The Bandit King (Part 2)

Since my rebirth in this world, I had largely avoided killing humans wherever possible. Sure, I had hurt plenty of bad people, but I was always careful to pull my punches to avoid outright murdering them, where I could. That hesitancy always lingered in the back of my mind, but now, it evaporated like mist on the waves, and I fully gave in to the senseless rage that burned its way through my chest. There would be no more holding back, no more hesitation; this time, I was going to fight to kill.

I roared, digging deep within myself to shift back into my dragon form, the fury welling up within me temporarily overriding my body’s refusal to cooperate. As soon as my maw formed, I unleashed the strongest, hottest torrent of molten fire I could conjure up, entirely engulfing my foe in white-hot flames while the rest of my body twisted and grew behind me.

Even the cobblestones melted from the intensity of my attack, but from behind the wall of fire, Marik’s voice exclaimed, with only the mildest hint of amazement, “A dragon? Well, ain’t that a surprise? But too bad for you, magic has no effect on me!”

He launched himself through the flames as they parted around him, as though he was encased in some sort of barrier. I growled and spun, delivering a swipe at him with my tail, using all of my strength, and the blow connected solidly against his ribs. To my shock, he wrapped one of his thick arms around my tail as the impact made him skid sideways across the red-hot stones, and he slammed a foot into the ground hard enough to shatter the earth, pulling me overhead with his unbelievable physical strength, lifting me bodily into the air and slamming me down hard.

I had no time to react before I was dragged sideways and smashed into a nearby building, the timber disintegrating as I passed through and was tossed back into the stone wall of the inn, which collapsed down upon me. Acting on instinct, I snarled and disentangled myself from the wreckage, turning and bringing down a thunderbolt upon Marik’s head. However, just before the bolt connected, it veered away and struck the ground nearby, leaving behind a black scorch mark.

He really is immune to magic! I thought, the sudden panic at the realization momentarily cutting through my feral daze. Growling and snarling, I lunged at the man, raking my talons down towards him. But Marik merely caught the claw with a hand, stopping the attack in its tracks, before delivering a punch to my jaw strong enough to topple me over sideways. The blow reverberated throughout my entire body, and knocked back a bit of sense into me.

I need to run! We screwed up, big time! He’s not human, he can’t be! 

I thought back upon my fight against the dragonslayer Alicia, and the overwhelming strength she had displayed at that time. And yet, that was nothing compared to what Marik had shown me so far, the difference between them being night and day. I might have stood a chance against Alicia if I had truly intended to kill her, but Marik…there was nothing I could do against him, no matter what I tried. At last, I gave in to the instinct that had been screaming at me this entire time, to run, to flee, to get far, far away from this freak of nature.

I turned and scrambled to Rill’s side, horrified by the puddle of blood in which she laid, her breath coming in short, pained gasps. My mind raced as I was confronted with the reality that she was actually dying right in front of me. A sharp pain in my side snapped me out of my stupor as a crossbow bolt smashed through my scales. Dozens of Marik’s men had appeared, sneering and howling as they surrounded us, their faces silhouetted in the flickering red gloom like demons in the night. The entire scene was so unreal, so outlandish, that it felt like a fever dream.

But it was all too real, and I knew that, as much as I wished it was just a nightmare. I coiled around Rill’s limp body, snarling and barking fire back at the men, doing everything I could to keep them at a distance. Marik loomed behind them, but he no longer pursued, seemingly content to simply watch, his stony face unreadable. There truly was no telling what was going through his mind.

I grabbed Rill as gingerly as I could and leapt into the air, hoping that, along with all his other strengths, Marik could not fly. As I desperately fought for altitude, arrows peppered my underside, and I groaned as a few found their way under my scales. Below me, Marik’s voice boomed through the rising smoke, strong and clear above the crackling of the flames and the pained screams that still filled the night, “Run all you like, dragon! You cannot escape. I will hunt you to the ends of this world, and I’ll enjoy every second of it!”

His words echoed in my ears as I took off in a random direction, leaving the town of Layhaven behind me, a smoldering beacon in the moonless black night. Before long, it was nothing more than a dismal glow against the dark horizon. I hope the others are okay, I thought sadly, acknowledging that there was no way I could go back to rescue them now.

Cradled in my arms, I could feel Rill’s warm blood leaking down my scales, her breath coming in ragged pants. My mind was shot, my thoughts muddled, and the little strength I had left was fading, fast. I need to land, I admitted, as I began to dip closer and closer towards the ground. Luckily, I managed to spot a hollow beneath a stone outcropping, and angled towards it, landing a bit more roughly than intended. I crawled inside, spitting a few sparks upon the stones to provide a sparse light before I gently laid Rill down upon the dirt floor of the alcove to inspect her wound.

It was bad, and I knew that. I fought to steady my heart and mind, to no avail, and with my strength nearly spent, it seemed turning back into human form was also out of the question, my prana refusing to respond to my wishes. What do I do? What can I do? Dammit, if only Nora was here.

But I could not be sure Nora was even still alive after what had happened, and in my current state, there was no way to go back and get her, even if I did know exactly where to find her. No, right now, I was alone, and I had to do everything in my power to make sure Rill survived.

“Pardon me,” I mumbled as I used my talons to cut off strips of fabric from her skirt, using them and a bit of magically conjured water to dress the wound, tying the cloth around her midsection as tightly as I dared. Almost instantly, she bled through the improvised bandages, and for a moment I considered using my dragonbreath to cauterize the wound.

No, I told myself moments before I actually tried it, it won’t heal correctly if I do that, and I’m not sure how it would affect her internal injuries, either. If anything, it might make things even worse.

The bleeding began to slow, or so I thought, but suddenly Rill’s breathing became erratic, the girl gasping for air. I gritted my teeth, drawing her up into a half-sitting position against my own flank, which seemed to help a bit, although it was obvious that she was growing weaker with each passing second.

I squeezed my eyes shut, screaming and cursing in my mind, crying out to anyone or anything that would listen. Why is it always like this? I’m a dragon, I should be the pinnacle of strength in this world! But no matter what I do, I can’t save anyone! Rill…what do I do? Andras, Mariah, anyone! Please, I’ll do anything, just help me save her!

Then, Andras’ rumbling tone filled my mind, a memory from early in my youth, when the elder drake would occasionally tell me stories of the days before our kind were driven to the brink of extinction. Long ago, dragons and humans lived in harmony, sharing their strength through a bond greater than that of mere friendship…

I considered the words, opening my teary eyes to stare at Rill’s face, scrunched up in pain and covered in beads of sweat. A bond greater than friendship, huh? What could that mean, exactly? But, if I can share some of my strength with Rill, maybe it would be enough to help her pull through…well, I’ve got nothing to lose by trying! Here goes!

I lightly touched the tip of my snout to Rill’s feverish forehead, taken aback for a moment by how warm she had become. I closed my eyes and opened my core to whatever dregs of mana I had left, concentrating upon my one desire; to save Rill’s life! I guided the mana into her body, searching around for her core…but to my surprise, no matter how I searched, I could not find one! She doesn’t have a core? I wondered, and once again Andras’ voice echoed in my mind.

Unlike us monsters, the humanoid races lack cores. They cannot generate mana of their own, and instead rely upon what is present in their surrounding environment to use magic, channeling that natural mana through their own bodies.

Is it impossible after all? I wondered, my heart falling into my stomach. For a long time I sat there, my mana swirling around between the two of us as if it were lost, before Rill suddenly cried out in pain, her slender hand floundering in the air before coming to rest upon my snout. It seemed to bring her some ease, if nothing else.

But then, the mana within us surged in a way I had never felt before, a bright golden light spilling forth from where her hand touched my snout, enveloping us both in a comforting bath of energy. I could feel my mana being absorbed into her somehow, but it was more than just that. I felt as though my entire consciousness was being stretched out between the both of us, while at the same time the world around us became more vivid than ever. It was impossible to explain, and despite her draining all of the remaining reserves left in my core, I felt strangely empowered, too.

Suddenly, I was viscerally aware of her pain, her fear, as each and every one of her senses crashed down on top of my own. The light slowly receded, coalescing upon the back of her hand, carving a glowing rune there that lingered like an old scar. Then, her hand went limp and fell back to her side, and I panicked for a brief moment before I realized that she had simply fallen into a more restful slumber. As I watched, her face became almost serene, and her breathing returned to normal. Even the bleeding seemed to have finally stopped.

I heaved a massive sigh of relief, moments before an exhaustion the likes of which I had never known fell upon me, threatening to drag me under as I vainly fought against it. No, I need to stay awake! There might be enemies around, and Rill could need me at any moment…I can’t…

But no matter how hard I fought against it, the fatigue only drew me further in, like a whirlpool from which there was no escape. Realizing I could not prevail, I coiled myself protectively around Rill’s form, hoping that she would stay safe and warm within the confines of my armored hide, before everything went black.