Chapter 3

With the exception of the occasional ornery raptor, the Blader passed through the wastelands without too much trouble. He had to stop and rest when the sun was highest in the sky, and the day was at its hottest, but the rest was brief and he was quickly on his way. The mountain where his quarry awaited grew clearer as he grew near, until he stood at its base. It was a grand mound of earth, the top spiraling high out of view. There was something of a beaten path that he followed for some of the way, and for some of the way he climbed, sword strapped tightly to his back. The height was dizzying. The air was thin. His quarry certainly had chosen a wonderful location. The serpent dragon had no trouble with breathing at high altitudes, the dragon's skin was too thick to be bothered by the frigid air.

The Blader had scaled halfway up the mountain, the sun was sinking behind the rim of the horizon, when he first heard that shrieking caw that belonged to the serpent dragon. He pressed close to the mountain and continued his ascent, mindful of the shrieks and cries of the dragon, as they grew closer and closer.

By grace of some higher power, he reached a protruding cliff where he could gain a decent footing and take hold of his blade, just as the serpent found him. It was an impressive specimen, a different shape than was so commonly seen swimming through the skies. It wasn't roughly humanoid, as the pet dragon was, but its body was long and thin, a single shape from tail to snout, the only blemishes on its snake like body being its feeble arms and legs; each ending in claws that could rend flesh with relative ease. It uncurled, extending fully before doing a few loops, opening its beak wide and giving another shriek.

The Blader leapt, sword held in an vertical arc, ready to slash into the serpent. And though the Blader was not slow, the serpent was just a tad faster, twisting like a cracking whip, and hitting the Blader in the chest with its tail. He was flung back into the mountain, though the thick armor prevented him from sustaining any serious injuries. There was stiffness in his back and it was harder to keep a grip on his blade, but he stood up, at the ready.

The dragon shrieked, and blasts of shadow radiated from its form, assaulting the rocks around him, batting against his armor and blade as he stood at guard. The attack was more an annoyance than anything else. He brushed them away and leapt again, the shadows slicing through the air around him as he drew close to the serpent, who too late realized that the attack wasn't having the affect it often did. The Blader reached out his hands and took firm hold of the serpent's wing, yanking and pulling, opening slashes in the dragon's hide with quick swipes of his sword. The serpent gave a long and angered screams, snapping at the Blader, and the Blader just kept yanking at the wing until the membrane started to tear, which just made the serpent cry and hiss louder. The Blader became aware that he was falling, the serpent no longer able to sustain flight, both do to the damaged wing as well as the extra weight.

As the ground drew closer, the serpent beat its wing and curled its body, trying everything to slow itself down. The Blader realized the danger he was in as well, and released the dragon, but took firm hold of one of its claws. With its wing released, the dragon was able to slow itself, and the Blader, down enough that they both avoided death.

A fierce vibration rose through the Blader's body, and he stumbled, leaning heavily on his blade to keep from falling over. A hot breath blew over his blindside, and he turned, just in time to see the gigantic maw of the serpent snapping towards him. He caught the beak, holding it apart, working to push the teeth apart. The dragon's jaw began to crack, a low popping and snap like breaking twigs was heard and it gave a pained cry. It twisted, its rear half crashing down onto the Blader and crushing him into the ground. The dragon slithered a distance away, shrieking and hissing, its stubby arms rubbing it jaw as it balanced on its hind legs and craned its neck down.

The Blader found his sword and charged forward. He didn't care much that at some point it had been broken, and almost half of it was lying in shattered pieces on the ground. He thrust the broken half of his sword into the dragon's chest, and it snarled and hissed, twisting and whipping him backwards. He tumbled along several feet, finally coming to rest a good twenty feet away. The Blader regained enough focus to stand and wait as the dragon slithered like a snake, its feeble little legs simply helping to drag it along. It collapsed before the Blader, crimson eyes weak and glazed over. The Blader sat down beside the beak and began to stroke the serpent tenderly.

"Good exercise," he said.

The dragon gave an affirmative noise.

"Four days, that's the longest you've ever been able to elude me."

The serpent hissed, and the Blader nodded, stumbling to his feet and approaching the serpent's pale underbelly. He stroked the scales, at last finding the spot where his blade was dug in. Taking it in both hands, he gently pulled it out, taking care not to hurt the dragon, lest he further wound him. It was a deep gash. Blood was gushing out and splashing the ground, the thirsty earth drinking it up. But he hadn't penetrated anything vital. "It'll heal in time, old friend," he said with a gentle pat of the dragon's underbelly.

The serpent nodded, resting its head down on the ground, hissing slightly. The Blader sat down beside it.

Well, this story was a disappointment. As of this time, not a single review. I wanted to do the fluffy/twist ending, not sure how it came out though. I think writing something in the Monster World was a mistake, but i just think the Buster Blader is so awesome, he needed a story of his own. Oh well.