Dark wisps of thick smoke rose from the barren land like spirits transversing to heaven. Small fires burned fervently and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
Any who could see would be met with the gruesome sight of countless dead bodies all burned and scattered around, laying in different poses.
Some of the corpses appeared to have been burnt standing while they were alive. Their hands stretched out as if to block the attack that fused every bit of their armor to their charred skin.
A few could be seen that rode horses, now reduced to ash along with their valiant steed. And some lay on the floor their backs turned away from the rest, failing to escape the attack that claimed their lives.
The dead were many. Once an army filled with heroes and warriors that were like legends themselves. And of course a few who held duty above all and those who hoped to make a name for themselves.
They came to this land to conquer a great evil and lost.
All were dead, burnt alive. All except for one.
The last survivor coughed as he slowly began to regain consciousness.
He couldn't see, not through the dark veil of smoke. He could barely even breathe.
The air was stuffy and hot. He could feel beads of sweat rolling down his face and some entering his eyes.
Wiping them off his face, he got up slowly. "Hello?" He called out. "Sir Barnabas, Sir Malvern"
No response.
"Anyone?"
Dead silence. All he could hear was the cackling of flames as they burnt flesh.
How did I survive? He asked himself. All he could remember was the beginning of the assault, when they came to the empty desert at the edge of the kingdom where the terror dwelled.
The young knight tried to remember what happened, how he wasn't dead. He remembered the evil attack but that was all.
"I must have been knocked unconscious by the first attack". He thought
He tried to call out some more but coughed heavily. He chest grew tight and his breathing grew raspy. He needed air or he was going to die.
"Need to..get out"
Just then a loud tremor shook the whole land. The smoke cleared instantly, like curtains revealing the carnage to the knight.
The knight's eyes grew wide with horror but not at the harrowing sight of his brothers in arms. No.
His fear was imbued by the terror that landed a few meters away from him.
The Dragon.
The creature was massive. Standing on four huge powerful legs as wide as trunks of oak trees, it towered over the human. With a neck almost as long as its body, it stood about 18 meters tall.
On its huge head sat two massive horns. It's eyes like that of a serpent were filled with fire, rage and madness and it's maw contained long sharp fangs that could tear through flesh, steel and even stone.
It's whole body was covered in red armored scales, with long black spikes streaking from its neck down to the tip of the tail.
Its wings were twice as long as its body, maybe even more and when the dragon spread them, they appeared to cover the heavens.
The beast radiated a presence of majesty and pure terror. It brought it's face low and stared down at the knight.
He took a few steps back, feeling the dragons gaze peer through his very soul as if condemning him to die. And then, the dragon spoke.
It's voice sounded like thunder rumbling through the clouds, sounding so ancient, so... powerful. Like something no mortal was meant to hear, lest they be driven mad.
"IT APPEARS MY ATTACKS WERE INSUFFICIENT" the Dragon said.
The knight on hearing it's voice tried to back away and fell to his knees facing the creature. His mind screamed for him to get up and run but his legs remained still, stuck to the ground.
The Dragon chuckled seeing the human fall to the ground paralyzed by fear. Even his laughter sounded dreadful and inhuman.
"REJOICE HUMAN, I HAVE HAD MY FILL OF YOUR KINDS DEATH" the Dragon said, his voice reverberating through the marrow of the knights bones.
"I DO NOT LONG FOR YOURS"
The Dragon turned away from the knight and began to slowly leave.
The knight finally exhaled not realizing that throughout the whole encounter he had been holding his breath.
"It spared me" the knight thought shocked and somewhat joyous by this development "I will return back alive"
Starring at the Dragons back as it slowly walked forward observing the massacre it had evoked, the truth began to gnaw at his mind.
The dragon had spared him and no one would believe such a thing.
Out of a thousand soldiers, if only one returned back alive they would be seen as a deserter. One who ran from the battle out of fear.
There was no greater insult to the comrades that stood and fought, giving up their lives to protect the kingdom.
Deserters would be met with disdain and deep loathing as if their very presence fouled the air.
The young knight could not give himself up to be seen as a deserter as such a thing would bring shame to his family name but most importantly, it would go against the core values of his swordmanship, to fight as long as he drew breath.
So the lone knight picked up a sword from the soil where the blood of his brothers was spilled and got to his feet.
He let out a war cry and charged forward. Running past the bodies, he reached the Dragon and raised his sword up.
He jumped a few inches in the air and brought his sword down on the scales of the dragons side.
To his utter shock, his steel blade, crafted by the best blacksmiths in the Kingdom shattered into a million pieces.
Horror filled his eyes once again.
The Dragon shifted its huge body to face him and roared, shaking the earth.
Mad with fury it spoke, "YOU DARE TO INSULT ME HUMAN!!!"
The creature's eyes raged even more and wisps of steam blew from its huge nostrils. "ALL YOU HUMANS INSULT ME!"
"I GAVE YOU YOUR LIFE AND YOU SPIT IN MY FACE!"
The knight filled with terror, let go of his broken sword and fell to his knees.
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT I AM?"
"YOUR KIND EAGERLY COMES TO KILL ME AND I SLAUGHTER THEM BY THE THOUSANDS"
"AND YET... MORE COME STILL"
"I GROW TIRED OF YOU WEAK INSIGNIFICANT CREATURES"
The young knight stared back at the Dragon, he dared not to take his eyes off the terrifying creature as it spoke.
"SINCE YOU HAVE FORFEITED YOUR LIFE, I SHALL CLAIM IT"
The Dragon opened its mouth, revealing his many sharp yellow teeth. Sparks of fire began to ignite at the back of its throat.
Frozen to the ground, he knew what was about to happen. He was going to have his wish granted.
In an instant, the knight felt his skin peel and his hair shrink as he was lit ablaze. He felt his armor grow hot as molten steel and his blood boil.
The flames continued even when his back touched the the ground and even when his armor began to shine a hot red
After what felt like an eternity. The fires were quenched.
The Dragon roared again but this time longer and louder. The burnt Knight lay on the ground, the earth scorched all around him.
His body and face were as dark as charcoal and his once shining armor had now dulled, with some parts melted and joined into his body. And yet, He was still alive.
The Terror spoke once more;
"REJOICE HUMAN, THE THING YOU SEEK, I HAVE TAKEN" it said
"NOW GO, STRUGGLE, SUFFER IN DARKNESS"
"YOU ARE CURSED TO LIVE, FOR AS LONG AS I... SOAR THE SKIES"
The Dragon spread its wings outward towards the skies, casting its shadow on the knight, drowning him in darkness.
"FOR YOUR PRECIOUS DEATH...IS WITH ME!"
"YOU WILL LOOK FOR IT AND IT SHALL SEEK YOU NOT"
The Dragon cocked its ugly head back and laughed and then...it breathed fire once again.
********
The warmth of the sun kissed the knights soft skin. He opened eyes slowly, finally gaining consciousness.
The fires had died down and the sun was at its peak.
Small dragon-like creatures known as wyverns, were making a meal of the burnt corpses.
These scavengers were known to follow the dragon closely, always staying out of sight and feasting on the remains left behind. They would eat flesh and bone no matter how burnt or how impure it might have become.
Unlike the Dragon, their wings grew out of their front legs, like that of bats. They possessed a small frame and could not set things on fire.
They were far weaker than the dragon and traveled in groups. Wherever the terror went, they would follow.
Ignoring the creatures all around him, the young knight slowly got to his feet a single thought racing through his mind, "I'm alive!"
Somehow he survived. His flesh was supple and his hair as fine as ever. The only thing odd was that he was stark naked.
His armor and whatever piece of clothing he had underneath had disappeared.
He didn't give his lack of clothing any thought, he was alive.
His small mind came up with a convincing explanation. That the horror he had endured must have been a dream. A hallucination he had experienced caused by the heavy amounts of smoke he had inhaled.
Yes that must have been it.
Just then, a wyvern landed beside him, snapping him out of his thoughts. The creature's eyes were fixed on him and followed him as he tried to back away slowly.
The wyvern launched forward, it's powerful wings carrying it through the air. It slammed its body, almost as big as a man into him, pinning him to the ground.
Sharp teeth dug into the flesh of the knights right arm, sending pain throughout his body. He screamed out loud and tried to squirm free, but the jaws of the miniature dragon held firm.
The wyvern pulled slowly, deliberately, stretching skin and muscle until they snapped one by one. His scream broke into a wet gargle as the last tendon gave, and his arm came free, locked in the jaws of the creature.
The knight screamed again. Blood spilled everywhere, flowing like a stream.
Without chewing, the wyvern gulped down his whole arm.
It stared at him once more, ready to finish of its fresh meal but then stopped. It angled its head and stared, with something resembling a confused look at where it had retrieved its first bite.
The human still in great pain, followed its gaze and came to observe his torn, mangled bleeding shoulder where his arm once rested.
He too dawned a confused look. The two parties watched as the terrible wound began to change.
Flesh began to shift and bone began to form, growing forward. As it kept on going, red muscles began to appear and wrap themselves around the bone like a cloth, then finally skin came following the muscles.
The knight's eyes went wide with fascination, his pain had disappeared.
He moved his arm and wriggled his fingers, they were back and functioned perfectly.
What is this?
Confusion flooded his mind, but only for a brief moment. The memory of the dragons words, echoed through his mind- "For your death is with me"
What had the dragon done to him.
Before he could ponder anymore on these thoughts the wyverns shrill call broke his concentration.
The creature had summoned some of its kind towards it. About four similar brown scaled creatures landed near the Knight.
The wyvern roared to them, as if communicating then brought its eyes on the body it stood on top.
The knight felt uneasy.
The wyvern took a bite out of him, this time it was his left arm. The knights screams echoed loudly throughout the land.
Unlike before the wyvern did not eat his arm, instead it let it drop and watched with the others as slowly but surely a new arm regrew itself on the knight.
The other wyverns seemed bewildered and began to roar and make strange noises, elated by this discovery.
The first wyvern roared once more, calming the others. It then proceeded with another demonstration, taking the knights legs one after the other and throwing them to the floor. Two new legs grew in their place.
The creature's eyes began to gleam with excitement and those of the knight dulled with horror as the realization of the creatures intent dawned on him.
They took him away. To their nest, where they would feed on his limbs.
Every day, every hour. Without fail his arms and legs regrew every time.
At first, he screamed, he cried. The constant pain of them taking from him so many tore at his mind.
Their hunger seemed never ending.
Time lost meaning to him, the only thing that kept him sane was the growing anger and resentment he held for these creatures and the one who did this to him.
The dragon.
"I swear on my ancestors and everything I know, I will kill him" the knight thought each time he grew a new limb.
"I will kill that bastard!"
And so deep in the mountains surrounding the deserted land, the knight lay on the stone floor, guarded by two wyverns already gnawing at one of his former arms.
He lay there bound by nothing but the threat of the two wyverns attacking him.
He began to plan.
He would kill these creatures.
He would escape the mountains and lastly but most importantly, slay the dragon that cursed him.