TAHAROS
Leaving the beast stunned, Taharos grabbed the handle of his mother’s blade and forced it deeper into the beast, piercing its heart. As the beast croaked out its final breath, Taharos ripped the blade from its flesh and called to the dragon.
“Arise, and destroy what you once held so dear!”
The lifeless body of the dragon roared, and its corpse’s mouth, eyes, and chest leaked that vile black mist. Tahraos called for his men to halt as the great beast soared through the air away from them and back to its home. Racing after the beast, Sahngar and the cyclopes could only watch in horror as it let its flames loose upon its own kind. The other dragons struck the corpse as it attacked them, but the lifeless dragon attacked them mercilessly. Tearing into its flesh with their teeth, the other dragons desperately tried to kill its former brother. One of the dragons bit into the dead dragon’s throat, but even that didn’t stop the nightmare of a monster the Slayer had controlled. Charging into the chaos, Taharos struck down the other dragons and the rest of the cyclopes killed off what little dragons remained to guard the nests. And as the lifeless beast awaited the Slayer’s next command, the Slayer stared into its sunken, black lifeless eyes and simply said…
“Die.”
And with that word the body of the dragon collapsed, the black mist leaking from its wounds and entering the gemstone of Taharos’ blade. Taharos inhaled sharply as he felt the beast’s energy enter him, and the corpse of the dead dragon began to decay before them. Its flesh melted away and its bones rotted into a pool of liquid death. Stepping over the beast’s remains, Taharos approached the entrance to the nest and held up his hand.
“I will enter first, and I shall enter alone.”
Stepping into the cavernous undergrounds, Taharos stared into the eyes of terrified and helpless baby dragons. On the ground beside his feet were countless bones from cyclopes, with scattered remains and armor thrown about. Bones still had flesh, and skulls were picked clean of whatever little food they could have been. Taharos was disgusted, and in that moment he remembered his past and the baby dragon he once loved. For a moment he felt remorse, but then he struck…
Killing every last one of the dragons within the nests, and smashing every dragon egg that lay hidden within the caves, Taharos breathed heavily. His red scars glowed as he siphoned the power of each living being he killed. As he felt the overwhelming electricity of power course through his veins, he sighed in painful regret as he remembered the tragedy of the dragon he tried to raise.
Despite everything… How innocent they may have looked now and how defenseless they were when he struck them down, the dragon hatchlings would have become nothing more than wild, ravenous beasts needing to be put down. Gathering his composure, Taharos finished siphoning the power of their deaths for himself and turned to leave the cavernous nests.
Stepping out before the other cyclopes, Taharos stood tall and let his teeth be bare to them all. Rage burned in his eye as he scanned the group and proudly announced that it was finished.
Sahngar, having heard the cries of the innocent dragon hatchlings, fell to his knees. Overwhelmed with guilt, Sahngar slammed his fists into the ground. Sweating profusely and grasping at his chest in panic, Sahngar could only repeat the same phrase as the Dragon Slayer stared down at him.
“They were just… They were just… They were just…”
“Children?” Taharos struck back, his words cutting like a knife through Sahngar’s.
The general stared and looked up at Taharos, tears draining down his face as Taharos scowled at him.
“Everyone!” Taharos roared out with rage, his voice echoing with the force of draconic screams.
“Look to my shoulders! This is what happens when you trust them…”
Staring into the eye sockets of the split dragon skull on the Slayer’s shoulders, Sahngar trembled and realized what he meant.
“Y-You…” He began.
“You tried to raise them…”
“Yes!” The Slayer said with anger in his voice.
“I was once foolish like you are now… I thought I could take one in. Teach it to be better.”
Taharos stared at the dragon bones on his shoulders.
“It wasn’t. It killed others, and when I tried to calm it, it struck at me. And in that moment, I saw that all I had worked for was gone…”
Taharos clenched his fists and walked beside the nest, stepping above it and to the rocky hill to stand tall above the others.
“We will eradicate every last one of them!” The Slayer roared out, his voice sending shockwaves through the ranks.
The cyclopes raised their weapons and let out their battle cries. Sahngar pulled himself up to his feet and watched the Slayer in awe.
“Today marks our victory!” The Slayer screamed.
“Today… Is our triumph!”
