[ IP ] Is this yours ?

Through the desert he dragged the sleigh with its precious cargo. Past broken cities, forgotten and buried by the sands and the wind that howled day and night through abandoned castles and homes. There was no life; not trees or birds or people, save the bones now charred and brittle, the flesh burned off them ages ago. As the lonely traveler climbed another dune, struggling to pull the load behind him, the sands shifted and a mighty wing broke free of the grip of the sands. 
 
 `` Who goes?'' the beast that emerged rumbled, more smoke than from a hundred campfires billowing out of its flaming nostrils. The traveler bowed, his mighty black sword untouched in its scabbard. 
 
 `` A humble traveler, and I think I have something that belongs to you,'' he said quietly, his voice barely audible over the scream of the wind. He had followed the path of burned cities and crumbled ruins to find the lair of this mighty beast that now stood before him in all its glory. The egg he dragged glowed redder each day as the sun beat down mercilessly upon traveler and cargo alike. 
 
 `` It appears you may,'' the beast murmured, lowering its head to rest on the sand, staring the traveler in the eyes. `` Your name, brave traveler? Or perhaps you are foolish?'' The man smiled, a twinkle in his eye. 
 
 `` Brave, perhaps, but foolish I am not. You are an honorable creature, mighty beast, or so the legends say. I have brought you your child, and now you have a debt to pay.'' He was well aware that he walked a thin line. The beast could char him to ashes before he could even reach for his mighty sword to protect himself. Forged in the fire blown by a dragon from whose embers a phoenix emerged, the sword split fire as easily as if it were flesh. But the sword lay uselessly in his scabbard and if he so much as moved a hand towards it, he would become the beast's next meal. `` My name is Kaitou of the House of the Dragonlords and I come seeking your help.'' 
 
 The creature pensively blew a plume of fire, as tall as a dozen men, and stomped its massive feet, each the size of a castle. `` Very well, Kaitou of the Dragonlords. What do you request of me in exchange for my unborn child?'' The egg trembled and minuscule cracks had formed in the presence of the unbearable heat of the beast's lair. 
 
 `` My family prepares to wage war against the Eastern Kingdom in the land across the sea. I request you, and any brothers you may have, to fight alongside me to defeat this false king who has claimed the lands that in ancient times belonged to my family.'' Kaitou gulped, aware of the fate of thousands of men that hung in the balance, dependent on the answer of this mighty beast. 
 
 The beast stirred again, kicking up a small sandstorm as he shuffled a massive foot. `` Very well, Kaitou of the House of the Dragonlords. I will ride with you in gratitude for returning my child.'' The egg had hatched now, and a smaller beast had emerged. Smaller though it was, it towered over Kaitou, standing as tall as three men. 
 
 Across the eastern sea in the heart of the Eastern Kingdom, the King shuddered as reports of a mighty beast aligned with his enemies trickled in. It was said to dwarf his castle ten times stacked and could boil the blood of ten thousand men with a single blow of its firebreath. 
 
 `` Tidings of war, your Grace?'' his trusted adviser and sired knight asked. The King nodded, turning away from the castle balcony that faced the eastern sea. 
 
 `` Call the lords and prepare the men. We ride against the Dragonlords and this beast of theirs.'' 
 
 ***** 
 
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