Quotes

Reign of Fire

Denton Van Zan: Envy the country that has heroes, huh? I say pity the country that needs them.

[referring to the dragons]
Denton Van Zan: Ever see a male?
Quinn Abercromby: When I'm running for my life I generally don't look back at the plumbing.

Denton Van Zan: The name's Van Zan. Kentucky Irregulars.
Quinn Abercromby: You're a long away from home, Van Zan. You lost?
Denton Van Zan: Rebuilt a National Guard C-5A. Flew it 8,000 miles on 2 engines and tried to set it down on the old strip outside of Manchester. Lost 122 men and most of my fuel. We need shelter and a place to refit artillery. We'll be out of your hair by 1800 hours tomorrow.
Quinn Abercromby: That's a good story. Especially the bit about the plane, but there hasn't been anything in the air for 20 years. That's their territory.
Denton Van Zan: It's my territory. It's *your* territory. Their just rentin' it.

[after Quinn let Van Zan in]
Creedy: I'm sure you have a perfectly good explanation for this, but I'm buggered if I know what it is.
Quinn Abercromby: He's a Dragon Slayer.
Creedy: What?
Quinn Abercromby: A Dragon Slayer.
Creedy: Oh, he's a Dragon Slayer. I suppose that would make you King Arthur does it?

Creedy: [about his homemade liquor] Creedy's own black label. Aged two weeks in a steel barrel. Now, the secret's swallowing fast. That way it only burns your stomach and not your throat.
[takes a gulp and coughs]

Denton Van Zan: You see they have great vision during the day, and even better vision at night. But in the failing light, they can't focus. Magic hour.

Denton Van Zan: What are you doing here, Quinn?
Quinn Abercromby: You're standing on ground where I've buried hundreds. This my land. I'll ask the questions. What are YOU doing here?

[last lines]
Quinn Abercromby: If they come, they'll burn, we'll build. Or maybe I'll just kill 'em.
Alex: And here I thought optimism was against your nature.
Quinn Abercromby: It's a recent development.
Alex: [laughs] Well, here's to evolution.

Construction Worker #1: Quinn! What are you doing down in the arsehole of the world?
Young Quinn: Well you're passing through it. What does that make you?

Denton Van Zan: [shows dragon tooth] You ever seen one of these? Not many men have. Got it off the first one I killed.
Quinn Abercromby: The plane was better. So now you're a dragon killer. That's not even original.
Denton Van Zan: It was in a wheat field just south of Coffeyville, Kansas. It was late November. It's a month of mist. And we were caught in the open. The sun was setting behind us. There was nowhere to run. Twice it came in on us, and twice it missed the heart of us. And that's when I had an epiphany.

Denton Van Zan: Coffeyville. It's etched in American history because the outlaw Dalton boys were killed there. Ordinary townsfolk rose up and took 'em down.
Quinn Abercromby: Maybe you're the Dalton boys.
Denton Van Zan: No, no... We're the townsfolk.

Denton Van Zan: There's nothing magical about it. They're made of flesh and blood. You take out their heart you bring down the beast.

Denton Van Zan: We have paid a terrible price, and now we've got a chance to make a difference. We will.

Creedy: Marauders. Years since we've seen them. Well, look at the bright side - at least we're not alone.

Quinn Abercromby: [narration] We have to go on. We have to outlast them. Only one species is getting out if this alive.

Denton Van Zan: Envy the country that has heroes, huh? I say pity the country that needs 'em. What are you celebrating? One dragon down, three men dead? Oh, yeah. At that rate, we might just be getting somewhere in about 320 years. Is that what you want? You want a little accommodation? Nuh-uh. These beasts live on ash. They feed on death. There's no middle ground... not for them, not for us. And sure as hell not for my men who died out there today. But you go ahead. Have your little... soiree. Personally, you disgust me.

Quinn Abercromby: I've kept this for years, because someday it will be up to you. I don't want you to be afraid. I want you to understand. Knowledge is the only weapon we've got left. In the beginning, it was ignorance that destroyed us. I saw the first, but soon the world saw millions. No one knew how they spawned so fast, they swarmed like locusts, burning everything in their path, driven by one purpose: to feed. Even then, we couldn't believe they were real. Ancient man had made them into myths, but nature had made something far more terrible. Too late, our scientists discovered their true identity: a species which had burned the dinosaurs to dust, whose ash had brought on ice ages, who in eons past had scorched the world clean of life, then starved and slept, waiting for the Earth to replenish itself, waiting to start their cycle anew. Our weapons shot fire back at them, yet for every one of them killed, a hundred took its place. They seemed invulnerable. We could only look on as our leaders used their greatest arsenal to destroy them. But in the end, we only helped them, till the world burned, and the few of us that were left fled the cities, found shelter where we could. You have to understand our past, because you will decide our future. They're starving now, and they're more dangerous than ever. But we have to go on. We have to outlast them. Only one species is getting out of this alive.

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