Adventures in Dragon Slaying

[Silence Sei]

(Closed to Corvus)

Dragons were an endangered species.

Between being fodder for heroes and villains alike, the winged beasts were starting to dwindle in numbers on a daily basis. Some dragons were the legendary evil beasts that people made them out to be, but some dragons just wanted to be left alone. Too many times had an adventurer stumbled into a dragon’s lair only to slay the beast trying to defend its home from a trespasser. It was a sad fate considering that if the same had been done to humans, the trespasser would be at fault.

It was because of this that Sei Orlouge had pushed Radasanth for the Dragons Act of Radasanthian Equality, or D.A.R.E.

The act stated that unless provoked, it was illegal to hunt dragons anywhere near Radasanth. The penalty for such a fate ranged from a slap on the wrist to at least ten years in a prison. It was one instance in which a vigilante such as Sei Orlouge saw the forces that be doing what they should have been doing. This way evil dragon would be taken care of while good dragons would remain unharmed. This law was part of the reason that Radasanth now had so many half-bloods travel from Haidia. No longer were these people prosecuted simply for being born.

There were those that still broke this law, however, and hunted dragons just because they could. The dragon poachers were at the top of Sei's list of despicable humans. Not only did they have no regard for the law, but for the lives of other creatures as well. While it was true that dragon parts made for great weapons and armor, it was simply not reason enough to go on making an already depopulating species completely extinct.

The exceptions to the rule included travelers who had just arrived into Radasanth. The DARE had not been fully enacted in all parts of the country yet and as a result some people were misinformed.

Rumors began to circulate of a dragon living in Radasanth. 'The Dragon of Drantrak' they called it. This beast was one of unparalleled might and ferocity. Many would-be heroes had fallen to its flames. Many a heroine had its bones used as snacks for the animal. While Sei had lived in Radasanth for years, he had never seen the beast. The mute dismissed the Drantrak Dragon stories as rumors.

However, some people did not. And on this day, a dragon hunter would come to find the 'Dragon of Drantrak'.

(PM me if you have any issues with this, bud.)

[Corvus MacCallum]

The two had been travelling on and off for some time, mostly around the Corone region but ever the eager hunters they had trekked quite a path out in search of suitably dire prey. One went for the beasties, the snarling nasties that would rampage and break outside nature, killing for amusement or from a broken mind incapable of much else. The other sought the infernal, the dwellers of the realm of torment and horror that would escape unto the mortal plane, searching those who unleashed their dark desires on the weak-willed or those who simply can't defend themselves. Indeed, two hunters that clashed on so many little facets of life in their brief banters between contracts... as had become customary by now Rasten the Demon hunter had proposed a job to Corvus the Monster Hunter and he gave the suitable response.

"... I really don't like the sound of that.", simple, curt and rather well established hesitation from previous jobs with Rasten.

"Now now I assure you I have examined every detail I could scrounge up on this beast, it sounds like the perfect opportunity for you.", nice facade of confidence but Rasten was dabbling outside his comfort zone, he only sought out the supernatural or magically inclined. Monster hunting was a very different field, different rules of engagement and learning curve, so having the scholar fishing out details on some supposed Drantrak Dragon did not stir up enthusiasm in the more experienced slayer of monstrosities.

Papers were foistered upon the Wolf-man, rather crisp and fresh looking for accounts of a beast meant to be held in Legendary awe, never a good sign. Legends get their presence and place in memory from legacy, until they get established they are merely events or happenings and scattered accounts over a period of...

Summer solstice... Winter again, oh there's an Autumn... not a whole lot here...

... About five years did not make for a Legendary Beastie.

Still as was so often the case between jobs or flights of fancy the Highlander was without agenda and here Rasten was attempting to goad his interest into what might result in a rather nice fang peircing his current trophy rope. Seemed hideously doubtful but he truly had little else to occupy his time with and after looking into the expectant face of his demon hunting side-kick agreed...

"All-fucking-right... we'll have a gander for it."

... Rather reclutantly but justified.

As the two gave a solid hand-shake to seal this arrangement the Wolf-man was more than certain he'd regret the other passengers in the carriage just looked rather off-put by the coarse language of the Warrior, in fact they'd been rather wary of him since the daughter caught sight of the overfluffed wolfs tail coming out of his body. They still had some time to arrival in a small little piss-ant town that would be their first stepping stone to tussling and slaying the Drantrak Dragon, according to Rasten at any rate... but their only conversation topic, good god it made things rather stilted and awkward. Every occupant was relieved and easy breathing when the carriage finally came to a halt, the family ejecting themselves rather hastily. Rasten spending a great deal of time patting and unruffling his heavy and many buckled wind-breaker, every pocket on the inside stuffed with scrolls, parchments or musty old tombs, the Wolf-man had a far larger burden but it wasn't as easily concealed. From the empty seat they had to pay extra for he dragged out his crude iron lump shaped as a sword, the Slammer, horses giving a startled whinny as the immense blade screeched against the binding chains that made its holster. Other equipment was fastened to his form making for an exceptionally heavily armed adventurer and one that had something of a target if things panned out.

"Ah a rotten destitute little establishment, should be a good port of first call.", spoken by Rasten in a chipper tone that just clawed up Corvus' spine like some gangly limbed boil-worm fresh out of Findren, every little cheerful tone just throbbing against his survival instinct, squeezing and pressuring in the hopes that it would crack.

"... Sure."

[Silence Sei]

"You are in violation of the Dragon Act of Radasanthian Equality, you have ten seconds to drop your weapon and let the dragon go..." Anita prattled on with the rights an authority figure had to say in order to arrest someone for breaking the D.A.R.E. Sei had traveled to this small town in Corone to see if people were still having trouble with poachers killing dragon whelps.

Truth be told, nobody had ever gotten any trouble from the whelps. Quite the contrary, these baby dragons were helping the farming town’s eco system. They were taking care of the rabbits that stole carrots during the day, the Radasanth raccoons that pilfered meals at night, and the moles that made their homes underneath crops. While this indicated a thirst for bloodlust on the half of the reptile, nobody in the small community seemed to mind the dragons. As a matter of fact, a couple of people even took to adopting them as pets.

"I don't like this, Papa," Anita expressed her concerns as the duo exchanged pleasantries with random townsfolk, "We're here in Lawdy, a town between Concordia and Akashima, investigating a law we put into place, but people still aren't listening. I don't think anyone in Corone is stupid enough to deal with the Armed Forces by breaking the law here. I mean, the towns known for -obeying- laws, not breaking them."

"The Akashima people are soaked in the blood of their old traditions, Anita." Sei said while he looked towards his daughter. The people of Akashima had a harder time enacting Radasanth laws. It was mostly due to the fact that they were a rival city of sorts, but partially due to the fact that slaying dragons was part of their rich and cultured history.

Anita's eyes scanned the roads as a wagon made its way into the town. It dropped off two mysterious looking figures. The girl's eyes shifted to her father, and she began to tug on the large cloth that draped over his right shoulder. "Papa, I think I just saw a wolf tail from that guy."

Sei's focus went over to Corvus and Rasten, not noticing anything about the two initially. The mute waved the girl off as he stayed engaged in a conversation with a farmer. The man had been talking some gibberish about how well the crops were looking this year, and it was thanks to the dragons. The man had gone on further to state several poachers had been sighted in the woods recently trying to find the Drantrak Dragon, and coming home with the hides of the smaller Lawdy Dragons.

This was disheartening to the mute. Pilfering the skin off of such small creatures seemed nearly useless. Lawdy Dragons only grew to be about three feet high and four feet long, a foot of that being counted towards their tails. They’re teeth were sharp, but there were not enough of them on one youngling to make for a decent weapon. Sei could not come up with any reason why one would poach the nestlings.

"I will look into it sir," Sei said as he placed his left hand upon the chubby farmer's overalled shoulder. The farmer tilted his hat towards the mute as a way of saying thanks. Sei then looked to Anita who was still transfixed on the newly arrived duo. Rolling his eyes, Sei began to speak to his daughter.

"We'll set up camp in the woods tonight and look out for them. Lawdy dragons prowl day and night but the bigger ones tend to be nocturnal. Don't worry Anita, we'll keep an eye on those two and make sure they aren't doing anything illegal." Anita nodded to her father as Sei broke off his conversation with the farmer to make his way back into the Concordian woods.

It wasn't just the fear of those two being poachers. There was something about wolf-tail that compelled Anita to want to approach him. Something made her want to go talk to him, but she couldn't determine what...