The blast of flaming devastation came rushing Tariq’s way at a frightening speed, leaving him scrambling behind one of the many huge stalagmites of the cave’s interior for cover. He managed to duck behind only seconds before the flames engulfed the area, searing him through his armor but failing to set him ablaze, which he supposed was a win—one of the few that were to be found here, he thought grimly.
The spew of fire lasted about a full five seconds before finally dying down, allowing him to peek around the edge of the stalagmite to see what his opponent was doing next.
The dragon—the great Rubyscale who had been terrorizing his home village for the past year and more—was prowling his way, her massive body moving steadily towards the ledge where he hid, only her head visible to him.
They’d been battling for some time, and they had both been injured, though there was no denying that Tariq was by far the worst off of the two, as his throbbing shoulder keenly reminded him. Rubyscale, on the other hand, was barely even slowed, despite the long gash he’d left in the flesh of her left wing and the numerous smaller injuries inflicted upon her.
He needed to end this, and quickly, or else he’d never leave this cave alive.
This thought firm in his mind, he considered his options. He could try to get back down the tunnel to the ground level to continue attacking her from below, though he knew now that hitting vital areas there was not an easy task; he needed to be fairly high up even to hit her belly, if she wasn’t holding herself low to the ground.
But he was high up now, level with her face. He had an opportunity here, insane as taking it may be.
Boldly, Tariq stepped out of his hiding place, clutching his twin swords in his hands.
He’d come here to end this, to save his village; he cared not for personal risk, only that he did what was necessary.
So, once Rubyscale had nearly reached the ledge, Tariq rushed to meet her. He got to the edge, and he leapt, angling his blades accordingly…
They sunk deeply into each of her huge green eyes, buried up to the hilt.
Rubyscale shrieked in agony, staggering back. Tariq’s feet struck the relatively-flat surface of her snout and immediately began to scramble back towards the ledge. She managed to shake him off easily, however, and he was forced to leap early, reaching desperately for the ledge…
His hand closed on the edge, saving him from plummeting to his death. Below, Rubyscale continued to roar for only a short while before finally crashing to the ground, causing the whole of the cavern to shake around Tariq as he clambered back up to the safety of the ledge.
For a time, he simply remained there on his hands and knees, stunned, waiting for his foe to get up.
But she did not.
Tariq only had the energy to laugh a little in disbelief before promptly slumping to the ground in exhaustion.
Thank you for reading! I wrote this story as part of the Storytelling Collective’s Flash Fiction February 2023 challenge, so a huge thanks to them for inspiring me to give it a shot.
