The Ballad Of A Semi-Benevolent Dragon

Chapter 25: The Dragon Speaks of the Past

Harald breathed a sigh of relief when the titanic shadow on the horizon turned out to be Doomwing. He doubted that any dragon would dare to enter Doomwing's territory uninvited, but it was still a relief to know that they weren't in any danger. The Stalwart Guard had many weapons, but none that could contend with a dragon a mile long.

"So this is the place you have chosen?" Doomwing asked. The dragon had chosen to remain airborne rather than rest his weight upon the twin peaks that Harald had chosen for his people. His eyes gleamed. "An excellent location."

"Is it?" Harald asked, fishing for information. His eldest son had used every method at his disposal to examine this area, and Harald had done the same. However, if he could glean any additional information from Doomwing, then so much the better.

Doomwing chuckled, and Harald knew that the dragon understood what he was trying to do. Rather than being offended, he seemed amused by the attempt. "There are multiple rich veins of minerals in these mountains and the surrounding area." Harald saw a glimmer of something in the air beside Doomwing. "Hmm gold, iron, copper, silver, along with a host of more exotic minerals. You and your kin could mine for millennia and never exhaust the wealth here. Moreover, this place sits atop a wellspring of power. You should have no problems recharging the crystals that power the Stalwart Guard."

Harald tried and failed to keep himself from grinning like a fool. So much wealth, and Doomwing was just letting them have it? Well, not have it. They would have to pay tribute, but the dragon's terms were reasonable. If anything, he seemed more interested in developing their expertise than in simply filling his hoard with even more precious metals.

"What did you do just now?" Harald asked. "I saw something flash in the air beside you."

"Oh?" Doomwing leaned forward, and Harald fought the instinctive urge to scream when the massive reptile closed the distance in a single swift, sinuous movement. Nothing that big should move so quickly or gracefully. "What did you see?"

"It's hard to say." Harald pursed his lips. "It looked almost like writing."

The dragon grinned, baring those big, big teeth of his. "Impressive. That was a greater rune of scrying designed to reveal and catalogue the contents of the earth. That you were able to catch even a glimpse of it speaks well of you."

"A greater rune?" Harald's eyes widened in shock. "Do you speak of the words that bind the world?"

"Is that what you call them?" Doomwing eased away. "That name is a bit misleading, but runes are indeed capable of incredible things. Only the greatest heroes of your people have ever been able to wield greater runes. Still, you were able to glimpse a fraction of it, which means you might be able to learn something less powerful."

Another symbol appeared in the air beside Doomwing.

"Can you see that?" Doomwing asked.

Harald barely heard him. Instead, his gaze was locked onto the symbol floating in the air beside Doomwing. It was almost impossible to describe, at once infinitely simple yet immeasurably complex, its shape seeming to bleed out of the world and into higher and lower planes of existence.

"Yes, you can definitely see it." Doomwing chuckled. "You might not have Antaria's raw power, but you do have a lot more experience in using the power you do have. Take your magic and try to twist it into the shape of what you see."

Harald nodded quickly and did as Doomwing asked. He failed a few times, and each time, he spat blood, but on his fourth attempt, his magic finally took on the shape he wanted. The symbol snapped into place in front of him, and his reserves of magic rushed to fill it. At once, knowledge poured into his mind.

He knew what was in the ground beneath his feet. He knew how the veins of gold twisted and turned within the slope and how veins of silver and other minerals traced whimsical paths around it. Lodes of crystals and gemstones revealed themselves and

The vision stopped, and he just barely stayed on his feet.

"What did you see?" Doomwing asked.

"I saw into the mountain," Harald wiped sweat off his brow and reached for the gourd of water at his waist. "What what was that?"

"A basic rune of prospecting. It is amongst the weakest that I know."

"That was one of the weakest?" Harald gaped. "I thought the magic you taught us earlier was potent, but that that was far stronger!"

"Runes are far beyond the ordered spells that you are accustomed to. They can change the story of the world or allow you to read it." Doomwing chuckled. "You will find that rune very useful in the days ahead. Keep it to yourself although, if any of your children can learn it, let me know. You are too old now for the training I have in mind, but your children might still be young enough to go through it."

"You would offer them personal training?" Harald asked.

"If they have the potential, yes." Doomwing's smile was somehow cold and warm at the same time. "But that is a matter for another day. Suffice it to say that my training will be difficult but rewarding." He grinned again, almost feline despite his shadow covering the mountain. "You should ask the princess about it the next time you see her."

"I shall," Harald vowed. The rune still shone in his mind. He would let no one other than his children know about it. It was simply too valuable to be shared lightly, and yet Doomwing had said it was amongst the least of his runes. "Your more powerful runes what could they do?"

"If I wished, I could turn this mountain to powder and rip free all of value within it," Doomwing said. "But I have little reason to do that. I wish for your people to grow and develop, and you will never progress if I do everything for you." The dragon looked into the distance. "If you and your people work hard, then one day, the Stalwart Guard will not sail the skies alone."

"That is a fine thought," Harald said quietly. "A very fine thought indeed."

"But you are certain of your choice?" Doomwing asked. "There are other places of great wealth in this area."

"Aye," Harald said. "I've thought about it, and this place has everything we need. It has wealth, but it also isn't too far into the mountains and foothills. You did mention earlier that you wanted us to work with the humans you have. These peaks also have a commanding view of the surrounding area, so we'll never be caught off guard, and they seem quite defensible too. We could build twin fortresses here, and I doubt anyone short of a dragon would ever be able to threaten us."

"I could help with that," Doomwing said.

Harald chuckled and shook his head. "No. We'll manage. If this is to be our new home, then we want to carve it out of the mountain with our own hands."

The dragon nodded. There was respect in his gaze. "Then it seems you've made your decision." He turned. "You already know how to reach me if you need aid. I have matters to attend to in my volcano."

"Thank you," Harald said. "When I went into exile, I never thought I would find a place for myself like this."

"You are welcome," Doomwing replied before he stopped and turned back. "I should probably mention that one of my fellow dragons has awakened in the Sky Claw Mountains."

Harald froze. "What?"

"Yes. A fellow primordial dragon, Ashheart. I encased him in a mountain at the end of the Fifth Age to help him heal. He just recently awakened. I imagine your brother must be aware of him by now since he likely destroyed the mountain he was in while awakening."

Harald stumbled back, heart pounding in his chest. "Is are?"

"Are your kin in any danger?" Doomwing laughed, and the sound of it shook the sky and the mountain. "Not unless they're stupid enough to attack him." His gaze sharpened. "Are they that stupid?"

"No," Harald said quickly. "If he's anything like you, they'll take one look at him and run for it. My brother will definitely adopt a more cautious approach, maybe even try to talk to him." He paused. "This Ashheart, he wouldn't eat my brother, would he?"

"You don't know who he is?" Doomwing asked. "How odd. You knew who I was."

"We have legends of other primordial dragons," Harald said. "Maybe we know him by a different name."

"That might be it." Doomwing gestured, and an image appeared beside him of a massive dragon with scales that resembled volcanic rock. A baleful orange glow emanated from deep within him, and his broad, muscular frame exuded strength and power in a way that even Doomwing's didn't. "In days gone by, your ancient kin called him by many names. Some called him Mountain-Breaker. Others called him World-Shaker. And still others called him Earth-Binder."

Harald's eyes widened in recognition. "Earth-Binder we have legends, ancient legends, of a dragon by that name who made the Sky Claw Mountains."

"Yes. He made them. Well, most of them. There were already a few mountains there, but when we fought the enemy that wounded him, he heaved up more mountains to strike at our foe. The holes you see in some of the mountains, along with the craters, were created by the attacks of our enemy when he was fending off Ashheart."

"" Harald decided to simply sit back on his haunches and process what Doomwing had just told him. He had always wondered why some mountains had holes in them, and why there were great craters in the middle of the mountain range. "What do you think he will do?" Harald asked quietly. If this Ashheart were to lash out at his people, they would stand no chance. His brother would perish, as would all the dwarves of the Sky Claw Mountains.

"Assuming your fellow dwarves don't do anything stupid, I think he'll get along well with them." Doomwing seemed unconcerned. "After all, the same god who made dwarves also made the dragons from which Ashheart is descended."

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Harald shot to his feet. "What?"

Doomwing grew wistful. "Long ago, dwarf, in the First Age, the Seven Gods, the mightiest of the First Gods, created dragons. With fire and wind, the Seven Gods made dragons. And with earth and rock and stone did the World Shaper, one of the Seven Gods, make dwarves. And it was the World Shaper who had the greatest hand in making the dragons of earth, rock, stone, metal, and gemstone."

Harald listened intently. He wished more than anything that he had something to write upon, but he dared not ask for permission to fetch anything, lest Doomwing's mood change and he cease speaking of that distant past that only he and his fellows could remember.

"When the gods made elves, they took the light of the sun, the moon and the stars and used that to forge their souls. But the World Shaper had no interest in the light of the sun, the moon, or the stars. For your souls, for the souls of the dwarves he had made, he looked elsewhere, to the molten heart of the earth. It was that fire that he used to enkindle your souls, and it is why you dwarves have ever been stalwart and steadfast, for within your souls beats the steady, unyielding heart of the world. But you can also have fiery tempers, and few can hold grudges like you can. You are like volcanoes in that respect, seldom erupting, but impressive when your tempers fray and give way to rage. Ashheart is a tectonic dragon, so his soul is much the same. Besides, he remembers how the World Shaper fell, and he honours that sacrifice still. He will not strike at your kin unless they give him reason."

"What happened?" Harald asked. "How did the World Shaper fall?"

"The Broken God, a foe powerful beyond all rhyme or reason. He slew all of the First Gods, including the Seven Gods. The World Shaper fell before his might, his titanic body broken, divine flame spewing from mangled god-metal, but in his death throes, he shielded the ancestors of your people from the Broken God's wrath, giving his life to them once more with his sacrifice, his great body bearing blow after blow after blow until he perished, never retreating because he knew that if he did, your ancestors would be slaughtered without mercy by the Broken God."

"And this Broken God?" Harald hissed. He could almost picture it, a titan of gleaming metal, broken and defeated but refusing to fall, holding on grimly to shield his cowering ancestors. Was it merely imagination, or was it a memory burned into his very blood?

"The World Shaper was avenged," Doomwing replied. "You can be certain of that." He stared east. "There is a place, far from here, where mountains once reached beyond the clouds. That was where your people were born, and they dwelt there in great happiness until the end of the First Age. I was young then, but I saw their halls several times. Even now, so many years later, I remember the splendour of those halls. Golden roofed and silver floored, with runes upon every door."

"What happened? Why would my ancestors leave such a place?"

"It was there that the World Shaper fell, cast down by the Broken God. He had told your ancestors to flee, for the Broken God was coming. His fall shattered the mountains, and your people would have perished before the Broken God's wrath had he not sheltered them with his own body. Even after the Broken God was defeated, the dwarves could not bring themselves to return there, for it was where their creator had fallen. They could not help but wonder what would have happened if they had been stronger. Would the World Shaper have lived if he had not been forced to protect them?" Doomwing shook his head. "Foolishness. The Broken God was too strong. Even my people, the dragons, suffered terribly against him. There was nothing the dwarves could have done."

"One day" Harald said softly. "One day I want to go there. I want to see it with my own eyes"

"Perhaps I will take you," Doomwing said. "But I have lingered long enough. I must go to my volcano. I will speak to Ashheart. I doubt he has harmed your people, but I will ask him what his intentions are." He chuckled, and the sound was thunder rolling over the mountains. "Knowing him, he'll do something ridiculous but helpful. He likes the stalwart and steadfast, and your people are often that." He snickered. "Yes, his methods might be over the top, but they are often effective, albeit simple."

Before Harald could ask anything further, Doomwing had already left, wings beating the air mightily. He could only hope that his brother would do the sensible thing when it came to Ashheart.

Doomwing smiled as he returned to his volcano. It was always pleasing to see his hoard. As he landed on the shores of the lake of molten lava, he quickly checked to make sure that everything from Ashheart's hoard was where it should be and ready to be moved. The other dragon would no doubt have questions about his lair, but he should be content knowing that his hoard was safe. Once Ashheart had rebuilt his lair, Doomwing could simply hand over his hoard. It would be a shame to see it go. Some of it was truly impressive.

However, Doomwing had no intentions of trying to keep anything that belonged to his friend. He was not some petty drake or lesser dragon who would steal from a friend. He had taken pains to make sure that everything was in the finest condition possible. Ashheart would receive his hoard in the very same condition he had left it in, barring the objects that Doomwing had given to Diamondfang and Adamantheart. The young dragon was developing with impressive speed, and he was confident that Ashheart would be proud of his progress. Of course, he'd probably test him in some ridiculous manner, like striking at him to see if he could block a blow with even a fraction of his strength behind it. Luckily, Adamantheart took after the older dragon because what Ashheart called a 'light blow' would pulverise most other dragons.

But now that Doomwing was here, he had business to attend to, namely the phoenix egg. Had it been the egg of a fire phoenix, he would simply have put it into the lava. The immense heat and magic would have helped it to hatch quickly with a minimum of fuss. However, he had a stellar phoenix egg, and such eggs needed to be exposed to starlight for optimum growth and development.

Doomwing's magic flared, and the clouds of ash and dust over the lake of lava cleared until there was a pillar of open sky above the volcano. The night sky appeared above him, and he took a moment to savour the sight of countless twinkling stars. Was Dawnscale out there, still searching for answers? Perhaps. He liked to think she was.

He used more magic to ensure the area above the volcano would stay clear of debris before using his power to set the egg in place over the lava in a position where it would be able to absorb immense quantities of heat and magic while still drinking in the light of the stars. Then he wove protective magic around it, even going so far as to use an ancient rune.

Before his eyes, the egg began to glow, its opalescent surface now studded with pinpoints of shimmering starlight. He used several runes in a bid to ascertain more and made a contented sound as the egg began to resonate with the magic, heat, and starlight it had access to. Better still, he could feel it resonating with the Guiding Star, one of the brightest stars in the sky, the star that had been used since the First Age to help people navigate.

His lips curled. Yes. He had certainly gotten quite lucky with this egg. The phoenix inside it would surely grow to be quite powerful, especially since the egg was now incubating in the best conditions possible. Despite the sub-optimal conditions it had endured until now, it shouldn't be long until it hatched. Still he would have to leave his volcano again to attend to other matters, but he had no intention of leaving the egg undefended.

He reached out with his magic, using a series of greater runes to call forth elementals of fire, earth, wind, and lightning. The four elementals appeared in front of him. They were not the greatest of their kind, but they should be more than sufficient to deal with any threats that might appear. At the very least, they would be able to hold on long enough for him to return.

"Protect the egg," he ordered them. "And see that no harm comes to the phoenix should it hatch."

They stared back at him, whirling masses of sentient elemental energy, and he almost rolled his eyes. Elementals could be created using magic, but it was often better to call existing elementals since they tended to be smarter and less prone to bouts of stupidity like accidentally crushing an egg they were supposed to watch. These particular elementals were centuries old, so they had more than enough intelligence to understand what he wanted them to do. However, that intelligence came with the need to negotiate, unless he wanted to simply impose his will upon them. Still, if they proved useful, he might have other work for them, so it was better to negotiate.

"Fulfil this task, and you will be rewarded. Serve me well, and I will allow you to bask in the energies that run through my territory. That includes this volcano and its surroundings." That got their attention, and they immediately vowed to obey. Like monsters, elementals could ascend and increase their power, but it typically involved absorbing vast quantities of magic and elemental energy. His volcano happened to have massive quantities of both for them to use. Just a few months here would be like centuries in a normal location, and they were not so foolish or prideful as to ignore the opportunity.

"Good. Do not touch my hoard, and notify me immediately if the egg hatches or there are intruders." Doomwing left the elementals to go about their work and made his way to his mirror. "I have people I need to contact."