The time of twilight had long cascaded over the town of Weland, but the luminescent beauty of the volcanic sky had refused to fade away during the passing hours. The endless ascendant was painted with nature’s unfathomable mixtures of sunset hues, its passionate potency holding enough inspiration to bring tears to the eyes of any artist. But for the people of Weland, the only tears the sky birthed were ones of great sorrow. The magma marinated colors were an ominous warning and cruel reminder of the torment they’ve suffered for many nights. The colors signified the plethora of bloodshed from victims sacrificed and slain under the jaws of a tyrant beast. A dragon. Its descent upon the town and demand of tribute when the sky was dyed scarlet was a plight of the worst fortune. Plagued by the invasion of a nearby kingdom, their resources and armed forces ran weak and low, defenseless against the dragon’s menacing tear of their flesh. A town abandoned under the blind eyes of Terrenus, rumors of its dismal conditions going unanswered, Weland in the end gained nothing but the crude acceptance that they were slaves to this monster.
But tonight…tonight would mark the beginning of change.
A single swan drifted across the vibrant hues of the crimson sky. The purity of its white feathers were coated with an illumination that made its existence seem surreal, a beacon of hope and wishes within this afflicted town. With a gentle cadence of fluttering wings, the swan landed upon the roof of Massacred Castle, Weland’s tavern, and folded its wing against its body. Mauve hues glistening where black impassive orbs should have resided, the swan watched silently as the events transpired…
“Please! Don’t do this!”
The voice of a desperate woman broke the silence of the desolate town, a teenage girl thrashing her limps around like a caged animal within the arms of two men who dragged her. Dressed within a sleeping gown, the woman appeared to have been snatched from the sanctuary of her home, unwarned and unprepared for the cruelties of her village. Her bare feet obstinately shoved deeply into the rock littered ground, pebbles embedding and thrusting into her flesh until it was soiled in blood and dirt as the female struggled desperately to cease their forceful dragging. The two men, too strong for the woman, eventually lifted the thrashing teenager from the ground and restrained her against their torsos to continue their advance towards the end of town.
The sight of an alter rested ahead of them, rusted chains hanging from its peak and churned like snakes at its base. The marble structure of the pillar was stained and tarnished by the sight of blood and claw marks engraved into its once virgin surface. The story of struggle of many sacrifices were imprinted upon the alter, soon to gain blood stricken cries of this screaming female. The sight of the marble, of the blood staining its surface, ignited a whole new level of desperation within the girl’s eyes. With an adrenaline powered thrash, she backhanded one of the men in the face to send blood gushing from his nostrils. The man released the woman, who used her newly free limps to struggle and kick furiously at the remaining male before running away.
“Someone help me!”
There were faces. Faces within the windows, through the agape cracks of doors, and in the alleyways of the street, but not one responded to the pleading cries of the retreating female. They all watched, watched with pathetic looks of sympathy and anguish, but none so brave to act upon desires of their hearts. None audacious enough to answer her cries. They only watched as the men caught the female once more and slammed her head viciously into the wall of a home and silenced her rebellious struggle with a terrible crack. The dazed teenager was dragged with blood and tears leaking down her young face.
She was chained to the marble pillar and left there to die.
Terrified and crying, the woman trembled as her forehead illuminated with a symbol of black flames. Then the skies shifted, the crimson colors appeared to intensify and angle themselves into the outskirts of the town, where a dense forest resided. Under the influence of the light, the shadows of the forest all shifted to one side until a puddle of darkness transpired across the grass. The shadows quivered and moaned, the temperature of the town decreased, and goosebumps spread across the female’s skin. Her breathing intensified, terror stained her visage, she rattled the chains viciously, and screamed for the help of the village. However, doors were slamming and curtains were closing, no one wanted to see the results of their sins.
From the shadow pools came a huge talon, a talon large enough to throttle a house with a single swipe. Another followed. Then a snout, a long snout with ebony scales reflecting the red hues of the sky. With scarlet eyes, the dragon emerged from the darkness and towered over the town with a height excelling thirty feet. The woman appeared to have lost her breath, her ashen image was captured within the dragon’s emotionless orbs as the monster snaked its head down to her level. White fangs flashed in what appeared to be a sadistic smile. The teenager released one final scream of terror.
And it was over. She was snatched away from the pillar by the merciless jaws of the beast, only the splattered blood upon the pillar and a single torn hand left in her wake.
The dragon rose its head to the village, an imperious glint shinning within its eyes before the winged beast took flight into the skies and disappeared over the horizon of the forest. The twilight hues faded from the sky and stars twinkled across restored night once more. Peace had returned to Weland, but not without fading screams of an innocent girl.
The swan ruffled its feathers once before fluttering down to a window seal of the tavern. It tapped upon the window with its beak. Inside, a male elf lifted his head from the bartender table and rushed to the window to open it and allowed the swan inside. Upon entry, the swan’s illumination exploded like a miniature nova before revealing itself to a single woman—Enigma. Her appearance was faded, as if she were a ghost, but the features of her impassive face were unmistakable.
“The syndicate will accept your request to remove the dragon.”
The man, who was previously stunned by her dramatic entrance, shook off his emotions and smiled widely.
“Thank you! You have no idea how much this me—”
“So long as we are paid accordingly.”
“Yes…Yes of course. Are you positive your syndicate can—”
“You will have our discussed amount ready. As long as we are paid, you will see it done.”
“When. . . ?”
“Soon.”
And with another burst of light, the swan was rekindled and flew through the open window. The man approached the window watched the beautiful bird shrink under the hues of the sky.
