1 Prologue

It was a beautiful day at Northspear, the town was covered in the sun's bright beams, with a few scattered clouds here and there. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Children were playing in the streets and a small group of guards were just heading into Rockwall, the town's tavern. A group of men were at the town square cracking jokes to each other, while two elderly women were sitting on a bench knitting clothes at the town hall in the center of the square.

The town was around two kilometers long and one kilometer wide, with around one hundred fifty people living in it. The town square was in the middle of it all. Farms surrounded the town from the east to the south, a forest to the west was around fifty meters away, and a river sat right next to the town in the north.

However the beauty was only just an illusion. Nobody saw the dark shadow detach itself from Spearhead and began to fly towards the town.

It was midday before disaster struck. Suddenly, like the sun had been blown out, it went dark. Children stopped playing. The jokes stopped along with the consistent clicks of the knitting pins. Then, everyone heard the deafening beating of dragon wings.

"Hello inhabitants of my territory." The dragon said extremely menacingly.

Along with being male, the dragon was blacker than a starless night. It was twice, no, three times as tall as the guard towers, which were around fifteen meters tall, and it looked to be about two hundred meters long.

"You are very silent for a town of about one hundred and fifty inhabitants I see." The dragon said after nobody spoke up. "Or, hear, I should say." The dragon chuckled at his own joke.

"W-what do you want?" A man asked.

"Thank you for asking." The dragon replied to the man and then cleared his throat. "Where is the town chief?"

"Right here dragon." The chief, Owen Headspear, announced. The head guard, Sean Blade, was at his right. They both just arrived at the town square.

Owen Headspear is a tall man with a strong bulky build and light brown hair with intense eyes the same color as his hair. Sean Blade is just as tall if not taller than Owen with a stronger, leaner build and blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"Well then now that you're here I can start my announcement." The dragon said. He landed with a loud crash just outside of the town. It unfurled his wings, each one being about seventy meters long.

"Won't you get on with it?" The chief was already stressed mediating peace negotiations between two neighboring warring villages and a dragon wasn't helping.

"I was just about to get there." The dragon jeered and then cleared his throat. "Since you all are living in my territory and thus have my protection, you will have to pay five gold per person every three months."

"What!?" The chief exclaimed. "We only make a few thousand gold in the harvest season!"

"Then you'll have to find a way." The dragon replied smugly.

"What happens if we don't." The chief replied, worry crossing his face, images of fire and death filling his mind.

"Something extremely bad for you, even though I suppose I have to give a demonstration because humans are quite lacking in imagination." The dragon said and then took back off into the air. He flew in a circle around the town a few times and then stopped at the southeast side. He then let out a roar and fire surged out of his mouth, engulfing the farm in front of him in flames. People started screaming and panicking. The dragon started flying around, burning buildings and ripping the roofs off of houses. Guards started shooting arrows and throwing spears at the dragon, which either missed or glanced off his scales.

"Those sticks won't have any effect on me." The dragon said and then started laughing. "I guess imagination isn't the only thing humans are lacking in."

"Shut up, bastard. Leave our town alone!" One of the guards yelled back.

"Is that so?" The dragon said. He then swooped down towards that guard and grabbed him with his talon. The dragon then flew up until he was only a speck in the endless sky and then dropped the guard.

"Have fun." The dragon cheerfully said, and the mocking laughter of the dragon was the last thing the guard ever heard.

The dragon then returned to the town and said. "Tomorrow send someone to my cave to report how many people are left and give me my gold."

"I'll never do that. Not after what you did." The mayor responded in a rage filled voice. He was running towards the fires with a bucket of water in hand, multiple men following to help.

"Then I haven't done nearly enough damage." The dragon said as if baiting the mayor to keep fighting.

"Fine, I can't have any more slaughter or destruction come across Northspear." The mayor responded hesitantly.

"Good, I'll see one of you tomorrow." The dragon said, flying back to Spearhead. The mayor sighed but still kept on putting out the fires before the town got destroyed.

* * *

The fires raged on well into the night. About forty seven were injured in the initial attack, thirteen were dead. Six were also injured putting the fires out. The morning was beautiful, birds were chirping, and the sunrise was brilliant. For the town of Northspear, that was the worst thing that could've happened. In the town hall, the lead officials were there. Sarah Bank, the town treasurer, Sean Blade, the head of the guard, Philip Wiseman, the chief advisor, Mark Build, the construction advisor, and the chief himself, Owen Headspear.

"Who are we going to send to that monster?" The chief regretfully asked. The group of officials started looking at each other, each one not wanting to go to the dragon that destroyed part of their town as a demonstration.

"I'll go." The words were said by Sean Blade. "I am a man known for courage and strength."

Owen sighed, "Alright, even though I would prefer you here in case the dragon comes back. Any objections?". The room went silent. "Well since there are none," Owen continued. "You are free to leave. We'll discuss matters of defense when you're back tomorrow." Sean got up and headed out of the town hall.

Sean went to his house to prepare to go to the dragon's lair. When he got in he was greeted by his wife, Lucia and their twelve year old son, Noah.

Lucia is a beautiful yet strong woman. With shining brunette hair, deep brown eyes, and a slim build. Noah was almost an exact copy of his mother with the same shining brunette hair and deep brown eyes except having a lean build, which he inherited from his father.

The living room is five meters wide and six meters long with the kitchen and pantry open to the left and a counter separating them, and a staircase leading to the second floor on the right. In the living room, a couch sat right in front of the counter with a desk and a bookshelf up against the wall next to it.

"What are you doing dad?" Noah asked, watching his dad head to the pantry to begin packing.

"I'm going on an adventure bud." Sean responded in a sweet tone. "Why don't you go to your room?"

"Okay." Noah said, disappointed, and began to head up the stairs into his room.

"Where are you going." Lucia asked in a serious tone.

Sean sighed, "I'm going to the dragon's lair for the first report."

"Alright, I know I can't stop you and this does need to happen, but I don't like it." She said grimly.

"I don't want to do this either, but it's something I have to do." Sean responded just as darkly.

After a moment of silence, Lucia said, "I'll go get some clothes for your journey."

"Thank you." Sean responded. Sean finished getting food out and began to prepare it as Lucia went upstairs.

* * *

By the time Sean was finished preparing it was nearing midday. He said his goodbyes to Noah and Lucia.

"Make sure to tell me all about your adventure dad!" Noah excitedly said with his eyes shining.

"Just stay safe." Lucia said, obviously worried.

"I will." Sean said reassuringly.

"Alright." Lucia replied. And with that, Sean left the village and a new era of terror was inflicted on the area around Spearhead.

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