Tales of the Lorekeepers 01 - Rise of the Red Dragon

However, when a forceful tremor shook the cavern, caused by a growl so powerful that it felt like the hill itself was exploding, everyone had taken a step back and no one had dared to speak since.
    Although it defied reason, it was quite obvious now, in the minds of everyone, what was causing the ripples. Something had noticed them and did not seem to like the intrusion.
    The only question that was yet to be answered was: what should they do now? Should they turn and run for their lives or unsheathe their weapons and get ready to fight whatever would emerge from the darkness before them?
    Vortigern was no different from his men, asking the same questions. He tried to remain calm and demonstrate courage, but deep inside, fear was rapidly gaining control of his mind. When the idea of killing the white dragon had come to him, back in the comfort of his luxurious tent, above the surface of the ground, it had seemed like an extraordinary plan. It was not an easy task, but still doable and relatively easy, especially for himself, if he were to stand back a little and let a courageous champion claim the momentary glory. But now, surrounded by tons of rocks, trapped in a cave that seemed bigger than the hill surrounding it, caged with two evil creatures who were older than time, the plan to kill one of them seemed a lot less appealing.
    Without warning, a second tremor, much like the first one, violently shook the grotto, sending most of the soldiers to the ground. In the confusion, many torches were dropped and the light in the cave was considerably diminished. At the same time, a deafening detonation resounded, followed by another and then a third, louder and longer than the previous two.
    Then, the cacophony stopped. For the next few minutes, nothing else happened. There was no sign of anything disturbing the dark and cold water. Vortigern’s warriors picked themselves back up, nervously holding out their shields and swords, almost ready to face anything.
    Or to run for their lives.
    Most of them looked at each other, hoping to find comfort and reassurance, but everyone was displaying the same sentiment of fear and dread, a feeling dangerously close to panic.
    Moments later, Vortigern finally lifted an arm, signaling to his troops to remain calm, pretending everything was under control. The king took a step forward, carefully avoiding the water, as if it were a dangerous poison that would burn through his leather boots in seconds. He leaned forward a little, peering into the darkness, looking for any sign of the beasts they had come to hunt.
    Suddenly, a deafening shriek filled the cave, echoing from the rock walls, like a spell engulfing every man and filling their hearts with fear and madness. The uncanny roar persisted for almost a minute, forcing everyone to let go of their weapons in order to cover their ears. Even Vortigern was pushed to his knees by the unnatural shriek, as if the creature emitting the sound had seized his will and bent it without much effort. Finally, the last echo of the infernal noise faded away, and the cave fell silent again, like a tomb forgotten by time.
    Vortigern stumbled back to his feet and slowly removed his hands from the side of his head, listening once more to his surroundings. At first he did not notice anything, but then he realized the cave was not in complete silence anymore. A strange sound was coming from the darkness, subtle and short, but repeating itself at regular intervals. It sounded like a large sword was slashing through the air, a sort of whistling noise that was longer and deeper than anything he had heard before. It came and went, again and again, until, finally, a shape gradually appeared in the vast emptiness of the cave.
    The white dragon.
    The creature emerged from the darkness with terrifying speed, flying just above the surface of the water, the tips of its wing almost touching it on their downstrokes.
    “God help us! What have I done?” whispered Vortigern, looking into the red, burning eyes of the beast.
    The dragon was much larger than he had expected, its wings almost spanning the width of the lake. Its body was massive, as large as the tallest tower on the biggest castle of the island, covered with colorless scales, which gave it a dreary look, akin to a beast straight out of the darkest nightmares. Its head was bigger than a horse, with a mouth opened wide to reveal hundreds of sharp teeth, over which danced a tongue ending in the shape of an