-Illustration by the author-
Her Arrival
A large dragon sleeps in his lair at the highest point of the Crag of Dragons, located in the area known as Rockridge Plateau. This is the most northern point of the Odessa province on the Arian continent. One of his eyes suddenly opens, and as he raises his head, he sniffs the air, and takes notice of the winds changing, and he emits a low menacing growl deep within his throat.
"I've not sensed a presence such as this in over a millennium…It seems the new era with a mortal who can wield dragon magic has awakened. I must discover who this is for myself." he says.
The dragon lifts his massive dark gray scaled body and walks to the entrance of his lair. Once outside, he opens his mighty wings, and with the thunderous flapping of his wings, he takes flight heading south.
A lone female centaurain opens her eyes and stares up at the treetops and blue sky. As she sits up, she winches in pain and places a hand on her aching forehead.
"Owww, my aching head, and also, where the hell am I," she says as she looks at the surrounding forest. When she looks down, some blush fills her cheeks as she notices her new body. Her eyebrow rises as she notices she's no longer human or male.
“What in the hell is going on here? Why do I have a woman’s body!” she yells, then quickly covers her mouth and franticly looks around to see if anyone or anything heard her. She slowly takes in deep breaths and a soft sigh of relief as she notices no one or animal has come running into her area. Taking another deep breath, she inspects her new form and body and checks for injuries.
What have I become? She ponders as she drinks in her new form for thirty minutes while sitting and going over what could have changed her into a female, and more importantly an entirely different creature altogether. She notices her mahogany fur and a horse-like tail, and when she narrows her eyes, she sees she has an elongated face like a horse.
After inspecting her body, she takes in a deep breath to calm herself and concludes that for whatever purpose she is now female and will have to find out later how this came to be and to try and revert to her old self. She begins examining her immediate surroundings.
Where am I? The last thing I remember is I was showering at home. She thinks in her male voice. She notices a trail leading away from her just to her left.
Well, I guess I can't stay here forever. I might as well see where this trail takes me, maybe I'll find some answers at the end of it. She thinks in her male voice.
She rises to her feet and, with a deep breath, begins following the trail before her. As she follows the path through the forest, she ponders the events between getting in the shower at her home and waking up in the forest. Some of the events come back to her in a flash, she remembers climbing into the shower, and mere moments of doing so, tornado sirens went off. And just before grabbing a towel to head to the basement, she remembers feeling weightless before blacking out.
She stops, places a hand on a tree, and looks around to gather her bearings, remembering her military training. She notices that the trail seems to end just ahead of her, so she decides to step off the trail when she reaches the end to observe what lies on the other side, also in the hope of avoiding detection by someone or something.
She peers through the brush carefully so as not to rustle the leaves too much. Her eyes grow wide as she sees a small village below filled with the same creature she has become. As she drinks in the sight, she notes that the village seems dark age medieval in nature, especially when she spots the blacksmith hammering away at a weapon. She also observes some of the villagers tend to the crops in the field and laundry.
So, it's not just where am I, it's when am I? She ponders as she notices the fresh laundry and begins to think of a way to snag up some clothes. As she goes over her plan, a male centuarain sentry spots her and quietly hides behind a tree just behind her.
Meanwhile, at the human city, Solis to the north of the village known as eagle pass village, a guard in the north lookout tower yawns out of boredom.
"You seem as bored as I am, John." another guard says as he climbs up the final steps of the stairway.
"Honestly, I don't understand why we still keep looking out for dragons or invading forces Ben. None have been spotted in nearly 30 years. Nor has there been any war in the last 15 years." John replies to the slightly older Ben, who turns to look at him.
"John, you need to remember that we need to stay vigilant because of what happened to the city of Dionicis on the Earthern continent," Ben says as he gently strokes his leg, remembering how he was injured during one of the last battles near the city of Dionicis in attempt to reclaim it from the demon hordes.
"I suppose you're right… Be-Be-BEN!" John yells, beginning to shake and point out the window while backing up against a table knocking a drink onto the stone floor. When Ben turns to look in the direction John is pointing his eyes grow wide as he sees a dark shadow getting larger and quickly approaching the city. Ben blinks his eyes twice as he sees the enormous dark silhouette of the dragon casting it speeding towards the city.
"JOHN, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, BOY? SOUND THE ALARM!" Ben loudly commands John with a huge lump in his own throat.
"YE-YES, SIR!" John stammers as he practically stumbles over his own two feet, running to the alarm bells' rope. Once he reaches the rope, John pulls it with all his might as the shock of witnessing a dragon for the first time begins to sink in. As John pulls on the rope, a loud groaning creak of wood is heard until the bell clapper hits its lip, and the large bell ring booms throughout the city for the first time in 15 years. The ring from the bell booms louder as John tugs on the rope, Ben heads down the stairs he just came up moments ago, and he heads towards a large wooden door.
"A DRAGON APPROACHES FROM THE NORTH, CAPTAIN!" Ben yells as he barges into the Captain's quarters. The Captain looks up from his papers laid before him and his four officers on a large war table. The Captain comes around from behind the table, approaches Ben, and pats him on the shoulder lightly.
"You did well, soldier, now go fetch your steel and head to the court area… All of you!” The Captain says calmly, even though his face seems pale as a ghost from the sudden news.
"Captain Marwind… do we even stand a chance?" Ben asks quietly.
"It depends on who this dragon is, Ben… so only our lord knows what is in store for us." Captain Marwind replies as he makes his way down to the court.
As the bell booms above the city, the citizens of Solis begin fleeing their homes, the shop keeps, and workers are instructed by lightly armored guards to head to shelters to seek refuge. Windows and doors quickly shut tightly from citizens who refuse to leave their homes but take cover deep within them.
As the citizens take to cover the available soldiers many of them young rookies who have little combat experience, let alone a live dragon make their way to the north garrison's court to prepare themselves for the upcoming battle. The soldiers, consisting of men, women, city militia, and soldier reserve, begin to murmur with each other about what is happening. Some think it's a mere drill, some think the dark demon lord Arkbon finally made his decision to invade the Odessa province and break the Peace Treaty of Dionics.
A hush comes over them as Captain Marwind climbs up the stairs of the stage, followed by the four officers from earlier in the war room and Ben and John, all in most of their armor. Whispers move throughout the crowd as they notice that Captain Marwind is equipped with Dragoon, his mighty two-hand claymore that he used against a dragon in the last war.
"I shall be as brief as possible, for we may not have much time. A dragon approaches the city as we speak." Captain Marwind announces when he reaches the center of the stage. Nervous chatter breaks throughout all the soldiers. Many of the green infantrymen begin trembling in fear of the news. Some of the more veteran troops take in a deep breath and say prayers.
"A DRAGON HOW COULD WE POSSIBLY DEFEAT A DRAGON!" a rookie scout cries out.
"Quiet down, all of you!" a gruff, sounding voice says from the steps of the stage.
All of the soldiers quickly turn to see a tall armored head-to-toe man. His armor resembled dragon scales, and one of the shoulder plates is in the shape of a dragon's head. He carries with him a large shield as the grizzled veteran steps into the middle of the stage, the dark, looming shadow of the dragon flows over the entire court. The dragon's flight is over in mere moments, but for some soldiers, the event feels like an eternity. Once the last trace of the dragon's shadow disappears from over the city, many of the soldiers breathe a sigh of relief. Captain Marwind, along with the other officers, look at each other with confusion and relief, and the soldiers begin to murmur once more.
"That's enough chatter!" the heavily armored man commanded. All the soldiers quieted down quickly. Captain Marwind approaches the man in the middle of the stage.
"High Commander Magnus, what has brought you back to Solis so soon?" Marwind asks in a concerned manner.
"My regiment and I saw the time dragon Kronos fly over the scarlet forest. So, I had our mage Achromia teleport us back to the city's mage tower," Commander Magnus explains. He then turns to the soldiers to address them.
"I would like to chase Kronos to his destination, and I need at least 300 of you while the rest of you head to other city towers to inform them to prepare for the worst. And please tell the cathedral to prepare the infirmary," Commander Magnus announces.
"Why the urgency High Commander?" Marwind asks.
"I have reason to believe that the small village in eagle pass with our centaurain allies is in danger." Commander Magnus replies.
"All of you move out as Commander Magnus has ordered. Ben, John, you're with me and heading out with the High Commander!" Marwind commands as he quickly turns to his officers.
All the soldiers yell out “Yes sir!” with a mighty salute and scramble to their waiting horses that the stable hands have quickly prepared.
"We will need several men to also head to Venture port in the far south," one of the officers yells out.
"Good idea, Major, now ride like the wind!" Marwind commanded as he mounted his mighty steed and led his men alongside High Commander Magnus, heading for the city's south gate in pursuit of the Kronos.
to be continued…