Chapter Text
Fire was commonplace, especially in a place like Esempi. You would think it was because of the climate. Where most would settle on tropical beaches, or warm and temperate forests, the ancestors of Esempi decided that an island twelve days north of Hopeless, a few degrees south of Freezing to Death, and located solidly on the Meridian of Misery, would the perfect place to settle their roots.
And yes, while the winters are fierce, the people of Esempi have long since grown accustomed to the cold and unforgiving temperatures. They have learned to accept the biting winds and deathly snow storms. Many see no use in wasting their precious firewood, for something so trivial as ‘keeping warm.’
Many would then think that what made fire so common must be their forges. Esempi was known for their intricate and powerful weapons. Swords, axes, maces, you name it. Surely all their fire would be at the heart of it all. That assumption is partly true. Their forge was lit and used every hour of every day, rarely ever ceasing, but they only had one. Just one measly forge on the outskirts of town. It was not the source of all the fire. It was not where all the fire resided.
All of it was in the air.
Burning all around them. Raining down from the heavens, as if the gods themselves were punishing them for some unforgivable crime. It caught fire to the ground, the houses, scorching the wooden logs and planks a deep black. Then it would rapidly dance back up into the sky, leaving behind a trail of smoke.
It was in the air, and came from the sky.
It came from dragons.
All kinds of dragons. Large fiery red dragons with long talons and snouts. Smaller, but much faster dragons. Strong and meaty dragons that could crush a man’s head with just their jaws.
Tommy could see them, flying and diving in the air. They had attacked the village in the middle of the night, surprising our small yet sturdy fishing village. No doubt they were after our latest catch, if not that then our livestock. Tommy looked out from his bedroom window, excitedly watching the scene before him.
Vikings, young and old, burst from their homes, axes and swords and crossbows armed and ready. Such an attack was not unusual, not even rare. His people and the dragons have been at war for longer than he had been alive. Of course they are prepared. It would be idiotic not to be.
Tommy’s house laid a few feet away from the others, resting atop a great hill, overlooking the entire village. It won’t take long for the dragons to attack his house either, but he had some time to prepare.
Tommy quickly rushed out his room, bounding down the steps with a new found excitement. A thrill. He’s sure others would find him crazy for feeling such a thing, especially while his village was being razed to the ground, but he just couldn’t help it. He was, after all, from Esempi. You have to be crazy here or else you’ll end up dead in a ditch somewhere. Plus, anybody who was anybody would be excited as well, not just him.
Here on this island, in order to get any type of respect, you have to get out there, and kill a dragon. The ones who have killed or captured the most dragons are seen as gods around here. They are given the best clothes, the tastiest food, and the biggest houses. And killing your first dragon is seen as a coming of age in these parts. Kids will train day in, day out, just so their first kill is a good one. Good first impressions and all that.
And today was the day he would finally get his.
Tommy was a bit late to the dragon slaying party, he was already sixteen and he had barely gotten a taste for blood. He was told it was because he was ‘weak’ or ‘not ready.’ It’s a shame really. So much talent has been wasted on him just sitting in his room where it was ‘safe’ while kids ten years younger than him get to swing around an axe and go to dragon training. Well not anymore. He may be breaking a few rules by doing this, but he was going out there, and he was going to kill his first dragon.
For your first dragon, you want to make it count. That’s the only way people will take you seriously. Tommy mentally went down the list of dragons as he suited up in his signature red tunic and grabbed a dagger and shield. Most go after the Deadly Nadder for their first kill. Smart, fast, and has the tendency to shoot out sharp spikes at their target. A good choice that would definitely get him at least noticed, but wasn’t the best.
Next are Gronkles. Gronckles are tough, strong dragons. So strong that they eat rocks, and spew out the lava. Killing one of those would definitely get him noticed by all the ladies.
Not that he needed help in that department.
Up next, the Zippleback. Two heads, one spewing a gas, the other igniting it. Twice the reputation boost. Again, good, but not great. Luckily there was one more dragon on his list.
Tommy smiled as he approached the door, he could hear the muffled shouts and war cry’s of the others. Soon, he’d be joining with one of his own.
Well that wasn’t entirely true, he hasn’t really come up with a war cry yet, but Tommy was sure it wouldn’t be too hard to come up with. He could just come up with one on the fly if he had to.
But right now he needed to find a—
“Nightmare! Watch out!” Right as Tommy opened the door, he heard the shouts of some other vikings, and before him was one of the largest dragons he had ever seen. Large wings beat almost effortlessly, keeping the dark red dragon low to the ground as it hovered over a few Vikings. The ones that were shouting. Its large talons swiped at them, nearly snatching one of the younger vikings. It reared its head back, and soon fire poured from its maw. There was only one dragon with that much fire power.
A Monstrous Nightmare.
This beast of a creature had the most fire power out of all the dragons, and were easy to anger, making them some of the most dangerous of the dragons. Only the strongest and the best of the vikings went after those guys. If Tommy could kill one of those, he’d be set for life!
The vikings thankfully dodged out of the way of the beast’s fire, retreating momentarily. The dragon then turned its head towards his direction. Its eyes spotted him, pupils narrowed. Before Tommy knew it, he was quickly pushing the door shut to block a blast of fire.
“That was fucking close.” He sighed. Defeating a Monstrous Nightmare would be difficult, he wouldn’t lie. But when has life ever been easy? He was a viking, and the life of a viking was a harsh and unforgiving one. That’s what his brother always told him at least. His brother was always spouting some wise sounding bullshit every once in a while. Usually to get Tommy in line whenever he tried to do something stupid.
But the fact of the matter is, he could do this. He was viking, just like the rest of them. He had to do this.
Bringing him out of his thoughts was this growing heat upon his back. Curiously he turned and touched the door fully with his palm. It was hot . He looked down towards the door handle, and saw it was glowing a bright, orangey red.
The dragon was still blasting fire at the door.
“Shit!” Yelled Tommy, and soon enough the door burst open, the dragon poking its head through where the door originally was. Tommy had just barely dodged the hot embers, kneeling behind a large arm chair. He held both the shield and dagger close to his chest, peeking his head out to check where the dragon had moved.
He could do this. Sure, a sixty foot long fire breathing beast with sharp teeth and talons was currently in his house, effectively trapping him inside, but he could do this! He knew the layout well enough, and the dragon couldn’t even fit its entire body inside. He was sure he could use that to his advantage.
When he was sure the dragon's head was completely turned away from him, he lept from behind the armchair, almost tripping, and charged forward with a scream. The Monstrous Nightmare heard him, whipping its head around.
“Come at me you bitc—“ He was cut off with his own yelp as the dragon lunged toward him and grabbed the edge of the shield with its jaws. It lifted both the shield and Tommy off from the ground, looking down with its narrowed eyes.
This was not how he expected this to go.
Tommy nervously laughed, trying to wiggle the shield and himself free. “Listen Mr. Dragon…” Tommy started, but quickly stopped when the dragon growled, it’s entire body glowing a bright orange. One thing he forgot to mention about Monstrous Nightmares, they had the nasty habit of… lighting themselves on fire.
Another reason only the more skilled vikings went after them. Not someone as weak as him.
“Ok! You don’t like that! Sorry for assuming! Is it Mrs. Dragon?” Tommy questioned, he truly didn’t care, he was just stalling so he could form a plan. Plus he doubted the beast could actually understand him, only getting a growl in response.
He once again tried to wiggle the shield out from the dragon's jaws. He even tried kicking his leg out to hit the dragon. He barely grazed its scaled chest, but that was apparently enough to set it off. It swung its head violently, throwing him into the walls and furniture of the house. He winced in pain when he made contact with each and every surface in his house, knowing it would leave lasting bruises.
He landed harshly on his back, before being yanked across the floor. He looked up and saw the wooden ceiling he was previously under was now replaced by the dark night sky. Usually the sky wasn’t so dark. Usually it was filled with the bright stars and moon. But tonight they were blocked from view, shrouded in dark smoke.
The dragon once again threw Tommy into the air, thrashing him about like he was some old rag doll. Only stopping when it threw Tommy into a wall. He felt the wind get knocked out of him, looking inward as the dragon effortlessly shattered his only source of protection.
The shield wasn't that good anyways.
Shakily, he brought himself back up, taking the dagger and pointing it out in front of him. The dragon in response began to slink forwards.
He could do this.
Its claws dragged across the stone, inching closer.
He could do this. He could do this.
A low light began emanating from its mouth.
Ok he couldn’t do this.