Fayrin's Journey

There weren't always dragons in the valley. But that was a long time ago. That is what Uncle Rous says anyway. The elders have banned him for his blasphemous speech. He once told me that this world is one of many, and we are but one of many living things. I don't know where he gets his musings, but he is either blessed by the God of Light or he is cursed by the God of the Moon. I may never know.

My name is Fayrin Tantom and I live in the valley between the wings of the Dragon mountain range. My friend, Utar Drah, and I have decided to climb to the old Dragon Altar. We want a better look at these new creatures. Many claim these are our new dragons, and it is the new age. Then there are those that say these are the ghosts of our dragons, and this is actually the beginning of the next dark age. We want to know which one is true. We have packed our bags and will head out tonight. I have my magical boots and Utar has a magical bow that allows for infinite arrows. You merely pull the bow string back, aim and fire.

The trek will take a minimum of 5 days. That is only if we don't run into something during the ascent in the Dragon Forest. If we get to the trail at the top without a problem we will be okay. Then we will have to start the climb through the poisonous prickle bushes, cross the serpentine bridge and finally climb over the wall of the heavenly gate. Simple.

My Uncle Rous gave me his sword and told me it was a defensive weapon as well as an offensive one. I prefer my ability to increase my agility, coupled with my boots of speed. I am almost invisible. Then I use my poison daggers. Utar Drah is a born fighter and prefers hand-to-hand combat, but he is deadly with all weapons. He carries all manner of weapons all over his body. The visible ones are a large one handed sword and shield in his hands, two axes hanging from his belt, a great sword down his spine and two more axes on each shoulder blade. He is a mountain of a man. I am the opposite; small, thin and quick.

The monsters we could run into are too many to count, but the most dangerous ones are only a few. The most dangerous would be, of course, the new dragons that fly overhead. Next would be a troll. These things are massive. They can grow up to 10' tall with hands four times the size of a man's, and it's rumored they are as hard as steel. Utar is strong and durable, but he won't last long alone. The third most dangerous is the snake women, Gorgon's. They live in hidden caves all over the mountain range. With illusion magic the gorgon will manipulate your surroundings and trick you into her clutches. She will then eat you. In order to avoid a gorgon trap you need to pay close attention to your surroundings. No matter how strong the monster is, she cannot replicate things perfectly.

Now the fourth is the one we're most likely to encounter and that is the meanest cow in existence. It is seven feet tall, weighs over six thousand pounds, is as wide as a small house and has the largest head imaginable. It will run you over and trample you, bite you or gouge you with its equally massive, and somehow, sharp as swords horns. We actually want to find one, under our circumstances, so we will have food for the rest of the trip. Plus the rest of the useful parts of the beast; hide, horns, meat, teeth and tail.

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The dragon that was currently flying high over its mountain range made a sharp turn into a nosedive. It fell towards the highest peak. Instead of hitting the rock formation the black scaled creature fell through it. The large wings opened to slow its descent and it landed on an exposed platform. Across several feet of walking the dragon quickly turned into a man that was a mere six feet tall. As he continued to near the hole in the rock formation a small gorgon appeared. She was carrying a black robe of fine linen. Once she reached the naked green human-like creature she wrapped him in the robe.

"Where are my brothers?" The green man asked as he fixed the robe around himself, "Gorgon, I asked you a question! Where are my brothers?"

"I don't know, my lord," came the hissing voice of the intimidated snake woman, "I was told to wait for you."

"Fine," the man said as he entered the hole, "What is your name, gorgon?"

"Tintilla, my lord." The woman squeaked as she followed the creature into the hole.

"Well, Tintilla, fetch me some food!" The putrid green humanoid creature demanded.

After every step the man left a burning cracked print. It is hard to see but the creature's body is somehow melting. It appears that the things sweat may be acidic. As he walked further into the tunnel he quickly shape-shifted into a giant tarantula.

The hairy spider stopped for a few moments, getting closer to the ground with each passing second. An imaginary bell rang and the massive arachnid launched itself forward down the corridor. Just a few more seconds passed before the gorgon's screams echoed down the caves tunnel before silence quickly followed.