《Dragon Slaying (Old draft version)》 Chapter 1 Karlston was one of the many hopefuls partaking in this suicide. Ahead and behind him were others who also had no other option. They amounted to a large troop of over three hundred. Since there were not any regulations set by the leading group, everyone brought their own equipment, from horses to armour and weaponry. The result was a mismatched horde, worse than a mercenary band. Karlston did not bother wearing any armour, agility was more important than feeling secure by being wrapped up in steel. He had a shield strapped to his back, as well as a blunt sword on his hip, no matter how much he tried to sharpen it the weapon stubbornly stayed the same. He was told by his greatfather that it was made of black steel. He hoped that this fact would increase his chances of success when he participated in the hunt. He was gambling his life on this. Every small asset he gained increased his chances of survival. Ahead of him, a young noble in gold-enameled and jewel-embellished armour trotted onwards on his white stallion. Nearby was an old man, presumably a farmer since his only weapons were the scythe in his hands and two sickles strapped to his back. Everyone has their own reasons for joining. But reasons don¡¯t mean anything here. All around them was ash and dirt, not a speck of vegetation in sight. There were scorched bones strewn about, belonging to animals which had once inhabited the ruined land. Their destination was nearby, not that they could see it from within the dust storms. There was another way to tell. Karlston wrinkled his nose. It stunk of death, the sure sign that he was close. Ahead there were masses of rocks, black as char, which stuck out of the ground like claws. The wind rumbled past them in a low growl, trying to ward the intruders. No one would have reached the end of their journey if the lead group hadn¡¯t pointed the way. Karlston had not seen any of them so far, they were at the forefront of the march. They had made it plain beforehand that anyone who followed would be left behind if they did not keep up. A few moments later, the black blizzard subsided, revealing a bleak mountain. It stood alone in the barren land. Dark clouds swirled around it. Streaks of black lightning struck the ground. The smell became unbearable. Some of the hopefuls fainted. Others wrapped their faces in wine soaked cloth. The rest ran away, to be lost forever within the dust storm. Karlston felt no sympathy for them. If they couldn¡¯t stand this much¡­ then they never should have come. He noticed the lead group setting up tents. They would be staying here for the night, not that most of the group here would get any sleep. It would help him get used to the smell. It was only going to get worse where they were going. He set up his own tent from those provided by the group in charge. After many tries, Karlston had finally finished pitching his tent. He stopped to rest, not learning to set up a camp had been a big blunder. He noticed then that everyone was going to the center of the encampment. He grabbed a boy who was running that way by the shoulder. ¡°Hey there lad. Why is everyone heading over there?¡± The boy looked at him irritably and pointed to the center. Karlston squinted, trying to get a better look. He saw someone standing on a wooden platform. It was easy to tell that the man was a Slayer from his scaled armour, which seemed to be customary among the clan. He patted the lad on the back and hurried ahead. If a Slayer was going to tell you something you would listen. Since the information they gave you affected whether you lived or died. The Slayer, luckily, waited until almost everyone had gathered before he started, which gave Karlston enough time to get close enough to hear him. The man¡¯s voice crackled with authority as he spoke. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°To those of you who have joined us in this hunt, I thank you beforehand for participating. My name is Galton, the Piercing edge. I am here to represent my clan, the Slayers. As you all know, our lands have been plagued by the most vile and dangerous threat known to the realms of man. This threat comes in the form of fire and wrath incarnate, Dragons. ¡°These monsters ravage our fields, devour our livestock and kill our families. No one is safe. Whether you be a lowly farmer, or you be the lord of a kingdom. A Dragon will just as quickly, just as easily, destroy everything you¡¯ve ever owned, kill everyone you¡¯ve ever loved and burn you until all that remains are charred bones and ash.¡± He paused for a moment. Karlston used the time to get closer. He noticed that there was more than one slayer around the campsite. He counted four. This was extremely unusual. Slayers normally travelled alone or with their own personal followers. The only circumstances that Karlston could think of when Slayers grouped together was when they were venturing through the forbidden lands, where only people of the Slayer clan dared enter, or when protecting a highly populated settlement from a dragon attack. He focused again on Galton when the man continued. ¡°You all have chosen to participate in this hunt for the chance to become one of our clan, a Dragon Slayer. Now that you have come this far I must warn you, none of the Slayers, myself included, will aid you during your battle.¡± There was a muttering of curses and louder protests from a lot of the crowd until one of the other slayers roared for silence, his voice deafened anybody who had been close. Thanking his comrade for the assistance, Galton continued. ¡°This is one of the founding laws of our clan. No Dragon Slayer may interfere in a hunt. The hunt is what we use to recruit people from outside the clan. ¡°If we let someone kill a dragon we have weakened beforehand, then we cannot judge whether he has the skill or fortitude needed to become a Slayer.¡± Karlston tapped his foot while listening. ''I know all this already. Will the man get on with it!'' Galton clapped his hands together. ¡°Now that I have gone through the formalities required, are there any questions about the hunt before we turn in for the night?¡± One man raised his hand. It was the farmer Karlston had seen before. ¡°T¡¯ kill a beast like t¡¯is hard enough, Slayer. But most of us don¡¯t even have weapons t¡¯ use ¡®gainst it. Could you not spare equipment t¡¯ us who can¡¯t afford them?¡± A lot of the hopefuls were also poorly equipped and seconded the first mans question. Galton clapped his hands again to quiet the crowd. He pointed over to the Slayers¡¯ tent. There were a dozen carts outside the entrance. Inside were heaps of different weapons, from curved sabers to massive broadswords. ¡°These weapons are from previous hopefuls before you who have tried, and failed, to slay a dragon. Since corpses don¡¯t have a need for weapons, we hand them out to people who do. Please take whatever you wish once the hunt begins." Even Karlston became nervous when he looked at the endless piles of weaponry contained there. If that many people had died in a hunt before him, what will make his case any different? All he had was a sword which was rumored to be made of black steel. And even if it was, it didn¡¯t mean he could actually get close enough to the dragon to use it. Galton dropped down from the wooden stand. He walked towards his tent and gestured dismissively. ¡°There is food and drink for those who need it. Follow my comrade and he¡¯ll take you there. That is all.¡± Chapter 2 He entered the tent, leaving everyone to mull over his words. People slowly started to file out of the pavilion, following a small Slayer who beckoned for them to follow as he led them towards the cooking fires. Karlston stayed where he was. He waited aside until everyone had left the pavilion then snuck around the slayers'' tent. Creeping slowly towards the back entrance, he took out his pocket knife to slice open the threads when he heard voices from the inside. "...it is too dangerous. How could you consider doing a hunt in this situation?" The person''s voice sounded like a woman''s. Leaning in a bit further, Karlston tried to peer through the gaps of the tent. "This is precisely the time to start a hunt. As you know our numbers are starting to decline, so we need to compensate for this by increasing the amount of hunts." The other voice belonged to Galton. Karlston could see the outline of his armour and that of another slayer, the woman whom he had heard. The scales on her armour were green instead of the normal blood red. He stayed still so as not to alert them. The woman was pointing at Galton with such ferocity, as if she could kill him with a simple touch. Karlston had to take large, slow breaths in order to keep quiet. ¡®Seems that there are also conflicts between slayers... Maybe they''ll let something slip.¡¯ "I agree with what you are saying, however, why this hunt in particular? You know that it is impossible for them to achieve! We were supposed to slay this monster. Not send a load of amateurs to die trying instead!" Karlston held his breath, holding back his rage. ¡®Those fiendish Backstabbers! They are sending us out there to die... But isn''t that what I came here knowing in the first place? The only difference is that even the slayers believe we''ll fail.¡¯ He was about to slip away when Galton started to speak again. "The reason that this hunt is necessary is because it''s impossible. If someone manages to slay the un-slayable, do what others believed impossible, then they have the qualities needed to be a Dragon Slayer. The very reason we are losing strength is because we only get hopefuls to hunt mere fledglings. "In order to increase their strength, they have to kill stronger dragons, like the Hero Slayers of the past. This time with their lives on the line." The little speech seemed to have the desired effect. The woman laughed hysterically. "I was wondering what you were up to, now I know¡­ you insane bastard!¡± She sighed, her arms falling back to her sides. ¡°However, what you say is true.¡± She turned away from him, viewing a map of some sort. ¡°Your option is the only one available. We are losing strength and even our political power. "But instead of being titled the piercing edge, they should have named you the silver tongue! Do as you will. I won''t be able to stop you anyhow!" She stormed out of the tent, leaving Galton alone inside. Karlston was about to sneak away when Galton turned to face him, holding him in place with a piercing stare. ¡°You can come in now, there¡¯s no-one else here.¡± In shock, Karlston stumbled into the room. Inside there were lots of scrolls and maps, enough to make a scholar giddy. Glancing over them, he noticed that most of the maps were even more detailed than ones sold at his hometown. Galton kept staring at Karlston unnervingly as he made his way to a table. On it was a larger map, however this one had areas marked which Karlston never knew existed. Galton pointed at one area on the map, there was an arrowhead indicating a mountain. "This is where we are headed to. Do you have any idea what the place is actually called?¡± Intrigued, Karlston shook his head. Galton sighed. ¡°It¡¯s called The Fang. The reason being is that the locals believed the mountain shot out of the ground as if a giant beast had bitten through it.¡± Karlston looked at the Slayer as if he was mad. ¡°There are no locals here. There haven¡¯t been any inhabitants here for over a century.¡± Galton looked at him, or through him, wearily. He waited for a while before he replied. ¡°It seems my memory is not like it was¡­ As I was saying, there is some truth in what they had believed. The fang is actually a volcano. That¡¯s the reason that dragons use it as a nesting ground.¡± Karlston couldn¡¯t understand why he was being lectured. ¡®What is this man trying to get at?¡¯ As if predicting his question, Galton turned and faced where Karlston had been hiding. ¡°You tried to sneak in here for a purpose did you not? All I am doing is help you prepare. There is no easy way to achieve this. You won¡¯t be able to steal the kill, there is not a single known weapon out there that can fell a dragon with one blow and no-one can assist you with killing it. ¡°This may sound like I¡¯ve repeated obvious points. However, they are the only things you need to remember. A hunt may be near impossible to achieve but it has very simple rules.¡± Karlston nodded while musing silently, all the while rubbing his thumb around the pommel of his sword. This caught Galton¡¯s attention and he gestured at it. ¡°Your sword, may I see it?¡± Reluctantly, Karlston unhooked the sheath off his belt and handed it over. Galton slowly unsheathed the sword, his eyes widened when he saw the black blade. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen one like this¡­ black steel. How did you manage to get a black steel sword?¡± Karlston was heartened now that Galton had proved him right and answered cheerfully. ¡°It was my inheritance given to me by my greatfather, he had told me what it was but I didn¡¯t know for certain until now.¡± The Slayer just silently nodded to himself as he stared into the blades iridescent sheen. He sheathed the sword again and handed it back to Karlston. ¡°Don¡¯t lose it, you will need it¡­ May I know your name?¡± ¡°My name is Karlston. Karlston Fireheart.¡± Galton¡¯s eyebrows rose. He then scrutinized Karlston¡¯s face for a bit. ¡°I thought you reminded me of someone, does the name Triston remind you of anyone?" Karlston was the surprised one now. He hesitated a second before speaking. ¡°That was my greatfather¡¯s name. Triston Fireheart. How did you know?¡± Galton laughed for the first time, a roaring sound. ¡°He was one of my comrades. He took that sword from a cowardly Slayer while shouting at the man. ¡°This sword should only be in the hands of someone who will use it!¡± The hypocrite never used the thing himself either... Maybe it will hold a different truth for you?¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. His eyes started to glaze over as he looked solemnly at the entrance. ¡°I¡¯m rambling too much now. Leave this old man¡­ Go!¡± With that finality, Karlston ran out of the back entrance and fled from the pavilion. He was left much to think over. ¡®My greatfather knew the Slayers? Not just that, he fought alongside them! Why didn¡¯t he tell me¡­?¡¯ He continued to rub his thumb over the sword¡¯s pommel, steadily walking away. Karlston and his younger brother had been raised by their greatfather at a young age, ever since their parents had died. He had taught Karlston everything he needed to know as one of the Firehearts. How to read and write how to use a sword and the politics of the nations within the dragon ravaged lands. Triston Fireheart had been everything to Karlston. But it seemed he didn¡¯t know that much about him. ¡®I¡¯d best not dwell on it, I have better things to do with my time.¡¯ He was just going to get some food when one of the other hopefuls hailed him. A man who was just about older than him, Karlston guessed. ¡°Hey there friend, are you hoping for the chance to join the clan too?¡± Karlston held back a sigh. Would I be doing this for anything other than that? But I might as well get some information, if he has any to share. He kept a straight face as he replied. ¡°Yes, I am. Since you seem to be going around the camp, have you heard any news about what sort of fight we should expect.¡± The man shrugged. ¡°The Slayers will not tell anyone anything other than it is another dragon. But there is definitely something different about this one then the others.¡± Karlston did sigh then. ¡®Galton is obviously right, this isn¡¯t going to be easy. I had better make sure I am prepared.¡¯ The man started eyeing Karlston¡¯s sword. ¡°Say friend, is that sword made of black steel?¡± Karlston tensed and gave the man a cold stare, clutching his sword hilt possessively. The man raised an eyebrow and snorted in amusement. ¡°It¡¯s not like I want to take it for myself, just curious.¡± Karlston relaxed after that, but he still kept his grip on the hilt. He eyed the man¡¯s gear as well. The man had a leather jacket on and was equipped with a bow and a short sword which were secured to his back. Karlston eyed him cautiously. ¡°Are you really here to become a Dragon slayer like the rest of us?¡± There was something about the way he had geared up that Karlston doubted the man had the same objective as everyone else. No-one brought a bow because it would not be effective. And bringing a short sword was daft. You needed a length of steel long enough to reach a dragon¡¯s heart, short swords are appropriately named, too short. The man smiled, he had a charm about him, something that made you like him instantly. That also made Karlston wary. Making friends wasn¡¯t his goal. Having someone you liked would only drag you down in the hunt. On closer inspection, the man actually looked rather handsome. His only blemish was the burn scar along his left cheek. Karlston waited for the man to reply. When it seemed that the man wouldn¡¯t talk, he turned around to return to his tent. ¡°I will tell you¡­ if you manage to slay the dragon.¡± Karlston glanced back to look over the man again, he wasn¡¯t smiling. His smile was only a fa?ade. This seemed to be his real face, full of determination. ¡®He¡¯s like me. He has different reasons for joining this hunt, besides the common ones. But unlike everyone else, he won¡¯t be an obstacle along my path. I need allies to get ahead, best to make some now.¡¯ ¡°My name¡¯s Karlston, what¡¯s yours¡­ friend?¡± The man smiled again, but this time it was genuine. ¡°The name¡¯s Ward. I¡¯ll see you around Karlston.¡± Karlston waved a hand in farewell and continued towards his tent. As he rounded the corner of a nearby campsite, he saw the boy he¡¯d asked for directions earlier. The boy noticed him and then suddenly bolted in the opposite direction. Although the lad¡¯s behavior was suspicious, Karlston ignored it. ¡®Everyone here is on edge. It is obvious that people will seem suspicious.¡¯ Karlston reached the food site, another massive pavilion. Anyone who asked was handed a loaf of bread and a large helping of stew by one of the Slayers, surprisingly. Karlston sat on the ground and then dug into his share with relish. The hard journey had made everyone famished. No-one complained. Karlston ate all the meat and vegetables in the bowl first and used the bread to soak up the soup left over. Karlston noticed that he actually hadn¡¯t seen anyone helping the Slayers with the campsite chores, Slayers had groups of followers who helped them with everyday activities, to earn the chance to go on a hunt. But Karlston could see that the only people making sure that the campsite was in order were the Slayers themselves. ¡®This could mean several things.¡¯ Karlston deduced. ¡®Either these Slayers don¡¯t want their followers to get injured because this hunt is particularly dangerous, or they didn¡¯t want anyone to know of what will take place here. The former seems likely because I overheard Galton and that other Slayer arguing about it.¡¯ Karlston frowned. ¡®But what if there is some sensitive information that the Slayers don¡¯t want anyone else to know? And that the only reason they don¡¯t mind hopefuls like me joining is because they think everyone is going to be killed, since a dead person cannot reveal secrets¡­ This is only speculation though, better keep it to myself.¡¯ Keeping a calm expression to avoid drawing attention to himself, Karlston carried his bowl over to a cart and put it among the other used eating utensils. Although there were ales and spirits being offered by another Slayer, a shockingly beautiful woman, Karlston avoided it. It would do him no favors to get drunk and end up sluggish tomorrow. He passed through the crowd to the outskirts of the campsite where his tent was. He opened up the flaps and sealed it up behind him. ¡®Better to be cautious considering the situation.¡¯ He hung his sword belt and shield onto the hooks sewn into the tent and unrolled his sleeping furs from his travelling sack. After taking off his leather jacket, he laid on top of the furs in the rest of his clothes. As he laid there, thoughts of how surreal this journey has been came to surface. ¡®If someone had told me two weeks ago that I would go out on a Dragon hunt I would have laughed and called them mad.¡¯ He then remembered the moment that pushed him to this suicide mission. Chapter 3 It was dark. Only slithers of dawn light came in through the window. Karlston was awake, but he didn¡¯t get up. To his left was a woman who worked at the tavern below. They both lay on the double bed naked. He was content to lay there for a while longer while staring at her face. She was rather pretty, for a bar maid, and also had a desirable body. It had taken a lot of effort on Karlston¡¯s part in his attempts to seduce her before she finally accepted. But it had definitely been worth it. Out of all the women Karlston had enjoyed for company, Celise had been the most enthusiastic in their ¡®playing¡¯. He would have woken her up to have another go if he did not know she was a dedicated worker, she would leave immediately to help out the Innkeeper. Karlston couldn¡¯t see the point in being commited like that. Why work harder for what you could have earned with less effort? His motto was to gain as much as possible with as little effort as possible. Celise had been a big catch, however he was thinking of ending it soon. She would start asking him to take responsibility and would try to monopolize his attention. He didn¡¯t want to have to deal with that. He left the bed quietly, trying not to disturb her. He got on his tunic and breeches, belted up and left out the door. He quietly stepped downstairs and went past the innkeeper. All Karlston got from that man in farewell was a cold, hard, stare. The innkeeper was well aware of Karlston¡¯s habits and although he did not involve himself, he made it clear that he didn¡¯t think favorably of the lad. Karlston actually liked the man better because of that, at least he was honest. Karlston went to a nearby merchant store. He was going to get a flask of spirits from the man when he found that he barely had a few coppers in his pouch, he looked at the man and reached for the flask. ¡°You can put that on my tab as usual can you not? I¡¯ll pay you back later¡± The merchant showed a disgusted look and snatched the flask away. ¡°You won¡¯t be getting anything out of me until you show me some coin. I¡¯ve found that your ¡®tab¡¯ is not even paid out of your own coinage.¡± Karlston scowled and retracted his hand. ¡°My brother put you up to this, didn¡¯t he?¡± The merchant snorted. ¡°I would have done so anyway! If I involve myself with poor business like you, then I¡¯ll ruin my reputation!¡± Karlston laughed and turned to walk away. ¡°A reputation to whom anyway? The only customers you get here are the old hags, and they only buy your cheapest potions. In fact, I¡¯m the only good business you have!¡± He left the merchant sputtering curses out the door. He continued through the cobbled street when he noticed a man in the centre of the town¡¯s pavilion. The person in question was wearing battered steel armour. Not a soldier, but neither was he a mercenary. ¡°Join the hunt! Protect your homeland. Protect your loved ones from fiery menace of the Dragons! ¡°The hunt starts in a fortnight! To join you must sign up at the Slayers pavilion outside of town!¡± The follower continued to preach the cause as Karlston walked by. Karlston spat in the man¡¯s general direction and continued onwards. ¡®There¡¯s no way I¡¯d join a lost cause like that! Let them die for their hunt if they¡¯re so willing!¡¯ He started out of the town and towards a worn down road. Making sure not to trip, Karlston continued for a while until he reached his home. It was a large mansion, but only a third of it was habitable. The rest had been worn down as time went by and with no-one to maintain it, had deteriorated to the ruin it was now. Karlston thought of the days when his parents had still been alive. At that time his family had ruled the lands that had been granted to them via the royal family of the Breich dominion. Now most of that land had been given away to money lenders that Karlston borrowed from regularly. Being the head of the family meant that Karlston had a responsibility that he couldn¡¯t be bothered with. He then reached the door to the mansion which he pounded on angrily. A few minutes later, the door was opened by a middle aged man who bowed slightly as Karlston entered. ¡°Master Karlston. Young master Malen is waiting for you in his study.¡± Karlston grimaced and continued through. ¡°Thank you Alber. But I know where Malen will be. That¡¯s where he always is.¡± Alber had been their family¡¯s steward ever since they were born. Since their family¡¯s decline after his greatfather¡¯s death, he was the only person left who continued to serve them loyally. Karlston didn¡¯t know whether that loyalty was towards their greatfather or to his brother. He went through the corridor and had to step carefully in order to avoid the holes in the rotten floor. He went through another door and entered a room, filled to the brim with books. Anybody would have thought that this was the library, but that room had already deteriorated too much and had caved in on itself. Malen had managed to store all the books into massive piles in his study before the library had collapsed. Now he spent every waking day reading through them. Karlston always thought that Malen should have become the family head, however only the eldest brother could inherit the land. Karlston found him at his desk. He seemed to be writing something. Malen seemed too focused on his work to notice Karlston, so he walked up behind him. ¡°Why have you stopped all the stores from selling to me Malen?¡± Malen¡¯s reaction was amusing to say the least. He almost jumped out of his seat and knocked over the ink he had been using. He then turned towards Karlston irritably. ¡°The money is not yours to spend, brother. You have been borrowing too much and have not been returning enough. It is about time you stopped!¡± Karlston had heard this all before, but there was a new edge of desperation to his brother¡¯s voice which made him think twice about his answer. Karlston tightened his fist. ¡°Have they started bothering you Malen?¡± Malen frowned, hesitating for a second. He shook his head and took out a letter from one of his piles. It was surprising that he even knew where everything was. He read out the letter¡¯s contents, slowly and carefully. ¡°To Malen Fireheart of the Fireheart family, as you are aware, your elder brother Karlston Fireheart has borrowed large amounts of coin from us over these past seasons. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°However, recently he has not been compensating for the loss and has still continued to take more coinage. If this continues, we will be forced to evict you and your elder brother from the Fireheart mansion and claim it in compensation. You have fourteen days until this eviction comes into order. If you refuse, we shall take this claim to the royal court and get our payment through them. From the merchants society of Breich.¡± After he finished reading from the letter, Malen looked to Karlston with tears in his eyes. ¡°This is not about land anymore brother. They are going to take our home from us as well, they are going to-¡± He stopped, coughing violently, a grating sound like a stones grinding together. Alber appeared from nowhere and helped Malen into his seat, while offering him a vial of some sorts. Karlston noticed that Malen looked much paler compared to normal and he had yellow patches under his eyes. Signs he¡¯d seen before. Once his brother¡¯s coughing had subsided, Karlston exited the study and waited until Alber left as well before confronting him. ¡°How long has this been going on for? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Alber looked back at him with that unusual calmness he had. ¡°Young Master Malen has had the coughing fits for several nights now. The reason I did not inform you is because the young master ordered me not to.¡± Karlston digested this information as another worry took form. ¡°Is it the Yellow fever?¡± Alber¡¯s nod was all it took to set Karlston off. The yellow fever was an illness that occurred in dust filled and mould covered environments. It started with a terrible cough. A few weeks afterwards, the inflicted person would end up with a high fever which would stay for a few days until they died. ¡®First our greatfather dies of the yellow fever and now little Malen? How can this world be so cruel? No. I will not let this happen again!¡¯ Karlston knew that it was treatable. However, the problem was that medicine is extremely expensive. To afford it you would need ten gold crowns, which is enough to buy a decent house. Karlston searched his thoughts for any ways he could earn this amount. He could not borrow any more gold from the merchant¡¯s society. He had sold everything else in the house that could be worth something. The only choice he could think of was to sell the house. ¡®But the merchants would put their claim forward if I tried to do that¡­ Is there anything else I can do? Malen will die otherwise.¡¯ He was about to give in to panic, however a phrase entered his mind, something his greatfather had always told him. ¡®When all else in life fails, join a hunt. The very least you can do is die trying¡¯ Karlston was desperate, and something had ignited a fire in him the moment he had seen Malen coughing. ¡®The reward for dragon slaying is the corpse of the dragon you¡¯ve slain and an additional one hundred gold crowns.¡¯ ¡®The amount of gold is something in itself¡­ but a dragon is much more valuable. If you go to the right person then you can sell one scale for five gold crowns! That means depending on the amount I could earn enough to buy the medicine and pay off my debts in one go! But slaying a dragon is not something to be taken likely...¡¯ He pondered over this. It felt as if he had only started properly thinking at this moment. ¡®If I remember my greatfather¡¯s words, they were ¡°A dragon isn¡¯t just a beast. It is a magical being, born to destroy. To slay a dragon means to face death and survive.¡± I need to prepare¡­ What do I have that could help me? Thinking of my greatfather, there is that...¡¯ Karlston looked at Alber, determination steeling his expression. ¡°Where is the family heirloom?¡± It took a few moments for the steward to understand what Karlston meant by heirloom. When he did, he showed a look of worry. A first in Karlston¡¯s lifetime. ¡°Are you really thinking of selling ¡®that¡¯ master Karlston? The young master would become hysterical if you did.¡± Karlston realized Alber¡¯s meaning and laughed. ¡°I wish that was the case! No¡­ what I¡¯m thinking of is putting it to use.¡± The steward frowned this time, causing Karlston to laugh harder. He had seen more displays of emotion from the steward in these few minutes than he had seen in his entire lifetime. Since Alber was showing an even more displeased expression, Karlston tried to hold back his laughter and explain. ¡°I¡¯m going hunting Alber, Dragon hunting.¡± The look on the steward¡¯s face then was priceless. Karlston walked through the cobblestone street, this time with a different destination in mind. As he neared the pavilion he could hear the Slayer¡¯s follower preaching again. Instead of avoiding him, Karlston walked up to him. The man eyed him warily. It seemed that the people here had not been treating him nicely. ¡°What do you want?¡± Karlston smirked. ¡°Where do I sign up?¡± * * * I would like to thank everyone who had actually followed and favourited my story, and so soon as well! This is a short story I wrote out of sheer boredom, there are four more chapters that I have written for this arc. The rest is in the backburner for a possibly looooong amount of time due to sheer ¡®reader syndrome¡¯. I prefer reading to writing so I wrote this before I found this site, and now I have *Insert manic laugh here*, I will probably stick to reading. Unless you can give me some good form of motivation (Which is almost nil in my mind) I doubt you¡¯ll see from me after chapter 7. P.S. Don''t know if any of you viewers know (Muhahaha, now I can call you ''you viewers'' for once), but the formatting system is a pain in the arse. Since you have to copy paste the text in, and considering I wrote this on Microsoft Word, it takes me ten minutes just to reset the format! Chapter 4 The Blood and sweat he¡¯d spent during those past thirteen days had reached torturous levels. He had practised sword fighting for hours on end at the town barracks, ran for tens of miles in the mornings and evenings and worked for money at the tavern in between, in order to afford equipment. The innkeeper had seen him in a new light during those days. The man even gave him a bonus. Celise didn''t know what had brought a change in Karlston¡¯s attitude but as long as he was helping the innkeeper it seemed fine with her. Karlston didn''t know what had brought this change in himself either, seeing his younger brother suffering that way had just sparked a drive that forced him onwards. His body had also gone through a sudden change. All the fat had been stripped off, the muscular definition showing all over his arms and his chest. But it was not enough. Karlston realized that even this much effort would not even put him an inch closer to his goal. His hopes lay in the heirloom his greatfather had left him. Alber passed him the cloth wrapped shape. Karlston peeled it off, strip after strip. It revealed a plain hilt. There were no decorations on it. The handle looked the same as any old broadsword. As he pulled the sheath out of the wrapping, Karlston could see even that looked the same as any other common sword. Before, he had laughed at how trivial it looked and scorned the fact it was an heirloom. Now he understood. This was not an ornament for decorating a building. This was a weapon. A tool used to slay. It was meant to be practical. Karlston pulled the sword out of the sheath and looked at the blade. The blade seemed to emit lethality. The metal was as black as pitch. There wasn¡¯t even a speck of rust on it after long years of neglect. In fact the blade seemed as good as new. Karlston stared at it for a good quarter hour. The longer he looked into it, the surer he was that he could see something within it. Sparks of a flame, flickering within. * * * Karlston woke at dawn. He¡¯d grown used to getting up early. He could see that he was in his tent. ¡®So, the hunt is today¡­ I just hope I am ready.¡¯ He stretched and could feel his joints cracking. He could hear it raining outside. ¡®Another advantage against the dragon, as long as it stops soon.¡¯ As he got up, he did a regular check over his equipment. His shield was fine, only a bit battered from previous use. His leather jacket was still dry, so it wouldn¡¯t chafe him when he moved. It was when he checked his sword that he found a problem. One look at the handle was all he needed to tell. Karlston pulled the sword out of the sheath to reveal¡­ a plain broadsword. He swore every harsh oath he could think of. ¡®Thieving Swine! If I get my hands on whoever did this, I will rip them limb from limb and throw them into the Dragon¡¯s maw!¡¯ His first thought was to question everyone nearby and find out who had done it, but he realized it was futile. There were too many people. Even if he did find out who had done it, he would not be able to find them in this massive crowd. He sighed. His death sentence had been finalized by a petty thief. He would not be able to go to the Slayers about this since they made it clear that everyone is responsible for themselves. The inevitability of the situation exhausted him. He went back to his sleeping furs and closed his eyes, hoping that this had been a dream and when he woke up his sword would be back in its sheath again. Karlston woke up again to a loud clanging noise. He jumped out of his mat and pulled the sword from its sheath, still the same common broadsword. Attaching the sheath to his belt would only limit his mobility so he just held onto the sword, leaving the sheath hanging on the rack. He picked up his shield and ran out of the tent. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Outside, it had stopped raining, leaving the ground damp with small puddles at some places. That was at least one good thing. Karlston lined up with the other hopefuls, they were actually organized for once, since their lives depended on it. Up on his platform again at the head of the group was Galton, he was eyeing the crowd, waiting for the stragglers to line up. After a few more minutes, he called for attention. ¡°It is now the time... Today the hunter gets hunted!¡± A cheer broke out. Spears were butted on the ground. Swords were clanged against shields. The din made Karlston¡¯s head ache. It was a while before the crowd quieted again. Galton jumped off the platform. He was now wielding a long pole with a large curved blade on top. He pointed it towards the Fang. The mountain was as ominous as ever. ¡°I will now lead you to the hunting grounds. But before we go I will give you one word of advice. In order survive you have to fight with your life on the line. Otherwise your death will be a certainty. This is a gamble. You should hope that the dice roll in your favor.¡± He then started walking in the direction of the mountain. A few moments later, the troop followed. Karlston was near the middle of the line. Being too close to the front would mean that he would just be fodder for the Dragon, but being at the back could ruin his chances of landing the final blow before someone else. As Karlston continued onwards, he could feel the overbearing pressure of the group. It stunk of fear. So he did not get caught up in it, Karlston ignored anyone who tried to talk to him. It would just make the feeling worse. It was a while before the acrid smell reached him, yesterdays stench was fragrant compared to this. Karlston gagged, it took all his effort to not puke. Most of the others did not have the same fortitude. People dropped to the ground, retching yesterday¡¯s meal. Karlston kept dragging his feet forward, he had to keep going. When he looked up he realized how close they really were. The Fang loomed over him. It gave off an oppressive feeling that made him shiver. He then realized that the troop had stopped. He looked around to see Galton waiting at the front. Behind the Slayer was a large chasm, the entrance to the dragon¡¯s lair. Galton stood to attention and saluted the group in front of him. ¡°It is time for you to go hunting¡­ I wish you all good luck. You will need it.¡± He stayed there as the group slowly stepped past him. Karlston could see this was another test. It is easy to follow someone towards death. But it is much harder to walk towards it yourself. As Karlston watched over the people who entered, he could see that this was barely a quarter the size of the group that had started at the beginning. Karlston tightened his grip on his sword. This was the moment of truth. He strode forward, each step feeling as heavy as lead. As he went past Galton, he glanced the Slayer¡¯s way. The man did not even look in his direction. ¡®Pretending he doesn¡¯t know me, I should have realized. I will not be given special treatment.¡¯ As Karlston walked through the dark crevice, it felt as if he had stepped into the abyss.
If you''re enjoying it so far, please rate and review! Thank you. :) Chapter 5 Karlston left the chasm to enter a large opening. The ground was covered with gravel, blackened like char. The area was surrounded by walls. It was like a giant arena. Rock spires stuck up from the ground like pillars. Massive stones about the opening were sloped, like miniature hills. Karlston could see the rest of the group ahead, standing around as if in a daze. They all seemed to be waiting for something. As he went past one of them, he noticed the nobleman he had seen before. The man was now off his horse, the poor beast had probably been too frightened to go near the mountain. Karlston hailed him. ¡°Hey there, what are you doing just standing around?¡± The noble glared at him arrogantly. ¡°No one knows where the dragon is. So everyone is on guard and waiting for it to come out.¡± Karlston snorted. Even he could tell where the dragon was nested. There was a massive cave ahead of them. The acrid reek coming from it was the worst yet. You could see the smoke seeping out the entrance. Thankfully Karlston had now lost all sense of smell altogether. He turned to the nobleman and pointed his sword over to the cave. ¡°I may not be an expert on these matters, but that over there looks suspiciously like an entrance to a dragon¡¯s lair to me.¡± The nobleman shook his head wildly, something had him spooked. ¡°A man already went inside. He also believed the dragon is in there. He has not come back.¡± Karlston could guess what everyone was thinking. ¡®Wait for the man to forfeit his life and flush out the dragon in the process. Then finish it off when it sticks its head out of the tunnel. A sound strategy, but will it work?¡¯ Karlston walked over to one of the pillars and hid out of sight, he did not want to be the first target the dragon chose when it decided to pop out of its hidey hole. He inched his head so that he could just see the entrance to the lair. At that moment, screams echoed from within. A shrieking sound also came out of the cave as if in answer. ¡®The fool has done it! He paid the price for it as well.¡¯ Karlston readied himself as he felt the rumbling. The ground was shaking. Karlston had just steadied himself when it came. Two glowing red eyes were glaring from within the dark cave. Unblinking, filled with rage. He wanted to look away, but the deep malice within those glowing balls drew his eyes towards them, sucking him in¡­ Karlston broke out of his trance when the eyes flicked downwards. Karlston could see the nobleman, who strutted towards the dragon. The man held his sword and shield in a battle stance. He pointed his golden sword at the cave. ¡°Evil beast! On the honour of my family I swear to deliver your doom!¡± Karlston could only stare in disbelief. The man was daft! But no one dared intervene as the noble continued. ¡°You who bring death and destruction to all you meet, I shall smite thee down. Your day of reckoning ha¨C¡° He stuttered and stopped talking altogether as the eyes moved forward. The Dragon slowly came into view. Its features seemed to be sculpted in such a way that it would enforce terror onto those who beheld it. Its head alone was the same height as the nobleman. Its lips were curled into a snarl, revealing fangs as long and sharp as swords. Smoke gushed out its snout in breaths. Karlston observed the Dragon as it stomped out of the cave mouth on four legs, massive wings folded against its back. ¡®This thing is big. Bigger than the size of all of the previously recorded hunted Dragons, at least double the size! Galton! You have really sent us out to Die!¡¯ Karlston continued to curse the Slayer in his mind as the Dragon came closer to his position. All of the nearby Hopefuls ran at the sight of the Monster, however, Even though it approached, the nobleman stood where he was, whether from being frozen in fear or stubborn pride Karlston could not tell. As the dragon faced the noble, only a few metres away, an involuntary scream came out from the man¡¯s mouth. The dragon snorted and swiped at the man with a forepaw, swatting him away the same you would do an insect. The nobleman flew and smacked into a pillar nearby Karlston, a sickening crunching sound echoed throughout the opening. Karlston saw the remains. He regretted it. What had once been the nobleman was now a squished mess of meat, bone and metal. ¡®It seems flowery speeches were all the man had going for him. He should have made a living as a bard.¡¯ Karlston then heard war-cries from the other side of the pillar, filled with fear and hysteria. Men and women alike ran at the beast, blades pointed towards it. The dragon¡¯s eyes snapped towards them, its body shifting as it turned to face them. At the head of the random charge was the farmer. In his hands a spear, most likely he¡¯d taken it from the weapons pile back at the camp. He ran and stabbed at the dragon¡¯s eye. If he had been a trained fighter, he would have been able to stab through the creatures head, but his lack of experience had been his downfall. The spear point had missed by a few inches, scraping against the creatures scales, but that was enough for the dragon to move its head away, using its snake like neck to lift its head out of reach. It opened its mouth. Karlston shifted behind the rock and clasped his hands over his ears, believing it to be another one of its ear piercing roars. It was something much worse. He could feel the rumbling as the ground shook from under his feet. He started sweltering under an intense heat that engulfed him. But before he collapsed, the unbearable fever suddenly vanished. As Karlston turned around to see what had happened, another traumatic sight awaited him. The gravel ahead of him had turned a bright red, sparks flying off the stones. What remained were charred corpses around the area, still burning. The farmer¡¯s blackened corpse was the worst of the lot. A black statue, stuck in the same striking position as before. Tears of blood streamed from his empty eye sockets. Karlston tried to stop himself from gagging. ¡®Flamebreath... This Dragon has the cursed Flamebreath! How am I supposed to survive this?¡¯ Karlston hesitated, a deep gut wrenching feeling held him in place. He shook his head wildly. No¡­ You can¡¯t falter, not now! He looked for the dragon. There was no sign of it. He couldn¡¯t risk getting out of his cover so he stayed there, waiting. After minutes of holding still, he started to think that it had flown away. He felt a hot breeze from behind him, wisps of smoke brushed past his face. He froze. Not a thought went through his head as he turned around to look. Staring at him was a massive red eye, as big as his head. The black slit in the middle focused right on him. Karlston couldn¡¯t move. His feet were stuck and wouldn¡¯t budge. His blood chilled. It felt like his heart was about to burst. But then, he remembered why he was doing this. ¡®Not only will Malen die¡­ I have to prove my worth as well, as a Fireheart!¡¯ A hot feeling swelled up inside him. Slowly he gripped his sword. He had the feeling in his hands back. Then suddenly, like lightning, he sliced at the eye, cutting through it with the blade. A shrieking sound burst from the dragon¡¯s mouth, something unlike anything Karlston had ever heard. It chilled him to the bone. His head was ringing. The dragon suddenly pulled back its head, stopping Karlston from getting another strike. Karlston heard movement on his left. He jumped back, holding up his shield arm. His surroundings turned to a blur as a massive claw slashed at him. He could feel the force of the blow. As if a bull had charged right into him. He went flying sideward. The feeling of weightlessness lasted only moments. It was when he landed on his back that he felt it. A searing pain shot through his arm, his aching back was nothing compared to this. He lifted up his hand to inspect it. The metal shield had been sheared in half. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. His arm was just as bad, the flesh was torn through, enough that he could see the whiteness of the bone within. He had lost his sword. He must have dropped it as he went flying. As he tried to get up, he collapsed again, he could not move. He must have broken some ribs from the impact. It was then that the hopelessness of the situation kicked in. ¡®I am going to die.¡¯ He struggled onto his front, using his good arm to keep himself in a kneeling position. Before he could try to crawl away, he was lifted up by his undamaged arm. He turned his head to see Ward. The man was panting as he shifted Karlston along, hauling him up one of the rock hills. ¡°Thanks,¡± was the only word Karlston could wheeze out. Ward nodded and continued onwards, dragging Karlston along with each step, until they had reached the top. Once they got there, Karlston was able to catch his breath. The pain in his arm was forgotten as he panicked. Without the use of his left arm, his chances of surviving much less slaying the dragon were gone. As his thoughts kept revolving along those lines, he slowly reached for his dagger. ¡®Better to die now than suffer the Dragon¡¯s fire.¡¯ But a stinging pain snapped him out of it. Ward had slapped him round the face. ¡°Get a hold of yourself!¡± He whispered. ¡°You can still survive, so think! Panicking means death and defeat.¡± Karlston hesitated. Death? I will die anyway. But defeat¡­ Never! Like a fire lit anew, he nodded. Ward¡¯s face relaxed. Then a sudden thought hit Karlston. ¡°Why did you save me?¡± Ward¡¯s expression was as confused as his own. ¡°Honestly? I have no idea. I just knew I¡¯d regret it if I didn¡¯t.¡± Karlston nodded silently, contemplating. Even in his fatigued state his mind was lucid. As he considered his next move, he heard a scraping sound from below. He looked down a cliff like edge to see the dragon. It was scraping around with its head to the ground, turning its head around to stare out with its right eye. Karlston sighed. ¡®I may have blinded its left side, but all that has done is enrage it.¡¯ He then noticed something. Directly below the dragon¡¯s head was the boy he had seen before, Karlston would have believed him a corpse. Yet the lad was not wounded at all. He¡¯s playing dead, smart. Karlston regretted that thought a moment later when he saw the sword the boy held. It was a black steel blade, his blade. Rage boiled inside him. He wanted to throttle the child. He almost cursed, but stopped himself. He would only get killed. He silently decided to watch this through to the end. The boy waited until the dragon stopped moving, then suddenly jumped up and stabbed. Karlston held his breath. That should have been me. He watched as the blade scraped against the dragons scales then ricocheted off, without a making single scrape or tear. Karlston must have been as distraught as the boy as he watched this happen. ''It didn¡¯t work¡­ The bloody sword did not work! Galton lied to me!'' The dragon lifted its head up slowly, as if it knew it could take its time. The boy was frozen in place as the dragon positioned its head directly above him. Karlston could see a torrent of fire burst from the dragon¡¯s mouth. A large rush of orange and red covered the ground. A crackling sound could be heard as the boy was reduced to ashes. There was no corpse, only red embers, steam and molten rock. As if to mock the boy¡¯s remains, the dragon swiped the ground with one claw, scattering ash and dirt everywhere. Some of it hit Karlston, red cinders that burned his face. His sight blurred as tears filled his eyes. He heard a whistling noise then a thud as something landed near him. In his hazed vision, Karlston could make out a glowing spike that stuck out from the ground. Rubbing his eyes on his sleeve, he realized what it was. A shining blade was in front of him. Hiltless, only a thin knife-like piece of metal poked out where the handle should have been. Karlston reached out to grab it, but pain seared his hand. It was burning hot. Karlston could see Ward still next to him. The man stared at the hiltless blade in awe. For some reason, Karlston felt that he recognized the sword. He glanced at the blade, the metal seemed to shimmer against the air, almost ethereal. Then, Karlston noticed the insignia engraved onto the blade. Fireheart. It was his sword. What had once been a pure black was now a glowing silver-white. Karlston had a strange thought. The sword will pierce through now. A plan started to form in his mind. If only he could move well enough to strike. He glanced over the cliff like ledge. Maybe he didn¡¯t need to. He only needed to be able to put force behind the blade. Karlston looked back at Ward. The man still seemed to be in a daze. ¡°Ward¡­ How good are you with that bow?¡± Ward blinked, the casualness of the question snapped him out of his stupor. He looked at Karlston suspiciously. ¡°I can hit accurately from a hundred paces away, why?¡± Karlston nodded. Now was the hard part. ¡°Do you think you could attract the dragon¡¯s attention? If you lead it under the ledge here then I will handle the rest.¡± Ward hesitated for a few seconds. Then he nodded. ¡°Got it, anything else?¡± Karlston paused. He had not expected the man to agree so easily. But if anything, Ward was shrewd. ¡®I didn¡¯t give the man enough credit.¡¯ Before Karlston started, he had another question. ¡°Why did you join the hunt?¡± Ward paused, staring into space as he answered. ¡°I did not join in order to become a Slayer if that¡¯s what you mean. I joined because I want to become one of the Slayer followers. Even they need people to do the grunt work. I¡¯m doing this to show my skills and hope that they will accept me.¡± Karlston nodded. He had also considered doing that as well. But there was a risk that he wouldn¡¯t get any money afterwards. He then got up onto his feet. He had regained enough strength to do that. Then he held out his arm. ¡°Well, there is no time to waste. I¡¯m counting on you Ward.¡± Ward grabbed his arm and gripped him in a hug. ¡°If we get out of this then we¡¯re going out drinking.¡± With that, he left, not making a sound as he stepped silently down the slope. Karlston was left on his own to mull over his plan. First he should look out for the dragon, but the dust it had stirred up had made it hard to see. So instead, Karlston went back to the sword blade. Without this, he would not be able to kill the flaming monster. He stroked a finger against the metal, it had cooled down. He grabbed the hiltless blade and pulled it out of the ground. He felt a sharp pain. As he looked at his hand to see what was wrong, Karlston saw blood dripping from his hand. ¡®So, the blade got sharper as well as changing colour. This will make it difficult...¡¯ The next step was to check on his damaged left arm. He needed to be able to use it in order to succeed. He had already wrapped it with cloth he¡¯d torn from his shirt. He stretched his fingers and was pleased to see that they still moved, at least he hadn¡¯t damaged them too badly. Karlston rolled his arm around. Pain spiked through his shoulder, but he could move it. Just as he stopped moving, he heard a twang, then shrieking. ¡®So Ward is doing his part. I also need to get ready.¡¯ Karlston staggered over to the ledge. He positioned himself so he was half kneeling at the edge. He could see a small silhouette below, it was being chased by a much larger one. He waited until he could just make out Ward. The dragon¡¯s head was right behind the man. Making the same god awful shrieking noise. Karlston waited until the dragon was right below him. Then jumped, grabbing the blade with both hands. As he fell, Karlston yelled at the top of his lungs. ¡°Die, you fucking Wyrm!¡± Chapter 6 He landed on top of it, right between its eyes. The sword bit deep into its skull, making a horrible squelching noise as the blade sunk in. Karlston could feel his hands burn as the blade cut into them. Red blood seeped from his fingers, down the blade. The dragon swung its head around wildly, an indescribable noise emanating from it. Karlston held on, every ounce of strength he used was all for this moment. He flung around as the dragon¡¯s head swerved left, right, up and down. Without warning, pain throbbed through Karlston¡¯s hands. It wasn¡¯t the blade slicing him. It was something else. Karlston could feel the malicious energy coming from it. It shot up his arms, through his shoulders and into his chest. He could not breathe. Like his heart was being crushed by an invisible hand. Before the feeling consumed him, something splattered into his left eye. Karlston screamed. His eye was on fire, the pain was unlike anything he had ever felt. The shock snapped him out of the strange state. The intensity of his agony kept rising, his screams did as well. After what felt like an eternity, Karlston fainted. * * * He awoke, everything his thoughts a haze. Karlston couldn¡¯t remember anything. ¡®Why do I feel so weak? What am I doing here?¡¯ Karlston looked around for answers. Only out of his right eye could he see. Below him was the massive head of a dragon. Memories suddenly poured through, the shock of it paralyzed him for a few moments. ¡®I struck at the dragon. Then some attack knocked me unconscious...¡¯ Karlston noticed while thinking, that the dragon wasn¡¯t moving. Its head was now slumped. Its body sagged onto the ground. Karlston was stuck in disbelief. ¡®Is it dead?¡¯ He waited for a few minutes longer before he started laughing hysterically. ¡®It is!¡¯ He slowly pulled the blade out of the dragons head, orange liquid oozed from the point of the blade. ¡®Dragon blood¡­ So that¡¯s what it looks like.¡¯ His left eye was irritating him, what had been a piercing pain was now reduced to a dull throb. He rubbed at it with the back of his hand and looked at it. There was dragon blood on his skin. ¡®It must have spurted out from its head¡­ The stuff is bloody painful!¡¯ Although losing his sight was disturbing, Karlston ignored it. He had expected to lose something in the exchange. He had been prepared to lose an arm or a leg. Compared to that, losing an eye was nothing. Karlston jumped down from the dragon¡¯s head. He had no destination in mind. He just wanted to get away from where he was now. After a few moments of wandering, he ended up at the dragon¡¯s chest. Karlston couldn¡¯t understand why, but he felt drawn to it. ¡°I see it calls to you, does it not?¡± Karlston spun around to see Galton standing right behind him. The Slayer had his long sword spear with him. With a closer inspection, Karlston could see that the blade resembled his own. The silver white metal almost glowed. Galton noticed him staring at it and stroked a finger along the edge. ¡°This is dragon steel. Black steel¡¯s only the incomplete piece. It is made by combining steel with powdered dragon bones. In order to turn black steel into the complete item, you need dragon fire. That is why that child could not pierce through the dragon¡¯s scales. Black steel is durable but not sharp.¡± Karlston nodded, he got the feeling that Galton was hiding something. The slayer walked past him and stood near the dragon¡¯s chest. ¡°Just so you know. You are not yet a fully fledged Slayer. There is a ritual that you need to complete first, here.¡± Galton swung his weapon at the dragon¡¯s chest. It sliced cleanly through the tough hide. The sliced area opened up and something slumped out. It was a large heart. Karlston felt like retching, the stench emanating from it was unbelievable. Galton then pointed at the massive organ. ¡°Eat some of it, you have to or you will not become a Slayer.¡± Karlston stared at him, then at the heart. ¡®No wonder it is a secret, no one would join a hunt if they realized they had to do that.¡¯ He slowly stepped towards it, he felt it calling to him. As he stood right in front of it, Karlston could feel heat radiating from it. He grabbed the large muscle and slammed his face into it, biting hard. It tasted disgusting. His body was rejecting it, every fiber of his being was screaming at him to spit it out. But he forced it in his mouth and started chewing the stringy flesh. ¡®I will become a Slayer, even if I have to sell my soul!¡¯ As he chewed, Galton started talking to him. ¡°When you first killed the dragon, you felt something burn into you. That was the dragon¡¯s soul. When its body dies, the soul finds the nearest possible vessel to store itself into. Having this allows you to sense the dragons; you will be able to know where they are from miles away. ¡°But just having this ability will not give you the strength to combat the dragons. In order to have the power of a dragon, the strength needed to kill one, we devour their heart. That is the secret of the Slayers, in order to kill a dragon we become alike a dragon.¡± Karlston barely heard what he was being told. As he swallowed some of the heart, he felt something flare up within him. He collapsed. The burning sensation pulsated throughout his body. He could hear a sickening crunching sound as his bones clicked back together. His skin tingled. His left eye throbbed in agony. Karlston twitched and shuddered as he lay on the ground. Galton stood over him, reciting an ancient ritual. ¡°You have now died, your bones lay among the ashes. But you shall rise again, with a body as strong as a dragon, with senses as sharp as a hawk. ¡°Welcome to our clan, child of fire. It is only in our clan that you will be welcomed. You have now outcast yourself from this world. All lands you may have owned will be relinquished. Any title you had will be abdicated. Only as a Slayer will you live. Only as a Slayer will you die. Now arise, child of fire, accept your fate.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Karlston felt the pain ebb away. As he got up his surprise was apparent. He did not feel any fatigue at all. As he looked over his left arm, he saw that the large gash that had been there had now been reduced to a thin scar. It was then that he realized. He could see out of his left eye again. However something was different. Everything looked strange, warped. He could see swirls of colour all around him. Gold light rayed down from the sun. The earth seemed to glow red. As he looked at Galton, he could see an orange glow around and within the Slayer, whose facial features were distorted. Moving energy pulsed and swirled around the man. Out of his right eye though, Karlston could see Galton¡¯s expression, the man looked shocked. The Slayer quickly smoothed his face to his normal stone cold one. He put a hand on Karlston¡¯s shoulder and recited some more ritual words. ¡°I Galton, the Piercing Spear, do proclaim you now a fully fledged Slayer. Your Slayer title shall be¡­ the Dragon Eye.¡± Galton¡¯s attitude changed. A friendlier tone in his voice. ¡°Welcome to the clan. Karlston Fireheart. You do not need to worry about taking the dragon¡¯s remains with you. We will handle the transportation back to our headquarters. You can collect the gold from the encampment outside. We will give you two weeks to say your farewells and tie up any loose ends. Then you will venture to our clan sanctuary.¡± Then Galton turned around and clapped his hands. ¡°Now then, time to clean up.¡± As he said that, two Slayers came forward, they were dragging a man Karlston did not recognize with them. The larger Slayer came to attention. ¡°Galton. Sir! This man is one of the survivors. We believe he saw the ritual. What shall we do with him?¡± Galton looked him over, Karlston did the same. The man had that weedy look of a coward. Galton looked back at the Slayer without giving the man another glance. ¡°There were no survivors, except for the new Slayer.¡± The big Slayer nodded, then he grabbed the man¡¯s head and wrenched it. There was a nauseating cracking sound as the man¡¯s neck twisted around, he was facing backwards. Karlston was revolted, he turned to Galton angrily. ¡°Why did you do that? The man had not done anything wrong!¡± Galton looked back with the same stone cold look he had before. ¡°If people come back speaking of the ritual we will be rejected by society, we will be hunted by nations. There are hundreds of thousands of people who need us to survive from the threat of the Dragons. Do you want me to risk our total annihilation against a man who would sell information for coin?¡± Karlston was thinking of some sort of retort when he heard a familiar voice shouting. He turned to see Ward struggling against the two Slayers who were dragging him over to Galton. It was obvious that he knew what was going to happen. Karlston was sweating heavily. ¡®We promised to go out drinking once this is over, but now... No, we will!¡¯ Before Galton could give the order, Karlston charged at the two men, reaching them in an instant. They were both taken unawares as he grabbed them and pried them away from Ward. They suddenly flew away in both directions. Karlston was astonished. ¡®I had only meant to push them off. What is this strength?¡¯ Before the two Slayers could get up, Karlston pointed at Galton. ¡°You will not kill this man. I claim him as one of my followers. If you want him you will have to go through me.¡± Galton showed such rage on his face, Karlston feared he would attack them there and then. But just as suddenly, his rage cooled. ¡°Very well, we will not kill him. But you will be held responsible for him, if he talks¡­¡± Galton left the threat hanging. He lifted a hand dismissively. The Slayers, whom were now on their feet, nodded and left. When Karlston turned to face Ward, he could see that tears streaming down the man¡¯s face. ¡°Thank you,¡± were the only words he could get out. Karlston nodded. Before Galton could change his mind, Karlston grabbed Ward by the arm and pulled him along, away from this hell on earth. He could now see the left over destruction from the battle. There were bodies strewn all over the place. Broken fragments of rock scattered where the dragon had crashed against the spires. Slayers picked through the remains. They were prying off weapons and armour which stuck to the burnt flesh of the corpses. Karlston felt revolted by the sight. ¡®It is like they¡­ no, we. It is like we are vultures, we scavenge through the remains of people who fight for our cause.¡¯ Ward was retching. It was too much for the man. Karlston patted him on the back and lead the way. Once they left the dragon¡¯s lair, Ward stopped. ¡°Hey Karlston, I need to head off to my hometown. I have some business to attend to. Is it alright if I go?¡± Karlston nodded, he also needed to sort out his own private issues. ¡°Do that. Once you¡¯re finished, meet me up at the Slayer outpost in the city of Zentrum.¡± Ward nodded. He headed towards a different direction in the campsite. Karlston walked the long way back to the campsite, heading to the centre. There, he found the female Slayer wearing green armour standing in front of the tent entrance. She looked him over and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s miraculous. A normal person actually managed to do it. Galton may be right after all.¡± She pointed a thumb behind her. ¡°Your money is in the tent, take it.¡± Karlston did just that, he grabbed a large bag from the table, which jingled appreciatively as he shook it. As he exited the entrance, the woman slapped him round the back. ¡°Welcome to the clan. It¡¯s the only home you have now.¡± Chapter 7 (End of Arc 1) Karlston walked towards his tent. He needed to recollect his equipment. After about a quarter hour, he reached his tent. He opened up the flaps to find everything where it was. He slid the hiltless blade back into its sheath, it fit perfectly. ¡®I will need to get a new hilt quickly, who knows what they will make me do.¡¯ He strapped his sword belt around his waist and left. As he looked around, he could see the hopefuls who had not made it to the hunting grounds. ¡®Lucky them, they did not have to die.¡¯ The strange thing was, whenever he went near someone, they would take one look at his face and run away. ¡®Do I really look that miserable? Well, I did go to hell and back.¡¯ As he walked further on, he noticed something. The nobleman who had died during the hunt had left his horse in the campsite, it still had its glistening armour that marked it his property. ¡®Well its owner is dead so I guess it would not matter if I took it, I need a horse so I can hurry back.¡¯ He went towards the animal, which took one look at him and whinnied in terror. It took a lot of calming for it to allow him to get on it. ¡®I must stink of wyrm, I should bathe in a river somewhere before I head back to town.¡¯ He kicked at the horses stirrups, pushing it into a gallop. As he headed back, he opened the money bag. Inside were a load of gold coins, possibly even more than a hundred. Karlston whistled. ¡®With this much, Malen can restore the manor as well as his health.¡¯ As he reached the edges of the charred plains, which now showed signs of vegetation, Karlston neared a stream. He got off, leaving the horse to drink. He knew that it was trained to stay where it was left, so he did not worry about it. Karlston cupped water with his hands and splashed it on his face. As he looked into the water, his reflection shocked him. His left eye had changed drastically. What used to be a green iris had now turned a glowing orange. Its pupil had turned into a thin vertical slit. It looked exactly like a dragons. The flesh around his eye socket was tinged red, enough to make it look inflamed. He put his hand over it to spare himself the sight. It was then that he realized he was shaking. ¡®I was prepared to lose a limb, I was prepared to even sell my soul. But I was not expecting this. I have become the very monster that I killed!¡¯ Karlston tore another large strip from his shirt and wrapped the cloth around his head so it covered up his eye. ¡®Dragon eye, huh. Galton must find this to be a grand jest.¡¯ He looked back into the stream. He now only looked like he had an injury there. ¡®I had better make sure that this stays covered up during my visit. I will be mobbed otherwise.¡¯ He jumped into the stream and splattered himself with water, it would dry off during the trip back. Making sure that the makeshift bandage was secure, Karlston went back to the horse and saddled up, he would need to ride for a few more hours before he reached the town. After a long ride through the grasslands, Karlston neared the town. He dismounted from the horse and veered around the buildings, heading towards the manor. He could not bear to face Celise right at this moment. As he reached the mansion doors, Karlston saw men standing outside. There were about ten of them, nine looked like the common thugs you would see in the town streets but the tenth man was finely dressed. ¡®The merchants! I had forgotten about them...¡¯ The merchant at the head was shouting through the door while repeatedly banging on it. ¡°We have given you fair warning Malen, now we wish you to leave! If you do not, we will have to use force!¡± He waited for a few minutes, there was no reply. He was about to signal to the thugs when Karlston grabbed him by the collar of his tunic. He spun the man around and dumped him on his behind. Karlston stared him down. ¡°Come back tomorrow, you will receive your payment then.¡± The merchant got to his feet, sputtering indignities. ¡°You do not ¡®have¡¯ anything to pay us. Now leave the area before I set these men on you!¡± In fact, they already seemed to be doing that. One man charged at Karlston, aiming a club at his face. Karlston caught the man on his arm. He was only gripping lightly, but the man squealed in pain. As he let go, Karlston saw the other men getting ready to strike. Before they had a chance, he opened the money bag attached to the horse and grabbed nine gold coins. He looked at each of the men separately. ¡°I know that the merchant¡¯s offering you money to do this. I will give you each a gold crown if you leave now and never come back.¡± The thugs looked at each other, then at the merchant and finally at the gold coins. They all nodded, Karlston threw them a gold coin each and they ran off. Karlston then turned to the merchant, who stood still where he was. ¡°Look, I ¡®have¡¯ got the money now. If you leave now and come back tomorrow, you will get your money back, with interest.¡± The man¡¯s ears perked up at the word ¡°interest¡±. ¡®It must be a merchant thing.¡¯ The merchant nodded, dusted himself off, then turned away and strutted off. With that over, Karlston grabbed the money bag, went to the door and pounded. ¡°They have gone Alber! Let me in.¡± Within seconds the door opened. Alber was waiting inside, he looked as pale as Malen had been. Karlston sighed. ¡°Please do not tell me, you have it as well?¡± Alber nodded wearily. As he led the way to Malen¡¯s study, Karlston thought on a few things. ¡®I have become a Slayer¡­ I was expecting to feel different afterwards, but I do not, although I definitely look different. I wonder what my greatfather would think of me now.¡¯ He came in to see Malen resting in his chair, the lad was nearing the final stages of the yellow fever. ¡®At least I was not too late.¡¯ He waited for Alber to wake the poor boy up. Malen did, but slowly. Once he saw Karlston though, he glared at him fiercely. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Where have you been Brother. You were gone for two whole days!¡± Karlston sighed, he had known this was coming. ¡°I managed to get enough money to pay them off Malen, and enough to get you some decent medication.¡± Malen stiffened for a few moments, he seemed to be mulling it over. Then his eyes widened, he had apparently only just noticed Karlston¡¯s tattered appearance. ¡°What happened to you?¡± Karlston grabbed a nearby chair, this was going to be a hard conversation. ¡°I went out hunting.¡± Malen snorted. ¡°How could simple hunti¨C Oh.¡± Karlston always knew Malen was a smart one. He nodded and stuck a thumb at his chest. ¡°Yeah, your brother has managed to kill a dragon and become a Slayer.¡± Malen froze, this was the hard part. ¡°Then what about me? What about the mansion? What about the Fireheart name?¡± Karlston shook his head. ¡°Once you become a Slayer, you relinquish any right to land or power. In the eyes of the law, I no longer am the head of the Fireheart family¡­ You are.¡± Malen made a choking sound. Karlston knew this would happen. Although Karlston had been a poor family head, Malen had never expected to ever have the responsibility. Karlston continued on, he had to convince his younger brother¡­ Then he realized the best way. ¡®Show him.¡¯ A voice seemed to say. He raised his hands and removed the bandage. Malen looked at him perplexedly. As Karlston opened his left eye, Malen gasped, holding his hands to his mouth. Karlston nodded. ¡°This is the price I had to pay by becoming a Slayer, I lost my humanity. No one would want someone like me to be the head of a noble family, I am a monster.¡± Malen hesitated for a second then he nodded. ¡°Ok, I understand¡­ But what can I do? I do not have any money nor do I have any land other than this mansion, which is almost ruined by the way.¡± Karlston lifted up the money bag and dropped it onto Malen¡¯s desk. Some of the coins fell out as it landed. Malen just stared at the amount of gold in amazement. Karlston chuckled. ¡°Being a Slayer has its perks. So long as you do not mind being financed by your monster of a brother, I think you will have enough money to restore the mansion and regain our lands.¡± Tears streamed down Malen¡¯s eyes, which the lad quickly wiped away. He then looked back at Karlston. ¡°I would never mind! How can I ever thank you?¡± Karlston shook his head. ¡°Just think of it as a brother¡¯s love. All I want to see is our name restored to its original glory. No, I want to see our family become even more glorious than it ever was before. If you can do that, then I will be happy.¡± Malen nodded and looked through the money bag. He was a shrewd one, even when he was emotional. ¡°What are you going to do now brother? You can stay here whenever you like.¡± ¡°No, I think I will not be able to do that. Slayers have to travel a lot, from what I know. And anyway, I still need training. I will be gone for a long time¡­¡± Karlston got up from his seat. ¡°There will be more money where that came from, so you should not be in any financial situations for a long while.¡± Then Karlston hesitated for a second, which caused Malen to turn around. ¡°The only one problem there might be is the inheritance... I need it¡± Malen raised an eyebrow. He looked pointedly at Karlston¡¯s sword belt. ¡°Is that it?¡± Karlston nodded and slid the blade out of its sheath, he heard a gasp to his left and saw the head steward lurking in the corner, trust Alber to do that. Karlston laid the blade flat on his palms and allowed Malen to inspect it. Malen ran a finger over its edge and cursed when it cut him. ¡°That is definitely our heirloom, it has the inscription on it¡­ But what happened to it?¡± Karlston laughed. ¡°I was told by another Slayer¡­ black steel is only the incomplete piece. It needs dragon fire to turn it into the full item, dragon steel.¡± Malen nodded, he seemed to be slowly digesting the information. ¡°Fine, take it. I can just find something else to call an heirloom.¡± Karlston nodded and left the room, he saw Alber outside. The poor old man was crying. As Karlston patted the man on the shoulder, the head steward turned and bowed. ¡°You have done master Triston proud! I hope that whatever fate lies ahead of you, that you will take it in your stride and continue onwards.¡± Karlston nodded, trying to hold back his own tears. As he left the building, he turned to get one last look at it. ¡®When I return, it will not be a ruin again. Goodbye, greatfather¡­¡¯ Karlston turned around and grabbed the reigns of his acquired horse. This would be the last he would see of this town for a long time, he hoped that when he came back, it would be as a full-fledged Slayer, someone worthy of the Fireheart name. ______________________________________________________________________________ Ok, that''s it for a while. As in this is all the pre-written stuff. Now for any more of this, I''ll Have to get off my lazy ass and write *sigh*. If you enjoyed this so far, please rate and review. If I get around 5 (Decent) Reviews, then I promise to start writing immediately. And trust me, I will be checking. Thank you for reading so far!