Fairy Slayer

by Logan Jacobs

  I frowned. I hadn’t come here for story time, but I didn’t want to risk offending the dragon, so I guessed I had to listen.

  “Alright.” I shrugged, and then I sat slowly on the cold hard floor and waited while the dragon readied himself.

  “I come from the beginnings of time,” he started. “I was born so long ago in the past that you cannot even fathom the existence of any living being. I was one of many. A great many beasts roamed the world then, and they have all faded into myth now, but the dragons were the mightiest of the bunch.”

  The dragon inhaled with a shudder and his nostrils flared.

  “The earth was filled with wonders,” he continued, “until one day, the Fae appeared. They decided their technology made them superior to any being. One by one, they hunted down species to extinction, destroying families and plundering the world for themselves. I was saved from this fate by a young elven warrior. She could not stand to see the actions of her people, and she hid me away. For centuries, I remained hidden, until one day my mountain was invaded by a group of traveling Fae. They hailed from this very guild. The Fae found me while I was sleeping, and I woke up in this pit, with a chain around my ankle.”

  The beast shook its back leg so that the chain rattled.

  “I’m so sorry--” I started, but the dragon shook his head.

  “I do not tell you this story for an apology, Milton Bailey,” he rumbled. “I tell you this story so that you learn one thing: the world is not always so black and white as you think it is. Good and evil are one and the same when taken to their extremes. I am held captive here by the ‘good’ Fae, but captivity is the greatest evil of all.”

  I shook my head at his words. He was right, the fact that this lonely beast was held in a cage was a gross injustice. I couldn’t help but remember Kalista’s words from yesterday though. A loose dragon could destroy the world.

  “What am I supposed to do with this knowledge?” I asked as I met his huge red eyes.

  “You will know one day, Milton Bailey,” he said. “Now, you have listened to my story. What is it you came here to discover?”

  “You called me Racmoth earlier,” I started with a frown. “I was told it means blood wielder in your language. You also said me having the Hand of Blood was significant. What did you mean by that?”

  The dragon bent his head closer to the door to scrutinize me from head to toe. His red eye was the size of my head, and I watched as his slitted pupil dilated before he snorted steam out of his great nostrils.

  “Long ago,” he growled, “it was prophesied that when the world burns and good and evil become the same, one will emerge from the weakest of the races. He will be the one to defeat evil. He will be the one to right the wrongs of the overzealous, and he will be the one to unite the most unlikely of friends. He will be called Racmoth, and his mission will change his life forever.”

  My heart skipped a beat below my sternum. That could mean anything. It could be good, it could be bad, or it could mean I’ll get a really great deal on a new car.

  “H-how exactly am I supposed to go about defeating evil?” I asked as I swallowed past my suddenly dry throat. “I only started this gig today.”

  The dragon’s maw stretched in a wide smile, and it was a very disconcerting expression given the fact that he had razor sharp fangs as long as my arm. “Well, as I have already said, good and evil can be one and the same.”

  “Okayyyyyy,” I drawled as I scratched my head, “how am I supposed to define ‘evil?’ You just said I’d stop its reign, but then you told me a story about how the ‘good’ Fae are kind of evil for imprisoning you. So who am I supposed to stop?”

  “Precisely,” the dragon snorted. “It’s a rather amusing conundrum. I’m interested to see what you will do.”

  With that, he flapped his huge wings and dropped back into the pit.

  “Wait, I--” I started to yell out, but he was already gone.

  I slapped at the door and gnashed my teeth as the dragon’s confusing riddles circled around in my head.

  “Thanks for nothing,” I grumbled, and then I sighed and began to trudge back the way I came.

  As I walked back to my room, the guild hall began to come alive once more. A few interns already rushed about with large cups of coffee in their hands. I passed the control room to see Danira right where I left her. She still studied the computer screen, and the voice recording played over and over again.

  I made it back to my room to find Ariette still asleep in my bed. While I’d been gone, she had shifted so that her head lay in the middle of the two pillows. The outline of her arms and legs was visible beneath the sheet, and all of her limbs were stretched out to take up most of the bed. Her blonde hair spread over the pillows in a beautiful web.

  I watched her for a moment as she breathed deeply and gently. She looked even younger in her sleep.

  Her elven senses must have known I was standing there because her eyes slowly blinked open to look at me. A soft smile crossed her face.

  “G’morning, HC,” she mumbled heavily.

  “Morning,” I replied.

  She sat up and wrapped the sheet around her upper torso as she stretched and yawned.

  “You’re already dressed and ready for the day, I see,” she said.

  “Yeah, I am,” I answered. I debated whether I should tell her about my early morning conversation with the dragon.

  I watched as she rose from the bed to pick up her outfit from a corner of the room. She got dressed slowly and winked at me when she caught my eyes on her naked form.

  I took a deep breath and decided to come clean.

  “I actually, uh, I went back to see the dragon this morning,” I said as I rubbed the back of my neck.

  “What? Why?” Ariette whipped around and crossed the distance between us with lightning fast speed.

  “I just wanted some answers about what he said yesterday,” I said as I placed my hands on her arms to calm her down.

  “And what did he say?” she asked quietly, and her blue eyes stared right into mine.

  “Nothing helpful.” I shook my head. “Just that good and evil might be the same. Oh, and apparently there’s some ancient prophecy about how I, the Racmoth, am supposed to defeat evil and keep the world from burning but I might be destroyed in the process.”

  Ariette blinked in shock, and then a severe frown marred her beautiful face as she considered my words. After a few silent moments, she finally sighed and rubbed at her brow.

  “It is too early for prophecies and the apocalypse,” she muttered. “I need some food in me first. Come on, let’s go get some breakfast.”

  She reached out, grabbed my hand, and began to tug me toward the door. Her expression was still troubled, and I didn’t like to see the beautiful elven warrior upset, so I plastered on a smile and squeezed her hand.

  “Drummed up an appetite after our workout last night, huh?” I teased.

  Ariette glanced over her shoulder, frown still in place, but when she saw my over-exaggerated leer, her lips twitched upward.

  “Perhaps,” she replied as she started to smile, “or maybe I’m just fueling up for an encore.”

  My dick twitched in my pants and, suddenly, dragons and prophecies and the end of the world were the furthest possible things from my mind.

  Chapter 8

  Ariette led me to yet another part of the huge guild building for breakfast. We walked through an arched doorway, and the sweet scent of cooking cinnamon, the savory smell of bacon and fried grease, and the aroma of freshly baked bread assaulted my nostrils in a very welcome way.

  The large room was a bustle of activity, and tons of Fae sat in groups at long tables. The echo of laughter and excited voices rang through the room and bounced off the vaulted ceiling.

  In the center of the food hall, a large chandelier hung from the ceiling. It was made of a crystal that glowed a soft, flickering yellow. As I got closer, I saw that the chandelier was not illuminated by flame but instead
by fireflies, and the insects swirled around their crystal enclosures with a soft buzz.

  At the far end of the hall stood a long table where elves in white aprons served out heaping piles of sausages, pancakes, waffles, cereal, omelets, and other fresh breakfast foods.

  Ariette caught the dopey grin on my face as she handed me a silver tray.

  “What’s the matter, HC, you don’t see anything that you like?” she teased with a laugh.

  “Absolutely not!” I replied as I crossed my arms in mock annoyance. “You Fae clearly don’t know how to eat. I mean, shit, who the hell likes French toast for breakfast?”

  The dwarf that stood about two feet in front of us turned around and shot me a glare. I smiled back at him and waved in apology. He clearly wasn’t one for humor in the morning.

  “Careful,” Ariette whispered as she sidled up to my side, “his wife’s the cook, and he’s got a mean temper.”

  “I’ve got to remember that most of you Fae don’t understand the meaning of the word ‘joke,’” I muttered back to her.

  She swatted my bicep and rolled her eyes.

  “Or, maybe, you’re just not all that good at them,” Ariette shot back with a small smile.

  “Next,” the tired elf behind the counter hollered out. Wisps of hair escaped from his hair net, and he didn’t bother to look at us as Ariette surveyed her choices.

  “Two pancakes, three sausage links, two strips of bacon, a mango, and, uh, give me some of that coffee cake too,” she ordered.

  The server sighed as he doled out her food onto plates and set them onto the tray.

  “You’re going to eat all of that food?” I asked the warrior as I surveyed her slim figure. After the night before, I could attest to the fact that there was literally no extra weight on her frame.

  “I told you, I worked up an appetite,” Ariette said with a wink.

  “Next,” the elf behind the counter called out again. He sighed as I looked in wonder at all the choices in front of me.

  “Um, what are your thoughts on French toast versus the pancakes?” I asked him with a hand on my chin. Ariette giggled behind me.

  “I don’t care, just pick one,” the server muttered.

  “Okay then, I will have…” I trailed off as I looked at the selection of pastries that I hadn’t noticed before.

  “Yo, human, speed it up over there!” someone called out behind me.

  I huffed and decided quickly. “Just give me what she’s having,” I said to the elf.

  He let out a frustrated grunt as he handed me my food.

  “You’re going to have to be fast tomorrow, HC,” Ariette said as she grabbed my arm. “People don’t have much patience around here in the mornings.”

  “Clearly,” I replied as I looked back at the line. It moved a lot faster now.

  I followed as Ariette led me to a table at the front of the room where Kalista and Danira were already seated. Nobody else was at the huge table even though others were overcrowded with breakfast goers. Fae sidestepped the table as much as they could. Some of them even threw slightly scared looks Danira’s way as they made their way to the food.

  “Good morning,” Ariette called out as she plopped herself in front of Danira.

  “Mornin’,” Danira grunted as she sipped her coffee. The commander’s plate of food sat practically untouched before her, and her brow was furrowed in thought. She seemed preoccupied, so I opted against bothering her and turned instead to my own breakfast.

  I took a bite of my pancakes and had to stifle a moan as my taste buds lit up in pleasure. My pancakes were the perfect mix of fluffy, buttery, and sweet.

  The food in heaven couldn’t even be as good as this.

  Quickly, I shoveled in a bite of every type of food on my plate. The coffee cake was the perfect balance of sweet and cinnamony, with a soft sponge-like texture. My bacon was crisped to perfection, exactly the way I liked it, and grease dripped off the end as I put a piece in my mouth. Everything was magical. I would never leave this place if this were what my meals were going to be like.

  The Fae really did have it better than us human folk.

  “So, how did it go yesterday, Milton?” Danira asked as she fixed her lone black eye on me. “Did Ariette teach you a thing or two?”

  “Uh, well, it was very informative, a great experience all around,” I said evenly. I couldn’t look at Ariette because the night before replayed in my head, and I recalled her gorgeous breasts as they came loose from her top. Quickly, I shook my head to snap myself back to the present moment.

  I couldn’t wait to do that with her again.

  “Good to hear,” the commander said with a curt nod before looking at Ariette. “Do you think you can get him up to our standards soon?”

  Danira turned to Ariette, and I caught Kalista as she stared at me with a playful smirk. She tilted her head and looked me up and down. The dwarf definitely knew what I’d been up to last night.

  And she definitely liked it.

  “Oh, yeah, absolutely,” Ariette said with both her eyes fixed on Danira. Under the table, one hand slid up my thigh but stopped right before it hit my groin. She didn’t look at me once, but I knew I had all her focus.

  “How long do you think you’ll need?” Danira asked.

  “Oh,” Ariette said and finally turned to look at me, “not too long. Maybe a week if I spend every night training him.”

  “Good.” Danira sighed, and then she lost herself in her thoughts for a moment.

  “So,” Kalista asked as she lifted a bite of egg into her mouth, “was Ariette a good teacher?”

  “The best,” I replied smoothly. Ariette’s breath quickened next to me, and Kalista smirked again.

  “Oh?” Kalista laughed. “Was her groundwork as impressive as I've heard?” Ariette shot her an embarrassed look.

  “I’m going to go to the control room,” Danira said as she stood up abruptly. “Ariette, meet me there in ten.”

  The teasing atmosphere evaporated instantly, and Ariette nodded as Danira left the table.

  “I’d better go join her,” Ariette winced with a shake of her head.

  The elf stood from her seat and disposed of her tray before she exited the hall, and I couldn’t help but notice the many pairs of male eyes that followed her path.

  “So...” Kalista began as she slid her tray over in front of mine with a playful smile.

  “Uh, no, Kalista, I am not giving you any details.” I shook my head at the hacker. She pursed her red lips in an exaggerated pout, but I shook my head again.

  “That’s fine,” she sighed dramatically. “I guess I’ll just have to see for myself how you are in bed.”

  I let out a loud laugh in surprise, but her violet eyes looked at me with absolute sincerity.

  “R-really?” I stuttered. “I mean, but Ariette--”

  “Oh, that’s right,” Kalista interrupted with a nod. “You humans have that whole monogamy thing going. Yeah, that’s not a Fae thing at all, even when we get married. Our style is definitely more along the lines of fuck whoever you want and have a damn good time.”

  My eyebrows shot up, and my pants tightened again.

  “Well, that’s good to know.” I smirked, and then I lifted another delicious forkful of food to my mouth.

  “What I mean to say is that you shouldn’t get too hung up on sleeping with just Ariette,” she said as she winked at me. “It wouldn’t be good for the team’s morale if you were to play favorites.”

  She leaned toward me as a flirtatious smile tugged at her lips before she pulled back and pushed a bite of egg onto her fork.

  My entire body pulsed with anticipation as I imagined Kalista naked in my bedroom. I shoveled another forkful of coffee cake into my mouth as I remembered that I was still in the middle of the dining hall, and Kalista winked at me as she watched.

  In an effort to take my mind off my tightening pants, I looked around the food hall and took in the bustle of Fae activity. Interns dumped their
food and hurried off to start their day while some higher level Fae were clearly just arriving.

  I caught sight of Arendor as he entered the food hall with his shoulders thrown back, and his chin lifted high. He surveyed the damn place like he owned it. After a moment, his eyes landed on me, and I couldn’t help but give him a smirk and a wave. I wished desperately I could tell him what Ariette and I had been up to last night.

  Kalista caught my movement and followed my eyes.

  “Milton,” she said as she looked back at me, “you don’t want to get too far on Arendor’s bad side. He is not the most pleasant elf to deal with.”

  As if on cue, Arendor stared me down. If he could have shot fire out of his hard eyes right then, he would have.

  “Why not?” I asked Kalista. “He’s the one who started it. I didn’t have a problem with him until he came up and threatened me.”

  “Just ignore it,” she pleaded. “Be the bigger person. The last time he had a problem with someone, the fairy ended up moving out of the city and transferring to a different guild. Everyone knew Arendor had something to do with it, but the prick sucks up to Hasen every chance he gets so he rarely suffers any consequences.”

  “Who’s Hasen?” I asked.

  “He’s the guild master,” Kalista replied with a wave of her hand. “He can also be a prick, but he’s generally a good guy so try not to get on his bad side. And you really do just need to ignore Arendor.”

  “Fine.” I sighed and broke off the stare down between Arendor and me. “But if he tries anything, I won’t hesitate to kick his ass.”

  I caught sight of Arendor out of the corner of my eye. He stared daggers at me the whole way through the breakfast line, and he still kept his gaze on me when he sat down.

  Kalista waved in front of my face to bring my attention back to her. “Yo, dude, stop trying to figure out which one of you has the bigger penis. I’m positive it is you, so let it go.”

  “Alright, alright,” I said as I put my hands up in surrender.

  “Thank you,” she replied, and then she blew me an air kiss as she winked at me.

  As I pulled my gaze away from my enemy and focused back on my food, I thought about my conversation with the dragon earlier that morning.