- Joined
- Feb 18, 2016
- Messages
- 43
Hey, I've got a Short Story I wrote called "Dragons." I'd like to see what you all think of it, and if there's anything you think I should fix. Thanks!
I pray that the world never runs out of dragons. I say that in all sincerity, though I have played a part in the death of one great wyrm. For the dragon is the quintessential enemy, the greatest foe, the unconquerable epitome of devastation. The dragon, above all other creatures, even the demons and the devils, evokes images of dark grandeur, of the greatest beast curled asleep on the greatest treasure hoard. They are the ultimate test of the hero and the ultimate fright of the child. They are older than the elves and more akin to the earth than dwarves. The great dragons are the preternatural beast, the basic element of the beast, that darkest part of our imagination.
The wizards cannot tell you of their origin, though they believe that a great wizard, a god of wizards, must have played some role in the first spawning of the beast. The elves, with their long fables explaining the creation of every aspect of the world, have many ancient tales concerning the origin of the dragons, but they admit, privately, that they really have no idea of how the dragons came to be.
My own belief is more simple, and yet, more complicated by far. I believe that dragons appeared in the world immediately after the spawning of the first reasoning race. I do not credit any god of wizards with their creation, but rather, the most basic imagination, wrought of unseen fears, of those first reasoning mortals.
We make the dragons as we make the gods, because we need them, because, somewhere deep in our hearts, we recognize that a world without them is a world not worth living in.
There are so many people in the land who want an answer, a definitive answer, for everything in life, and even for everything after life. They study and they test, and because those few find the answers for some simple questions, they assume that there are answers to be had for every question. What was the world like before there were people? Was there nothing but darkness before the sun and the stars? Was there anything at all? What were we, each of us, before we were born? And what, most importantly of all, shall we be after we die?
Out of compassion, I hope that these questioners never find that which they seek.
One self-proclaimed prophet came through Ten-Towns denying the possibility of an afterlife, claiming that those people who had died and were raised by priests, had, in fact, never died, and that their claims of experiences beyond the grave were an elaborate trick played on them by their own hearts, a ruse to ease the path to nothingness. For that is all there was, he said, an emptiness, a nothingness.
Never in my life have I ever heard one beggin so desperately for someone to prove him wrong.
This is kind of what I believe right now? although, I do not want to be proved wrong?
For what are we left with if there remains no mystery? What hope might we find if we know all of the answers?
What is it within us, then, that so desperately wants to deny magic and to unravel mystery? Those fears aside, I say, and live free of them, for if we just step back and watch the truth of the world, we will find that there is indeed magic all about us, unexplainable by numbers and formulas. What is the passion evoked by the stirring speech of the commander before the desperate battle, if not magic? What is the peace that an infant might know in its mother?s arms, if not magic? What is love, if not magic?
No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith.
And that, I fear, for any reasoning, conscious being, would be the cruelest trick of all.
--Drizzt Do?Urden
Quoted from
?Streams of Silver?
By
R.A. Salvatore
The young, dark haired human. shivered as he looked upon his home. The wind blew across the beautiful snowy-capped mountaintops of Icewind Dale, with Ten-Towns as awake as any other town, in this harsh, desolate world covered in snow and frost. As he looked among the towering firs, he caught sight of a large, beautiful butterfly known as a Shade. As he watched it, he saw a small wasp sting it on the underside. This insect was a Spellweaver.
He suddenly snapped awake, wondering what that meant. Was it an omen? Fel?ndraar decided to ignore it for now. He gather up his belongings, along with his ethereal falcon Reau, and went outside to prepare to travel with the other wizards.
He was on his way toward Longsaddle, to meet up with the Harpals. This was one of the Mage Tower?s meetings with the queer men, and this would be his first. He had heard a lot about them, and apparently they use magic in a? different way. He was almost weak with excitement, and the other wizards often thought he wouldn?t make it there. Fel?ndraar was never one for the outdoors, anyway.
Fel?ndraar was training to be a draconian mage, or a wyrm-slayer. He is one of a select few, trained to hate and destroy wyrms of all sorts, but more specifically, dragons. He has never actually seen a dragon, but his mentor, a tall, dark haired elf known as Ra?ka-eesh has taught him many things about them. Fel?ndraar was actually told he would see a dragon this month, and get to watch Ra?ka-eesh kill it as an example. He wasn?t scared. After all, he had been training for this all his life.
Fel?ndraar barely made it out the door before Ra?ka-eesh barked at him.
?You were almost late. We would have left you.? Ra?ka-eesh said, disappointed.
?I know, I?m sorry, master. It won?t happen again.? Fel?ndraar said.
?You better hope so.?
It was a long, arduous 300 mile trail to Longsaddle, and they were leaving the great port city of Luskan, home of the Mage Tower, which is north of the famous city Bryn Shander, the capital of Ten-Towns.
The mages began their journey. Fel?ndraar didn?t have enough money to rent a horse, and none of the summoners would summon one from the ethereal plane. So he walked. He longed for the comfort of Reau, so he grabbed the small, marble falcon figurine around his neck and muttered a spell.
There was a quiet hum, and then a white flash, and instead of a figurine there was now a stark white falcon. He clung to Fel?ndraar?s shoulder as he walked.
The other wizards, except for the summoners, were afraid of Reau, as they should be anything from another plane. Nobody knows anything about it, because nobody has discovered a way to get there and back safely, or even send messages back. They only know that those who mess with the art of summoning never tend to live very long, and that the beings from the nethereal plane, also known as the demon realm, weren?t friendly and that the beings from the ethereal plane were. They also knew that both of these beings were very dangerous and immortal.
Late one evening, almost at midnight, Ra?ka-eesh slipped into Fel?ndraar?s tent. He roused him and told him to come outside.
?I think I?ve found something.? Ra?ka-eesh said.
?What is it?? asked Fel?ndraar.
?I think we have a dragon on our hands. We may need to take care of it before it gets too close to camp. I don?t want to warn the others- they may get worried.?
?Okay,? Fel?ndraar stuttered, quivering with excitement. ?Let?s do this.?
?Correction. I?ll do this. You will watch. If for some reason something goes awry, go get the others. Do not come to my aid.?
?Yes, master.? stated Fel?ndraar. He wasn?t sure if he would listen though.
As they walked toward the edge of the encampment, they heard a sound, almost thunderous. Fel?ndraar shrugged it off, thinking it was thunder, because the sky was so dark.
Ra?ka-eesh and the few wizards that woke up, however, thought elsewise.
Reau started shrieking while on Fel?ndraar?s shoulder, and when Fel?ndraar jumped Reau dug his talons in. He winced, then saw the panic on the other wizards? faces.
At this moment, he realized. That was not a cloudy sky.
That was a dragon.
Ra?ka-eesh told Fel?ndraar to hide, then took off? toward the dragon? As he ran, he heard the shouts and spells from other wizards, and he hid like he was told, but he wanted to see. So he snuck out from his spot, looked, and listened.
He wished he hadn?t.
As soon as he looked outside, he saw Ra?ka-eesh. In the dragon?s maw. There was no scream, no sound, just? silence. They locked eyes for a moment, and then he never saw Ra?ka-eesh again.
Tears welled in Fel?ndraar?s eyes. He started sobbing. Other wizards he knew died, like Tephior the sorcerer and Asjior the witch.
Fel?ndraar had enough. He didn?t think, he just pulled his dagger, and with a dangerous gleam in his eye, he rushed toward the dragon. By the time he got there, there were only a few surviving wizards left.
He yelled at the dragon, ?Slayer of Kings, Destroyer of Cities, divert your wrath to me!? One thing that Fel?ndraar learned in his training, is that dragons are incredibly vain. ?O Mighty One, God of Men, do not hurt these peaceful wizards!?
The dragon stopped, and looked at Fel?ndraar curiously.
?What do you want with me, human?? The dragon rumbled. ?I have no mettle with you? but you shall make a tasty snack when I?m done with? them.?
?No!? Fel?ndraar yelled. ?I mean, please. If I?m going to die anyways, I?d rather die first. Please.?
?Human. That was your first mistake.? the dragon mumbled as he gobbled up another wizard, with a nasty crunching sound.
Suddenly, the dragon lunged. Fel?ndraar dodged to the side, so he didn?t get enveloped inside the dragon?s black maw, then was launched backwards, as he forgot about the tail. As Fel?ndraar hit the ground, winded, he struggled to get back up, only to be knocked down again, pinned by a giant claw. The mage muttered a spell, and closed his eyes as a bright light appeared.
?Reau! Get his eyes! While he can?t see!?
Reau screeched, and threw himself mercilessly at the dragon's eyes. Fel?ndraar rolled off to the side away from the flailing claws and tail, and saw the surviving wizards fleeing.
Fel?ndraar muttered grumpily, ?Well then. Change of plans.?
He glanced around, looking for something that might be able to pierce the scales. He saw a large piece of wood used as a support beam for the High Wizard?s tent, cut into a point. He went to grab it, but only succeeded in knocking it over. He whispered another spell, and felt his strength decrease rapidly. He?d better hurry.
He heard another screech, this time of pain, and saw Reau swatted down, blood streaming down the dragon?s eyes. He called out to Reau, and couldn?t find him, so he sent him back to the ethereal plane to heal.
?Thanks, my friend.? Next, he looked at the dragon. ?You slept, for hundreds of years. Why would you come out now? Why the slaughter? You aren?t as majestic as I thought you were...
The dragon growled, at the insult of his vanity. ?You wouldn?t know, human. Your idea of majesty and beauty is a man or woman dressed in bright cloth. That was your last chance.?
Fel?ndraar shouted, ?For the Mage Tower!?
The dragon roared.
Fel?ndraar hurled the makeshift spear, as the dragon lunged, his maw lighting up and a low rumble down deep in his chest.
Everything went white.
Fel?ndraar managed to throw up a ward, as the fire hit him. He heard the worst sound he could ever hear. Not a scream, nor a roar, but the most unearthly, inhuman, otherworldly sound that is so undescribable, Fel?ndraar had trouble understanding it. The fire stopped almost as quickly as it had begun, and Fel?ndraar found himself staring into the large, pale eyes of a dead dragon.
He almost laughed, not in happiness, nor joy, but in sadness and in awe.
?Ra-ka-eesh? I did it? I?? he gasped to the sky.
Then he noticed the pain, specifically when he leaned up against a tree. It was in his left side. There was no blood, but he thought he had a broken rib. He also realized he couldn?t breathe. Fel?ndraar noticed the edges of his eyes starting to darken. The mage assumed he had a punctured lung. He tried to move, but only ended up stumbling over on his way to find a healer. He glanced about, and counted the bodies. So many dead. He saw somebody in the distance, and tried to call for help. Fel?ndraar only succeeded in making a wheezing sound, and then he couldn?t do anything else.
Suddenly, everything went black.
I pray that the world never runs out of dragons. I say that in all sincerity, though I have played a part in the death of one great wyrm. For the dragon is the quintessential enemy, the greatest foe, the unconquerable epitome of devastation. The dragon, above all other creatures, even the demons and the devils, evokes images of dark grandeur, of the greatest beast curled asleep on the greatest treasure hoard. They are the ultimate test of the hero and the ultimate fright of the child. They are older than the elves and more akin to the earth than dwarves. The great dragons are the preternatural beast, the basic element of the beast, that darkest part of our imagination.
The wizards cannot tell you of their origin, though they believe that a great wizard, a god of wizards, must have played some role in the first spawning of the beast. The elves, with their long fables explaining the creation of every aspect of the world, have many ancient tales concerning the origin of the dragons, but they admit, privately, that they really have no idea of how the dragons came to be.
My own belief is more simple, and yet, more complicated by far. I believe that dragons appeared in the world immediately after the spawning of the first reasoning race. I do not credit any god of wizards with their creation, but rather, the most basic imagination, wrought of unseen fears, of those first reasoning mortals.
We make the dragons as we make the gods, because we need them, because, somewhere deep in our hearts, we recognize that a world without them is a world not worth living in.
There are so many people in the land who want an answer, a definitive answer, for everything in life, and even for everything after life. They study and they test, and because those few find the answers for some simple questions, they assume that there are answers to be had for every question. What was the world like before there were people? Was there nothing but darkness before the sun and the stars? Was there anything at all? What were we, each of us, before we were born? And what, most importantly of all, shall we be after we die?
Out of compassion, I hope that these questioners never find that which they seek.
One self-proclaimed prophet came through Ten-Towns denying the possibility of an afterlife, claiming that those people who had died and were raised by priests, had, in fact, never died, and that their claims of experiences beyond the grave were an elaborate trick played on them by their own hearts, a ruse to ease the path to nothingness. For that is all there was, he said, an emptiness, a nothingness.
Never in my life have I ever heard one beggin so desperately for someone to prove him wrong.
This is kind of what I believe right now? although, I do not want to be proved wrong?
For what are we left with if there remains no mystery? What hope might we find if we know all of the answers?
What is it within us, then, that so desperately wants to deny magic and to unravel mystery? Those fears aside, I say, and live free of them, for if we just step back and watch the truth of the world, we will find that there is indeed magic all about us, unexplainable by numbers and formulas. What is the passion evoked by the stirring speech of the commander before the desperate battle, if not magic? What is the peace that an infant might know in its mother?s arms, if not magic? What is love, if not magic?
No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith.
And that, I fear, for any reasoning, conscious being, would be the cruelest trick of all.
--Drizzt Do?Urden
Quoted from
?Streams of Silver?
By
R.A. Salvatore
The young, dark haired human. shivered as he looked upon his home. The wind blew across the beautiful snowy-capped mountaintops of Icewind Dale, with Ten-Towns as awake as any other town, in this harsh, desolate world covered in snow and frost. As he looked among the towering firs, he caught sight of a large, beautiful butterfly known as a Shade. As he watched it, he saw a small wasp sting it on the underside. This insect was a Spellweaver.
He suddenly snapped awake, wondering what that meant. Was it an omen? Fel?ndraar decided to ignore it for now. He gather up his belongings, along with his ethereal falcon Reau, and went outside to prepare to travel with the other wizards.
He was on his way toward Longsaddle, to meet up with the Harpals. This was one of the Mage Tower?s meetings with the queer men, and this would be his first. He had heard a lot about them, and apparently they use magic in a? different way. He was almost weak with excitement, and the other wizards often thought he wouldn?t make it there. Fel?ndraar was never one for the outdoors, anyway.
Fel?ndraar was training to be a draconian mage, or a wyrm-slayer. He is one of a select few, trained to hate and destroy wyrms of all sorts, but more specifically, dragons. He has never actually seen a dragon, but his mentor, a tall, dark haired elf known as Ra?ka-eesh has taught him many things about them. Fel?ndraar was actually told he would see a dragon this month, and get to watch Ra?ka-eesh kill it as an example. He wasn?t scared. After all, he had been training for this all his life.
Fel?ndraar barely made it out the door before Ra?ka-eesh barked at him.
?You were almost late. We would have left you.? Ra?ka-eesh said, disappointed.
?I know, I?m sorry, master. It won?t happen again.? Fel?ndraar said.
?You better hope so.?
It was a long, arduous 300 mile trail to Longsaddle, and they were leaving the great port city of Luskan, home of the Mage Tower, which is north of the famous city Bryn Shander, the capital of Ten-Towns.
The mages began their journey. Fel?ndraar didn?t have enough money to rent a horse, and none of the summoners would summon one from the ethereal plane. So he walked. He longed for the comfort of Reau, so he grabbed the small, marble falcon figurine around his neck and muttered a spell.
There was a quiet hum, and then a white flash, and instead of a figurine there was now a stark white falcon. He clung to Fel?ndraar?s shoulder as he walked.
The other wizards, except for the summoners, were afraid of Reau, as they should be anything from another plane. Nobody knows anything about it, because nobody has discovered a way to get there and back safely, or even send messages back. They only know that those who mess with the art of summoning never tend to live very long, and that the beings from the nethereal plane, also known as the demon realm, weren?t friendly and that the beings from the ethereal plane were. They also knew that both of these beings were very dangerous and immortal.
Late one evening, almost at midnight, Ra?ka-eesh slipped into Fel?ndraar?s tent. He roused him and told him to come outside.
?I think I?ve found something.? Ra?ka-eesh said.
?What is it?? asked Fel?ndraar.
?I think we have a dragon on our hands. We may need to take care of it before it gets too close to camp. I don?t want to warn the others- they may get worried.?
?Okay,? Fel?ndraar stuttered, quivering with excitement. ?Let?s do this.?
?Correction. I?ll do this. You will watch. If for some reason something goes awry, go get the others. Do not come to my aid.?
?Yes, master.? stated Fel?ndraar. He wasn?t sure if he would listen though.
As they walked toward the edge of the encampment, they heard a sound, almost thunderous. Fel?ndraar shrugged it off, thinking it was thunder, because the sky was so dark.
Ra?ka-eesh and the few wizards that woke up, however, thought elsewise.
Reau started shrieking while on Fel?ndraar?s shoulder, and when Fel?ndraar jumped Reau dug his talons in. He winced, then saw the panic on the other wizards? faces.
At this moment, he realized. That was not a cloudy sky.
That was a dragon.
Ra?ka-eesh told Fel?ndraar to hide, then took off? toward the dragon? As he ran, he heard the shouts and spells from other wizards, and he hid like he was told, but he wanted to see. So he snuck out from his spot, looked, and listened.
He wished he hadn?t.
As soon as he looked outside, he saw Ra?ka-eesh. In the dragon?s maw. There was no scream, no sound, just? silence. They locked eyes for a moment, and then he never saw Ra?ka-eesh again.
Tears welled in Fel?ndraar?s eyes. He started sobbing. Other wizards he knew died, like Tephior the sorcerer and Asjior the witch.
Fel?ndraar had enough. He didn?t think, he just pulled his dagger, and with a dangerous gleam in his eye, he rushed toward the dragon. By the time he got there, there were only a few surviving wizards left.
He yelled at the dragon, ?Slayer of Kings, Destroyer of Cities, divert your wrath to me!? One thing that Fel?ndraar learned in his training, is that dragons are incredibly vain. ?O Mighty One, God of Men, do not hurt these peaceful wizards!?
The dragon stopped, and looked at Fel?ndraar curiously.
?What do you want with me, human?? The dragon rumbled. ?I have no mettle with you? but you shall make a tasty snack when I?m done with? them.?
?No!? Fel?ndraar yelled. ?I mean, please. If I?m going to die anyways, I?d rather die first. Please.?
?Human. That was your first mistake.? the dragon mumbled as he gobbled up another wizard, with a nasty crunching sound.
Suddenly, the dragon lunged. Fel?ndraar dodged to the side, so he didn?t get enveloped inside the dragon?s black maw, then was launched backwards, as he forgot about the tail. As Fel?ndraar hit the ground, winded, he struggled to get back up, only to be knocked down again, pinned by a giant claw. The mage muttered a spell, and closed his eyes as a bright light appeared.
?Reau! Get his eyes! While he can?t see!?
Reau screeched, and threw himself mercilessly at the dragon's eyes. Fel?ndraar rolled off to the side away from the flailing claws and tail, and saw the surviving wizards fleeing.
Fel?ndraar muttered grumpily, ?Well then. Change of plans.?
He glanced around, looking for something that might be able to pierce the scales. He saw a large piece of wood used as a support beam for the High Wizard?s tent, cut into a point. He went to grab it, but only succeeded in knocking it over. He whispered another spell, and felt his strength decrease rapidly. He?d better hurry.
He heard another screech, this time of pain, and saw Reau swatted down, blood streaming down the dragon?s eyes. He called out to Reau, and couldn?t find him, so he sent him back to the ethereal plane to heal.
?Thanks, my friend.? Next, he looked at the dragon. ?You slept, for hundreds of years. Why would you come out now? Why the slaughter? You aren?t as majestic as I thought you were...
The dragon growled, at the insult of his vanity. ?You wouldn?t know, human. Your idea of majesty and beauty is a man or woman dressed in bright cloth. That was your last chance.?
Fel?ndraar shouted, ?For the Mage Tower!?
The dragon roared.
Fel?ndraar hurled the makeshift spear, as the dragon lunged, his maw lighting up and a low rumble down deep in his chest.
Everything went white.
Fel?ndraar managed to throw up a ward, as the fire hit him. He heard the worst sound he could ever hear. Not a scream, nor a roar, but the most unearthly, inhuman, otherworldly sound that is so undescribable, Fel?ndraar had trouble understanding it. The fire stopped almost as quickly as it had begun, and Fel?ndraar found himself staring into the large, pale eyes of a dead dragon.
He almost laughed, not in happiness, nor joy, but in sadness and in awe.
?Ra-ka-eesh? I did it? I?? he gasped to the sky.
Then he noticed the pain, specifically when he leaned up against a tree. It was in his left side. There was no blood, but he thought he had a broken rib. He also realized he couldn?t breathe. Fel?ndraar noticed the edges of his eyes starting to darken. The mage assumed he had a punctured lung. He tried to move, but only ended up stumbling over on his way to find a healer. He glanced about, and counted the bodies. So many dead. He saw somebody in the distance, and tried to call for help. Fel?ndraar only succeeded in making a wheezing sound, and then he couldn?t do anything else.
Suddenly, everything went black.
