by Hans Bezdek
Before I could do anything, Cassandra grabbed my arm gently. I glanced over at her and she shook her head. She was right. It would be dumb to start a fight out here.
“Well, at least we know this is probably the right spot,” offered Cassandra.
“Yeah, and we know that they already know where they’re going,” I said. “Why don’t we skip talking with the homeless guy, and just follow after them? Cut out the middle man, eh?”
“No!” she said. “What if they go to the wrong place, or waste time on side things? We can pass by them if we get the info ourselves.”
“Surely we can beat them to the punch once we see the Sword, though,” I tried.
“They probably don’t know anyone else is after it yet,” she said, shaking her head. “They’ll catch wind of us if we just follow them, and then they’ll be on their guard. This way, they won’t know, and they might not be in a rush.”
She made a good point. I gave up on my protest and we walked into the tent.
Even though it was still early, the tavern was packed. Live music played out from the corner, where loosely dressed women of all races were chatting up intoxicated men. Full tables dotted the floor, with people dancing in between them all. There was a bar at the back, which was the only spot with a little breathing room. That’s where we headed first.
We took a spot in the middle of the bar, looking around at all the patrons. No one looked particularly homeless. In fact, everyone there appeared to be very well to do. Maybe this wasn’t the right tavern after all.
A gnome wearing a wide arrange of colors sat on Cassandra’s left. He was flanked by two gorgeous human women, who were both staring intently at him. He was in the middle of saying something as we sat down, but stopped when he saw Cassandra.
“How much?” asked the gnome, leaning forward.
“I’m sorry?” asked Cassandra, cupping her ear towards him. With all this music and chattered, it must have been brutal for her great hearing.
“How much?” asked the gnome again, rubbing two of his tiny fingers together.
Cassandra looked back at me, confused.
“He thinks you’re a prostitute,” I laughed. “He wants to know how much you charge.”
Her eye’s flashed in anger at that, and she turned back to the gnome.
“Not for sale,” she said loudly and firmly.
“Now, now… everyone’s got a price,” smirked the gnome, placing his hand on her knee. “I’m sure we can come to some sort of arra-AAAAA!”
The two women he was with jumped back and let out frightened noises as Cassandra grabbed the gnome’s fingers and twisted his arm back into a very unnatural looking position.
“Not for sale,” she repeated, louder this time.
Realizing he was dangerously close to losing an arm, the gnome nodded frantically that he understood. Cassandra let go, and he retreated, rubbing his injured arm and glaring at her. He waved at the two women to follow him, and walked away.
“Feel better?” I asked.
“A little,” she said with a small grin.
“That was gutsy,” laughed a man taking the gnome’s spot. He had on a metal visor that covered nearly all of his face, except for his mouth. He wore a dusty, old looking black cape that covered the rest of his body.
“Thanks,” said Cassandra.
“To be honest, though, I’m not sure how smart that was,” he continued.
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“That was Duke Fluric. He is a very rich and powerful member of royalty out west. You might not want to stay in town for much longer.”
Cassandra gave me a nervous look. We really had a way with making friends, didn’t we? However, there was a question a couldn’t get off my mind…
“Is Duke his name, or his title?” I asked.
“Yes,” nodded the man.
“So he’s a duke… named Duke.”
“Correct,” laughed the man.
“Huh… interesting parental choice,” I said. “Thanks for the heads up about him. We should be leaving soon, anyway.”
“What were you in town for?” he asked.
“We’re looking for someone who can tell us where to find the Shattered Sword,” said Cassandra.
“Yeah, some insane, homeless, drunk guy,” I said, leaning forward. “You wouldn’t happen to know where that nut job is, would you?”
“I do actually,” smiled the man. “I’m the nut job.”
Cassandra glared back at me as I chuckled nervously.
“Oops.”
Chapter 11
“I’m sorry about my friend,” sighed Cassandra.
“No worries,” smiled the man. “What is it you’d like to know?”
“What’s up with the visor?” I asked.
“Shut up!” hissed Cassandra, slapping my arm.
“I’ve got to know!” I said, throwing my hands up defensively.
“It’s quite alright,” laughed the man. “I fought with a dragon a few years back. He burned me so badly that most people couldn’t stand to look at me. I wear the visor to keep from causing a scene, and to make people feel more comfortable. Wanna see the burns?”
“Can we?” I asked, getting excited.
“No!” shouted Cassandra, shooting another glare at me. I shrank back, letting her talk. I could see it another time. “We probably shouldn’t stay much longer if Duke is coming back. What we want to know is where to find the Shattered Sword. Do you know where it is?”
“I do,” he nodded.
“Really?” I asked skeptically. “You believe in this legendary weapon? Why?”
“I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” smiled the man. “It’s as real as you and me.”
“Why didn’t you take it, then?” I challenged.
“My fighting days are long behind me,” he shrugged. “I am more interested in making the world a safer, better place. Mine is a path of knowledge and peace.”
“If you want Yaerna to be a better place, then what’s up with telling everyone about where the Sword is?” I pried. Something wasn’t adding up. It was hard to trust a person without looking them in the eyes.
“I only tell those who I sense have an aura of goodness around them,” he said. “I can sense it around you and your elven friend.”
“You told The Guild, though.”
“The Guild is a force of good in Yaerna. You don’t agree?”
I grumbled, but let it go. Now wasn’t the time to get into a political debate.
“Please tell us where to find it,” begged Cassandra, looking around to see if the gnome was coming back yet.
“Very well,” nodded the man. “The sword lies in the Ruins of Le’Mar. Be forewarned, there are undoubtedly traps still in place there.”
“Ruins of Le’Mar?” I asked, glancing at Cassandra. “Know where that’s at?”
She shook her head. That wasn’t good. I hadn’t heard of it before, either.
“Are you two familiar with the Willows of Wander?” asked the man.
“No,” I said.
“The forest people go into and never come out of?” asked Cassandra. “The one in Truska?”
“The same,” he nodded. “The Ruins can be found inside of that forest.”
“I’m not sure I like the sound of never coming out of a forest…” I said.
“Thank you so much for your help,” smiled Cassandra, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me back. “We’ll do what we can to retrieve the Sword and do some good in the world with it.”
“Happy to hear it,” smiled the man. “Come visit sometime after you get it!”
“You’ll have to show me your scars then!” I shouted back as the elf dragged me out.
Cassandra and I left the tent, and the proceeded to stealthily move through Kra’Gar. Now that we knew where we were headed, there was no need to stick around and wait for a gang of hired thugs that gnome was surely sending our way. The elf took the lead, taking us to the western part of town.
&nb
sp; We made it to the edge without any issue, and looked out once again at a black, flat landscape.
“How far is this place?” I asked as we left the town behind us.
“I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s just a day or two,” she said. “I’m not sure how far out Kra’Gar is from the Truska border.”
“It’s not too far,” I shrugged. “If we go northwest, we’ll get to Dawnville in about five or six hours.”
“Perfect!” she smiled. “We should be able to make it there in less than a day, then.”
That was fine with me. I just wanted to be out of Gorland as quick as we could. While the other territories weren’t necessarily much safer, there was something about the open plains that made me uneasy. Trees, mountains, and buildings made it much easier to hide.
We traveled along the road west for a couple of hours, wary of any travelers coming the opposite way. We would always pass them with a smile and a hand on our daggers, not relaxing until they were far past us. The path eventually curved northwest towards Dawnville, causing us to leave it. We would have to continue into the wasteland alone.
Another hour passed as we walked. While we didn’t have cross paths with anyone, we couldn’t let our guards down. Bandits, Greeners, or worse could appear at any moment, and we had to be ready. We kept out eyes peeled, but kept at a quick pace.
“Look! In the distance!” said Cassandra after some time.
I squinted and covered my eyes as I looked ahead. At first I couldn’t see what she was talking about, but eventually I could make out a thin line of green at the horizon. Trees!
“We’re nearly to Truska!” I cheered. “We’ll finally get back to some life around us.”
“I can’t wai-”
She stopped, spun on her heels, and pulled out two daggers. I turned as fast as I could, pulling out my dagger as well.
A man with red hair stood a dozen or so yards behind us, a large bandage over his shoulder.
“Stalrik,” I hissed.
“What do you want with us?” asked Cassandra, daggers at the ready.
“Why, your friend’s eyes, of course,” he smirked.
“You’re outnumbered now,” she said. “You saw what we did to your group. Leave us now, and you can live.”
“I think I’ll take my chances. I won’t be trusting a backstabbing elven wench, this time.”
Cassandra glared at him, but didn’t say anything.
“How did you find us?” I called out. I also couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t attacked until now, but I’m sure we’d be getting to it.
“It really wasn’t that difficult,” he shrugged. “I was following you ever since you killed my little group of mercenaries. I didn’t want to risk fighting you on the road we first met on, nor in Kra’Gar, nor on the road out. Too much of a risk people would see the real me.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “You tried to fight us with your goons on a road. People could’ve easily seen you there.”
“As a man, sure,” shrugged Stalrik. “But who cares about that? One measly man with red hair, plus a group of Greeners, attacking two travelers? That wouldn’t cause much of a stir at all.”
“As a man?” asked Cassandra, confused.
“Let me show you what I mean,” he smiled.
Stalrik looked up into the sky, holding his hands out at his side. The man’s neck began to elongate, as did his head. His fingers became arched, black talons as long and sharp as a chef’s blade replacing them. His clothes melded into his skin, which grew and became red scales. The bandage over his shoulder and collar disappeared, as did the wound underneath it. A long, red tail sprout out behind him, as did two sets of webbed wings.
He leaned forward onto all fours as his transformation into his true form completed.
“W-What is going on?” stammered Cassandra, taking a step back. “I-Is this a trick?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. Sure, there was magic that could create an illusion like this if the spell caster so desired. This wasn’t it, though. This was the real deal.
“Do you see now what I mean now?” growled Stalrik, the red dragon, flexing his wings behind him.
“A red dragon, huh?” I said, stalling for time. I had no idea how to beat him in my human form. I had killed dragons before, but only when I transformed. Still, Stalrik looked to be hardly the size of a medium dragon. He was probably less than a century old, and wouldn’t have a ton of fighting experience. “I guess I can see now why you didn’t want to risk people knowing. If word got out that a red dragon was attacking people in Gorland, you’d have to go into hiding, or back to Ra’Chok.”
“I’m glad you understand,” smirked the dragon. “Although, I should expect as much, coming from another dragon. Even if you are only half of one.”
“Still don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.
“Enough talking,” he growled. “We both know the only way you stand a chance is to transform. When that happens… your eyes are mine!”
He shot forward with a beat of his wings, closing the distance in less than a second. I ducked as he slashed at me with his claws, and then hopped back as he bit down.
I reached up and shot a quick ball of fire at his face. Closing his eyes, he lowered his head slightly and took the hit on his scales. His eyes opened as a smile played on his mouth. We both knew that wouldn’t work.
“Ugh!” shouted Cassandra behind the dragon.
I watched as she went to town on his back with her daggers. It was nice that she was trying to help, but there wasn’t a chance those things were going to make even the smallest of cuts on a dragon’s scales.
“What the…?” she asked, staring down at her daggers helplessly.
Stalrik’s tail arched back and whipped out, catching the elf in her midsection and sending her flying back.
“You think my scales are just for decoration?” he laughed. “No normal weapon can pierce into me!”
He glanced back at me as I jumped at his face, bringing my right arm back. Equipped with the goblin’s metal contraption, I activated it as I threw my punch. Little engines on the back shot me forward, causing me to miss wildly.
“Stupid thing,” I muttered as I landed on my feet, mad at myself for not figuring out how the glove worked before trying to use it in combat. The extra boost explained how the goblin wrecked my jaw, though.
Stalrik tilted his head back as I looked back at him. Knowing what was coming, I quickly raised a wall of water in front of me as he let loose his fire breath. Hot steam blinded both of us, giving me some time to retreat.
“Quit wasting time and change!” shouted the dragon, stalking through the steam towards me.
Coming up with an idea, I began to charge up energy into the ground before me.
“I’m telling you, I’m not a dragon!” I shouted.
“Then you will die,” he said, leaning back for another breath of fire.
Having no time left, I let loose the energy in the ground. A block of earth shot up in between us, blocking me from the dragon’s view and the fire he launched at me.
“You think this will stop me?” laughed the dragon. “Pitiful.”
Stalrik swung out with his hand, breaking away the earth as if it were just a pile of blocks.
Just like I hoped he would.
Palm at the ground beneath me at an angle, I shot out a burst of wind, launching myself into the air and in the dragon’s direction. I held my arms wide as I twist around, grabbing a hold around the dragon’s neck with my right hand. I held on for dear life, spinning my body around his neck until I was on his back.
“W-What are you doing?” called out Stalrik, twisting his head wildly, trying to see me. It was no use. I was directly behind his head now, safely out of his eye sight.
I scanned the area around his neck as quickly as I could, searching for where his scales connected. Finding a weak looking spot, I jimmied my dagger into it.
Stalrik let out a slight gr
unt, but turned it into a laugh.
“Of course you would know to look for a spot between my scales, you green dragon mutt,” he laughed. “It won’t matter, though. Your puny daggers can’t truly hurt me. It’s nothing more than a slightly annoying needle. If you want to kill me, you’ll have to turn into a dragon, too.”
“We’ll see about that,” I said, finally getting the dagger into a position where I wouldn’t have to hold it still anymore. Holding his neck with my left hand, I stood up, balancing on his back. Pulling my right arm back, I activated the goblin’s punching device. I punched down with all my might, combining with the boost of the metal contraption, square down on the back of the dagger.
The red dragon roared out with pain as the dagger was lodged deep into his back, past his scales. Twisting about erratically now, he nearly bucked me off. Diving down at what remained of the dagger, I managed to grip onto what little of the blade was still exposed in the dragon’s back.
“Thought this little blade couldn’t actually hurt you?” I shouted.
“I’m going to rip you apart, dragon form or not!” screamed Stalrik, desperately trying to reach behind him with his arms. Unluckily for him, I had positioned the dagger directly in the middle of his back, knowing it would be impossible for him to grab me.
Summoning energy within me, I let loose the electricity in my hands into the dagger. The dragon let out an ear piercing scream as electricity shot through him, unrelenting. Blood poured down my hands as I held onto the blade, using up all the energy I could muster.
Finally, Stalrik collapsed onto the ground. I let go of my dagger, now permanently lodged into the dragon’s back, and tumbled off his back.
Cassandra rushed over and helped me up.
“You did it!” she gasped.
“Dragon’s can’t reach behind them,” I panted, glancing down at my hands as I tried to open and close them. They were bleeding pretty badly, but I still had full use. “It was our only chance. If he flew up and slammed down on his back, I would’ve been done for.”
“Good thing he didn’t,” she said.
I nodded in agreement. That would’ve sucked.
