Deception
William's perspective
I don't know how long it's been since I fell asleep, but moments passed as I once again saw the fetus-looking thing in my dreams. It's just there, staring at me with its black eyes. Trying to ponder it was helpless as I was immediately woken up by my father's voice.
"Will, wake up," my father said softly, tapping my pillow.
I watched him move to Lord Dimmal as I tried to lift my head. My body still aches in pain, but not as much as before. The baby dragon was still curled up on my chest, purring away like the world didn't exist. Pressing my fingers along her smooth golden scales, I could feel her heart beating like before when she was just an egg. Sadly, sleeping is over.
"Come on, wake up now," I said gently. The dragon stirred slightly as I felt her emotions flow into mine as her emotions gave mine thought. Or my mind gave me her thoughts. She didn't look pleased being woken up.
Sleep.
"We are about to leave," I chuckled as I scratched her head. She looked almost like an annoyed cat that was woken early out of bed. Minus the evil cranky ears. She uncurled herself, stretching out her back like a dog.
I need to think of a name.
"Dimmal, you too; time to get up," my father grumbled. He was talking to Lord Dimmal, who was sleeping, sitting up until he opened his eyes. I was surprised he wasn't addressing him as Lord.
Lord Dimmal wasn't too pleased, but he got up sluggishly, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. He wasn't very pleased.
Soon, the baby dragon leaped off of me, making a soft thud sound when it landed. Sitting up was a struggle as pain flared up all over my body. It wasn't unbearable, luckily enough, but it was enough to make my body want to stay in bed, but now was not the time. Tossing my legs off the bed, I stand up as the baby dragon runs off to eat a mouse or something. I noticed the scabbard to my sword was no longer strapped to my belt around me. Looking around, I saw my scabbard and sword off towards the ladder. The sword was the one I took from the Blight rider I fought. My legs begin to protest as I make my way over to my equipment. Then soon I saw on the ground the photo I went to acquire from my room. I reached over and grabbed it. I took the picture from its frame and tucked it into my pocket.
"You could've died trying to get that, you know?" my father said, agitated at my action.
"I know, but it's one of the only things we have of Mother," I said as I reached over to grab my belt. Attaching my belt and scabbard back onto my back, I turned to my father as he grabbed his bow. "Are you sure it's safe to head back up?"
"No," my father answered. "But we can't stay down here forever. It should be early morning."
Lord Dimmal stood close near the ladder as my father made his way past him. I watched them as they looked at each other as if they were ready to kill each other. Ignoring them, I made my way over to where the baby dragon was. There she was, chomping down on a mouse. Feeling nauseous of seeing the mouse go down the dragon's throat. I went over to her and scooped her up into my arm. She protested.
"Easy," I spoke softly. "We are leaving," I tried to calm her down as she squirmed in my arm. She continued for a few more seconds until she stopped, resting in my arm as I felt her dorsal fins webbing pressed onto my hand.
Soon, I heard the creaking of wood as Lord Dimmal climbed up the ladder and opened the cellar door. Light pierced the basement, blinding everyone as our eyes were forced to adapt to the bright sunlight.
It was like heaven was greeting us with its divine light, and my eyes started to tear up. I tried to shield myself and the dragon from the blinding sun that pushed back the dark surrounding us, but as I closed my eyes, the light pierced right through my eyelids. After a moment, I could see sorta as I watched my father climb out. I made my way to the ladder, but the light was only getting brighter. I could feel the dragon in my arm squirm as she tried to cover her eyes. I climbed up the wooden ladder, each step making a loud creak in the wood as I left the basement and into the light.
The moment I peered out, I was gripped by disbelief and shock. As I gazed upon the scene, my heart sank. My home lay torn apart, and the city, once nestled into the mountain, had vanished from view. The mountain itself appeared as though it had erupted from the inside, exploding out with fragments of the mountain and the city strewn across the land, charred as if burnt. The fires that bloomed in the city were now gone. The once imposing walls of the city were now nonexistent. Nothing remained but a desolate landscape of rubble and debris.
My father offered me his hand, and I reluctantly took it, unable to look away from the scenery. I felt empty as if I couldn't process reality at this moment. My father looked away, saying something as I tried to register our once living room. Only the foundation and a few torn-apart walls were still there. The house I grew up in. I still remember when I helped my father build some of the furniture. The time my father slammed a hammer down on his thumb when he was nailing in some of the wooden planks in my room. All my childhood memories.
Gone.
Home
Thoughts came into my head as I looked down at my dragon. "Yes. It was home," I said softly, yet cold. It wasn't my intention to sound like that. It's just how it came out.
Soon, I felt a hand on my shoulder, "Will, we should grab what we can before we enter the city." I looked back to see my father.
Exhaling loudly, I nodded. "Ya," I answered back as I followed behind him.
"Will, take this," my father said, tossing me a bracelet. It looked different from what I remembered. It was now slightly dark and worn-out gold. "It's a storage device," my father said.
"Planning a vacation?" I said sarcastically. I didn't mean it, but I said it before I could think of a response.
"This isn't a joke, Will. Grab what you can before we head into the city." My father walks out of the house to investigate the debris of our destroyed home or something. I assumed he was savaging what he could find.
Wait, he wanted to go into the city? Really? What the hell?
I decided not to protest my thoughts as I looked around. I couldn't find much of anything. I could only see a few matches and cooking utensils, such as a pan and pots. I'm starting to appreciate grabbing my mother's photo. I stored the items in my bracelet.
How will we be able to use it? It's better than nothing, I guess.
After stumbling around the ruins of my home, I found what was left of my clothes out back, all tattered around on the ground. There was a pair of black pants, not ripped up, and a short-sleeve shirt. The shirt's collar was a bit long, but my father got it for a formal situation. If anything, it makes me look more like a wannabe punk.
How convenient.
I stored them in the device as the dragon made herself known. It squealed at me, then ran off. "Wait, you shouldn't run off," I said, chasing after her. She ran out to the front, to the remains of the shack next to our house, where my father was salvaging something. The dragon hopped around my father, sniffing around.
"Hey there, little one," my father said as the dragon rubbed herself against his leg as he stood up, holding up a device. "Look what I found."
He held out a small, broken tan device with a few wiring sticking out and a small blue gem. It looked familiar, but I couldn't recall what it was. "A broken toy?" I answered.
He scoffs at me in annoyance. "It's the stasis field I used to preserve our food. Managed to salvage what's left of it and got a couple of preserved foods left."
"How long will they last?"
"You, me, and our little friend here, I say about four days. If we are lucky."
"What about Lord Dimmal?"
"Assuming he's coming with us, maybe two days at the least. Hopefully, there's something left to scavenge in the city."
My heart squeezed for a moment. The thought of walking back into Hearthglen after everyone. I don't know how I feel about it.
"What about the Blight?" I asked.
"That's the weird thing," a voice said as I saw Lord Dimmal approaching us. "There's nothing left out here—no bodies, no dead fiends, nothing. It's as if someone moved all the bodies."
I was confused. "Wouldn't the Blight take the bodies anyway? Why is it that strange?" I asked.
"The Blight don't take their own dead bodies. Once the fiend is dead, it's dead." Lord Dimmal answered bluntly.
There was a long pause as my father thought up a plan. "We should check the city then."
"What! You can't be serious, father."
"I agree," Lord Dimmal said.
"You too, Lord Dimmal?"
"We have a better chance of understanding our current predicament and figuring out our next course of action," Lord Dimmal said bluntly, his eyes glaring toward the missing mountain.
"Why don't we just head South, like everyone else?"
Before my father or Lord Dimmal could answer, the small dragon began to squeal loudly at me. I turned to her, seeing if she was in distress. I didn't understand. Soon, her emotions entered me, and I felt her intent.
Others.
"Other?" I responded back with. What did she mean by others?
"Other?" my father asked but soon waved me and Lord Dimmal. "Come here."
"What is it?" Lord Dimmal asked as we both got close to him.
Standing about a foot away from each other, my father pressed the bladed edge of his bow into the ground. Soon, a blue magical wave engulfed us. It surrounded all of us together.
"What's happening?"
"Quiet," my father told me.
Minutes passed as my father, and Lord Dimmal looked at each other, wondering what was happening. Were we losing our minds and going crazy? Or was something nearby? What did the dragon mean by "others"?
Next thing we knew, another dragon, covered in brown scales, flew over our heads, only to be followed by another dragon with gray scales.
Wait, they didn't notice us?
That's when it clicked. The spell my father used was a cloaking spell, and it worked. The dragons didn't notice us as they flew into the city.
"Others," my father chuckled, figuring out what the little dragon was trying to convey. "Come, let's go; we can get more answers in the city."
A part of me knew he was right. But another part of me didn't want to go. I didn't want to see the city I spent my whole life in destroyed. But what other choice do I have?
Lord Dimmal tagged behind my father as they approached the city. Looking down to see the dragon as she looked back up into my eyes. I could feel her emotions rising up in my mind, radiating throughout my body as waves of concern and sympathy washed over me like a warm hug. A hug that felt familiar. It was as if she was telling me, "I'm here for you." I felt more relaxed as I ran towards Lord Dimmal and my father.
Minutes passed as I understood what Lord Dimmal meant. There were no bodies anywhere. It was as if someone had taken the bodies. It left me even more worried as I started to feel guilt rise up. Without thinking much, I unsheath my sword, gripping it tightly as we made it to the gate. Or what's left of it. I was starting to get nervous; the only thing I could hear was our footsteps. No birds, no crickets. Maybe some wind. As we got closer, my father sat behind a large wall. Lord Dimmal got behind him and then proceeded to look past the wall.
I figured they were making sure the way was clear as I spotted the dragons landing in the distance. Usually, people would run in this situation. If it was up to me, we should've left when we could. These were dragons. Real dragons.
Wait. What am I saying? My father took down a Blight Dragon, I killed a Blight Rider, and we have a Dragon Lord. Or was a Dragon Lord, but his body should be much stronger than an average human. Hell, he should be able to go toe to toe with a Draconic.
I gripped my sword tighter, ensuring nothing was behind us besides the small dragon following us. Soon, Lord Dimmal ran past my father and headed straight to another cover. My father followed him, so I followed behind, still looking behind us.
Soon, we laid our backs against the wall. My father's spell was still working, as we were about twenty feet from the dragons. I could hear something speak—a person and an odd clicking sound—like someone was dragging a stick across a hollowed fence.
"They interrupted the plan; the Blight wasn't supposed to be here," said an unknown voice. It almost sounded like a young boy who just entered their teens. Maybe slightly order.
"Riders," my father whispered out.
I can see Lord Dimmal's eyes widen in shock.
"The plan was to turn the riders to Omara here in Hearthglen, not wipe them out," another young male's voice came. He sounded raspy, like they just got the flu. "Why did the Blight show up?"
Turn the riders to Omara? What the hell is happening?
Lord Dimmal tried to stand up, but my father pulled him back down and gave him a sign to wait. I decided to peek over to get a good look. The only thing I could look at was their eyes. It was blackened out, with weird eerie veins protruding beneath their eye bags. Looking elsewhere, I saw they were wearing full body armor, not as grand as Lord Dimmals or Lord Barren's, so I knew they weren't Dragon Knights. But there was a third individual. Its body was ripped apart, revealing dead muscle tissue and bone.
I was instantly tugged back down as one of the dragons lifted its head to look around. My father glared at me as if he wanted to bash my head.
"There's a blight fiend," I mouthed towards my father. Lord Dimmal got what I was saying as his eyes went from shock. Whatever he was thinking, it wasn't good.
Like the final, strained breath from exhausted lungs, a haunting voice emerged, cracked and rasping. "You two focus on the job I gave you. Turn the Riders of the Order of Drake to my side as they should be. I will worry about my Blight."
My eyes widened in shock, and my heart pounded from what I was hearing. What the hell is going on? My father poked my arm as he mouthed to me. "Will, you and I will deal with the dragons; Dimmal will kill the riders."
I looked at him, puzzled and confused. He wants us to deal with the dragons? I nodded without question, turning to the small dragon by my side, trying my best to let it know to stay here. She tilted her head as I tried to do what she did to convey her words or feelings to me. Soon, I could feel her thoughts.
Stay?
"Yes, stay," I whispered.
Moving away from the baby dragon, I readied myself as I gripped my hands onto my sword, waiting for the right moment. Soon, my father readied his bow as he turned the corner and shot a spell at both the dragons. I run past him, sprinting directly at the dragons with reckless abandon, constantly saying that I am a lot stronger than I look in my head.
I chopped a bear's head off, I chopped down a tree in one swing, I killed a Blight Rider!
Running towards the dragons, I noticed they were smaller than I thought. They were bigger than the Blight Bear I fought, but that was about it. I didn't care about their appearance, even when I got closer to them. Soon, the riders and the fiend turned to me, only to be met with a howl as Lord Dimmal charged at them.
As I approached the dragons, an arrow shot past me and landed between them. A flash of light flashed as I covered my eyes. Once I opened them, I saw both dragon's heads frozen in ice. I didn't stop, running up to them; I hopped on one's back as it squirmed violently, thrashing around as it tried to dislodge its head. Bringing my sword up, I channeled magic into it and swung it at the dragon's neck. There was resistance, but I gritted my teeth as I pushed through, cutting straight into its neck. Its body went still as it collapsed. With its sudden movements stopped, I quickly jumped over to the other dragon as it got its head free. But it was already too late.
My blade cut straight through the front side of the dragon's neck, and blood gushed out.
I rolled onto the ground, slowing down my momentum as I turned back to the dragon as it wailed, trying to breathe, but it only could inhale its own blood. Turning back, I saw my father and Lord Dimmal taking out the riders and the fiend. I sighed as the dragon behind me collapsed onto the ground, making me stumble slightly.
I was surprised I killed two dragons in one slash. But to be fair, we caught them off guard.
Wait a second? Why didn't the status magic thing go off? I thought it would go off whenever I killed something.
Actually, now thinking about it, I haven't seen the status magic screen crap all morning.
"Will, get over here," my father said.
Grunting out in annoyance, I ran over to him. I noticed that both him and Lord Dimmal were checking out the riders. I felt the baby dragon emotions flooded my head, asking if it was safe to come out. "Come," I shouted out as I stood over my father. The baby dragon squealed happily, as I stared at the riders eyes, looking eerie even after death. "What the hell is wrong with their eyes?"
"Never seen it before," Lord Dimmal answered. "It's not the Blight, I can say that now."
"What about the fiend? I never heard anyone being able to talk." My father responded. "Let alone make a plan."
"You heard what they were talking about, right? They said Blight wasn't supposed to be here, and they were trying to turn the riders," I added in, almost angry at the thought this was all an accident.
That bullshit, though. All these people, friends, riders, were killed in cold blood all because of a mistake?
The baby dragon squealed loudly, pulling our attention as we saw two figures in the distance.
"More Riders," my father spoke as he readied his bow again.