The Dragon Slayer Read online

  The Dragon Empire:

  The Dragon Slayer

  By D.L. Colón

  Copyright © 2016 D.L. Colὁn

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means without prior written permission of the copyright owner. This is a work of fiction.

  Other Books by This Author

  The Lost City Series:

  The Lost City: Drake’s Revenge

  The Lost City: King’s Inheritance

  The Lost City: Champions of Darkness (Novella)

  The Lost City: Blaze’s Inferno (Coming soon)

  The Time Traveler’s Series

  A Genie’s Kiss (Short Story)

  Chapter 1

  Glaycol is entering the city of Tagglar, heading to the Hunter Post. As he is walking through the city people start to get out of his way, noticing by his eye patch and armor who he is. Glaycol ignores the looks the people cast his way and continues to walk. Suddenly, a guy is standing in front of him, about to say something as Glaycol keeps walking past him. The guy tries to cut him off, but Glaycol puts his hand on the guy’s face, puts his legs behind the guy’s legs, and uses his forward momentum to throw him to the ground, rendering him unconscious.

  Glaycol continues heading deeper into the city. Before too much time passes he approaches his destination, and as no one else stepped in his path, he comes to a stop in front of the Hunter Post’s entrance.

  The incident in the street earlier has already made it to the ears of the Hunters Post’s leader, Rock, and as Glaycol opens the door all conversation in the room dies. A hunter, who was leaning against the wall when he walked in, is about to walk toward Glaycol, but Rock stops him. "Don't even think about it".

  Rock turns to face Glaycol and says, "Looking for the same?" Glaycol nods and Rock hands him a paper. "That's what we have at the moment".

  Glaycol grabs the paper without looking at it and says, "Thanks, Rock," and turns to leave.

  Rock puts his hand on Glaycol’s arm and with sadness evident in his tone, says, "I'm sorry about your family".

  Glaycol nods and walks away, but he hears one of the guys ask, "Who is he, Rock?"

  Rock answers, “The only man who has killed a Dragon and lived to tell about it, Glaycol Masters.”

  After Glaycol exits the Hunter Post, he looks at the paper Rock handed him. It says that there’s a big snake that could turn you into stone in the area. Saudem is the name of this snake, but there’s no other information about it. He shrugs his shoulders and shoves the paper into his pocket then walks to the bar to gather whatever information he can.

  Upon entering the bar called Susagep, Glaycol stops in front of the bar to get the information he needs to kill Saudem. He is handed his beer just as a drunk city Soldier yells at him, "Hey! You! Lowlife hunter, get off my seat!"

  The barkeep stops what he's doing and looks at Glaycol, who slowly takes a sip of his beer, while he waits to question the barkeep about Saudem. The barkeep says to the city Soldier, "Here's a drink on the house. Now keep walking."

  The soldier smiles at the free beer as he grabs it and turns around to leave. Before he makes it two steps he turns back and says, "On second thought, I want my seat back, so move!"

  He is about to throw the beer he just got at Glaycol, when Glaycol grabs the beer and punches the city Soldier in the stomach. He doubles over grabbing his stomach and Glaycol kicks him in the face, grabs him by the neck and throws him on an empty table, shattering it on impact.

  The barkeep angrily shouts, “If you want to fight do it outside. I don’t care if you kill each other, but if you are going to break something in my bar you better be ready to pay for it!”

  Glaycol turns to the barkeep and says, “Here are two gold dracones. That should be more than enough to cover the expenses of fixing that junk table of yours.”

  The barkeep looks at the two gold dracones and gulps audibly. He knows that these two gold dracones would have taken him weeks of sales in the bar to earn. He slips them in his pocket, then with a trembling voice asks, “May I know your name?”

  Glaycol looks at the barkeep, a lethal look in his eyes, and answers. “I’ll give you something better. You people know me as the Dragon Slayer”.

  The barkeep’s eyes grow big as he nods his head. “My apologies. Please excuse my manners. Is there anything I can help you with? Free of charge, of course.”

  Glaycol looks at him for a second then answers. “I want a room for the night and information on this.” He pulls the paper from his pocket and lays it on the counter for the barkeep to see.

  The barkeep’s eyes grow even bigger and he shakes his head. “To fight Saudem, is to court death, Dragon Slayer.”

  Glaycol chuckles and tells him, “I fought a Dragon and lived to tell the tale and there’s nothing bigger, or more deadly, than that.”

  The barkeep just shakes his head and reaches under the counter. “I’ll bring you the information in the morning. Here’s the key to your room, it’s the last one on the right.”

  Glaycol grabs the key and starts to go upstairs to his room. As soon as the patrons of the bar think he is out of earshot one of them says, “He won’t be flaunting his fight with a dragon after tomorrow.”

  Glaycol smiles and continues to his room. The moment he puts his hand on the door knob he feels that something is wrong. He pulls his short sword from the scabbard at his waist, but before he can open the door it flies open and he is greeted by a male figure dressed in black from head to toe. The only thing visible are the irises of his eyes and they are red. Saliva flies from the man’s mouth as he stammers, “Must…Kill… Dragon… Slayer… Hyglarur…. Rrrrr.” The moment the person’s eyes come in contact with Glaycol he's like a mad dog ready to attack

  Glaycol quickly runs to intercept the attack and the person jumps to grab him. He side-steps and grabs the person from behind by the neck, making him lose his breath and rendering him unconscious. He drops him, ties his hands and feet and leaves him lying on the floor, against the wall by the door.

  As he goes to sleep, Glaycol keeps his hand weapon at his disposal for any circumstances that may arise during the night. As he is trying to sleep he can feel the killing intent radiating from his prisoner and he can hear him trying to loosen the ropes binding his hands and feet, but he can’t. Knowing his prisoner can’t get free, Glaycol closes his eyes and his dream forces him to relive the fateful meeting two years ago that changed his life forever.

  No longer able to sleep, Glaycol sits up in bed, his cape covering his body except for his left eye. Matching the mind-set that he feels radiating from the man bound by the door, he watches him. The intensity of his killing intent against the one who sent this man to kill him, makes the man whimper in fear. He no longer sees himself as the predator. He is now the prey and he knows he won’t leave this place alive. Glaycol keeps watching him until his body gives up and exhaustion causes him to fall into a deep, dreamless, sleep.

  Sometime later he is awakened by a knock on his door followed by the barkeep’s voice, “Dragon Slayer, I have the information on Saudem. May I come in?”

  Glaycol, looks at the person by the door and noticing that he is asleep he kicks him awake and makes him move to the corner of the room before he opens the door.

  The moment the barkeep enters the room he sees the person in the corner and gasps. “Brother, what are you doing here?”

  Glaycol looks at him for a moment before he says, “Well, your brother tried to kill me last night. Not that it made any difference, but he wasted my rope and my time. Before I leave I am killing him”.

  The barkeep looks at Glaycol in horror. “I sincerely apologize, Dragon Slayer
, but my brother doesn’t know what he is doing. Please spare him.”

  He drops to his knees, begging for his brother’s life while his brother looks defiantly at Glaycol. Before he can say anything, Glaycol notices, from the corner of his eye, that someone else is at his door. “Come on in. I don’t know who you are.”

  The barkeep turns around. His eyes open wide when he sees his son standing there. “Son, go downstairs and get something for the Dragon Slayer to eat.”

  He nods and does as his father says without question. Glaycol watches him leave before turning back to the barkeep. “Excuse me for a moment.” He says and leaves the room. When he returns a few minutes later he sits on the bed and looks at the barkeep. “What is the information you managed to gather?”

  The barkeep replies, “What I have learned is, sadly, that only one look at Saudem will turn you into stone. The only way you could defeat it is if you were blind. Which you are partly, but not by choice, and I mean no disrespect when I say it. You will find Saudem in the Forest of the Dead. If anyone can kill him it's you, Dragon Slayer. Now, I want to apologize for my son, he is a fan of yours and he wishes to be like you, a well-known hunter”.

  Glaycol stands up, having gotten the information he needed, and as he is leaving he says, “Tell your son that he has chosen the wrong role model to follow.”

  Chapter 2

  As Glaycol is leaving the bar the barkeep says to him, “Thank you for not killing my brother. Is there anything you would like me to do to compensate for his actions?”

  Glaycol thinks for a second before answering. “I want to know who sent him to kill me. I am almost certain it was our conqueror, Hyglarur. Also, I want you to find any piece of information you can about the Dragon controlling this city. After I kill Saudem, he is my next target.”

  The barkeep looks at Glaycol in shock before he asks, “You sure about this? I could get killed for this. We must not oppose the Dragons. They are superior to us simple humans.”

  Glaycol smiles devilishly as he says with hatred filling his tone, “I will kill all Dragons. They will all pay for what Hyglarur did. I may be a Hunter, but I am also a warrior inside and this continent will soon turn into a battlefield. You better chose who you will stand with because I will bring the Dragon Empire down sooner or later.”

  The barkeep is surprised at the hate radiating from Glaycol, and he gulps hard and nods as Glaycol turns around and he walks away, making his way through the crowd. The crowd parts silently for him because they know that he is dangerous and anything in the way of wrath will only face death by his hands.

  He keeps walking through the crowded streets and is almost at the gates of the city when he sees the drunk city soldier from the bar, waiting for him with five more soldiers. He tries to keep walking and ignore them, but the soldier swings his sword at Glaycol. Glaycol evades it without any problem as anger radiates from his body. With his left eye he sees the soldier move again and this time Glaycol grabs his great sword from his back and gets in a position to defend himself.

  Everyone close to the, now sober, city soldier moves away from him. They are scared of Glaycol. He looks like a predator ready to pounce on his food.

  Glaycol swings his sword and stops it at the side of the soldier’s neck, causing fear to overtake him. He starts shaking and the front of his pants start to dampen. Glaycol looks at him and sees that he has peed his pants. Not reacting to his show of fear, Glaycol puts his great sword on his back and walks past the city soldier, who is paralyzed with fear, and whispers to him, “This is your second warning. Next time it will be your life and I don’t care if you are a city soldier. You attacked me and I have to defend myself. Consider yourself warned.”

  Glaycol walks out of the city, heading straight into the forest instead of taking the road toward the Forest of the Dead.

  After a few hours of walking, and staying out of sight of people, Glaycol comes across a man who has been turned into a statue. Right beside him there is a sign with Forest of the Dead! Turn back! written on it.

  Glaycol continues walking deeper into the forest and at first there are only one or two guys who had been turned into statues, but the deeper he goes into the forest the more statues he sees. When he comes to an open space he spots a female in the distance with beautiful, flowing hair, but the closer he approaches her the more he feels something is wrong. When he finally reaches her he sees that she has the body of a snake and he knows who she is. “Saudem.”

  Saudem turns around, but Glaycol has closed his eye. “Oh my, a visitor. Come closer.” Saudem hisses.

  Glaycol takes a step closer and replies, “You already know why I am here so let’s cut the pleasantries. I need your head for the bounty on you.”

  Saudem laughs. “Well, looks like I’ll be getting another statue for my collection.”

  Glaycol smiles, takes his great sword out, and puts on his helm. While keeping his eye closed he focuses his breathing and heightens his senses. “Let’s see who joins whose collection.”

  Glaycol, still with his eye closed, is holding his great sword in front of him as Saudem is circling around him, looking for a blind spot, but not finding one. Every time she moves Glaycol counters her, waiting for her to attack.

  Glaycol keeps his senses heightened to every move Saudem makes. He may have his eye closed, but he knows where she is standing. When Saudem springs and attacks Glaycol in a straight line, he senses the killing intent from her and jumps out of the way. When he jumps he lands gracefully and swings his sword at Saudem. She rolls herself out of the way as Glaycol slices close to her. She looks at Glaycol and acknowledges his skill, "I never thought I would find someone who could fight me and live. I'm surprised that you have managed to keep up with me, but your time is now over. I would like to know your name, warrior, before I destroy you."

  Glaycol puts his sword over his shoulder as he replies, " I am Glaycol Masters, but you may call me, The Dragon Slayer.”

  Glaycol hears the surprised gasp from Saudem at what he said and he can hear the fear in her voice when she speaks again. "Can we make a deal? I'll give you anything you want if you leave me alone and I won't attack humans anymore.”

  Glaycol, with a cold tone, replies, "It's a good deal, but you can't give me what I want. You are too weak to obtain it.”

  Saudem asks, "What is it that you want that is out my grasp to obtain?"

  "Hyglarur’s head,” Glaycol replies

  Saudem, stammering over her words, tells him, "There's…. no way… I can get the creator of the Dragon Empire. Is there anything else besides his head that you would accept?”

  "Let me ask you Saudem, do you know why I want him? Have you heard the story?"

  "Yes I have, and I know why you want him dead, but no one will be able to do that, not even you.”

  Anger radiates from Glaycol’s body as the need to kill grows stronger. Saudem backs away little by little, but she perceives a mental image of being caged. An image with him, but she doesn't see Glaycol himself, only a hungry beast, savage for revenge and killing.

  Glaycol sprints forward like a bullet and swings his great sword at Saudem. She manages to evade it, but is scratched by the tip on her arm.

  She hisses at Glaycol and starts to move her hands. Out of nowhere snakes start to approach Glaycol. Sensing danger around him, Glaycol releases a smoke bomb.

  Smoke starts to surround everything as Glaycol throws a small knife at Saudem, hitting her in the belly. Anger courses through her and she curls herself into a spring. When she’s as compact as she can get, she launches herself at Glaycol. He sidesteps the attack and swings his sword with anger and wrath at Saudem’s neck, stopping her attack but not fully cutting her head off. Her head is being held by bone that is stronger than a human bone and blood is splashing everywhere. Glaycol pulls his sword back and Saudem’s body falls motionless to the ground.

  Glaycol finally opens his left eye and looks at the body of Saudem. He whistles in amazement at the length of the body a
s he grabs his sword with both hands and swings it hard, cutting Saudem’s neck and sticking his sword in the ground. Glaycol grabs a bag from one of the guys that has been turned into a statue and puts Saudem’s head in it, but not before covering her eyes. He grabs Saudem’s tail and drags her body behind him as he heads back to the city to claim his reward.

  Chapter 3

  As he approaches the city, Glaycol sees a group of approximately five warriors waiting for him not far from the main road to the city. He instantly knows that they are wanting to reap what he has accomplished and get his money.

  He stops a few meters from the group and the leader says, "We don't want to use force against you, but we want your money. Give it to us without a fight and we will leave you alone.”

  Glaycol ignores him and keeps walking as one of the warriors says, “Didn’t you hear our boss, you piece of shit? Give us all your money or we will kill you.”

  Glaycol grabs his purse and throws it to the leader. Their faces fill with glee the moment the purse is in the air, but he also let go of the bag and Saudem’s tail while they are watching the purse glide toward them, seemingly in slow motion. He grabs his great sword and swings it at the warriors, decapitating each one of them as their faces still show signs of glee.

  Glaycol grins at how easy that was as he picks his purse up and nestles it back on his waist, puts his great sword on his back, grabs Saudem’s head, and lifts her body over his shoulder. He continues to the city, leaving a trail of blood, and an awful smell that is radiating from Saudem’s body, in his wake.

  As the city comes into view the sky is starting to grow dark, but Glaycol is still grinning. When he reaches the gate the city soldier guarding it stops him and asks, “What are you bringing into the city with that awful smell?”

  Glaycol sighs and pulls out the paper with the hunting mission and hands it to the soldier. The soldier’s eyes grow big as he steps aside and says, “Let him through.” As the gates open he turns to Glaycol, “Thank you for hunting the beast.”