Fighting the Storm

Lightning struck the rocky hillside, spraying debris everywhere. The storm came on suddenly. No warning, not even a cloud in the sky. Then rain, lightning, thunder, and an even bigger threat.

Malcom sat behind a large boulder, now soaked from the rain bounding down on him. He was trying hard to slow his heart rate. The thunder from the blast was near deafening. He shook his head, to stop the ringing in his ears and shake off the rain and debris from his blue robes.

“Damint Malcom!” said his companion, “Are you just going to sit there or are you going to help?”

His companion, Kyle, wore a dark cloak. His hood up to keep the rain off his face. When he stood up he was every bit of six feet tall, nearly half a foot taller than Malcom himself. He had short blonde hair and green eyes, with a thick light brown beard.

“Damn,” Malcom said.

He took a deep breath and stood up. Turned around to face the threat. He snapped his hand out and five blue missiles shot out. They soared through the air, not slowed by the torrential rainfall. They struck the large blue scaled leg of the creature before them and just fizzled away.

“Its got a resistance to magic!” Malcom shouted to Kyle.

“You don’t have anything that can hurt it?” Kyle asked.

“I’m an electromancer. You know what that means? My spells are all electricity based. It’s a god damn blue dragon! Electricity doesn’t hurt it!”

Kyle stood up and fired two arrows quickly. They stuck into the dragon’s scales, but he knew they did little damage.

“We need a plan!” Kyle shouted back to Malcom.

“I have a plan,” said a deep voice from further away, “Hack and fucking SLASH!”

“Zurck, NO!” Kyle shouted.

Zurck, a large man, standing more than seven feet tall tall with long thick brown hair with a matching mane like full beard that hung halfway down his massive torso. Scars covered his large muscular body.

Zurcked charged at the dragon with a roar. His great axe high over his head. He drove the axe down hard into the dragon’s hind leg. It growled with pain and quickly spun around. Its tail struck Zurck hard, sending him back behind Malcom and Kyle.

“How dare you,” The dragon said, its voice deep, thunderous, but somehow feminine all the same, “Give back what you took from me and I will make your deaths quick.”

“What in the world is she talking about?” Malcom said.

“Where is Kiara?” Kyle asked.

“I haven’t seen her since the dragon attacked,” Malcom said, with frustration.

Zurck sat up and shook the cobwebs out of his head.

“That hurt,” Zurck said, with anger.

“Fuck it,” Kyle said, “If you aren’t going to be any help, Malcom, then lets go Zurck.”

“What do you want me to do?” Malcom said.

“Grab that magic stick of yours and hit the damn thing.”

Kyle and Zurck charged back out, dodging a slash of the dragon’s claws.

Malcom grabbed his staff. He knew it had a powerful enchantment. But he couldn’t believe it would make much of a difference.

“Fuck,” Malcom said, before charging out with the others.

Kyle had his enchanted long sword out and had landed several strikes to the dragon's front leg. Zurck was trying to hold the dragon’s tail.

Malcom gripped his staff and rubbed his finger over the two words etched on it.

“Fozar, Boxir,” Malcom said.

With each word the staff changed color. First a low blue hue, followed by a deep red.

As the dragon raised its right front claw to attack, Malcom struck its left front leg as hard as he could. The sound of thunder echoed through the hills. The force of the magical staff knocked the dragon's leg out, causing it to fall hard on its chin.

Kyle quickly took the opportunity to drive his sword down into the claw closest to him.

The dragon roared out in pain.

Malcom could feel the hair on his body begin to stand. The dragon’s spikes began to glow a bright blue.

“She’s gonna breathe!” Malcom shouted.

The dragon got her left leg back underneath her and opened her mouth and shot bolts of lightning across the hillside.

Malcom was able to dodge the lightning. But had to take a moment to regain his vision and hearing from the bright glow of electricity and thunder.

Kyle was not as fortunate. He began to dodge but was still hit with the blast. Pain soared through his body, and he found it hard to control his body's movments.

“Kyle!” Malcom shouted.

Malcom knew Kyle survived because he watched him pull himself aside behind another boulder.

The dragon turned her attention to Malcom. Malcom stood smaller than either of the other two but the last strike had done a bit more damage than either of the other two.

The dragon grabbed the sword with her teeth, pulled it out of her palm and tossed it aside.

“You fools!” she said, “Do you really think you can defeat me? Give back what you stole.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about!” Malcom shouted at her.

“Lies,” she said, dragging out the word into a hiss, “I know it is here. I want it back.”

Zurck had managed to get to his feet and retrieve his axe. Using the distraction from Malcom, Zurck charged up the dragon’s back, trying hard not to slip on the rain soaked scales. By the time she noticed the over-sized flea running up her back it was too late. Zurck, barely past her gigantic wings, leaped into the air, slamming his axe down on the base of her skull.

She roared in pain and again her chin smashed into the ground. She growled with rage, beginning to draw a deep breath again.

“Fozar, Boxir,” Malcom said.

As the dragon opened her mouth to breath again, Malcom shoved his staff in her mouth. As soon as the lightning struck the staff it shattered. All the magic used to enchant it exploded. The blast sent Malcom into the hillside hard. Sent Zurck back towards the dragon's tail, slamming him into a boulder. His axe landed beside him, embedded in the stone next to him.

Malcom, for the third time today, shook the ringing from his head. He could feel warmth for the first time since the torrential rain came out of nowhere. The sun had returned, but he realized that was only half of it. He was covered from head to toe in the dragon’s blood and brain matter.

“Gross,” he said, sitting up to look at the headless dragon before him, “Kyle, Zurck. Are you guys alright?”

“I’m alive,” Kyle said, limping over to pick up his sword.

“Take more than a fucking dragon to keep me down.” Zurck said, pulling his axe out of the boulder.

“I’m fine too,” said a woman’s voice, “Thanks for asking.”

A young woman was sitting on a boulder. Black hair and blue eyes. Her ears were slightly pointed, showing some of her elven heritage. She stood just under five feet tall and was dressed in fine dark leather armor. She was completely dry, even though several inches of rain had just fallen on this hillside.

“Kiara!” Malcom shouted, “Where have you been?”

“Looting,” she said, jumping down from the boulder.

“Looting what?” Kyle asked.

“The dragon’s horde, obviously.”

“What?” Malcom asked, “How did you know where the dragon’s horde was?”

“I stumbled on it yesterday. Found a hole in the ground, and when I looked down I saw something shining back at me. So naturally I had to investigate. Found the cave system the dragon was using and she was just sleeping.”

“How did you know she wasn’t there?” Malcom asked.

“Well I knew I had to draw her out before I could properly loot it. So I took this to draw her out.”

Kiara showed a large oval shaped object that was the same color of the finest sapphire gem they had ever seen.

“You stole her egg!” Malcom shouted.

“Oh calm down,” Kiara said calmly as she put the egg back in a bag that should not be able to hold an object that big.

“Calm down!” Malcom shouted, “Any one of us could have been killed. Look at Kyle.”

“Thanks mate,” Kyle said.

“But you all survived, just as I had faith you would. And now we are far richer than before.” Kiara said with a playful smile, “And with the dragon dead, there is no more need for concern.”

“No more need for concern?” Malcom asked, “What about when daddy gets back to find his horde looted, his mate dead and his child missing?”

“What?” Kiara asked.

“It takes two to reproduce!” Malcom shouted, “Her mate is going to be pissed. Not to mention I’ll bet he’s bigger and meaner than this one. My spells are still going to be useless and I no longer have my staff! I seriously regret giving you that rod of teleportation."

Kiara shrugged, “We’ll manage.”

She began walking down the road in the direction they had originally been going.

“That was awesome,” Zurck said as Kiara walked past him, placing her hand on his large arm, “We can take that other fucker if he is stupid enough to come looking for a fight.”

“Sure we can,” Kiara encouraged him.

Malcom growled in frustration, taking his blood covered hands and rubbing them through his hair, lowering his hood. Malcom had bright blue eyes and dark blue hair.

“She’s your sister.” Kyle said.

“Half,” Malcom said walking away.

“Hey wait, when did your hair turn blue?”

“WHAT?” Malcom said.