Tales of the Lorekeepers 01 - Rise of the Red Dragon

earlier, warriors had been searching for a way into the hill, the tunnel entrance was now fully cleared of rocks and rubbles, guarded by several soldiers. A few moments ago, the men closest to the opening had perceived screams and strange noises coming from inside the tunnel, and had moved in a little closer, curious to see what was going on. As they did so, a bright red light had appeared from deep inside the underground passage. They had immediately felt the heat on their faces and smelled the disgusting stench of sulfur, mixed with burnt flesh.
    Now, as the red glow disappeared, they could see the shapes of men running toward the exit, yelling impossible things and screaming in sheer terror. Before the soldiers outside could get out of the way and prepare themselves, a large reptilian head appeared in the entrance of the cave, its mouth open wide to swallow the last soldiers, who had thought they could make it out alive.
    As it reached the exit, seeing the night sky for the first time in many centuries, the white dragon picked up speed, the ground quaking mightily under the force of each powerful step. The beast hurriedly approached freedom until finally, in an explosion of fragmented rocks and dust, it emerged from the hill and opened its wings to welcome the storm’s wind beneath them. Oblivious to the crushed bodies of the men underneath it or the soldiers stuck under the shattered hillside, the white dragon lifted itself higher and higher, turning around and flying over the hill in large circles.
    Moments later, a second explosion sent a column of dust high in the sky and rocks flying to the bottom of the hill, crushing anything they landed on, whether it was empty tents or warriors running away from this place of evil. In the midst of this second cloud of dust emerged a red figure, the same as the white one in all aspects except for the color of its skin.
    Seeing its lifelong nemesis flying toward it, the white dragon turned and hovered in midair, getting ready to engage in another battle of their eternal struggle. This time, however, they would have room to maneuver, and both dragons were bent on settling the score once and for all. Tonight, Dinas Ffaraon would witness the end of their millennia-old battle.

    The dark stranger was almost ready. His hands were tired, aching from all the energy he had gathered and poured into the device. His trap was set and his weapon ready. The time was nearly upon him when he would finally execute his plan and fulfill his goal. He looked at the white dragon take off and fly over the hill, then at the red dragon following in its path.
    The dark man quickly finished charging the apparatus with enough energy to blast the Briton dragon into smithereens. When he was satisfied, he chanted an old telekinetic spell to move the device, making it float a few feet above the ground.
    Carefully, moving his hands, without touching the cross, he aimed it at the red dragon.
    “That’s it boy,” he muttered. “Come a little closer.”

    Samuel was fighting to free himself from the tent that had fallen on his head. He could hear the others close by, likewise struggling. Angeline, furious about getting mud on her tunic, was cursing ancient deities and unknown gods.
    Crawling under fallen posts, Samuel searched desperately for an exit. Finally, his head came free and he felt the cold rain on his face and the wind violently blowing in his hair. With another push, he was finally free of his unconventional prison and stood up. He found himself next to Malloy and Ambrosius, who had also freed themselves and were trying to help the others to get out. Soon after, Kaleb, Uther and the rest of his companions found their way out of the tent and gathered together, with Darroch coming out last.
    Ambrosius wanted to establish a plan and make sure everyone knew what had to be done, but Malloy interrupted him before he could speak a word.
    “What is that ?” asked the warrior, pointing toward the north, indicating a mound in the distance.
    At first, no one could make out what the warrior was pointing at, but then Samuel saw it. Three hundred yards from where they stood, a green light was rapidly growing stronger, slowly rising over the hill and pulsing as if it were a living thing.
    When lightning flashed and briefly revealed what was on the mound, Samuel saw that it was the device he had seen on a sketch inside the tent, with the silhouette of a man standing underneath it. He looked up at the sky,