Armareth's Tower

The air was crisp against David’s face, the sunlight seemed brighter. He felt like he could taste the fragrance in the air if he put his tongue out just a little. His senses felt stretched, reaching distance beyond the four of them. He took a heavy breath in and then sighed. Euphoria. That was what he felt. As if every molecule of his being sparked with bliss. This was something way more intense than just raw power. It was a complete switch, as if he’d been removed and Ignis had replaced him.

“Zoey,” David said, turning slightly to his sister. He saw her differently. Her bow glistened with essence. Five arrows were nocked and ready. But they were weak, her control and manipulation of essence was basic at best. That was what he thought, what Ignis believed. “You can make those arrows stronger. Watch me.”

He swung the sword again, and this time essence gathered around the blade. They shimmered, startling even Nurend. The dragon’s face changed, his expression switching from relaxed condescension to worry. David grinned. He wondered why he’d been angry before. The truth was clear for them to see.

They needed power.

Power made all the difference; it would put them above other threats, even the gods of the tower.

“David,” Nurend called, his voice placating, as if he was pleading. Essence continued to gather around the sword. David wasn’t even looking at it. But he could feel it. “Or should I call you Lord Ignis?”

And David swung the sword.

It was like releasing a beast. The storm howled. It screamed as it tore through the land to get to Nurend. The howling didn’t stop and the storm grew. It twirled, raising dirt and stone and sand. Then it started to compress, as it transforming into a spinning sword of wind mixed with grasses and sand.

Nurend staggered back, his horn glowing like a beacon. And then he tossed his staff up in the air and it spun, creating a spinning wheel, a shield that whirled in place, trying to hold the roaring sword away from him. The dragon screamed something, but David couldn’t hear, there was so much power. Much of it wasn’t his, but he could feel his essence mixed up in it somehow.

He was borrowing Ignis’ power, but the dragon was doing something else. It was unclear. Yet, David didn’t mind.

“How does it feel, child?” David asked. The words felt strange to him, but it felt good to mock the dragon. Almost as if he could walk over to Nurend and stomp him to death. “How does it feel to be on the verge of being crushed?”

Zoey was holding Chloe’s body when David found her. Elisha was protecting them with his shadow, swallowing the stray stones that were heaved by his storm. He grunted when he saw that Nurend’s staff was holding his sword. An idea sparked to life in his mind.

“How about I add something to that, baby dragon? How about we see what your mother has taught you about our heritage?”

“That’s not you, David!” Nurend’s voice managed to reach him, but David was floating in a sensation he didn’t want to end. “You have to learn to control him, not the other way around. He will use you and then he will kill you. He will consume you whole until there is another to pick his shard up, and then he will swallow them too.”

“Shut up!” David screamed and essence rushed to the sword again, this time it was a mix of colors, they sparked and shone like dancing flames—red and blue and purple. David felt the spell in his bones, remembered it like a memory he’d long forgotten. Then he saw Nurend transforming and he started to laugh.

“Such a pup,” David said. Nurend’s dragon’s form was large and completely red. His spine jut out of his flesh, causing a long gash that bled continuously. His eyes were fierce and his horns were large and curvy. His wings flapped and the gust swatted David’s storm sword away in an instant.

Nurend stared at David and roared. The sound was mind numbing and his jaw was large. Yet, David stood staring at him. The dragon was large and terrifying. Or he would have been if David had not seen Ignis’ head or heard him roar. Compared to Ignis, Nurend was a baby.

“You scream like a child, Nurend,” David said. Then he lifted his sword up above his head. “Let me show you how dragons roar.”

Spell: Ignis’ Wrath

Essence: Due to lack of control over Ignis’ Bone Shard, essence consumption is unknown!

Ignis’ Wrath is one of the father of dragon’s common techniques, used to intimidate predators of other species.

Damage: Mid to high damage. Completely nullifies low level defense.

“Ah! It has been so long,” David said longingly. His eyes fell on Nurend whose jaws were stretched wide. His horn still shone, but David was sure he couldn’t defend what was coming. He brought his hand down, making a downward slash. It was a simple movement.

The space shone, almost as if a burning star was falling in a bright, blistering curve. He couldn’t look at it. It was so bright it hurt just to take a glance. And it was hot, the heat razed everything around them. Elisha’s shadow swallowed Zoey and Chloe and they vanished. David turned to Nurend. He was doing something. The burning arch didn’t get to him. It stopped a few paces away from him, burning as if fueled by something eternal.

The heat didn’t ebb or fade away, yet David heard no scream from Nurend. His chest tightened and he felt the overwhelming need to throw up. Blood splattered all his hands when he tried to cover his mouth. He looked up again, still feeling the prickling heat of Ignis’ wrath. Something was wrong. His vision blurred.

“No,” David muttered as he fell to his knees. “Not this again.” He was almost there. The sword felt heavy in his hand, but he wouldn’t let go of it. He would rather die than admit that he was weak. Now he could see what Nurend was doing, now as he faced the coming darkness. Nurend was absorbing it, devouring the attack like a snack.

How wasteful, David thought.

Quite interesting, Ignis said as David’s vision was completely covered in darkness. The pain he felt in his chest spread all through him, as if something was devouring him. His essence was being consumed rapidly. There were voices, muffled and distant. All David could understand was the pain. It grounded him, almost as if he’d been pinned down by a force like Hilga’s, only stronger.

He wanted to plead, to request that he be released. But dragons don’t beg. The thought was so foreign and yet so familiar. It was his and yet, it was not. The pain reminded him that he was human. He was not all powerful and he was not Ignis.

Ignis’ laughter echoed in his mind. It was wild and harsh and mocking. David opened his eyes to meet silvery grey eyes. They stared down at him with pity. The dragon’s face was covered in darkness, but his eyes were too radiant to be shrouded.

You have tasted the power you wield, you have seen the dangers, Ignis said. Now, tell me human, what will you do?

David laid there, unsure of what to say. He couldn’t tell if he was dead, or had simply passed out from using a spell that was too advanced for him at the moment. But he knew one thing and that was that he hated losing and he hated what Ignis had done.

“You might think yourself a dragon, Ignis, but you have been forgotten. You were powerful and now you are scattered about as weapons for people like me.”

Ignis grunted.

“People you deem weak,” David said smiling. Suddenly the heaviness he felt in his chest was gone. There was no guilt, no pain, only the darkness and the endless grey that stared down at him and he knew what to say to the dragon.

“You don’t own your power anymore, Ignis, it is mine now. You are not a dragon, anymore, you are a tool, a weapon for my commanding.”

You have gained 2% dominance over Ignis!

Of course, David thought. He’d been going about this the wrong way. He’d been bowing to his own weapon, as if it wasn’t meant to obey him, serve him. He couldn’t believe how stupid he’d been. How pathetic it was to let his own weapon override his consciousness, using him as the tool.

“You will heed when I call, and you will find peace in serving me. That is your fate.”

Ignis’ laughter thundered in the darkness. It was warm in the air, humming and buzzing as if agitated. David could feel his fury growing.

You think you can tame me? You weak-spine whelp. You can’t face the wrath of the little ones, but you think you can tame Ignis, the beginning of fear and the progenitor of destruction? Bare your fangs, child and watch as I put you back on your knees before me, with your head bowed as it should be.

David grinned. He’s been so worried about Nurend that he’d forgotten that his sword was a blessing to him, not a gift. He’d earned it. Which meant he simply had to will it to obey. He stood up slowly, feeling no sting or fatigue. It appears the effect of what Ignis had made him do didn’t reach this space, where it was.

“You talk a lot for an old dragon,” David said, looking up at those eyes that seemed to gobble up everything before them. How terrifying, he thought. He couldn’t see the rest of the dragon, but that didn’t matter. Not for what he was about to do.

“Now, Ignis, as your master, I command you to obey,” David said. Silence echoed in the dark, it seemed to thicken as the moment stretched and just when Ignis was about to laugh at him, a force slammed down on the dragon. It spread forth from David, angry and ferocious. Grey eyes stared at him in shock, and the surprise intensified as chains wrapped around the dragon.

No, no! Not the chains! I will tear you apart! Not these! Please! I will burn you until there is nothing left, not even the memory of your existence!

David turned away from the screaming dragon. He was not sure why, but he felt like a weight had shrugged off his shoulders and if he leapt up, he could probably fly. He found the light he was looking for and walked toward it. On the other side was Zoey and Elisha staring down at him. Nurend was back to his human form.

“You were able to defeat our ancestor’s will,” Nurend said. David shrugged. For a moment he thought of not picking up the sword, but then he recalled what he told Ignis. He was the one who earned the sword. He would control it. Surely that was how it was meant to be.

You have gained 20% dominance over Ignis. The ability you are allowed to use with the first crack has increased.

The message faded. David felt Chloe’s touch and grinned at her. She looked scared, but she was alive. David patted her head.

“You want to help?” He asked. Chloe nodded. “Then sing from the script. It doesn’t matter what it is, use it.”

Nurend laughed, but when David turned to look at him, he wasn’t smiling.

“Zoey, you can support as you do, but he is right, your arrows don't mean you have to change how you fight. And remember, you can make them better.”

Zoey snorted. “You always do this. You almost die and then come back sounding like you had some kind of stupid breakthrough.”

Elisha laughed. “She is right.”

David whirled his sword and prepared himself to attack, and at that moment Chloe started singing, and it was the best sound David had ever heard.