Jewel of the Hoard Ch. 01

For Aries, the journey had been long and tiring. His muscles ached underneath his leathers. The wolf pelt that was thrown over the top kept him warm from the piercingly cold winds that tore through the mountainside. His horse, too afraid to continue up the side of the dangerous cliff, tore off in some unknown direction. Perhaps, it knew something that he did not.

Four days along an unforgiving trail and away from the comfort of the capital of Randelan. There were no more inns or brothels to relax and find someone to keep around; it was just a wasteland. The cold and snow choked out any potential plants so fauna was nowhere to be seen. The horse that bolted somewhere down the mountain had Aries' supplies which meant he could easily perish before he completed his quest.

His feet stomped forward, the snow underneath crunching as he walked. His leather boots were lined with soft furs which helped keep body heat below and his pants were made of thick hide that helped keep the bite of the wind out and away from his sensitive skin. The sun was nowhere to be seen and was hidden behind dark grey clouds. If there were trees that stuck out towards the sky, they were naked like gnarled guardians.

The environment was like a direct reflection of the task Aries was assigned to by King Therdun. If the Gods felt he was worthy, the mountain would not take his body. After all, a circle of knights gave him their blessing after the Princess was taken by a beast and his hellish powers. Aries shivered but not from the cold. His fortitude could easily shrug off any extreme temperatures, even if he was stripped down to his loincloth. What he feared for was getting shredded by the foul creature that took purchase in the mountains.

From what the Senate described, it was of the magical variety which meant it was far more dangerous. It was a true test of his skill as a hunter. Most of the circle had completed such tasks of valor. Sir Vicente had killed four drakes while saving a family from a burning building, Sir Maximo developed some of the best medicines and cures using hag hairs, and now it was Aries turn to join the table with the rest.

Aries clutched his longsword at his side harder. He was going to slay the beast and take what title was due as well as rescue the Princess. He trudged on. His stomach rumbled with hunger and his eyes burned from the cold but he continued. Up and up the mountain he went until he eventually reached a spot where there was a lone cave. The mouth of the cave was about eighteen feet tall and large enough for a much larger creature to easily make their way inside.

Although Aries did not know exactly where the dragon was, the locals of the area had pointed him towards the mountain. No one seemed too frightened of the caves and no one warned him not to go further. Each of them seemed almost confused why a knight was looking for a dragon in the first place. Aries even recalled a mother who told him the strangest story of the creature; how it traded for sheep with jewels.

The knight-to-be knew it had to be some magic afoot. After all, he was told of the hexes the dragon used to steal the Princess away from the King and how his daughter practically fell into the monster's arms. Aries gulped, the torchlight coming from the caves lighting his way. The snow on the ground quickly gave way to moisture which slickened the rock. The warmth coming from the entrance was enough to breathe new life into Aries' aching muscles. It felt like the pain even made its way into his bones and the warmth only brought the fact he was so cold to the front of his mind.

Unsheathing his sword, Aries held it close as he walked forward. He scanned his environment like his training instructor had told him. The opening entrance to the cave was surprisingly organized. From the ceiling, banners hung of the various kingdoms of the area. There were three main ones; Rendelen, Lanish, and Sarwin. Swords, spears, glades, and any weapon forged by the King's blacksmith was displayed and shimmered at the mouth of the cave.

Aries made note and continued onward. The opening of the cave started to narrow and each of the walls of the cave were little more than an arm's length away. Aries' ears could hear two voices as he made his way forward.

"I'm cutting you off of the wine, Princess," a deep, rumbling voice said with finality. Aries focused ahead and crouched down. Although he was in his leathers, he was thankful he didn't bring his full plate armor. He would have been found out immediately.

"Oh, loosen up...you have been practically celebant since you took me...," the Princess stated and rolled along a rug made out of bear fur on the floor. She was laughing joyously. A dragon, as blue as the most gorgeous sapphire, stared down at her as if he had no idea what a human even was. The dragon was in a pair of tied pants with a nice fitting tunic..

Aries made a note that he could take the creature by surprise. The girl had given him a window that he was more than happy to exploit.

After the insult, the dragon huffed and a bright puff of fire came from his nostrils. He moved forward and grabbed the Princess's wrists.

"You WILL go to my quarters and you WILL take a nap. I will not play babysitter to a spoiled brat," the dragon said with a roar to his voice that would have made any other human wet themselves but the Princess still had a stubborn resilience about her.

"Oh reaaaaaaalllllyyyy? You are the one that kidnapped me, you offered me wine with my dinner, and I just happpppened to find the reserve in your liiiitttttlllleeee hoard."

"I took you because I had no other choice. Your pig-headed father would not listen to reason. Now, it's time to rest!"

The dragon led the Princess towards the bedroom and this moment gave Aries a breather. The knight came out of the narrow hall and into the room. The room was large enough for at least four people. Chairs were set up in a living room style with a square table able to comfortably sit at least four people around it. The wood was a nice, cherry color and polished to perfection. Scratches were on the surface of it and cut into the surface but they were patched up with careful precision. A bottle of wine sat with about three-fourths of its contents drunken down. There were two goblets near the wine and they were polished gold. One was filled to the brim while the other was completely empty.

The lips of the cups had shiny rubies that gave the rim of the cup a nice highlight. Swords of various heights and weights were placed in their holdings. Many of them were more for display than anything else and not for actual damage. In fact, there were many things of note. Old tomes were placed neatly in shelves as well as ornaments and statues made from various metals and gems.

The magic the creature possessed turned the area into much more...liveable conditions that were comparable to a meeting room in the castle. Banners of various empires were hung on the wall and from every kingdom all over the continent. Why a dragon wanted them, Aries had no idea. Cabinets were pushed off to the side. If Aries had managed to get his hands on just some of the materials in the cave, he would be set for life.

Glancing over where the dragon and Princess walked away to, Aries listened carefully. He couldn't hear anything which meant he was free to pillage. He walked to the ancient tomes first. After all, there were magicians that would pay lots of gold for such ancient texts. The curious human brought his index finger forward and traced across one of the spines of the books. They clearly had not been touched in forever if they gathered so much dust.

Brushing away until the gold leafing of the title showed, Aries read it out loud.

"Rambunctious Ways to Cure the Colds: Magnus's Guide to Potions of Health."

A long, pretentious title and one that Aries had never heard of. He had glanced through some of the mage's texts long ago but these appeared to be even older than that. After all, Magnus died before the first war which happened at least five hundred years ago.

Before Aries could move onto the next book titled "Fireball, Fireball, Fireball", footsteps sounded out behind him and the human turned on his heels and froze.

The dragon had scales that were an icy blue that reminded Aries of the glaciers that floated along the oceans. His eyes were the same color as the scales and stared at Aries with little concern. Claws, dark as obsidian, capped his fingers and a long tail swished back and forth behind the creature as it walked forward. His muzzle was elongated much like a lizard but had more of a humanoid appearance.

When the monster opened its mouth to speak, Aries could see rows of teeth that froze his blood in his veins. "Are you here for the Princess?"

The question was simple and almost predestined. It was like the dragon knew someone would be coming. Aries walked forward tentatively, his hand at his blade. The wings of the dragon extended out brilliantly and glittered in the torchlight.

"..."

There was clear tension between the two and the knight slowly started to unsheathe his sword as the dragon's wings began to grow into at least two arm spans. The room was large enough to accompany the span and there was a puff of fire that came from the beast's maw.

And then, the beast spoke again.

"Please, take her. You can go..."

Aries stopped. For the first part in his career, a monster he was about to slay just gave up. Clearly, this was some joke.

Aries dropped his guard for a split second and that was enough for the dragon to continue. The human took tentative steps forward.

"She drank all my wine. She's puked on my bear rug...twice! She kept telling me I'm boring. I'm an ancient beast of magic and she has the gall to call me boring."

The dragon was clearly upset. More puffs of smoke came out of his nose and out of his mouth. "Gods, she has been a worse scourge than the Plague! You must take her away. There's a blizzard coming soon so you must go down the mountain, but just please..."

The dragon clapped his hands together and Aries paused. He still kept the weapon up and at the ready. He was at striking distance now but something was telling him to hear what the dragon had to say. The voice that came from the creature was unlike anything he had ever heard; a deep, smooth quality that was unworldly. He was still only dressed in his formal wear with no armor to speak of and one precise slice from his longsword could probably allow him to get the upper hand.

"Beast, how dare you think I would be tricked by such foolish lies," Aries said. The voice was full of life and unwavered. He had faced far worse than this conniving creature. The human knew there would be a time that the dragon would stab him in the back.

"I do not lie! I can even show you the stain!"

"N-no...not about...ENOUGH!"

Aries pointed his sword at his enemy. "You will tell me of your tricks..."

"No tricks you bumbling idiot hero," the dragon hissed as he walked over to the empty goblet and wrapped a large paw around it. He moved it over to a nearby shelf and the glass cleaned itself. "I am simply tired of using sacred words of magic to clean puke stains off of my precious carpet! I stole...."

He paused for a moment and his tail flicked. "Errr, procured them fair and square!"

Aries glared at the dragon.

"You really think that I am that stupid?"

"Yes, in more ways than one it seems! I am literally allowing you to take the hostage back. I should have never kidnapped her to teach the King a lesson. All that I needed was a couple of lambs from the area..."

"So you are a thief!" Aries interrupted.

The dragon blinked.

"Oh heavens no. I gave the people jewels. Your King just wants me dead because of that. I guess peasants shouldn't just be getting gems and challenging their King."

Aries was stunned. The knight opened his mouth but no words came out.

"You lie."

"You are one stubborn bastard," the dragon huffed as he walked near one of the many sword displays. His left hand touched it gently and he glared at Aries. "I am telling you that no one has to get hurt. Take your Princess and go before the weather turns..."

Aries stopped for a moment, a moment of reservation coming up. Clearly, the dragon did not hurt the princess or wished to give him harm, but was just trying to make the best of the situation. The dragon dropped his guard for a moment at Aries' soft look.

"You cannot persuade me otherwise, dragon. I have been given a mission...I'm sorry."

The dragon watched as the human stepped forward in an attacking stance. He searched the human for any type of remorse for his decision but the fire behind his eyes told him that there was little he could do to persuade the knight.

"Very well."

Grabbing the top sword, a skinny saber and of elegant design, the creature brandished the weapon with skill and Aries paused for a moment. Dragons were supposed to breathe fire from their mouths and hiss. The knight had never seen any creature of such intelligence. Of course, the fact that dragons were so rare in the first place made it seem that he was being tricked. Perhaps, this was not a dragon but some wizard in a clever disguise.

Either way, the smoke that came from the beast's nostrils was surely real and Aries began to circle his opponent. The dragon's wings expanded and his icy irises followed the human closely.

"You are making a mistake, knight...."

Aries leaped forward into action and his sword tip was pointed forward towards the dragon's ribs. It would be a fatal blow for any duelist. Aries did not wish to waste time to swoop in for the kill. At least the stab would be merciful.

In one swift motion, the dragon parried the blow easily and allowed Aries' momentum to carry him forward. Tripping over his feet, Aries had little choice but to continue his descent. The knight's eyes were wide and his mouth was agape. The surprise at being bested fought with the disgust he had with himself. He trained with the greatest of knights! He should have anticipated such a move and not let his guard down. After all, the dragon was wise. The human thought he could take advantage of his opponent and that he was foolish but clearly he was mistaken. The beast had easy access to the neck. With one cut downward, he would be dead.

Aries did not feel the final blow but his world immediately went black and his body slumped forward onto the floor.

The dragon sheathed the sword and checked the blunt handle. It was a hit that did not even draw blood but firm enough to knock the human unconscious. It was clean but fierce. He leaned down and picked the human up as if he weighed nothing more than a bag of flour.

"I'm sorry for that," he said to the unconscious body as if Aries would respond back to him.

In a fireman's carry, the dragon carried Aries carefully and made sure to keep the human's head out of the way of the stalagtites of the cave. The hallway was naturally carved into the cave and had magic runes drawn into the wall. They were wards but they did little to dissuade fauna that lived in it. Bats still came in to steal food and fungus grew symbiotically to form lican but they were not bothersome. After all, they had lived in the cave system longer than anything in the cave.

The narrow hallway that led towards the back room expanded like lungs taking in air. The stone turned as if alive and moved to a comfortable distance so the two could pass through.

When he made it into the back room, the dragon huffed. The room was large enough to comfortably fit three. There was one double bed and two singles. The room had a warm, blue glow to it due to the wisps that fluttered around. The magic that the dragon would practice regularly attracted them. They were neither benevolent or maleficent but simply in existence. A force that was governed by the very laws of mana that was weaved into the fabric of the universe like a celestial tapestry.

Wine bottles were placed in respective cabinets and there was one large dresser placed in the corner along with a vanity mirror. The dragon had snatched it from the elves at one point and it still had their enchantments about it. If he so chose, he could have an infinite number of drawers; he simply needed the right thought for what he desired.

A banner hung from the mirror, a trophy that he took from the elves long ago. He hoped that his hit did not give the knight too bad of a concussion

Each of the beds were lined with clean silks and the pillows near the head boards were fluffed to a comfortable amount. The sheets were made except for one which had a Princess who sloppily layed on her stomach and was fast asleep. Her braided and usually beautiful blond hair was matted and frayed. Her clothes were barely hanging onto her body and she had a blissful smile on her face as well as an empty goblet snuggled into her chest. A bottle of wine laid empty on the bedside.

"Royalty..." the dragon said with an eye roll and walked Aries over to the second single bed. He lightly laid him out onto it and used his left hand to keep the knight's head from falling too forcefully down onto the bed.

"You will have quite a headache in the morning, noble knight," the dragon said with a chuckle and laid him onto the bed. He looked quite peaceful in his knocked out posture. The creature's tail flicked thoughtfully as a random thought crossed his mind; he would be more comfortable without all the clothes but quickly shook it out of his mind. The dragon needed to stop thinking about...

The beast frowned as the past came back for just a brief moment. It was long enough to sour his thoughts.

He lit a rogue candle nearby and the light blue wisps that were lighting up the room dissipated instantly. Although their magical light would be good in normal circumstances, perhaps it would be best if the drunk and beaten did not awaken to such a harsh light. The wisps gave a small sound that would be best described as a chidder before fading into nothingness much like tides returning back into the ocean.

The knight stirred and the dragon jumped for a moment as the man groaned and turned on his side. Drool started to form along his mouth and drip onto the silks. He was a sight to behold. If the knight wasn't so...enthusiastic about stabbing him, he probably could have overpowered him just based on his musculature alone.

The human's eyes were shut tight and he was shaking. Walking back over to the human, the dragon brought his palm forward and placed it on the human's forehead. He mumbled something underneath his breath and there was a small glow. It spread throughout the man's forehead for just a moment and Aries immediately relaxed and a neutral expression crossed his features. The wisps from before started to dance around the duo. They returned from the ocean of magic and were now back.

"That should help you sleep soundly as well as heal that nasty wound," the dragon thought to himself. He would need to find a new hideout. After all, if the King sent one man then he would start to send more and his cave did not have room for more. There would be a time when the King realized his men that he sent were starting to dwindle and start to take more drastic measures.

Making his way back out to the main room, the dragon could feel a chill rush through the cave. Even though he was protected from the cold by his natural body heat, it still had a bite to it. If Aries had walked this far in such weather, the human had resolve. Something felt strange about the wind that came through, however. It carried with it snow and the precipitation did not normally make its way so deep into the cave.

"Oh Gods..."

With wings extended, the creature started to break into a run. His footpaws came upon more snow until it was practically up to his ankles. Wading through it, his scales sticking out against the pure white of it. The torchlight at the mouth of the cave was completely extinguished and darkness shrouded the landscape. The wind carried with it a warning; all who went out would die. It's bite was worse than any predator and the sting would bring any unwise adventurer to their knees.