Dragons, Blood and Gold Part II - The Gilded Blood Era

Where there’s blood there’s fire…

For thousands of years humans and dragons lived peacefully. Humans built their towns, grew their crops, domesticated animals, created their tools and societies. When the first wars between humans began, the dragons were baffled at their hubris and arrogance to fight over land and draw random lines in sand and call it their own, with no regard for other. Yet they were entertained by their brutality, as they were spectating over battles. Until one day, when some humans discovered gold. Its beauty enthralled the dragons and created a never before had need to have something. Power, might and now gold, the dragons wanted it all. Yet in their hubris, the humans wouldn’t give the gold up without a fight. Thus, the long war between humans and dragons began… Yet much much later…

We have checked every single home, twice now. Anymore searching will be for naught, as we can not see much anymore and these lanterns do not help much with the search, says Austrulf. All remaining women and children went towards the mine, some of the elderly and some of the teenagers escorted them, says Baldbert. Good, good, says Austrulf. I already sent the rest of the men towards the mine, in case anyone or anything would come back, they’d find just us and not them, says Baldbert. I don’t want to think about that, Bald. I don’t want to believe that someone betrayed us, says Austrulf as the two began their walk towards the gold mine. When a hundred of our people burn up in flames, when two hundred flee due to their fear of the dragons, you have to realize that something is very wrong, brother, says Baldbert. I know! Isn’t that why we built the cellars for everyone? Isn’t that why we made a second exit to the gold mine? asks Austrulf. But you have to recognize that not everyone is like you, says Baldbert. I recognize that. I just don’t care for it. If we pretend we’re human, then we should at least pretend to have a line we do not cross. Betraying and killing your own people is simply vile. You either care for all humans or for none. And when you only care for your own survival at the price of anyone and everyone around you, you care for no one! exclaims Austrulf. You are one of the smartest people I know, yet you can be so naive, says Baldbert. I am not naive, I know how they think. It doesn’t make it right, says Austrulf. It’s the gold, says Baldbert. It corrupted even the dragons, the one who needed nothing. The ones that lived to observe, to know, to be free from it all, now are bound to Earth by gold, says Baldbert. It’s not the gold. If it weren’t for the gold, it would’ve been something else. At some point they would’ve considered us a threat to their existence, explains Austrulf. Where does this idea come from? asks Baldbert. Do you remember when we lost father? We went hunting for the wolf that terrorized the village. When we cornered the beast at the edge of a cliff. What did it do, Bald? It attacked. Did that make sense? No, it didn’t. We had weapons, the wold just its claws and fangs. But what did the wolf think and feel? “I have no way out but through. I need to attack or they’ll kill me.” What would you have thought, Bald? asks Austrulf. Probably the same thing, he responds. Exactly. At some point if our tools got better, if our fire power was more impressive, the dragons would’ve seen us as threats. That’s why they divide us, that’s why they murder us, village by village. It’s not because we didn’t work hard enough. It’s because they don’t want us to get better tools, to get to be more people, to be stronger together. That’s why they need to corrupt any and all. Sow doubt in our hearts. Convince us that we’re the worst to one another. There lies their might, explains Austrulf. I see smoke from the other side, Baldbert interrupts Austrulf as they reach the entrance to the mine.

Let us hurry, says Austrulf as they enter the mine. Do you really believe anything of what you are saying? asks Baldbert. Why would I not? Humanity has thrived long before the era of gilded blood. I still wish to have seen the palaces of old, the giant structures we used to build. Yet now they are lost to time, says Austrulf. Have you not kept your books? asks Baldbert. With time they were got covered with so much ash, that it was impossible to make out anything that was in the pictures or the text, explains Austrulf with a mournful expression. As they move through the mine, both get silenced by the tragedy of the day. Glad we dug into the walls here, much easier to traverse through, says Baldbert. All your idea. I would’ve put some ropes on the wall and called it a day, says Austrulf. The awkward tension brought back the silence as they focused on getting through the mine as fast as possible without fumbling. The gold shines in the bedrock of the cave as the two move towards the exist. The smell of burning wood and pig is felt by the two as the get closer and closer to the exist. Yet as the crackle of the fire and the sound of their footsteps is heard, nothing else follows. No voices, no laughter, no anything is to be heard. As the two see the exist, they are blinded by the light coming from the fire outside. They both rush out, the camp burnt to a crisp. The forest burning around them. A hellish light at the end of the tunnel crushes the men to their knees as they scream in agony into the night…

The tragedy will continue…

Dragons, Blood and Gold Part I

Long time ago, as it was, and it was told dragons ruled the earth… This is their story.

A shadow appears on earth, moving fast, people run to take shelter. A gust of wind follows the giant shadow as houses shake, roofs of straws and wood come off as dust fills the air. The sun clouded by the dust. A roar vibrates the dust as a giant rumble shakes the earth as the dragon lands. An explosion clears the dust as a barrel explodes as the dragon breathes fires and starts torching the houses. The sound of screaming people echoes as they are being burnt alive. As every house, every building, every single person is burnt, the dragon huffs and puffs, smoke fills the air covering the sun completely. I have told you this day would come. You lazy, entitled, puny little critters wanted it all! Yet you could not work! You could not mine! You could not saves your skins even though your lives depended on it! The dragon shouts as the fire rages around him. All you had to do is mine the gold, get the the precious stones and gems. And what did you do? You lazed around, you lied to me about everything! You tried to keep it for yourselves! When we had a deal which you do not betray! We keep you safe from any danger at any time, and you, worms, provide us with gold, precious stones and work them for us. And now look at you… Burning… Screaming… In agony… And for what? Your arrogance? You thought you’d outwit us? You just could not listen! Shouts the dragon as no one is left to listen before taking off. The flames whirlwind, the smoke clears as the dragon flies off, before covering the sun up again. As the flames crackle, the smoke thins and buildings crumble, in its wake only ruble and charred bodies are left behind.

Hours passed, the sun started to set as the flames died out and from the rubble a noise is heard. From inside a well a man climbs out. He looks around and starts moving from house to house, moving rubble trying to find the doors in the floors. Stone by stone, charred wood moved piece by piece carefully as to not burn himself. With the smell of burnt skin with the ash the flowed through the air, he felt nauseated as he tried to move things around. At last, he finds the first door. He knocks on it. No answer. He moves to the next house. Finds the door in the floor. Knocks on it. No answer. As he passes the charred bodies he can’t help think that no one that remained in the village survived. He goes to a third house. He knocks on the door in the floors. An answer. As the doors open slowly before thumping down hard, another man with a sweat on his brow and soot on his hands smiles at the man from the well. They embrace. Brother, Austrulf! The man from the well shouts. Brother, Baldbert! he responds as they now shake hands. Uncle, a little girl exclaims as he hugs the man’s leg. Ingrid! Austrulf exclaims with a smile on his face. Austrulf, a woman sighs of relief from behind the two men. Arngilde, glad to see you are all safe and sound, says Austrulf. How did you manage not to get yourself killed? asks Baldbert. Luckily no stones fell into the well and the water kept me alive, explains Austrulf. Which houses have you been to? asks Baldbert. This is the third one, I went to old Ulbert, but no one answered. And then to the Waldbert, no answer. Every building seems to have collapsed, so clearing out paths has been quite the difficult taks, says Austrulf. Let me help you, says Baldbert. You two, stay safe, in case the dragon comes back, be ready to get down in the basement, he continued.

Power, gold and precious gems, the dragons have it all and we can’t have it, says Baldbert as they clean the neighboring house of debris. But luck with you and your idea to build these shelters inside, exactly for this day, he finished his thought out loud. This is no luck. After Waldbert and his family moved here and told us their story. It was only a matter of time until it happened to us, says Austrulf. Yet not everyone listened, said Baldbert as he raised a stone to find a set of doors on the floor. He knocks. No answer. These dragons, they come, they demand, we either deliver or they kill us, says Baldbert angrily as the leave the house to move onto the next one. Remember when grandpapi used to tell us stories from before the dragons care of our ilk? Before the gold? Before the stones? asks Austrulf. Grandpa Steinhard, he built this village stone by stone… Simpler times, says Baldbert as they enter another house. Back then the only real threat to us was another human, a wolf or a bear. And even then villages like ours never saw this level of destruction, says Austrulf. If we could only do something other than hiding, says Baldbert. What can you do when a baby dragon is already the size of a house and a half? asks Austrulf. Grandpa Steinhard talked once about killing a dragon, says Baldbert. Those are just stories, they were legends. Just like the legends of the people taming and riding dragons. These creatures are as old as the world itself. They were born from molten lava and pure fire. That’s why they all have those amber eyes and fire that melts stones and turns sand into glass. Luckily, they never use their fire enough to do that often. Yet still, you saw, you can’t underestimate these creatures. They’ve enslaved people, they corrupted people with their power into taking their side. Who knows who here was a spy, says Austrulf. Don’t speak like that, not now, at least. Let’s find everyone first, and then we’ll try to figure out what happened, says Baldbert as they continue to clear houses.

The story will continue….