Chapter 36: Wails

In the morning, I am on my wagon travelling toward L'ogenthar, a dwarven ruin.

The reason why I travel there is to investigate whether the rumors about a dragon taking a nest there are true.

To kill a dragon, either a strong spear should take it down or a strong thunderstick that can pierce its scales and through its hearts. Dragon should have at least three different hearts. One as usual as many animals, one at the abdomen and lastly the one at its head. If all hearts are pierced, then the dragon should die but if one heart is beating no matter how weak or strong, it will survive and regrow the other hearts. That is why defeating a dragon is a testament of wit and strategies.

Don't get fooled by its feigned death, always check its breathing because after all, a living creature must breathe in some ways.

Upon arrival, I see a ruin and a strange hydra skeleton still remains there. That thing was dead a while ago and I also see there are some presences. I need to stay alert so I ready my dagger and my staff.

Looking around, I only see some bushes rustled by winds other than this ruin and the skeleton. I calm myself not to be too paranoid but still there might be some people here

Rustle! Rustle!

Something isn't right. Wind doesn't make such strange movements like that. I let out a yamp to show my authority. My guess was right, there are people there although it was quite vague.

I must wait for nightfall to expose them.

****

The camp is set. I sharpen my dagger while waiting for them to come out.

"SHOW YOURSELF OR I WILL CUT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WITHOUT ANY DELAY" I stand up

"Tch, you got me there, merchant. I am not convinced that rumor whispered by those mongrels or scoundrels to be true. But I guess, we must assault you at once by the bounty of someone who paid us handsomely"

"Three" I raise my dagger

"You can't just swing a knife to expose us all"

"Too late now" I swing my dagger horizontally. The pressure of wind cuts through all the nearest bushes.

"ALL OUT NOW!"

They are those orcish assassins with sickles and daggers seeping out liquid that seems to be poisons. I first reach my gun then aim the nearest one first.

Bang!

One down, there could be six of them left even though I only see three left now but the other three are now trying to flank me.

Click! Clack!

They seem to be a bit wary when I manage to ready my gun so quickly. So the three at front scatter a bit before reaching the range of throwing daggers. I aim at my left first because I just felt a windbreak when I killed the first one.

Bang!

I can smell the blood. Orc's blood is quite foul so it is easy to notice to me but most people around I know, they don't know what the smell like unless they are orcs as well. I have ability not because I am an orc or a sandfolk. It is because I enjoyed it once before. Back when the Black Fang assaulted Nakitel.

Two down. I need to finish these five quickly.

Swish! Schwip!

Two daggers at my front? I parry those with my staff.

Swish

Sickles strikes from those three at front. I parry all with my staff and my gun.

Swish!

A dagger passed through my flank. Well, they will not be able to be alive to tell the tale eh?

"HA! You got poisoned, foul merchant!" one of them tries to push my staff.

[

If there were notes for this

There will be no one to be missed

I will make these corpses into pieces.

Attaching them will be a big puzzle.

Maybe I should turn them to smaller bits

This will be a spectacular show

To watch and to patch

Don't you dare to blink an eyes or it will be your last cry right now

The star of the show will be the feast of eyes for the crowd.

]

As I am singing it, I am slicing them into thousands pieces with my dagger after unsheathe it. One is barely alive and the other seems to be terrorized by the fact that I tore their limbs to pieces and tossed the organs everywhere

"Just who are you?" The one intact horrified

"Well, I must ask you a question. Who sent you here?"

"Head of Black Fang tribe. I can't tell you any further" He stabilize his mind.

"Well, I must do this" I slice off his head and while keeping that head alive with a bit of sand and some magic.

Then I let the head witness the last one of his group. Slowly and painfully bleed out. I use the poisoned dagger on his eyes. I can feel the joy of doing this thing.

****

The next morning, I don't bother to bury these bits of corpses. I scatter them all around this ruin. I enter the ruin.

****

I can see that wall and darkness. This was once a prosperous place for dwarves to trade. Money flowing and loud noises. Such a scene reminded me of a warmer place I had been before…

But now, it is just stones and vines left. Statues are mutilated and covered with vines, houses are destroyed and the wall seems to be having endured a big attack. Before the hydra, it could be a dragon.

Dragons are those wanderers who like to go around and stay for a short amount of time. Whenever they feel like it, they will return without a warning. If a city is established here, it will fall in a matter of seconds. They will be engulfed with fire and destruction and soon, only ashes and stones will remain. Dwarves didn't know so they accidentally made a death wish for many people. After all, dragons are not kind.

I stand here, looking around to find that dragon who lives here.

I can feel the heat. I am going to enslave this thing.

"A fool wishes to challenge me?"

"Ironically, I was once a fool"

"Feh, a mere sandfolk like you dared to hunt me then make me become your slave? You shall die" as he breathes out a sea of flame.

Fwish fwip!

I quickly extinguish it with a whistle. I have practiced many ways to make music but the basics of doing it was through your own lungs. Music magic may seem weak but my performance will make it a deadly magic.

"Hmph! It seems that you are quite strong" He breathes another one

I quickly dash through it. The wind pressure will direct the flame away from me. I grab my gun and aim for his head.

Bang!

I have one hour before it regenerates back. Two more to go.

He fires another sea of flame again. I go to his left since I shot his left eye. He tries to direct the flame at me.

Bang!

I shot his abdomen. I don't need to run any more since that is his fire chamber.

"Foul creature! You dare to humiliate me?"

He is in rage. Swiping claws and wings to hit me, he is desperate to get a hit on me. But it is all in vain.

A final blow, all I need now is a perfect …

He hit me?

How?

When?

I pick myself up. I see, that was his tail lash during that fake blind fury of his

That trick won't save you a second time. Has it been an hour since my first shot?

I feel like the time in this place is accelerated. How?

I need to know the method.

Bang!

The third one at his left chest. But he hasn't fallen?

Damn it, I quickly reload while dodging.

Bang!

The abdomen

Bang!

The head

Something doesn't seem right.

Why all of the shots hasn't killed him yet?

If this keeps dragging on, I will run out of bullets before I can take him down.

Maybe something is wrong.

I have 30 bullets left.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! You think you can kill me, mere sandfolk? Many tried to kill me that way like you did. But eventually, they all died due to exhaustion before they could kill me." That dragon keeps swiping claws and wings

Hmmmm

I think this might be a foolish idea but it might worth a shot to try

Bang!

I shot at his right chest. I knew it.

"How did you know…?"

"I was once a drake lord who fought paradox beasts and monsters before. I know their hearts weren't always left but if I try the right side or middle, perhaps one thrust will stop their breathing"