Dragonsbane - RP

[Dragonium]

Stopping to catch their breath, Dragonium and Crag surveyed the city of Bjorn.

It was still as happy and fun a town as they had left it. In Bjorn, there was always something to do, something to see, something to buy. There was little to no crime in Bjorn, apart from a few minor squabbles which seldom broke out. In fact, in other villages, the threat of a large Dragon would hang over the people and cause them to be always worried and anxious for their safety. Here, in Bjorn, if you didn't know there was a Dragon, you would never have guessed from the people.

These people got on with their lives. A Dragon was nothing special.

The two Slayers had reached the gates and gone a short way beyond, into a wide dusty street with basic stalls at either side. It was noisy and crowded, and the air held a slight smell of sweat and animal dung, but there were a lot of things to see, and plenty of other smells to enjoy.

Another Glareth strode past softly. Their bodies were perfectly level, with the neck and elongates lizard-like head in front and the long, pointed tail behind. Atop this particular beast was a splendid array of cloth and fabric to make even the wealthiest trader jealous. Some theorised that Glareths were a lesser-evolved form of Dragons, but this was probably incorrect; they were nowhere near as intelligent as a Dragon.

Dragonium looked around to find a bearing, to see if there was an Inn in the vicinity. It would be easy to get lost here.

As he looked around for a destination, two men bustled past, carrying a man on a stretcher. The injured party seemed to have been attacked by a Dragon, for the deep claw wounds to his chest and stomach bore all the signs of a Dragon attack. By the size of the gashes, this was not a very big Dragon. Probably a small one living in a forest somewher nearby. Dragonium's heart sank as he saw a shortsword at the man's belt. He had obviously initiated the fight, and he was obviously a hunter. They never learned.

The Glareth yawned widely, and licked its lips with a lazy expression.

It certainly had the right idea, thought Dragonium. They couldn;t do anything tonight, and the sun would begin to set in an hour or two, so it was probably for the best that they found a room for the night.

Saint strode past with a determined expression on his face, and Crag shot the older Slayer a familiar cynical expression. Whatever was wrong, it was Saint's business, not theirs.

Yes, there was business to attend to.

[Emerates]

Haku stared after Saint for a moment.  His sudden outburst had been completely random.  No warning, no pretense, just 'goodbye' and speeding away.

Haku began walking again.  So he was wandering by himself into one of the largest cities into the continent.  True, the crime rate was low in Bjorn, but there was still the chance of robbery or homicide within those tall white walls that tried to keep the bustling city from spilling forth into the rest of the world.

Dusk had nearly settled by the time Haku reached the city gates.  Only a few minutes later and he would have been locked out for the night, only to repeat the experiences he'd had last night.  Only, he would have no companions this time.

Although the sun had set behind the mountains, the city was still busy.  But rather than trying to sell their wares, the merchants were trying to pack up and get inside to their warm houses and the patrons hurried away to other parts of the city with bundles and baskets under their arms.  There would be no such solace for Haku tonight.  "You can meet me in the city," Saint had said.  However, he had not said where in the city.  He had a good half hour headstart on Haku, and any time lost trying to find an inn he would not even be able to afford to sleep in would be a waste of time.

Although the apparent dangers of the night rang through his head, Haku could still not understand the impulse he felt to find Saint.  The man was sporadic, powerful, and possibly dangerous.  Yet Haku felt somehow secure around Saint.  A strange thing for someone he had met only two days ago.  Perhaps it was because Saint seemed to be like himself, or because Saint was obviously more experienced in slaying than Haku.  

The darkness claimed the city over the next hour, until the servicemen lit street lamps to illuminate the city once again.  Crowds had thinned until the only people visible were those trying to sell something they shouldn't have, or the guards patrolling the walls, looking for anything unusual.  Haku continued to wander the streets, looking for Saint.

[Moosetroop11]

The people of this town were stupid, Saint decided. They had little or no regard for the lives of others, and exploited whatever means they could for personal gain. Within the law, perhaps, but in Saint's mind they were still criminals.

A weapon shop. The low doorframe had a wooden sign hanging from it, forcing Saint to duck as he entered, which angered him.
"Welcome!" beamed a plump man at the counter. "What can I do for you?"
Saint said nothing and walked around. The dark floorboards creaked under his booted feet. He stooped and picked up a spear, beautifully crafted and clearly strong.
"Tell me" Saint enquired, "what you would do if a man came in here and told you his home was being attacked by a wyrm. Would you give him this weapon to fight it? Would you try to help?"
"What are you getting at?" Asked the man, his smile faded. "Your home is being attacked? If I were you I would wait for a slayer to arrive. You mustn't put yourself in danger."
"I can fight" assured Saint. And my family are trapped in my home. Every second you debate over giving me the spear, their lives are further in danger. I have some money but not enough to pay for the spear. Hurry!"
The man was clearly flustered. "Well how much have you got?" I could give you a discount.." The man stopped because the spear was through his shoulder. He cried out at the pain.
"A discount? so you would charge for the saving of a life? You are nothing."
The man was crying. This grey haired stranger was clearly mad. There was no answer that would have satisfied him.
Saint moved over to the counter and placed some coins on it. Then he spun to face the pinned storeowner and looked straight into his eyes. "I will make you a deal." Saint said. "I will give you the money on the counter, and spare your life, if you will give me the spear.. and aid me in killing many more people. Or, I will kill you, and then I will stop the killing at you and spare the others. What do you say?"
The man took little time to make up his mind. "I'll do anything" he cried, "I'll help you kill someone else. you can even keep the money. Just spare my life."
If Saint hadn't had an excuse to kill the man before, he did now. The commoners would no longer hide their selfishness behind their shark's grins. He thrust his knife into the mans heart for a quick death, and pulled his new spear free, avoiding the bleeding.

Justice had been served. Now Saint wanted some rest.

[Dragonium]

The two Slayers were once again forced to stop in their tracks.

They had established a location for a decent Inn which was not overpriced, and though it had taken a scant few minutes to get the information from a shopkeeper, it was a quarter-hour's walk to get to the destination.

But now the road was blocked as a pair of men in similar clothes to the rest of the townspeople bustled past from the doorway of a weapon shop, carrying a man on a stretcher. Apparently he was the owner, and he seemed to have been stabbed twice, though it was the second thrust which had killed him.

It was intriguing that none of the other people about the town stopped in their business to see what was happening. Killings in the city were very rare, but when one occurred, the people thought nothing of it. They took death in their stride. The only people to get upset over this man's death would be his closest family.

That wasn't right, but still. Bjorn was a safe city. Perfect for a restful living.

After a silent walk through the streets, they found the Golden Peacock Inn and went inside. It was a small, cosy establishment, mostly furnished with wood and animal bone, with candles on the walls and a small number of men who appeared to miners or foresters, or some such physical trade. Some of them were hunters. In the center of the main wall was a large round counter, and behind which were a trio of buxom young maids who handled the drinks and requests of the Inn's visitors. There were stairs leading up to the rooms, and a large notice board clogged with messages.

Dragonium investigated this first, ignoring the glances from the menfolk as he did so. The notices here were actually requests for missing objects or the slaying of particular monsters. All were written in the same style, and all had a reward. He had observed this before. If someone requested a task such as this, they wrote their request and posted it onto the board, paying the serving-girl the amount they wished as a reward. If someone wished to attempt one of these, they took the paper to the serving-girl, and if they were successful, they recieved the reward. The Inn handled everything else.

It was a service primarily for hunters, but ordinary people attempted some tasks.

Dragonium scanned some of the tasks available. Many people had requested the slaying of Dragons which had hassled them. Not very difficult tasks for a Slayer, but for hunters they presented a challenge. To his disappointment, there were none requesting for the large Dragon around Bjorn to be taken care of. Evidently it had not been reported - if hunters thought they could take care of such a thing, they would be killed easily, so it was for the best that they were not given the opportunity.

"We set off tomorrow", Dragonium said to Crag. "I can track a large Dragon. We'll find it tomorrow".

Crag nodded, and they went off to order a room for the night.