One Last Task

The mighty dragon roared and let loose a large torrent of flames that filled the air with an unbearable heat. His entire body started to glow, but it was no longer the pure light that radiated from its scales but a dark shadow that twisted and flowed malevolently. The dragon had stood guard against the darkness for years, but finally it too succumbed to the power of the dark. The void whispered ever so sweetly that even the great immortal could not withstand its power. And on this day a duo of warriors stood with weapons raised to do battle with the mighty dragon. The solemn task had been left to them to cast the mighty giant down before it could fully succumb to evil.

They did not have long to wait before the dragon engaged in battle by lunge towards them with flames still billowing forth from its mouth and slamming the ground with each step as it closed the distance between them with rapid speed.

The two warriors dived apart from each other and then headed straight towards the dragon. One dodged beneath the body while the other managed to avoid the flames that almost singed his armor.

After the dragon was finished his mighty charge which carried him past the warriors, he turned to face them once more. One had quickly raced into position to bring his mighty sword crashing into the dragon’s fore claw. The other prepared to cast a spell to eat through the dragons mighty scales. The dragon swatted the warrior that had attacked its claw away, but roared in pain as the magic bit into his scales and into the flesh beneath. He flicked his tail towards the other, but did not connect as the mage jumped out of range.

Anger towards the ranged mage was then directed for the other warrior which moved slower and needed to be closer. The dragon quickly slammed his claws down in an attempt to crush the warrior, but he was too nimble and managed to just barely dodge out of the way. In a final act the dragon reared up and plunged the entire area beneath him in flames. The knight tried to withstand the flames, but they burned hotter and hotter.

The mage was in position to cast another spell that sent a large magic spear into the back of the dragon. It was more of a nuisance than actual damage since dragons are resistant to most magic, but it was able to stop the dragon from burning his partner to a crisp with the heat of its flames.

The dragon whirled around enraged and dove straight for the mage. Its body dug deep grooves in the earth as he carried forward recklessly blinded with rage. The mage was knocked out of the way by the force of the onslaught and lay in the path of the dragon who reared up and then came smashing downwards flinging the mage even further away. A biting cut to his tail forced him to whirl once more. The warrior was back up and hacking at his tail with vengeful slashes.

Black blood dripped from the tail, and dropped sizzling to the ground. The dragon reacted quickly by launching himself into the air above the two and hovering for a moment in the cavern and then dove down covering the battlefield in flames as he went. The warrior ducked behind his shield and the mage cast a magic barrier to protect themselves from the violent flames. They had come prepared to withstand the heat of the great dragon’s flames.

However, the dragon dropped behind them and then while their vision was obstructed by the flames, began another charge knocking the warrior out of the way and slashing at the mage. It howled triumphantly as it managed to score hits on both of its assailants.

The warrior rose and dusted himself off and the mage picked himself back up both seemingly completely unfazed. They started their assault on the dragon once more. The warrior was nimble and surrounded by a glowing healing light from the mage. The mage continued to cast magic to eat through the dragon scales and magic spears that kept the dragon off balance. They remained on opposite sides of their quarry to force it to spin in circles to try to get at them. Black blood spurted from one side and then the scales melted on the other as they continued to work over the dragon with grim determination.

The dragon could not seem to keep itself straight and was constantly off-balance in an attempt to destroy his attackers. He had long stood against any who would oppose him, and it was not his way to fall to anyone. His rage continued to grow, though even as he attacked his assailants they seemed to be protected by magic and armor resistant to him. He needed more power and he reached deep within himself to get it. The void reached out to him just as he was seeking more power.

With a roar that sent cracks up through the walls of the cavern, darkness flowed into the dragon building until finally it all burst forth at once. Dark waves burst forth filling the cavern with the oppressive darkness of the void. The assailants were forced back to the very edges of the room to avoid the roiling waves of dark sorcery. The dragon had truly been lost to the evil that permeated the void.

Finally, the darkness subsided and the warrior rushed forth to begin the fight anew. However, the dragon was not yet finished. He slammed down a mighty claw and summoned more energy from the void. It was instinctive, as there was no one more familiar with the power of the void than he. He had battled with the ever threatening darkness for ages, so it was with that same familiarity that he called on its dark power. Here in this cavern where no sunlight could reach no the ever watchful eyes of the moon, he drew more and more energy to him. His claw now brought forth insidious energies that floated freely from the void and quickly found their targets. The warrior was forced to retreat as the mage put up a wall of twisted light to deflect the darkness. They too had fought against the darkness of the void and were trained to resist it treachery.

The two sides battled long and hard. The time was unknown as the world was bereft of time and the outside world moved on. The dragon though was weakening, as he waged a war on two fronts. Even as he drew on the power of the void, he was still fighting it for control over his body. As that battle raged within, the two warriors continued to destroy him without.

In a final last ditch attempt, the dragon withdrew as far as he could from the two warriors. He reared up and drew in as much energy as he could. He then braced himself on all fours and fired a blast of pure dark energy out across the cavern. However, the power was too strong for even him to control. He could feel the void breaking lose and threatening to overtake him. However, he continued to fire the energy off as much as he could. He was not sure if he hit the warriors or not, but he had to continue. This was his final task. This was his final fight. The warriors realized far too late the dragon’s final task.

The roof of the cavern was already giving way. Large chunks of rock were raining done and increased in speed. The walls could no longer support themselves and they too began to fall away. Al last, completely and utterly spent the dragon expelled the darkness from his body. It had been a hard fought battle, but at last the void had been repelled for the last time. Now he could rest in peace in this grave. There would be no monument of this guardian and no one would even remember his name. But he would sleep as he lived, cradled in stone.