If the Realm of Shadows has a pantheon of gods, Gorimal lays claim to its leadership. No one knows whether he is a true god, but most aren't foolish enough to challenge his claims.

He travels the realm making his presence known. Many tales exist of battles with this mighty draconic ruler, every credible one contains his victory.

Travellers would be wise to stroke his ego and bend their knee if he is encountered. Anything less could prove fatal.

Rumors exist of Gorimal's lair. Few are brave (or foolish) enough to seek it out. However, it is said to contain a hoard of treasure which could fill a large valley. An adventurer could retire if he ever located it, assuming Gorimal didn't slay him before he could haul it away of course.

In the blink of an eye, half of my men were slain. Their flesh withered tight around their bones. I watched in horror as their skin turned to dust, then fell from their bodies, leaving armored skeletons on their saddles.

My former companions turned their mounts to face those of us still alive. Grey flames burned in their empty eye sockets. They slipped into a battle formation, revealing the fact that they still possessed their intelligence. I had travelled with them for a very long time. I knew they were no longer acting of their own will.

With one blast of it's breath, the dragon had drastically altered the momentum of the battle. We had been winning the fight, but now I was almost positive our entire journey would come to an end, once and for all. I could almost hear death chuckling in amusement as it prepared to embrace us.

I shouted an order to my remaining force. "Formation now!"

They were visably shaken by the turn of events, but followed my order none the less. We squeezed into a tight diamond formation as we prepared for the onslaught from our former allies.

Much to our surprise, the armored skeletons did not advance. They held their position just staring at us.

A blast of wind hit me from behind as the dragon passed only inches above our heads. The force nearly threw me from my saddle. My mount reared up, just as surprised as I was. I managed to get her under control within a few seconds.

The dragon landed behind it's new minions. The beast was huge, not the largest I had ever encountered, but pretty damn close. I had never seen this species before. After only a minute of battle, I could only pray to live to never see another of it's kind.

The dragon's scales were deep grey. It's body was at least three hundred feet long with eyes of pitch black. A trickle of dark mist flowed from it's nostrils. It was not smoke but appeared to be the remnants of the breath which had descimated my men and bound them to it's will.

It spread forty foot wings as it lifted it's head upward toward the heavens. The dragon let loose a roar which seemed to shake the entire realm. Dark red blood oozed from a large gash one of my men had inflicted on it's rear hip; a non lethal wound, but merely an annoyance that pissed off the dragon.

The beast brought it's massive claw sideways. The skeletal warrior which had once been Vacks was hurled through the air. His bones and armor flew in all directions scattering across the area.

Though the dragon's release of anger was frightening, I was relieved it had destroyed one of its own soldiers rather than one of mine. The beast seemed to calm a bit, apparently satisfied with it's outburst.

It's eyes locked with mine as it spoke in a menacing tone. "Send your men away and you might live. Continue this fight and you all will surely die here and now."

I was surpised, too surprised to respond.

The dragon curled it's lips upward, revealing large yellow teeth. "Too foolish to recognize a chance to live? Very well.."

I forced a response. "Wait!"

I had no idea what the dragon was up to, but I didn't think we could defeat both it and our former companions. I figured at the very least this would give my men a head start.

I looked to those around me. "Ride."

They did not move. They simply stared at me as if they were unsure about the order.

I repeated it. "Ride! Now!"

They hesitated then turned their steeds and kicked them hard. Grey dust filled the air as they rode away as fast as they could go. I watched them disappear into the eternal twilight. The steady drumming of horses hooves became fainter and fainter with each second that passed.

I looked back to the dragon and my former men. I took a few deep breaths as I prepared to fight them by myself. I knew I stood no chance against them, but I was determined to keep them occupied as long as possible. Each second I lived was one more second my comrades had to put distance between themselves and our new enemies.

The dragon surprised me once again. It growled then gave a command to the skeletal warriors. "Go. I will find you later."

There was no hesitation from them. They turned in unison and rode off. I was relieved to see them head in a diffrent direction than the my men had, but I was also saddened as I had befriended many of them during our travels.

There was no doubt in my mind that I would never see them again. They were the dragons soldiers now, I could not conceive any situation that would change that fact.

The dragon just stood there, until his minions were long gone, staring at me with eyes slightly narrowed, the scaley brow remaining furrowed in anger.

I didn't bother trying to guess it's intentions. I simply gripped my bow tight, ready to defend myself if necessary.

After a long two or three minutes, the stand off came to an end. The dragon spoke. "Is this your idea of gratitude?"

I blinked then responded. "What?"

The dragon growled a little then yelled. "Gratitude!"

I was very confused. "Gratitude for what?"

The dragon did not answer. My response had obviously caused it's anger to flare. It rushed ahead roaring.

I lifted my bow, but never got off a shot. The palm of it's clawed hand slammed into my chest, knocking me backwards off of my mount, driving me to the ground. The weight was unbearable.

After a second or two, the dragon let up the pressure, yet I was still pinned completely. It's claws folded over my shoulders like a harness. My arms were held straight out on either side of my body. I could not use my weapon. I struggled to wiggle free, the effort was futile.

The dragon moved it's face directly over mine as my mount darted away in a panic. It continued to growl. I was at it's mercy and expected my life to end very soon.

The dragon's breath smelled of decay as it spoke. "Gratitude for allowing you to roam through my realm unhindered. I have known of your journey for some time now, yet I have not bothered you. have I?" Its deep voice became much louder. "Is attacking me your idea of gratitude!?"

If I had been a less experienced traveller, I probably would have soiled myself at that moment. I forced myself to remain calm.

I took a deep breath then responded. "I did not know that I had entered your realm. I do not even know who you are."

The dragon pulled it's face away from mine as it responded. "I am Gorimal. You have been in my realm since you began your exploration. It's mine. All of it."

I had never seen this species dragon before, but it's greed was very familiar.

I responded. "Then you are the king of the Realm?"

Gorimal suddenly increased the pressure on my body, forcing out my breath, as he growled a little louder, obviously displeased by my question.

He looked into my eyes as he answered. "No. I am not the king of this realm. I am God!"

He lifted his claw from my body, then took a few steps back. He continued calmly. "Thank Me for blessing you with My presence the next time we meet. I will keep your warriors as pennance for your blasphemy. Next time, I will take your life."

I struggled to fill my lungs with air. I coughed several times as I nodded to Gorimal's words. I had no desire to provoke his wrath again.

He turned. flapping his wings, lifting himself into the sky. I was consumed by a cloud of dust. Apparently, he had no further threats to make. He had made his rule known. I could only assume that that was his original purpose for visiting us.

I did not know if his claim to godhood was valid, but I doubted it. The wound on his hip had bled, shedding doubt on his omnipotence. I had heard of mortal gods on some worlds, but even these were normally just powerful spell casters or warriors.

In the end, it did not matter if Gorimal's statement was true or an amplified version of the typical dragon's superiority complex. For the fact of the matter was, he had just defeated me and my men soundly in battle. The next time he saw fit to visit, I would swallow my pride and bend my knee in homage to The Shadow Dragon.

A passage from The Roamer's Journal

�2001 Joe Pombo