Chieftan Merik, the most feral of all the orcs, chucked his
sharpened iron war axe at the decaying head of a recently
deceased dwarf. Jagged shards of ageless marrow and clumps of
blood streamed forth in all directions from the axe's sudden
point of origin. Clutching a second axe as well as his bastard
sword, the beast proclaimed to his animal bretheran "Now the
humans!"
Orcish howls filled the air as hundreds of armor-clad
members of the Merk Clan stampeded toward Pridia, the proudest
of all human cities and home to the King of the western world.
As the Chief followed his clan in proud strides, a gleeful grunt
bounded out of him. This was his moment to finally prove himself
to the Merk Chieftans of centuries past, and fulfill his
destiny. Pridia would be firmly under his foot before day-break,
all thanks to Clowd: an elder black dragon that believed Merik
to be his best friend.
Recalling the day they met, Merik grunted gleefully again.
He had been out hunting dire wolves that had gotten the best of
him. Cornered in a rocky valley, they surrounded him, five or
six adult wolves ready to feed. He had cursed Chib, the little
winged pixie, for telling him to follow the wolves. Looking back
now, it seemed to him that she was only content when driving
Merik and his clan up the wall with tricks and pranks. According
to her story earlier in the day, the wolves were no more than
two fat cubs, "perfect for a small feast." He didn't normally
take advice from strangers, but the beautiful little lady had a
kind of charisma he couldn't help being bewitched by. Before
Merik realized what he was really up against, he was trapped.
Suddenly, one of the wolves lept straight at his throut, its
teeth gleeming in the moonlight. Just as suddenly, the wolf had
vanished! Merik looked to the other wolves for an explanation
but all their expressions were just as confused as his. The
cause quickly became apparent as an enormous black dragon
decended upon them, its wings sending bits of debree sailing
through the air. Abandoning their dinner, the wolves escaped
nimbly, leaving Merik to deal with the prime predator on his
own. Fiercly proud, he held his axe and buckler steady as the
dragon's gaze met his.
"Are you Merik, son of Morun?" asked the dragon.
"Yes, what is your business here, dragon?" bellowed the orc
into the sky.
"Chib, the pixie, sent me... to save you I suppose...."
"...what?"
"She said 'scare the wolves away and then frighten that
silly orc'... I must ask, are you frightened?"
Merik said nothing but looked away from the dragon,
confusion and realization fighting for control of his face.
"I have got several other errands to run before the
darkness fades.... I do hope I frightened you... Good night,
noble orc!" the black dragon said, fanning its impressive wings,
preparing to return to the sky.
"Wait! you are one of this Chib's... friends?" Merik asked,
finally piecing it together.
The dragon looked down at Merik puzzled and said "Of
course, she knows all the dragons in these parts."
"So, you are telling me she planned this whole encounter?"
"Another one of the bizarre pranks she often pulls,
apparently. I am just glad she did not decieve me this time."
"What kind of sick, twisted being plays tricks such as
these...?"
"Pixies do, my green friend, all the time. It is the basis
of their personality; orcs fight, pixies prank. Listen I must be
going, would you like to join me on my journey?"
Merik looked at the innocent face of the black colossus in
front of him. If the small pixie could command this beast, why
not Merik, mighty Chieftan of all the Merk orcs? He instantly
fell deeply in love with the idea of owning an uber-efficient
killing machine and said "Sure... I will join you. I would very
much enjoy talking with one of the mighty elder dragons, among
other things...."
And with that, they seemed to have become fast friends. In the ten years leading up to the current assault on Pridia, they had come to know each other very well, as well as the fact that Chib lived and breathed to play cruel jokes. Among many other incidents, she turned them both into flowers, she sealed their mouths shut, she sent them five minutes into the past to meet themselves, she put a pink tint on their vision, she kept them awake for an entire month, and she shot bursts of flame at their rears on a weekly basis. "All in good fun, guys!" was her motto, and she usually said it just in time to stop the impending axe from coming down on her tiny head. At the end of the day, though, she was a good friend. Chib used her magic for good sometimes, too. Although, these times were never as memorable.
"Are you ready, Clowd?" Merik yelled into the sky.
"Yes.... I suppose... well, actually, I am not so sure...
anymore," Clowd yelled down to the ground.
After a short moment of befuddlement, Merik said "What do
you mean 'I am not so sure?' You upset me when you refused to
allow me to ride you into battle, but I accepted that. This...
this is what we have been planning for two long months, Clowd!
Don't do this to me!"
"Don't do this to you? I've never killed anything in my
life!"
"Oh, it is not that difficult! We orcs do it two, three
times a day!" said Merik as the two approached the outskirts of
Pridia. "It is too late to turn back now, orcs have already
begun the seige! Our destiny is calling us, my friend!"
Clowd hovered higher into the sky above, deep contemplation
on his horned face.
"And, what do you mean you have never killed anything? You
are over one thousand years old and you have never even killed
anything for dinner?" yelled Merik.
"I'm a vegitarian! How long have we been friends, Mer'? I
cannot believe you had no knowledge of that!" yelled Clowd.
"That is a full load of warg dung! Get this out of your
system and help me defeat the pathetic humans once and for all!"
"It is always about 'defeating the humans' and 'avenging
your bretheren'! When are you going to think about what I want
out of our friendship?"
Merik halted at Clowd's piercing words and something came
over him. Bowing his head, he thought I have thought only of
myself. The whole time I have known Clowd, I have just used the
dragon and its incredible abilities to get what I desire... I
have tried to control it for so long....
Raising his head toward Clowd, careful not to look it in
the eye, Merik softly said "Clowd... I am deeply sorry. I... I
have used you and controlled you for selfish reasons since the
day we met, never thinking about what you want to do or what you
want out of the friendship..."
Clowd's expression softened. "Please, Merik, look me in the
eyes and tell me."
Their gazes met. "It's just that, you're so big and
powerful... I thought that if I did not keep you under my thumb,
you would leave me." Merik said.
"That is outragous! I would not... I would never leave
my best friend."
"I had always thought that... you considered Chib your best
friend...."
"No... you, Merik. You."
Merik was speechless; a single tear ran down his green
face. Clowd landed slowly near where Merik stood.
They both remained silent for a long time, the sounds of
war ringing in their ears, their silouette painted black against
the full white moon.
"Well... what do you wish to do, then?" asked Merik
quietly.
Innocense washed over Clowd. "Let us... let us fly away
together, as high as my wings will take us! I can show you
wonders of this world you have never dreamed of!"
"You said... you told me you hate being ridden by orcs..."
said Merik.
"That was before... before I really knew one."
Ecstatically, Merik lept up onto Clowd's scaley back. They
took off instantly into the moon lit night, hindered by nothing.
Over the trees and through the clouds they soared, together,
resolute, in their newly fortified friendship.
As dawn slowly approached, Clowd glided over a peaceful
meadow and carefully landed. Shaking a sleepy Merik off its
back, the dragon dodged away from the orc and hid its face in
its wings.
"Wha... what is the matter, Clowd?" Merik asked, groggy and
confused.
A deep sigh came from the dragon, its wake shook the
surrounding trees. Merik looked on impatiently, waiting for an
answer.
"I am afraid," whimpered Clowd.
"Tell me, what is it that frightens one of the mightest
dragons in all the realm?"
"I am afraid that I am not sure... of a love no medicine or
enchantment can cure."
"What is it you speak of, Clowd, talk to me clearly."
"I think I love you!" shouted the dragon. Clowd intently
watched Merik's face for his reaction to this sudden
declaration.
"I... I do not know what to say... Clowd...."
"Please, just say 'I love you, too'...."
"I love you, too."
They ran into each others arms as fast as their legs would
take them. Their embrace was sweet and deep and they knew each
other well.
Several hours later, in mid-afternoon, Chib flew about the
meadow, humming a cheeful tune. When she approached the odd
couple, she immediatly burst into uncontrollable fits of
laughter. They were spooning against a very tall tree, Merik
lying peacefully on Clowd's large belly.
"Oh... hello." said Merik, sitting up smiling. "It appears
as if we won't be able to keep this a secret, now that you have
found out.... Clowd and I are... well... we are in love."
Chib continued laughing after he said this.
"Chib! This is not a laughing matter, we have declared our
love for one another and plan to live out the rest of our lives
together."
Laughing still, Chib fell to the ground and started rolling
around in the grass, unable to contain this hurricane of
emotion.
"Laugh all you want... nothing can change the way we feel
about each other." Merik said smugly and laid back down. Clowd
murmured peacefully, still asleep.
Minutes later, Chib finally got herself under some amount
of control and took back to the air. She looked at Merik's happy
face intently, as if trying to make a very difficult decision.
"What is the matter? Did my clan fall in battle against the
Pridians?" Merik asked, sitting up again quickly.
"No, Merik, HA! They actually defeated them! You... hahaha,
you have been made King, hahaaa, over all western man! I suppose
that makes... that makes Clowd your Queen! HAHAHAHA!"
"Please, Chib, restrain yourself, this is ridiculous. And
anyhow, dragons are genderless."
"I just cannot let this go on... it is not natural," she
whispered to herself. Circling her hands about each other, she
collected a magical energy in her palms.
"First, Merik," she said as she shot a blue bolt of the
energy at Merik. He shook violently for a moment.
"What... what did you do to me?" he said, stunned.
"You fell in love with Clowd last night because of me...
because of one of my spells, but I have just extinguished it.
Darn conscience... wish I had been born an imp, they are not
cursed with one."
Merik was silent for a moment. He lept off the dragon's
belly, then straightened his garments and adjusted his weapons,
"I am not, in the least, amused by your joke."
"Oh, get out of it, Merik. All in good fun, right?"
"Did you really think you could destroy my love for Clowd
with a bit of magic? Love does not work that way, Chib. I have
learned that the only way it exists is in truth."
"I am telling you that last night, during your conversation
with Clowd, I put a spell on you both that made you fall in love
with each another."
"That cannot be true! I still feel a deep love for this
dragon and nothing anyone says or does can change that!"
Chib didn't know what to say to this, but then it dawned on
her, "I understand now! The spell will not wear off completely
until I take it off of Clowd, as well." She immediately turned
her attention to the sleeping dragon and shot a bolt of blue
energy at Clowd.
Slowly, Clowd woke up and looked around.
Merik's gaze was fixed adamantly on Clowd now, he leaned in
to hear what the dragon might offer to dismiss Chib's story.
"What happened, where are we?" the dragon said, then let
out a mighty yawn.
"Do you love me?" Merik asked Clowd, impatiently.
"What?" laughed Clowd. "Do I love you? What... what are you
talking about?"
Chib hovered a short distance away quietly.
"You told me no medicine or enchantment could rob you of
your love for me!"
"Merik, please, you are not making any sense," Clowd
responded.
Merik abandoned the short coversation with Clowd and ran
to Chib. "Clowd... Clowd does not even seem to remember what
happened last night.... What have you done? Turn Clowd back to
normal. Turn it back now!"
Chib sprayed Clowd with blast after blast of red energy,
but nothing seemed to snap the dragon back into loving Merik.
"I am very sorry, Merik. I just do not have those kind of
feelings for you," Clowd told the orc with a grim expression on
its scaley face.
"I am sorry, too," Chib added, truely remorseful.
"...But... but, why? What happened?" Merik pleaded.
Chib suggested somberly, "I suppose it is like you said,
Mer'. The only way love exists is in truth, and for Clowd last
night, it must have been false and in vain. But for you, it must
have been in..."
"...truth."
Merik became silent and thought for several minutes, as
Chib and Clowd looked on waiting for him to say something.
Several minutes turned into several hours, and when he was
finally ready to speak, he had to wake Clowd and Chib up from
evening naps.
"Today, I have gained everything I have ever wanted, and in
the same day, I have lost everything I have ever needed. I have
decided to leave on a journey. I cannot stay here and I cannot
reign in Pridia. Please, return to the Merk Clan and find the
one named Moor, son of Mirr. He is fit to rule this land as I
would. He will be King until I return from my quest... if I
return. I will be traveling to eastern shores, from which I will
find my way across the Drungothian Ocean to the Continent of
Roq'thera. There is a city on the eastern continent called
Kerra'Sa. Within the darkest corner of Kerra'Sa, it is rumored,
lives a seer named Jogjet, one of the mystical Rupamayn elves.
If I find him, he will reveal to me my true destiny. Clowd,
Chib, do not feel bad. It is not your fault.... Goodbye, my
friends."
With that, Merik turned from the two of them and walked off
into the eastern forest toward the setting sun. He looked back
only once, and saw that Chib and Clowd were whiping the tears
from their eyes; he forced himself forward, and began to whip
them from his own.