Dragotaurz Pt 3/3
Short Sci-Fi Fantasy Serial: The truth about episode 220
PREVIOUSLY
2010: Eric uses the tape of Ep 220 as blackmail to get Vlad to attend his wedding.
Ep 35: Dragzleroy and Thordragzia defeat the Ickmonz and Thordragzia decides to stay in his castle.
1995: A snafu! Fighting! Explosion!
2010
Dressed in a red polyester button-down shirt one size too small and black skinny jeans, Vlad followed the wedding guests through the side gate of the big blue house and toward the backyard.
People milled about drinking, eating, and talking under the romantic hanging lights strung up over white floral arrangements and rustic wooden tables. Jazz music played softly and family members smiled freely, an occasional burst of laughter breaking through.
Vlad stood watching Eric and his bride talk to another couple near the remains of the mangled wedding cake. After a few moments, Eric noticed him and greeted him with a tight smile. When the other couple walked away, Vlad approached. Eric jumped right into action.
“Hillary, our special guest is here!”
The woman in the big white wedding gown was beautiful beyond words, with kind brown eyes that threatened to melt Vlad’s heart. She smiled at him with pure joy.
“Oh. My. God!” She stuck out her hand to shake his. He took it, marveling at how soft and delicate it was. “Thank you for coming! This is insane, baby!” — she turned to Eric, then back to Vlad, her eyes shining — “We are your biggest fans! This is a dream come true!”
A tiny part of Vlad smiled internally as he waved her way. “My pleasure, really. Congratulations.”
She beamed even brighter at him and went to throw her arms around his neck in a hug. He let it happen, though he did not rest his arms on her as he returned the hug. Instead, he made contact by gently patting her on the back. A flicker of regret at a lost experience threatened to grow into a steady burn, but he forced it down.
Hillary let go of him and held him out at arm’s length. Tears now pooled at the edges of her eyes. “Help yourself to anything and thank you for being here.”
Vlad coughed and nodded as she left him to hug someone else. The pride was evident on Eric’s face as he watched her go. He shook his head.
“Not sure how I got so lucky.”
“The money and the tape, Evan.” Vlad cut through the sentimental moment.
Eric’s eyebrows raised. “Okay, man. You’re right.” He reached into his tuxedo jacket and pulled out the remaining cash. The crisp bills felt good in Vlad’s open palm.
“There’s that. You get the tape after you dish the details” — a smile Vlad had begun to hate crawled across Eric’s face — “and after we all take a look at this long lost relic!”
He turned then and jogged away while yelling, “Attention everyone! We have a special treat!”
“What?” The washed-up voice actor blinked, then opened his mouth to shout at the groom’s retreating figure, but the presence of a warm hand on his shoulder interrupted all action.
“Long time, no see, Vladimir.”
Artwork by Ed the Editor
1995
Excruciating pain and the wail of sirens flooded Vlad’s consciousness before he opened his eyes. If it hadn’t been for the pounding in his head, he would have believed he was dead.
Thick, blurry movements and flashes of light filled his vision. The entire world dipped and spun around him, merging together with a faint green glow that ebbed from somewhere to his right. A shadow hovered over him. He thought he recognized the shape.
“What—” he groaned.
Silver looked down at him. “You’re awake,” he sounded relieved.
“What — what — Ahhh!” Vlad grabbed his head and rolled onto his side.
“Everything blew up. You hit your head. I got you out.”
The events of the afternoon started to drift back into Vlad’s mind. He laid there, breathing heavily, as he took stock of himself and his surroundings. The weight of Silver’s hand on his shoulder became unbearable as soon as he noticed it.
Slowly, he attempted to turn his head to meet the other man’s gaze. Every movement of his eyeballs felt like they were being stretched and tugged out of their sockets, yet he strained them long enough to look up at Silver and recognize a perplexed question in his eyes that mirrored his own feelings.
Artwork by Sapna
Dragotaurz Episode 220
FADE IN
INT. WIZARD CAVES - NIGHT
THORDRAGZIA and DRAGZLEROY stand in the Wizard caves. Dead Wizards lay on the cave floor. Thordragzia removes her Dragoblade from the chest of a Wizard.
THORDRAGZIA
Wizard scum.Dragzleroy steps closer to her.
THORDRAGZIA (CONT’D)
Did you find any others?
DRAGZLEROY
They fled — some on foot,
some by teleportation.
I think they got
the message, Princess.
Thordragzia spits on the corpse of the Wizard at her feet.
THORDRAGZIA
The next time they try to
cross the Ember Glow
Mountains, I won’t be
gracious enough to let
any escape. She sheaths her Dragoblade.
DRAGZLEROY
Princess…Thordragzia turns to him.
THORDRAGZIA
Dragzleroy… (deep breath)
I’m glad we’re finally alone.
I’ve wanted to talk to you
about something. DRAGZLEROY
Anything, Your Highness.Thordragzia holds up her human hands.
THORDRAGZIA
Please, just address me
as an equal. As you know,
I am the heiress to the
throne under my father,
but as you also know,
you are the rightful heir.Green flames glow from Thordragzia’s hands briefly.
DRAGZLEROY
That’s in the past.
The crown went
to your grandfather.
That’s — THORDRAGZIA
But it isn’t right. DRAGZLEROY
It is what it is.Thordragzia steps forward and places her human hand on Dragzleroy’s chest.
THORDRAGZIA
Marry me. Marry me and
become King.Dragzleroy takes her hand from his chest and presses it to his lips.
DRAGZLEROY
Your father will kill me.
And Dragztrid — THORDRAGZIA
I’ll talk to my father and
I’ll kill Dragztrid or banish
her — whatever I have to do.
I love you!Green flames envelop them both. Thordragzia throws herself into his arms and kisses him.
THORDRAGZIA (CONT’D)
Be my king — or perish
with me in our fight to
defend our love.Dragzleroy buries his face in her neck.
DRAGZLEROY
Yes.Thordragzia moans.
THORDRAGZIA
Mount me.CUT TO
EXT. WIZARD CAVES - NIGHT
A green glow emanates from one of the caves. The earth shakes with a steady, rhythmic rumble. DRAGZLEROY moans, then THORDRAGZIA screams.
FADE OUT
Artwork by Bea
2010
Silverio Herrera looked very much the same as the last time Vlad had seen him, with the addition of some graying at the temples and extra laugh lines around his mouth. The naturally charismatic man looked sharp as ever in a well-fitting plum-colored suit.
Vlad’s mouth hung open and he paled an extra shade or two. “Silver, no!”
He laughed his warm, clipped laugh. “Good to see you, too.”
“No, no, you can’t be here.” Sweat broke out on Vlad’s forehead and he felt dizzy as he started to panic.
“I was invited.” Silver’s eyes grew cold.
“He didn’t tell you?” The question approached a shrill screech.
“Tell me what?”
“He has the tape.”
Another laugh. “Impossible.”
A cheerful announcement carried over the heads of all the guests, aided by the harmonic pinging of fork tines on a champagne flute. The evening had begun settling in and grew more confident as it gained control of the scene, hastening the advance of night.
“Gather around! Here we go folks!” Eric moved swiftly around the backyard. Various pieces of equipment had been set up and tested. He pulled down a large white screen from a metal stand near the back fence, then jogged to a stack of black boxes and speakers some distance away. He pressed play and motioned for people to step out of the beam of the projector.
Dragzleroy and Thordragzia appeared on the screen, in a grainy, low resolution. Satisfied with his work, Eric flashed Hillary a broad smile and put his arm around her. She kissed his cheek and rested her head on his shoulder. A few of the guests snickered behind their hands while the rest shifted around uncomfortably, inching away from each other slowly.
As Dragzleroy raised Thordragzia’s hand to his lips, Vlad turned back to Silver.
“We have to stop him! Go get the tape!” he whispered angrily.
“You’re telling me what to do?! You go get it!” Silver whipped his slender arm toward the projector.
Vlad studied him a moment before saying with dreadful finality, “You gave him the tape.”
The other man’s thick eyebrows shot up. He let out a long breath of air between pursed lips. “Wow. You know I signed the same contract you did. And when do you think I got a copy of that tape? While I was dragging your ass out of that burning building?”
“Could have been way before.”
On the screen, green flames rose as Thordragzia fell into Dragzleroy’s arms. A spark came from the video equipment connected by a jumble of color-coded wires.
A streak of purple flashed in the twilight of the pristine backyard, under the amber light of the Edison bulbs. Silver was suddenly inches from Vlad’s face, a straight, knobby finger pointed at the larger man’s chest. His voice trembled with barely controlled fury.
“It wasn’t me. That tape ruined everything for me. I never wanted to see it again.” The whites of his eyes glowed in the near dark, turning his warm, brown irises into unforgiving endless pits.
A small green pinprick of light formed above the projector and wobbled as it struggled to gain strength.
“You got what you always wanted,” Vlad countered, spittle flying from his mouth.
“Did I?”
“You got the show all to yourself!”
“And it was nothing without you.”
Neither of them moved in the wake of this confession. Silver’s eyes softened into their normal shapes with long, sweeping curves. Rapidly replicating green dots of fire found more fuel to melt the plastic casings of the electronics, gaining heat as well as power.
From the high quality surround sound speakers, Thordragzia whispered, “Mount me.” One of the guests was unsuccessful in suppressing a laugh and received a slap over the head by a woman standing next to them.
“I wanted it to last forever,” Vlad admitted in a soft, breathless rush.
The VHS player sitting atop the projector was then engulfed in neon green flames. Someone shouted for help.
Silver opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, then attempted to begin again. He furrowed his brow and seemed to be lost in thought.
The fire spread quickly, burning a path straight toward the white screen, which went up in an instantaneous, spectacular verdant blaze at the exact moment Thordragzia screamed in ecstasy. Guests ran in every direction as a swirling vortex erupted from the fire and began drawing chairs and people into its blinding center.
It moved toward the men, who gripped each other tightly against the furious gale that whipped their hair and clothes about. Soon, they could see nothing but brilliant, undulating green waves spinning around them. They held on as the storm raged.
“Vlad!” Silver shouted above the cacophonous din of rushing wind. “I was wrong!”
Then as their flesh began to singe and the red and purple bits of their torn clothing sailed through the air around them, Vladimir Constantin let his heart soften completely. He let go of who he had always thought he was — who he had always tried to be — and he placed his lips upon those of the greatest and most baffling love of his life, Silverio Herrera.
FADE OUT
Artwork by R.M. Greta
Dragotaurz Episode 231 (2010)
FADE IN
EXT. HILLS OF DRAGOTAURZIA - DAY
DRAGZLEROY and THORDRAGZIA lay upon the grass of the hills, both are asleep. Dragzleroy begins to awaken. He opens his eyes and turns to look at Thordragzia. He strokes her cheek. She smiles and opens her eyes.
THORDRAGZIA
(groggily)
Vlad?Dragzleroy freezes, then jumps up and backs away from her. Thordragzia sits up.
THORDRAGZIA (CONT’D)
Vlad is that you? DRAGZLEROY
What the fuck?Dragzleroy looks at his hands, then his four dragon feet, then the hills around them. Thordragzia gets up and begins to search the hills as well. After a few moments, their eyes fall on each other.
DRAGZLEROY
(clutching his head
with both hands)
Shit…this isn’t real…Silver?!Thordragzia moves closer to him.
THORDRAGZIA
Yeah, it’s me. This has
always been me. DRAGZLEROY
(pacing)
No, no, no. This can’t be
happening. Tell me it’s a
bad dream.Thordragzia grabs his wrist and stops him.
THORDRAGZIA
It feels real.Dragzleroy looks into her dark brown eyes and recognizes the soul beneath the flesh, beneath the scales. She steps closer and holds his face in her hands.
THORDRAGZIA (CONT’D)
We lost all those years.
We fought someone else’s
fight — and we lost a chance
for something real.Thordragzia presses her forehead to his and he shudders
THORDRAGZIA (CONT’D)
Let’s enjoy this. Let’s fight
for each other now.Dragzloeroy pulls away to look into her eyes once again, then nods. He reaches up and runs his fingers through her long dark hair.
DRAGZLEROY
You’re so beautiful. THORDRAGZIA
It’s been too long.Thordragzia leans in slowly and Dragzleroy winces in pain from a secret wound he buried decades ago, but he doesn’t move away when she kisses him.
DRAGZLEROY
I love you.Music plays. Zoom out and pan slowly over the mythical land of Dragotaurzia.
FADE OUT.
<3 you all. Thank you to all who contributed artwork!
Map of Dragotaurzia made with Inkarnate
Yes! 🙌 delightful ending haha the tension was undeniable!
Wow, I was not expecting that ending! Well done :D