St. George: The City of Dragons

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    Edited By cbishop

    RANKED 2nd BY VOTERS IN CHARACTER CREATION CONTEST #72!

    DateCB 1-ShotsViewRead the...
    05/09/18St. George: The City of Dragons(Blog) (Forum)Disclaimer
    RatingRating explanation
    TViolence.
    Are you sure this is the right way?
    Are you sure this is the right way?

    "Are you sure this is the right way?" my companion asked for the seventh time in an hour.

    "Without doubt," I said tersely.

    He persisted, "I only ask, m'lord, because this cavern hardly seems like the way to the City of Dragons. Are you sure they don't live among the Floating Rocks? It seems like creatures that could fly would live on floating rocks, don't it?"

    I stopped then. I stared ahead at the birds circling one of the giant twisting roots we would have to traverse to get to our destination, and sighed. Taking a deep, slow breath, I turned to the man carrying my supplies, and asked, "What did you say your name is again?"

    He smiled nervously, but answered, "You never asked my name, m'lord; only if I would carry your pack on this journey." He smiled wryly, but added, "My name is Kaseem, m'lord."

    Something else lives on the Floating Rocks, and not even the dragons go there.
    Something else lives on the Floating Rocks, and not even the dragons go there.

    "Well, Kaseem, I keep telling you that the dragons do not live on the Floating Rocks. They don't live here in the Roots of Yggdrasil. Only the God Squirrel does, and he is not concerned with our presence, although he will surely let his master know that we have been by this way. They don't live in the Cloud Realm. That's the heavenly hosts. They don't live in the Volcanic Flats. That's the phoenixes. They don't live in the Dark Waters of Wy. We don't know what lives there, but dragons don't hide... although they do like their solitude at times. But they do not live on the Floating Rocks. Something else lives on the Floating Rocks, and not even the dragons go there. If you ask me about the Floating Rocks again, when we get to the City of Dragons, I will throw you from the city bridge as we enter."

    He cowered only slightly, not quite sure if I was serious or not. He gulped as if his mouth had gone dry, then plucked up his courage enough to say, "I was only asking m'lord. I suppose it doesn't matter to dragons how we get to their city. They probably get there by air anyway." He nodded approvingly at his own words, but still asked, "Don't you think?"

    I forced a thin smile. "They have wings. I suppose it would be foolish if they did not." I turned and continued up the next long root, and he followed.

    We traveled in silence until we reached the birds I had seen circling in the distance. They were circling a pile of the God Squirrel's dung. It wasn't a pleasant smell, but the birds seemed to like it. Kaseem complained only mildly. I remained quiet, preferring to concentrate on breathing shallowly.

    We had navigated another seven roots when Kaseem said, "This path is treacherous, m'lord. Are you certain they don't live on the Floating Rocks?"

    I stopped and glared at him.

    "I'm sorry, m'lord. I've just always wanted to go there. I've heard tales from my youth, and it just seemed so fantastic that such a place could be real. You seem like someone who would know such a place, and I had hoped..."

    I said nothing, only raising an eyebrow.

    "...I had hoped that was where you were going."

    "And yet, you did not ask me where I was going."

    Kaseem chuckled. "Well played, m'lord," he said cheerfully, and we continued on.

    We had entered the Living Jungle a few hours later, when Kaseem asked, "Do you mind me asking what your business is in the City of Dragons, m'lord?"

    Just then, the jungle trembled so violently that it threw us both to the ground. It was the frequent quakes that gained it the name the Living Jungle; some local tribes believed it was trying to wake from a long slumber. When the quake subsided I helped Kaseem up, and handed him back my pack.

    "The Tournament of Dragons," I said in reply to his earlier question.

    "The Tour-- you're going to fight, m'lord?" he asked, plainly astonished.

    I smiled genuinely. "No." I pointed the direction we needed to go in, and said, "No, my days of fighting dragon warriors is long over. I go as a guest of the king."

    We entered an overgrown temple area
    We entered an overgrown temple area

    Kaseem stopped as I continued on, but then ran to catch up. "M'lord! You... you know the Dragon King? You've seen him?"

    I balked. "Don't be absurd! No man has ever seen the Drachenkönig. I have dealt directly with the royal Escort many times."

    Almost to himself, Kaseem repeated, "The 'Drachenkönig.'" Then to me he said, "I have not heard him called that in many years, m'lord. You must be an old friend of the dragons indeed."

    We entered an overgrown temple area, and I said quietly, "We've known each other a long time, yes."

    Paying more attention to our surroundings now, Kaseem ventured near one of the doorways, and I jerked him back. "Stay with me if you want to see the City, man."

    Something growled from within the darkened space, and Kaseem nodded, practically walking in my footsteps after that. "I saw the torch, and I assumed--"

    "--As you were meant to," I said calmly. "Our doorway is the one at the end."

    We entered the doorway I mentioned without incident, and it was only a few minutes before we emerged on the other side to a tremendous stone wall and gate. It had a series of waterfalls cascading over its sides into the deep gorge between us and the wall.

    ...we emerged on the other side to a tremendous stone wall and gate.
    ...we emerged on the other side to a tremendous stone wall and gate.

    "It's... it's magnificent, m'lord," was all that Kaseem had to say.

    "Yes. Isn't it?" I replied. I pointed to a rough path, and said, "That's how we get to the bridge."

    "That is the bridge?" asked Kaseem.

    "Yes," I said. "What's the problem?"

    "It hardly looks safe to walk on, does it? I think those are planks dangling in the middle!"

    "It is as you said, Kaseem- the dragons get there by air. They don't care how we get there." I smirked. "Come on, man," and started down the path.

    We reached the bridge after a short while of careful treading down the path, and it was remarkably taught- it hardly swayed at all as we crossed. A little over halfway across, we had to step one-by-one over the large hole created by the dangling planks Kaseem had seen earlier. I crossed first, then held my hand out. "Give me the pack. You'll have an easier time crossing then."

    Kaseem handed over the pack.

    I set it behind me, and then held out my hand for him. He took it, and hopped across. As his foot touched down on my side of the hole, I punched him in the stomach. Then I grabbed him by the back of his neck and the belt of his pants, and swung him over the edge of the bridge. As he screamed to his death, I said, "I did warn you, Kaseem."

    Then I hefted the pack, and continued to the gate. The Escort was waiting for me there. "I thought I might have to kill you for bringing an uninvited guest."

    I chuckled. "Good to see you too, Heironymous."

    "The king will be pleased to know that you are here," he said, motioning for me to enter the city gate.

    Ho! Have you come to fight, dragon warrior?
    Ho! Have you come to fight, dragon warrior?

    We had not gone very far at all when a young woman with bright red hair and scant, bronzed armor descended before us on the back of a purple dragon. "Ho! Have you come to fight, dragon warrior?" she barked hopefully.

    I nodded at the honorific, and responded, "Not this year, dragon warrior, but I wish you well in the Tournament."

    "Your wishes are not needed!" she scowled.

    From the corner of my eye, I saw Heironymous narrow his eyes only barely. Nodding at me, she added, "But I appreciate the sentiment, warrior. Welcome to the City of Dragons." Then she nodded at Heironymous, and said, "Escort."

    He said, "Princess," and she flew away, further into the city.

    "She has grown."

    "Yes, she has. Being her Escort has been a privilege," said Heironymous.

    "And being your daughter makes no difference at all, I suppose?" I said under my breath.

    Heironymous stared at me seriously, and said, "Careful how you wag that tongue in this city, Saint George. You owe me a fight yet."

    "Not until my sword is found," I said simply.

    "That again? I'm not the one who lost it. That meddlesome boy will resurface, and if you don't find him first, I will help you get Ascalon back."

    We seethed at each other only momentarily, and then I sighed. "This is not what I am here for, Escort," I said, emphasizing the title. "Let us enjoy your beautiful city."

    ...we headed towards the Alabaster Castle.
    ...we headed towards the Alabaster Castle.

    Heironymous lingered on his anger only a moment more, and then smiled accomodatingly, if not quite friendly. "Yes, you're right. Come. Enjoy the City of Dragons once more. Tomorrow, we attend the Tournament together, and see how the Princess fares!"

    I clapped him on the back. "You don't want to face me again anyway," I prodded.

    "HA!" bellowed Heironymous, and we headed towards the Alabaster Castle. "How are the Floating Rocks?" he asked.

    "Ah. You know," I said. "There's no place like home."

    "Yes," he smiled. "On that we can agree."

    Please let me know what you think, and thanks! -cbOriginally Presented In: CCC #72.

    Story and characters owned by Chris Bishop, copyright 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.

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    #1  Edited By cbishop
    OC Names:
    Characters:
    • God Squirrel, The
    • Heironymous (Dragon King; Drachenkönig; Escort)
    • Kaseem
    • Princess of the Dragons
    • Saint George
    • (unnamed master of the God Squirrel)
    • (unnamed meddlesome boy)

    Concepts:

    • Tournament of Dragons, The

    Creatures

    • (unnamed growling creature in the temple area)
    • (unnamed purple dragon)

    Locations:

    • Alabaster Castle
    • City of Dragons
    • Cloud Realm
    • Dark Waters of Wy
    • Floating Rocks
    • Living Jungle
    • Roots of Yggdrasil
    • Volcanic Flats
    • (unnamed overgrown temple area)

    Objects:

    • .Ascalon.
    Teams:
    • Dragon Warriors
    • Local tribes
    Comic Characters used in this fic:
    Public Domain:
    • Dragons
    • Heavenly Host
    • Phoenixes
    Picture credits:
    All pictures are by Marta Nael on Deviant Art. They are as follows:
    Caption:Picture Title:
    "Are you sure this is the right way?".Roots landscape.
    "Something else lives on the Floating Rocks, and even the dragons go there.".Floating Rocks.
    We entered an overgrown temple area.Matte - Lost among the ruins.
    ...we emerged on the other side to a tremendous stone wall and gate..Citywall Landscape.
    "Ho! Have you come to fight, dragon warrior?".Dragon Warrior.
    ...we headed towards the Alabaster Castle..Castle and citywall village.
    "Lava Fields," by Marta Nael would have been a good visual for the Volcanic Flats [see next comment box].Lava Fields.
    CCC #72 comments for The City of Dragons:
    cbishop: Last minute entry, as usual? ;)stumpy49er
    stumpy49er: Looking that way.cbishop

    Whoo! With three hours to spare! (he says, silently praising the Pacific Time deadline.)

    Gotta be honest- I kind of had an idea, but it didn't come together until I browsed more of MartaNael's pics. Some great stuff. :)

    cbishop

    Vote goes to cbishop

    BlueEcho

    blueecho: Cool, thanks! :)

    cbishop

    ...Bish. Played it straight and I followed it easily enough

    Final vote goes to Bishop

    wildvine

    wildvine: Aw, cool. Thanks, Wv. :)

    cbishop

    cbishop: Shot myself in the foot if we come to a tie-breaker. Doubt mine would be voted over yours, but always next time

    wildvine

    wildvine: Oh, no. You could win easily. And there's still about 25.5 hours left- it's anybody's ballgame until then. I assume nothing until the deadline. You've seen how these things go. ;)

    cbishop

    cbishop: I mean, if I was voting...

    wildvine

    wildvine: lol

    cbishop

    Cbishop: I loved that you found other images from MartaNael on DeviantArt and used them in this story. I also like that you brought in your oft used character Heironymous. However, I just didn't understand who or what your protagonist was or why he did what he did. I did like that he was the one who lived on the Floating Rocks. I was also confused about Heironymous being the Princess's father and escort. A bit of Game Of Thrones action?

    stumpy49er

    stumpy49er: Yeah, my story wasn't coming together for me until I looked up MartaNael's art. Then it was just there, and I wrote the whole entry in about an hour thirty-five to forty-five minutes. It was nice.

    The protagonist is Saint George of "St. George and the Dragon." He has a history that I have not revealed much of, but he was mentioned in my 5CC chapters of Heironymous. It was his sword Ascalon that the ninja Ascalon had taken, and this potentially broke a treaty between George and the dragons. He threw his companion from the bridge, because he had told him he would do so if he asked about the Floating Rocks again.

    Without saying it completely outright, I've implied here that as the father of the Princess, Heironymous must then be King of the dragons- or the Drachenkoenig as George called him. Drachenkoenig was just a nod back to the Drakania fic I wrote for Imp'- dipping my toe into the pool of characters that she left me. It has always been my intention that Heironymous' secret would be that he's King of the dragons. He pretends to be the Prince and Princess' Escort to hide this fact. If that's like something from Game of Thrones, I wouldn't know- I've never watched it. ;)

    cbishop
    .Fic-O-Pedia: cbishop. (My library of fics)Fic #210

    Thanks for stopping in! :^D

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    #2  Edited By cbishop

    The Origins Behind the Origins (or how some of these characters got their names):

    Saint George and Ascalon

    Saint George is the same character from Saint George and the Dragon, a very ancient tale. It's inspired several works of art, and he is apparently "The Great Martyr" to Christianity. All this puts him in the Public Domain.

    His sword (or lance in some versions of the tale) was named Ascalon. Somewhere along the way, I decided that Ascalon is a physical manifestation and sum total of George's faith. I think that's because of something I read about it at some point, but I'll have to find it again.

    The God Squirrel, his master, and the Roots of Yggdrasil

    Ratatosk (aka Ratatoskr) is the squirrel that runs among the branches of Yggdrasil, the tree that holds up the Nine Worlds in Norse mythology. He runs up and down the tree delivering messages to and from Odin. Marta Nael's picture "Roots landscape" inspired me to call the location the Roots of Yggdrasil, which necessitated a mention of Ratatosk (the God Squirrel). His master would be Odin.

    The other locations mentioned in the story

    The name Floating Rocks was pulled directly from Marta Nael's picture "Floating Rocks." I'll have to think of another name for it at some point.

    City of Dragons is maybe a little on the nose, but it will probably get another name at some point. I've always supposed that Heironymous and his dragons had a kingdom somewhere.

    Alabaster Castle, Cloud Realm, Dark Waters of Wy, Living Jungle, and Volcanic Flats were all names I just came up with on the fly as I was writing. I was going for names that sounded sort of generic but fantasy-like. Except for Alabaster Castle, I really have nothing more in mind for them beyond what was said about them here. The castle may appear in another story.

    It wasn't until I re-posted this story from CCC 72 that I discovered Marta Nael's picture "Lava Fileds" which would have made a good visual for the Volcanic Flats.

    "Lava Fields," by Marta Nael would have been a good visual for the Volcanic Flats.

    That's all for now. Thanks for reading. -cb :^D

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    Galactic_1000

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    This one looks good

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