The Hero

Smoke hissed from the gaping wound as it reared back and howled in pain and fury. The hood fell back on the figure to reveal a long tassle of green hair.. "Seulyea!" Lander yelled. She turned to face him and locked eyes. Her elvish face was an image of peace and serenity. "Run!" Lander heard in his head again, as she turned back to the monster. As she did the great mouth opened and an inferno rushed forth, bathing her in a sea of fire. "NO!" screamed Lander. He collapsed on the ground, his fists slamming impotently against the ground. Roaring in triumph, the monster stomped towards the now melted outcropping. Dark liquid oozed from its wounds leaving a trail as it went. After sniffing the rocks, and apparently satisfied, the great head focused on the wounds along its body. A low rumble of pain resonated through its gut as it gently touched the breaks in its armor and the burns underneath. "No, no, no," moaned Lander as the demons of guilt assaulted his mind. The dragon halted, hearing human speech. It quickly sniffed the air and caught the scent of the herbs and components hanging in pouches in Lander’s robes. Seeing the completeness of her work and not anxious to tangle with another wizard, she unfurled her great wings, and with a bellow of anger and pain, launched herself into the sky. As the dragon circled higher and disappeared into the darkness, Lander emitted a howl of fury, as an intense wave of shame forced the tears to flow. "She died because of me! They are dead because of me! It is all my fault!" He shrieked. His body racked with sobs as the pain and emotion overtook him.

"Master? Master?"

Lander jumped, startled. A small face entered his vision. "Are you well?" ask the child. Putting a worn hand to his head, he sighed and relaxed his tensed muscles. He ran his fingers through his mass of grey hair, lightly touching the burn scars underneath. "Yes, child, I am fine. Of course I am fine." He reassured his apprentice. His thoughts returned to the present. "Now remind me again of our topic?". The boy, patiently, repeated his question. "Tell us again about the Battle of Warrior’s Way?" Lander gaze fell onto the child’s face, and the faces of the several dozen children sitting around him. All sit in anticipation, waiting to hear their favorite story. Their eyes shown in open awe of their Master; the hero of Warrior’s Way and how he single-handedly fought off a Great Dragon of the enemy and kept the pass open for the retreating army. Each time Lander tells this story, he reassures himself of the righteousness of his lies. ‘I am no hero,’ Lander remembered telling his Master after he was carried to the main camp by the retreating army. ‘Our order needs a hero. A symbol. You will be that hero.’ Lander’s master had informed him coldly. ‘You will do more to forward the cause of magic, than if you had died a martyr. Do you understand, apprentice?’

Lander shook his head and returned his gaze to his flock of future wizards. "Yes," he sighs answering both his memory and his pupil. Standing up, his old bones creaking from years of conflict and hardship. Whispering a prayer of forgiveness to his fallen comrades, he begins with a flourish, "It was a dark and evil night in Warrior’s Way…"