Silver Dragon

By: DarcNiGHT

"So... Robbie. You think this is the place?" She said, the sarcasm in her voice was about as subtle as the warlock down in the main hall had been. Ahead of them stood a pair of double doors, almost ten feet in height, surrounded by an archway of old gray stone covered in cobwebs. The doors themselves were made of black onyx, engraved with elaborate pictures of dragons, both medieval and Chinese intertwined and locked in battle. While the rest of the castle was old and dusty, the doors looked as if they were meticulously cared for. Shining in the torchlight, bits of yellow and white flickering across the surface, making the carvings almost seem to move, watching them.

"Your powers of observation are amazing kid." He replied, stepping up and holding his torch up to the doors, the reflections increasing in brightness and movement. The dragons seemed aggravated by his approach. Engraved eyes flickering yellow. The exaggerated shadows of the pillars and decorations in the hall stretching away, as if trying to escape their fate. Everything silent, as if waiting, appreciating the importance of these next few moments.

"I'm not kid; I have a name you know. And it’s much better than yours is. Who ever heard of 'Bob the Dragonslayer’ anyway?" She snapped back.

"Yeah, I'll admit your name is better. But I'm the one with this so-called mystic sword on my back. You’re the one with the shield." He pointed behind him, a sword strapped to his back in a very old leather sheath jostled with his movements, the green tassel hanging from the handle swaying back and forth over his left shoulder. "Next time you get to be the Slayer of Legends and I'll be the sidekick, your name'll look better in the history scrolls anyway."

"Damn straight." She replied, jamming her torch into a holder in the wall, next to the door, not noticing that it moved a bit. She crossed her arms, bumping the scroll attached to her belt the map unrolling and fluttering down to rest past her knees. A large unusually shiny medieval style shield covered her whole back. "Now lets see what kind of salamander or creepy breeze is scaring Magnus." She commented as she rolled up the scroll and made sure it was tied tight and Robert placed his torch in a groove on his side of the hall.

"Yes! Tally ho brave companion, so says Robert the Dragonslayer."

She scoffed. "Yeah, whatever you say... Bob!" He stepped forward and had his hands inches from the left door, pausing to look back he scowled at her. "Shut up and push already, so we can go home and have some Tetras Tea, its drafty in here."

"Yeah, yeah." She stepped up to the right door; they placed their hands on the closest things to a good grip at the same time. She looked over at him surprised. "It’s... warm." He blinked in surprise but didn't look up. "Yeah, I noticed.... Just push already." She nodded in agreement and they tried again, huffing and puffing. Straining against the weight of the last obstacle between them and their goal. Breathing came out in short gasps, punctuated by small puffs of steam in the brisk air. Their feet sliding back a few inches on the dust covered floor every now and then. Repositioning their feet, and trying again when that happened, they continued on this endeavor for almost a minute. Just when they were about to give up the doors gave way a few inches, a dull light emanating from the small crack and spilling out into the hall.

Redoubling their efforts they shoved harder, the doors moved slowly. They were too concentrated in their work and the dust falling on them from the walls that the door's movements knocked loose that neither of them noticed that neither door creaked or showed any sign of not being used in a long time. After a bit of work they got the doors just wide enough for them to slip through. Robert grabbing his torch before he went in. After they both entered the chamber they leaned against the doors, panting softly at the exertion. Without warning both doors jerked and slid shut quickly making a loud crash that echoed slightly, the sound fading into the silence. They both looked up in surprise, noting that, on this side, the doors were perfectly smooth, no handholds or ways to grip, like a large black mirror. Behind them stretched a chamber larger than even the one they battled the warlock in, unnaturally clean and elegant for a deserted castle. More engravings of dragons, many bigger than them decorated the walls of the huge round chamber. Broken at regular intervals by large pillars along the entire edge of the room. One pillar would be half in the wall; the next would be five feet into the room, and the one after that part of the wall. All the way around the room. Each of the pillars in the wall were covered in intricate symbols from some long forgotten language, each pillar in the room itself were decorated with a long serpent, curling around the post. At the top of each pillar it became an arch, all moving towards the middle of the room, holding up the high curved room, ending at a giant skylight, through which the light of the full moon shone through.

But all were overshadowed by the giant stone dragon statue in the center of the room, bathed in the silver light of the moon, streaming down from a giant skylight.

Robert was the first to speak. "Well doesn't that just suck? No dragon, and no way out." She just nodded in agreement. And they both just stared at their entrance, until a soft chittering broke the silence. Spinning around at the same time, they spotted what made it. "Well hell, that little thing shouldn't be too hard for the great and powerful Slayer." She laughed at her joke and he just sighed. In front of them was a small red Chinese dragon, with green spines. Only a foot and a half long, it didn't roar or growl, it chitterd at them and almost sounded like it mewed a few times. It zipped through the air without aid of wings, floating up to her and watching curiously, glowing red eyes blinking a few times in amusement. It opened its mouth and growled again, a small sputter of fire coming out and scorching her eyebrows.

Robert burst out laughing almost dropping his torch, she growled in response, much louder than the sound the dragon had made. A quick backhand and the dragon was knocked four feet back, and obviously hurt. It flew off squeaking behind the large statue of a crouching dragon. "Probably going back to his nest and mommy." She laughed. Her laughter broke off quickly as the statue’s eyes lit up, lit from a golden energy within like a pair of jewels lit by fire from within. The head reared up fifteen, twenty feet above the ground. The statue stood on its hind legs, a European dragon; a deep growl emanated from it, making the ground quiver. It stretched, a fine powder of grey dust falling off at its movements, turning to a glittering dust as it descended, flashing all different colors, before disappearing. The dust and color of the beast had made it resemble a statue while it watched the two arrivals.

A large silver dragon revealed its size slowly. Large, and lithe, ridges of varying sizes growing from its head, down its back, and along the tail that curled around its feet, splitting up and ending in two small fins at the sides of the tip of its tail. Six thin wings stretched themselves out, a darker silver membrane extending to its full size with a leathery sound, almost touching either wall. Two golden horns scraped a low hanging stone rafter and the creature lowered its head, a long beak like snout coming closer to the two intruders, wisps of steam curl up from its nostrils. It opened its mouth just feet from them reveal rows of silvery teeth the size of small daggers, curled back to trap prey. Not having much time to admire, as the creature roared in challenge at that moment. The sound is deafened, as much felt as heard. Stones shook, dust fell, ornaments rattled, and Robert's torch was blown out like a cheap match almost instantly. Their clothes are nearly blown off their bodies and they both stumble back into the doors, panting to catch their breath as the creature rears up to its full height again and growls, waiting for them to make a move.

Robert gulped; knowing there is no escape. Fighting the urge to curl up and cry, or just wet his pants... or both. He reached a trembling hand behind him and took his sword in a firm but shaky grip, pulling it out slowly, a metal scraping sound fills the hall. The only sound heard by all. He looked over at his companion, also fighting to control her bladder. She reached behind herself, slips her arm in the shield, and pulls it out, the last light from the glitter reflecting off its surface.

The dragon looked down at their weapons and huffed, a humorous, amused sound, puffs of steam shooting from his nostrils then floating up gingerly. The two looked at each other, then at their weapons, then at the dragon, then back at each other.

"Uh...Dude?" Her voice squeaked. "That's the Silver Destroyer isn't it?"

"Oh yeah."

"We are so damn screwed aren't we?"

"Ooohyeah."