[ WP ] Dragon . Wanted Alive . No bounty paid for a corpse .

The last dragon was killed by our old ancestors. Mankind used to serve the mythical beasts as if they were gods. Scaly lizard gods. Soon enough, our ancestors rebelled. We were no match to the dragons. Their skin could not be penetrated by any weapon they crafted. No magik they conjured could harm the dragon overlords. Humanity was on the brink of extinction; until one day, when a boy who harnessed the dragon flame appeared. 
 
 He was the first human to ever slay a dragon. He led mankind's final stand against the dragons. He was the first human to ever slay a dragon. He was responsible for the great dragon purge, slaying every dragon in the world. I am his descendant. However, he was the only one to ever harness dragon flame. Now, I have learned his dark secret. 
 
 Dragon flame is not an inherent ability -- it is a skill that can only taught by a dragon. 
 
 Rumours of a dragon sighting began to circulate in the country. It was disregarded as a drunkard's tale. After all, my ancestor killed the last dragon a thousand years ago. Nevertheless, the nightmares of the tyranny from the Draconic Ages still haunted the rulers of the country. They sent me to investigate. 
 
 I found myself travelling to the mountains of the south. The journey was long and arduous so I was forced to travel lightly. I wore a simple mail underneath leather armor that was enchanted to be fire proof. Unfortunately, it was n't heat proof. I was soaked in swear under the southern sun. *Some good this gear will help if I meet a dragon, * I thought. 
 
 I went, knowing full well that this was a fool's errand. Yet, the king had declared a bounty upon bringing back a true living dragon. His court mages had convinced him that they would be able to harness draconic magik. Mankind would possess Dragon Flame. 
 
 Greed never ceases to reduce great men to ghosts of their glory. 
 
 I supposed that it was for the bounty that caused glory seekers to take to the roads. I felt very insignificant and very under protected when I saw slaying parties. The archetypical warrior always carried a comically giant claymore on his back, clad in steel mail. The amount of strength one needs to move in one of those death traps always astonished me. The archers always played the role of scout and ranger, going ahead to look for `` dragon signs''. I never really read my ancestors guide on dragon slaying, but I assumed that `` dragon signs'' were akin to scorched villages. The sorcerers usually were at the back, buried in their books if they were n't too preoccupied with themselves. 
 
 This is why I preferred to travel alone. 
 
 The sun began to set, so I set up camp near a river. I had just started a fire when a party approached me. 
 
 `` Hey! Are you alone? Do you mind if we camp with you?'' asked a young woman. She was clad in leather armor, with a bastard sword strapped to her back. Apparently, she was n't a typical warrior. 
 
 `` By all means, please,'' I said politely. I looked over the group as they set up their gear. They looked like rangers of the Eastern woods. There were five of them in total, three males and two females. All of them were clad in leather with an identical crest on their chests. I recognized it as the Raven Crest of Eastern Realm. They all carried a bow and a long sword, except for the girl with the bastard sword. 
 
 `` I'm Micah,'' she said, `` This is my sister Mist. Those are Edward, Nolan, and Leo. We're from Iselia.'' 
 
 `` Ah, rangers from the Eastern borders. I'll sleep safe tonight,'' I joked. 
 
 Micah laughed. I would n't mind losing sleep with her. 
 
 They were n't looking for the dragon because of the bounty, but for the adventure. No one has ever seen a dragon in a millennium and no one, not even my ancestor, had been able to subdue a dragon without killing it. I volunteered to take the first watch, but Micah sat up with me. We did n't talk much, just watched the stars. 
 
 It proved effective. We saw a figure fly across the night sky. The moon reflected upon ancient scales, and we were on its trail in an instant. The others had to catch up later. Micah and I tracked the beast to its lair, a cave hidden inside a valley. Micah started for the entrance. 
 
 `` Are you insane?'' I whispered at her angrily as I held her back. `` Do you want to die woman?'' 
 
 `` If I die, then who will take the dragon back to Iselia?'' she asked, winking at me. 
 
 Fear froze me to my spot. Micah charged into the lair of the beast. The dragon roared, and Micah was blasted back. Her bastard sword had an ominous dark glow about it as the sword absorbed the flames. Her leather armor was charred, but she was unharmed. Micah dashed forward at the dragon, but the beast took flight. Micah leaped forward and slashed at the dragon. A fiery blast erupted from her sword and cleaved at the dragon. The dragon screeched in pain and was grounded. 
 
 A barrage of arrows hailed from behind me as the rest of Micah's group joined the battle. 
 
 The dragon howled in pain as it was surrounded. Its eyes glowed a second before it roared. We were all knocked down to the ground. The dragon unleashed its Flame on the rangers. They drew out their swords and absorbed the dragon's flame. Except for Edward. He screamed and writhed as his flesh melted away. The others kept their composure. 
 
 Then the dragon spoke. 
 
 `` Fools! Have you chosen to forget the past? Your ignorance caused your demise once, and you arrogantly choose to relive it!'' the dragon roared. It slashed at Micah, but she slashed back at the dragon's claws. The dragon snapped its jaws at Mist and tore apart her upper torso. 
 
 Micah kept her composure and sent another fiery blast from her sword, catching the dragon off guard. The dragon tried to take to the air, but Leo and Nolan slashed its wings apart. The dragon crashed and the ground shook. 
 
 Micah leaped in the air and struck the final blow to the dragon. 
 
 The dragon roared. The roar shook my soul. An ancient sadness and grief surfaced. The dragon saw me and stared into my eyes. It spoke, but only to me -- directly into my consciousness. 
 
 *The Flame is burning within you. Why do you stifle it, child? It is the fire that burns brightly, even in the darkest of nights. Your father had it, and his father before him. It was the flame of your ancestor. History can be retold to suit the victors, but the ghosts of the past tell no lies... * 
 
 The light faded from the dragon's eyes. A great darkness surrounded us. The warriors were n't moving, as if they stood still. The world had stopped. Suddenly, the dragon began to glow once again and a figure appeared. 
 
 A ghost, clad in the Draconic Regalia of the Slayer of old. Scaled steel, forged black. The helm was styled like a dragon devouring the head. When the ghost took of the helm, I found that he looked exactly like my father. He spoke to me. 
 
 `` The Flame burns bright within you, young one. The Harbinger used her last living act to bring my memory to you. The world must know the truth. The dragons we slayed were n't true dragons. They were men, who slayed dragons and stole their powers. It was these men who enslaved humanity. Their descendants, it seems, rule the world still. A new age of dragons is coming. You must protect them from the grasps of evil men seeking power. The fire burns brightly within you, my son. It is time for that fire to bring light to the darkness once more...'' 
 
 I had so much questions to ask, but he disappeared. The world had resumed around me. 
 
 `` Why did you kill it, Micah?'' asked Leo. `` I thought we were supposed to bring back the dragon alive.'' 
 
 `` Damnit, Leo. Is your blade the only thing that works with you? We're after its eggs. Its much easier to transport eggs than a huge dragon,'' snapped Micah. 
 
 `` And him?'' asked Nolan, pointing at me. 
 
 `` Kill him,'' said Micah. `` He knows too much,'' 
 
 Nolan came at me, his blade drawn. `` Easy there now. I can make it quick, or you can make it difficult for yourself,'' he said. 
 
 `` What do you mean to do with the eggs,'' I asked Micah, ignoring Nolan. 
 
 `` Dead men need not meddle with the affairs of the living,'' she said. 
 
 Nolan lunged at me, but I unsheathed my sword and sliced Nolan. Another quick thrust through the heart disposed of him. Leo shot an arrow at me, but I deflected it. I dashed at him, surprising myself with my speed. I gutted Leo and turned my attention to Micah. 
 
 `` Not bad, traveler. I never got your name, by the way,'' she said. 
 
 `` Dead women need not meddle in the affairs of the living,'' I told her. She smiled and charged at me. She feinted right and spun left. She slashed above me with her bastard sword and I barely managed to guard it. It was a heavy blow, and I was forced to deflect it. She caught my face with her elbow and swung hard to gut me. I recovered and parried her blow. I caught her with my own elbow but she jumped back to recover. 
 
 `` Now I really want to know your name,'' she asked, a smile playing on her lips. 
 
 My eyes began to glow as a great force gathered in my chest. 
 
 `` Alduin,'' I told her. `` They call me Alduin,'' 
 
 I released a jet of fire from my mouth. It was Dragon Flame. Micah managed to protect herself with her magik sword, but my flame proved more powerful. The sword melted, and so did she. 
 
 I needed to choose my women carefully, next time. 
 
 I turned back to the cave and found the eggs. 
 
 The second Draconic Age was about to begin. Dragons were alive, once again.
