Tales of Torren - Champion of Order

Chapter 14 - Dragon of Meroitza

The coolness of the cavern has disappeared, as the burning inferno released from the dragon's mouth continues to burn upon the rock formations of the cavern ceiling. Ramiro stares at the monster before him, and he can make out all its details. The flames above them have lit up the entire cavern in their burning glow.

Its entire body is covered in tough scales and sharp spikes. The dragon is predominantly black, with the occasional accent of red and a shimmering silver-gray along its body. Ramiro stares at the fierce mouth of the beast as it hangs open, revealing to him its armament of sword like teeth. The dragon's head is so large that it could bite the warrior in half if it wanted to. As the dragon stretches its wings out to the fullest, it's wingspan appears to be nearly three times the length of its body, head to tail.

Ramiro cannot help but feel the fear in his heart. He cannot help the fact that his heart races, but in this moment, he does not allow himself to be consumed by intimidation. He shakes his body, releasing the tension and apprehension in his muscles. He grits his teeth and lowers his brow. Like a gorilla in the jungle, Ramiro beats his chest and puffs his chest out at the dragon.

The conqueror takes one step forward with his right foot, and he extends the end of his scythe weapon towards the dragon. In a loud and boastful voice, he declares, "I have come too far to be defeated by some creature of fairytale and legend. You do not scare me, dragon. You may have defeated many a warrior before me, but you have never faced... Ramiro the Conqueror!"

With a mighty battle cry, Ramiro charges at the dragon. The dragon's large head makes an easy target for Ramiro. He swings his scythe at the dragon's face, and with the extended reach of the weapon's handle, the sharp blade of the scythe draws blood just above the dragon's eye. The dragon lets out a shrieking roar as it feels the pain of Ramiro's strike. The dragon pulls back its head, and then drives towards Ramiro for a counterstrike.

The dragon snaps its teeth at Ramiro, but the fearless conqueror meets the attack head on. Ramiro bashes his shield against the dragon's face, knocking its head to the side. Ramiro follows with another swing of his scythe. This time, however, Ramiro does not connect. As a counterstrike, the dragon slams the leading edge of its massive left wing against Ramiro's back, knocking the warrior to the ground.

To the dragon's dismay, it knocks Ramiro down but fails to knock him out. Ramiro's warrior reflexes allow him to roll on the ground and away from the dragon. He then quickly rises to his feet and makes himself ready for the next attack. The dragon becomes frustrated and releases a mighty roar as it leans back up onto its hind legs, standing tall before Ramiro and violently shaking its wings.

With a powerful flap of its wings, the dragon lifts up off the floor of this rock island in the middle of the cavern lake and begins to fly in the air. Ramiro cannot help but be pushed back slightly by the incredibly strong gust of wind created by the beast. He stares up at the silver-grey belly of the dragon as it circles the rock island, and before long, Ramiro begins to see a red glow starting to grow from the belly of the dragon. Realizing what is to come, Ramiro lowers his stance and prepares himself for fire.

The dragon makes one more circle around the rock island, and then dives in towards Ramiro and releases a burning inferno from its mouth. Ramiro watches as the flames touchdown on the rock before him. He stands in line with the flames, and only seconds pass before it reaches Ramiro. Just before the flames meet him, the warrior jumps to the side and rolls out of the way of the inferno.

The dragon notices its prey dodge its fiery breath, so it quickly maneuvers to circle back around and release another inferno upon the rock island. Ramiro had just barely escaped the fire the first time. This second time, he is not so lucky as he is caught in the line of the fire. Reacting to the situation, Ramiro holds up his shield as the burning inferno rains down over him. The dragon passes over Ramiro, and Ramiro stands up and rushes out of the fire. Seeing Ramiro unscathed, the dragon releases another roar in frustration.