Varheiman Myths: The Dragon And Her Fire

Eternal Dust Of The Goblin.

Rhineas gazed down leaning, what he saw made his hair stand up on end, like an alarmed dog's raised hackles. A tiny wicked dwarf dressed in bright blue cloak with a pointy hood over his muddled, bushy and thick curly hair. His white skin was, begrimed. His ragged cloak swept the ground, his face was composed of big eyes under his thicket eyebrows. A bristly grey beard hanged down his chin, his nose extended far from his face, pointing out with an ugly black mole on it. His fingers surprisingly long, elongated with feculent nails, and his feet stretched. His laughter rankled Rhineas's ear, the dwarf was stiffened, his back against the trunk of tree where Rhineas was.

‘No running you creep.’ A tall older man past thirty growled in a deep croaky voice, with the constant clinking of his midnight dark armour when he moved. He prowled slowly predicting the dwarf's moves, ready to pounce any moment now. He is a knight, Rhineas deducted from his valiant imagery. His every move spoke the epic tale of  bravery.

‘You might astray in the depth of this forest big man.’ Dwarf's sonorous nasal laughter pierced the forest with ridicule.

‘Utter a word further and I'll shove that long nose of yours back in your face.’ The  knight threatened.

The dwarf charged blistering, swiftly at the Knight with little knives spiking up above his wrists from behind the sleeves of his cloak, as if part of his own. The Knight held out his sword horizontal against his face and drooped low to equal with the size of the little beast, he swung his sword but the dwarf ditched it and slipped between his leg across him, standing behind while the Knight still knelt on his knees holding his sword out.

‘You little prick.’ The knight grunted in rage. ‘Your size won’t spare you anymore.’

The Knight swung around, flinging his sword when he saw the dwarf plunging at him from above, he held his sword straight up, now the dwarf not a slight of expectation to dodge the sword, Rhineas thought. But then ‘puff’ a black cloud from nowhere blinded the Knight, and the dwarf, scissoring around hilt of the sword between his little knives rising from his wrists snatched the sword from the knight's grip. The sword slid on the ground it's clink sound swallowed by the crackling of the dead leaves and twigs which carpeted the floor.

‘You trickster imp!’ The knight roared furiously, so loud that the whole forest quivered in fright, but the dwarf he laughed his galling laugh curling the depths of Rhineas's stomach in annoyance. Rhineas evolved a keen notion within him to fight alongside with the Knight against this puny devil, but he wondered on the question of how to do it? He thought. He gazed to study the crawling scene beneath, he saw the sword away from the Knight’s reach resting on the floor the dwarf snickering, and the Knight with fierce rage steaming out of him panting like an infuriated Apervir which meant half man and half boar monster in Medralian, he remembered from the tales which Velina had told to keep him away from forests. Rhineas dwelled about the mysterious cloud appearing from the air, how did the dwarf do it.

The Knight returned on his feet, pulling out a dagger from the side of his waist gyrating it in his hand in an impressive motion. The Knight was lightening-quick and windy swift, but the dwarf was brisk and every single of his movement was alacritous, he had his small size at benefit while the Knight was bewildered by it.

‘Let’s get done with it.’ The knight sighed

‘You give up, we are done.’ The dwarf daunted.

Rhineas brimmed with resent for this impish devil, his conscience hinted him the evil.

The dwarf surged again aiming for the Knight’s head, the Knight flitted backward curling his spine while the dwarf spinning above his head, marking a cut above his eyebrow on his forehead. The dwarf alighted showing his back before the tree where Rhineas was. He considered this as an opportunity to strangle the little beast, he aroused on his feet and leaped from the tree, his red hair flying above his head from the wind climbing up the tree. He landed swiftly and put his leanly muscular arm around the dwarf. The Knight stunned. The dwarf scratched Rhineas’s arm with his long nails and as immediate as he was strangled got free from Rhineas’s grip. The dwarf gave him a chilling look, that frightened him in a menacing way.

‘Go away boy, this ain’t your fight.’ The knight warned.

‘I will fight this beast.’ Rhineas urged.

And the beast chortled. Rhineas saw a glint of baleful delight in his eyes.

‘An imbecilic action, boy.’ The dwarf goaded Rhineas.

Rhineas quivered he was afraid, the Knight taking the opportunity to Stab the dwarf while he was exchanging cold glares with Rhineas but the dwarf slipped behind again. The Knight was neighbouring Rhineas like a tower casting a shadow on the other little turrets of the castles.

‘What do you think you are doing, boy, eh?’ The Knight wondered.

‘You, avert him I go get the sword.’ Rhineas strategized.

‘Not as dumb as you look, heh.’

Rhineas gawked in ridicule.

‘Hey, nasty son of a b***h. Stop dancing around and fight like a man, will you?’ The Knight bustled on the dwarf with his dagger, predicting his attacks.

The dwarf scampered like a rabbit from side to side springing around the Knight, he retreating dwarfs every attack. Rhineas hurtled the other side and slid on his stomach to grasp the sword. He rolled back on his feet absorbing the triumph of the blade in his hand, he noticed that this one was wider and heavier than the first sword he held at Reyto's forge. This one was fierce and edged both sides, the ridge of the sword beheld the tales of the brutal battles, slayed the brave men and quench it’s thirst by drinking their blood. He gripped the sword with both of his hands and held it crookedly. He then strode at the dwarf smacking it on the ground as the dwarf slipped through his legs. Rhineas twirled on his feet charging repeatedly at the dwarf hitting presumably. The dwarf dodged all the blows from Rhineas. He inclined the sword aiming the dwarf head and swung, but the sword carved into the thick trunk of a tree behind the dwarf as he dodged again.

The Knight slid by Rhineas ,his eyes on the dwarf, sword still in the trunk Rhineas strained to get it out.

‘Not so smart after all eh, boy.?’ The Knight snapped.

‘He is surprisingly quick.’ Rhineas defended.

The Knight scoffed. ‘you’ve never wielded a sword have you?’

‘Not until this day.’ Rhineas admitted.

‘Aye.’ The Knight grabbed Rhineas by his shoulder and shoved him aside, he put his foot against the tree and pushed it while pulling his sword with his hand. Rhineas saw the dwarf snickering at the Knight and reaching out in his purse dangling above his zoster belted around his waist on the cloak. An anxious tinge vibrated through his nerves, he  saw the dwarf unarmed and anticipated that he'd battle with brawl from his clenched fist. Rhineas stepped forth of Knight balled his fists and attacked the dwarf believing he'd dodge but the dwarf launched a orange cloud of dust at him, and set him afire.

The flames sprawled eagerly on the low sleeve of his woollen tunic, and below his waist on his breeches around his thigh. He patted rampantly on the aflame parts of his cloths, the Knight hastily ripped the Cape off his armour and wrapped it around him to suffocate the fire. Rhineas's leather breeches were intact but his tunic was patched in places around his forearm and biceps, he was amused when he discerned his skin didn’t feel any burning sensation or acquired no burns and mark from the fire, maybe the fire was intercepted by the thick woollen cloth from getting to the skin, he thought.

The dwarf snorted with laughter. ‘Nice try saving the big man, boy.’

‘Alright, I’ve danced enough with you filthy rat.’ The Knight bowled.

He swung straight at the dwarf with bolting strike when the dwarf leaped up in the air with his knives sliding back straight from his sleeves and aiming at his head like rays falling straight, the Knight flung his sword in arch motion and the knives parted from his hand while he landed on his beard. The Knight grabbed him behind his neck and pulled him up. He looked like a little pup in between the clutches of the Knight.

‘Dancing ain’t looks like fun now, eh?’ The Knight scowled and smashed the dwarf on the tree vigorously.

‘The nose won’t go in.’ He mocked.

His grey beard bleached with blood now, the Knight released his grip around his neck and the dwarf slumped limply on the ground, he drew the sword across the dwarf and he puffed into a black dust. As dark as the Knight's armour.

‘I owe you boy.’ The Knight leaned over Rhineas to inspect if he's got any burns. ‘No, burns. Got spared by the Gods.’

‘No, sir –‘

‘I am not a sir child, a former Knight.’ He reached for a leather flask dangling around his waist, bite the cork between his teeth and popped the flask open.

‘You have a cut sir.’ Rhineas point at the Knight's forehead from where the blood sprouted out mingling with the beads of sweat. ‘How do I address you? If you are not a sir anymore’

‘Just Alistair is fine.’

‘You are a great fighter Alistair.’ Rhineas wished if he could swing the sword like him.

‘I’d a cut by a Goblin, and you say I’m a great fighter. You certainly haven’t seen other Bustian men fight.’ Alistair guffawed.

So now Rhineas wondered what was he doing here in the south. Alistair gulped down sips of ale from his flask and splattered some of it on his wound.

‘What brings you here then, far south.’ Rhineas asked.

‘Destiny. Work. And little of that.’ He pointed at the dark dust lying on the ground.

Rhineas was curious, his eyes grit like the pebbles on the ground in the dilute sunlight dappling from the canopy of gnarled branches.

‘What is that?’ Rhineas wondered.

‘The eternal dust.’ Alistair slid his sword back to it's scabbard. ‘The Goblin's soul.’

‘I assumed it for a dwarf. I was not concerned about Goblins being so little in size.’

‘No, they weren’t little, but not being able to dwell freely made them smaller.’ Alistair curled his lips inward and whistled sharply. A brown saddled horse emerged from the thick walls of green forest trotting in his direction, he plucked a wooden box hanging low against the saddled and knelt down. He gathered the eternal dust from the ground and poured it in the box. ‘The Goblins, unicorn and all other mystical creatures are mortal.’ He said. ‘But their soul, it is immortal. It is magical. Witches and wizards would pay fortune for it.’ He jiggled the box in his hands.

‘I believed the Wisdom of the Divines were effaced from the world.’ Rhineas pale forehead creased in flummox.

‘And that is what everyone believes. What you believe is true. They do no use of the wisdom of Divines they use the wisdom of dark forces.’ He said.

‘Is that why you lost your knighthood?’

‘Oh boy! You ask a lot of questions, it is not my courtesy to answer them.’ Alistair frowned.

‘I apologise for my behaviour.’ Rhineas said meekly.

‘I came here with Princess Pysenia.’ He confessed. ‘but the King isn’t so fond of the northerners.’

He flashed his yellow teeth, his laugh lines played gleefully on his face shifting along with every emotion, and expression his face moulds into. The creases over his forehead remained constant giving him the grim look of a knight, he may have been stripped off his knighthood but the essence of it didn’t leave him. Except for the decency which had left long ago with the title. His face was hard, significant of the sluttish times and inexplicable sufferings he'd held in it. His hair were of rust-brown colour thick, long and wavy, hooded over his head.

‘So he stripped you off of your titles?’ Rhineas guessed.

He nodded. ‘So, now I wander in these forests slaying Goblins, Unicorns and other creatures. I sell their beneficial things to the person of interest.

‘Where are you going further now?’

‘Into the forests boy, to find a unicorn draw it’s blood, later I need to go in the city to get the Dragon's breath.’ Alistair said grimly.

Alistair's words swooped through Rhineas's ears in his soul and kindled a fascination for his adventure. He was tempted by the Dragon's breath and asked. ‘Can I be your companion in the adventures?’