The Armored Scavenger

Armored Scavenger's fan-fict
This is the second part of the series: The Scavenger Series #1: Darkness Rising
The first one is The Quest Begins
The next story after this one is The Winged Scavenger.
Feel free to comment. Enjoy reading! :)
== Prologue ==
Many years ago...
It was night when he got to the cavern. He ran and ran as fast as he could, trying to avoid any attention, especially from wandering dragon eyes. It was pouring outside and he was only relieved when he finally stepped into the dim cave. He didn't have much time.
He lit a torch while he walked deeper and deeper into the dark abyss. The cave was large, larger than most caves he had ever been inside before. Perfect, he thought. Surely no one would find him or what he possessed. He continued to explore. On the cave walls were paintings, paintings his very own ancestors drew. Some dated back to even before The Scorching, depicting what humanity once had and how much power they used to possess. But that's all over. It won't ever be that way again. 
He didn't realize how far he had gone, he couldn't even see the entrance anymore. The man looked around for something. He then found what he was looking for, a large pile of rocks. Aha! Surely no one will find them here.
Slowly he removed the rocks until he could start digging at the spot he had chosen. From his bag he took out his spade and pick-axe, quickly enough so he wouldn't see what else was in the sack. The ground was not as hard as he thought it was, so the man managed to dig a deep hole in a matter of minutes. When completed, he put aside the shovel and reached into the bag.
He pulled out a blue gemstone, blue topaz to be precise. Whenever he touched it, or merely was in the presence of it, he felt an odd sensation. It felt like excitement and anxiety, but fear and worry as well. No doubt the gem had some hidden power to it. This gem, if in the wrong hands, could only mean trouble, no matter the scale. He carefully placed it into the hole and began to bury it. May no one find it, ever! Unless we desperately need it, for heaven's sake it must stay hidden!
After the hole was filled he gathered all the rocks and boulders and put them back where he found them. Then after leaving the room inside the cave, he placed a bit of gunpowder by the entrance. He made a spark that hit the powder, and when he was a distance away it went off, rocks broke off from the ceiling, blocking any entry into the cave. The entrance was gone. He felt satisfied that no one could get in and left the area.
Waiting outside, though, was a group of armed men.
"Give it to us, Jaroslav! Give it now or you die." said the leader, angrily. Jaroslav took his bag and tossed it in front of them.
"I don't have it," smiled Jaroslav innocently. The leader of the group looked at him with fury and left with it as well.
We are safe for now, for now..." thought Jaroslav with relief. Soon his second son would be born, but he wondered if even he could find out the truth and if he could possess the gem. But he wished it could be his first-born, but who knew where he was.
Yet, more disturbing fears troubled him.
== Part 1: Knight Duties ==
=== Chapter 1: Friendly Conversation ===
The sun finally set and the night came. With two moons providing light, the five travelers continued to head to their destination, the Evergreen Division. Unfortunately, the path would lead them through mountains and perilous lands. With dragons roaming around it was going to be difficult, but the darkness helped to keep them out of sight.
The mountains never seemed to end. Everywhere the group looked there was just more of them. They traveled for days and days, hoping the forests would finally turn up.
After three days, they headed out. In a day they managed to gain some ground but they were forced to make camp once more. This time they wished they had picked a different location. By evening, two groups, armies of dragons, one red and one silver, fought. It was a bloody battle, bodies being slashed at, bones cracking, blood dripping, corpses falling out of the sky. The group left as quickly as they could. They never found out who won, or if there was a winner.
At certain times the group would rest and chat, mainly about the world around them. They had a particularly long talk after the battle. For the first time they talked about their personal life. Casimir took the first turn.
"Well, I hope we survive this. Have I ever told you my brother is very, very, very important?" he said.
"Only a million times..." teased Cecilia. She was younger then Casimir by one year and a half, and she was very comical. The others were Alexei, very smart and good in the outdoors. Ivan was very strong and quiet which seemed to make others question his intelligence. Even Casimir had his doubts, but he was sure Ivan 's brain was working.
"Anyway, when I was little my father died from a dragon attack. I was raised by my stepfather but all of my family died from dragons as well. I joined the Order and trained for about three years and now I'm here. My father was named Nowak, my stepfather Meckleburg, and I'm proud of both names. How about you Alexei?"
Alexei looked at his in the dark. His intelligent eyes carefully scanned the area they were in. Satisfied no one was there he began to talk. "My father is a wealthy man. He paid the Order so I could train there and become a knight. My mother helps him and so do my brothers. I'm probably the only person who has read nearly every book at the library. My family name is von Ross. So that makes me Alexei von Ross, I guess." he said.
Ivan's turn was next, but he didn't say a word. Casimir looked at him, not even surprised. He knew Ivan was the son of a warrior. Both his father and mother were soldiers and all he ever thought about was war. His family name was Kozlov.
But the only person's back story he didn't know was Cecilia. Now it was her turn. She began, "Well, you know my name is Cecilia. Cecilia Angeletti. My father was a fisherman in the eastern sea. He was very smart, never letting dragons know he was there, until one day." She paused and looked torn. Casimir, understanding her pain, put her hand on her shoulder. She continued, "So then I joined the Order, having no place to turn. My master was like a father and I miss him. But I really look forward to the next division." she concluded.
The group continued to chat. The next topic was the battle they witnessed. Alexei said there was a war between the dragon tribes. He said that the Order confirmed that it was a succession war for one of the tribes as a result of one of their queens being murdered by a human nearly twelve years ago. Even though many humans would be happy from this news, most were not. Dragons were even more aggressive to people nowadays.
The group fell asleep soon after that. It would be a long day tomorrow, just like the last ones.
=== Chapter 2: Dragon Attack ===
It was another long day. Fortunately the mountains were no longer an obstacle since they passed them. But now the four had to find a hidden castle and they had no idea where to look. They knew it was up north, but without a guide they had little hope of finding their way. Alexei said that it was a little east of the red mountain queen dragon's palace. What a great location, thought Casimir sarcastically. He knew that the division specialized in training to defend against dragons, but couldn't they have found a place where dragons couldn't actually see them easily.
The group eventually was at a point where they had to cross a river. Alexei noted that if they followed the river upstream they could get to the palace and then get to the castle. The others agreed and they set off. They had to take dragons into consideration. They were lucky so far, but how long would this rare luck last? It was easy to find cover when they spotted one, but now they were headed to a place crawling with them. Casimir saw squads of dragons, most likely warriors, flying overhead to some destination. He thought about the battle they had witnessed a few days earlier. He didn't know that dragons were so...complex. He heard tales of their knowledge and wisdom, and of how they might be as or even smarter than people. He shuddered at the thought.
It took them another three days until they reached the palace. Once it was in sight they advanced stealthily. Hundreds of dragons were flying around or coming to-and-fro. Never in their lives had they seen so many of them at once. Casimir wondered if humans were so numerous before the dark times. He buried that thought deep in his mind and caught up with the others. Now they had to cross the river.
Ivan insisted that he go first. The river was moving quickly but he was an excellent swimmer. He would have dove right in if it wasn't for Alexei and Cecilia.
"You can't go in!" they cried, almost in unison. Ivan, who almost leaped in stopped at the last second. Alexei and Cecilia explained that a boat would be a better idea. Cecilia had learned from her father about making them and she knew how to. Ivan gathered fallen logs and other resources to create the boat. With all four helping they managed to finish in a week. On one occasion a dragon spotted them and tried to go after the four humans, but they managed to conceal themselves in the forest until it gave up.
Now that the boat was done it was time for the river crossing. The river was moving rather quickly, but they were able to get across. Ivan was a strong rower and he probably could have done it himself. On the other side they sprinted to the forest nearby. Alexei, Cecilia, and Ivan continued to go while Casimir lagged behind. He couldn't help but look at the palace that was only a few miles away. It was large, larger than any human structure and probably housed more dragons then he could count. But one movement stopped him in his tracks. A dragon saw him. It was a little upstream but it saw him as clearly as Casimir could see it. Oh no! Casimir ran.
The dragon unfolded its wings and chased after him.
"RUN! DRAGON INCOMING!" yelled Casimir as loud as he could. The other three looked back in terror and began to run as well. Casimir hoped he could get to the forest or else it was over for him. The dragon was now flying right above him, ready to swoop down. Casimir screamed one long shriek. Never was he as terrified in his life as he was now. The crimson dragon seemed to be amused and continued to hunt its prey.
Just then Casimir heard the whinnying of horses. He looked ahead and on a wooded hill were his three friends and some strange armored men. Knights! Casimir felt relief come to him. But that quickly went away when he remembered a dragon could kill them all with little effort. Especially the red ones that could breath fire and fly better then any other tribe. It also seemed that the knights were waiting, they did not make any effort to assist him. It seemed like his companions tried to convince them to help but it was to no avail. Until one of them rode towards him.
This man wore shiny full-body plate armor. He wore a full helmet covering his entire face and armored gloves as well. To Casimir it seemed he was made of metal and that no weapon could harm him. His horse wore armor as well, which slowed both of them down even more. He remembered his brother's armor and how it was compared to his. Wladyslaw didn't wear full-body gear but rather it was more decorated and easier to move in. And from what Wlad told him it was surprisingly light unlike the knight's who was riding towards him. The dragon stopped pursuing Casimir and hovered above to see what was going on.
The knight got to Casimir first. He said something but it was muffled, however Casimir was certain it was 'get on'. Casimir mounted the horse and the knight rode away. Though they were a little slow it was still faster then on foot. They got to the hill just as the dragon came at them once more. Casimir saw that a row of archers shot arrows at the dragon. They continued to shoot until they ran out of arrows. But the arrows seemed to have done little. Those that hit the scales of the dragon did nothing and many bounced off, while those that hit at softer skin left only trickles of blood at worst, with some unusual green ooze.
But moments later the dragon looked as if in pain. The four young humans looked with surprise as the dragon hissed at them and retreated back to the palace. Casimir looked at the small group of warriors. They looked pleased but did not celebrate. In fact, some looked at him and his friends with scorn.
How could they force a dragon to retreat with only mere arrows? Were they not as strong as I thought? Casimir wondered. He turned to look at one of the archers, and he wore padded armor but no helmet, which revealed his grey hair and mousatche. He still had once arrow left. Young Casimir looked at the arrow and noticed a dull green substance at the part which hit, the arrowhead. This liquid dripped to the ground as the archer held it in his hand as if he was going to shoot again, perhaps at him this time.
Alexei walked over to him. He leaned over and whispered to his ear. "Poison," he said. Then it all made sense. The arrows were dipped with a poisonous substance. Even though it was not a lethal amount it still caused its victim a lot of pain and anguish. Dragons would need a fair amount of it to cause any effect for whatever particular poison it was. No doubt there was a cure for it in case someone shot someone else on accident.
A smile was on his face. It is rare for a human to survive a dragon attack, but at least it's not impossible.
=== Chapter 3: A New Home ===
It wasn't long before the group realized that they were with the Evergreen Division. The castle was not far away and within the hour they were there. The stories of it being well hidden were all true. The dense forest made it hard to find it up high in the sky, while the castle was covered with vegetation to conceal it from anyone on the ground. It looked as if the forest undid what humans did at first, but really it was humans who allowed it to. The green plants made it seem as if the place was abandoned by an ancient civilization. Anyway, no dragon could discover this place without looking very closely and directly at it.
Casimir, Cecilia, Ivan, and Alexei were guided into the castle. It was not large but it had everything they needed. Here they would learn to survive in the forest and against the most dangerous of all humanity's enemies: the dragons. Archers and infantry are taught to perform impossible tasks while surviving against all odds. They met the man in charge, Guild Master Warren, and then they preceded to begin their training. Nothing much exciting happens to new learners except they review old tactics and learned a few new additional tips. It wasn't until a year later when their real test begins, the test every human must pass every time: the test of survival.
Casimir learned to be a gifted soldier, good at all forms of combat, despite the forest not being the most suitable place for one to become one. He learned how to ride a horse even more here, but still he did not feel satisfied with himself. Ivan decided to become an infantryman, the backbone of every army. Cecilia turned out to be a skilled archer and could hit an apple off a man's head from many yards away. Then lastly was Alexei, but he did not become a soldier. He was far better at leading troops and drawing up strategies then fighting. These decisions usually determine the fate of every individual, and they were no exception.
These fields were what the four friends trained in for the next half year. Six months and signs of them excelling in their choice was already noticeable.
Casimir also realized that this division was far better then Jade. First off, the instructors were not mean, strict yes, but not mean. Also, the teachers taught in small groups instead of one individual at a time. This meant they could not pick on someone as easily as before. The guild master was far better than Captain Joseph. He cared about his students and did not show off his wealth. Sometimes people wondered if he was wealthy or not, since he never wore anything of great value.
The students also respected each others' ideas and opinions, but sympathy towards dragon was not exactly accepted. But at least here no one could attempt to eliminate Casimir for his views. Casimir, now eighteen and a half, was now a nearly full-grown adult. He was well-built, yet he was not the toughest or strongest person there. He made many new friends but stayed close to his old ones even more. He liked to be alone, however, most of the time, riding his horse through the quiet forest. Anyway, every opportunity the four friends had they would gather at the courtyard or mess hall and talk or study together. Even if they were learning different things they still had interesting discussions.
It seemed very peaceful for the group during those months. Nothing bad had ever happened and yet they did not expect anything to happen at all for some time. As the dragon tribes were fighting their war, the scavenger nations, including the Order, were not in any conflict.
Little did they know of how unstable this peace was about to get.
=== Chapter 4: Patrol ===
Early one morning Casimir was on patrol with two other horsemen. They surveyed the area around the fortress for anything that could be a threat. With the sun barely rising over the mountain peaks, Casimir sleepily rode along, tired from waking up so early. The two others, a man and a woman, chuckled quietly each time Casimir seemed to doze off.
"Hey, son, if you don't keep up a dragon might come down and pluck you up," said the man jokingly.
Casimir moaned and went back to his dozed state. A large thump, however, woke him up. The horses whinnied and the three tried to control them.
"What was that?," whispered Casimir nervously.
The man, who was garbed in a green tunic, got off his horse and tip-toed over to a tree nearest to where the noise came from. He looked but saw nothing.
"I think we're getting paranoid. Let's just get this patrol done and return home." he said, trying to act as if nothing was going on. But when he looked back he froze, his eyes filled with fear, wide awake. He screamed, his words making no sense.
Casimir and the mounted woman slowly looked behind them. No more than fifty feet or so was the being in all of their nightmares. A gigantic, scarlet-colored, fire-breathing dragon on all fours was there. It seemed it didn't notice them yet.
Quietly, the man mounted his horse and the three rode away, barely moving a few feet per minute. They would have gotten away easily if it wasn't for a single tree branch. Casimir accidentally rode over a twig or small branch and it cracked. At that moment only one phrase popped into their minds: Get away!
The four humans galloped away as fast as they could. The dragon heard the noise of the branch braking and turned around. It saw three scavengers on horses, riding away from them. Surprisingly it did not pursue, but the humans did not realized that until later. For now getting to the safety of their fortress was the only thing they cared about. They looked for nearly an hour or so until they found it. They quickly, but quietly, hailed the guards, who let them in. The guard saw their frightened expressions and asked what was the matter.
"There was a dragon! Not a mile or two from here!" said the man who was on the patrol.
The guard looked troubled but not surprised by the news. "Dragons are not hard to find, they're everywhere. But this one actually saw you! This is not good. I've heard about dragons looking for the missing treasure of the long-dead desert dragon queen. Every village is destroyed in their path, and many lives are lost. Could ours be next..." he gulped.
Casimir hoped the dragon wasn't going to find them. This was one of the most well concealed places in all of Pyrrhia. It shouldn't be able to find them easily.
The patrol man continued. "Other then that everything seems quiet. Thanks the heavens it didn't follow us. Peculiar, isn't it."
But the guard interrupted. "Not everything is that quiet. We have received word that two villages in the Kingdom of Cecuria were burnt to the ground."
Casimir remarked, "Villages are burnt all the time. It is a tragedy but how does it effect us? The Kingdom of Cecuria isn't even that close to us. Doesn't it control the islands of the Eastern Seas and part of the nearby peninsula."
The guard continued. "That is all true, they control a lot of the eastern waters, but it isn't the villages that we are worried about, it's the kingdom itself. The citizens deemed that their ruler, Ares I, was unfit to continue ruling. They forced him off the throne. The democracy was abolished and now a new dictator, Clauseus, is now in power. This man is troubling all the other nations. They fear he will break the peace made only a few decades ago."
"I still do not seemed that troubled. I never heard of him before and why would he dare conquer any land? From what I heard the Cecurians gain great profit from fishing and trading. Why would any other nation worry, their strength could easily be toppled by a coalition of other states."
"We aren't worried that he will attack us. We are more worried that he will attack them. The dragons. In fact, sources say he is building up his army and navy, and trying to convince other rulers to join his revolution. That is what is worrying us."
Later that day, Casimir went to bed after another day of training. It was hard for him to get to sleep. Will humans go to war again to reclaim was was rightfully ours? Will the Cecurian king's plan go into actions? Will others follow his ways and join him? Is Clauseus dangerous and really jeopardizing our very survival? he thought. But one thought reassured him. I don't think any of the other rulers are so radical. No one would want to join him.
Casimir went to sleep. Tomorrow would be another day. And perhaps peace will still remain in the already war-torn continent of Pyrrhia. But King Clauseus I of the Cecurians was a powerful man, and he has his ways to get what he wants.
=== Chapter 5: New Friend? ===
Over the past few weeks, Casimir and heavily armed patrol scouted the area cautiously. If dragons weren't enough of a threat, a bloodthirsty king wasn't any better. Word says that he had gained control over two kingdoms already. The Order was on high alert to keep their territory safe. Clauseus is known to use force to get his way.
On one of these patrols Casimir finally saw the heart of the SkyWing Kingdom. They had to take a detour after spotting a dragon, however, their new trail took them to an even worse spot, the SkyWing palace.
"Idiot!" said someone in the patrol. He gave the patrol's leader a angry look. In fact, all of them did. The leader, a man named Hamil, was red with both embarrassment and rage. Now they were in a predicament. How were they going to sneak away with a bunch of dragons everywhere? At least they had no horses to give away their location. Casimir stayed down low to keep a passing dragon from seeing them. He never realized how big they were. An adult man was only the height of one full-grown dragon head. Each dragon was either orange, or scarlet, or crimson, or some shade of red. Their scales shone in the sunlight making the look majestic. He looked in awe at the strength, size, power, and beauty of a single one. Then he gazed at the palace. They were intelligent as well, maybe more than people.
Humans. How different we are. No scales, no tails, no wings, no claws, and no fire. Nothing like the dragons. Humans have only two legs, and two arms. Dragons can perform the same actions and use the same tools. Humans also have hair, unlike all dragons because they are not mammals. Casimir had to have shaved many times already in his life. He preferred to have no facial hair because it made his face itchy.
Humans, like dragons also make buildings to live in. Human structures are far smaller and not at all as beautiful. The only buildings that could compare were the ones from before The Scorching. But now it is more important to have a home that could house yourself than one with style. Both of our species are very complex. They are run by their queens, while we have so many different kinds of governments and laws. Mainly run by the wealthy nobility.
Casimir had a lot of time to think about the similarities and differences because the patrol had to wait until nightfall to return to base. Casimir looked back at the palace one more time and left right behind the others. However, a roar stopped him in his tracks. The cold air stung his uncovered face as he looked up into the sky. Even in the dark he could see a dragon in the light of a single moon. This dragon, red as could be, hovered over him. The rest of the patrol was already gone, not realizing he wasn't with them. The dragon flew closer and closer to Casimir. Casimir stood his ground, not knowing if he should run or wait. It was already too late to run, the dragon had landed in front of him.
However, something about the dragon put Casimir at ease. It seemed as if the dragon was grinning. But it wasn't one of the menacing or malicious smiles Casimir had seen before. It was more of a warm, friendly smile. She moved towards him, not looking one bit threatening, at least he hoped.
Could a dragon actually be friendly? thought Casimir. He reached out his hand as if he were to shake a another person's. He wasn't even thinking about any risks of this dragon killing him. Thankfully for Casimir, him letting his guard down wouldn't be the end of him this time. Surprisingly, the dragon reached out one of her talons and lightly touched his hand. Casimir, stunned, looked at the dragon. She continued to smile in a motherly way. Casimir returned the smile and gently grabbed the talon with both of his hands. This is wonderful! I can't believe this is happening! I...wow...
Casimir patted the dragon on the talon and let go. The dragon looked at him curiously. Casimir turned around again to look at the dragon for one last time but, instead his smile faded away. Moving in the shadows were little glowing lights. Torches! He counted over twenty of them. It was a small group of people. They continued to move closer until he could actually see one of them. Five of them broke away from the group and headed even closer. He heard quiet voices.
Oh no! Casimir thought. Someone must have thought he was in danger and sent a group to rescue him. Except they didn't realize he wasn't in any.
=== Chapter 6: Kidnapped ===
Casimir's mind raced. He waved his arms, shouted at the top of his lungs, and jumped up and down. The dragon looked even more amused than before. She hardly could keep herself from laughing. She fell down onto the ground, her talons keeping her snout shut. She clearly didn't realize what was going on. Casimir desperately tried to get her to fly away, but no matter what he did it made things even worse.
Then it all happened so fast. Archers hidden in the bushes fired blazing arrows at the dragon. Like a long time ago, Casimir saw them harmlessly bounce off the scales of the large red dragon. The fiery tips of the arrows did singe the dragon a bit. Two soldiers rushed hastily to Casimir, trying to pull him into the vegetation. Casimir resisted, instead pulling the two men closer to the dragon.
When she finally caught wind of the situation, the SkyWing spread open her wings and attempted to fly into the sky. However, some of the soldiers threw their spears at her and they went hurdling towards her. She shrieked as one stabbed her in the tail. She roared and glanced down at her assailants. The soldiers backed off. Then suddenly she dove over to Casimir. His two soldiers immediately jumped out of the way, leaving Casimir in the talons of the dragon. Casimir screamed. He punched and banged his hands and fists at the red dragon's talon. But it was no use. He looked down below him at the soldiers. He couldn't tell their expressions, but he was sure they felt regretful and worried. Some even shot blazing arrows but none hit. Soon they slipped back into the deep forest, one by one. Before Casimir was too far away to see, he saw the last soldier go.
Casimir could only hope for the best as the SkyWing palace grew nearer and nearer.
At the capital city of the Cecurians, in King Clauseus I's court...
A messenger entered the dimly lighted throne-room. On a decorated throne sat a muscular man, clad in armor, knife in hand. Even outside of battle, Clauseus always had something to keep himself entertained, usually something gory. This time he was skinning a grey furred rat with his blood-stained knife. He raised his head as the messenger entered.
"Speak," said the warrior-king. His voice was booming.
"Sire, it is with my most sincere apologies that I have received word from King Jarl XIV of Kalda. He said he will not join your cause because in his words, 'it is foolish.' He said that every other uprising in history has been crushed with an iron fist, and wondered why should this one go any better?"
Clauseus did not seem surprised. "That fool will regret his words when he gets killed! Do you know why every rebellion was crushed? Does he?"
The messenger shook his head as well as the rest in the room.
"Because we were never united. One nation tried to do it on its own and it was defeated. Then the rest were punished all across Pyrrhia. When we were almost fully united we were never strong. But today, today our armies are stronger than ever. United, we can score victories. Pyrrhia will be ours."
Clauseus stood up from his throne and walked towards the exit. "Send a messenger to Sultan Abdul Bey next. They will all eventually join. I know some event will trigger this, an unexpected or a planned one. Or perhaps their successors will be more agreeable."
He left the room, heading off to do something more 'entertaining.' Little did he know his 'event' will occur before he even realizes it.
== Part 2: Captive ==
=== Chapter 7: Cages ===
Near the SkyWing palace...
Casimir learned eventually that it was best not to struggle in the grip of a dragon. It is impossible to get out and wasted too much valuable energy. So, Casimir let the dragon take him to her destination. However, they stopped short of the palace walls. The dragon set Casimir down on the ground just before the forest cleared. She then twined her tail around him so he wouldn't run off. Casimir had no intention on running away anyway. He didn't know the way back to home from here.
The dragon muttered something he could not understand. Then she hid herself and Casimir in the nearby forest until nightfall. Then, they got left their hiding spot and flew inside the walls. Casimir wasn't sure why all the secrecy was needed, but he followed along, having no other choice. They flew quietly to one of the towers. From Casimir's point of view it looked hauntingly enormous. When they entered, Casimir looked inside with both shock and fear. Inside there were cages. Many cages. And inside some of the cages were humans. Casimir hoped they were either sleeping or laying very still, because not one moved.
Suddenly, the big red dragon tore open a random cage, waking up every creature in the room. Three humans gawked at the dragon who opened their cage. The dragon then gently grabbed all three and put them on her back along with Casimir. They all looked at Casimir in confusion. Their expressions seemed to ask, "why isn't he afraid, too?" Casimir didn't say a word. He wasn't exactly sure. Should he be? But something about this dragon seemed to kept him from feeling any fear.
When she got for what she came for, the dragon left the room, leaving every living there hollering in fear.
The SkyWing was about to lift off the ground and make her way out of the palace when something slammed into her. She screamed, trying to re-position herself in mid-air. Her breath was taken away. Meanwhile, Casimir and three of his new companions grappled onto the dragon to stay on.
One of the poor humans fell off the dragon's back and plummeted to his death below, screaming until his body thumped on the floor below. The other two jumped off to a ledge and stood there, looking at what was going on. Casimir had managed to hold on, but now he could tell what was happening. Apparently another dragon or two started some sort of argument or fight with 'his' dragon.
Through the whole brawl Casimir held on. Eventually the two red dragons took her down. They then put iron cuffs on her talons and a clamp on her snout before she could shoot any fire. They gathered the two surviving scavengers and ripped Casimir off the dragon. They took the dragon away, who still tried to fight her way out.
Casimir could not see anything but a red scale as he laid face down on one of the dragon's talons. His face pressed hard and it felt as if he fell into a lake of diamonds. Worried thoughts began to cloud his mind.
He had no idea what the red dragons were going to do to him. It was if his worst nightmare had come true.
=== Chapter 8: Desperate ===
Casimir had a horrible night's sleep in a cold, metal, and smelly cage with only a few dirty furs for him to rest his head upon. With him were four other humans, each ragged and worn. They sat quietly while Casimir kept waking up from his nightmares about his possible end. It was cold at the high elevation of the palace, with no heat or warmth. The room was dark, as hardly any light came through the tiny windows. In fact, Casimir had to use his sense of touch to move around. When morning came, he wished it would go back to night again.
The smell of goats, cows, sheep, and hogs filled the already polluted air. Casimir felt as if he were struggling to breathe.
Early the next morning, when the sun finally rose high enough to let light into the dim room, Casimir woke up. He looked around the room observantly. His tired eyes saw the horrid room he was trapped in. He saw a large number of cages filled with only a few humans. Each cage had a human sleeping rather sickly. Some were still snoozing, but others like Casimir were beginning to wake. Some looked at him in with sad eyes. It was depressing to see a young man end up in a place like this. It was even more alarming to see that he was a knight. What hope would these regular villagers and peasants have if even a noble warrior like Casimir had lost his freedom?
Casimir also realized he still had his sword with him. Maybe the dragons forgot. It wasn't going to do much good anyway.
"Hey, son, over here," said a faint voice coming from the other side of his cell. Casimir turned around and saw an old man laying against the cage. He looked ghastly and sick . Casimir crawled over to the man. It seemed the old man had difficulty breathing at this altitude. Casimir saw that his leg was badly twisted in a way that made Casimir feel sick himself.
"My boy, I ain't gonna make it." muttered the man in a raspy voice. He coughed.
Casimir had nothing to say. The words never came to him.
"Son, you got a lot to live for. Me, I'm an old fool. I was a baker in a village far, far away. I used to make all sorts of nice pastries and cakes for the little boys and girls. Then I walked off too far one day and got lost. Ended up here soon after, don't even remember what happened." The old man continued on with his narrative.
"I can't and won't fight no more. You, you can. When they take ya to that stadium you show 'em. Get one for me, eh?"
Casimir shook the old man's hands and sat next to him for an eternity. The man went on rambling his story on and one again. Politely, Casimir listened to every word. It calmed his beating heart and relaxed his aching mind. The inevitable eventually came. A single crimson dragon appeared as Casimir closed his eyes, still listening to the man. The man tapped his audience to wake. Casimir felt no fear, no worry, not anything. Then a beast was in front of him. His heart beat quickly, eyes wide, body shivering violently, and breath was stuttered.
"One more thing. If ya ever come across a quaint little town by the great north sea, with a humble bakery that has a loaf of bread on it, and inside is a kind, lovely elderly woman, tell her I'll be waiting for her." The old man then patted Casimir shoulder and gave him a small, modest grin. The cage opened.
"Get one for me, ya hear, my champ," cheered on the man. Casimir felt talons grip around his body and tear him away from the cage. The last thing he saw before the bright sun shone on his face was the man. Laying against the same spot, he slept, beaming brightly.
Then the bright light of the outside world blinded Casimir. Deep blue skies and cold arctic air was waiting for him. With them were the sounds of a thousand dragons.
=== Chapter 9: First Fight ===
When Casimir first stepped unto the sands of the arena the first time, he was scared to death. All around him were dragons, mainly red ones, who cheered, jeered, and wanted to see the next fight.
Casimir's cage was rolled onto the arena at noon, when the sun at its highest. When the cage was opened he and his companions did not budge. It took a violent shaking of the cage from the guard to force them out. The gritty, dry sand under Casimir's feet made him feel somewhat...alive.
The others stood together with swords in their hands. Each of them looked nervously at the huge crowds that gathered around them. The dragons wanted to see them die in this stadium. This was not the first time people where caught and forced to fight here, and it probably would not be the last. Hundreds of men and women died in this place for nothing but to entertain their captors.
Soon later, two red dragon guards flew up to one of the tall spires that towered over them. Casimir did not notice them until now. He was still shaky from the mere sight of so many dragons. There had to be a thousand of them! Never in his life were there so many of these beasts, and all of them looked at him. It was quite horrible.
It was too far high up for him to see, but eventually a blue, dusty dragon was forced its way down to the arena floor. This dragon looked weak from hunger and thirst. It had fought recently. A stinging cut on its shoulder was still pouring blood. The two guards dropped the dragon onto the arena floor. It thrashed about, nearing the small huddle of humans. A loud booming voice filled the arena for a moment, and then the crowd went wild. The dragon charged.
Almost immediately, the other humans broke away from each other. Casimir counted four, plus himself to make five. One was frozen in place, petrified by the dragon's slow, but menacing advance. The other four made their way around the dragon, two on either side of the large creature.
Foolishly, one of them charged by herself and was knocked away with one swoop of the dragon's talon. She flew so far, that when she landed on the ground, she never got back up. It was quickly down to three humans. With hand gestures and brisk commands, they slowly approached the dragon together. It kept spinning around, trying to keep track of each of them. It snarled at them. Then, the last female human rushed at the dragon. When the dragon reached out to get her, the one of the men lunged and stabbed the dragon in the side. He howled in pain and viciously whirled around to face him. Then the female tried to do the same, but their plan was short-lived. The man tried to roll away from an incoming talon, but soon he was in the dragon's grasp. With strong force, the mighty dragon tossed the man into the crowd. It did not end well for him.
It was left to three. And one of them still stood motionless.
Two it is. Casimir rushed over to his only able partner. She backed off after the man was thrown to his unfortunate end. The dragon turned to face them. It charged rapidly towards them as the two were caught unprepared. Barely did they avoid getting run over by the giant SeaWing.
Casimir's partner tried to run at the dragon again with her sword, but Casimir roughly pulled her back. The two briskly ran over to their third companion.
"Come on! Snap out of it!" yelled Casimir to the gawking man. He was only a teenager at most. Too young for any of this.
The dragon, regaining focus, span around again to face its last three opponents. It again barreled its way towards its prey. Casimir and the young woman ran out of the way, but the young man was caught in the dragon's path. The dragon barreled into him, and then, by luck, crashed into the arena wall.
Casimir's mind was working a mile a minute. He tapped his fellow combatant on the shoulder and pointed at their golden opportunity. They rushed over before their window closed.
The brutal impact turned the tide of the battle. The dragon nearly lost consciousness and may have suffered a concussion. Whatever happened, it was no longer in fighting condition. It teetered on its four legs and then fell over. Dazed, it laid on the ground, clutching its head and moaning.
In seconds the two scavengers were there.
"Do it! Do it now!" barked Casimir.
The female human climbed on top of the dragon and held on for balance. She got onto the SeaWing's head and looked deep into a giant green eye. A sword went through it in moments.
Casimir sword stabbed the dragon in its soft underbelly. He repeated, stabbing and slashing until he grew tired. The dragon howled and roared in pain that it had never felt before. Casimir did not even notice as his weapon continuously and violently went in and out. The deed was done. In moments the dragon was gone. The sand underneath it was red with blood, as was Casimir.
Casimir couldn't believe it. His companion rushed over and embraced him.
"I can believe it. We did. I couldn't have done it without you." she said as they embraced.
Casimir only stood, looking at what he had done. The sight of blood made him sick, and the fact it was his fault made him pale. But there was no other way, was there?
It was either him, or the dragon. Casimir then turned his gaze to his fallen companions. No anger boiled his blood, and no guilt radiated from his conscience. Only a numb feeling of him staring blankly at everything. He snapped out of his own daze and looked at the arena.
Surprised murmurs filled the audience, but nonetheless, they got what they wanted.
Casimir looked up to an interesting scene. On a balcony, in probably the best spot to spectate the fights, was three dragons. One was a very regal and large dragon grinning haughtily at him. She wore golden chain mail over her, as well as some very beautiful jewels. Another dragon was looking down at the arena, and then at what Casimir thought was the queen. Her scales were producing heat far more than any other dragon. The last dragon was one that was sleeping on a golden tree, producing a very colorful shade of lime green.
Casimir and his companion were herded back into their cage. Casimir took one last look at the scarlet dragon. Then, he sat down in his cage, his mind working until it was time to sleep.
=== Chapter 10: Stunning Victory? ===
The next morning, Casimir woke up to another cold morning. Only this time, there was more room in his cage. He could still remember that horrible day. It felt as if it were only yesterday, then felt cold when he realized it was. Some food was left out for him and the young lady who still slept in her makeshift bed of rags and animal furs. It was not long after that they were forced back into the dreadful arena.
They were the first fight of the day. The cold morning frost covered the hard sand and gravel of the ground below. The number of dragons in attendance was low, not even the queen was watching yet. The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, shading the whole world in orange. Beautiful.
Casimir and his partner watched from their little cage. They were placed the ledge in the front row of the many rows of seats. Fears of the metal prison falling over and crashing into the ground below filled Casimir's mind. Gradually, more dragons came to spectate the fights. Even Casimir saw himself looking at the skirmishes in the stadium. Dragons of blue, white, brown, gold, and even red slashed and tore at each other until one of them had taken enough. Casimir didn't feel quite as bothered as time went on, and felt that this was the norm in this crooked world of the dragons.
After a particularly long between a fire-breathing gold dragon and a skinny-looking blue beast, the cage around him was lifted into the air. Casimir's body was flung to the bars keeping him inside, then he crashed back onto the cold, hard metal. The cage was settled down on the floor of the arena and the door was opened. Casimir, strangely awaken and feeling quite alive, grabbed the sword that was tossed down by the guard. With the sword gripped in his hand, he stood proud and strong, grinning as he felt that weight in his hand. His partner grabbed her own sword, cautiously stepping back to the cage. Casimir snapped out.
Had I gone insane? Just for a moment?
The thought bad him cringe. Quickly, he put on his helmet and stood beside the young woman watching nervously as a second cage was placed nearby. Out came three more people. One was a tall, thin woman. Very tall. The man who stood next to her was only half her size, and that man was taller than Casimir himself. Anyways, the woman had black hair, and looked like she came from the land in the north. The far north, not here where trees make large lush forests. The far north that was only one huge forest.
The man he saw next to her looked ...strange. His eyes are practically popping out of his head, those crazy eyes! His breath, his clothing, the way he smiles and then tears up almost instantaneously. By the moons he's gone mad!
The last man in the cage stayed in his cage. Not even the incoming SkyWing with his spear made him move. He didn't come out, and he never did.
The crowd booed. Finally, a third cage was brought in, this one more interesting and lively than the last. A pack of ferocious, hungry, tough men were released into the arena. They yelled and taunted, pointing their swords towards the crowd, which now was a large one. The queen sat in her usual spot now, and she looked bored. These men did not impress her, and even a small dragonet laughed his heart out at the sight o them.
A large golden dragon with black eyes was eager to be unchained and let out to hunt his prey. Casimir stood close to the cage he called home for the last few days, hoping he would be there tonight. Then something landed to the right side of him. It was a large dusty rock. The SandWing was toying with them, and clearly enjoying it. With no intention of leaving, he hovered above all of them, sickly hurling boulders at the defenseless scavengers.
Another rock crashed and shattered right next to Casimir. A shard of rock slammed into his skull, knocking him out. He laid there, stunned, as the battle continued.
=== Chapter 11: Freedom? ===
It was two days until Casimir woke up. The first thing he thought of was water. He tried to get up to look for some, but he immediately fell down with a pain in his side and his head. He felt for his head, realizing there was a bandage applied. It was sticky and old, disgusting. He must have been bleeding because when he tried to take the cloth off of him, it didn't want to come off. He sniffed his hand.
Yeah, it was blood.
A small pail of water was on the other side of the cage. He couldn't get up easily, so Casimir inched his way to the bucket. The water was stale and old, but it did not matter to him. He took a bug gulp of the water, happy to quench his thirst. Someone else must have gave him water when he was unconscious, and he whispered to himself words of gratitude to his fellow cellmates.
Just lie two days ago, he didn't have much time until he had to fight once again. He wondered what had happened and how he had survived. The number of people in the his cage was smaller than he last checked, and he knew it would just keep shrinking. Then the thought finally hit him.
What if I die?
He had a close encounter with death before, and how could he escape from here? He was bound to die in this inhumane place, to die entertaining others. He didn't want to go down this way, not this young, not this soon. Casimir sat down, and wrapped his arms around himself, filled with fear and hopelessness.
It was time for him to go. The guard flew in and carried the cage to the arena, Casimir didn't care anymore, he was through. Some people here fought for years, but what was the point? His end was coming anyway, so why wait? There was nothing for him to look forward to. Then, when he lost all hope, something happened.
From his cage, Casimir could hear the sounds of the arena. Fighting, cheering, jeering, death. There must have been a large crowd today because it never got this loud before. Suddenly, there was a scream. It was the most terrifying, blood-freezing, chilling howl that Casimir ever heard. He snapped out of his sad state, looking around in bewilderment.
The guard dropped the cage and settled it on the floor. He left in a hurry, going to see what had happened. Casimir stood, not caring that his chest ached and his head hurt. He leaned against the bars, listening to the outside. He didn't notice his fellow prisoners, or even the two dragons that sneaked into the room. Casimir only concentrated on the ground, trying to make out all of the noises.
He felt the cage lift up from the floor, and he fell into the side of the cage, then he tried to see what was going on. He looked in awe. The dragon who brought him here in the first place was right in front of him. He looked at the dragon with mad eyes. He felt like an idiot for thinking that she wouldn't hurt him. He felt stupid that he went in for a closer look, thinking this dragon was friendly.
The dragon flew out of the room with the cage in her talons, while a smaller dragonet followed her. Some sort of commotion was brewing in the arena, allowing for them to leave unnoticed. Before long, the palace was above them as Casimir felt colder the further they flew up towards the heavens.
I am trapped in a cage, yet I feel so free...
He hoped he would never have to return to that dreadful place, but his mind never thought of worrying what was next for him.
=== Epilogue ===
Nurogow Castle, Bielska
The night was still young when Wladyslaw finally reached what he called, 'home'. The familiar stone bricks and the scent of purple flowers dotting the fields. The grass the scent of spring welcomed him, and the beautiful view of the peaks fascinated him.
He entered his 'study', greeted by a guard. Wladyslaw had no clue who he was, but the young man was friendly enough, at least. Wladyslaw opened the wooden door and closed it as he began to take in his private room. Shelves of books lined the walls, a table and chair stood by the window. A fireplace away from the books was not burning this night, because there was mild weather. Perhaps he would leave the window open all night, as with his bedroom window.
Now he pushed away all of his distractions. He climbed a small ladder to reach the top of a bookshelf, looking for a series of personal books and scrolls. He gathered about five when he placed them on the table. Lighting a candle, he sat down on the cushioned chair and began to open the books.
It had been an interesting couple of days before he got here. It was a odd time. He remembered being pulled out of his daily studying for a chat with a messenger. They went together to Grand Master Antile, a pleasant, but strange surprise.
He remembered their talk perfectly. It was brief, but that was beside the point.
"Listen, my friend, we need to talk." said the old Master. Wladyslaw nodded, not uttering a word. Politely, he listened.
"These are strange times, Wladylsaw, strange times. I can feel it, Pyrrhia is in danger. The Order is in danger. Our whole humanity is threatened." he said, his voice old and rasp, worried and filled with hesitation.
There was going to be a war. There had to be. The voices of it raged through the world like a wildfire raging through a forest. Words of revolution, uprising, freedom from tyranny. and human domination. These radical thoughts unbalanced society in ways never thought possible. No longer was everyone content in being second place. They wanted to control the world again.
Earlier, Wladyslaw received a letter from an old friend. His former king, Jan of Bielska, begged him to return to his homeland. Peace could break at any moment, and even though his loyalty was to the Order, Wladyslaw could not let go. His heart ached to return. To go back to his land, his people.
He wasn't the only one, many left the Order to go back to where they came from. The Grand Master knew this, and he couldn't let his friend stay when it hurt him the most. Wladyslaw yearned to go, and Antile did not stop him.
Wladyslaw pledged he would try to keep his allegiance to both nations. Then he left for home.
Looking through his books, Wladyslaw found the page he wanted. It was an ancient poem, a warning. He unraveled scrolls, took down notes, and left everything where it was for the night. He went to retire for the night. The days of traveling wore him out, and tomorrow he would go once again, to his king. In the morning he would make the final preparations, then at noon he would head out.
He was home, he was glad. Everything was strange, the entire world. Something was going to happen, and Wladyslaw knew it would definitely change all of Pyrrhia. It was up to him to see whether it would be good, or bad.
The End
Category:Fanfictions (Completed)
Category:Content (Armored Scavenger)
Category:Fanfictions