Dragonsong Tales

Of Men and Dragons

Lux woke up nearly two days after the battle at Black Iron Bridge. He struggled to sit up in the bed he was taken to and he'd noticed he was wearing a loose gown. It didn't take long for him to realize he was in an infirmary.

A chirurgeon entered and promptly scolded him, "Sir! Please try not to move! It's a miracle the chirurgeons of your platoon were able to keep you alive. Quite lucky your heart never stopped."

"What...?"

"You don't remember...? From what the reports tell me, you're rather strong for a small Hyur male. You tried to fight a dragon with your bare hands and well... You won apparently. It died. You survived..." The chirurgeon examined Lux with a sad look upon her face.

Lux's body was still in pain, but was still able to get up off the bed.

"Lunae! Sir! You need to rest!"

Lux didn't care. He walked up to a vanity near his bed and looked in the mirror. He pulled the gown down a bit expecting yet another scar to add to the list. He hated every scar on his body. Not only were they ugly to him, they reminded him of his stupidest mistakes. So what would the third scar look like? He pulled the gown down to his waist. The chirurgeon could see the look of shock on Lux's face from the mirror. She turned away, "I'm sorry Lunae. But the good news is you'll be fighting fit with a few days of treatment." The woman was trying to help Lux find some kind of silver lining. But all he found was a disgusting scar filled with bite marks going from his right shoulder to the lower left side of his stomach.

"If it's any consolation... Your back was completely healed. It's fangs didn't cut as deep..." She stopped as she saw him shaking, "Lunae...? Lunae?!" Lux dropped to his knees, retching. It had been two days without food and there was nothing for him to throw up. The chirurgeon called for others to help Lux back into bed. Surprisingly it wasn't difficult at all. He hadn't the strength to fight back and he soon entered a bit of a daze. All he could think about were the moments before passing out after the battle. The desperation between him and the powerful beast he confronted. The confusion as he blacked out. It took several chirurgeons to keep him alive, apparently. That was the closest Lux had ever come to death, and there had been quite a few close calls.

    A few hours passed and Lux finally calmed down. He thought back to the beast he fought. Alax was right. It, too, experienced desperation just as he did.

    "Ah, there you are." A voice came from the door, and an Elezen man in a wheelchair was brought inside by the same chirurgeon that was taking care of Lux prior. The woman left the room so the both of them could be alone.

    "Alax? You're alive?!" Lux couldn't believe it. The wound he suffered just before the long fall off Black Iron Bridge should have been enough to kill him.

    "Aye, praise be to the Fury. I'm blessed to be here to speak with you again." Alax smiled at Lux, "Full glad am I to see you hale and hearty."

    He was relieved to see that Alax was ok. But that would be the end of his good news.

    "Miracles end there, though. They told me I might not be fighting any more..." Alax looked down at his legs, "It'd be yet another miracle if I was able to walk again. Physical therapy starts in about 8 days." Alax looked back up at Lux, trying to lighten the mood, "The biggest relief was hearing that you were here in the infirmary with me. Heh, they told me what happened to you before letting me know of your condition. I was sure you'd been killed. But I was apprised of the details. You're simply remarkable! A true hero in the battle of Black Iron Bridge!" Alax pumped his fist against his wheelchair; You can tell he was ecstatic about having worked alongside one of Eorzea's best mercenaries. Lux, however, didn't share this enthusiasm. Perhaps if Alax came into the room on his own two legs. But the reality of it was too grim for Lux.

    Alax could see the crestfallen look upon Lux's face and lowered his voice, "Lux... We won that battle. If it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't have taken down enough dragons for the platoons in Falcon's Nest. We should take some pride in a successful mission. Especially heroes like you."

    "A hero saves everyone, Alax." Lux's spirits lifted only slightly at Alax's words. It was good to know that victory was achieved, but he still felt defeated.

    "Casualties always happen in war, Lux. You know full well that it's impossible to save everyone. Hells, not even the Warrior of bloody Light can pull off such a feat." Alax let out a sigh before continuing, "Those dragons killed most of the other dragoons on the bridge. I heard tell of a platoon in Falcon's Nest that was utterly decimated... Seven casualties, one chirurgeon that's been MIA, and the only two survivors were a couple of outsiders. I pray that everyone who survives is able to better themselves somehow. Including us."

    "Yea..." Lux turned his head slightly toward Alax, but still didn't make eye contact, "You were right you know... About the dragons. They do feel... Emotions, I mean. I felt its desperation as it tried to bite me in two." He tightened his fist in frustration, "I was foolish. Foolish enough not to respect my opponent because I thought they were mindless beasts. Now I have what's easily the most fitting reward for my idiocy."

    Alax smiled at Lux, "I pity the warrior without any scars to show for his hardest fought victories. You've become a wiser and more knowledgeable fighter."

    Lux shook his head, "Even if that's true, I think I'm better off not believing it. I mean, I thought the same thing before the battle..."

    "Well, the wisest thing a man can do is recognize that there are many things he does not know. Not knowing the enemy will make you want to learn more about them. And you have. Not knowing that you're a capable fighter makes you strive to be better. And you've fought alongside the finest dragoons Ishgard has to offer. Some of them even had the luxury of seeing your legendary struggle. I'm rather envious of them, truth be told." Alax chuckled to himself, and smiled further when Lux managed to break into a smile himself.

    "I'm certainly going to avoid putting myself in such situations." Lux looked up at Alax, finally.

    "If only I did the same. My wife is going to be more than a little upset seeing me like this, haha!" Alax laughed heartily before continuing in jest, "She's expecting, you see. Due in about a moon or two. Last thing I need is for her to bear unnecessary stress over my condition."

    Lux beamed at Alax, "Well, you go and take care of your child, Alax. And keep up the fight. I hope to one day fight alongside you once more."

    "And I, you, Lux. But tell me, will you not stay here in Ishgard?"

    "No... I think it best I broaden my horizons further. I was thinking maybe I could visit the Far East some time. I hear tell there are remarkable swordsmen there. Perhaps I could learn a thing or two?" Lux didn't know it at the moment, but he was grateful Alax was there to cheer him up.

    "The Far East?! By the Fury... That's quite a journey. Fortunately the coin you've earned on this mission was more than enough to situate yourself there, eh?"

    "I was actually thinking of declining my payment... It was a hard fought victory. Tough enemies like that are what keep me affordable. Had this been an easy job I'd take the payment as compensation for wasting my time." Lux's newfound respect for dragons was admirable to Alax but he pointed out something behind Lux.

    "That's not what those pouches tell me."

    Lux looked behind him and saw about ten pouches filled with gil.

    "That... That's!" Lux was in shock once again.

    "... A couple hundred thousand gil? Yes." Alax couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Looks like payment has already been finalized my friend! I recommend a nice vacation in the Far East before you begin your training in earnest. You've earned it."

    Lux nodded his head, "I wonder what kind of sweets they have in the Far East?"

    "Oh? A fellow pastry connoisseur?!" Alax laughed once more, and the two talked through the night until the morning sun greeted them through the window.

    Full glad Lux was to have made such a friend. Alax would visit Lux in his last few days in Ishgard. And due to his high regard for Lux, he was pushed further to one day be fighting fit.