The Resume'

The lair stretched on endlessly on all sides of him. Dark, save for the meagre light and eerie glow , the torch he carried in his hand, seemingly reluctantly, gifted him . His slow measured steps took him towards the heart of the cave, where it seemed that even the blackness acquired a deeper shade of dark.
The journey had taken a heavy toll on him. 30 days on horseback through uninhabited wilds, sprinkled with hostile man eating Kygrins , poisonous plants of great and diverse variety, an assortment of fatal insects that ranged from killer spiders that looked like mushrooms.. to beatles that looked like flowers. Add that to a sun that rained fire during the day and a dusk that brought with it a cold that would bring even the most hardened winter dweller to his knees and you have yourself quite a trip on your hands. Even the eight or so warriors sent to intercept him would have had to agree with his assessment. Would have, that is, if he hadnt ensured that they all lay in shallow graves scattered across the plain. Well atleast the trip had had its fun moments.

On a more comforting note, It was gratifying to know that legendary beasts sure could pick the best spots to call home. Legendary beasts. Just like the one that seemed to be eyeing him with a great deal of interest right at that very moment. Black Dragons had that way of looking mighty interested in anything that they were about to kill/eat/pillage or generally bother in any way anytime soon.
It was a higher magic user too. He could tell because all of a sudden the cave seemed to illuminate itself considerably and he was finally able to see the mountains of assorted bones and forbidden treasure that piled up all over.
Possibly a female as well.. he could smell the faint odor of some godforsaken perfume around the place. Very particular about their appearances they were, these female Black Dragons.

He flexed his muscles under his armour, shifted from foot to foot, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and cleared his throat.
The Dragon, to say the least, did not look too amused. Just interested.
It spoke, in a notably female voice , the kind he liked to hear under him on wicked moments spent in houses of ill repute after hours of strong ale , " Well Well Well..." , it said " So they have finally sent YOU..."

All he could manage was a polite "ummm"

It continued.. "But..know this Cloud Dancer, i am no mere Dragonious... i am of the elder magic.. Princess of kahl an duur, blood of the line of Shezka! No mere mortal can stand against my power!"

He muttered an oath under his breath.

The Dragon drew herself upto her full height, and towered a good 20 feet above him. Now things were really getting interesting.. " I have fought and bled for over 6 centuries and i've seen many warriors come and go.. and i assure you .. you will not be the last.."

A slow wind began to find expression from somewhere deep within the depths of the cave and decided to prove its point by managing to penetrate his clothing and indeed his heart. But shivering just wasnt his style, so he just let it go.

"The great magii of Parthon tried and failed, i feasted on their corpses for over a week.. the Knights of Daska came with their shining armour and enchanted blades and i still keep their torn limbs for amusement.. the highest Blood Priests from Aandur tried to best me with their dread magic, and i laughed fire in their faces..

He felt the stir of earth magic being woven all around him..Powerful spells. Just the aura around this majestic beast reeked of raw power. Its Talons shone bright even in the dim light. Its mighty tail, covered and protected by armoured scales, swished once across the cave floor and then lay still. He saw traces of even stronger spells begin to make their way around the dragon's form.

The Dragon continued its speech as if the magic was but a part of its dialogue.. "So leave now, dancer, and leave with your soul.. but if you choose to fight me.. know this.. i will kill you and keep your soul and toy with it for eternity... Low Blood. "

Hmm, So a Black Dragon, possibly 6 centuries old, a high eternal no less, equipped with elder magic, deifnitely a tri-elemental.. probably the strongest looking dragon he'd seen in a while.. and quite confident..

He slowly turned around and began to make his way out of the lair... Afterall , who could stand against a resume' like that? The Good thing about him though, was that he knew when he was licked.. 'If you cant beat em, run away as fast as you can' , his father always said, and he lived by that simple mantra.

He found , though , to his great dismay , that he suddenly couldnt move his feet. Something was nagging at the back of his mind..
Oh ..
That..

In a movement so quick that you'd miss it even if you didnt blink, and a flurry of iron and steel, he had wipped out his swords and was already preparing his own spells..
He then turned around and charged a completely surprised dragon.

No one called Tehrad Ul Restasta , Cloud Dancer, blood bretheren to guzga, the wicker dream, dragonslayer, Bane of the last seeress of zunzar, the song of summer, Son of Urlahaad Ul Kangarka, warrior, mage, prince, a Low Blood!


+g+ <*_*>