The Missing Dragon Ch. 02

Gregory's rage was not something to be taken lightly and even a few of the orcs nearby winced at the beating that followed. It left Freddie's broken face looking up at the young warrior as if trying to comprehend how such a thing could have happened.

"Greg stop!" Janette's voice rang out in amidst the screaming siren call of his rage. The sound immediately halted his bloodied fist in the air and he took in a slow, weary breath before his mind cleared and he looked down at the mess he'd made.

It made him feel sick.

The outpouring of violence left him appalled at himself and he quickly stood up from where he'd knelt over Freddie and scrambled back a few steps away. A glance around the place revealed all eyes were looking upon him. The orcs stood silent and reserved but the humans in the camp now looked upon him with fear. Many didn't know him and those that did didn't know him well enough to be comfortable with the screaming bolt of carnage he'd just become.

Then he felt Janette wrap her arms around his shoulders and he turned to look into her watery blue eyes.

"It's ok, Greg. It's ok," she gently whispered to him.

Unfortunately things were definitely not ok. When Greg looked back to Freddie, he saw the ring was back in his hand and swollen, bloodied eyes were looking upon him with pure hatred.

No one had time to do anything before Freddie slipped the ring onto his finger.

Gregory's entire body suddenly stilled with tension in the moments that followed. Yet Freddie did not disappear back to Earth. There he remained, his eyes burning with hate, his broken toothed grin spilling with fresh blood. It was when that grin turned into a grimace of pain that something finally began to happen. Something that Freddie did not intend to happen at all.

The fallen bully's entire body was wracked with a sudden pain as hot fire was poured through every nerve in his body, emanating outwards from the ring that was now welded to his finger. A scream of excruciation tore through the camp from Freddie's burning lungs as his skin started to blacken and hiss. He choked up breaths of foul smelling black smoke as he was slowly burned alive by the power of the ring. Tears of blood spilled from his eyes before the fluids in his bloodied orbs began to boil and melt.

Gregory quickly pulled Janette to him and averted her eyes as he looked on in horror at the sight of Freddie's body burning from the inside out. That blackened flesh began to break in places to reveal white hot fire beneath. The sudden blast of energy that came next completely turned Freddie's shaking dead body into nothing but ash and dust. The faintest glimpse of a blackened charred skeleton was seen in amidst the white flare of light before Freddie was gone entirely.

The ring remained. Gregory watched in stunned silence along with the rest of the camp as the small golden band fell to the ground. The heated orange glow it carried branded its circular shape into the scorched earth.

That was when Algra stepped up behind the crouched forms of the trembling young lovers and looked upon the ashen remains. She felt the residual heat on her face and saw the shiny metal ring searing the earth. She released two words in an awed whisper that carried through the air to Gregory's ears.

"Dragon fire."

*

Author's Note: I did it! Phew. I hope you enjoyed this instalment as much as the last. As always, if you liked it then vote and let me know in the comments so I can enjoy what you might have thought. Oh, and if you didn't like it then feel free to criticise but try to be nice about it. ;o) I tried to get an editor for this instalment and failed. If any of you guys are interested in editing for me then send me some feedback with a link to something that you've edited (or written) in the past. If I don't get back to you then I apologise in advance. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Ch. 02! See you in Ch. 03!