The Lightbearer's Gift

We were 3 days into our contract, and we just passed the border to Ruben. The drake had started hunting even farther east, according to the final report we got before leaving Vernon. We finally left the flatlands and started across wide rolling hills. In the distance we could see significantly taller hills. Mountains would be more accurate. It stretched so high that it started to pierce the clouds. Somewhere in those rolling hills and mountains lived a drake that we must kill. As our 4-horse carriage rolled along, I noticed very little fauna other than some birds and small deer looking creatures.

The lack of large game was probably why the drake opted to attack caravans and livestock. A caravan was attacked along the same road we are currently traveling. Most were killed so everyone in the company kept their eyes to the sky with orders to shout shield cover if they even suspected that the drake was nearby.

“What do you think our chances are of being attacked, Breala?” Sten asked. She was the only one with any knowledge of hunting drakes, so the company deferred to her.

Breala analyzed the clouds then said.

“It is good weather for it, but it’s hard to say you usually don’t know you’re being attacked before it happens.”

“Where do you think it is nesting?”

“Most likely the tallest mountain. If we find oddly broken bodies that look like they died from a fall. Then we should be close.”

“Well let’s hope we find the beast soon. I don't care for these hills.” Brandon said with definite irritation in his voice. We had only been traveling along these hills for a day and the constant chilly dry wind was an irritant. Some in the company even asked me to heal their cracked lips.

“So, we pick the tallest mountain and hope to find bodies? Any other ideas? Lilian?” I asked if I was in much the same disposition as Brandon since these winds were irritating my ears.

“I have no experience hunting drakes.” Lilian said.

“It’s a plan then. Everyone, we're heading for that peak.” Sten announced.

He gave the reins a jolt and the carriage picked up pace. The dreary travel continued for hours incline slowly increasing. The sky was overcast, and I could smell rain in the air. I almost wanted to meditate so I could pass the time but couldn’t indulge myself since I would be needed if the drake suddenly attacked.

Suddenly a loud screech washed over us the hilly landscape made the sound echo in a way as to make it difficult to determine the direction.

The entire company was on full alert, eyes to the sky, ears peeled. Both Sarah and I had spell circuits prepared for her with a fire spell and with me a shield. A minute passed, then two loud screeches slowly became quieter until it faded into nothing.

“Direction?” Breala asked, her eyes twitching from Lilian and me. I looked into her green eyes for a moment then we both pointed.

“Wonderful.” Brandon complained as we pointed towards the peak of the tallest hill.

“We know our direction. Everyone keep your eyes to the sky. Moon ready with that shield.”

Sten looked towards the direction of the highest peak where the drake no doubt nested.

“I have a feeling things are about to get interesting.”

We had to abandon the horses and carriage, tying them off so they wouldn’t wonder. The crude roads didn’t continue towards the peak of the mountain, so we had to continue on by foot carefully navigating an increasing incline. Lilian took point skillfully carving a path towards the peak that we could follow. This continued on for another half an hour before Lilian signaled for us to halt.

“Dead body.” She said,

The entire company approached examining the dead horse. It was at least a week old, and its body was horrifically mangled. It looked as if it fell several hundred feet.

“A victim of the drake?” I asked Breala.

“Most likely. We're going to see more bodies the closer we get to its nest.” Breala said.

It was as Breala said. The higher we climbed the greater the wind and we occasionally found more bodies. Humans’ horses' remains of livestock were strewn across the hillside partially eaten.

Suddenly a screech far louder than we had heard before echoed across the hillside. Not willing to risk the company’s safety I immediately cast a shield. Above the cloud cover a vague form could be seen coming towards us. There was a rush of Ether as the shadow approached. The wind that before was strong yet tolerable significantly increased in strength.

We watched in awe as the hillside was torn apart by the ferocity of the wind. It whipped up into hurricane forces. Ripping trees out of the ground by the roots tossing boulders with a deafening howl. My shield was firm enough to stand against it. After a few minutes, the wind slowed down.

“That seemed on purpose.” I said as the wind reduced to the point that I could be heard without shouting.

“Yes, without proper protection we would have succumbed to the wind. That is how it hurts.” Breala said.

“Hells it’s like the world was ending for a minute there,” Tanner said as she examined the destroyed ground outside the edge of my shield.

“Ain’t that the truth, I’m starting to wonder why I’m even here.” Mikah said.

The young man did have a point there wasn’t much they could do against the drake while it was in the sky. I would essentially have to babysit them until we can bring it down.

“I’m sure you will all have plenty of fun when Moon and Sarah bring it down. For now, just sit pretty behind the shield.” Mark said, sounding far more relaxed than the other two.

“Let’s continue going towards the peak. Moon, get ready with that shield if you suspect that the drake is close.”

I ended the spell while I could sustain the shield for much longer than before it made sense to keep myself at maximum stamina.

“Very well. Sarah, if it gets close enough, I'll drop the shield. You will only have a fraction of a second to respond before I bring it back up.” I said.

“Our practice was thorough. Rest assured that I will not miss the opportunity.” Sarah said, full of confidence.

“Lilian took the point that everyone else's eyes to the sky were not getting blown off this mountain.” Sten said with steel in his voice.

This was more mountain than hill. The incline increased even further. At this point we were going up a 30-degree slope. Those with inexperience with this terrain slipped and fell constantly as footholds that we thought were firm rock gave way. Lilian, who seemed to be born for this easily navigated the rough terrain.

Though the higher altitude was much colder I was still soaked in sweat. The drake attacked 3 more times, the wind getting more vicious as we ascended. We still haven’t actually gotten a clear sight. Based on the shadow it cast upon the clouds it had to be at least 50 feet from head to tail. The idea that a dragon could grow well over 10 times that size was mind boggling. I wasn’t sure how Drake’s magic worked but I could easily feel the ripples in the ether as it started to whip up the wind.

It took most of the day before we started to pass beyond the low clouds. It was the dark of night on the mountain side and it had been a few hours since we had been attacked. Since we were above the cloud line, I could see the endless expanse of the sky. Billions of stars lit up the night sky, and a single moon lit up the mountainside providing just enough light to see. The entire company took a moment to appreciate the view, even Caan took a few moments in quiet contemplation.

“We should rest and pick up at sunrise.” Sten said.

“It’s best for you all to get as much rest as possible. I'll keep watch for the night.” I said.

“You sure?” Tanner said.

“I don’t need any sleep and if the drake attacks us in the night, I need to be able to raise the shield at a moment’s notice. “I said reassuringly.

“It’s all right Tanner elves are just different from humans. We can put our faith in him.” Sten said.

Lilian led us to a reasonably flat area, and everyone bedded down. It had to be dried meat and nuts for supper as no one wanted to risk a fire drawing the drake’s attention while they rested. I could not afford the luxury of meditation, so I thought back to my time among the trees when I first arrived in this world.

I gathered, moved, and dispersed the ether throughout my body. I’ve learned enough magic to know that this was not a particularly useful exercise, but it kept my mind focused and alert in case of attack. Only Lilian had remained awake though due to an abundance of caution and an unwillingness to wake the others we sat in silence. The night seemed to drag on for far longer than usual. Again, I lamented the loss of sleep since I would have loved an excuse to lay my head down for the night.

As soon as the sun began to crest above the horizon Lilian, and I woke everyone. And so, our path towards the peak continued. For another several hours our luck of getting attacked during the night finally ran out.

In the distance I could see a small shape approaching our position. I didn’t have to guess what it was as the drake began to ascend higher and higher. I could at this distance just make out its gray scales, eventually I began to feel a pulse within the Ether.

It was nothing like Spell casting; it was far more subtle. I cast a shield as soon as I felt it Moments later with wind whipped up into hurricane forces. Sarah had a spell ready if the drake ever decided to physically attack us. But if it remained high in the sky constantly circling every few seconds there would be a ripple in the ether punctuated by an increase in the wind’s ferocity.

“Damn she’s really laying the hammer down” Mark shouted over the sound of the wind. The force of the wind started to rip apart the earth around us. To the point where I started to fear that we could be caught in a landslide.

“How’re you holding up the Moon?” Sten asked.

“I’m fine the wind is powerful but not enough to get through my shield and I have stamina to spare.” I said.

It was quite the sight as the foliage around us was ripped from the earth and carried off into the wind while we stood within the calm bubble. The ripples increased in the Ether as the drake released another roar. This one sounded almost frustrated. The wind died down and to our surprise the drake began to dive. It was thousands of feet above us so we had a few moments before it would make an impact.

“READY?” I shouted to Sarah as I began to charge a second shield spell. She understood me and pulled out her amplifier and immediately started charging a fire spell, the circuit rippling with lightning as she overcharged it with Ether. As it came closer, I could see the slight metallic sheen on its scales, its silver horns, and the ocean blue eyes. Its 4 legs are all tipped with metallic claws.

Just as it was about to enter Saras range the large creature made a physics defying course correction rotating almost 180 degrees in the opposite direction flying away from us. No creature that size should have been able to make that sharp a turn without the g forces tearing its wings off. A ripple in the ether informed me that magic was involved.

“Can it detect Ether?” I asked Breala.

“I do not know, there are no orc mages.” Breala said.

“It stands to reason that it can. We will have to find its nest then” Sarah said.

“Yes, for it to risk a direct attack we must be close.” Breala said.

The drake was still circling above monitoring our movements. Assuming the creature can in fact sense magic in the same way I do. It would have to make a decision at some point. Either it risked a physical attack at my shield or risked its nest being found at which point we would kill its offspring.

Eventually the rough ground started to flatten as we reached the peak of the mountain. The terrain was rough with plenty of jagged rock and bare earth to traverse. Drake became increasingly frustrated as no amount of wind would bring down my shield.

With a loud roar it started to dive again, this time a massive amount of ether was rippling off of the creature but there was no wind to be seen. Unsure of what was about to happen I warned.

“Everyone get ready, it's about to do something new.” It was clearly about to use a significantly larger amount of Ether for this attack. So, in response I hardened my shield to its maximum strength. I shook my head like Sarah, and I made eye contact. Realizing my motive she dismissed her spell.

As the diving drake closed the distance the ripples in the ether increased. I haven’t felt something this strong since the earth mage started using the amplifier. When it was barely a hundred feet between us, I made a mighty flap in its wings and its momentum instantly stopped.

A massive ripple in the ether was released as the flap of its wings released a gust of wind so powerful that it completely destroyed the earth around us. I was brought to my knees under the strain of maintaining the shield. The gust continued as the creature kept flapping its large batlike wings.

This was actually the best view I have had of the creature since it started attacking. I could see that all four legs were tipped with silver claws that matched its horns underneath its stomach. It was a lighter gray, almost becoming white.

The sheer power of the wind was enough to throw boulders off the mountain as if it were made of paper. The stream of wind acted almost like a jackhammer as it gouged out a massive crater around us. After nearly a minute of this the strain on my shield began to decrease.

Sarah caught my eyes, and I started casting a second shield. ‘Get ready.’ I mouthed to her since it was impossible to hear anything over the sound of the wind. She gave me a nod and started to cast a fire spell with her amplifier.

Though my shield held firm against the wind, the earth around us didn't. We were practically hammered into the earth by the wind. The crater became ever wider and deeper as the drake continued to pummel us into the ground. The rest of the company wore panicked expressions and Mikah seemed to be screaming something to Brandon. Caan and the rest just stared at the beast in fascination and horror.

Another minute passed and pressure on my shield started to decrease significantly. Sarah knew that the moment my shield dropped that she should fire at the creature, so I waited for the perfect moment. I watched the earth around us to gauge how strong the wind was and if it would blow anyone away before I could raise the second shield.

Soon enough the strength of the wind decreased to the point where only fist sized rocks were being tossed around. Trusting Sarah to deliver, I dropped the shield. Sarah proved to be as adept as I expected and through the hurricane force winds, she fired her spell. Barely a third of a second later I raised the second’s shield.

She didn’t actually hit the creature head on, but she had the skill to detonate the fireball close to the creature, so a direct hit wasn’t necessary.

The spell was charged with enough Ether that the creature was completely engulfed in fire for an instant. With a high pitch squeal of agony, the Drake clumsily flew out of the hundred-foot ball of expanding fire and started to flee. I made sure to take note of the direction it headed. Sten’s assertion that the drake would be resistant to magic was correct since it was able to maintain flight. Though I could make quite severe burns all over its body.

Everyone was sprawled out on the ground since they were unprepared for the momentary drop in the shield. I watched as the drake flew towards the peak of the mountain.

“An animal in distress will flee to familiar ground so it's likely heading back to its nest.” Breala said.

“On to the peak then double time people we don’t want it to recover its strength. “Sten said.

We continued towards the peak of the mountain until the ground actually flattened into a plateau of short grass and rocks.

The plateau was thousands of feet across with an excellent view of the surrounding landscape though the overcast day meant all we could see were clouds. Near the center of the plateau was a clustering of large human sized boulders. There were dozens of them that seemed to be arranged in a circle.

“5 Sterling, that's the nest.” Brandons said as we started to approach.

“It is. The drake is likely nearby.” Breala said. As soon as she uttered those words the drake crested the mounted side. I had my shield up in an instant as it dove towards us. It performed the same maneuver stopping in front of us and releasing a powerful blast of wind. It, however, paled in comparison to what it did before.

Sarah had a spell ready so as soon as the wind started to decrease in strength, I dropped the shield allowing her to fire at the drake. Another blast of fire detonated on target, and it knocked the creature out of the air. It tumbled on the ground sliding to a halt.

Drakes were apparently hardy creatures as it managed to spring back to their feet and came at us again.

“To the nest it won’t risk its eggs with wind.” Breala Shouted.

We ran towards the nest while I kept up the shield. The creature released a roar of frustration and clawed at the barrier trying to kill us.

Each strike released sparks and destroyed the ground around us with blasts of air. It drained a significant amount of stamina to maintain it. The closer we got to the nest the greater its frustration.

“This can’t last forever; we need to counterattack.” I said. It was much too close for a fireball since we would be caught in the blast, I had roughly a third of my stamina left.

“Moon, I want you to hit it with a radiant lance as powerful as you can make it. Everyone else scatters. On your mark moon.”

“Watch for the shield dropping to scatter.” I said. I charged the radiant lance to the fullest potential I was capable of, not wanting to risk the drake's natural resistance to magic. Everyone moved away from me as the spell circuit started violently emitting lightning as it was overcharged beyond what any normal mage could achieve. My stamina fell precipitously as the ether left my body. I waited until the creature reeled from another failed attempt to break through the shield.

“NOW.” I shouted; I dropped the shield and released the radiant lance. The beam of light glowed almost and bright as the sun as it was released. I wasn’t prepared for the kickback from the spell, so I missed its body and completely severed a wing. As if by reflex the creature released a blast of wind in all directions knocking everyone off their feet. It writhed on the ground releasing a roar so loud it rang my ears.

The creature was unexpectedly persistent as it immediately got to its feet and began to go after the closest person, which was Caan. it was down a wing that was releasing a small amount of blood so perhaps the man thought he had a chance.

He brandished his sword, but the creature just made a wild strike at him, sending him flying. Brandon was losing arrows as he sprinted away. They bounced off the drake’s scales without leaving much of a mark. Though he seemed to be aiming for the eyes.

Breala sprinted towards the creature going for a strike with her great sword aiming to pierce its underbelly. Her sword barely got a foot in before the drake bent its serpentine nick towards her and managed to bite down on her torso. It lifted her into the air and threw her over 30 feet away and she landed in a heap.

This gave Sarah the opportunity to unleash the fireball she was charging and once again the drake was caught in a massive explosion. The force of the explosion knocked it over and singed the membrane of its other wing.

It seemed dazed from the strike as it staggered back to its feet. I began charging a radian lance hoping to end the fight. The drake sensed the ether in my attack and began to charge me.

“Flash” I yelled. I unleashed the flash spell practically point blank to its face as I dodged with my eyes close to the side. It tumbled end over end over end as it was blinded by the light.

Once it skidded to a stop Mikah came out of nowhere and buried a sword into its right eye. The creature got up instantly and thrashed around wildly swinging its long tail hoping to hit someone.

Mikah took it directly to his chest and went flying. That, however, was where the fight began to turn. With one wing completely severed and the loss of its right eye the drake couldn’t put up much of a fight. Sarah and I peppered it with spells as the rest of the company opened up wound after wound on its body. I had to reserve the rest of my strength to heal the company, so I elected to use low powered spells. Lilian danced and flipped as the creature tried in vain to land a hit, her blades, opening up small wounds.

. With dozens of cuts, burns and blood loss from the severed wing and the drake finally collapsed.

Breala took her great sword and speared it directly into its other eye, deep enough to reach its brain. The creature twitched erratically for a moment then died.

“Ahh it's finally dead.” Brandon shouted in relief. He dropped to his knees in exhaustion; at some point he abandoned his bow and was wielding a sword.

Mark picked himself up off the ground, walked over to the drake and kicked its head.

“Aye it is. Sten, I don’t care who asks the next contract better to be easy.” Mark said jokingly but it was a sentiment we all agreed with.

“Injuries? “Sten said.

Almost everyone, with the exception of Sarah and Lilian, were injured. Cracked ribs and fractured bones were the most common. Breala had it the worst since the drake’s teeth were powerful enough to pierce her armor and flesh. It was a wonder she could still fight with such ferocity but she wasn't full human so that was to be expected. I had enough power to spare however so I healed all the puncture wounds from the teeth. An hour later the company was close to full health.

“Moon, get some rest. Everyone, start carving we're sitting on a gold mine here.” Sten ordered.

The drakes skin scales teeth and claws were worth a significant amount of coin. Its bones were worth coins as well but dragging such large bones across the half the barony was not something we were willing to do. The head, however, remained untouched. Sten had me use the radiant lance to cleanly sever it. Though the teeth were worth a coin having a drake head about half my height is a prize most noblemen would like mounted somewhere.

As the company hacked the drake apart, I went to examine the nest. There were 4 eggs that almost came up to my waist. The ground was stomped flat. And all round the nest there were remains, some animal, some humanoid.

Since everyone, with the exception of Sarah, was busy I examined the eggs using ether. I could see the developing drake inside its wings and limbs were not fully formed so it was closer in resemblance to a tadpole. The eggs themselves were dark gray and if not for the smooth surface would easily be mistaken as rocks.

The eggs could also fetch some coins but carrying the large things down the mountain would be difficult. So, it was best to simply destroy them guaranteeing that they wouldn’t hatch and become an even greater problem.

“Sten, should I destroy the eggs.” I shouted so he could hear me.

“Yes……not like I can carry things down.” He said with a grunt.

Noticing that no one was paying attention I ripped the life form one of the eggs and felt very little of the euphoria I expected. From within the ether the eggs had as much life as a human. I guessed that it had to do with my own increase in life ether.

I would need to consume a creature with a large life ether or simply a large amount of sentient beings to feel the ecstasy again. I was both relieved and dismayed at that realization. At least there was little reason to absorb life beyond the increase in my energy. I fired radiant bolts at each egg destroying the shell and killing the small creatures inside.

Hours later a large amount of the drake’s skin was removed along with as many scales as we could fit in our packs. The skin was cut into wide strips that could be rolled up like a carpet. It was quite the sight as the large creature was butchered and peeled as if it was to be served for supper. I arrived when Mikah had just finished cutting open the drake’s stomach.

Apparently, it wasn’t uncommon to find rare stones inside of the gastrointestinal tract of magical creatures.

Several dozens of smooth stones fell and Mikah with a sick expression picked out the ones that looked like they would be worth coin. That’s when my eye caught the telltale soft glow of an etheric gem.

It was a light blue uncut gem about the size of a sterling. I went over, snatched it up and examined it in the ether. Examining the amount of ether contained in the stone I had to guess that it was slightly more powerful that Sarah’s. Without it being enchanted into an amplifier the gem was largely useless. Though it would certainly fetch a lot of coins, perhaps a few hundred on the open market.

“It’s one of those magic gems isn’t it.” Mikah said.

“Yes, it contains air attenuated ether.” I said.

Sarah came over and looked at it within the Ether for a moment then said.

“Good find. I should fetch an excellent price.”

“How much?” Mikah asked.

“2 maybe 3 hundred gelding, it’s not particularly strong and without an amplifier it’s basically a pretty bauble.”

“Why not keep it for ourselves?” I asked.

“Perhaps that would make sense if you were an air mage and had access to an enchanter that can create an amplifier. However, you are not and there are none within the barony.” Sarah explained.

Her words made sense. What I would do with it even if I kept it. I shrugged and tossed it into a pile with the other gems. Even if I could find someone to create an amplifier, a doubling of my air magic abilities would still mean little. I only knew one spell after all.

It took over an hour before Drake was stripped of anything that could increase our pay. Everyone, with the exception of Sarah and I, carried a long rolled up strip of Drake skin and Breala carried the head. Our packs were stuffed with scales and various spikes that were along its body. The only part of the drake that was untouched was the head. It took most of the day to bring the parts all the way down the mountain.

We counted it as exceptionally good luck that the cart was where we left it and none of the horses wandered away. On our journey back many villagers watched in awe as we rolled through village after village with the large drake head sitting on top of the rest of its pieces. We were not willing to risk the parts rotting before they could be sold so we made the journey as fast as possible.

We finally reached the city walls. Most people were keen to jump out of the way of a group of people that were powerful enough to fell a drake.

One of the guards who were apparently waiting for us ran over and started speaking to Sten. He wore fine armor much like the upper city guards. Sten returned to us and said,

“Apparently the Baron wishes to see the drake head and us in person. So, we will be heading into the central keep where he will greet us personally. Now”

There were a range of reactions to Sten’s announcement. Some looked equal parts worried and excited. Sarah pulled out a hand mirror and started adjusting her hair. Sten and Mark started adjusting their armor.

I’ve heard many tales of the baron both flattering and disparaging. It will certainly be interesting to finally put a face to all the stories.