FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

With a swift attack, Seraphor dispatched a dragon out from his standings. The dragon, that was bipedal, couldn't hold his balance when his leg was hit by Seraphor's head, hurting him and making him fall. In an act of kindness, Seraphor tried to help the dragon by lending one of his fore legs. He just smiled and gladly accepted it.

Seraphor still wasn't enough of a wager to fight a Parusan, seeing that now, as an official pit fighter (or for the silver red, being a gladiator), he must prove himself over the other captive dragons before he could fight the Parusans, as they were like centurions. Knowing that this was the only way he could buy freedom, he obliged as his caretaker, Karkariz and Bartoz, helped him back into the medical bay for helping him recovering the injuries that day.

"Well, three wins and you still haven't lost control of your body, Sera," said Bartoz sarcastically. "You are a master in short combat. Never thought a dragon can move like that. You're really something, you know. Without that rage of yours, of course."

"In no time, with that kind of show, you'll be pitting on with the Parusans soon enough," said Karkariz while trying to close Seraphor's back leg wound. "But I doubt they will forget on that incident..."

Don't worry, Kar, that was only a small accident...for him."

Thinking back on what happened that day made Seraphor felt uneasy. It didn't leave his mind on the reason he snapped that easily, especially when he did the exact same thing during that attack on Xici kingdom. He could never forget the horror of seeing how bad he roughed up the Parusan. His next presence in front of the Parusan could give him a heart attack (though I'm not sure if dragons could get cardiac arrest).

His uneasiness was particularly felt by Bartoz. Walking to the silver red, he made a smile in front of him and said, "I'm sure what you did back then was only an accident, Seraphor. I believed in your personal strength. Don't be afraid of losing yourself."

"Yeah...I guess you're right."

"Okay...now it's dark. You need a nice rest before another fight," said Karkariz putting on the last bandage around Seraphor's tail. "Let's go."

During his trip back to his cell, he was trying to find a way for the captives to stay cool and not trying to rebel against the authority. For the past 3 days, there was an uneasy silence when a captive dragon yelled at a Parusan. Though it looked like a normal ranting, given to his mental condition, after Seraphor's help, he slowly regained his sanity, but then he was too deep in anger, and thus he talked back to the Parusan without thinking on the outcome. That same dragon was beaten up by a group of them back in the Pit, and left dying in his cell. Though he survived the ordeal, Seraphor took step to warn him not to make rash actions before any chance could arise, in which the dragon obliged after Kranos told him about the small dragon's reputation.

He was also worried on Ragunost. He never saw the dragon before, but most captive dragons said that instead of being a brutal and sadistic by most of the Parusans, the captives said the opposite, though he was still as cocky as he was described, yet he never saw the dragon himself. Was that dragon be as strong as he was or maybe the dragon was even more dangerous than what said?

Reaching his cell, he was greeted by Kranos' smile, which the little dragon just smiled back weakly before dropping his whole body sideways to the haystack, without saying any words. He stared at the ceiling while still thinking on the fights, and this caused his cellmate feeling concerned too, yet he wanted to save the questions for the next day, as he knew Seraphor was exhausted to the point he snored in his sleep.

The next day, when there was no fights going on, Seraphor wanted to take a break while basking on the sun without anyone to bother him on the 'plan to take over the prison' above all else. He just wanted to sleep for a while before another fight, while just helping some dragons on their conditions.

Just then, Entharex came to him and drank the filtered water, watching the sky and said, "Got tired on your legs?"

"Yeah...guess I am not all that durable. I tend to exhaust myself during fights."

"You don't look like what's told in the legend, though. I respected you since my first time knowing that name. My fathers and mother spoke greatly of you."

"Fathers?"

Entharex suddenly turned his head away upon hearing that, before saying, "Having more siblings around you can help you beat loneliness. Though I lived with different parents, I can say they all knew you, as some claimed to ever meet you, and some claimed to know you from stories. Hell, you've been gone for more than a century. What happened that time?"

"I can't tell you everything without making you laugh. Worse, you may lose hope in me."

"Hey, don't worry, Seraphor. You're a legendary dragon. Everyone wants to know you more, regardless of what happened. You stopped the anti-dragons from claiming the Western Front, and also you led a group of capable dragons in ending the threat."

"I don' want to brag about it, but Entharex, our effort is in vain when they attacked Xici kingdom again."

"What? They attacked again?"

"Just some months ago after I came back, and some weeks ago where I was put here. I could never run away from the guilt, and I never know what has become of the kingdom. My return is followed by war and violence, and had lived for 10 years in an alternate universe watching the violence in movies."

The silver red then sighed. "Western Front my ass. I merely helped. If you want to admire a dragon, you gotta know a name. He's Raithorakh."

"You mean the thunder dragon that sacrificed himself for the victory?"

"Yeah, what a waste. Ray was a good dragon and like a father figure to me. His death triggered my disappearance, but I am more than grateful on his decision. Not sure if his rider is still devastated or not. Ancestors, I just wish that drake can move on. Seeing him as a seasoned warrior made me feel like he never could let Ray's death go away."

When he saw Entharex didn't even bother to reply, Seraphor continued with, "I like to smile upon the sunshine. It reminds me on the things I wish. Much like the light of hope, I want to help those less fortunate. At least for now."

"Your presence here gave hope to those that know you," said Entharex. "Don't worry, Seraphor. The sunshine is a ray of hope. This courtyard is the only place where you can still pursue that hope, no matter how dark and how cold the prison cell is. I should leave you to your rest, Seraphor. May the sun smiles upon you."

As the black dragon left him, Seraphor smiled to himself. He just realized that Entharex was saying those things ironically.

"Yeah...the ray of hope is a ray of destruction," thought Seraphor while closing his eyes. "Funny."

Upon waking up the next day, Seraphor wasn't called to the fight, which made him suspicious. Upon reaching the courtyard after allowed to, he saw a golden dragon he quickly knew as Ragunost was talking to an old dragon. Kranos accompanied Seraphor to him, but not before the golden dragon bit the dragon and left it bleeding. When he glared to a captive, the dragon suddenly cowered in fear, which made Seraphor thought, "Yeah, he's a warrior, too."

The dragon just walked past Seraphor, which didn't bother him as he didn't felt mocked (most dragons would just roar back before the glare scared them), but Ragunost then said, "Your resolve is final, young pit fighter?"

"Resolve for freedom or death?"

The dragon made a deep growl with unexplained emotions. Seraphor could feel that the growl didn't represent anger, but a grunt. An emotion of approval. He couldn't understand the dragon's emotion at all, as if it was more machine than organic. It was as if this dragon was designed to kill, an organic killing machine.

"That is the path you choose, young dragon," said Ragunost calmly. The eerie feeling made Seraphor realize that he was trying to influence the silver red to be scared. Unfortunately for him, Seraphor could give that feeling too, in the form of a killing aura.

"I never choose. Fate chooses."

"I never believe in fate. It makes you weak when you know it. In the pit, you are tested. Kill, or be killed. You can only choose one of those options."

"You chose the first one, then?"

"And I wish you can be a worthy opponent to kill, young dragon. Your resolve is now final. Climb the ladder of victory, and we will meet again."

As the dragon was leaving, Seraphor took glimpse of the old one he just harassed, and the silver red said, "On what term you attack the weak if you have this strong aura?"

"Strong, I am, but then, I'm a shackled beast," said Ragunost calmly. "The world spins around greed and violence, as I'm here now. This small place is a resolve to the likes of us. To the likes of warriors."

Seraphor somehow remembered something from the dragon's way of talking. One of his friends were wise enough to talk like that. Ragunost didn't look like a greedy dragon either, but he was ruthless. He never thought he would deduce something was wrong, and he walked to the golden dragon and said, "Does the name Raithorakh ring a bell?"

"The name...it's the name of my race, a thunder dragon. You may assume I am the dragon, but I am genuinely Ragunost. Do you assume that I'm a friend?"

"No, but..."

"I don't expect us to have a better relationship than as pit fighters. I should take my leave, then. May the ancestors give their fire to you."

"And to you too." Seraphor knew it was customary to reply the wish, despite of knowing that he had an ambition for freedom by either defeating or killing the dragon. Knowing that Ragunost's reputation was true to his own menacing aura, it would be a matter of time before bloodshed could decorate the pit fight. He became even more excited.

"Oi, Seraphor, are you okay? You keep giving that grin after meeting him."

Kranos' statement snapped him out from the thoughts. The silver red then turned and said, "Yes? Do you need a dragon to k...I mean, help?"

"You don't need to. Just gimme the rock."

Seraphor was unsure about how he could trust Kranos on not losing the rock, but nevertheless, with Bartoz's approval, Seraphor gave the sea dragon the polished rock and went to a corner to lay down for a while, trying to find a way to stop his urge to kill from overwhelming him. He knew he slowly became that red-eyed bastard he was afraid of.