High in the Great Drakeshvar Valley
Ra'd Alim Abd Al-Halid woke with a jolt in the back of a rickety refuse cart as it rolled and rattled over cracked and ancient pave stones. The foul scent of soiled garments, rotting food, and animal dung stung his senses almost as badly as the fresh bruises around his ribs and jaw. Every bump and shudder of creaky old wheels sent shivers of pain through him.
"Don't move lad, keep quiet. Best let the fools think you're dead!" A familiar wheezing voice counseled in traditional Caishian from the carts bench before urging whatever poor beast of burden was pulling to move faster. Ra'd Alim struggled to recognize the voice through a mental fog of heavy drink and dulling pain.
He lifted his head enough to catch glimpse of the Great Keep of the Sovereign passing away into the distance within the craggy peaks of the Drakeshvar Valley. As that looming fortress faded into a dim pre-dawn glow, flashes of last night came back to him. ~So at last it has come to this!~ He cursed inwardly, remembering an argument at the great feast a few hours ago.
Ra'd Alim imbibed a bit too much of a strong foreign drink and finally let his tongue loose about his feelings towards the attitude of the elder dragon shamans and the three dominated dragons who served as the winged guardians of the valley and its people. Given the insults he vaguely remembered cursing across the table at his superiors, it was actually something of a miracle he was still breathing at all.
However, Ra'd Alim was easily one of the toughest of the warrior shamans. He had suffered worse than these bruises before. His reputation as a fierce fighter was renowned throughout the valley. He could spar with the best of the other warriors as well as the best of the veteran soldiers of the Djonfang standing army. His nickname, 'Mauler' was well earned given his unusual favored weapon, a mighty Ogre Maul which was almost comically over-sized for someone five-foot-two.
Ra'd Alim groaned and weakly felt around the piles of rubbish, searching for his weapon.
"Keep still!" The elderly wheezing voice scolded. "I already retrieved your grossly cumbersome weapon along with some of your gear. Forget about the rest... You are banished!" The ragged old man added with a snicker from the bench.
~Banished?!~ Ra'd Alim scoffed inwardly. ~What nonsense!~ He was a native of this valley after all, born and raised by one of the local peasant tribes who carried mixed ancestry from Akhenaten, Maharathan and Caishian bloodlines stretching back nearly three thousand years. At age sixteen he was old enough to stand in the tribal militia and from there was quickly recruited into the Djonfang standing army. A rare honor for his rather poor tribe.
"Where are you taking me?" Ra'd Alim croaked, nearly passing out from the effort to speak.
"Away from here! For now that is all you need to know. Don't speak, your ribs are broken."
~As if I needed you to tell me that, I remember very well how this feels...~ Ra'd Alim mused to himself... recalling that fateful day four years ago when the great army of the Ogre King descended down into the valley, spreading doom and fire to every town and village. The standing army was outnumbered, encircled and overwhelmed until the three dominated dragons of the Elder Dragon Shamans were summoned to their aid.
Of course the Ogre King was expectant of this and quickly entered the fray on his own personal mount. A dominated collosal Land Dragon aptly named 'Dreadclaw' by the evil humanoids. Dreadclaw easily over-sized the smaller three commanded by the Djonfang. Their names were Odjor Canavar, Vagar Fatalescalas, and Nefestra Vandrago. Depsite their assistance in the fray, the outcome of the battle looked decidedly grim in favor of the Ogre King.
By a strange twist of fate, Ra'd Alim found himself standing near as Odjor Canavar was thrown to the ground in the clutch of Dreadclaws jaws an instant before Odjor's tail knocked the Ogre King off his saddle. The evil humanoid monarch went flying into the mud mere paces from where Ra'd Alim stood.
Moments later, Ra'd Alim found himself in a duel for his life with the Ogre King. The same mighty maul he now claimed as his own broke several of his ribs in the Ogre's grip. Ra'd Alim fought on desperately, thrusting his spear into the vile Ogre's throat, plunging his own cracked ribs through flesh in the effort soaking his tunic in blood before he collapsed.
As the Ogre King also fell, his spell on Dreadclaw also passed. The great wyrm's ensuing confusion allowed Odjor Canavar to slip free of his jaws, roll over and pin down the larger dragon long enough for the other two to swoop down in a frenzy of wings and claws. Together the three were able to slay the mighty Dreadclaw, but for Ra'd Alim it was already too late.
As he felt his life's breath ebbing through his massive chest would, Dreadclaws blood flowed over the ground over Ra'd Alim's dying and gasping body moments before a strange old hermit came to his aid seemingly out of nowhere. His healing touch brought Ra'd Alim back from the brink of death. When he awoke again he was being carried through the battlefield as a hero.
Hours later, he began to notice fantastic changes in his body and physique. Dreadclaws blood had somehow mixed with his own, grating him greater strength, toughness and other abilities typically possessed only by the Elder Dragon Shamans of the ruling elite. Ra'd Alim never asked for the honor of being a hero or the powers he now possessed. Part of him imagined the old hermit was responsible somehow, and yet he had no idea how to find him again.
Very soon after the battle, Ra'd Alim was accepted into the ranks of the warriors who served the ruling Dragon Shamans. As each warrior was also an aspiring shaman in training, they studied the mysteries of dragon lore and magic hoping to succeed their superiors someday.
Ra'd Alim was something of a black sheep in their order. Gifted certainly, but young, uneducated and very raw with his opinions. Ra'd Alim took to volunteer as often as possible to leave the halls and patrol the lands of the valley, seeking out the old hermit in the process.
After a few years had passed, Ra'd Alim eventually did find the mysterious stranger camped by a stream fishing for carp. The old hermit introduced himself as Guo Jiang, an agent of the Emperor of Caishia and a learned dragon shaman.
Ra'd Alim didn't know how to react to a foreigner who openly declared himself as a foreign agent? Spies and assassins were no trifling matter to the Djonfang. Execution and torture were expected punishments for those who were caught. Ra'd Alim decided to test how this old man would react when he threatened to arrest him.
The old man merely cackled. "You're welcome to try, though that's hardly appreciative given how I saved your life!"
"My loyalty is to the Sovereign!"
Guo Jiang snorted. "Your loyalty is misplaced! Zhi Yu was loyal to the emperor! He was the first Imperial Magistrate of this valley. Surely your historical texts haven't omitted that fact?"
Ra'd Alim frowned. He wasn't used to being lectured by anyone outside the walls of the Great Keep. "I am aware of it." He retorted. "However, during the dark times after the great calamity, Caishia sent no aid! Thus it was only reasonable to declare independence and look after ourselves."
Guo Jiang sighed "Those were hard times for the Empire as well. Our defeat in the wars against the Samurai on the islands of Katan, for instance, sapped much of our military reserves and resources. The reign of the first emperor were not altogether easy. He was a man of great vision hindered by great challenges. Some vassal territories suffered while the mainland struggled to reorganize and accept the new government."
Ra'd Alim could only shake his head. "What is the point of this debate? Why are you here?"
"I am here to sway your loyalty into service of the Empire, where it belongs for the sake of your people! Another great calamity will soon wreck havoc upon these lands."
Ra'd Alim looked doubtful. "And what calamity would that be?"
"Overwhelming darkness!" The old man hissed.
Ra'd Alim swallowed unconsciously. Guo Jiang certainly sounded sincere. He decided to humor him if only to learn more about his motives through his ravings. "And why would the Empire use its strength to help us now?"
"I do not question the will of the emperor... but I imagine it would be prudent to consider the strategic value of this valley. It's position over the surrounding lands is advantageous for many reasons, especially for the dragon-blooded."
"It sounds like you are hinting about some great war to come?"
"Indeed!" The old man nodded.
"A war with whom?"
The old man smirked. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, and I know little other than conjecture, fears and rumors... but all the emperors wisest advisers agree, the darkness is coming!"
"Why would we have to submit to rule by the emperor? Could we not just stand together as allies?"
The old man chuckled. "If you wanted to fish this stream with me, we would be as allies... but there is little chance both our hooks would catch the same fish. When the big one bites, we must hold firm AS ONE to overpower it." He says brandishing his fists together with emphasis.
Ra'd Alim paused and changed tacts. "Why did you save my life on the battlefield three years ago?"
"I believed you had a brave heart worthy of the gifts of the dragon blood. Before your duel against the Ogre King, you proved yourself worthy in many skirmishes against bandits and Wyverns. It is my intention to teach you what I can, though time grows short."
"I have teachers..."
"They know nothing of real use to you. I waited this long to introduce myself so you could hopefully figure this out for yourself. They can't even explain how you grew to possess your abilities so quickly without training can they? Make no mistake, Caishia is the oldest and wisest culture on Sion in regards to dragon magic and lore. After all, our great divine deity, Zu, is the oldest and most powerful dragon that ever lived!"
From there the debate went on for hours. The old man managed to catch a few fish in the process and offered to shared a meal with Ra'd Alim. That was the first of several meetings over the following year. Ra'd Alim never yet surrendered loyalty to the Sovereign, but neither did he report the old man as a conspirator.
In the meantime Guo Jiang taught Ra'd Alim many things, the sense of which prompted many questions about the nature of Dragon Magic and the ethics of dominating the three dragons in their service.
TO BE CONTINUED