving an agreeable nod. They had to enter the suspicious cave that seemed to have belonged to the dragon.
Once they entered, the place was empty. But at the corner, a large red-tinted with golden curves—a dragon's egg!
The knights gasped.
"It's a…" Guillaume, the dark-haired elf mumbled.
"Dragon's egg!" The three exclaimed in unison.
"We need to tell the general!"
"Why not bring it to him?"
"Are you crazy?! What if the dragon imprints on you, as its mother?!"
The knight's jaw dropped in disbelief. Was there such a thing?
"No wonder you are low-ranked!"
"Look who's talking!"
"Enough!" Guillaume shouted, calming the two others. "Only one of us should go get the general. The other two should guard the egg in case it hatches."
The other two nodded in agreement.
"I'll stay!" They both exclaimed.
Guillaume sighed.
"Then…I'll go."
He rushed back to the oak tree where the general stood when they left.
And he was still there, his arms crossed, his eyes closed as if he listened to someone talking.
"General! We found something in the cave!" Guillaume shouted.
He didn't want to notify everyone of the discovery. What if they abandoned their work to go see the dragon egg? It would only cause them to work overtime!
Zayden nodded, following Guillaume.
Once they entered the cave, the other two elves, sitting on the ground, sprang to their feet. They quickly bowed.
"This is it," Guillaume pointed towards it.
Zayden lowered his head, carefully examining the egg. It was indeed a dragon's egg. Had he killed its mother?—
He swallowed hard, and his chest stung.
Was it trying to protect its child?
He looked around. There were signs of fire in the area. Did the dragon do it or?—
He paused.
"Where are the people who supposedly lived in this village?" Zayden demanded.
The elves shrugged. They weren't the other who brought them to a different, safer place but another group of knights.
"Oh shit!" Zayden slammed his fist against the sturdy rock, a dark bruise forming on his knuckles.
"W-What's wrong?" Guillaume hesitantly asked.
"Those knights! They weren't ours! They snuck into the crowd. It was easy because we only wore black coats!" Zayden explained.
Why didn't it cross his mind? The knights hadn't asked where to send them. They simply disappeared into the portal. Nor did they return after sending away the villagers.
And those people—their clothes were too neat—
"But who could do that?" Guillaume whispered.
"We, the Revhara kingdom, only have one sworn enemy—Hianshu," he growled under his breath. "Gather everyone here urgently. Right now!"