The Dragon Hunters

Piers sat on the dock overlooking the bay, watching the unnatural storm clouds rolling in. He sighed to himself, smoothing out the white and blue robes that marked him as a healer. His hair was tied up in the customary braid of the healers: braided straight down and wrapped around his head in a double loop to keep it out of his face. He brushed his long bangs out of his face and stood up, brushing the dirt and whatever else might be on the dock from his robes. He glanced behind him as the wind began to pick up, blowing his bangs and loose hairs from his braid into his face, and small droplets of rain began to fall from the sky.

He hurriedly walked back to the temple, making it before the downpour started. He shook his head, marveling at his luck for not getting caught in the heavy rains, and sighed again. This was the dragon's doing, he knew, because the noble of the town, his father, refused to pay the tribute of 200 gold pieces and a young virgin girl. One of the masters rushed into the temple, dripping we and coughing. Piers ran over to assist him.

"Master, what is the matter?" he asked anxiously, leading the man to a chair.

"This storm," the master replied softly. "It is the work of the dragon Marvial, isn't it?" Piers nodded slowly.

"Father refuses to pay the tribute," he stated. "He says he won't be bullied into it again. Something has to be done. Only our area of the continent is being affected by this evil dragon." The master was thoughtful for a moment, and then he stood up suddenly. "Master? What is it?"

"I think I can help you," he said slowly, rummaging around a large trunk toward the back of the temple. "Ah. Here it is." He pulled a sharp, long lance from the trunk. It tapered off to a thin point at the end. He held it reverently for a moment before passing it to Piers. Piers took it, staring at it in awe.

"Where did you get this from?" he whispered, his eyes wide.

"We've been holding onto this for centuries, waiting for the time of it's use," the master replied, putting a hand on Piers' shoulder. "And we now believe this is the time. This is being entrusted to you, Piers. Gather your friends and go. Face and defeat the dragon. This lance will help you."

---

Piers ran through the rain toward his house. He gathered the supplies he would need: clothes, food, knives and herbs, for he had a feeling his healing talents would be needed on this journey. He slung a pack over his shoulder, glancing around the room, and he started out of the house.

"Piers, where are you going?" a soft voice asked. He jumped, turning to face his mother, who stood in the doorway, watching him with concern. "And where did you get that lance? What are you planning?"

"Mother, please, there's something I have to do," Piers said, turning away. "I have to defeat that dragon." He left before his mother could protest.

---

Andres sat in his family's small farmhouse, watching the rain. He wondered where the sudden storm had come from. A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts. He twisted, turning to stand, but his younger sister Mariannah got there first.

"Andres, it's Piers!" she called, running into the front room. Piers stepped in, soaked from the rain, and Andres went running to meet him.

"Piers, what are you doing out in this weather?" he asked reproachingly. "You shouldn't be out, you'll catch your death!"

"I need your help, Andres. I need you to get your most useful items. Clothes, food, your bow, anything else you can think of that we may need. We're going on a journey."

---

Aldin sat in his father's merchant tent, watching the rain pour down and feeling a few drops leak through the roof of the tent and the tent flap as the wind steadily increased. He went out into the street, looking around for people, but not really expecting to find anyone.

He was surprised, therefore, to see two figures making their way down the road. He stepped out of the tent, squinting, and he saw they were his friends. He grabbed his sword and rushed up the road, skidding to a halt in front of his friends.

"Hey guys. Where are we going?"

---

Johhansen paced around the forest path outside of the city. He could see a storm over it, but he wasn't affected by it, even though he was only a few feet from the main gates. He had been contacted by Piers, asking him to meet their group outside of the city with all of the items he'd need for a lengthy journey to the mountains. He watched as the three young men made their way through howling winds, stinging rain and pounding hail to clear skies and birds chirping.

The men staggered out of the city, wiping rain water from their eyes, and stared at Johhansen, waiting patiently for them to approach him.

"You should go change," he said, pointing to the woods with a dagger. "I'd rather not get sopping wet because of you three." The three nodded, going into the woods to change. To pass the time, Johhansen sharpened his knives, testing their weight in his hand to make sure they were ready for throwing.

When the men finished changing, the four set off, looking at the dark mountains where the dragon Marvial lived. The journey through the small villages with their friendly, yet slightly worried, inhabitants was uneventful. The journey took almost a month, and when they reached the village of Mountain's Shadow, they were ready for a rest before they met the dragon.

They stopped in an inn for the night, resting and preparing their weapons for the battle that was sure to occur. They ate a sparing meal and drank only water, and they were gone with the dawn's first light.

There was a path that led to the top of the mountain. It was rocky and steep and slightly slippery, but it was manageable. It was nearing dusk, however, and they were nearly halfway up the mountain. They decided to set up camp for the night.

A campfire was started and tents were set up. The group huddled in silence, watching their surroundings with a keen eye, keeping watch for predators or even the dragon itself. Andres was looking around when he spotted a young girl standing near the edge of the path.

"When did she get there?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the girl. He reached for his bow, but Johhansen stopped him. He approached the girl, holding his hands out.

"What is your name?" he asked her.

"Angelique," the child replied in her high voice. Her blue eyes were wide and piercing. She had brown hair pulled into two braids that spilled down her back. "Will you help me find my way home?"

"Of course, Angelique. Where is home?" Johhansen asked. The girl pointed up to the top of the mountain.

"Mommy's waiting for me up there," she said solemnly. Johhansen, puzzled, led the girl to the camp.

"Where is she from?" Piers asked as the child drifted off to sleep.

"She pointed to the top of the mountain," Johhansen said softly, watching the child sleep.

"What do we do?" Andres asked, eying her suspiciously.

"We keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't do anything to get herself or us killed," Aldin said.

---

The men packed up the camp while Angelique watched, her wide eyes taking in their every move. Johhansen took hold of her hand and they started the day's climb up the mountain. They came to a fork in the path and stopped, unsure how to proceed.

"Which way?" Piers called, catching up to Johhansen and Angelique. Angelique closed her eyes and started slowly toward the fork.

"This way," she said opening her eyes and pointing toward the right fork. Johhansen nodded and they went up the path after the young girl. They finished the climb in around two hours and saw the cave where Marvial was said to dwell. Piers readied the lance and they crept closer. The dragon lay inside, sleeping. It wasn't a small dragon, but it wasn't overly large, either. The cave went deep into the mountain, filled with gold, silver and other treasures. There was no sign of any humans being in the cave. If there had been remains of the virgins sacrificed to the dragon, they had been swept away.

The dragon snorted, its large, reptilian eyes flying open, searching for the sound that had woken it up. Piers jumped back, but it was too late. The dragon roared, reaching out with a clawed hand to swipe at him.

Johhansen hid Angelique away, not wanting her to get in the middle of the fight before turning to help his friends. He raced into the cave, getting his knives ready. He threw one at the dragon's mouth and the other at it's wing. The one intended for the mouth missed, bouncing off the scaly nose of the beast, and the second one grazed the wing, but not enough to cause serious damage. The dragon roared in anger, reaching over to strike the irritating human, when something sharp pierced its wing. It roared in pain, rearing its head back to see that Piers had driven the lance through its wing.

The dragon was weakening because of the lance. It fell back, preparing to use a magic spell to end these miserable beings. Johhansen dodged an attack from its claw, nimbly rolling across the cave floor, picking up one of his knives and preparing for the kill. Aldin readied his sword, moving in to strike, when a tiny, female voice cried out.

"Mommy! Why are you hurting her?" The group turned to see Angelique standing in the entryway to the cave, looking confused and angry. "Stop hurting her!" The girl's body began to grow, and a soft blue light surrounded her. Her nose and mouth elongated and was covered in shimmering blue scales. Her hands morphed into claws, and her torso grew longer. Her legs grew large enough to support her weight and a tail thrashed behind her. Leathery dark blue wings sprouted from her back, and a young, angry dragon stood before them.

"Miriya!" the mother cried, rushing forward to approach her daughter. The group of humans got out of the way of the reunion, dumbfounded. Marvial turned back to the group. "You four, who have returned my beloved daughter to me. How can I repay you?" she asked.

"Take the curse of the storm off of our city, my father's city," Piers said, stepping forward boldly.

"You... you are Naviel's son?" she said, inching her head toward him.

"I am. And I will do anything for you, so long as you let my friends go free and release our city from the curse you put upon it."

"You must remain here with me, to help me care for my daughter and entertain us," Marvial said. Piers considered it for a moment before nodding.

"It is my destiny," he said softly, stepping toward the dragon. "My friends, take this pendant to my mother and tell her I am safe." Andres took the pendant and tucked it into his pocket.

"Piers... can we at least come visit you on occasion?" Aldin blurted out. Marvial laughed.

"Of course you may come visit him!" she said, placing her head on the floor in front of them. "I owe you that much for saving my daughter."

And so, with those parting words, Aldin, Andres, and Johhansen left the dragon's lair to sunshine and warm weather. They made their way back to the city and returned Piers' pendant to his family. Every month at the full moon, the group reunited in Marvial's cave under her watchful eye and caught each other up on the happenings. Everything was at peace once more.