Just a place for me to post up any DF stories I feel like writing
Ano Bidawevafe and the Dragon
Ano was born in the year 35. He never knew his father. His mother was a mere mortal, a normal woman from the Land Across the Sea. She rarely talked of his father, in the few years that Ano knew her. Ano was born mildly deformed, not in an obvious way, but more subtly. You would look upon the child and feel uneasy, knowing that something was wrong but not being sure what it was. Seeing him day after day, the people of his village grew angry – deformed children are usually drowned at birth.
He was twelve when they came for him. His mother tried to stop them, but when she slashed the village elder with a carving knife, they killed her. Then they turned their attention to the boy. He cowered, scared, and crying, willing his dead mother to stop the men. They attacked him, tearing his clothes from his body. But then, with a strength he did not know he possessed, Ano struck at them. He punched the largest in the chest. The sound of ribs cracking filled the small hut. The rest of the mob fled, leaving only the corpse of Ano’s mother, and the sobbing ruin of the man Ano punched, and Ano, poor Ano, huddled next to his mother, crying.
Ano did not feel safe anymore. He found a large copper dagger, and a copper spear, and fled. He fled into the wilderness. For twenty four years he lived in the forest, with nothing but his copper spear and dagger. One day, he came upon the ocean, and decided to swim. He swam, far away, until he reached our shores.
He staggered up the beach, resting where he found himself. Where Ano came from, they did not know of Bogeymen, and so he felt perfectly safe sleeping in the open after dark. Unfortunately, such ignorance in our land usually leads to a quick and brutal death. Inevitably, they came. The Bogeymen. Six of the hideous creatures came at Ano, their cackling shaking him awake. Most men flee when confronted with such terrible things, but Ano was not most men. He stood, and fought.
He held his copper dagger in his left hand, his spear in his right. The fastest bogeyman charged towards him, but Ano was ready. He side stepped. The bogeyman, confused, passed him. Ano struck out backwards with his dagger. The blade sliced through the bogeyman’s leg, tearing a tendon. Even before it fell Ano was striking at the next foul monster, stabbing his spear into its gut, impaling it. Turning, ripping the weapon out of the creature, he bashed another across the head, sending it sprawling. It vanished. He felt something smash into his back with the force of a sledge hammer, throwing him to the ground. He rolled. A foot slammed into the ground where he had been lying a moment ago. He stabbed it with his dagger, and got up. Ano ran. He ran from the beasts, who kept vanishing and appearing elsewhere.
For an hour they chased him, occasionally coming close enough for Ano to strike at them with his weapons, and always, always, cackling. Then the sun came up. The cackling faded away, until all was silent. Not even the birds sang. The bogeyman blood dripped from Ano’s weapons, but the bogeymen themselves had vanished.
Panting and fearful, he stood there, but nothing came. After an hour, the birds began to sing again. He headed through the forest once more, the blood drying as the sun rose into the air. A small path ran through the forest, no cobbles, just a dirt road, rutted where carts had been dragged through. He followed it, walking for mile after mile, until he came to a small village. Glancing at the sun, Ano guessed there were only a few more hours until night fell, and he wondered whether the creatures of the night would attack a village like this one.
He entered a building, and asked if he could stay the night there. The building was nothing special – just an average human home. The inhabitants welcomed Ano, and he asked them about the monsters he had fought.
“Sounds like Bogeymen.” One of them said,
“Definitely Bogeymen. You shouldn’t travel at night, friend.” Another advised. Ano asked if there was anything he could do to help the villagers. They told him of several bandits who kept attacking them,
“You look strong enough, but you’ll not be able to beat them by yourself. Go to the castle, the soldiers there will help you.”
So in the morning, Ano walked to the castle. It took him a couple of hours, but when he was there he was awed by the high grey walls. He went through the gate, and asked three soldiers to join him. They all agreed. Two of the soldiers had bows, the other a mace. They became Ano’s companions.
He went to each bandit camp, slaughtered the outlaws, and, one by one, brought their heads back to the village. In his battles he took weapons and armour from the dead, and by the time his task was done he was as well armed as any of the soldiers of the castle.
“You are truly a great warrior!” Said the village elder, “But this next task, will be a true test of your strength.
“Three days walk to the North East, there is a cave. It is in the hills of Goldenivory – the Jewels Of Fire. In the cave you will find Ongong Flamebranded, the Gilded Fire of pearls. He is a dragon; wise, old and powerful. He has been here longer than any man. He has slain many of our people. Kill him and bring his head to me.”
So Ano had a new quest, to become a Dragon Slayer. He and his men walked for three days, and three nights, fighting off Bogeymen and wolves, until they reached the hills of Goldenivory.
Stumps of trees littered the ash ridden wasteland, and the men could hear the crackling of flames in the distance. They stalked through the grey ruin, searching for the opening of the cave of Ongong Flamebranded.
They found it. A pile of bones marked the entrance. It was on the top of a hill, a large hole in the ground. Ano and his companions stalked towards it. They got closer. And closer. The air above the cave shimmered with the heat. Ano crept in first, followed by the two archers with the maceman holding the rear.
By now, Ano had a silver spear in his right hand, and a bronze shield in his left. The archers had no shields, but were well armoured with iron chainmail. Ano lead the way through a maze of corridors, turned a corner; and saw him. Ongong Flamebranded.
The dragon was huge, with bright red scales. It took a vast breath, sucking all of the air out of the cave, and when it blew out again, its breath was mingled with fire. Ano raised his shield, deflecting the flames, and burning his forearm. He darted to one side to avoid a sweep from a huge claw, and then slashed with his sword at the beast’s leg. The strike bounced off the dragon’s scales. The maceman joined the fight, slammed his mace into the creatures belly, as the two archers fired arrows at its head. The dragon blew flames at Ano again, who once more used his shield to protect himself. He stabbed his sword between two scales, causing a bellow of pain to issue from the dragon’s lips.
Then Ano was sent flying by a swipe from one of the dragon’s paws. He slammed into a wall. An archer scored a hit on the dragon’s mouth. The maceman was knocked over by its tail. Enraged by the puny human who had hurt its mouth, the dragon incinerated the two archers, their armour bubbling to mix with their molten bones.
Then Ano was back on his feet, and he ran at the monster, thrusting his sword into its belly, before darting back to dodge its frenzied attacks, and leaping onto its back. The maceman managed to hit the beast in its head, as Ano managed to force his weapon into its brain. The dragon fell, not dead, just unconscious, and Ano, with the maceman, tore it to pieces. It took a long time, for dragons are large, and not easily killed. When it breathed no more, Ano hacked at its neck until its head came off. Then, with the maceman carrying the head, he picked up a bag, and filled it with the gold that they found there.
They travelled back to the town. Yet Ano did not truly know his maceman, who, deep inside, had a treacherous heart. One night, when all seemed quiet, the maceman tried to kill Ano, and take the gold for himself. He lead a pair of bandits to their camp, and the three of them attacked the dragon slayer.
Ano is more than a mere mortal however, and he was able to defend himself. One of the bandits was quickly slaughtered, and the other was badly wounded before Ano turned on the traitor. The maceman died, killed by Ano’s silver spear. He let the wounded bandit bleed to death.
However, the three men had taken their toll on Ano. He was wounded, and slow. So when the bogeymen appeared once more, he could not run.
They took him by surprise, knocking him to the ground, and though he managed to kill four of the beasts, he was eventually killed by the terrible monsters.
The hoard was never found. Perhaps the bogeymen took it? Or did the wounded bandit live through his horrendous pain and claim it? None shall ever know.
Ano’s body was buried with the head of the dragon that he killed.
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Topic: Histories of Greed and Determination - My DF Short Stories (Read 1410 times)