Dragon Slayer

Life Of A Dragon Slayer

     "So you're a dragon slayer huh?" asked the man sitting next to me. I was in a tavern. I looked over at him and nodded. "I hear that there are some dragons, one or two, in the Dark Forest." I looked up at him suspiciously.

     "And how would you know that, if I may ask?" He looked at me surprised.

     "You mean you haven't heard the rumors?"

     "What rumors?"

     "I can bring you to the folks that claim to have seen the dragons in the morning," he offered. I smiled and nodded.

     "In the morning then. Thank you by the way."

     "No problem. Least I can do to help ya." The man smiled back at me.

                  *                   *                  *                 *                   *       

     I walk up to the room I rented out at the tavern and as soon as I open the door I notice that there's something different about the room. I scrutinize the room and see that the room seems to be in order but I still don't trust it. I grab one of the many marbles I always have with me and tossed it into the room. The moment it hit the floor, the floor rose up around it and swallowed it. I quietly closed the door and walked back downstairs. When I reentered the tavern, the man I had been talking to earlier looked up at me. At least I didn't put my stuff in that room yet.

     "I thought you were going to bed." He looked back down at his drink.

     "I thought that too. I have a question for you." He looked up at me.

     "Ask away."

     "Is it normal for the floors upstairs to swallow anything that lands on it?" He just looked at me funny.

     "What do you mean?"

     "I would sound crazy if I just tried to tell you, so I'll show you instead. Come on." I started walking back up the stairs with my stuff, not bothering to see if he was following me. Besides, I needed a reason to go back up there. I stopped at my door and carefully opened it then was instantly on my guard because the room was just fine. There was nothing wrong with it.

     "What am I supposed to be seeing here?" The man asked. I held up a finger to tell him to wait there silently. He looked like he didn't trust me but stayed silent. I took two marbles out this time instead of one and then a nail file. If it's smart it wouldn't fall for the same trick twice so I started filing the edges of the marbles to warp them. They no longer looked like marbles nor felt like them. I tossed them both into the room and waited. Just as I was about to step into the room the floor came up and swallowed the marbles I had tossed in there. I jumped away from the room and glared at the floor.

     "Do you believe me now?" I asked the man. He slowly nodded. "What's your name?"

     "Jakobe," he replied. I nodded then looked back into the room.

              *                      *                       *                      *                      *

     It's morning now and Jakobe and I have set out to find the couple that claims to have seen the dragons of the Dark Forest. The town was oddly quiet, but then again, the Dark Forests' mist was starting to spread in the chill morning.

     "Here we are." Jakobe's voice cut through the quiet morning. We were at the outskirts of town where a rather small cottage was. It was in shambles but was good enough to live in. Jakobe went up to the door and gave it a couple taps with his knuckles. An old lady opened the door and she and Jakobe exchanged a few words before Jakobe signaled for me to go over there. We both entered the cottage. The lady looked at me suspicially then seemed to recognize me.

     "Rowan, right? Rowan Ryken." The lady continued staring at me.

     "Yes, that's me." I looked at the lady curiously. My name isn't that known is it?

     "I was a friend of your mothers. Jasabel." The lady smiled at me.