Playing With Fire

By Evan Drake
©, Evan Drake, All Rights Reserved

Geralt smiled to himself as he walked down the dimly lit passage. He walked with a slight skip to his step, unbecoming of someone in his position. The things his enemies would say if they could see him, a grown man practically skipping in an underground tunnel.

            Not that anyone could do anything to him if they did see him. This whole town was in the palm of his hand.

He remembered a time when that wasn't the case. When no one bothered to even learn his name. That changed after the dragon attack. People were in a panic and no one knew what to do. It was Geralt himself who shot the winged beast out of the sky and saved the day.

            The tunnel opened up to a small cavern. The area reeked of dragon and blood. The torches on the walls provided just enough light to see the blood-scale ravager lounging in the corner. True to its name, its magnificent blood-red scales shone in the flames almost resembling flowing blood on a fresh kill. Its long tail was almost snake-like as it dragged across the dirt.

The dragon stopped eating and turned to him, two bright yellow eyes, sizing up potential prey the semi-darkness.

            It said, “What do you want, human?"

He said, “Did you enjoy your meal?"

            The dragon slowly stood. The sound of the chains keeping the dragon in place filled Geralt with a euphoria he couldn't begin to describe. Standing just a few feet from him was a creature that could tear him apart in any number of ways, a fire breathing monster once feared as a near immortal deity.

And Geralt had it on a leash like trained dog.

            He could've finished it off after his shot clipped it and knocked it out of the sky. Instead, he spared the beast and it owed its life to him.

            The dragon spit a human bone into the pile with the other human skeletons. For the last eight months, he fed his enemies to the dragon. He started with criminals and enemies. No one missed them. Soon he became the town's “problem solver." People began coming to him for favors to deal with things. An overly nosy neighbor, an abusive spouse, an unwanted child, a political rival, the list was endless. And Geralt was more than happy to oblige and amass power and fame.

Next to the pile of bones sat the tray of meat supposed to serve as the dragon's next meal. Geralt's stomach dropped.

            He said, “Where did that bone come from? The meat I sent to you had no bones."

            It said, “I know, so I ate the human who brought me the meat. The bones give it flavor."

            “W-Why would you eat him? The food I sent was more than enough."

            “And I just told you: the bones give it flavor. Also, I prefer human meat. It tastes so much sweeter. That nasty goat was oily and bitter. I'm still hungry."

            “So eat the goat. I can bring you a live one if you want something fresher, and it will have bones."

            “I don't want the goat. I told you I want sweet meat. Human meat. And bring me a fat one this time."

            “I-I think…you've had enough."

            The ravager snarled and lunged. Geralt stumbled backward, biting back a cry. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. The chain around the ravager's neck stopped it from crossing the cavern. It could have roasted Geralt with its flaming breath, but it dug furrows in the dirt with its claws, its jaws dripped with saliva and blood, and its eyes gleamed with manic hunger.

            Geralt jumped to his feet and hurried out of the cavern. There was no reasoning with it when it was like this. Over the last few weeks, it had refused to eat anything other than human flesh. There was no shortage of people to feed it, so he was more than happy to satiate its hunger.

            The more he fed it, the more power he obtained. He built a reputation. Anyone who crossed him disappeared. People wondered for the longest time how he pulled it off. There was even an official investigation. Once. After the man who ordered the investigation vanished mysteriously, the questions stopped.

            And it was so easy! Geralt wasn't a large man, and he knew next to nothing about combat. Even with his reputation, very few people saw him as a threat when he was alone. All it took was a few drops of a dreamwillow potion in their drinks or food, and their fates were sealed. Who knew that was all it took to become the most feared and powerful person in town?

            But the more power he gathered, the more its hunger grew.

            He couldn't deny he ignored the warning signs. When the servants complained about the ravager commenting on their scents, licking their hands, or making what it claimed were playful nips at their ankles, he fired them or they became the ravager's next meal.

            The complaints quickly stopped, and the other servants fell in line. That feeling filled Geralt with a euphoria he couldn't begin to describe. The power he held over the servants, over the town, over the dragon, he wouldn't give that up. The dragons were once hailed as deities, and now he had one in his back pocket. Geralt was free to form the town in the image he desired. Everyone followed his rule, his law, his vision.

            He was more afraid of what would happen if he tried to cut the dragon off. The whole town buzzed with rumors of a demon living under Geralt's home. If he gave that up, he would lose his power over others then he could kiss his influence goodbye.

Just thinking about the control he held over the town overwrote his fear of the dragon threatening to kill him. The dragon wouldn't hurt him, they had a deal. He was the one who shot the dragon in the first place, but it didn't know that.

It was smart to trick the dragon into being chained up before it fully recovered. Their original agreement didn't include being chained in a cave, but that was what made it so edifying. The ravager couldn't do a thing as it would be hunted down the moment it showed its face in an area populated by humans. He was the only thing standing between it and death.

A loud popping sound filled the tunnel. Geralt stopped and peered down the dark passage. Only silence greeted him just like the humans who feared him.

He shrugged off the suspicions and continued on. He couldn't give up the dragon. Why should he? He had no shortage of enemies. He could find a way to store them for later and ration them throughout the year to satiate the ravager's hunger.

And if the dragon wouldn't go along with it, there were others. It could easily be replaced. Surely there were other dragons who would love to take its place. Or maybe it needed to learn it's place.

Perhaps a few days going hungry would teach it not to bare its fangs at him. He was Geralt, the most feared man alive. He could make entire families vanish overnight. Even the dragons bowed to him. No one would threaten him or his position.

He blinked in the afternoon sun as he exited the tunnel. No one was around, but it was expected. Most people who came to Geralt's home were never seen again.

The sound of quickened footsteps made him turn around. He saw only a flash of red before he was tackled to the ground. His head exploded in pain, and air rushed out of his lungs. He wondered who was attacking him, when the strong smell of dragon invaded his nose.

It said, “I think we should re-negotiate the terms of our arrangement."

It took his leg in its jaws and dragged him toward the mouth of the tunnel. Geralt screamed and clawed at the ground, trying to grab hold of something, anything. He cried out as loud as he could for anyone to help him.

Not like this. It couldn't happen like this. He spent years amassing power and wealth, crushing his opposition, instilling fear in those who would dare oppose him. He didn't ruin all those lives for a single dragon to take it all away.

He said, “What are you doing?! We had a deal! I can you all the human meat you want—as much as you want!"

It said, “I know you we had a deal, but I never agreed to be your pet. And I don't need you to get human meat. There's a whole town filled with plump prey to choose from."

The blue sky turned to the dark colorless roof of the tunnel. The torches had been extinguished, the dragon's doing. Geralt continued to claw at the dirt, but the ravager easily pulled him into the darkness.

Thank you so much for reading my story. If you like what you read and want to show your support, you can find me on Patreon. Patrons can get early access to future chapters, exclusive stories, and behind-the-scenes content: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=23432275