Gift...or Curse?

(this tale happens 280 years after ‘The Lost Dragonstone Mine’)



I had always enjoyed life in my true form...until he stole everything I’d ever known.

It began with the murder of my entire family while I’d been out exploring the world. They had all given me their well-wishes before seeing me off, now nearly five years to the day. That time had been both thrilling and saddening, but my excitement for the life awaiting me, quelled the pain.

However, five years later, I got wind of a news report that there had been a murder in my hometown.

I’d dismissed it at first, knowing that the town was notorious for such things...but the news flash that showed the victims moments after police had stormed the home, made my blood go cold.

It was my family.

Terrified, I had raced back to my hometown, only to now find my old home taped off...until something that the police had apparently missed, caught my eye in the grass just off the side of the road. Kneeling, I looked closely...and gasped upon seeing my grandfather’s ring with the blue topaz stone!

I blinked, not sure of what I was seeing, but it was still there. Quickly checking to make sure I was alone, I took the ring, slipped it onto my right index finger, then turned, and took off again.

I had but one mission now, that I would see through until the end. Let the police try to hunt Marc and his friends...I myself would ferret them out and burn them all to ashes, regardless if the law chose to do otherwise.

Even if it had been over two centuries since I’d laid eyes on my desired destination, my photographic memory served me well as I easily traveled the thousand-mile journey back toward the Canadian Rockies...where the world’s largest mine was hidden in the mountains there.

Two hundred and eighty years earlier, the dragon Murtagh had helped me, when I had still been human, to battle and defeat the world’s greatest enemies, before an unknown mystical power had allowed me to change into my alter ego, and stand with the dragon to battle our foes.

We’d successfully conquered them, but, unbeknownst to either of us, Satan helped them escape from Gehenna to return to the place of their origin, where, remarkably, the treasure still resided.

An unknown factor had somehow caused both myself, and my enemies, to revert back into our mortal human selves. But that would soon change...and this time, that treasure would run with blood!!

I knew the curse that Murtagh had placed upon the hoard, was still as powerful as ever.

But Murtagh himself had passed away, long ago. Another, whom no one knew of, had taken his place. Bearing resemblance to Lord Osric’s true form of Griffin, anyone who laid eyes upon him would easily assume it was the evil dragon who desired to conquer humanity, himself.

But this dragon, Thorgr, was different. Despite seeming to be cold and cruel, lusting after his hoard, Thorgr was in fact kindhearted and gentle, having a strong sense of morality, and right versus wrong. Thorgr’s outward cold cynicism was only to dissuade anyone from taking from the hoard, not that the dragon desired it for himself, but rather that he knew what would befall an unfortunate soul who allowed such wealth to awaken their greed.

But Thorgr knew Marc and his friends were the exception to the rule: They would have taken any of the hoard regardless of the consequences.

He also knew of the battle between Marc, after he’d turned, and myself. The dragon understood perfectly well WHY Marc had chose to battle Murtagh and I.

...

Arriving at the foot of the mountains, I stopped for a break, taking a drink from my canteen. After a few more minutes, I got up and set off along the winding trail up the mountainside.

I knew that the hoard, the Dragonstone Mine, was still there, but I also knew my friend Murtagh was long-dead, and was saddened by the realization.

He had been a good friend.

After about twenty minutes of climbing, I found the rift, now overgrown with bushes and weeds.

I managed to squeeze in, and turn on my headlamp. Climbing down, I soon emerged into the small cavern, and smiled as I saw the rift in the far wall leading to the lost mine.

But then, an unfamiliar scent caught my nose. It was recognizable as a dragon, but wasn’t my old friend.

There was another dragon down there.

I took and released a deep breath, then edged toward the rift...

Crunch!

The sound of falling pebbles and what seemed to be a stomping boot, caught my ear. Then came the unmistakable voices.

A chill ran down my spine as I dashed toward the cave opening, and eased through, finding myself facing the unmistakable gigantic piles of treasure.

But I knew that I was safe. I had managed to keep myself from falling victim to Murtagh’s curse. I could do it again.

Hearing them getting closer, I swiftly crawled like a snake up the treasure pile before me, but when I got to the apex, I spotted a dragon, gasping and ducking fast. Taking a deep breath to slow my pounding heart, I waited. I knew that the dragon wasn’t my old friend.

Then who was he? Could I trust him? I decided to play it safe.

Silently sliding down the pile’s other side, I found a silver dagger similar to the Time Dagger from ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’!

Grabbing it, I noticed several golden scales that had fallen from the dragon’s back, grabbing and pocketing them. Not because of greed.

But because I knew they could be a powerful weapon.

Suddenly hearing running footsteps, I spun, blocking Marc’s Bowie knife just in time!

“So...” said a sudden deep voice with a draconic growl. We both glanced up to see the dragon, and found ourselves wondering whether we’d run into Smaug himself. “did either of you think you could sneak in and steal?”

Marc swallowed, clearly nervous. But I stood my ground calmly. “You do not know of me yet.” I responded cryptically. The dragon actually smiled rather slyly at my remark.

“Do you know of Murtagh?”

I nodded. “I was a friend of his, long ago. Now if you’ll excuse me, sir...”

I slipped the dagger down in my grip, popped open the gem, and proceeded to crush the scales in my other hand to powder; my knuckles turning white.

I then carefully poured the sand into the chamber, capping it. Marc suddenly dashed at me with a yell, but I leapt back, spun, and ran, shoving the dagger into my belt, before leaping up to grab a golden chain hanging from a nearby statue, and kicked off, swinging around in a wide arc, before double kicking Marc, sending him flying back screaming into a pile of jewellery, almost knocking him out!!

I flew through the air, and as I fell, readied the dagger just as both Judas and Moloch leapt, sliding down the pile toward me.

With a roar, Thorgr swung his tail, striking both of them and sending them tumbling as they screamed in shock, but, ever the daredevil, I grabbed onto the dragon’s tail, clenching the dagger between my teeth like a pirate as I climbed slowly up to a higher vantage point.

Upon seeing the wall approaching fast, I suddenly noticed something I had never seen before: Built into the wall was a glass urn bearing striking resemblance to the one found in the Temple of Ten Thousand Shadows, seen in Tomb Raider!!

Only instead of a Brahman, this urn was set atop the back of a massive stone dragon, curled up with its wings spread to encircle the urn!!

Looking down at the dagger, I grinned.

“GIVE IT UP, CHARLIE!” I rolled my eyes upon hearing Judas yell angrily, and predictably spotted both him and Marc running toward me.

I glanced back at Thorgr, as we exchanged nods, then I turned, and as the dragon swung his tail, I released, spinning as I flew through the air, flipping the dagger in my hand and gripping the hilt with both hands!

I heard a yell close by, followed by a WHUMP, and grinned, seconds before driving home the dagger’s blade into the blade opening in the urn!!

Still kneeling, I looked up, watching the crushed golden dust inside the dagger’s handle start glowing brightly as it swirled, soon being sucked out of the dagger and into the urn!!


FLASH!!

The light was nearly blinding, thankfully stopping my enemies as they ran toward me, but then, with a pop, the jewel on the end of the dagger’s hilt opened, as the empowered golden dust flashed out in a narrow stream; I gasped as it swirled around me, lifting me slowly into the air!!

As I watched in sheer awe, and Thorgr grinned, as the glowing gold dust swirled swiftly around me, feeling tingly yet soothing, as it leeched into the pores all over my skin; the hairs glowing as they turned into dark gray scales!!

As I watched, the scales spread slowly; my eyes suddenly snapped open, now glowing a deep azure blue and slit like a dragon’s; the power swiftly enveloping and transforming me, as my human garments were all shredded, and, almost exactly like the Beast when he changed back into a man in the animated version of ‘Beauty and the Beast’, I too underwent a swift transformation into a dragon, specifically Drago from ‘The Sorcerer’s Curse’!!

The transformation took mere moments, and as I came to land gently on all fours on the ground again, the power swiftly absorbed into my own heart, as it glowed fiery golden-green; my dragon heart pulsing strongly:

Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump, th-thump!

Slowly opening my deep azure blue dragon eyes, I turned with a snarl toward my enemies.

Marc dashed toward me swinging his Bowie knife, but a quick lash of my tail, send the weapon flying away!!

I then had both him and Judas pinned to the ground; Thorgr had caught Moloch and Curtis, and had snatched Dallas with his tail spike, holding him off the ground!

“That dagger’s power came to the right person, Marc,” I snarled, my eyes blazing. “and even if you got a taste of it, it would no doubt doom you!”

“But give ME power to crush you, Drago!” he sneered.

Thorgr actually laughed. “You clearly don’t understand how the power works, Marc!” he replied coldly. “I myself can subtly control the power, since I was the maker of the dagger! And it can manipulate EVERY aspect of a mortal, body and mind together!!”

With an insane laugh, my enemy rushed toward the dagger, grabbing the handle and wrenching it out of the urn; the jewel on the handle snapping shut with a BOOM, as Marc stumbled back, but fell just as he drove the dagger into his heart!!

Then he started laughing as the dust within the dagger’s handle blazed like fire; the power leeching through the blade into his heart!!

Marc swiftly jumped to his feet, throwing his arms wide and his head back while laughing maniacally; the sound swiftly deepening to a demonic tone as he transformed slowly into Griffin, himself; it did not matter at all to me that he and Thorgr were now identical; I knew my friend from the enemy.

With a roar, the new dragon set his friends ablaze with one blast; their agonized screams echoing eerily through the cave, as Thorgr and I flew side-by-side toward the cave entrance.

Soon it was just Marc...now Griffin.

Thorgr and I knew we had to work together to stop the world’s deadliest dragon.

Just before Thorgr and I reached the cave wall, we soared off in opposite directions, coming back toward Griffin as we both lit him up.

Roaring, the dragon retaliated with a massive blast, but my friend and I easily dodged the attack, before arcing back toward the hoard.

“What could be a suitable weapon, Drago?” Thorgr asked, as I glanced at him, smiling.

“Well, Thorgr, it’s always been said that dragons love gold, so what if...”

“we find a weapon of silver?” my friend finished with a laugh. “After all, silver is known as the metal of purity, whereas gold represents lust and greed.”

Whirling, my friend quickly scanned the hoard with his sharp eyes, soon spotting two silver dragon-headed daggers. Swooping down he grabbed them, tossing one to me.

Readying our weapons, we struck; Thorgr driving his blade into Griffin’s skull, while I drove mine into his heart after tearing the scale away!

Almost screaming from the agony, the giant dragon reared up, thrashing violently, but we flew clear.

Griffin thrashed, trying to pull the daggers out of his body, but failing. Soon, though, they both glowed like the sun, as my friend and I shielded our eyes, then, with sickening oozing sounds, both the daggers liquefied as they were absorbed into the dragon’s body, as the light faded away, before Griffin’s eyes blackened.

And for a moment, the dragon was still, as if dazed. Suddenly his black eyes widened as he glanced around, then he growled greedily. “All...mine! Must...have....!!!” were the last words the dragon spoke before his vocal cords twisted, destroying his ability to speak.

At the same time, as Griffin flopped to the cave floor with a THUD that shook the walls, he started greedily grabbing coins, jewels, and any other treasures he came across; the mental effect of Murtagh’s curse twisting his mind and bringing Griffin completely under its control!!

Thorgr and I flew out of the cavern, not at all surprised to note that our enemy paid absolutely no attention to either of us; the curse forced him to focus obsessively on the cave’s treasure, thus allowing my friend and I to escape, never to return.

As we flew side-by-side into the starry night sky, we glanced back at the cave far below, hearing the dragon’s deep, powerful roar of happiness.

Exchanging glances, we grinned at each other. “Griffin thinks he’s going to live the life, Drago, but the treasure will slowly consume him down to his very soul, and he’ll waste away for eternity down there, having neglected to eat, drink, or hunt!!”

I gawked at Thorgr. “You mean, our enemy is absolutely obsessed with the treasure, Thorgr?”

He chuckled. “Is it really that hard to believe, Drago, that your friend’s curse could bend someone’s mind and will to the point that the treasure is ALL they care about?”

“Well, I guess it COULD be possible, but for the curse to bend someone to the point where they even neglect their own health in favour of guarding the treasure is pretty whacked, if you ask me!”

We both laughed.

About two weeks later, after a 200-mile journey, during which we’d stopped, ate, drank and slept as usual, my friend and I came upon a most familiar place, but I could tell from Thorgr’s confused expression that he’d never seen it before.

It was confusing and a little saddening to think that Thorgr had been taken by the treasure to the point that he too, had never set foot outside the cavern walls, although he did occasionally hunt.

But then again, very few knew the location of the Isle of Avalon. But now my friend was seeing it for the first time in his life, and I smiled at his wondrous expression.

“Come see my home, my friend!”

Thorgr looked surprised. “You live on the Isle of Avalon, Drago?”

I laughed, and nodded. “For the past 110 years, and I love it here! This place truly is home to me ever since King Arthur himself allowed me to seek refuge within the fortress as I was escaping my enemies! But I was so happy living here that I decided to make it my home.”

My friend smiled. “It truly is a safe haven!”

As Thorgr and I landed in the central courtyard, I looked up at the stars, smiling as I saw Draco shine.

After hunting some deer in the hills, we cleaned up and returned, before bedding down for the night.

As Thorgr settled down in one of the towers, he smiled as he saw me curled up under the stars in the central courtyard.

”I am glad to finally be free of that cursed place...and that cursed hoard!” the young dragon thought to himself. ”I am so glad to have made a friend like Drago, and now that he helped me discover Avalon, we can live in freedom!”

As the youngster gazed over the moonlit hills and fields around the ancient fortress, he chuckled, glad to finally be free, have a good friend, and now, to live within one of the places he had dreamed of seeing all his life.

Thorgr considered that hoard a curse, but now, the freedom I had helped him find and embrace...was indeed a gift; the best he could ever have hoped for.

What could be better?