The Dragon of Randell: Chapter 1 - The Scaleless Dragon

The Dragon of Randell: Chapter 1 - The Scaleless Dragon
   A slight breeze blows through the trees along the roadside as two young women on horseback make their way down the road. The two women bare the royal seal on their clothing and their horses are well groomed. The smaller of the two is a petit blonde girl about sixteen years of age.  Her white dress is short, cut off just above her knees, and she wears high boots of polished white leather. Her blue eyes and smile almost seem to sparkle with enthusiasm. Her traveling companion is a stunning dark skinned woman, clad in a polished silver breastplate with a jeweled rapier at her side. She wears a tight black bodysuit beneath her armor with a pair of matching boots. Her short brown hair blows gently in the breeze, the only part of her not rigid and stern looking.
"How much farther is it to Danseal?" the small blonde woman asks.
"Not far, your grace. We should arrive within the hour." the armored  woman responds.
"Do you suppose the informant will still be there?"
"Yes, I made sure my acquaintance fully explained the importance of his testimony to him."
"Y-you didn't threaten him did you?! I just want to ask him questions." The blonde girl pouts.
With a slight smirk the knightly woman replies "I would  never, your grace."
The thin blonde woman puffs up her cheeks clearly catching the hidden meaning.

The pair continue on in relative silence until they reach the gates of the bustling town of Danseal. The settlement is located a few miles from the prosporous mining town of Gemstead at the base of the Sancras Mountains. As a major trading post for gems and ore the town is usually bustling with people. This time is no different but there is a different air. The people gathered in the streets are mostly wearing rags and many seem quite distraught. The town almost feels like a refugee camp.
"Are these people all from Gemstead?" the blonde girl asks as she observes the distressed faces in the crowd with concern.
"So it would seem. The informant should be waiting at the Inn." The knight responds.
The two women dismount and enter the city on foot.

They make their way to the inn. The building is nice but the sheer number of people makes it quite crowded and uncomfortable. Upon entering the establishment the tall dark skinned knight makes a B line for a man seated in the corner and grabs him by the collar. The man is shocked and struggles as he's dragged up the stairs and out of the crowd. The petit blonde girl ascends the stairs behind her companion bowing her head and repeatedly apologizing for the disturbance to onlookers.
The man is thrown into a chair in a private room on the second floor.
"D-don't be so rough, he's done nothing wrong." The blonde girl insists as she tugs helplessly on the arms of her much larger associate.

"Sit properly swine, you are before the heiress to the throne of Randell." The knight says with a cold expression.
The man stares dumbfounded for a moment before straightening himself and bowing in his seat.
"It's an honor your grace." He says solemnly.
Meanwhile the princess flails adorably and attempts to shush her large bodyguard.
With a reluctant sigh she turns her attention to the seated man.
"I am Elsie Lightcrown, but I'm not currently acting under my fathers authority so please don't be intimidated." Elsie says before glanincg back at her bodyguard who drops her staredown with the seated man and looks away nonchalantly.
"I... I see. I agreed to speak with a royal representative in the hope it was a dragonslayer who could get revenge on the monster that destroyed Gemstead... but to think I would meet the princess herself." The man says with a nervous smile.
"Worry, not. I'm sure... father has already sent a dragonslayer to Gemstead..." Elsie looks sad for a moment.
"I'd like to ask you what exactly happened during the attack. According to rumors it was the Man Dragon of Randell that attacked." she continues returning to  her original expression.
"Lie and you will suffer consequences beyond your worst nightmares, swine." The dark skinned woman adds.
"JESSA PLEASE!" the small princess shouts in frustration as the knight looks away with a pout.
"I got scolded..." She mutters under her breath as the princess returns her attention to the refugee man.
The man buries his face in his hands as he recounts the events of the recent destruction of the town of Gemstead.

It was in broad daylight, during the busiest time of day right as all the miners began to return to their homes. A great fireball fell upon the middle of the town destroying the fountain in the town sqaure. From the flaming rubble emerged a monster in the form of a man, a red haired human from the look of him, but the flames didn't burn him. Then... in a voice that boomed like thunder he roared that he would burn Gemstead to ashes, and he did just that. The town guard was powerless to stop him as he destroyed building after building with inhuman strength. The captain made the call to focus efforts on the evacuation of citizens instead of fighting a losing battle. We had all heard rumors of the dragon who always attacks in human form but I was expecting something more... subtle, why maintain a human form for something he could have done just as easily as a dragon?
"Precisely!" The princess interrupts.
"It's exactly that that I intend to ask him!" She says with an excited smile.
"N-no disrespect your grace, but you can't go near Gemstead right now... if you encounter that monster you'll-" The man starts to say but is interrupted by a blade pointed at him.
"We will be fine." Jessa says with an icey stare.
"Jessa please." Princess Elsie puffs her cheeks, which causes the knight to sheath her sword.
"I am grateful for your concern but we will be fine." Elsie says with a smile.
"But he destroyed an entire city unprovoked!" The man shouts.
"When you arrived in Danseal did you do a headcount?" The princess asks with a knowing smile.
"Yes..." the man drops his gaze "...everyone was here and accounted for."
"It destroyed an entire city and didn't kill one person?" Jessa says with a cocked eyebrow.
"He!" Elsie says as she raises a finger. "When adressing living things you should always use the proper gender specific pronoun, it's disrespectful to call him an it."
The princess thanks the man for his time and the pair leave the room in a hurry.
"You seem like you were expecting this." Jessa says as she follows the princess out of the inn and back to their mounts.
"It's been the same every time. In all the recorded attacks of the man dragon not a single person has died or been reported dead or injured, he always destroys empty buildings or scares away attackers instead of killing them." Elsie explains.
"But not Dragonslayers..." Jessa says as she looks down at her ring.
"... Yes... that's true. Three Dragonslayers have not returned after seeking him out but that doesn't mean they were killed." Elsie claims optomistically.
"A Dragon is a Dragon." Jessa says as she steels her expression.
"We'll see if that's true soon!" Elsie retorts.
The two depart for the town of Gemstead.

 Meanwhile, in the ruins of Gemstead a man sits atop a pile of rubble as though patiently waiting for something. Flames dance around him from the still smoldering city. The shirtless man has short crimson hair and deep blue eyes, like the heart of a flame.  His muscular features covered in scars seem to indicate a life of hard battles, but his expression is like stone. Devoid of any emotion as he sits hands folded... waiting.

The girls make good time rushing towards Gemstead. However, as they near the city at the mountain base Elise veers off the road and into the treeline startling her bodyguard. Jessa quickly follows after recovering from her daze. As the girls ride through the woods Jessa sees the banner of the royal army draped across several horses positioned on the main road. A half dozen fully armored knights armed with lances block the road forward.
"An escort for a Dragonslayer?" Jessa notes as they ride around the blockade.
"There's no time." Elsie says with an angry expression as she pushes her mount to go faster.

 The air in Gemstead quakes as an armored figure walks slowly towards the waiting red haired man.
"Stand, Dragon... and face the might of Sir Voltic!"
The red haired man looks up "Hoh?..." he says with a menacing smile.
Sir Voltic strikes a majestic pose as he sparkles, his oversized blonde pompadour shining from the abundance of gel used to sculpt it.
He points his golden spear at the man as lightning arcs from the tip.
"Prepare thyself!"
A circle of golden runes forms in the air above the crimson haired man who looks up at them nonchanlantly without moving form his seat.
"Face the judgement of the Royal Dragonslayers!" Sir Voltic shouts as he swings his spear in a downward stroke.
"Stop!" Elsie shouts as she bursts through the treeline on horseback with Jessa close behind.
Several bolts of lightning crash down from the sky passing through the curcle of runes and converging on the point where the red haired man was seated.

The sound of the lightning echos through the ruins drowning out the screaming of the princess.
Sir Voltic sheathes his lance and turns his attention towards the newly arrive princess.
"Your grace! How are you this evening?" The knight asks with a smile that twinkles obnoxiously.
Elsie looks up at him sternly "You-"
She is interrupted as Jessa dashes past her and thrusts her rapier at Sir Voltic.
With a flick of the wrist he twirls his spear and deflects the attack throwing Jessa off balance.
Allowing him to grab her arm and twist it behind her restrainging her.
"It's excellent to see you too Jessa!" Sir Voltic says with a hearty laugh.
"I was sent just to slay the dragon but I'm sure his majesty will be happy to know I was able to locate his obedient daughter and her traitorous kidnapper."

"I left the palace of my own accord!" Elsie shouts. "Release Jessa at once, she came with me in order to protect me!"
"Is that so? Well, it hardly matters... this woman has already been stripped of rank and privilege." He says with a smirk.
"In fact she's not even fit to wear this armor." Sir Voltic says as he rips open the chestplate of Jessa destroying the fasteners and leaving her wearing only her black bodysuit.
Lightning surges through her body causing the dark skinned woman to let out a blood curdling scream.
"RELEASE HER!" Elsie shouts in a commanding voice.
"My apologies your grace, but it's many years before you can command a member of the Royal Dragonslayers." Sir Voltic says with a condescending smile.

 This is the norm... the so called Dragonslayers, heroes of the kingdom in the eyes of the public are more often than not hedonistic and self absorbed. Using the peoples fear of dragons and, by association, fear of a power that can destroy them to manipulate and control others. It's this combined with the constant persecution and fear mongering that paints all dragons as heartless killing machines that has driven Elsie to leave the palace in pursuit of a far off and distant goal.
"I hate to interrupt but... " A voice says from the swirling vortex of plasma remaining after Sir Voltic spell.
"Weren't we in the middle of something?" The crimson haired man says as he blows away the vortex of magical energy with a wave of his hand.

"Oh?! Magic resistance? So you are a dragon..." Sir Voltic says as he releases Jessa and turns towards the man.
The "dragon" looks down at the dark skinned woman as she lay on the ground then over at the princess.
His nose twitches angrily and he narrows his eyes.
"Be vanquished monster!" Sir Voltic calls out as he unleashes a bolt of lightning towards the man.
The red haired man backhands the lightning bolt sending it crashing into a nearby pile of rubble.
"Name yourself, human." He says coldly.
"I am the great Sir Voltic, The Bringer of Storms! Slayer of the Great White Wyvern! Lord of Thund-"
"Voltic... got it. I'm Aldrax... or at least that's the shortened version you'll be able to pronounce" The man interrupts as he steps forward stretching his neck.
A vein bluges in Sir Voltic forehead. "I will destroy you!" He says as he snarls.
"How dare you disrespect a Dragonslayer!"
"How dare you disrespect a Dragonslayer!"
Sir Voltic and the red haired man both say at the same time.
"Ahahahahaha! Every time, man! Do you guys all have the same guy write your one liners or what?"  The red haired man laughs as Sir Voltic visibly boils with rage.

"FEEL THE FURY OF A DRAGON SLAYERS ULTIMATE POWER! PIERCING MAGIC THAT WILL SHATTER YOUR SCALES!" Voltic calls out as he holds up his spear and the clouds overhead part.
Lightning falls upon him as he screams and summons up his power.
The wind from his building magical energy blows Jessa backwards. She's caught by Elsie who looks up with an expression of panic.
"You have to dodge Mister Dragon, that's the spell he used to slay the White Wyvern!" Elsie shouts.
Aldrax glances over at the girls with a bored expression and smiles.
"LANCE OF HEAVEN!" Sir Voltic calls out as he casts a beam of focused spiraling lightning towards the man dragon.

Aldrax is struck in the chest, but far from being pierced he's hurled backwards at alarming speed. The ground is shattered as he bounces along until he firmly plants his feet and digs in. The earth itself shatters beneath his feet as he skids backwards. The arm of the dragon flys out tightly gripping the bolt of lightning like a javelin as he finally skids to a stop. Sir Voltic's lips pucker and his eyes widen as he meets the twisted smiling expression of Aldrax.
"Wyverns are not Dragons." The red haired man says as he hurls the bolt of lightning back at Sir Voltic who screams in terror.
The bolt pierces his armor, but not his flesh as it surges through him.
The Dragonslayer drops to his knees as his armor crumbles away piece by piece leaving him nude save for his underpants, but otherwise suffering only superficial burns.

"Tch. Four Dragonslayers... not one has ever actually faced a Dragon." Aldrax says as he walks forward.
Sir Voltic crawls backwards in fear shaking as the dragon approaches him.
"Get lost... if you ever have the audacity to call yourself a dragonslayer again I'll hunt you down." Aldrax says as he looks down at the cowering knight.

"W-where will I go?..." Sir Voltic asks trembling.
"The town nearby should be full of refugees from this one... nobody will notice another one. Start a new life... and never forget the feeling of fear and humility in your chest right now."
"I am a Dragon." The crimson haired man says as he looks down at Voltic, cowering at his feet. The flames of the burning city seem to swirl and dance in the air behind him.
Voltic's pompadour falls out of place as he scrambles away screaming on his hands and knees.
Aldrax turns towards the two women.
Jessa, despite her injuries draws her sword and points it at him.
Aldrax kneels and grabs the blade bare handed.
"Down girl, you're too hurt to even put on a good show." he says as he breaks the blade like a twig.
"You... you're really a dragon." Elsie says as she holds Jessa tightly.
"Yeah... and if I heard right, you're a princess." He says as he looks over the girls.
"Y-yes... what do you intend to do with us?" Elsie inquires as her cheeks flush red.
"If I keep you around more Dragonslayers will come after me right?" Aldrax asks with a toothy smile.
"Yes... Father won't rest until I'm returrned home..."
"Perfect." The dragon says as he scoops one girl over each shoulder.
"W-wait, what are you-"
"Kidnapping you or something." Aldrax says with a  laugh.

Jessa attempts to threaten him but is too wounded to speak clearly.
"I-if you're going to do that then can I at least ask you some questions?" Elsie says as she looks over at the nearly unconcious Jessa with concern in her eyes.
"Later, I haven't eaten in three days." Aldrax says as he starts walking out of the city with the women over his shoulders.
"You like fish?" He asks as he turns to address Elsie's bottom as though it were her face.
"Y-yes... I love fish." She says blushing, not really sure how else to react.