my first orginal fantasy story...*dies of happiness*
Welcome to my first ever original fantasy story, A Dragon's Duel! Please comment, and be gentle with the rotten fruit, though concrit is welcome. Oh, and, here's a quick pronunciation guide for the characters' names:
Mir'n: Me-REHN
Tar'k: TEAR-ik
Pyro'k: PIE-rock
Blizro'k: bliz-ROCK
Ileia: ill-LAY-uh
And here's the story, enjoy!
A Dragon's Duel
“Come on, Tar'k! You're such a slowpoke!” Mir'n, teased her friend, running up the hills toward the crumbling castle.
“Mir'n! No fair! Just because you're the fastest kid in town!” Tar'k panted, struggling to catch up. The lanky boy should have been the better runner of the two, but he was awkward on his long legs, like a colt learning to walk.
Mir'n finally paused by the gates of the castle, the wood of which had long since rotted away. When Tar'k caught up with her, they walked into the cool, dim entrance hall of the castle together. The stone floor and walls echoed the sounds of their footsteps, throwing it up to the high ceiling before bouncing it around on the walls.
“Woah,” both children breathed.
“This is amazing...” Tar'k breathed.
“Yeah...” Mir'n agreed, walking slowly towards the single door on the far end of the antechamber.
“Hey, Mir'n?” Tar'k sounded nervous.
Mir'n turned to her friend and grinned, obsidian eyes shining. “Don't you want to see if the rumors about the dragons sleeping below the castle are true?” she pulled open the door, revealing a set of weathered stone stairs, the corridor they led through lit by bracketed candles.
Tar'k gulped upon seeing that. “How can those candles still be burning? No one has lived in this castle for hundreds of years...”
Mir'n giggled. “Maybe the fire dragon found out we were coming.” and she ducked down the stairs.
Tar'k gave a strangled yelp, following. “Hey, Mir'n, wait for me!”
The stairs led to a long, narrow chamber where the torches again burned brightly, illuminating the large, wooden chandelier on the ceiling, as well as the frozen knight and mounted knight who were chained to it.
Tar'k swore at the sight, and Mir'n gave a short shriek.
“Well, that was a scare...” she breathed after she had recovered from the shock.
“Sure was...” Tar'k agreed. “Hey, look! Another door!”
When opened, the door revealed a small, dimly lit room where the ceiling had crashed down from above at one end, nearly to Mir'n's head. Catty corner to the door they'd entered was another door.
Mir'n opened it, revealing a wide, downward sloping tunnel with skulls and other various bones protruding from the walls.
“How creepy...” Tar'k whispered, stepping in and beginning to walk down the tunnel. Mir'n followed quickly, nodding in agreement to his statement. After she bumped into him for about the tenth time, Tar'k turned. “Mir'n, what's wrong with you!?”
“I don't like skeletons...” she whispered pitifully, clutching onto his sleeve.
Tar'k sighed, putting an arm around her slim shoulders. “I forgot. Sorry about that. But I still don't understand
what scares you so much about bones. They're just the remains of dead people.”
“I know, but...the sightless stare and mindless grin of a skull...it's just so creepy.” Mir'n said, squeezing her eyes shut.
They walked in silence for awhile, until they reached another stone room, this one with a pair of dragons with entwined tails painted on the far wall. One dragon was red, with flames coming from it's mouth, directed at the other dragon, a cerulean creature that was firing ice from it's mouth at the fire dragon. There was a door on the wall to the side of each dragon.
“So which door are we taking?” Tar'k asked.
“I don't know...” Mir'n said, still staring at the fire dragon in awe.
“How about this: we'll split up, explore a bit, and meet back up in twenty minutes.” Tar'k suggested.
“But, what if there's another skeleton-filled tunnel beyond this door? I'll freak out without you there, Tar'k!”
Tar'k eased open the door on the fire dragon's side. “There. It's normal stone. You can take that one.”
He crossed over to the door on the ice dragon's side, opened it, and disappeared into the tunnel beyond. Mir'n gulped, looking in the direction Tar'k had gone for a minute before heading through the tunnel beyond the fire dragon's door, sighing in relief that the stone walls and tunnels were indeed stone all throughout.
The tunnel ended at a wooden door that appeared to have been battered viciously from the inside. Mir'n gulped nervously and grasped one of the metal rings that served as a “doorknob”, pulling with all her strength until she could slip through the doors. The sight that met her eyes brought her to her knees in awe.
In the center of the room lay the fire dragon from the picture in the room where she and Tar'k had split up, pinned to the floor by the ice pillars that had plunged through its wings. Mir'n couldn't help but to walk forward and kneel before the mighty beast. “How magnificent...” she breathed.
The eyes of the fire dragon opened, and a piercing, burning golden gaze met Mir'n's own. Aren't you going to free me? A deep, silky baritone voice asked in her head.
“Huh? F-free you?”
Yes. Only someone who is related to Princess Ileia has the power to do so, and since you are descended from her...
“But who are you, anyway?” Mir'n asked, the tone of her voice equal parts awe and fear.
The dragon lowered it's head in the best bow he could manage. I am the great fire dragon, Pyro'k, personal dragon of Princess Ileia.
Mir'n gulped and nodded, removing first one ice pillar, then the other. Pyro'k stood, flapping his wings and released a column of fire towards the ice covered ceiling. At last, I'm free! He turned to Mir'n and swept a proper bow. Thank you. I am in your debt.
Mir'n blushed slightly. “Don't mention it. Really, it's nothing...”
They were interrupted by the sound of a fierce, joyful roar echoing throughout the castle. Pyro'k growled. Blizro'k...
“Blizro'k?” Mir'n echoed in confusion. “Who's that?”
The evil ice dragon who imprisoned me here. Ileia had managed to seal her with the last of her strength, but now that she's been released...
Mir'n gasped. “My friend Tar'k came to the castle with me and went through the ice dragon door. He must have freed her by mistake!”
Pyro'k growled. Your friend is in grave danger then. Blizro'k is evil and manipulative. He may already be under her control. Here, get on. He crouched on all fours, allowing Mir'n to climb up onto his neck. Then, he took off running, down the wide halls to the room where Mir'n and Tar'k had split up, then blasted Blizro'k's door off it's hinges and ran down that hall, till they came to an open door and an empty room.
“It's...empty?” Mir'n said, making to get down from Pyro'k.
Stay where you are. Pyro'k said, looking around. Blizro'k is very good at hiding.
“I'm glad to hear you remember me so well, Pyro'k.” came a coldly amused woman's voice. It's owner was tall and looked like a faerie tale elf, with pale skin and long, deep blue hair, wearing a bluish-white dress that sparkled in the dim the light.
“I thought you said Blizro'k was a dragon.” Mir'n whispered to Pyro'k.
She is. That form is an illusion, probably to trick your friend.
Blizro'k chuckled. “One thousand years of imprisonment, and still so clever, Pyro'k.”
Pyro'k growled, opening his mouth to shoot a column of fire at Blizro'k, when a smaller figure with paler hair than Mir'n dove in front of her with open arms, acting as a living shield. “Don't touch her!” Tar'k growled.
Mir'n gasped. “T...Tar'k...why...?”
Blizro'k smiled at Tar'k. “Oh, thank you so much for saving me from that evil dragon, Tar'k!” she threw her arms around him from behind.
Mir'n slid down off Pyro'k's neck and ran over to Tar'k, shaking him by the shoulders. “Tar'k, snap out of it! Blizro'k is...I don't know, manipulating you somehow, but the point is, she's evil!”
Tar'k shook his head. “Pyro'k is the evil one. Fire destroys everything it touches, and keeps consuming until there's nothing left. Fire is a gluttonous monster, and Pyro'k is the master of fire, the master of the monster. Blizro'k told me about all the villages and fields Pyro'k has burned. That's why he was sealed away!”
Mir'n shook his head. “No, that's a lie! Princess Ileia wouldn't have kept an evil dragon by her side!”
“She didn't. Blizro'k was the princess's personal dragon, not Pyro'k.” Tar'k answered.
That's a lie! Pyro'k roared. How dare you belittle Ileia by suggesting that she would have allied herself with a creature as evil as you, Blizro'k! He shot a jet of fire at her, and Mir'n pushed Tar'k to the floor so he couldn't take the blow for her.
Blizro'k went flying across the room and slammed into the opposite wall. “Blizro'k!” Tar'k cried, rushing over and kneeling by her side.
Mir'n sat up from where Tar'k had pushed her down, trembling. “Tar'k...I can't believe you...I thought you were better than this...what did she offer you if you freed her?”
“The chance to help people.” Tar'k said. “And the power to make sure no other children share my fate. And all I have to do is help her defeat the evil Pyro'k. Why can't you understand that, Mir'n? I thought you, at least, would understand!”
“Tar'k,” Mir'n began, but Pyro'k scooped her up and flew towards the ceiling. Where Mir'n had just been standing, a stalagmite made of ice had pierced the floor, obviously thrown by Blizro'k. “There!” she cried. “Why would Pyro'k have saved my life just now if he weren't good? If he was as evil as Blizro'k has told you, why would he care if an ordinary little human girl like me died?”
“You are a sadly illusioned child.” Blizro'k said coldly. “He only saved you because as a descendant of Ileia, you are the only one who can restore him to full power. It would be foolish of him to let you die before then, no matter how meaningless you are to him.”
“I don't want to hear it, Blizro'k!” Mir'n cried. “If you're as good as you claim, why try to kill me, a defenseless girl, even if I can to restore him to full power! Surely there are other methods to keep me from doing it, especially for someone as powerful as you!”
Tar'k's hypnotized eyes began to clear slightly as he heard this. “Mir'n...” he murmured.
“Listen to me, Tar'k! Someone as noble as Blizro'k claims to be would never kill a defenseless child like me, no matter what kind of powers that child had! And anyway, just because I have that power, it doesn't mean I'll use it! If I don't unlock Pyro'k's full powers, what motive, what right does she have to kill me!?”
Tar'k' eyes became fully clear and widened. “Mir'n...” then his eyes clouded over again, and he looked sad. “I thought you of all people would understand...” he looked over to Blizro'k. “I'm ready now, to help you defeat Pyro'k.”
“And Mir'n?” Blizro'k asked, stroking his hair.
“I had hoped she could be saved...” Tar'k said, resting his hands on her shoulders.
Blizro'k shook her head. “I'm sorry. Pyro'k's evil controls her much too deeply. She can't be saved.”
“Alright, then.” Tar'k whispered, looking pained. “If you're sure she can't be saved...”
Blizro'k transformed into a pale blue dragon the same size as Pyro'k, and Tar'k climbed onto her neck.
“Pyro'k...” Mir'n whispered, clutching onto the fire dragon's horns. “Do we have to fight them? I...don't want Tar'k
to get hurt because of that evil dragon...”
I'm afraid it's unavoidable. However, I will take care not to catch Tar'k in my flame attacks. Pyro'k promised.
“Thank you, Pyro'k. That's all I ask.” Mir'n whispered, laying her head down below his “crown” of horns. 'But are you the one who's telling the truth, or...is it Blizro'k?'
She held onto Pyro'k's horns tightly as he swooped, arched, dove, and barrel-rolled in midair to dodge the ice attacks Blizro'k threw relentlessly. She couldn't help but notice the look of fear on Tar'k's face as Blizro'k's flight became more and more wild, about a hundred times more so than Pyro'k's. But he didn't duck or avert his hypnotized eyes. 'She must not be letting him move...poor Tar'k is terrified of heights, and he gets motion-sick so easily...'
Eventually, Pyro'k shot a column of flames that hit Blizro'k's wing and forced her to land. Pyro'k roared in victory and flew out of the castle with Mir'n still clutching his neck. He landed a distance behind it, and she climbed off.
“Pyro'k...” she began.
Which of us was telling the truth? He finished. Who do you think?
“I'm...still not entirely sure, but...I'm more inclined to believe you, right now, Pyro'k.
Why's that? The fire dragon asked.
“Tar'k...is smart, and a good judge of character. She wouldn't have had to hypnotize him into trusting her if she was really good. And, well, you haven't hypnotized me, so...”
Ah, but how do you know that? I could've given you a post-hypnotic suggestion that made you think you weren't hypnotized. Pyro'k sounded amused.
“But...don't you have to make someone clear their minds and follow a certain object with their eyes to hypnotize them?” Mir'n questioned.
A rich, deep laugh echoed through Mir'n's head. True enough. True enough.
“Hey, Pyro'k...” Mir'n said, totally serious now.
Yes?
“Do you think...it's too late to save Tar'k?” the question came out as a fearful whisper.
He does seem to have been completely overwhelmed by Blizro'k's magic...Pyro'k began, then, seeing the look of grief on Mir'n's face, continued quickly. But there is a way to free him from the spell.
“How!? How!?” Mir'n demanded. “Tell me!”
You are a descendant of Ileia. She was very gifted in magic, and since that gift has been passed down through the women of her family, you are gifted as well. Blizro'k left something out about your powers: not only can you unlock my full powers if you choose, you can also break the spell your friend is caught in.
“How?”
There's an artifact hidden in the castle catacombs that will help you. Something that once belonged to Ileia that will help you focus your magic towards breaking Blizro'k's spell.
“The...catacombs? That creepy place with all the bones in the walls?” Mir'n squeaked. “I can't go back there alone!”
Who said anything about being alone? I'm coming with you, since I know what it looks like.
“But...it's a teeny-tiny little tunnel...how will you fit, Pyro'k?”
Pyro'k laughed again, then transformed into a human form like the one Blizro'k had taken earlier. It was male, with piercing golden eyes, tanned skin, and a mane of shaggy red hair, dressed all in in brown. “So,” he said, putting an arm around Mir'n's shoulders, “shall we go?”
Mir'n nodded, and they set off, creeping through the antechamber, then the hall with the frozen knights, the small, caved in room, then the entrance to the catacombs. Mir'n shuddered, and Pyro'k's arm tightened around her shoulder.
“How, um, how deep in this artifact, Pyro'k?” Mir'n asked nervously.
“Fairly deep, towards my chamber so that Blizro'k can't get to it.”
“But what if she sent Tar'k?” Mir'n questioned.
“He couldn't do it either. The heat around my chamber...is so intense that nothing even associated with Blizro'k can come close without being burned.”
“I see...and...what about me?” Mir'n squeaked.
“No, you won't get burned. Your blood-ties to Ileia keep you safe from the heat that surrounds my chamber.”
Mir'n gave a sigh of relief. “Well, that's good to know.”
Just as Pyro'k had said, the heat became more and more intense as they went deeper and deeper into the catacombs. Finally, they turned a corner and saw a steel door further down in the tunnel. Pyro'k pointed to it.
“That's the entrance to my chamber. So, it should be right around here...”
“Remind me again what we're looking for...” Mir'n said, clinging onto Pyro'k's arm.
“A necklace.” replied Pyro'k. “A ruby teardrop on a gold ribbon.”
“To symbolize your partnership?” Mir'n asked, glancing around to try and notice a flash of gold and red amongst all the gray-white bones and the dimness of the tunnel. Her eyes came to rest on a skeletal torso sticking out from the wall. Around it's neck was the necklace Pyro'k had just described to her.
“Pyro'k!” she whispered, pointing.
“Excellent.” Pyro'k swept over and seized the necklace, then went back to Mir'n and secured it around her neck. The ribbon felt cool against her skin, as she had expected, but the stone...it felt warm, as if it had lain in the sun for a few hours, rather than in the darkness for a thousand years. She gasped. “The stone...it's warm...”
“Yes. That ruby...is a crystallized spark of my fire.” Pyro'k said.
“Oh, wow...” Mir'n whispered. They headed up again, away from Pyro'k's chamber, until the heat was just a memory. But as soon as they reached the cooler upper catacombs, the frozen knight from the long room above came towards them, sword drawn.
A blast of fire from Pyro'k destroyed it, only to reveal the mounted knight behind him. He charged, guiding his horse around Pyro'k and towards Mir'n. “No...STAY AWAY!” she shouted, and a jewel-like shield appeared before her and repelled him. Pyro'k blasted it with fire, destroying it. “Come on, we have to hurry! She's found us out!” he scooped Mir'n onto his back, using one hand to hold onto her, and the other to blast fire at the animate skeletons that continued to come at them till they charged out of the catacombs and slammed the door in the caved in room shut behind them.
A roar echoed up from below, as well as the sounds of crashing and crunching. Pyro'k picked Mir'n up again and ran with all his might out the front doors and down to the lawn, where he set Mir'n before returning to his true, draconian form.
Only seconds later, Blizro'k appeared in the sky above the castle, Tar'k as motionless as ever on her back, and for some reason, he seemed paler, thinner.
“What's she doing to him?” Mir'n asked Pyro'k fearfully.
Probably draining his life energy to augment her own powers. Pyro'k said, dodging an attack in the form of a
gigantic ice spear headed toward his wing.
“Will she kill him?” Mir'n asked the fire dragon, clinging to his horns for dear life as he performed more aerial acrobatics to dodge Blizro'k's attacks.
If she believes it will help her gain more power...there is nothing Blizro'k won't do. Pyro'k replied grimly, shooting a spiral of fire at the ice dragon's nearest wing. It hit the lower edge of her wing, causing her to hiss in pain. On her neck, Tar'k grew nearly white as the wing began to regenerate.
“Stop it! Don't kill him! Don't hurt Tar'k anymore!” Mir'n cried, standing up on Pyro'k's neck.
Something gleamed behind Blizro'k's ice-blue eyes, and she shot a wall of ice at the now exposed Mir'n.
Pyro'k roared, lowering his head so that his horns shielded Mir'n. Mir'n, stay down! Blizro'k's already proven she won't hesitate to try and kill you!
“But...Tar'k...”
It's not too late for Tar'k yet. When Blizro'k falls, the energy she took from him will be returned.
“But how do we beat her...she seems so strong...”
Pyro'k hissed, deflecting another ice attack with a wall of flames. That's only because she managed to seal some of my power away during our duel one thousand years ago...if not for that, we would be evenly matched!
“Then I'll unseal it! Blizro'k herself said I had the power to do it if I wanted, and I want to now, to save Tar'k. Just tell me how.”
Before Pyro'k could answer, Blizro'k shot another wave of ice at them. Pyro'k flew higher in an attempt to dodge it, but it followed, striking him in the chest, right over his heart. Pyro'k hissed in pain, falling to the ground.
He reverted into his “human form” a safe distance from the ground and curled himself around Mir'n, protecting her from the impact that made him let out another draconian roar.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Good luck trying to give power to a corpse, girl! Blizro'k crowed triumphantly, flying back to the castle.
“Pyro'k! Pyro'k, please! You can't be dead, you can't!” Mir'n cried, shaking the prone dragon-turned-man with all her strength. When he still didn't move, she buried her face in her hands, weeping soundlessly. A single tear escaped, rolling down her chin, then falling and striking the crystallized spark on the necklace.
The spark began to burn against Mir'n's throat, also glowing brightly. She undid the removed the necklace from around her neck and studied it. “A crystallized spark from Pyro'k...but would good will that do?”
“That's no mere spark, child.” a regal, yet maternal woman's voice whispered in her ear. “Pyro'k's heart is an
eternal flame, from which he produces all his fire attacks. Blizro'k's ice has frozen that flame, but not extinguished it. Between you, him, and myself, the spark in this necklace has the power to melt Blizro'k's ice.”
“Like this?” Mir'n asked, laying the spark on Pyro'k's ice-covered chest.
“That's the way, child. When the ice melts, he will awaken. Take good care of my dragon, Mir'n, and farewell.”
“Yes, Princess Ileia.” Mir'n whispered, finally realizing who's voice had been guiding her. She watched in awe as the ice around the spark melted away, allowing a small fire to surround the spark and expand as the ice melted, until the only remaining trace of the ice was a scar in the shape the ice had hit him in.
Pyro'k stirred and opened his eyes. “Mir'n?”
“Pyro'k! Thank goodness you're okay!” Mir'n hugged him. “I was so worried! I didn't know if the spark thing would really work or not, and-”
“How did you know how to use the spark?” Pyro'k interrupted.
“I'll tell you later, for now, tell me what I need to do to restore you to full power.” Mir'n said. “I have to save Tar'k, and you're the only one who can help me. I don't care if you're the evil one or Blizro'k is, I just want my friend back!”
Pyro'k's eyes widened briefly, then softened as he grinned. He took the hand she held the spark in in both of his own, then said, “Just repeat after me.”
In the name of the kingdom...he prompted in her head.
“In the name of the kingdom,” Mir'n repeated.
And by the power of Ileia...
“And by the power of Ileia,”
I summon the power of the fire dragon...
“I summon the power power of the fire dragon,”
For the flames to come forth...
“For the flames to come forth,”
With limits removed.
“With limits removed.” Mir'n finished, and a sun-bright golden glow surrounded Pyro'k.
He returned to his true form, a large, deep red dragon with golden scales inside his wings and all along his belly, and golden spikes down his back. The only change was in the color of his eyes, which had gone from golden to a strange, reddish gold color.
“Did it work, Pyro'k? Do you...feel any different?” Mir'n asked, reaching out to tentatively touch the tip of his wing.
It worked, Mir'n. Don't worry about that. Pyro'k looked at her warmly, then looked toward the castle. But now we have more important business to attend to. You have to save your friend, and I have to destroy the creature who ended Ileia's life. Are you ready? He asked.
“As ready as I'll ever be, I guess.” Mir'n whispered, climbing onto Pyro'k's neck.
Pyro'k took off into the sky, flying towards the castle.
Meanwhile, within the castle, Tar'k lay on the makeshift bed Blizro'k had made up for him. He moaned weakly and clutched his chest, looking feverish. “It hurts...too hot...Blizro'k...help...” he whispered, unable to talk louder due to his dry throat.
Blizro'k kneeled beside him in her human form, sitting him up and pouring cold water down his throat. “Try and sleep now. You'll need all your strength soon. Pyro'k hasn't fallen quite yet, so we need to battle both him and Mir'n once more.”
Tar'k nodded slightly, then arched his back as a bolt of pain made it's way down his spine. “Blizro'k...why does it...hurt so?”
Blizro'k's only response was to lay a cool cloth on his forehead and tell him once again to gather all the strength he could for the final battle with Pyro'k. His last thought before slipping into unconsciousness was that she hadn't answered his question.
Pyro'k landed in the entrance hall of the castle with care, transforming into his human self as soon as Mir'n climbed down from his neck. They went down the stairs, and when they reached the entrance to the catacombs, he put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, and also to guide her in the places where no candles burned. When they reached the enormous room with the picture of Pyro'k and Blizro'k on the wall, they went through Blizro'k's door and followed the winding, sometimes ice-encrusted path to her chamber.
Blizro'k looked up in shock and outrage as the door was busted down by a serpent made of flames.
“Pyro'k...how dare you-”
“I dare because I don't want Ileia's sacrifice to be in vain.” Pyro'k stated calmly, melting the ice on the ceiling and letting it fall to the ground as heated rain.
Tar'k woke to the feel of warm rain on his face. He opened his eyes, and saw a woman who looked similar to
Mir'n kneeling over him. The only differences were that she had long hair, which was bound back in two pigtails, and her cheeks were devoid of freckles. She wore an old-fashioned purple gown with gold trim, as well as a green, velvety looking cloak that pinned to her shoulders with gold pins. She also wore a gold band around her head and a gold ribbon necklace with a single teardrop ruby on it.
He opened his mouth to speak, but she placed a slim finger to his lips to silence him. “Listen closely to what Blizro'k says now that she thinks you're unconscious.” then, she slowly vanished, and he could see Pyro'k and Blizro'k battling in their human forms, with Mir'n slightly behind Pyro'k, clutching something in her hands and looking determined.
“I'm impressed, Blizro'k. The human boy's life energy seems to be doing wonders for your power.” Pyro'k said, throwing a ball of fire at Blizro'k. She dodged, and it swooped around behind her, hitting her in the back. She hissed and fell to her knees momentarily, then rose, smirking.
“Yes, it is a truly amazing healing agent. I had forgotten how useful it could be...” she swept her hand toward Tar'k, and more of his life energy flowed into her. He screamed in fear at the sudden feeling of something draining him.
Blizro'k laughed. “You see, Pyro'k? I'm back at full power, and you're still sealed.” she threw an ice spear at him, which he fell over backwards trying to dodge.
“How do you know that?” Pyro'k asked, shooting twin columns of fire at her. Both only grazed her. “He's so weak by now from you soaking up his energy, he'd probably be dead from giving you a power boost like that. And if not, his life energy certainly won't restore you fully the next time around.”
Blizro'k glanced over at Tar'k's still form. “As much as I hate to say it, you're right. I've drained him so much already that he's of more use to me dead.” She said calmly, aiming an ice spear at him.
“No!” Mir'n shouted, tackling Blizro'k suddenly and causing her to drop the ice spear. “You can't! I won't let you hurt Tar'k anymore!”
Blizro'k pushed Mir'n away and seized her ice spear once again. “Meddlesome girl!” she made to throw the spear, but was stopped by an unexpected weight on the lower shaft.
She turned, to see Tar'k clutching it from a kneeled position on the floor. “Don't...hurt...my friend...” he panted, using the spear to help himself stand.
Blizro'k rounded on Tar'k with a snarl and grabbed his shirt collar, distracted long enough for Pyro'k to blast a large wave of fire at her back.
The ice dragon snarled in pain, one-handedly shooting ice at the fire dragon. Pyro'k dodged skillfully, only getting grazed a few times on one arm. Blizro'k's attention was drawn back to the two teens by Mir'n, who had picked up a nice, sharp chunk of ice and stabbed into Blizro'k's hand to get her to release Tar'k.
Blizro'k turned back to Mir'n, giving Pyro'k an opening to blast more fire at her. When Blizro'k's attention was once again diverted, Mir'n set to work freeing Tar'k from the bond Blizro'k had trapped him in with herself. As soon as he was freed, A noticeable change came over both himself and Blizro'k.
Tar'k began to seem stronger and healthier, and his eyes lost their glazed look, while Blizro'k began to slow up and even apparently age.
Blizro'k looked at Tar'k pleadingly. “Why...” it came out a weak whisper.
“I was conscious for your fight with Pyro'k long enough to hear you tell him that after your most recent drain of my energy, I had so little left that I was of more use to you dead.” he whispered, leaning on Mir'n for support.
Blizro'k took a tentative step towards him, opened her mouth to speak, then let out a scream as a steaming, red-golden blade burst through her chest. Her body melted around the sword, until only a dead, blackened dragon's heart encased in ice remained.
Pyro'k allowed the ice to melt away, before taking the heart off his sword and storing it in his cloak.
“Pyro'k...was that...” Mir'n began.
“Blizro'k's heart? Yes.” he turned toward the door. “Let's go. We have no reason to linger here anymore.”
The trio made their way up through the catacombs, and then out of the castle proper, into the warm summer twilight. Mir'n tilted her head up towards the sunlight. “It feels good to be back in the real world. It must be especially nice for you, Tar'k!” she smiled at her friend, obsidian eyes glowing.
“Definitely. I'd nearly forgotten what sunlight even was!” he stretched deeply, then glanced over at Pyro'k, who'd transformed back into a dragon. “Hey, Pyro'k...about that heart...you said it's Blizro'k's, but...”
“Yeah...why does it look like that?” Mir'n questioned, remembering her own curiosity about it.
Pyro'k sighed. Blizro'k was...created from the dead body of a water dragon from the same brood as me, my little sister, you could say. She was killed in an accident, and her unbeating heart was stolen from her corpse by a dark wizard, who coated it in ice and used it as the final ingredient for his instrument of evil: Blizro'k. He returned her to the castle, claiming he had returned my sister to life as good as new, but it soon became obvious that she wasn't the same as she had been. Because of the way she had been conditioned by the wizard before he returned her to us, she now only understood and responded to hatred. And eventually, on the wizard's orders, she even attacked Ileia, he former mistress. That's when our fight began.
Then came the day...Blizro'k went on a rampage in the castle, freezing or killing everyone. She had trapped me in the chamber you found me in, and Ileia sacrificed herself to seal Blizro'k away. You know the rest from there.
“So...that heart belongs to your sister dragon?” Mir'n asked.
Pyro'k nodded. That's right.
“So why don't we give her a proper burial then?” Tar'k suggested.
So Pyro'k clawed out a small “grave” just big enough to hold the heart. Mir'n laid it in the ground, and Pyro'k moved the dirt back into place, placing his claws over the fresh dirt, then tilted his head up and let out a thunderous roar in mourning.
“So I guess...the adventure's over then?” Mir'n asked after a few minutes of respectful silence.
Pyro'k shook his head lightly, chuckling. Now that the danger to our land has been eliminated, the people need solid, strong rulers. Preferably those descended from the last royals from one thousand years ago.
Mir'n looked clueless for a moment, then the expression changed to shocked and incredulous.
Tar'k laughed. “Looks like your adventure is just beginning, Mir'n!”
So, there's that, Tell me what you thought please.
Mir'n: Me-REHN
Tar'k: TEAR-ik
Pyro'k: PIE-rock
Blizro'k: bliz-ROCK
Ileia: ill-LAY-uh
And here's the story, enjoy!
A Dragon's Duel
“Come on, Tar'k! You're such a slowpoke!” Mir'n, teased her friend, running up the hills toward the crumbling castle.
“Mir'n! No fair! Just because you're the fastest kid in town!” Tar'k panted, struggling to catch up. The lanky boy should have been the better runner of the two, but he was awkward on his long legs, like a colt learning to walk.
Mir'n finally paused by the gates of the castle, the wood of which had long since rotted away. When Tar'k caught up with her, they walked into the cool, dim entrance hall of the castle together. The stone floor and walls echoed the sounds of their footsteps, throwing it up to the high ceiling before bouncing it around on the walls.
“Woah,” both children breathed.
“This is amazing...” Tar'k breathed.
“Yeah...” Mir'n agreed, walking slowly towards the single door on the far end of the antechamber.
“Hey, Mir'n?” Tar'k sounded nervous.
Mir'n turned to her friend and grinned, obsidian eyes shining. “Don't you want to see if the rumors about the dragons sleeping below the castle are true?” she pulled open the door, revealing a set of weathered stone stairs, the corridor they led through lit by bracketed candles.
Tar'k gulped upon seeing that. “How can those candles still be burning? No one has lived in this castle for hundreds of years...”
Mir'n giggled. “Maybe the fire dragon found out we were coming.” and she ducked down the stairs.
Tar'k gave a strangled yelp, following. “Hey, Mir'n, wait for me!”
The stairs led to a long, narrow chamber where the torches again burned brightly, illuminating the large, wooden chandelier on the ceiling, as well as the frozen knight and mounted knight who were chained to it.
Tar'k swore at the sight, and Mir'n gave a short shriek.
“Well, that was a scare...” she breathed after she had recovered from the shock.
“Sure was...” Tar'k agreed. “Hey, look! Another door!”
When opened, the door revealed a small, dimly lit room where the ceiling had crashed down from above at one end, nearly to Mir'n's head. Catty corner to the door they'd entered was another door.
Mir'n opened it, revealing a wide, downward sloping tunnel with skulls and other various bones protruding from the walls.
“How creepy...” Tar'k whispered, stepping in and beginning to walk down the tunnel. Mir'n followed quickly, nodding in agreement to his statement. After she bumped into him for about the tenth time, Tar'k turned. “Mir'n, what's wrong with you!?”
“I don't like skeletons...” she whispered pitifully, clutching onto his sleeve.
Tar'k sighed, putting an arm around her slim shoulders. “I forgot. Sorry about that. But I still don't understand
what scares you so much about bones. They're just the remains of dead people.”
“I know, but...the sightless stare and mindless grin of a skull...it's just so creepy.” Mir'n said, squeezing her eyes shut.
They walked in silence for awhile, until they reached another stone room, this one with a pair of dragons with entwined tails painted on the far wall. One dragon was red, with flames coming from it's mouth, directed at the other dragon, a cerulean creature that was firing ice from it's mouth at the fire dragon. There was a door on the wall to the side of each dragon.
“So which door are we taking?” Tar'k asked.
“I don't know...” Mir'n said, still staring at the fire dragon in awe.
“How about this: we'll split up, explore a bit, and meet back up in twenty minutes.” Tar'k suggested.
“But, what if there's another skeleton-filled tunnel beyond this door? I'll freak out without you there, Tar'k!”
Tar'k eased open the door on the fire dragon's side. “There. It's normal stone. You can take that one.”
He crossed over to the door on the ice dragon's side, opened it, and disappeared into the tunnel beyond. Mir'n gulped, looking in the direction Tar'k had gone for a minute before heading through the tunnel beyond the fire dragon's door, sighing in relief that the stone walls and tunnels were indeed stone all throughout.
The tunnel ended at a wooden door that appeared to have been battered viciously from the inside. Mir'n gulped nervously and grasped one of the metal rings that served as a “doorknob”, pulling with all her strength until she could slip through the doors. The sight that met her eyes brought her to her knees in awe.
In the center of the room lay the fire dragon from the picture in the room where she and Tar'k had split up, pinned to the floor by the ice pillars that had plunged through its wings. Mir'n couldn't help but to walk forward and kneel before the mighty beast. “How magnificent...” she breathed.
The eyes of the fire dragon opened, and a piercing, burning golden gaze met Mir'n's own. Aren't you going to free me? A deep, silky baritone voice asked in her head.
“Huh? F-free you?”
Yes. Only someone who is related to Princess Ileia has the power to do so, and since you are descended from her...
“But who are you, anyway?” Mir'n asked, the tone of her voice equal parts awe and fear.
The dragon lowered it's head in the best bow he could manage. I am the great fire dragon, Pyro'k, personal dragon of Princess Ileia.
Mir'n gulped and nodded, removing first one ice pillar, then the other. Pyro'k stood, flapping his wings and released a column of fire towards the ice covered ceiling. At last, I'm free! He turned to Mir'n and swept a proper bow. Thank you. I am in your debt.
Mir'n blushed slightly. “Don't mention it. Really, it's nothing...”
They were interrupted by the sound of a fierce, joyful roar echoing throughout the castle. Pyro'k growled. Blizro'k...
“Blizro'k?” Mir'n echoed in confusion. “Who's that?”
The evil ice dragon who imprisoned me here. Ileia had managed to seal her with the last of her strength, but now that she's been released...
Mir'n gasped. “My friend Tar'k came to the castle with me and went through the ice dragon door. He must have freed her by mistake!”
Pyro'k growled. Your friend is in grave danger then. Blizro'k is evil and manipulative. He may already be under her control. Here, get on. He crouched on all fours, allowing Mir'n to climb up onto his neck. Then, he took off running, down the wide halls to the room where Mir'n and Tar'k had split up, then blasted Blizro'k's door off it's hinges and ran down that hall, till they came to an open door and an empty room.
“It's...empty?” Mir'n said, making to get down from Pyro'k.
Stay where you are. Pyro'k said, looking around. Blizro'k is very good at hiding.
“I'm glad to hear you remember me so well, Pyro'k.” came a coldly amused woman's voice. It's owner was tall and looked like a faerie tale elf, with pale skin and long, deep blue hair, wearing a bluish-white dress that sparkled in the dim the light.
“I thought you said Blizro'k was a dragon.” Mir'n whispered to Pyro'k.
She is. That form is an illusion, probably to trick your friend.
Blizro'k chuckled. “One thousand years of imprisonment, and still so clever, Pyro'k.”
Pyro'k growled, opening his mouth to shoot a column of fire at Blizro'k, when a smaller figure with paler hair than Mir'n dove in front of her with open arms, acting as a living shield. “Don't touch her!” Tar'k growled.
Mir'n gasped. “T...Tar'k...why...?”
Blizro'k smiled at Tar'k. “Oh, thank you so much for saving me from that evil dragon, Tar'k!” she threw her arms around him from behind.
Mir'n slid down off Pyro'k's neck and ran over to Tar'k, shaking him by the shoulders. “Tar'k, snap out of it! Blizro'k is...I don't know, manipulating you somehow, but the point is, she's evil!”
Tar'k shook his head. “Pyro'k is the evil one. Fire destroys everything it touches, and keeps consuming until there's nothing left. Fire is a gluttonous monster, and Pyro'k is the master of fire, the master of the monster. Blizro'k told me about all the villages and fields Pyro'k has burned. That's why he was sealed away!”
Mir'n shook his head. “No, that's a lie! Princess Ileia wouldn't have kept an evil dragon by her side!”
“She didn't. Blizro'k was the princess's personal dragon, not Pyro'k.” Tar'k answered.
That's a lie! Pyro'k roared. How dare you belittle Ileia by suggesting that she would have allied herself with a creature as evil as you, Blizro'k! He shot a jet of fire at her, and Mir'n pushed Tar'k to the floor so he couldn't take the blow for her.
Blizro'k went flying across the room and slammed into the opposite wall. “Blizro'k!” Tar'k cried, rushing over and kneeling by her side.
Mir'n sat up from where Tar'k had pushed her down, trembling. “Tar'k...I can't believe you...I thought you were better than this...what did she offer you if you freed her?”
“The chance to help people.” Tar'k said. “And the power to make sure no other children share my fate. And all I have to do is help her defeat the evil Pyro'k. Why can't you understand that, Mir'n? I thought you, at least, would understand!”
“Tar'k,” Mir'n began, but Pyro'k scooped her up and flew towards the ceiling. Where Mir'n had just been standing, a stalagmite made of ice had pierced the floor, obviously thrown by Blizro'k. “There!” she cried. “Why would Pyro'k have saved my life just now if he weren't good? If he was as evil as Blizro'k has told you, why would he care if an ordinary little human girl like me died?”
“You are a sadly illusioned child.” Blizro'k said coldly. “He only saved you because as a descendant of Ileia, you are the only one who can restore him to full power. It would be foolish of him to let you die before then, no matter how meaningless you are to him.”
“I don't want to hear it, Blizro'k!” Mir'n cried. “If you're as good as you claim, why try to kill me, a defenseless girl, even if I can to restore him to full power! Surely there are other methods to keep me from doing it, especially for someone as powerful as you!”
Tar'k's hypnotized eyes began to clear slightly as he heard this. “Mir'n...” he murmured.
“Listen to me, Tar'k! Someone as noble as Blizro'k claims to be would never kill a defenseless child like me, no matter what kind of powers that child had! And anyway, just because I have that power, it doesn't mean I'll use it! If I don't unlock Pyro'k's full powers, what motive, what right does she have to kill me!?”
Tar'k' eyes became fully clear and widened. “Mir'n...” then his eyes clouded over again, and he looked sad. “I thought you of all people would understand...” he looked over to Blizro'k. “I'm ready now, to help you defeat Pyro'k.”
“And Mir'n?” Blizro'k asked, stroking his hair.
“I had hoped she could be saved...” Tar'k said, resting his hands on her shoulders.
Blizro'k shook her head. “I'm sorry. Pyro'k's evil controls her much too deeply. She can't be saved.”
“Alright, then.” Tar'k whispered, looking pained. “If you're sure she can't be saved...”
Blizro'k transformed into a pale blue dragon the same size as Pyro'k, and Tar'k climbed onto her neck.
“Pyro'k...” Mir'n whispered, clutching onto the fire dragon's horns. “Do we have to fight them? I...don't want Tar'k
to get hurt because of that evil dragon...”
I'm afraid it's unavoidable. However, I will take care not to catch Tar'k in my flame attacks. Pyro'k promised.
“Thank you, Pyro'k. That's all I ask.” Mir'n whispered, laying her head down below his “crown” of horns. 'But are you the one who's telling the truth, or...is it Blizro'k?'
She held onto Pyro'k's horns tightly as he swooped, arched, dove, and barrel-rolled in midair to dodge the ice attacks Blizro'k threw relentlessly. She couldn't help but notice the look of fear on Tar'k's face as Blizro'k's flight became more and more wild, about a hundred times more so than Pyro'k's. But he didn't duck or avert his hypnotized eyes. 'She must not be letting him move...poor Tar'k is terrified of heights, and he gets motion-sick so easily...'
Eventually, Pyro'k shot a column of flames that hit Blizro'k's wing and forced her to land. Pyro'k roared in victory and flew out of the castle with Mir'n still clutching his neck. He landed a distance behind it, and she climbed off.
“Pyro'k...” she began.
Which of us was telling the truth? He finished. Who do you think?
“I'm...still not entirely sure, but...I'm more inclined to believe you, right now, Pyro'k.
Why's that? The fire dragon asked.
“Tar'k...is smart, and a good judge of character. She wouldn't have had to hypnotize him into trusting her if she was really good. And, well, you haven't hypnotized me, so...”
Ah, but how do you know that? I could've given you a post-hypnotic suggestion that made you think you weren't hypnotized. Pyro'k sounded amused.
“But...don't you have to make someone clear their minds and follow a certain object with their eyes to hypnotize them?” Mir'n questioned.
A rich, deep laugh echoed through Mir'n's head. True enough. True enough.
“Hey, Pyro'k...” Mir'n said, totally serious now.
Yes?
“Do you think...it's too late to save Tar'k?” the question came out as a fearful whisper.
He does seem to have been completely overwhelmed by Blizro'k's magic...Pyro'k began, then, seeing the look of grief on Mir'n's face, continued quickly. But there is a way to free him from the spell.
“How!? How!?” Mir'n demanded. “Tell me!”
You are a descendant of Ileia. She was very gifted in magic, and since that gift has been passed down through the women of her family, you are gifted as well. Blizro'k left something out about your powers: not only can you unlock my full powers if you choose, you can also break the spell your friend is caught in.
“How?”
There's an artifact hidden in the castle catacombs that will help you. Something that once belonged to Ileia that will help you focus your magic towards breaking Blizro'k's spell.
“The...catacombs? That creepy place with all the bones in the walls?” Mir'n squeaked. “I can't go back there alone!”
Who said anything about being alone? I'm coming with you, since I know what it looks like.
“But...it's a teeny-tiny little tunnel...how will you fit, Pyro'k?”
Pyro'k laughed again, then transformed into a human form like the one Blizro'k had taken earlier. It was male, with piercing golden eyes, tanned skin, and a mane of shaggy red hair, dressed all in in brown. “So,” he said, putting an arm around Mir'n's shoulders, “shall we go?”
Mir'n nodded, and they set off, creeping through the antechamber, then the hall with the frozen knights, the small, caved in room, then the entrance to the catacombs. Mir'n shuddered, and Pyro'k's arm tightened around her shoulder.
“How, um, how deep in this artifact, Pyro'k?” Mir'n asked nervously.
“Fairly deep, towards my chamber so that Blizro'k can't get to it.”
“But what if she sent Tar'k?” Mir'n questioned.
“He couldn't do it either. The heat around my chamber...is so intense that nothing even associated with Blizro'k can come close without being burned.”
“I see...and...what about me?” Mir'n squeaked.
“No, you won't get burned. Your blood-ties to Ileia keep you safe from the heat that surrounds my chamber.”
Mir'n gave a sigh of relief. “Well, that's good to know.”
Just as Pyro'k had said, the heat became more and more intense as they went deeper and deeper into the catacombs. Finally, they turned a corner and saw a steel door further down in the tunnel. Pyro'k pointed to it.
“That's the entrance to my chamber. So, it should be right around here...”
“Remind me again what we're looking for...” Mir'n said, clinging onto Pyro'k's arm.
“A necklace.” replied Pyro'k. “A ruby teardrop on a gold ribbon.”
“To symbolize your partnership?” Mir'n asked, glancing around to try and notice a flash of gold and red amongst all the gray-white bones and the dimness of the tunnel. Her eyes came to rest on a skeletal torso sticking out from the wall. Around it's neck was the necklace Pyro'k had just described to her.
“Pyro'k!” she whispered, pointing.
“Excellent.” Pyro'k swept over and seized the necklace, then went back to Mir'n and secured it around her neck. The ribbon felt cool against her skin, as she had expected, but the stone...it felt warm, as if it had lain in the sun for a few hours, rather than in the darkness for a thousand years. She gasped. “The stone...it's warm...”
“Yes. That ruby...is a crystallized spark of my fire.” Pyro'k said.
“Oh, wow...” Mir'n whispered. They headed up again, away from Pyro'k's chamber, until the heat was just a memory. But as soon as they reached the cooler upper catacombs, the frozen knight from the long room above came towards them, sword drawn.
A blast of fire from Pyro'k destroyed it, only to reveal the mounted knight behind him. He charged, guiding his horse around Pyro'k and towards Mir'n. “No...STAY AWAY!” she shouted, and a jewel-like shield appeared before her and repelled him. Pyro'k blasted it with fire, destroying it. “Come on, we have to hurry! She's found us out!” he scooped Mir'n onto his back, using one hand to hold onto her, and the other to blast fire at the animate skeletons that continued to come at them till they charged out of the catacombs and slammed the door in the caved in room shut behind them.
A roar echoed up from below, as well as the sounds of crashing and crunching. Pyro'k picked Mir'n up again and ran with all his might out the front doors and down to the lawn, where he set Mir'n before returning to his true, draconian form.
Only seconds later, Blizro'k appeared in the sky above the castle, Tar'k as motionless as ever on her back, and for some reason, he seemed paler, thinner.
“What's she doing to him?” Mir'n asked Pyro'k fearfully.
Probably draining his life energy to augment her own powers. Pyro'k said, dodging an attack in the form of a
gigantic ice spear headed toward his wing.
“Will she kill him?” Mir'n asked the fire dragon, clinging to his horns for dear life as he performed more aerial acrobatics to dodge Blizro'k's attacks.
If she believes it will help her gain more power...there is nothing Blizro'k won't do. Pyro'k replied grimly, shooting a spiral of fire at the ice dragon's nearest wing. It hit the lower edge of her wing, causing her to hiss in pain. On her neck, Tar'k grew nearly white as the wing began to regenerate.
“Stop it! Don't kill him! Don't hurt Tar'k anymore!” Mir'n cried, standing up on Pyro'k's neck.
Something gleamed behind Blizro'k's ice-blue eyes, and she shot a wall of ice at the now exposed Mir'n.
Pyro'k roared, lowering his head so that his horns shielded Mir'n. Mir'n, stay down! Blizro'k's already proven she won't hesitate to try and kill you!
“But...Tar'k...”
It's not too late for Tar'k yet. When Blizro'k falls, the energy she took from him will be returned.
“But how do we beat her...she seems so strong...”
Pyro'k hissed, deflecting another ice attack with a wall of flames. That's only because she managed to seal some of my power away during our duel one thousand years ago...if not for that, we would be evenly matched!
“Then I'll unseal it! Blizro'k herself said I had the power to do it if I wanted, and I want to now, to save Tar'k. Just tell me how.”
Before Pyro'k could answer, Blizro'k shot another wave of ice at them. Pyro'k flew higher in an attempt to dodge it, but it followed, striking him in the chest, right over his heart. Pyro'k hissed in pain, falling to the ground.
He reverted into his “human form” a safe distance from the ground and curled himself around Mir'n, protecting her from the impact that made him let out another draconian roar.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Good luck trying to give power to a corpse, girl! Blizro'k crowed triumphantly, flying back to the castle.
“Pyro'k! Pyro'k, please! You can't be dead, you can't!” Mir'n cried, shaking the prone dragon-turned-man with all her strength. When he still didn't move, she buried her face in her hands, weeping soundlessly. A single tear escaped, rolling down her chin, then falling and striking the crystallized spark on the necklace.
The spark began to burn against Mir'n's throat, also glowing brightly. She undid the removed the necklace from around her neck and studied it. “A crystallized spark from Pyro'k...but would good will that do?”
“That's no mere spark, child.” a regal, yet maternal woman's voice whispered in her ear. “Pyro'k's heart is an
eternal flame, from which he produces all his fire attacks. Blizro'k's ice has frozen that flame, but not extinguished it. Between you, him, and myself, the spark in this necklace has the power to melt Blizro'k's ice.”
“Like this?” Mir'n asked, laying the spark on Pyro'k's ice-covered chest.
“That's the way, child. When the ice melts, he will awaken. Take good care of my dragon, Mir'n, and farewell.”
“Yes, Princess Ileia.” Mir'n whispered, finally realizing who's voice had been guiding her. She watched in awe as the ice around the spark melted away, allowing a small fire to surround the spark and expand as the ice melted, until the only remaining trace of the ice was a scar in the shape the ice had hit him in.
Pyro'k stirred and opened his eyes. “Mir'n?”
“Pyro'k! Thank goodness you're okay!” Mir'n hugged him. “I was so worried! I didn't know if the spark thing would really work or not, and-”
“How did you know how to use the spark?” Pyro'k interrupted.
“I'll tell you later, for now, tell me what I need to do to restore you to full power.” Mir'n said. “I have to save Tar'k, and you're the only one who can help me. I don't care if you're the evil one or Blizro'k is, I just want my friend back!”
Pyro'k's eyes widened briefly, then softened as he grinned. He took the hand she held the spark in in both of his own, then said, “Just repeat after me.”
In the name of the kingdom...he prompted in her head.
“In the name of the kingdom,” Mir'n repeated.
And by the power of Ileia...
“And by the power of Ileia,”
I summon the power of the fire dragon...
“I summon the power power of the fire dragon,”
For the flames to come forth...
“For the flames to come forth,”
With limits removed.
“With limits removed.” Mir'n finished, and a sun-bright golden glow surrounded Pyro'k.
He returned to his true form, a large, deep red dragon with golden scales inside his wings and all along his belly, and golden spikes down his back. The only change was in the color of his eyes, which had gone from golden to a strange, reddish gold color.
“Did it work, Pyro'k? Do you...feel any different?” Mir'n asked, reaching out to tentatively touch the tip of his wing.
It worked, Mir'n. Don't worry about that. Pyro'k looked at her warmly, then looked toward the castle. But now we have more important business to attend to. You have to save your friend, and I have to destroy the creature who ended Ileia's life. Are you ready? He asked.
“As ready as I'll ever be, I guess.” Mir'n whispered, climbing onto Pyro'k's neck.
Pyro'k took off into the sky, flying towards the castle.
Meanwhile, within the castle, Tar'k lay on the makeshift bed Blizro'k had made up for him. He moaned weakly and clutched his chest, looking feverish. “It hurts...too hot...Blizro'k...help...” he whispered, unable to talk louder due to his dry throat.
Blizro'k kneeled beside him in her human form, sitting him up and pouring cold water down his throat. “Try and sleep now. You'll need all your strength soon. Pyro'k hasn't fallen quite yet, so we need to battle both him and Mir'n once more.”
Tar'k nodded slightly, then arched his back as a bolt of pain made it's way down his spine. “Blizro'k...why does it...hurt so?”
Blizro'k's only response was to lay a cool cloth on his forehead and tell him once again to gather all the strength he could for the final battle with Pyro'k. His last thought before slipping into unconsciousness was that she hadn't answered his question.
Pyro'k landed in the entrance hall of the castle with care, transforming into his human self as soon as Mir'n climbed down from his neck. They went down the stairs, and when they reached the entrance to the catacombs, he put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, and also to guide her in the places where no candles burned. When they reached the enormous room with the picture of Pyro'k and Blizro'k on the wall, they went through Blizro'k's door and followed the winding, sometimes ice-encrusted path to her chamber.
Blizro'k looked up in shock and outrage as the door was busted down by a serpent made of flames.
“Pyro'k...how dare you-”
“I dare because I don't want Ileia's sacrifice to be in vain.” Pyro'k stated calmly, melting the ice on the ceiling and letting it fall to the ground as heated rain.
Tar'k woke to the feel of warm rain on his face. He opened his eyes, and saw a woman who looked similar to
Mir'n kneeling over him. The only differences were that she had long hair, which was bound back in two pigtails, and her cheeks were devoid of freckles. She wore an old-fashioned purple gown with gold trim, as well as a green, velvety looking cloak that pinned to her shoulders with gold pins. She also wore a gold band around her head and a gold ribbon necklace with a single teardrop ruby on it.
He opened his mouth to speak, but she placed a slim finger to his lips to silence him. “Listen closely to what Blizro'k says now that she thinks you're unconscious.” then, she slowly vanished, and he could see Pyro'k and Blizro'k battling in their human forms, with Mir'n slightly behind Pyro'k, clutching something in her hands and looking determined.
“I'm impressed, Blizro'k. The human boy's life energy seems to be doing wonders for your power.” Pyro'k said, throwing a ball of fire at Blizro'k. She dodged, and it swooped around behind her, hitting her in the back. She hissed and fell to her knees momentarily, then rose, smirking.
“Yes, it is a truly amazing healing agent. I had forgotten how useful it could be...” she swept her hand toward Tar'k, and more of his life energy flowed into her. He screamed in fear at the sudden feeling of something draining him.
Blizro'k laughed. “You see, Pyro'k? I'm back at full power, and you're still sealed.” she threw an ice spear at him, which he fell over backwards trying to dodge.
“How do you know that?” Pyro'k asked, shooting twin columns of fire at her. Both only grazed her. “He's so weak by now from you soaking up his energy, he'd probably be dead from giving you a power boost like that. And if not, his life energy certainly won't restore you fully the next time around.”
Blizro'k glanced over at Tar'k's still form. “As much as I hate to say it, you're right. I've drained him so much already that he's of more use to me dead.” She said calmly, aiming an ice spear at him.
“No!” Mir'n shouted, tackling Blizro'k suddenly and causing her to drop the ice spear. “You can't! I won't let you hurt Tar'k anymore!”
Blizro'k pushed Mir'n away and seized her ice spear once again. “Meddlesome girl!” she made to throw the spear, but was stopped by an unexpected weight on the lower shaft.
She turned, to see Tar'k clutching it from a kneeled position on the floor. “Don't...hurt...my friend...” he panted, using the spear to help himself stand.
Blizro'k rounded on Tar'k with a snarl and grabbed his shirt collar, distracted long enough for Pyro'k to blast a large wave of fire at her back.
The ice dragon snarled in pain, one-handedly shooting ice at the fire dragon. Pyro'k dodged skillfully, only getting grazed a few times on one arm. Blizro'k's attention was drawn back to the two teens by Mir'n, who had picked up a nice, sharp chunk of ice and stabbed into Blizro'k's hand to get her to release Tar'k.
Blizro'k turned back to Mir'n, giving Pyro'k an opening to blast more fire at her. When Blizro'k's attention was once again diverted, Mir'n set to work freeing Tar'k from the bond Blizro'k had trapped him in with herself. As soon as he was freed, A noticeable change came over both himself and Blizro'k.
Tar'k began to seem stronger and healthier, and his eyes lost their glazed look, while Blizro'k began to slow up and even apparently age.
Blizro'k looked at Tar'k pleadingly. “Why...” it came out a weak whisper.
“I was conscious for your fight with Pyro'k long enough to hear you tell him that after your most recent drain of my energy, I had so little left that I was of more use to you dead.” he whispered, leaning on Mir'n for support.
Blizro'k took a tentative step towards him, opened her mouth to speak, then let out a scream as a steaming, red-golden blade burst through her chest. Her body melted around the sword, until only a dead, blackened dragon's heart encased in ice remained.
Pyro'k allowed the ice to melt away, before taking the heart off his sword and storing it in his cloak.
“Pyro'k...was that...” Mir'n began.
“Blizro'k's heart? Yes.” he turned toward the door. “Let's go. We have no reason to linger here anymore.”
The trio made their way up through the catacombs, and then out of the castle proper, into the warm summer twilight. Mir'n tilted her head up towards the sunlight. “It feels good to be back in the real world. It must be especially nice for you, Tar'k!” she smiled at her friend, obsidian eyes glowing.
“Definitely. I'd nearly forgotten what sunlight even was!” he stretched deeply, then glanced over at Pyro'k, who'd transformed back into a dragon. “Hey, Pyro'k...about that heart...you said it's Blizro'k's, but...”
“Yeah...why does it look like that?” Mir'n questioned, remembering her own curiosity about it.
Pyro'k sighed. Blizro'k was...created from the dead body of a water dragon from the same brood as me, my little sister, you could say. She was killed in an accident, and her unbeating heart was stolen from her corpse by a dark wizard, who coated it in ice and used it as the final ingredient for his instrument of evil: Blizro'k. He returned her to the castle, claiming he had returned my sister to life as good as new, but it soon became obvious that she wasn't the same as she had been. Because of the way she had been conditioned by the wizard before he returned her to us, she now only understood and responded to hatred. And eventually, on the wizard's orders, she even attacked Ileia, he former mistress. That's when our fight began.
Then came the day...Blizro'k went on a rampage in the castle, freezing or killing everyone. She had trapped me in the chamber you found me in, and Ileia sacrificed herself to seal Blizro'k away. You know the rest from there.
“So...that heart belongs to your sister dragon?” Mir'n asked.
Pyro'k nodded. That's right.
“So why don't we give her a proper burial then?” Tar'k suggested.
So Pyro'k clawed out a small “grave” just big enough to hold the heart. Mir'n laid it in the ground, and Pyro'k moved the dirt back into place, placing his claws over the fresh dirt, then tilted his head up and let out a thunderous roar in mourning.
“So I guess...the adventure's over then?” Mir'n asked after a few minutes of respectful silence.
Pyro'k shook his head lightly, chuckling. Now that the danger to our land has been eliminated, the people need solid, strong rulers. Preferably those descended from the last royals from one thousand years ago.
Mir'n looked clueless for a moment, then the expression changed to shocked and incredulous.
Tar'k laughed. “Looks like your adventure is just beginning, Mir'n!”
So, there's that, Tell me what you thought please.