MadFang

What's happening? Am i sleeping? And why is my chest hurting?
I force open my eyes. Looking around i notice the handle of a dagger, and it sticks 
out between my ribs. That explains the pain. I try to heal myself but i'm to weak to 
even lift my hand. Calling for help doesn't work either , the only thing coming out 
of my mouth is a low gurgle and a shower of blood. Blood?
That means my lung is pierced and i don't have long to live.

What happened? I must try to remember. Ah, yes. It started 9 months ago in that backwater 
village. I was on my way to the academy when a white dragon and his buddies stopped me 
and demanded a "road-tax". I refused to pay and they pulled their swords. I pulled my 
sword slowly and took a step forward as i growled. They were set back by my move but 
attacked anyway. The first dragon charged me with his sword high. Amateur. I knelt and 
slashed open his gut with a horizontal swing. The second dragon saw what happened with 
the first and held his sword low, but he left his head unprotected. I split it open 
like a overripe melon with a vertical chop. The third practically jumped on my sword, but 
it got stuck in his chest. The white dragon saw me struggling to pull the sword out 
and charged at me, but i raised my hand and held the palm towards him and blasted him 
with a energy ball. His upper body exploded, sending body parts flying everywhere. 

The lower body rolled towards me, but stopped a few meters away. I turned to pick 
up my sword, and suddenly my body started to glow yellow and i was lifted of the ground. 
As i slowly spun around i saw a young white dragon, and he was angry. 

"You will pay 
for killing my father!" he shouted as he picked up his father's sword. 

He could not be older than 15 or 16 years. I easily broke his hold on me and he jumped with 
surprise and lost the sword.

"That is impossible. No one have esca.. URRRKK" he said as i grabbed him by his 
throat and lifted him off the ground. 

He struggled to get free but i only squeezed harder. 

"Drop my grandson this instant!" someone shouted. 

Great, a family reunion i thought. I turned to the voice while still holding the kid in the air. 

"Who do you think you aAAAAAAHH." With shock and fear in his eyes he threw himself 
to his knees and hands and held his head low. "Forgive my family's foolishness, 
please release my only grandchild" he begged.

I looked at the kid. He was barely struggling, his eyes bulging out and the tongue 
hanging from the corner of his mouth. 
I dropped the kid and he fell to the ground gasping for air.

"Gramps, why don't you do anything?" he asked with a rasping voice.

The elder looked at him an explained. "He is a Shi'Vani, perhaps the most powerful 
and evil of all dragon races."

The crowd that had gathered suddenly pulled back, a female wolf fainted. "So that's 
why the shaman act so strange." someone whispered. 

"You have been teaching the kid magic?" i asked.

"Yes. I'm training him as a shaman, as i trained my son."

I looked at the kid, studying him before i said "the kid has potential, i will 
train him as a Shi'Vani." 

The shaman started to cry. He knew that he had lost the grandson he knew and loved, 
even if he survived the training. 
"Dorak, do what he commands and the training will be easier. 
And remember that i love you no matter what happens." the shaman sobbed. 

"Can i get my belongings before we leave?" Dorak 
asked with a hoarse voice. 

"You will only need your father's sword. Come, we leave now." 

I picked up my sword and was about to leave when two guards, a tiger and a fox, 
tried to stop me. 

"M.. murder is a.. a... Mmph." 

I placed my hand on his face and shoved him hard and he fell on his back. 
Judging by the wet stains on their pants they won't do that again. 
The trip to the academy took about a month and was quite uneventful, with 
the exception of a pair of highwaymen trying to rob us. 
I could tell already then that the kid was pathetic with the sword, but he did 
knew how to use magic. I didn't have to do anything as he scared them away.
When we arrived at the Shi'Vani academy we were greeted by master Chu and her 
top student Silrri. 

"Master MadFang, what are you doing with that inferior "thing" ?" Shu asked. 

"Do not underestimate him, master Shu. He actually managed to hold me with a spell, 
even if it lasted for a few seconds." i explained. 

Shu raised her eyebrows and said "amazing, no one are capable to do that, not 
even the other masters." 

Sillri just looked at Dorak. We entered the academy and found a room for Dorak. 

"Sillri may not have shown it, but she was impressed with you" i told him. 
"You should get some rest, tomorrow we will train. And it
 won't be a picnic." 

I left Dorak an looked for the other masters to find out if 
anything new happened while i was away.
The only thing i heard was rumors about Dorak and his magical powers. The next 
day i showed Dorak where to find the healers, the mess hall was and where the 
other 6 masters lived. I also told him the proper procedure and the way of 
command before we started the training. After seeing his poor skill with the 
sword during the highwayman incident, we started to spar. First i let him attack 
me to see what he do with the sword. 

Even the youngest students that entered the academy wasn't this bad. 
I quickly disarmed him and gave him a cut over his shoulder. He winced from the 
pain but did not complain, just like a Shi'Vani. 

"Here you will learn from your mistakes. For each mistake you make i will 
give you a wound to remember. Pick up your sword and attack me again." i 
told him. 

Sure enough, he had learned from that mistake, but he had a lot more to 
learn. At the end of the day he was covered in blood and had cuts all over his 
body, but he was a quick learner. A small crowd of students had gathered 
to watch, laugh and learn. 

"You did good kid, you have learned more today than some learned in a week. 
And i expected you to complain but you kept your mouth shut, even some Shi'Vani 
can't shut up after a session like that. Find a healer and get yourself cleaned up, 
you can have rest of the day off, you have earned it. This time." i told 
him while i cleaned my sword. 

As Dorak turned to go to the healer, Sillri emerged from the crowd. 

"You got high praise from master MadFang, not many are that fortunate. 
And you did good at the the end of the sparring." she told him. 

"It hurts to get cut and i tried to avoid getting new wounds." he answered. 

"Here, allow me." She said as she laid her hand on his chest. 

It started to glow and Soon all his wounds were healed. 
When she finished the healing she said. 

"Duty calls, see you later." 

When she left i told him "she likes you. Only twice have she healed someone." 

"What does she see in me? I'm not a Shi'Vani like her." he asked. 

"Perhaps she is drawn to your power, like a moth is drawn to a flame." i answered.

The next two months we trained with swords and in the end i had to use all of 
my skills to avoid to be beaten. We changed to hand to hand combat, but after 
a few weeks we stopped because i had nothing to teach him. He used the tricks 
from sword fighting to defeat me in the end. I had tripped him in such 
humiliating way that all the students laughed heartily. He didn't like that 
and he got pissed off and punched me with a uppercut that sent me flying. 

The laughter was replaced with silence as everybody couldn't believe their eyes. 
Dorak asked if i was alright. That was my way out of my humiliation. 
I pretended to get up, but i used every muscle in my arms, legs and tail to 
launch myself at Dorak. My fist hit him square in the chest and broke most of 
his ribs. He coughed up lots of blood and staggered back, but did not fall over. 
His face was twisted in pain and agony but he was alive. That punch have killed 
many and those who survived fell to the ground. 

"Let this be a lesson. Never show compassion or pity for your opponents and enemies, 
for they will take advantage of it like i did." i said loud enough for everyone to hear. 

"I... Under... stand." groaned Dorak. 

I looked at Sillri and she hesitated, 
unsure what to do after the speech. "Well? Are you not going to 
heal him?" i asked her. 

She rushed to him and after she had healed him she said "i don't care if that was a 
part of his training, but you were fantastic. When we graduate, i want 
you as my mate." then she kissed him. 

Dorak was stunned. We focused on magic the next thee months, because he never 
heard of countering spells with another spell. I gave him serious electrical, 
acid and fire burns, frostbite and twice i almost drowned him. And his girlfriend 
healed him every time. During the training i wondered if his ability to hold me 
when we met was pure luck. 

His spells was not particularly powerful, and the other students and masters 
noticed it. One day a student, Ekkab, challenged Dorak to a han to hand duel. 
Ekkab taunted Dorak during the duel and in the end Ekkab forced Dorak to the 
ground while laughing evilly and claiming him as his "toy". Dorak who had enough 
of the humiliation, placed his hands on Ekkab's chest an unleashed a energy blast 
that sent him flying through the air. When Ekkab landed it was obvious he was injured, 
but Dorak wasn't finished. 

He hovered about 20 meters over the ground with his wings and shouted 
"I'M NOBODYS TOY!" before he unleashed a torrent of energy balls. 
Students ran for cover since his accuracy was terrible. Then it struck me, his 
power is connected to his mood. He was angry when i killed his father, when i 
humiliated him during the hand to hand combat and now angered by Ekkab. When 
the dust settled the damage was obvious. The outer courtyard wall was 
demolished and half of the sparring ring was gone. Dorak had hit Ekkab a 
few times and was barely alive and some of the students was also hit. After 
everyone had been healed, master Qhai judged the match. 

"Dorak, you have been disqualified since this was strictly a hand to hand combat." 

Ekkab started to laugh. 

"Shut up Ekkab." i told him. "You are to be punished for 
underestimating your opponent. You can choose your punishment: Fire or Ice." 

The color in Ekkab's face disappeared on the thought, painful 2nd And 3rd degree 
burns or agonising frostbite to the point where the flesh almost froze. As Ekkab 
was leaving for his punishment i spoke to Dorak. 

"I see we have to train your anger now, since it is your good mood that holds 
you back. And don't worry about loosing the match. When you graduate you may 
ignore most rules in the world. You also impressed me by attacking him without remorse." 

It was easy to make Dorak angry. All i had to do was break some of his bones 
in the beginning, later he got angry whenever someone got close. Now that's anger management. 
A month later the masters in the academy had a meeting to choose candidates for the 
graduation match. 15 students was on the list so far and we needed one more.
 
"What about Dorak? He is a good fighter." Asked master Huian. 

"Are you sure? He has only been here for six months." i said. 

"He has learned more in this short time than any student that's been here for 10 years. 
He is ready to graduate." 

The next day the fighting started.  The rules was simple, defeat your opponent 
with any fighting style and the looser was he or she who surrendered, lost 
consciousness or died. If a fight lasts for longer than six hours, they automatically 
graduated. Dorak plowed through the opposition until he was in the final match, 
where he met Sillri. Both hesitated first but they attacked each other as if 
their life was at stake. The fight lasted for hours, and in the end they were 
so tired that the only thing they could do was trying to choke each other. 

Suddenly the gong sounded, the time was up. We had to separate Dorak and 
Sillri before the killed themselves. The fight was over, both had graduated 
and a celebration was held in their honor for their battle prowess. Within 
a week the had said their goodbyes and left the academy. I stayed at the 
academy for a month before i left to find new "recruits". After a week of 
traveling i met Dorak again. He said he had something important to tell me. When he 
came close, he stabbed me, and suddenly i felt weak. 

"I am Dorak Thegil, and today i get revenge for my father. You might have 
broken my body, but not my spirit or will." 

I fell to the ground and hit my head on a rock. 
The last thing i saw before passing out was Dorak standing over me laughing. 
I knew i should have killed that brat back in the village. It's getting harder 
to keep my eyes open, probably because i'm drowning in my own blood. 
As a shadow falls over me, i close my eyes and slip into darkness.