The Dragon Within Read online

  The demon’s cries of pain turned hoarse by the time he moved onto the next step, its mouth laying ajar as it took deep, choked breaths. Both its arms and legs laying uselessly about it, as Erik slowly tore each off causing a whole new wave of agonized squealing.

  The imp was wheezing, trembling from shock when he was done tearing off both arms and legs. He set them aside, moving back to the imp as it lay in bloody tears. He placed both hands over the shoulder stumps, watching as the demon’s regenerative powers came into play.

  The stumps regenerated slowly, the flesh met his palms, then turned to heal inwards. No longer able to recreate the arm the rest of the way, the passive magic focused on stopping the bleeding. Approving of his little test, Erik gathered some stones from around and placed them at each stump. Stopping the healing process from recreating the limbs.

  He moved back and away from his surgery patient, briefly watching as it lay on the brink of consciousness. (“It should come around in a few minutes…Until then.”) he glanced back at the two other imps, one laying as a corpse with its head bashed in and the second still unconscious nearby.

  Erik tried to stand but his leg failed him once more, looking down at it, he really couldn’t blame it. The demons had made quite the mess of it, not only had they flayed a fair bit of skin off but they had bitten deep enough to rip a muscle.

  Normally Erikathyr would of taken a bite out of something and waited for the wound to heal as he slept but…Erik doubted his draconic healing powers were having much of an effect at the moment, as he watched himself bleed out from the wound.

  The blackness on his flesh was just as bad, a demonic infection caused by the miasmic poison these creatures were naturally armed with. Although as he inspected the patches of darkness, he noticed that they were slowly disappearing (“So physically I’m human but spiritually I’m still a Drake?”)

  He sighed in relief, demonic infection was one of the worst ailments one could befall.

  But what about the bleeding? As he watched it, not only did the wound really not look like it was about to start regenerating but It also hurt like a bitch. “Damn this weak vessel.” He cursed under his breath.

  Wincing through the pain as he pulled his leg ahead of himself, straightening it up. Erik then tore off his left sleeve, thankfully Grim hadn’t left him naked, giving him at least a long-sleeved white shirt and brown pants.

  He tore the sleeve into two long straps, wrapping one tightly around his leg right over the kneecap and stopping the stream of blood going in. He then took off his shirt entirely, wrapping it around his leg before using the last strap to tie it in place.

  Erik then began glancing about, looking for long sticks or branches. Seeing a few, he crawled up to them, ever so slowly collecting a couple. Picking out the strongest two, he inserted them in between the straps before tying the remainder around the sticks again. Creating a make-shift splint.

  With the bleeding somewhat stopped and his leg laying straight, he now needed some support to help him stand. He didn’t look forward to hopping one-legged all the way. The sticks that lay about him were either too short or too weak to support his weight, so he looked around for something longer, something stronger.

  Yet nothing around could serve that purpose, probably not even the tree branches, which he couldn’t reach either way.

  “I’m not crawling all the way either…” Erik grumbled, before a thought crossed his mind (“If I still have my voice then maybe…”). His gaze fell upon the unconscious imp, the bleeding that came off its forehead already having healed over. Erik smiled wickedly “Worth a try.”

  He crawled over to the imp, even though its wound had healed he doubted it would be waking up any time soon. Well, it might once he started. He sat himself before it, sharpening a thick yet short stick with several stones. Creating a wooden stake.

  Holding the make-shift stabber in both hands, he raised it high above the imp. (“To the hope that the spirits are not insulted by this tainted blood…”) he thought, before moving on with his plan.

  Erik closed his eyes, as he held his arms steady. Beginning to speak in a low draconic voice, a chant “Watchers of the green behold my voice, aid this brother even as he lays surrounded by vile corruption. Accept this sacrifice, as vulgar as it might be.”

  He stabbed the stake down, piercing the imp’s chest and rotten heart. The creature woke in surprise, screaming out in pain before beginning to flail and struggle. Even though it struggled, it was already too late.

  Its movements began to lag, its voice croaking to a halt until it fell still. Dead.

  Erik remained just as still, staring down at the stabbed creature’s corpse. His expression slowly turning to hopelessness. (“Is there really no remaining life? Has this entire forest been corrupted to the core?”)

  But just as he began to lose hope, the wooden stake within his grasp began to change shape. He let go and watched as the wood warped and grew, elongating and thickening as the imp’s body shrivelled up.

  Before long a tall straight stick lay before him, standing where the imp’s body once was. In the corpse’s place now rested a patch of crimson skin, emptied of its contents.

  “Hah…nature hasn’t abandoned me yet!” Erik exclaimed in relief, grabbing onto the stick before pulling himself into standing thanks to its support. He struggled to move still but at least it was better than crawling or hopping about on one leg.

  Erik walked over to the bloody and still in shock amputated imp. Standing over it as he reached down and grabbed what used to be its left leg, “So, Imp. What do you call yourself?” he asked before taking a large bite out of the leg.

  Staring down dispassionately at the creature, he ignored the foul taste and swallowed its succulent flesh. Consuming what he tore off down to the bone, slowly satisfying his hunger. The imp watched, its expression an even mixture of horror and terror, its mouth moved but no words came out.

  Quickly finishing off one half of the leg, Erik glanced down at the imp once more. While turning it around to devour the rest of the crimson meat bathed in violet blood. “Well?” He asked again, speaking out with a draconic hiss this time around.

  Which urged the creature to speak “T-Trix! This one-one’s name is Trix!”

  Erik hummed in disinterest, as he grimaced at the taste he had to endure “Well Trix, once I’m done feasting upon your disgusting nutrients. We’ll start moving.”

  Trix could only shiver and nod, as he watched Erik throw aside bone and reach down for the next limb. Tearing into it with disgust, yet leaving not a pinch of flesh over the bone.

  Ch 2 - His Roar

  “I swear upon my kind, wretched demon spawn, if you’ve been guiding me astray…” Erik grumbled as he tread forward, a walking stick in one hand and a limbless imp in the other.

  Another three days had passed of him following the creature’s directions.

  “N-Never! Trix show master the way!” The imp frantically assured.

  Erik stopped briefly, raising the creature to meet his eyes while he held it by the head. “You better hope so, or my teeth around your throat will be the last thing you’ll feel.” He hissed at it, causing the demonling to shudder.

  Before putting it aside once more, as he heard a rather loud crash nearby. His instincts told him to walk away, turn around and go the opposite direction. Erik did not do so, ignoring the disgusting fear that permeated his now human mind.

  He moved on, not away from the noise but towards it while several more sounds reached his ears. Like metal crashing with metal alongside whistling, a strangely mechanical noise. Erik snuck up to the scene as stealthily as he could, half peaking from behind a tree right as a splatter of violet blood sprayed past him.

  (“A battle!”) Erik mused, as he watched the lone human warrior face off against eight large demons. Hulking beasts, twice the height of the warrior and three times as thick and muscled. The creatures were humanoid with black leather hides, long unkept manes of hair and curling crimson horn
s.

  (“Eight fiends.”) he noted before studying the warrior, wearing silver plate armour that glowed a bright blue from in between the plates, a tattered red cape with the black insignia of a wyvern and a similarly wyvern in design full helm. The human also wielded a strange blade, a two-handed weapon with two grips.

  Remembering from Dwarven engineering, Erik noted that the massive weapon had a long barrel going in-between each blade while one of the handles had a trigger. The warrior had already slashed and blew off several of the fiend’s limbs, but the resilient monsters were already healing. While the warrior lay weary, worn out from a probably drawn-out fight.

  Fiends liked to prolong fights, it is what the highly sustainable beasts excelled at.

  Erik decided there was nothing to be done here other than sneak around, hoping the human would last long enough for him to-When suddenly Trix began flailing and screaming at the top of his lungs, incoherent words Erik did not comprehend but knew it to be demon tongue.

  He slammed the imp into the tree he was standing behind, shutting it up briefly while he glanced back at the fight…Each of the fiends had turned to look at him.

  Erik took a deep, annoyed breath “If you live through this, Imp. Know that I will find you, capture you…and kill you in the slowest manner imaginable.” He told the chuckling demon, as two Fiends roared out and charged him.

  Letting go of both imp and walking stick, Erik purposely fell back as the two fiends leapt over his falling form. They crashed into the trees behind him, ripping the dry logs apart. He turned over, finding himself surrounded by four of them as they slowly approached his position. Smirking, salivating as they watched him try to crawl away.

  “Aw, look at the worm wiggle off.” Chuckled one fiend.

  “Haha! This one’s mine!” exclaimed the largest of them, as it took a step forward towards Erik. Reaching out with its right claw, a hungry smirk on its face.

  “You’re facing me!” exclaimed a feminine voice, the warrior suddenly appearing before the fiend as she aimed her blade’s barrel up at its face “Flame burst!” she chanted, magical energy forming at the barrels end before suddenly blasting forwards into a wave of heat.

  She turned to the other fiends, as the large one fell back, headless and dead. The warrior glanced down at Erik, seeing his bloody and wrapped up leg she grimaced “Stay down kid, I’ll deal with these beasts.”

  (“Kid? Ignorant human I’m thousands of years older than you!”) Was what Erik wanted to shout back, but had no time to as a fiend lunged down at him.

  Seeing the attack the warrior chanted quickly “Blink”, teleporting instantaneously to parry the demon’s lashing claw with her blade’s flat side.

  Erik watched as she held her ground, one demon grabbing onto her weapon while she pushed back. The other demons prowled around them, the four she left behind having re-joined these three. They pushed aside the trees, clearing out the area around them to move with more ease.

  (“Seven fiends, this human won’t survive.”) Erik noted as he kept watch on the fiends behind them, whilst the female warrior struggled against the one fiend’s raw strength.

  “Force push!” She chanted, suddenly pushing the fiend away with great force, sending it flying into several trees which shattered under its weight. The warrior then turned to glance at her surroundings, breathing heavily from exhaustion yet unyielding.

  She glanced down at him, smiling weakly “What’s your name?” she asked.

  He rolled his eyes “Doesn’t seem like this is the time for pleasantries.”, he sighed as one fiend hissed at them. “Erik.” He then answered, deciding it wasn’t worth the trouble of using his draconic name in this form.

  “Listen to me closely Erik, head north. You will find a village of good people there, they’ll treat your wounds, feed and clothe you…” The woman began to tell, when suddenly a fiend pounced at her from behind. Sensing its presence, she immediately spun onto it, slashing its chest open and sending it back into a tumble.

  “What are you-” Erik began to ask.

  But she cut him off “My name is Thea Selene, Elite Knight of the Kingdom of Druvia. Go to the village called Beckton, you will find my sister there…Tell her…” what was visible of her face turned grim, as she spoke the next words “Tell her I’m sorry.”

  Suddenly an aura of bright crimson rose all over her body, “I’ll draw them away, you make your escape!” she told him before suddenly raising her sword high. She chanted loudly “Knight’s Taunt!” and the aura of crimson exploded outwards, like a flash of light it briefly engulfed each fiend.

  Their pitch black eyes shone a dim red, as their expressions turned to pure fury.

  Thea turned to run, finding a fiend already pouncing at her and blocking her way she threw her sword at it. “Force throw!” she chanted, her weapon’s point realigning with her throw and shooting into the fiend’s chest.

  She leapt after it, using the fiend’s falling form as a step to leap higher. Landing right as the fiend hit the ground, she took off whilst shouting back “Go Erik! Run!” as she herself dashed away. Each of the remaining six frenzied fiends chasing after her.

  Left alone Erik groaned “Saved…By a bloody human?” he hissed in frustration, the mere thought infuriating him. He moved to stand, noticing that the pain in his leg was gone. Removing the sticks and unwrapping the cloth he revealed his lower leg, finding no sign of the wound.

  “Hah, my powers are coming back but…Too slowly.” He grumbled, rising to his feet before stretching his healed leg about. Erik clicked his tongue in annoyance as he stared off towards the direction Thea had lured off the demons into.

  He couldn’t stand it, the idea of owing his life to a puny human was…unthinkable for a being of his worth. But he was still too weak, physically he was no better than an average human grunt. Magically? Other than the prayers towards nature’s spirits and his self-regeneration, he was dry. Not a drop of mana running through his system.

  “This won’t do, I need my strength back.” Erik continued to grumble, as he glanced about seeing the two dead fiends. Trix was nowhere in sight though, “The worm probably crawled away or is hiding.” Erik spat at the ground angrily. He really wanted to get his claws…Hands, get his hands around that imp’s throat.

  Erik looked down at his hands, (“Why? Why did that foolish death god leave my powers?“) he thought, unable to determine Grim’s reasoning.

  Sighing he gave up the thought, nothing, not even dragons could start to understand what Gods plotted and played at.

  He walked out into the clear area the fiends were engaging Thea before Trix’s outburst, noticing that several human corpses lay about. Wearing armour similar to Thea’s if not of a lower grade, their weapons also seemed strangely dwarven and magic imbued.

  Erik took into account everything around him “Two fiend corpses, a dozen dead humans and several mana imbued pieces of equipment?”, he hummed thoughtfully “Maybe?”. A smile crept up his lips, amusement at his own genius. “It could work…” he mused beneath his breath, before suddenly rushing over to a short-sword.

  He began collecting weapons from left and right, studying them in his hands before using another to dismantle each. He took out several circular crystals from within each weapon, gathering them into a pile of fourteen. Erik then moved on to the human bodies, ripping the straps that kept their armour together and revealing their chests.

  Undisturbed, he plunged a dagger into the dead man’s chest, carving it open. Pulling it open further with both hands he then reached in and carefully ripped out his heart. Erik did this with each body, even the two Fiends, from which he gathered two black hearts per demon.

  Having each of the three objects into their own pile, he then began placing what he knew to be mana cores in a specific pattern. Forming a small circle from them. Done with the cores he moved onto the human hearts, holding several over one arm while gripping a single heart in his right.

  Erik began squeezing the hearts, spill
ing out the blood and splattering it over the ring of cores. Slowly, he formed a ring of blood by using up four hearts, before starting to carefully lay out a pattern within. Having a couple extra hearts remaining, he quickly snacked on them before turning to the completed magic circle.

  Kneeling outside it, Erik placed his right palm over one core. He closed his eyes to focus, sensing the power within the crystal. A cold, stirring energy. He willed it out with his mind, opening his eyes to see the blue flow of ethereal mana following the path of blood.

  The mana reached the other cores, forcing the energy within them outwards, it too began to follow the path of wet crimson. Until a few moments later each crystal orb lay empty, while the ring shone with bright energy.

  Content with the circle, Erik moved to the demon’s blackened hearts, violet miasmic blood oozing out from each. Every single heart, larger than his own fists. He placed the demonic muscles inside the circle, forming a square within as the mana sizzled and sparked violet on contact with the miasma.

  Erik stood, watching as nothing happened other than the sparking mana surging out in bursts of violet energy around each heart. He stepped inside, now standing at the circle’s very centre.

  He continued to smile, if not slightly worried this time around. “Nothing better than a jumpstart to get this weak body into shape.” He mused, reasoning that since his soul was taking too long to get used to his new vessel then maybe, just maybe he could introduce peril to force it to bind quicker.

  He also knew from his knowledge of the human body that introducing peril caused it to suddenly become slightly more resistant. He hoped it was enough to survive the ritual he was about to cast on himself.

  Erik raised his arms up and outstretched before him, as he chanted in draconic “Surge through the juice of life, corrupt and reform. Opposing energies collide, conflict…Lightning School, Torturous Voltage!”