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Description
"... The day had dawned cool and clear. The Dragon Mountains had been as cold and foreboding as ever. Tarela had set out that morning in search of the ground wyrm that was terrorizing her village.
She was neither young nor old, and her mastery of the sword could not be beaten. Scars cris-crossed her muscular body, her shield looking worse for the wear, but still solid. She held herself with pride, and would never let friend or foe suffer needlessly.
Tarela had set out that glorious morning not knowing if she'd return. The beast had taken some of the best warriors of her village, warriors she had trained and raised. This wyrm had taken and desecrated men and women she had grown to love as her own, this was personal.
She had searched all morning, and through the early afternoon before she finally stumbled upon the burrow of the beast. The wyrm lay at the mouth of it’s den, waiting. Terala crept in, she was hoping for the element of surprise, but it failed her.
She came behind the rock and crawled over it, … empty. Only a depression was left of where the wyrm had lain. A noise above her and a slimy tingle down her back alerted her the wyrm was above her. Terala barely had time to block the attack with her shield as the beast launched it’s self upon her. The force of impact knocked her off balance and the weight of the beast brought her to the ground. She struggled to get up in time to block again, but the wyrm was like solid lighting, and was upon her. The beast dug it’s claws into her chain mail, it racked at her shield. Terala’s life flashed before her eyes, and she prayed.
For some reason the wyrm released her, and went off a ways. It was playing with her, like a cat and a mouse. As soon as Terala was on her feet it charged again, but it had underestimated the woman, her sword came for seemingly no where and sliced across its tender face. The wyrm screamed with pain and frustration, that was not supposed to happen! Terala felt strength and speed come to her at the howl of pain. She lunged forward, and sliced a deep gash along the side of the beast. Blood flowed freely now.
The wyrm suddenly turned very vicious and launched it’s self upon Terala once more.
Terala was thrown to the ground, as the wyrm took chunks from her shield. She found her sword still in her hand and thrust it into the beasts shoulder, twisting it in until all that showed was the hilt and a hand span of blade.
The wyrm scream in terror and pain, this human cannot win! It fell away from Terala, pulling her sword out as the beast moved away. It had had enough of this little game, it opened it’s mouth and spat forth the chemicals that combined to make flame. Terala barely had time to roll out of the way as the mass of heat hit the ground near her, burning what grass was left. The wyrm hurtled toward her while she was recovering.
Terala heard it coming, now was her chance, she braced herself. When the wyrm came upon her she bought her sword up under it’s neck as hard as she possibly could. She felt the flesh give way to her sharpened sword, and then there was metal upon bone. The wyrm went limp and fell harmlessly to the right of Terala. With a gargle of fresh blood, the wyrm surrendered to darkness.
Terala stood up, slowly painfully, her ageing body had not faired well, but she was alive. She looked about her; the sun was low in the sky, she had been battling the beast for the rest of the afternoon. The reddening sky reflected the reddening soil beneath Terala’s feet. “Now to go home…”

This one took me almost a month to finish. I had to stop for long time so I could figure out how to go from lots of grass to sparse grass and smoldering scorch marks. Sorry about the long description, it’s the story behind this (and its my story, not from a book or anything).

Art and story ©

Description
"... The day had dawned cool and clear. The Dragon Mountains had been as cold and foreboding as ever. Tarela had set out that morning in search of the ground wyrm that was terrorizing her village.
She was neither young nor old, and her mastery of the sword could not be beaten. Scars cris-crossed her muscular body, her shield looking worse for the wear, but still solid. She held herself with pride, and would never let friend or foe suffer needlessly.
Tarela had set out that glorious morning not knowing if she'd return. The beast had taken some of the best warriors of her village, warriors she had trained and raised. This wyrm had taken and desecrated men and women she had grown to love as her own, this was personal.
She had searched all morning, and through the early afternoon before she finally stumbled upon the burrow of the beast. The wyrm lay at the mouth of it’s den, waiting. Terala crept in, she was hoping for the element of surprise, but it failed her.
She came behind the rock and crawled over it, … empty. Only a depression was left of where the wyrm had lain. A noise above her and a slimy tingle down her back alerted her the wyrm was above her. Terala barely had time to block the attack with her shield as the beast launched it’s self upon her. The force of impact knocked her off balance and the weight of the beast brought her to the ground. She struggled to get up in time to block again, but the wyrm was like solid lighting, and was upon her. The beast dug it’s claws into her chain mail, it racked at her shield. Terala’s life flashed before her eyes, and she prayed.
For some reason the wyrm released her, and went off a ways. It was playing with her, like a cat and a mouse. As soon as Terala was on her feet it charged again, but it had underestimated the woman, her sword came for seemingly no where and sliced across its tender face. The wyrm screamed with pain and frustration, that was not supposed to happen! Terala felt strength and speed come to her at the howl of pain. She lunged forward, and sliced a deep gash along the side of the beast. Blood flowed freely now.
The wyrm suddenly turned very vicious and launched it’s self upon Terala once more.
Terala was thrown to the ground, as the wyrm took chunks from her shield. She found her sword still in her hand and thrust it into the beasts shoulder, twisting it in until all that showed was the hilt and a hand span of blade.
The wyrm scream in terror and pain, this human cannot win! It fell away from Terala, pulling her sword out as the beast moved away. It had had enough of this little game, it opened it’s mouth and spat forth the chemicals that combined to make flame. Terala barely had time to roll out of the way as the mass of heat hit the ground near her, burning what grass was left. The wyrm hurtled toward her while she was recovering.
Terala heard it coming, now was her chance, she braced herself. When the wyrm came upon her she bought her sword up under it’s neck as hard as she possibly could. She felt the flesh give way to her sharpened sword, and then there was metal upon bone. The wyrm went limp and fell harmlessly to the right of Terala. With a gargle of fresh blood, the wyrm surrendered to darkness.
Terala stood up, slowly painfully, her ageing body had not faired well, but she was alive. She looked about her; the sun was low in the sky, she had been battling the beast for the rest of the afternoon. The reddening sky reflected the reddening soil beneath Terala’s feet. “Now to go home…”

This one took me almost a month to finish. I had to stop for long time so I could figure out how to go from lots of grass to sparse grass and smoldering scorch marks. Sorry about the long description, it’s the story behind this (and its my story, not from a book or anything).

Art and story ©