The Valley of Kings

"There weren't always dragons in the Valley...

It was once a peaceful land filled with lush forests and freshwater streams. People from the surrounding villages used to gather near the river to fish and enjoy the Valley's beauty. It was a peaceful time... But nothing lasts forever.

It's been one year since that day, when the first of the dragons appeared."

Like a hurricane coming down from the mountains, its wings could be heard all throughout the kingdom. An ear shattering torrent of wind echoed throughout the Valley. Then came the screams.

The outer villages were the first to burn. Flames engulfed the surrounding trees and the thatch homes were quickly reduced to ash. Black smoke could be seen from within the Inner Citadel and as the red fire creped across the hills, the once vibrant landscape began to wither.

Those within the city had begun to panic, their desperate desire to survive had driven them towards the gates of the keep. Pounding their fists bloody against the large brass doors, begging to be let in.

The gates were eventually opened, allowing the people of the city to seek refuge within the keep. As the innocent poured in, the Army of Mithyr marched towards the outer gates. In this moment we prepared ourselves to face the threat before us, something unlike anything we had ever seen.

As Commander of this Battalion, I was tasked with leading them into battle, and yet it seemed hopeless. The men standing before me were just as afraid as the people within the walls. I could see it on their faces, the dread and terror of this unknown force eating away at their courage. But this was no time to stand back and watch our home be destroyed, this was beyond any one of us.

I began to lead them towards the smoke and flames, keeping a steady pace. We could not falter. It was our duty to protect the lives of our people, no matter the cost.

We had been marching for about a mile, and I could hear them, the footsteps of my soldiers were heavy and slowed. The air felt polluted and it was getting harder to take full breaths. Trudging through the burnt remains of the once fertile farmland. We were surrounded by collapsed and burning fences. The crops had withered, and the ground was hot.

Seeing them in this condition I signaled for the troop to stop. "We are stopping here for a short time, catch your breath and stay on guard. We still don't know what it is we are dealing with!" I said to my men. I began to walk down the rows of troops, their demeanor shifting from stoic to a more relaxed resting state. I caught the eye of Captain Alwyn as he had begun walking in my direction. I had fought in battle alongside him once before but knew very little about him. "Commander Warin!" He called out to me in his gruff voice. I met up with him near the center of the troop. "Sir, I wish to speak to you about the condition of these men. Do you really plan to march them into battle without even knowing what this is?" He asked me. I looked him over for a moment, noticing the fear in his face.

"We have not lost a battle in decades, why is it you all continue to lose hope? Our army is undefeated, whatever this is will learn to fear us as the other nations have." I said to him with a somewhat disappointed tone. He then began adjusting his sword sheath on his left side. "You're right, I don't know what I was saying. Forgive me." He said, pressing his right arm to his chest with a fist.

I couldn't help but look away from him as I began to see something moving behind him. A large shadow looming behind the cover of smoke. Instinctually my hand moved to the handle of my blade. I drew my sword and readied myself. "Behind You!" I shouted at Alwyn.

He began turning to look past his shoulder, pulling his sword from its sheath as he noticed the large shadow looming over him. I began shouting to the nearby soldiers. "Everyone up! Be on your guard!"

Many of the men around us quickly grabbed their spears and shields, the archers began drawing back their bows, and we waited. In this moment of eerie silence I could hear my heartbeat getting faster. The shadow slowly crept forward through the smoke, at last we saw it...

A great serpent like head poking through the flames. Its face was scaled and its giant nostrils flared. The mouth of this horrid monster was agape and each of its teeth were like jagged blades. The smoke began to clear, revealing more of it. A neck as long as a tree, and broad muscled shoulders. This creature walked on four gigantic legs thick and scaled. On its back was a pair of wings, unlike a bird these were thick leathery sheets that seemed to stretch across joints. It had a long spiked tail that seemed as if it had a mind of its own.

In that instant Captain Alwyn stepped forward with his sword in hand and began to shout. "Do not let this beast drive fear into your hearts men! Fight! Fight for our fallen, and for those who still draw breath! Onward to Vic .'' He was cut off, the creature lunged forward, swallowing his entire body with a single bite, before you could blink he was gone. Its nostrils flared and its tongue crept out of its mouth. Its teeth were caked with blood and it almost seemed pleased with itself. Its muscles flexed and it began tearing into the troops with its clawed hands. It tore into them, crushing their armor and spraying blood across the ground. Men were being thrown through the air, eaten, and crushed.

I couldn't move. I just stood there stunned, watching as my fellow soldiers were ripped apart. After a few seconds I regained control of my body and could once again react. The archers behind me began firing at the creature in sporadic bursts. Their arrows seemed to have little effect against it but they did manage to draw its attention.

With its reptilian eyes fixed on the group of archers behind me, it began lumbering in my direction.

Screams echoed around me and my heart was pounding. It was getting closer to me. In mere moments it nearly crushed me with one of its clawed hands but I managed to dive out of the way, rolling into a ditch. I quickly shot up and glanced behind me.

The creature was standing above a cluster of archers and its mouth began glowing orange, the air began to heat up around us. Its head pulled back and it released a spray of fiery death, the archers were incinerated instantly and it continued, burning everything. The heat was unbearable and the screams of agony had no end.

After what felt like an eternity, it finally stopped. The creature's head hung low, releasing that much liquid flame seemed to have worn it out. I stood up out of the pit with my sword in hand and slowly began walking towards the beast.

It's back was to me and it seemed to be focused on the others. My walk picked up into a run, and then a sprint. This was it, my chance. With my sword raised high in the air I swung down at it, hoping to wound it in some way but it was of no avail.

Its long tail whipped around at me knocking my blade to the side. I rolled out of the way to retrieve my sword. It turned in my direction and attempted to claw at me. I just barely managed to slide under its arm and in that moment I stabbed my sword into the underside of its massive body.

It let out a bellow of pain and snarled down at me. A dark ichor dripped from the wound I had made, but it was nowhere near defeated.

With my sword stuck in the creature's flesh I pulled out a hand axe and began chopping into a small area on its torso, just between two scales. Before I could react, the monster grabbed me with its other claw. I could feel it crushing my body, the flesh of my chest began to tear open, and many of my ribs were broken. My body went limp and it tossed me away.

As I flew through the air I knew it was over. I had failed... I hit the ground tumbling into the dirt. Blood began pooling beneath me. All I could see was the sky above me and the glow of red flames around me.

"Is this it..? Is this...the end?" I thought to myself as my vision began to blur.

Everything went dark and my mind went blank.