Scorpion Dragon Option Bc1: Continue to Fight

Everyone’s a fighter this week! The vote was unanimous to try and finish off the dragon. Let’s see how this ends =)

Scorpion Dragon Option Bc1: Continue to Fight

Scorpus limps away from the beach. You hear his huffs of anger and pain with each step. Once he heals, he’ll be just as dangerous as he was when you first encountered him. Considering how many members of your family have disappeared because of this beast, you can’t just let him walk away.

You grip the sword hard enough that your knuckles turn white and run from the water. Scorpus doesn’t notice you until you race around and confront him. He snaps his teeth but the gesture’s halfhearted, like you’re a gnat buzzing around his head.

With a shout, you swing the sword. It slices a deep line down his snout that wells with blood.

You swing again before that blood falls and creates a bunch of tiny scorpions you have to contend with too.

Scorpus backs away while his tail rears up and smashes into the sand just to your right. His blood has now created a small horde. As you step forward to close the distance between you and the dragon, you kick at the mass of tiny scorpions and dozens of them fly into the water. They hiss and disappear.

Scorpus moves to bite at you again and you swing at the same time. The sword connects with his teeth, and slices right through three of them. The dragon steps backward, screeching.

His back leg hits the water and it starts to steam. He tries to step forward but you’re right there, preventing him from advancing.

Foam froths around the edges of his mouth in his anger and he swings his tail at you again even as you try to push him back farther. His aim’s off but, because you moved to swing again, the stinger of his tail hits the outside, fleshy part of your right arm. Instantly it goes numb and you almost drop the sword. Scorpus howls in victory. He raises his tail to sting you again.

You recover in time to swing the sword with your left hand. The swing wavers but still manages to slice part way into his tail.

The dragon shudders and steps back, not once, but several times, until all but his front legs are in the surf. Steam rises from the parts of him touching the water.

Your right side’s so numb you’re having issues standing. If you don’t finish this soon, you might collapse and Scorpus will get away.

In a last effort, you raise the sword and scream in defiance. Thankfully, it’s enough for the dragon to back away again. You don’t even have to swing. Between his small step and the tide coming in, he ends up completely standing in the water. He’s steaming so much that you’re surrounded by mist but you can still see the red dragon’s shape.

He shudders, then shrinks in a rapid combination of shudders and shrieks. Then he’s gone. You walk forward to make sure you didn’t miss Scorpus sneaking away but after a bit of searching, you’re sure he’s gone.

You haul yourself back onto the beach and lay down to rest. The mist slowly dissipates but your right side doesn’t seem to be regaining much sensation.

***

You search the island for the rest of the day and find, hidden within caves in the cliffs, a castle. The next day, you search the castle, but you don’t find anything resembling treasure or any person who might be the princess. There are signs of someone living there, but you never spot an actual person.

There are places that, because of your numb right side, you just can’t quite get to, but finally you resign yourself to going home without the treasure.

On your trip back, you decide to sell the sword. It’s not quite enough to cover your mother’s medicine but you make an agreement with the apothecary to work for him until the remainder of the cost is paid off.

You keep to the bargain and are still working at the apothecary but, in random moments of free thought, your mind returns to the sword. It feels, strangely enough, like it’s calling to you, like you shouldn’t have given it up. Someday, maybe, you’ll have to track it down and bring it back to your family. Until then, you suspect its loss will always haunt you.

The End

Well done. You managed to defeat the dragon!

Blessings and have a wonderful weekend,

Jennifer