Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 227: Scales Of The Dragon

Chapter 227: Scales Of The Dragon

{Music recommendation; Controlled Chaos by Secession studios & Greg Dombrowski}

"Tragedy?" Jack inquired, his eyes taking in the ruins before them, as well as the melancholic silence occupying the abandoned village. The breeze seemed to carry a secretive whisper, and that made Maurice gasp as though he...although not quite sure, he could perceive a voice from the eerie wind.

In a state of pensiveness, a distant rumbling sound drew their attention back to the situation before them, a loud growl– seemingly as loud as a Lion’s roar, echoed ominously through the dilapidated street. A sense of foreboding loomed overhead as Maurice instinctively backed away, his gemstone already placed in the hilt with the same pulsating rings looping around his blade. As if timed, the ground beneath their feet shook, and a gust of wind suffused with a sulfuric stench swept through the area, whilst making their eyes water in reaction.

As the haze cleared, granting them a more vivid sight of what they were about to encounter, Maurice’s eyes shook in terror as he laid sight upon the beastly creature standing in front of him. Jack, who had subconsciously taken a step back, lost his footing to a bent root and dropped to the ground on his butt, but his face was as white as a sheet, momentarily frozen by fear.

Emerging from behind a dilapidated cottage was a dragon. its massive wings were spread wide, casting a chilling shadow over the devastated landscape. The dragon stood tall on its hind legs, its colossal body covered in glistening obsidian scales that shimmered menacingly in the dim light of the fading sun. Its sharp gleaming teeth protruded menacingly from its jaw, exuding an aura of pure danger.

Its reptile eyes burned with a flaming intensity, glowing an ethereal shade of orange that pierced through the miniature figures on the ground. Fear gripped the heart of the trio’s, most especially that of Maurice when he noticed their reflection in the Dragons scaly eyes, but to his surprise, it didn’t unleash his fury on him. Instead, it fixed its gaze on Bryn and Jack who were slowly retreating back, their alarmed expression displaying in its fiery eyes. The Dragon’s growl grew louder as it moved its right forelimb, whilst revealing rows of threatening spikes that ran down its spine.

"It...ignored me." Commented Maurice in a bewildered daze. Smoke billowed from the Dragon’s nostrils, the acrid fumes snaking into the air like an ominous omen. Before anyone could raise out their suspicion, the dragons mouth opened, and building fire in its throat made the three teammates aware of what was about to shot in their direction, but once again, the Dragon ignored Maurice and shot out series of inferno in Jack’s and Bryn direction, whilst they had to roll to the other side to avoid being burnt into crisps.

Maurice, who was dumb-stricken by the unexpected turns of event, found himself torn between the fear of losing his teammates and the bewilderment of why the Dragon had seemingly targeted them instead of him. He hesitated for a moment, contemplating on what to do, but the sound of Bryn’s voice snapped him out of that trance.

"FIND THE GEMSTONES!" He shouted, "WE’LL HANDLE THE DRAGON!"

Reminding Maurice that they had to find the gemstone, the lad immediately turned to search every nook and cranny of the Hamlet. With the ground shaking beneath him due to the Dragon’s gait, Maurice had a hard time maintaining his footwork without slipping or losing his stamina. Looking behind him, he could see a wave of inferno being shot at his teammates, and they were doing their best to keep the Dragon distracted so he wouldn’t go after Maurice.

"Where are the gemstones?" He murmured nervously, unsure of where to check. It wasn’t this difficult finding those gemstones in the rainforest, but being here, he could hardly sight one. No matter where he checked, he ended up with the same disappointment, and time was already running out for his teammates since their actions kept aggravating the Dragon.

"WHAT’S TAKING YOU SO LONG?!" Bryn’s frustrated tone rose amidst the chaos, and Maurice turned back to see that the Dragon had cornered his teammates. With determination in his eyes, Maurice forced himself to act.

Ignoring the danger that might come with his action, he lunged towards his teammates, pushing them behind him and shielding them with his body. With his actions going unnoticed, the Dragon shifted attention, its jaws snapping dangerously while flames flickered menacingly from its nostril.

"The hell! Don’t try to be some fucked up hero and get out of the way!" Bryn shouted, a hint of worry reflecting in his crimson eyes, but a steely voice filled the voice of Maurice as he shouted back.

"No! I won’t let it harm either of you!"

The Dragon, whose reptile eyes narrowed, as though it understood the words of Maurice, snarled with ire, and then it lunged forward, furiously swiping its monstrous claws at all of them. The sight of those incoming claws had them looking away, but rather than feeling their skins get torn by the claws of the Dragon, they felt nothing. Looking back at the Dragon, Maurice’s pupils dilated to see that a force Field had materialized around him, protecting him and his teammates, whilst deflecting the Dragon’s lethal strike.

Jack’s eyes held multiple expressions, and Bryn could hardly muster the energy to speak as the gemstone in Maurice’s sword had, mysteriously, created a barrier, except, that wasn’t its purpose.

"Blood of Odin." Jack mused, his heart pounding as he turned his attention to the Dragon that could no longer harm them.

In that moment, Maurice felt a sense of power surge through him, his fears transformed into a resolute determination to keep his companion safe. The Dragon, evidently bewildered by the unexpected resistance, began to circle Maurice and his teammates, cunningly attempting to find a weak point that would shatter the barrier

"Is this where we die?" Jack whispered, wanting to confirm if it was time to say his last prayers, but Maurice and Bryn paid no heed to his words. Maurice’s brown eyes were locked against the Dragon’s pupils, his undeterred countenance reflecting inside those bone-chilling eyes– it made him shudder, yet he wasn’t as frightened as he hoped to be.

He wondered why the Dragon had ignored him from the beginning. From the look in its eyes, it appeared deeply upset about something, and that made him wonder into a different dimension as the Dragon subtly turned to continue circling the barrier. Behind the back of the Dragon, three scales were gone, and the more Maurice scrutinized the Dragon’s scale, the more he understood why he couldn’t find a single gemstone in the hearts of Hamlet.

The Dragon’s scale are the gemstones! But how come there are three missing from its back? Did someone take them?

"How do we find the gemstones if we’re going to remain enclosed in this barrier?" Muttered Bryn as he tried to think of a way out, but his thoughts were disrupted when he heard Maurice say.

"The Dragon’s scales are the gem." He revealed, "It’s missing three. It’s aware of our reasons for coming here, and only protecting itself. If the gemstones are stuck to the Dragons skin then I don’t want it. It’ll hurt the Dragon."

"Whichever choice you make, it won’t save us from becoming roasted Chickens." Bryn rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the glistening body of the Dragon. Just as Maurice announced to them, the scales of the Dragon were the gemstones they needed to get from the second portal. He noticed the three missing scales and wondered if the opposing team had a hand in this.

"We can try speaking to it." Jack suggested, and that earned him a judgemental look from both Maurice and Bryn, he felt somewhat stupid now.

"What? There’s a chance it understands English. I heard animals are capable of understanding human vocabularies and sensing one’s emotion. Bryn’s heart is distasteful so I suggest you speak to the Dragon before it gets... angrier." His eyes returned to the dragon as smoke poofed from its nostrils, a sign of its patience running low.

"How am I supposed to talk to it? Do I look like a dragon tamer to you?" Maurice was still not in one with that idea. So many questionable things have been happening since the beginning of his quest, and now this Force Field that had appeared on its own only complicated issues for him. Eyeing the dragon warily, Maurice finally released a breath that expressed his dejected approval, and he said.

"Hey, Dragon!"

"What are you doing?? You can’t just yell at it!" Bryn wanted to smack the back of his head, but he knew if he did that the Force Field might disappear. "That Dragon won’t listen to a word you say so I advise that one of you should come up with a decision and agree on who amongst both of you will become a sacrificial lamb."

"If it’s like that then we choose you." Maurice uttered, to Bryn’s dismay, and Jack didn’t hesitate to nod. "We’ll make it to the last round, and you can aid the team by becoming a sacrificial lamb. We promise to honor your death rites with the release of lantern lights." He uttered genuinely, like a true lad promising to fulfill a friend’s request.