Kooper Crystalline's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Kooper Crystalline pressed his thumb against a scale on his wrist and snapped it off. The diamond shard broke clean, like always. He set it on the flat rock and struck it with his cane. It shattered into dust. He stared at the gray powder and swore under his breath. For months his scales had grown back dull and brittle. He could not carve a blade from dust, and without that blade he could not kill the tyrant who ruled this colorless world. He needed heat. Real heat. Dragon fire, hot enough to cure the diamond before it cracked. He adjusted his hat, straightened his cape, and walked toward the mountain gate where the dwarves traded. Someone there would know where a dragon slept. At the gate, a small figure blocked the path. A green frog with a ladybug's red-spotted back stood on the stone steps. He wore a tiny red bow-tie and an antenna headband. Kooper had bought maps from this frog twice before. Each time the frog had haggled until Kooper nearly left. "The great diamond gentleman returns," the frog said, smiling wide. "Still chasing your blade?" "I need a dragon," Kooper said. "One that breathes fire." The frog's antennae bobbed. "There is one. Emberjaw. Big as a hill, head like a hunting lizard. Lives past the dwarven tunnels." He held out a webbed hand. "But my fee just doubled. Dragons make me nervous." Kooper snapped off three scales and dropped them in the frog's palm. The frog weighed them, frowned, then pointed down a dark tunnel. "Deepest fork. Don't let it swallow you." Kooper walked the tunnel until the air turned hot. Then he saw it. Emberjaw filled the cavern, red and green, its jaws leaking smoke. The dragon's head swung toward him. Kooper did not run. He pried a fresh shard from his chest and raised it high. "Burn this," he called. "Nothing else." The dragon snorted. A thin stream of fire struck the shard. Kooper's claws screamed from the heat, but he held on. The dull diamond glowed orange, then white, then went clear and hard. When the fire stopped, the shard no longer crumbled. He tapped it on stone. It rang like a bell. He had his cure. But Emberjaw lowered its head and spoke, voice like grinding rock. "You took my fire, gentleman. Now you owe me. A thief of flame must bring me the thing stolen from my nest, or I hunt you to every corner of this world." Kooper looked at the perfect shard in his hand. He had the blade he needed. He also had a dragon who would never stop chasing him until he paid a debt he did not understand. He slid the shard into his coat and bowed. "Then tell me what was stolen," he said. "I collect debts. I do not leave them."