What If: Seraph Of Arda 4

The Seraph Of Arda

Chapter: 4

Omake: What If Kai was sent to a different world? 

(The Raging Dragon)

The abandoned city was deceptively quiet.

I sat up slowly, muscles stiff from laying against the watchtower wall. 

I had stayed up for most of the night, waiting to see if the Dragon would find me. 

I stood up fully, stretching my shoulders and casually looking through the narrow opening, showing the ruins stretched out below. Now, lit up by the sun, I got a proper view of the abandoned city. 

The sunlight made it worse. 

The dreary stone became more visible, along with the many collapsed buildings that now stood out with ease. The place was well and truly decimated, leaving it almost surreal to look at.

Seriously, I was starting to think I had been placed into some sort of post-apocalyptical world with an abandoned castle within the mountains controlled by a Dragon, and now an abandoned city that was controlled by monsters. 

My eyes briefly scanned the roads.

Nothing moved. 

No sound except the distant whisper of wind through broken stones.

On the topic of monsters, there were none to be seen in the daylight. It was eerie, had I not come at night I would have assumed this place was truly abandoned.

Knowing the strange beasts that had operated in the darkness and were probably hiding in the midst of the darkness that some of these buildings held was a dangerous feeling. 

Those wolf-like creatures. The shadow tentacles. 

It was probably best I set my sights on civilization for my next goal. And that would be better if I travelled during the day. 

I had known of creatures that lurked in the dark, such as goblins. That's what Smaug had called them and other such things. But I had essentially travelled a few minutes before coming into contact with multiple of them. 

Perfect.

I scowled, glancing up at the sky.

There was one problem with that though. 

If I travelled during the day, I’m sure it would be easier to see me though.

Quite the predicament. 

Perhaps I shouldn't have thought escaping a dragon would be easy. 

The thought was slightly amusing with its absurdity. 

Now it was a game. The great wyrm was smart, not thinking so would only get me caught. But that intelligence is only hampered by his monstrous ego. 

And right now, that pride was hurt. Which meant motivation. Which meant I had a normally lazy Dragon searching for me with vigour. 

I shook my head at the annoying amount of excitement and the burst of fierce annoyance that swelled up within me. What a contradictory feeling. 

As I sat back down against the cold surface of the smooth rock that made the water tower, I merely thought about how to proceed for a good half an hour. If I made a mistake I’d probably die.

It was a very distant roar that dragged me out of my thoughts. 

I was glad I'd spent an entire month training alone with my thoughts.

The void had been maddening. The isolation, the endless darkness, the anger that built with nothing to direct it at. But this new life had helped. It had dulled the hate that festered during those years of nothingness.

Otherwise, this would be a very different situation.

I'd probably be dead already.

My finger twitched. 

So. 

What now?

I was trapped in an abandoned city filled with unknown monsters, currently nowhere to be seen, hiding in the top floor of a watchtower. Above, a Dragon still searched the sky, travelling at frightening speed with sharp, scanning eyes.

I looked out the window at the town below.

The fire from the Dragon's attack had finally died out. A large section of the city was blackened with soot, looking even more damaged than the natural crumbling time had inflicted on the surrounding buildings.

The first time I'd properly seen its fire breath and I had to say it was devastating. His physical might alone was dangerous but no wonder he was considered such a threat. 

Then again, anything that could breathe fire like that would be powerful.

Did I feel bad for unleashing it upon the world? 

No. Not really. I wasn’t going to be a martyr or sacrifice myself in a prison for the sake of others. They would have to deal with the threat they had been hiding from. That was their problem and mine would be getting out of this immediate zone.

A few more hours passed and the sun began its descent toward the horizon, bathing the world in a soft orange light that painted the ruins in long, forming shadows.

It was best I got out before it became completely dark. 

I looked at the dark stairs descending into the watchtower's lower levels. The darkness wasn't exactly inviting. No lighting at all throughout the tower, in fact it was deep enough that I even considered just flying down instead.

I moved carefully, keeping my footsteps light.

My eyes adjusted as I descended. Which was why, when I reached the bottom of the stairs and saw light drifting through the open doorway, I caught the shadow shifting inside.

My inventory opened immediately and I didn’t hesitate to bring out one of the dwarvish long swords I had stolen. It appeared in my hand, a long polished blade glittering in the dim light. 

One of those wolf creatures burst from the darkness. 

‘Appraisal.’

{Name: Nameless} 

{Title: Nameless Creature} 

{Race: Corrupted Vargulfiaran}

{Power Level: 2,880}

Quite a bit stronger than me… 

It lunged up the stairs, its speed explosive and its large jaws snapping.

I twisted aside.

The creature slammed into the wall where I'd been standing. I didn't give it time to recover. My hand jerkily swiped the blade only for it to be caught on the wall with a brief spark.

Realising my mistake, I dismissed it and barely managed to catch its foreleg as it turned. I quickly pulled as it began trying to bite me and used its own momentum to throw it off balance.

The creature snarled, its sharp claws swiped against the stone walls and leaving marks. Its powerful muscles bulged against a strangely gaunt frame. 

I could feel the raw strength as it thrashed.

I avoided it and my hand called my sword, thrusting the blade forward with a jerky motion and managing to cut into its stomach. 

I was forced to back away a moment later and to dismiss the sword. My body pressed against the wall as it thrashed violently and swiped its sharp claws out, then I had to back up as its maw snapped into the previous position of my throat.

Before it could send another violent attack, I launched a powerful kick that sent it rolling down the staircase. Which I instantly followed and sent a brutal fist into its snout with a large crack.

Yeah, downloading a skill that gave me access to a brutal killing combat style was one of my better ideas. 

Its arm came up and I thrust it away with one hand, sending another brutal punch to its sternum until I stepped up close, quickly grabbed its large head and bent with all my strength. 

The snap echoed in the stairwell.

I let out a breath, watching the credits from the kill enter my vision.

I turned and paused, a growl assaulting my ears a few seconds later.

Through the open archway leading outside of the watch tower, I was in direct view of two more of the same species that had just rounded the street. 

Four more of those creatures prowled down the street, heading this direction.

I sighed, summoning a sword, one that I hadn’t summoned since coming to this world mostly due to a lack of need and realising the danger of what would happen if I accidentally cut myself.

Murasame.

The sharp and undoubtedly dark blade appeared without a sound.

They snarled as they apparently caught sight of me.

Maybe armour would have been prudent.

A small cut lingered on my arm. 

I prepared myself as they haunched down. 

Then the sky went dark.

A massive shadow passed overhead. The creatures looked up for a split second. Just in time for a large draconic foot to come down on them like a hammer. Both wolves vanished beneath scaled flesh and crushing weight. 

The impact shook the ground and dust billowed from a tremor. The dragon's head swung around, nostrils flaring as he searched the ruins.

I dismissed Murasame and barely managed to swing myself out of the way, just managing to press myself back into the watchtower's interior in time for the light streaming through the doorway to be covered. 

The dragon's breathing was like wind through a cave and I found myself suddenly glad I hadn’t decided to jump down.

Who knew a Dragon could be so stealthy? 

So he was convinced I hadn't escaped. Which was accurate. But my plan to wait for him to search further out wouldn't work anymore.

The past day felt wasted. Though not entirely. I'd thrown him off. His certainty that I was still here had dropped significantly. If he'd remained convinced of my presence, he'd have caught me within hours of continued searching.

Now, he wasn't sure. In other words, It definitely time to go. Once more I questioned my sanity at essentially challenging a Dragon to a game of hide n seek. 

Then, Smaug lifted off again with a mighty push that could be felt through the cold hard surface of the ground, his wings beating as he moved to another section of the city. 

I peaked my head slightly, almost expecting to see the Dragon staring back at me.

Luckily that wasn’t the case. The area in which he had been standing moments prior was empty save for the corpses of the creature that had been smashed against the ground. 

I saw the large serpentine-like body flying in the sky, Smaug’s head scanning the area with what was probably an incredible line of sight. I watched him go further Into the ruins. 

Toward the forest edge in a different direction to the one I had planned.

I waited a few seconds, before slipping out. 

The city was a maze of collapsed buildings and overgrown streets. I moved through it quickly, using the cover of the buildings and always keeping something between me and the sky. 

I reached the city's edge, finally getting a better look at the large forest greeted ahead. 

Dark trees stretching into the distance through a vast canopy that didn’t look welcoming per se.

I looked back. 

Mountains rose behind me, including the largest one that Smaug called home.

Better here than there, or would I be safer if I just snuck back into the mountain? 

I actually paused at that thought. 

The thought of going back and looting everything, then going in a different direction was actually viable beyond the fact I would probably write myself a death warrant.

The Dragon’s home would have no meaning without his gold, meaning he would be more than happy to hunt me to the ends of the earth. Whereas right now he would probably stay a certain distance. 

Without further pondering and a single glance back at the ruined city, I sprinted across open ground. 

For a solid minute I was out in the open, my eyes flickering back every few seconds as I half expected the Dragon to see me. Luckily nothing of the sort happened and I made it into the trees, covering me in patches of thick branches and leaves. 

The Dragon’s shadow passed over where I had been and I quickly moved again, deeper into the forest. Behind me, I vaguely heard Smaug land again. 

The forest floor was covered in moss and fallen leaves. 

An hour later, I let out a genuine chuckle as I gained a stat point. My speed and body grew slightly stronger.

I pushed through a thicket.

Despite my initial assumptions, I hadn't encountered a single monster or creature trying to kill me. The absence left me more confused than reassured.

I glanced down at myself, ducking instinctively at a distant sound. I must have looked ridiculous. Still dressed in strange clothing, barefoot, looking like some deranged prince running through the thick forest like a madman.

I kept moving through the forest for hours. The thick trees provided cover from aerial detection. Every so often I'd stop and listen for the sound of wings or that distinctive roar.

Nothing.

Eventually the forest began to thin. Through the gaps in the trees, I caught glimpses of open ground ahead. Then water. A lot of it.

I slowed as I reached the forest's edge, staying within the tree line.

A massive lake stretched out before me, its surface reflecting moonlight. And there, built out into the water on wooden pylons, was a town. An actual settlement. Lights flickered in windows. Distant shapes of people moved between buildings.

I stared at it for a long moment, my mind working through the implications. 

The town was maybe an hour's travel from the ruined city on foot. And this town didn’t seem to be abandoned. 

For someone with my enhanced speed, even less. For a dragon that could cross vast distances in minutes, this was practically next door to where I'd escaped from. If Smaug was being thorough, he'd check nearby settlements. 

It's what I would do.

But I had nowhere else to go. No map. No knowledge of this world beyond what little Smaug had mentioned during my month-long captivity. I knew there were mountains, forests, other kingdoms somewhere out there. But which direction? How far? What was safe?

I had no answers.

And then there was the lake itself.

I crept closer to the shoreline, my steps careful on the loose rocks and dirt. The water lapped quietly against the shore. Dark. Deep. The kind of deep where you couldn't see the bottom even in daylight.

I crouched down near the edge, studying the ripples and currents.

Something moved beneath the surface. Not a fish. 

The displacement was too large, the movement too unnatural. Something had been down there, staring up at me with whatever senses it possessed, before it glided away into deeper water.

I pulled back from the edge.

Swimming was definitely out of the question. 

I looked back at the town, analyzing it with the cold calculation I'd developed during my time in the void. 

The settlement had walls along its perimeter, or at least wooden barriers. Guards with torches moved along patrol routes. Even from this distance I could see them changing positions, walking their rounds with the practiced ease of people who'd done this countless times.

The question was whether they were on high alert or just going through routine.

I spent the next hour circling the area, staying hidden in the tree line and sparse brush, watching the patterns. 

The guards seemed alert but not panicked. 

Whatever Smaug had done, whatever destruction he'd caused in his search, it either hadn't reached them yet or they were so accustomed to the dragon's distant presence that one more night of activity barely registered.

That was good. Panic meant mistakes, suspicion, closed gates.

Finally I made my decision.

Flying was a risk. 

The town was maybe two minutes away if I flew fast and low. 

Two minutes of complete exposure. 

If Smaug happened to glance in this direction, if his sharp draconic eyes caught the movement against the dark water, I was caught and probably caged or killed.

But it was still faster and safer than swimming with whatever lurked beneath the surface.

Oh well. 

I scanned the sky one more time. Clear. No distant shadow cutting across the stars. No sound of massive wings beating the air.

I shook my head with a gin and committed to the action, launching myself into the air. The unfamiliar sensation of my wings spreading out and allowing me to fly with only a slight wobble accompanied me once more. 

The lake passed beneath me in a blur of reflected moonlight. Cold wind bit at my face and made my eyes water. I stayed low, just barely above the water's surface, making myself as small a target as possible. 

My stolen clothing whipped around me.

The seconds stretched out.

The town grew closer. I could make out individual buildings now. Wooden structures built on sturdy platforms, connected by bridges and walkways. All of it suspended above the water on pylons that had probably taken years to construct.

Halfway there.

Almost there. I angled toward a darker section of the town, away from the main gates where I'd seen the most torch light and guard activity. There was a cluster of buildings that looked like storage or warehouses, less activity, fewer lights.

My feet hit wooden planking and I immediately dropped into a crouch, cutting off my flight and pressing myself against the nearest wall. My heart hammered in my chest as I listened for any sign I'd been spotted.

The only sound that returned was  the quiet creak of wood and water and distant voices from deeper in the town.

I let out a slow breath. I was starting to think I was either being overly paranoid or overly lucky. But then again, I was being actively hunted by a Dragon. 

The town was bigger than I'd expected from the shore. 

Narrow walkways wound between structures in a seemingly haphazard pattern, probably built up over generations as the population grew. 

I could hear voices from inside some of the buildings, muffled conversations and occasional laughter. Smell cooking fires and fish and unwashed bodies and wood smoke. 

Humans.

The first I had seen since coming to this world.

The thought filled me with annoyance and joy. 

I moved through the shadows between buildings, keeping to the darker paths. Everytime someone came past me, which was quite often in the seemingly bustling town. I pressed myself into alcoves or behind crates until they passed.

Then I caught my reflection in a darkened window.

As I thought, I looked completely out of place. 

The clothing I wore was strange, didn't match anything I'd seen on the guards or the few civilians I'd glimpsed. Which was to say I looked like a noble walking into a poor section of the city. 

That would draw attention. And while my face was human, it wasn’t exactly what I would call normal… 

I needed different clothes, something that could cover my face preferably. Just for my brief time here, having normal clothing would help me find a map quicker. 

I continued moving through the darker areas, avoiding the main thoroughfares where more people might see me. 

Most of the town seemed to be inside at this hour, but enough people still wandered around that I had to be careful. 

They mostly consisted of workers heading to or from night shifts. Guards on patrol. The occasional drunk stumbling home.

It took me twenty minutes of careful navigation before I spotted what I needed. A clothesline strung between two buildings, laundry hanging out to dry despite the late hour. Shirts and trousers swaying gently in the breeze coming off the lake.

I checked the surrounding area. 

The building to the left had a light in one window but the shutters were mostly closed. The building to the right was dark and silent. The alley between them where the clothesline hung was empty.

I moved closer, my footsteps silent on the wooden planks. I reached up and grabbed a shirt and trousers. Plain, rough fabric worn soft from use and washing.

So I was in some sort of medieval era? I guess this kind of confirmed it.

They'd do. 

I was pulling them down when I heard it.

A door opening.

"Hey!" A rough voice said, and strangely I found myself knowing the language, a problem I thought I would run into. 

I spun around, the clothes still in my hands.

A burly man stood in the doorway I hadn't been watching carefully enough. 

He was big, the kind of big that came from years of heavy labor. Thick arms, broad shoulders, a belly that suggested he worked with cargo or barrels. His face was red with anger and probably a lot of drinking.

"That's my wife's laundry, you little thief!" He sneered but seemed more annoyed than anything. 

He stepped forward, surprisingly quick for his size, and his meaty hand clamped down on my shoulder with enough force to make a normal person stagger.

My body reacted on pure instinct, the combat skills I'd downloaded flowing through me without conscious thought. I twisted my torso, using the rotation to break his grip while simultaneously bringing my other hand up in a sharp strike to his wrist.

His grip loosened.

I followed through, driving my palm up into his solar plexus. 

The impact folded him forward with a sharp wheeze as the air exploded from his lungs. Before he could recover, my hand snapped out and struck the side of his neck, targeting the cluster of nerves there.

Not hard enough to kill. 

Just hard enough to make him collaps onto the wooden planking with a heavy thud that seemed thunderous in the quiet alley. 

I stood there, blinking, staring down at his unconscious form.

Damn it. 

The man groaned but didn't get up, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. I quickly found a different set of clothing, a large hooded shirt that could go over my current set. 

Then I deliberately took my old clothes and mixed them in with other laundry hanging nearby, spreading them across different lines. 

At least now if the man woke up and tried to describe me to guards, the clothing wouldn't match what I was wearing.

I stepped onto the streets, trying not to look suspicious. 

Walking in the middle of the small streets made me more aware of the strange atmosphere hanging in the air, making me nervous. I wasn’t sure how many I would be able to take on, my sword skills weren’t great and I would have to mostly rely on my magic. 

Appraisal showed that most people were only a bit weaker than me, with the guards awfully close. 

Another showing that this world's standards were higher.

I had a feeling any of these people would be near superhuman in my old world. 

Women, men, and the occasional child passed by. My first glimpse of civilization since arriving in this world. Groups of men in armor walked past, weapons at their sides.

It took a few streets of careful observation to understand why. The people I passed, the few who were still out at this hour, they all had the same tension in their shoulders. 

The same way of glancing at the sky when they thought no one was looking. Conversations were quiet, urgent, colored with an underlying fear. I slowed near a group of three men standing by a lamp post, their voices low.

"Heard he burned through another section of the old ruins last night," one was saying. "My brother-in-law saw the glow from his boat."

"The Dragon isn’t meant to be this active," another replied. "It was bad enough that he started flying around a couple of times in the last months in the first place.”

“What do you think is happening?” Another one asked nervously. 

“Ay, I can’t say I’d know the mindset of such a beast, but apparently people been hearin the beast let off roars of fury.” An older man said. 

"My cousin swears she saw him circling over the forest last night and he came awfully close to us. Said he was flying lower than usual, like he was searching for something."

"Probably just hunting. Dragons got to eat right?” A woman said, clutching a basket. 

"Finding a meal shouldn’t be hard with all the dark creatures that have been poppin up. He's looking for something specific, I’m telling ya.”

Another man scoffed. “I doubt the beast needs much and everyone knows you can’t outrun a dragon.”

I moved on before they could notice me lingering.

So they did know…

I needed information. Some idea of geography, of where to go from here that wasn't within easy flying distance of an angry dragon. I passed a tavern with its door propped open despite the late hour. 

Voices and the smell of ale and smoke drifted out into the street. I lingered in the shadows near the entrance, close enough to hear but not so close that I'd be noticed.

"He's never been this aggressive," an old man's voice, rough with age and drink. "Not in my lifetime. My father told stories about when he first came, when he burned Dale and drove out the dwarves. But that was decades ago. Since then he's mostly kept to himself."

"Something's riled him up," another voice agreed, younger but equally worried. "Think some crazy bastard has gone and tried to provoke him?”

"Maybe someone finally tried to steal from him," a third voice suggested. "You'd have to be mad, but you'd also be rich if you pulled it off."

"You'd be dead is what you'd be.”

“Maybe it’s this fuckin Dwaves, I tell ya, the greedy little impy bastards would have the pride to pull some shit like this off.” 

"I doubt it’s anything to worry about lads.” An older teen said, playing with a sword. “Listen, he’s probably just stretching his wings or whatever a Dragon does. The beast has been sleeping for ages. And if he has been content to let us live in peace for so long I doubt he’s suddenly going to swoop down for us.” 

I moved away before the conversation could circle back around. 

It took me an hour before I found a market square where a few merchants were packing up their stalls, securing goods against the night. I watched from a distance, noting the types of goods, the coins changing hands. The currency looked like simple copper and silver pieces.

Next I found the docks, where workers loaded cargo onto boats even at this hour.

The boats varied in size from small fishing vessels to larger cargo ships. I watched the patterns, saw which ones were being loaded versus which were secured for the night.

Then I spotted a map.

It was mounted on a wall near what looked like some sort of office, protected under a glass case. I approached carefully, making sure no one was watching, and studied it.

The map showed the lake and surrounding areas in rough detail. 

There were mountains to the west, marked with crude drawings. 

The lake itself was massive, larger than I'd realized. To the north and east, vast stretches of forest. To the south, more settlements along the lake's shore and rivers leading away.

I committed as much as I could to memory. 

The problem was I didn't know where anything was relative to Smaug's mountain. 

Unfortunately the map didn't have any sort of"Dragon's Lair, Stay Away" marker. But I think I could probably recognise where I had gone from these drawings, I’d have a sense of direction anyway. 

The forests to the north and east were extensive.

Large enough that even from this simplified map I could tell they went on for significant distances. Dense forest meant cover from aerial searches. Meant places to hide and time to figure out my next move.

It was the closest thing to a plan I had.

“You’re pretty sneaky.” A feminine voice commented. 

I tensed and turned to her with a forced lack of speed. 

“You think?” I asked, pinpointing the women now standing in front of me.

“Yeah.” The woman said, poking her head over. “A map?”

“It would seem so.” I nodded, looking at her throat. 

Should I kill her?

“Woah, calm down with the hostility.” She raised her hands. “I’m not going to tell anyone.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” I asked, strangely enjoying talking to someone other than a Dragon. 

“I’m not above stealing, I’m just curious why you are stealing a map? I was surprised when I saw some man walking with a hood, concealing himself better than I can.” She chuckled, she stepped forward. “I haven’t seen you around, what was your name?”

“You haven’t seen my face at all.” I replied, looking around. “And I wasn’t planning on telling you my name.”

“Huh, shame.” She smiled. “So what are ya looking for?”

I was taken aback by her… quirkiness. 

“What do you want?” I asked with an annoyed frown.

“Nothing much, just spreading my toes with all this chaos going around.” She said with a laugh. “You know, a rise in monsters and cities destroying Dragons.” 

I probably knew it better than her. 

“You should probably watch out for that.” I advised.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She replied. “Soo, what are you up to? Besides some late night thieving.” 

“Just on my way out actually.” 

I noticed two guards ahead on the walkway. 

They were standing under a lamp, talking quietly. Nothing unusual about that. Except one of them looked in my direction. Then said something to his companion. And they both started walking toward me with purpose.

Had someone found the man I'd knocked out? Had he woken up and raised the alarm?

I looked back and the woman was backing away with a hesitant look. 

A man approached me from behind, ripping my hood down. 

The woman’s eyes widened.

And the man behind me didn’t do much more after I sent multiple rapid jabs. 

I turned down a side alley between two warehouses.

The alley was narrow, barely wide enough for two people to pass. I moved quickly, boots making soft sounds on the wooden planks. Then I reached the end and my stomach sank.

Behind me, I heard boots on wood. 

The guards had followed.

"You there! Stop!" A guard shouted. 

I guess I was going to have to keep in mind that knocking people out and stealing wasn’t going to be accepted in any sort of settlement. 

I ran to the edge of the platform and jumped over the railing.

My flight kicked in just above the water's surface. I shot forward, hugging the lake and staying as low as I dared. Behind me I heard shouts but they were already fading.

The sun was just starting to rise. 

The horizon had that pre-dawn glow, darkness giving way to gray. And with the sunrise came mist, thick fog rolling across the lake's surface in dense banks.

My visibility dropped to almost nothing. I could barely see more than a few feet ahead, just gray mist and the occasional darker shadow that might have been something or might have been my imagination.

The mist seemed to swallow all other noise.

I kept going, trusting my sense of direction.

Land appeared suddenly through the fog, a dark mass that resolved into a rocky shoreline. I landed hard, my feet hitting loose stones that shifted under my weight. 

I stumbled forward, caught myself with my hands, then pushed back to standing. The flight had drained more energy than I'd expected.

A bush rattled to my left.

Pure instinct took over. 

My hand came up and I felt power gather in my palm, condensing into something solid. Golden light formed into a spear shape. I hurled it at the movement without thinking.

The spear punched through leaves and branches with a sound like tearing paper. The leaves burnt and caught on fire. There was a flash of brown and white feathers and a bird burst from the bush, squawking indignantly as it took flight.

Just a bird.

The spear lodged in a tree trunk behind the bush and burned, bright flames eating into the wood. 

Too bright in the dim morning light. Like a beacon.

I blinked, trying to clear my head.

Something made me turn around.

Over a distant hill, perhaps a mile away, a long neck rose into view. Scales caught the early morning light. Then a head appeared, draconic and massive, positioned at the end of that serpentine neck.

He wasn't looking directly at me. His head was angled slightly away, toward the forest. But he was there, closer than I'd thought possible, his massive form partially hidden by the hill's crest.

Then his head began to turn. Slowly. 

My heart stopped.

The burning spear had yet to fizzle out. 

I wanted to sigh. 

Why couldn’t I just have been put with a dumb powerful dragon? And how was someone with a massive body being so stealthy? To be starting in a place, the quest rewards better be something I could actually use. 

This was a legendary worthy quest, even listening to the local humans affirmed they saw the Dragon as some unstoppable beast. And there were hundreds of guards. 

I sprinted toward the forest nearby, pushing my body as hard as I could. 

The map said this should provide me cover for a long amount of time. My legs moved, eating up the distance. Loose rocks threatened to turn my ankles but I kept my balance through pure determination.

Behind me, I heard a sound that sounded vaguely like the unfurling of wings. Two massive membranes of scale and muscle stretching out with the audible sound of the air being split. 

Then a roar split the morning air. 

I crashed into the tree line just as wind from powerful wingbeats washed over the forest. The trees bent, leaves and small branches tearing free. The pressure change made my ears pop.

I kept running. Branches whipped at my face and arms. 

Roots tried to trip me but I used my hands to vault over them. A fallen log appeared in my path and I leaped it without slowing.

I risked a glance back and immediately cursed. 

Through the canopy I could see a shadow passing overhead. 

Massive and moving with a speed that shouldn't have been possible for something that size. The trees were thick enough to hide my exact position but he knew I was here. 

Somewhere in this forest.

I changed direction, angling deeper into the woods. 

A tree exploded twenty yards to my right.

I threw myself to the side on pure instinct. 

“Come now.” The familiar deep voice said. “I know you’re there, little treasure.” 

Fire washed through the forest where I'd been running, a torrent of flame that turned trees into torches and boiled the moisture from the air. 

Despite what seemed like an attempt to kill me, I noticed the blast of fire was aimed far above me and more specifically at the canopy above. Even had I not moved, I would have been fine but exposed to his gaze.

"I smell you still. Good. I had begun to suspect some miserable creature had stolen you away... after I had been so magnanimous in my hospitality."

The heat was incredible even from this distance, like standing too close to a forge. 

I felt my skin prickle and my stolen clothes begin to smoke.

I scrambled to my feet and kept moving.

The forest grew darker as I went deeper. 

The trees here were older, their trunks wider, their branches creating a denser canopy that blocked out more light. The undergrowth became thick and tangled, slowing me down but also providing more cover.

Behind me, I heard trees splintering. 

The sound of wood cracking and breaking. 

Smaug had landed, his massive bulk too large to maneuver easily in this terrain. But he was determined, crashing through the forest with the unstoppable momentum of his size and rage.

The only reason he hadn’t caught me was due to him not knowing where I was located. 

He knew I was here, just not exactly where. 

I pushed through a particularly thick section of underbrush. 

"Litte treasure!" Smaug's voice boomed through the forest, loud enough to shake leaves from trees. "Did you truly think you could escape? That I would not find you?"

At this rate I would be caught. 

I summoned a holy spear and threw it in a different direction, an explosion erupting as my most of angelic power was sent into it.

That drew his attention, allowing me to unfurl my wings and shoot through forest. 

It was hard. 

With so many tree’s I ended up getting smacked into multiple trees and forced to pick myself back up.

But my progress improved rapidly, more importantly, my speed was highly increased. 

The trees grew even closer together. 

The path, what little there was, wound between massive trunks that had probably been here for centuries. I vaulted roots, squeezed through gaps, moved with every ounce of speed and agility I possessed.

Behind me, another roar. 

But it sounded further away this time. 

The forest was slowing him down.

I kept pushing deeper. 

The ground became uneven, rising and falling. Small streams crossed my path and I splashed through them without stopping. The water was ice cold.

I vaguely saw him launch into the air and I changed directions. 

Eventually I couldn't hear Smaug anymore. No roars. No sound of breaking trees.

Either he'd lost me or he was being quiet. 

And honestly I didn’t know which option was more unnerving. 

I finally stopped, pressing my back against a massive tree trunk. My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. Sweat soaked through my stolen clothes despite the cool morning air.

The forest was quiet, abnormally so. 

I pushed off from the tree and started walking, my legs shaky with exhaustion.

The forest continued to change as I went deeper. 

The trees here were different somehow. Darker bark. Twisted branches that reached toward each other like grasping fingers. The shadows felt deeper, more oppressive. 

There was a feeling in the air that I couldn't quite name, something that made my enhanced senses tingle with warning.

Over ten hours passed, parts of it I had flown and other parts I had walked. 

The sun rose higher but the forest remained dim, the canopy too thick to let much light through. I followed game trails when I found them, pushed through undergrowth when I didn't.

I fell onto my back, outright laughing when I got a notification about my strength, speed and magic levelling up. 

[Quest Completed!]

[Quest]

Escape the Lonely Mountain [Completed!]

Description: You have awakened in the vast hoard of Smaug the Terrible, last of the great fire-drakes. One wrong move and you'll face the fury of the Dragon. Find a way to escape this dangerous and unfortunate beginning.

Objective: Escape the Lonely Mountain alive [Completed!]

Bonus: Kill Smaug. 

Reward: ?, ?, ?, ?, ?

Bonus Reward: ?, ?

Finally!

A shadow appeared on the floor, multiple legs skittering and moving around. Then, a few more other shadows joined in the same manner. 

God damn it. 

Was I ever going to get a break? 

-END-