30 May 2024

I wanted to foreshadow what’s going on between the town and the dragon better in my Valia story, maybe even have her hit the “adventurer’s graveyard” before facing the dragon, so I restarted it. Unfortunately, I’m still adjusting to my new schedule at work, so I was not able to get much actually written…

Reports of the dragon terrorizing Birchwood, and the numerous adventuring paries who had lost their lives trying to defeat it, had reached all the way to the Guild’s headquarters. So when Valia left to investigate the situation, she expected to find a burnt out shell of a town, with what few survivors remained cowering for safety.

Instead, she discovered a bustling town, with clean, white walls and well-dressed men and women. Indeed, the townsfolk seemed far more prosperous than the reports said they should have been even before the dragon.

25 May 2024

Had some ideas for what Valia’s powers might be. I knew they had to be necromantic in nature, if she was going to raise the dragon, but in what form? How showy was she? How is there fight going to be visible, or at least noticeable, all the way from Birchwood? Once I came up with a couple ideas, I wanted to start over to weave that into the opening discussion. Overall, I’m quite happy with how this turned out.

…play with its food.

Fortunately for Valia, the darkness didn’t bother her, especially with the number of soul-lit ghost flames lingering about the place. It seems more people had attempted to slay this dragon than she’d been aware of.

As she approached the first ghostflame, a deep voice rumbled through the cavern. “Well, what have we here?”

Rather than reply, Valia touched the ghostflame and drew it into her core. The anger and fear she’d expected, but was that… betrayal, she sensed? Curious.

Scales scraped on stone deeper inside. “A lone adventurer, a woman, has the audacity to challenge me? Are you so eager for death?”

Valia ignored him at first, instead moving from soul to soul, absorbing the ghostflame. Nearly all of them carried that same tang of betrayal. Most curious indeed. A theory about the situation had finally started taking shape, but she’d need a bit more proof. She finally responded, “I have no intention of being the one to die today.”

A burst of fire flared from a far corner of the cave, almost blinding Valia. “What can an insignificant creature like you do?”

Valia cocked her head. This dragon was arrogant enough; maybe she could simplify the fight a bit? “The stories don’t even name you, dragon.”

After a few seconds, the dragon chuckled, shaking the cave to its foundations. “Clever. When I was younger, I might well have fallen for that sort of provocation.”

Ah well. It had been a long shot, anyway. She could have done a lot with its name; soul magic made nearly as much use out of names as the fae. But she hadn’t been relying on that anyway. Instead, she merely edged her way towards the next ghostflame, doing her best to keep some kind of cover between her and the dragon’s presumed location. “A serious question, then. Why is the town so carefree? Most other dragons would be terrified the townsfolk would figure out a way to steal their hoard.”

The dragon roared with laughter. “Woman, they are my hoard! For just a few trinkets and baubles, they turn on their own so quickly! Didn’t that guild of yours offer you a drink before you came up here?”

“Hm. I didn’t touch it, though.”

“Yes, I had surmised as much. You are far to coherent.”

That pretty much confirmed Valia’s theory. They probably had other contingencies to cripple parties, too, that just weren’t worth using on a lone adventurer. Their loss. Not that those were any more likely to succeed against her, but still.

After a few moments, the dragon spoke again. “You intrigue me. Not many would challenge a dragon alone, no matter their hubris. You are either driven by bloodthirst, or truly desperate, no? Either way, wealth or blood, I can provide.” the dragon lowered its head until it nearly touched Valia nose to snout. “What do you think? Won’t you join me?”

Valia allowed herself a wry smile. The truth seemed so impossible, he didn’t even bother to consider it. “I thank you for the invitation, but I’m afraid I’ll have to refuse.” She shot a necrotic blast towards the dragon’s eye, then summoned the souls she’d gathered into an armor of ghostflame, just in time to counter the dragon’s breath.

24 May 2024

This… was way short. I really have no excuse. Just got distracted partway in, and never got back to it. I restarted the whole dragon scene the next day as I figured out how Valia’s powers might work.

“...I know what you are, girl.”

Shoot. Well, not like the simple solution could work every time. Valia kept a wary eye out, trying to pin down the dragon’s location. “I noticed that little town down there is in surprisingly good shape.”

“And why wouldn’t it be?” The dragon replied smugly. “They are mine. Most of my kin fail to realize how much more lucrative it is to draw wealth to you through a prosperous town than a ruined one.”

23 May 2024

This is part two of my story I started May 16, where she starts her face-off against the dragon. Somewhat inspired by the recent movie Damsel on Netflix, though Valia is, of course, in a very different situation.

It was not hard to find the dragon’s lair. Smoke trickled up constantly from the mouth of the cave, and there was that certain, baked-leather smell she always associated with them. Cautiously, she stepped inside.

Many people expected dragon lairs to be brightly lit on account of all the fire, but in Valia’s experience, for any well-established lair, that was rarely the case. Anything flammable had long since burned away, and with dragons’ truesight ability, there was little need for interior lighting. This dragon was no different, and considering the numerous pillars and hiding spots, this one seemed to enjoy playing with its food.

Indeed, not another fifteen minutes went by before a voice echoed out of the darkness, “Well, what have we here?”

Valia tried to pinpoint the source, but the dragon had designed his lair well. She couldn’t place it.

“Curious. All alone, girl?” the dragon taunted. “Was there no one else willing to die with you?”

With a snort, Valia shook her head. “I don’t need help to kill a single dragon.”

A flare of light burst off to Valia’s right. “What can an inferior creature like you possibly do to someone like me?”

That prompted a wry smile from Valia as she stalked after the glimpse she’d caught. “Like you? The stories don’t even mention your name, dragon. How terrifying can you possibly be?” It was a bit of a long shot, but if she could get his name… Well. Names had power.

Silence dominated the cave for several minutes. Then the dragon chuckled, shaking the cave to its foundations. “A clever one, aren’t you? I may have even fallen for it, were it not for the stench of death that clings to you.” Scales scraped on rock off in the distance. “Yes, I know what you are, girl.”

16 May 2024

This is from that same series of Tumblr posts that inspired both yesterday’s and the recent Rumpelstilskin stories. It went something like this: “You finished the quest and killed the dragon. However, instead of giving you the promised rewards, the townsfolk chase you out. So you do something no one’s dared do. You resurrect the dragon.”

Rumors of the dragon terrorizing the town of Birchwood had spread for weeks, with no news that anyone had managed to defeat it. So Valia had understandably expected the town to be more than a little run down, with its citizens cowering out of sight, any that remained.

Instead, the town seemed as busy as ever. Children played freely in the streets, and well-dressed housewives chatted with each other at the market. No patches on any of the pants or dresses, and Valia caught a whiff of one woman wearing an expensive perfume as she walked by.

She made her way to the adventurer’s guild, noting that the building was far more grand than the guild would require in a town of this size. The silence within only reinforced the feeling; instead of the crowds laughing and shouting among the tables that Valia was used to, the place was deathly quiet with only a couple of receptionists manning the desk.

Valia walked up to one, a younger woman with light brown hair pulled back in a bun. The reception flashed her a customer service smile. “Can I help you?”

“I’m here about the dragon.”

“Ah, yes.” The receptionist handed he a stack of paper. “The quest information is on top; underneath you can find the usual contracts, wavers, etc. Once you’ve finished filling these out, you’ll be free to pursue the dragon at your leisure.”

With a nod, Valia took the paperwork and retreated to a table near the window. The contract seemed fairly standard. The reward was a bit low for a case growing this infamous, though still within acceptable limits, at least as far as Valia was concerned.

Once she finished reviewing and signing everything, Valia took a few moments to stare out the window. A minute or two later, the receptionist came by and brought out a mug of ale. Valia raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t order this.”

“On the house. As a courtesy for any would-be dragon hunters. Unless you prefer something else? Water, perhaps?”

“It’s fine.” Valia turned her gaze back to the window. “Is this town really dealing with a dragon problem, though?”

The receptionist tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

There was a moment of silence before Valia replied, “It’s nothing.” She pushed the paperwork toward the receptionist. “Is there anything else you need before I head out?”

The reception quickly flipped through the stack. “Everything looks to be in order. Good luck on your hunt!”

Valia stood and slunk out the door, leaving her drink untouched.