The Illustrious Eight: Book One

Chapter 2: The Anomaly

"The one who owns these waters is...He Who Drowns." The dragon's rumbling voice answered Earl. He had not seen another of his kind in many years but Earl had enough of a mind to know that something was amiss with this supposed bronze dragon. The name seemed distantly familiar to him, but he could not recall where.

Captain Vomo, with all of her blunder, could not stand brave against a threat such as this and stood paralyzed a few paces behind him. There was nothing else she could do, he thought to himself, it was his turn to stand up for the sake of the ship and her crew.

"Don't know who you're supposed to be 'He Who Drowns', but you aren't like any dragon I've met!" Earl yelled.

"INSOLENCE!" The dragon let out a deafening roar. It knocked Vomo on her back but Earl remained on his feet, despite sliding slightly backward. "You dare take such an arrogant tone with the destroyer of worlds? I am he who puts fear into all species! I am he who molds the world to his liking! I am he who--

"Woah woah woah woah!" Jessam's voice called out from behind Earl. The the rain suddenly stopped, and all eyes turned to Jessam, who was nothing more than annoyed at the giant dragon in front of him, with his hand on his hip and a stern look on his face. "What is all the ruckus here? Everyone can hear you two arguing from below deck!"

"Jessam! This is not the time for--"

"Cool it, Purples." Jessam scoffed at Earl, pushed him aside and stepped forward to meet the dragon's gaze.

"Wh...what the hell?" The bronze dragon, voice still as loud and thunderous, suddenly spoke in a casual, confused tone. "And...who are you?"

"I am Jessam Rainbow: sexiest and most fabulous gnome and male being alive on the face of this planet." Jessam introduced himself with both hands on his hips. "And you are someone looking for trouble."

The dragon's head slowly hovered forward to come to a mere couple of feet away from Jessam's, where Jessam could feel the breath from its nostrils on his face. "Are you...for real?" The dragon asked. "You are about to be killed by a freaking dragon, and this is how you face death?"

"Don't get too close, darling, or I might have to make out with you." Jessam winked and blew a kiss to the dragon's enormous snout.

"Ok, you people are really getting on my nerves and I have a job to do. So would you please--"

"Try me, big gu--" Earl grabbed and squeezed Jessam's face shut. Jessam tried to pry Earl's hand away, but Earl squeezed harder, digging claws into the gnome's head. Jessam quickly stopped resisting and reluctantly stayed quiet.

"If you promise not to hurt us or our ship, then we'll go quietly." Earl spoke to the dragon calmly.

The dragon growled and lifted its head up in thought. During the entire exchange, Captain Vomo had been stricken either with fear or utter confusion. She would never had expected or hoped that her life could possibly end like this. Then, she took a deep breath, stepped forward, and spoke up to the dragon, "So then? Will you spare us and our crew?"

The dragon shook its head. "I am afraid I will have to kill you all." It declared in a grave tone. "You have seen and known too much, and you shall not escape from here alive." With that declaration, the dragon head slowly faded away into the dark mist. The three on the deck were left looking at each other in quiet dread. This did not last long, however, as the rain and the waves were intensifying once more.

"Let's get out of here!" Vomo ordered Earl and Jessam, pointing to the entrance below deck. The three of them safely made it downstairs, with Vomo being the last one to make it inside who pulled down the trapdoor entrance. She saw that Dusk, Dawn, Jeremiah, Rogers, and several of the dragonborn crew had been standing by the port hole windows, presumably watching their exchange with the dragon. "Everyone! That dragon out there isn't going to play nice, so you all better hang on to something or someone! "