Not as good as my more recent writing, but still a good story.
Prologue
The first thing to know about slaying dragons (or about dragons at all) is that they are extremely territorial. If they find an intruder anywhere in their claimed land, they will destroy them. That's why it is always good to keep a look out, as you will see our hero do.
Another thing to keep in mind is that, because of the afore stated reason, there is only one dragon at a time in any given area. This gives the adventurer the advantage. The adventurer has only to make sure that they are where the dragon is not.
Some good equipment to have is a sun-fire torch (which are exceedingly hard to come by), a dragon-hide cloak and boots (seeing that a dragon cannot burn itself), and a hardened steel sword.
Our hero's story begins.
Ch 1
One day, in the year 14**, as our future hero was going out to get the milk from the ice-shed, he heard a sound like nothing he ever heard before. It was a combination of wind and a fire. Our hero, named Agrippa, crept out from the shade of the shed. As he carefully rounded the last corner, he took a deep breath and leapt out, brandishing his shovel. All he saw then was a smoking landscape. No corn field, no barn, no chicken coop. Flapping of wings could be heard in the distance. As he sat down in dismay, wondering what to do next, he heard a weak cry for help. Agrippa sat up, and searched around, but couldn't find anything. As he started looking in what was the corn field, he saw the burned body of his father. Agrippa knelt down to him, tears already swelling in his eyes. His father slowly raised his arm, and grasped his son.
Agrippa turned to him, and his father used his last breath to tell Agrippa "The dragon. It came, because it has claimed this land. You must leave before it returns.".
His father's arm slumped down, and Agrippa heard his father's lungs dispel all remaining air. He reached out and closed his father's eyes. Agrippa went inside and wept. He decided not to think any more about it until the next morning.
Ch 2
Agrippa looked around for anything else he would need before he left home. He had packed his cloak, a knife, a change of clothes, and enough food and water to last him 3 days. He decided that the first place he would set our for was Intirita, located 40 miles south of the farm. His aunt and uncle lived there. He took a quick glance around to see if he had missed anything, and set off. He went down the old dirt road which he was so used to. This time, however, things were different. All the bright scenery seemed dimmer to him. He walked on for half the morning, then decided to take a break. He found a nice grassy area, then sat down and took out a morsel of bread and cheese. Before he had yet set his teeth into it, though, he heard a snapping of twigs behind him. He glanced around, nervously, then got up. He peered into the woods suspiciously, trying to make out an image of something. He slowly crept into the woods, looking around himself as he went. He pulled out his knife, just as a precaution. After looking around for several minutes, he contented himself that it had only been his imagination. As he headed back to his picnic, he heard the sound again. This time he was prepared. He instantly turned around and spotted his follower. He was about 5' 10", had dark brown hair that looked as though it had not been washed in months. As soon as Agrippa had laid down his knife, showing that he meant no harm, the stranger slowly walked up to him.
"Who are you?" the stranger said.
Agrippa decided that he would take a gamble and tell him the truth.
"I am Agrippa Stotkva, age 17, son of Erigna Stotkva, farmer.".
The stranger looked pleased. "I am Henrich Wurinve, age 36, messenger of the Trankasva king. I have been sent to find you, Agrippa."
Agrippa was shocked. "What? How do you know about me? Why does the king need me?" Henrich laughed and said "I will tell you all. But first, I am hungry. I have 2 horses down the road a bit. I know of a good inn down the road a bit.".
They both left the forest and headed further down the road. As they got to a bend in the road, they came upon 2 horses. They mounted up and rode off a ways. After 15 or 20 minutes, they came across a inn. They dismounted, and went inside.
As soon as they stepped foot inside, a cheer went up. "Henrich! Good to see you again so soon! Who is this with you?".
Henrich answered "Ah, hullo, Benri! This is Agrippa."
Benri looked stunned "Agrippa? Agrippa Stotkva? It is a pleasure indeed, my friend!" He took Agrippa's hand and nearly shook it off. "We have been waiting for you, yes we have." He lowered his voice nearly to a whisper. "I hear tell that you have had an encounter with The Dragon. I also hear tell that-" He raised his voice back up again "-You can solve out dragon infestation problem!"
A cheer resounded throughout the inn. Henrich had already made himself at home, as it certainly seemed this inn was. He already had a tankard of ale before him, and was chatting merrily with one of the fellow inn-stayers. Henrich noticed the incredulous expression that resided on Agrippa's face.
He came over and sat close to Agrippa. "The people all over have heard of how your father was killed. He was a good man, I knew him well. They think that you will take revenge on the dragon for your father's death."
Agrippa was amazed. "They actually think I am going to go dragon-hunting?"
Henrich nodded. "Of course, being the king's favorite messenger," Here he puffed out his chest a bit, "the king said that I was to aid you on your quest." Agrippa beamed with joy.
"You will, Henrich?"
"Certainly. That is why I came for you. There is one other thing, though, that has the villagers convinced that you will slay the dragon."
"What?"
"The Prophecy of Tears. I only remember part of it, the beginning, but I am sure the king will be able to tell you the whole thing.
A long time ago,
in a land close to home,
there was a boy who was well grown.
This boy was a good worker,
and was doing his job,
when he heard a loud sound.
He looked 'round the barn,
and what did he find,
but a burned field and his father.
His father was wounded,
a mortal wound at that,
and the boy knelt down to him.
His father gasped out a few sullen words,
saying to leave for the dragon would return,
then breathed his last.
Our hero went back,
into the house,
to get ready for the move,
He slept a restless night,
and in the morning prepared
to leave the farm.
That is what I remember of it. I suppose that is all I needed to know, seeing that we are playing out the rest. But, as I said before, the king should be able to tell you the entire thing."
"How is this possible? How can there be a whole prophecy about me?"
"The Mages once were knowledgeable. They could tell such things from the stars."
"Hmmm, all right, but we will need supplies."
"Ah, but you see, the king was so excited about you saving the kingdom, and me doing it with you, that he funded the mission."
"How much?"
"160 gold quatrum."
"What? I guess he decided we should have the best equipment!"
"Yes," Henrich responded, "and that we shall have! We will spend the night here, then set off in the morning. There is a blacksmith, an armory, and many more stores further into town."
They thanked the innkeeper, then went upstairs to sleep.
Ch 3
They awoke early, and went downstairs. The innkeeper already had a hearty breakfast of eggs,
bread, apples, and milk ready for them. They ate quickly, then set off. They rode for most of the morning before they arrived at town. Henrich reached into one of the sidebags on his horse, took out a loaf of bread, tore it in half, and handed one half to Agrippa.
"Here." he said. "This should keep you for a while."
Their first stop was the blacksmith's. They stepped inside, and heard the sound of red-hot metal being plunged into water.
"Hullo? Westion? Are you here?" shouted Henrich.
A blacksmith with a thick apron on, with black smudges all over his face and hands emerged out of another room.
"Can I do somethin' for ya, Henrich?" the blacksmith asked.
They walked over to each other, then they both laughed and hugged each other.
"Actually, I am here mostly for this young lad here." Henrich answered.
"Ah, are you the young adventurer I have been hearing about recently?"
"Yes, though you seem that you have known about it longer than I have. Henrich only told me about it last night." Agrippa said.
"Yes, Henrich here is quite the urchin sometimes. So, what tools or weapons do you need?"
Henrich stepped in here. "We would like 2 hardened steel swords, 2 daggers, 2 shields, and 1 dragon-slaying dagger."
"Who exactly is funding this endeavor? I must ask, because that last item on the list will set you back....oh, probably 1500 ectras."
"The king himself." Henrich puffed out his chest again. "Yup, I'm his number one man for all the important jobs."
Agrippa was just thinking about how Henrich delighted in that fact when Westion interrupted his thoughts.
"Do ye know what that is for, lad?"
"Hmm? Oh, I suppose it is for killing the dragon."
"Yes, but do you know why there is a special dagger for killing dragons?"
"No, not at all."
"Well, I remember- oh, probably 40 or so years ago -that the first dragon in our area was spotted.
Our hero at the time went out with a normal dagger, but came back badly burned. He said that when he tried to
pierce the dragon's skin, right near the neck were it is the least protected, that the dagger just wouldn't penetrate. He tried again, but it just slid off. You can imagine that the dragon didn't fancy having a human trying to stab it, so he decided to fight back. The knight came back to our village
burned and defeated. The alchemist and I then began experimenting with different metals. The hero then told us about a dagger he had seen in the dragon's lair. He told us that it had and engraving of 2 dragons fighting, and that it had 3 crystals in it. Why he waited to tell us this, I do not know. Together, with some help from the would-be hero, we reconstructed it. The hero decided that he would let someone else do the job.".
"He was just plain scared." Henrich added.
Westion continued, "The next hero that decided to go took the dagger, and it went smoothly through the skin and killed the dragon. That hero then took the original dagger that was in the dragon's lair and brought it back to us. Then we made a few modifications to the dagger that we made and then destroyed them both. We decided that if we needed to make another, that I would be able to make it just from my memory. And so I have.", the blacksmith ended.
"How fast will you be able to make it?" Henrich asked.
"'Twon't take more that 3 days."
"Ok, Agrippa, let's go get you some armor."
They set off towards the leathersmith, only to find that he was gone until tomorrow. By this time it was already almost dusk, so they went in search of an inn. They found one that, on hearing their quest, the owner told them they could bunk for the 3 days, as well as have all meals there for only 1 quatrum of gold. They had a hearty meal of stew and bread, then went to sleep. The next day they went to the blacksmith's again. The blacksmith had the 2 normal daggers ready already, and he was partway through the 1st sword. He had all the materials for the dragon dagger assembled. They then went to the leathersmith again.
"Hullo, I am Henrich. This is our soon-to-be hero, Agrippa. We are going to be slaying the dragon that has been destroying towns, people, and farms. We need to acquire some armor. I have heard that dragon-skin leather is best for our mission."
"Yes, eet ees, but eet ees very expenceeve. I weell neeed certification that I weell be compensated for eet."
"Yes, yes, you will have your money," said Henrich, "but I will need 'certification' that it will work well."
"Yes, I have a swath of eet heere, eef you would like to test eet out."
Henrich took the piece of leather, pulled it, tore at it, and scratched at it. After completing this part of the test, he requested a torch. The leathersmith went into the back room, then emerged a minute later with a blazing torch. Henrich took it, then held it to the leather. He put it closer and closer until it was touching the leather. He pulled it back, and the leather was unscathed.
"We would like 1 pair of boots, 1 vest, 1 helmet, and 1 pair of gloves, all made from dragon-skin."
"I will have eet ready een a day or two."
Satisfied with this, they left. They went back to the inn, grabbed lunch and brought it to their room. They then decided to work on their plan of attack.
Ch 4
The first thing to decide on was where they would attack the dragon. Would they lure it out into a field, or would they go to his lair. They decided on the former, seeing that if they went into its lair, it would have the advantage. Next was to decide which field to battle in. Seeing that there weren't many farmers that would consent to having someone burn their farm, they began looking for a farm for sale. Then Agrippa remembered that his father's farm was unused, and that the dragon had already claimed it. There would be a perfect place to battle, seeing that everything was destroyed already. They went back to the leathersmith's shop, and discovered that the boots, gloves, helmet, and vest were all ready. Henrich paid the leathersmith, and took the goods. After stopping there, they went to the blacksmith's, where he gave them the 2 hardened steel swords. The dragon dagger's shape was coming clearer now, and the blade was almost sharpened. They rested in their rooms, contemplating what they would do next. Henrich said that they should go see the king. He said that the king may have some tips for them, as well as having the rest of the Prophecy. They spent another night at the inn, then got up and went to the blacksmith's. He presented them with the finished piece. It was beautiful handiwork, with engravings of dragons up and down it on both sides. It had 2 red crystals and 1 small black one set directly into the metal. Henrich paid him in full for all the work, and they parted ways. They gathered up all their belongings, got enough food and water to last them the trip, then set off for the king's castle. It took them 4 1/2 days to get there, but when they did, they were given food and drink, then sent off to rest. They got up the next morning to the smell of roasting meat, baking bread, and frying eggs. They ate slowly, enjoying the royal food, then went to the king's chambers.
Prologue
The first thing to know about slaying dragons (or about dragons at all) is that they are extremely territorial. If they find an intruder anywhere in their claimed land, they will destroy them. That's why it is always good to keep a look out, as you will see our hero do.
Another thing to keep in mind is that, because of the afore stated reason, there is only one dragon at a time in any given area. This gives the adventurer the advantage. The adventurer has only to make sure that they are where the dragon is not.
Some good equipment to have is a sun-fire torch (which are exceedingly hard to come by), a dragon-hide cloak and boots (seeing that a dragon cannot burn itself), and a hardened steel sword.
Our hero's story begins.
Ch 1
One day, in the year 14**, as our future hero was going out to get the milk from the ice-shed, he heard a sound like nothing he ever heard before. It was a combination of wind and a fire. Our hero, named Agrippa, crept out from the shade of the shed. As he carefully rounded the last corner, he took a deep breath and leapt out, brandishing his shovel. All he saw then was a smoking landscape. No corn field, no barn, no chicken coop. Flapping of wings could be heard in the distance. As he sat down in dismay, wondering what to do next, he heard a weak cry for help. Agrippa sat up, and searched around, but couldn't find anything. As he started looking in what was the corn field, he saw the burned body of his father. Agrippa knelt down to him, tears already swelling in his eyes. His father slowly raised his arm, and grasped his son.
Agrippa turned to him, and his father used his last breath to tell Agrippa "The dragon. It came, because it has claimed this land. You must leave before it returns.".
His father's arm slumped down, and Agrippa heard his father's lungs dispel all remaining air. He reached out and closed his father's eyes. Agrippa went inside and wept. He decided not to think any more about it until the next morning.
Ch 2
Agrippa looked around for anything else he would need before he left home. He had packed his cloak, a knife, a change of clothes, and enough food and water to last him 3 days. He decided that the first place he would set our for was Intirita, located 40 miles south of the farm. His aunt and uncle lived there. He took a quick glance around to see if he had missed anything, and set off. He went down the old dirt road which he was so used to. This time, however, things were different. All the bright scenery seemed dimmer to him. He walked on for half the morning, then decided to take a break. He found a nice grassy area, then sat down and took out a morsel of bread and cheese. Before he had yet set his teeth into it, though, he heard a snapping of twigs behind him. He glanced around, nervously, then got up. He peered into the woods suspiciously, trying to make out an image of something. He slowly crept into the woods, looking around himself as he went. He pulled out his knife, just as a precaution. After looking around for several minutes, he contented himself that it had only been his imagination. As he headed back to his picnic, he heard the sound again. This time he was prepared. He instantly turned around and spotted his follower. He was about 5' 10", had dark brown hair that looked as though it had not been washed in months. As soon as Agrippa had laid down his knife, showing that he meant no harm, the stranger slowly walked up to him.
"Who are you?" the stranger said.
Agrippa decided that he would take a gamble and tell him the truth.
"I am Agrippa Stotkva, age 17, son of Erigna Stotkva, farmer.".
The stranger looked pleased. "I am Henrich Wurinve, age 36, messenger of the Trankasva king. I have been sent to find you, Agrippa."
Agrippa was shocked. "What? How do you know about me? Why does the king need me?" Henrich laughed and said "I will tell you all. But first, I am hungry. I have 2 horses down the road a bit. I know of a good inn down the road a bit.".
They both left the forest and headed further down the road. As they got to a bend in the road, they came upon 2 horses. They mounted up and rode off a ways. After 15 or 20 minutes, they came across a inn. They dismounted, and went inside.
As soon as they stepped foot inside, a cheer went up. "Henrich! Good to see you again so soon! Who is this with you?".
Henrich answered "Ah, hullo, Benri! This is Agrippa."
Benri looked stunned "Agrippa? Agrippa Stotkva? It is a pleasure indeed, my friend!" He took Agrippa's hand and nearly shook it off. "We have been waiting for you, yes we have." He lowered his voice nearly to a whisper. "I hear tell that you have had an encounter with The Dragon. I also hear tell that-" He raised his voice back up again "-You can solve out dragon infestation problem!"
A cheer resounded throughout the inn. Henrich had already made himself at home, as it certainly seemed this inn was. He already had a tankard of ale before him, and was chatting merrily with one of the fellow inn-stayers. Henrich noticed the incredulous expression that resided on Agrippa's face.
He came over and sat close to Agrippa. "The people all over have heard of how your father was killed. He was a good man, I knew him well. They think that you will take revenge on the dragon for your father's death."
Agrippa was amazed. "They actually think I am going to go dragon-hunting?"
Henrich nodded. "Of course, being the king's favorite messenger," Here he puffed out his chest a bit, "the king said that I was to aid you on your quest." Agrippa beamed with joy.
"You will, Henrich?"
"Certainly. That is why I came for you. There is one other thing, though, that has the villagers convinced that you will slay the dragon."
"What?"
"The Prophecy of Tears. I only remember part of it, the beginning, but I am sure the king will be able to tell you the whole thing.
A long time ago,
in a land close to home,
there was a boy who was well grown.
This boy was a good worker,
and was doing his job,
when he heard a loud sound.
He looked 'round the barn,
and what did he find,
but a burned field and his father.
His father was wounded,
a mortal wound at that,
and the boy knelt down to him.
His father gasped out a few sullen words,
saying to leave for the dragon would return,
then breathed his last.
Our hero went back,
into the house,
to get ready for the move,
He slept a restless night,
and in the morning prepared
to leave the farm.
That is what I remember of it. I suppose that is all I needed to know, seeing that we are playing out the rest. But, as I said before, the king should be able to tell you the entire thing."
"How is this possible? How can there be a whole prophecy about me?"
"The Mages once were knowledgeable. They could tell such things from the stars."
"Hmmm, all right, but we will need supplies."
"Ah, but you see, the king was so excited about you saving the kingdom, and me doing it with you, that he funded the mission."
"How much?"
"160 gold quatrum."
"What? I guess he decided we should have the best equipment!"
"Yes," Henrich responded, "and that we shall have! We will spend the night here, then set off in the morning. There is a blacksmith, an armory, and many more stores further into town."
They thanked the innkeeper, then went upstairs to sleep.
Ch 3
They awoke early, and went downstairs. The innkeeper already had a hearty breakfast of eggs,
bread, apples, and milk ready for them. They ate quickly, then set off. They rode for most of the morning before they arrived at town. Henrich reached into one of the sidebags on his horse, took out a loaf of bread, tore it in half, and handed one half to Agrippa.
"Here." he said. "This should keep you for a while."
Their first stop was the blacksmith's. They stepped inside, and heard the sound of red-hot metal being plunged into water.
"Hullo? Westion? Are you here?" shouted Henrich.
A blacksmith with a thick apron on, with black smudges all over his face and hands emerged out of another room.
"Can I do somethin' for ya, Henrich?" the blacksmith asked.
They walked over to each other, then they both laughed and hugged each other.
"Actually, I am here mostly for this young lad here." Henrich answered.
"Ah, are you the young adventurer I have been hearing about recently?"
"Yes, though you seem that you have known about it longer than I have. Henrich only told me about it last night." Agrippa said.
"Yes, Henrich here is quite the urchin sometimes. So, what tools or weapons do you need?"
Henrich stepped in here. "We would like 2 hardened steel swords, 2 daggers, 2 shields, and 1 dragon-slaying dagger."
"Who exactly is funding this endeavor? I must ask, because that last item on the list will set you back....oh, probably 1500 ectras."
"The king himself." Henrich puffed out his chest again. "Yup, I'm his number one man for all the important jobs."
Agrippa was just thinking about how Henrich delighted in that fact when Westion interrupted his thoughts.
"Do ye know what that is for, lad?"
"Hmm? Oh, I suppose it is for killing the dragon."
"Yes, but do you know why there is a special dagger for killing dragons?"
"No, not at all."
"Well, I remember- oh, probably 40 or so years ago -that the first dragon in our area was spotted.
Our hero at the time went out with a normal dagger, but came back badly burned. He said that when he tried to
pierce the dragon's skin, right near the neck were it is the least protected, that the dagger just wouldn't penetrate. He tried again, but it just slid off. You can imagine that the dragon didn't fancy having a human trying to stab it, so he decided to fight back. The knight came back to our village
burned and defeated. The alchemist and I then began experimenting with different metals. The hero then told us about a dagger he had seen in the dragon's lair. He told us that it had and engraving of 2 dragons fighting, and that it had 3 crystals in it. Why he waited to tell us this, I do not know. Together, with some help from the would-be hero, we reconstructed it. The hero decided that he would let someone else do the job.".
"He was just plain scared." Henrich added.
Westion continued, "The next hero that decided to go took the dagger, and it went smoothly through the skin and killed the dragon. That hero then took the original dagger that was in the dragon's lair and brought it back to us. Then we made a few modifications to the dagger that we made and then destroyed them both. We decided that if we needed to make another, that I would be able to make it just from my memory. And so I have.", the blacksmith ended.
"How fast will you be able to make it?" Henrich asked.
"'Twon't take more that 3 days."
"Ok, Agrippa, let's go get you some armor."
They set off towards the leathersmith, only to find that he was gone until tomorrow. By this time it was already almost dusk, so they went in search of an inn. They found one that, on hearing their quest, the owner told them they could bunk for the 3 days, as well as have all meals there for only 1 quatrum of gold. They had a hearty meal of stew and bread, then went to sleep. The next day they went to the blacksmith's again. The blacksmith had the 2 normal daggers ready already, and he was partway through the 1st sword. He had all the materials for the dragon dagger assembled. They then went to the leathersmith again.
"Hullo, I am Henrich. This is our soon-to-be hero, Agrippa. We are going to be slaying the dragon that has been destroying towns, people, and farms. We need to acquire some armor. I have heard that dragon-skin leather is best for our mission."
"Yes, eet ees, but eet ees very expenceeve. I weell neeed certification that I weell be compensated for eet."
"Yes, yes, you will have your money," said Henrich, "but I will need 'certification' that it will work well."
"Yes, I have a swath of eet heere, eef you would like to test eet out."
Henrich took the piece of leather, pulled it, tore at it, and scratched at it. After completing this part of the test, he requested a torch. The leathersmith went into the back room, then emerged a minute later with a blazing torch. Henrich took it, then held it to the leather. He put it closer and closer until it was touching the leather. He pulled it back, and the leather was unscathed.
"We would like 1 pair of boots, 1 vest, 1 helmet, and 1 pair of gloves, all made from dragon-skin."
"I will have eet ready een a day or two."
Satisfied with this, they left. They went back to the inn, grabbed lunch and brought it to their room. They then decided to work on their plan of attack.
Ch 4
The first thing to decide on was where they would attack the dragon. Would they lure it out into a field, or would they go to his lair. They decided on the former, seeing that if they went into its lair, it would have the advantage. Next was to decide which field to battle in. Seeing that there weren't many farmers that would consent to having someone burn their farm, they began looking for a farm for sale. Then Agrippa remembered that his father's farm was unused, and that the dragon had already claimed it. There would be a perfect place to battle, seeing that everything was destroyed already. They went back to the leathersmith's shop, and discovered that the boots, gloves, helmet, and vest were all ready. Henrich paid the leathersmith, and took the goods. After stopping there, they went to the blacksmith's, where he gave them the 2 hardened steel swords. The dragon dagger's shape was coming clearer now, and the blade was almost sharpened. They rested in their rooms, contemplating what they would do next. Henrich said that they should go see the king. He said that the king may have some tips for them, as well as having the rest of the Prophecy. They spent another night at the inn, then got up and went to the blacksmith's. He presented them with the finished piece. It was beautiful handiwork, with engravings of dragons up and down it on both sides. It had 2 red crystals and 1 small black one set directly into the metal. Henrich paid him in full for all the work, and they parted ways. They gathered up all their belongings, got enough food and water to last them the trip, then set off for the king's castle. It took them 4 1/2 days to get there, but when they did, they were given food and drink, then sent off to rest. They got up the next morning to the smell of roasting meat, baking bread, and frying eggs. They ate slowly, enjoying the royal food, then went to the king's chambers.
