Ancient Cardos: The Knight Life

Chapter 8: Soralis

I held my hand over my right side that was now bleeding. I was clawed by a green dragon. One i've never heard of before. It bled a little and the pain was going away. But every time I got up to move it hurt even more. I sat on the cliff side and waited for the dragon to return, but it stayed in the mountain.

A green dragon. I tried to think of any green dragon possible, but none came to mind. I stood up slowly and picked up my sword and shield. I walked the mountain slowly, trying to ease the pain in my side.

I thought of everything that has happened recently. My parents death, my dad's twice. Roden and Waltendale burned to ash and rubble. Burnt corpses lay through the kingdoms. I've been beaten time and time again. Left for dead on a mountain to slay a dragon named cyrus. Cyrus wasn't green, Cyrus is red and orange. Who were the dark mages really after?

The sun was in the middle of the sky and I spent half the day climbing a mountain while slowly bleeding. I could see it all from up here.

Roden and Waltendale in flames. Even Faldin hidden, still keeping its beauty. I wondered what Darwin was doing now, he spent his days training me or Jason.

I struggled to keep walking. My legs were sore from my cross kingdom run. Now i'm climbing a mountain in battle armor preparing to fight a dragon that has so many advantages.

I got to the cave opening. The morning was just hitting the inside of the mountain and I saw nothing inside. I walked in with my sword ready to swing and my shield in front of me to deflect any attack. I was cautious the whole time. I looked up and around the giant cave that had to be a hundred feet high.

I turned around a pathway and saw the green dragon staring my way. It's scales were screaming at me. "Go ahead, put me on a shield." I stayed ready to strike but the dragon looked around and folded its wings and laid down.

"Another victim comes to their death. How sad." The dragon spoke. I was startled that the dragon could speak. "Lower your weapon knight, i've killed enough of you."

I kept my sword at the ready ignoring his words. "You clawed me near the bottom of the mountain. What makes you think i'll be friendly?" I talked back not knowing if it would get angry or not. It could just blast me.

"You were coming to kill me either way. Whether I clawed you or not. I'm too old to kill a knight...your voice sounds different. Are you of the other gender? A female?" His voice was soft and calm, but I could tell if he wanted to yell he could do so loudly.

"Yes. I am a female. A female knight in training however, but I do have plenty of experience of taking bears." The dragon looked away from me and laid its head down. It looked upset.

"Why are all humans the same? Blood thirsty cowards. We all live on this planet and what does your own parents say? Sharing is caring? Yet you humans kill animals for their meat and their skin for clothes. You humans take away wild life and and build human life, like were all different. You all fight each other to practice. Practice what?

I'm still surprised however, that a man will come running in here to kill me. But a female takes their time to be patient and listen to such a beast. How interesting."

I stood in silence listening to his whole speech on humanity. Everything he said was true. I felt bad I was about to kill the smartest thing alive. I wasn't even sure I would kill this thing.

"What if I did kill you?" I asked.

"Yea what if? You take my scales to make a shield like the rest. You are a female, yet you do male things. Why not be different. Make a dragon scaled sword, or armor piece. Everyone does the shield."

Was this dragon seriously being friendly about possibly hearing about its death? I couldn't kill this dragon. It was too wise.

The dragon unleashed its flames on me and I stood under the shield, the flames bounced off my shield and went around it. My shield had turned black. "All the same. Get the shield to kill dragons easier." I nearly dropped my shield for the blast it just took.

"Female knight, if you wish to leave alive, you will have to kill me, that is what I do hate the most about humans. They will do anything to live. Even kill their own in the process if given the chance." The dragon lifted its wings, head and body and breathed fire again and this time, my shield had burned away.

I had just my sword and a fire breathing dragon was only a small distance away. I can see why they made a shield of all things. Because the dragon would burn their shield away.

"Well dragon, I am curious to your name." The dragon started to walk around the cave. It was like the whole inside of the mountain was dug out to be a cave. "Call me Soralis. I will spread my name like wild fire. Untamable."

Soralis breathed flames again and I barely got out of the way. I could still feel the heat on my face. Soralis flew at me and I held my sword straight out to stab the beast. If it worked. I would have my sword stuck in the body of the dragon.

Sadly, I might get run over by the dragon still. The dragon saw my plan and worked around it by flapping its wings and knocking me to the ground with its sudden wind storm. I gripped my sword tight as I slammed the ground.