The Last Dragon of the East

Chapter 40

40

The emperor is ready and waiting, his legions of soldiers prepared to lay down their lives for the man they believe to be a god. How else can they explain the thousands he has saved from grueling plagues and disastrous famines? They are happy and willing to fight for the emperor against these great beasts. They shall slay the monsters at all costs.

They prepare their bows, swords, and spears. When the red and green dragons swoop down, their furious roars tearing through the air, the army rises to meet them.

Carnage, pointlessly bloody and horrifyingly vicious.

Many good men lose their lives, their dying thoughts spent struggling to understand what could have outraged these dragons so. But they fight on, sporting the emperor’s colors with pride, slowly but surely beating the red and green dragons back toward the mountain pass.

It is there that the dragons are lured into a trap. The soldiers have hidden cannons beneath the underbrush, set to fire at a moment’s notice. Fire rains down upon the dragons, burning them alive. They fall to the ground, and an entire army rushes them with swords drawn and spears tipped in poison.

Like an army of ants, they swarm—slicing, piercing, hacking.

One of their tails is torn off, their tongue sliced clean through.

It is not long before the land turns crimson, soaked with the blood of dragons.