Feeling the brush beneath my boots crunch softly I froze up. I could hear the soft rumbles of a nearby dragon snore, slowly I began to creep forward again, listening carefully to its snores for a break in the rhythm.
Dragon hunting was dangerous and usually taken on by groups of adventures but I was doing this solo, I had been hunting this one for a few weeks, slowly poisoning it and reducing its strength so I could take it on. It was finally sleeping and attempting to regain its lost strength but I wasn't going to let it.
Finally reaching the dragon's side I slowly clambered my way up its scaly side, not too quickly that I woke the beast up but not too slowly that I lost my grip on the smooth scales. Reaching its head I pulled out my long sword slowly but the sound of metal rasping on leather was too much and the eyes of the dragon opened in a second.
Leaping forward I buried the sword into the weakest area in a dragon's skull, the section between the snout and the top of the skull, my blade struck home and it roared and screamed, thrashing it's head from left to right to attempt to dislodge the blade but I would not let go and my blade would not budge.
Eventually it fell to the ground and I dislodged the sword, flicking away the blood as the dragon's body starting shining before it exploded into pixels, a small portal appeared in front of me showing me the materials I had gained for completing this hunt and where they would be stored, swiping it away I sheathed my sword on my back and walked off.
Trudging back to the main camp I signalled to a custodian and watched as the airship came down to pick me up before transporting me back to the flagship.
The year was 2312, guns and fossil fuels had been replaced by the discovery of magic and the plague of monsters has forced humanity to take to the sky's to protect them from all possible ground threats while putting high bounties on flying targets that could destroy the cities, dragons were some of the highest bounties because of the amount of cities they have destroyed. With the use of science and magic swords became the go to weapon because of the fact they can store large portions of magic in the blade therefore making it stronger.
Some people preferred making their weapons flashy with tons of fire, ice and other elements but I preferred the edge to be keen and strong so I never stood out but I had carved a name for myself as a dragon hunter and a solo hunter at that so I eventually became a wanted man for the cities to use on any dragons they know are in the area.
You could never permanently kill a monster but you can disband the magic that holds them together for a while and you just have to keep disbanding them if they become a regular nuisance. The airship landed at the flagship and I stepped off looking down at the hopeful faces of the people who had gathered there, this particular dragon had been attacking this city, not enough to destroy the city but enough to cause a slaughter.
Raising my fist in the standard hunter salute the reaction was deafening. Tears streamed down people's faces as 'thank you' poured in as I attempted to navigate my way through the horde of people. I wasn't cut out for the public spotlight...
Knocking on the front door of the mayor's office I was led in by a ecstatic servant to a grinning mayor "You've done it again Fletcher, our city is, once again, in your debt" He roared with laughter and gratitude, getting up and clasping my hand firmly.
This man was in his fifties yet he had the body of a professional lifter and a magnificent beard, "It's fine Jack honest, this is my job so I'm used to it" I replied.
I wasn't lying, I had grown used to hunting dragons so being called out to hunt a dragon isn't usually a big deal unless they can give a name, then I know im in for a fight as dragons who can speak are on a completely different level than standard dragons, they can, in turn, be convinced to stop attacking a city and in some cases assist in the defence of the city for a price but most dragons that speak are greedy and require extensive planning and research.
Those are the dragons I remember the most as they always have a way to get into your head, you can train yourself to resist but you can never stop a dragon breaking in. I have in turn developed my own ways to hunt dragons with the ability to speak and invade your mind, ways to silence them and to tire them out with a contest of wills and wit.
"Well if it isn't a problem then you might want to meet a lady who wishes to speak with you in person, and Fletcher my old friend and sly dog you are a lucky man!" he roared with laughter while nudging me in the ribs with his meatloaf fingers
"Right right I know what you mean you old pervert" I laughed along with him, lightly batting away his fingers before turning serious for a bit "Are you sure I should speak to her in person? You usually do the talking"
"Yes it will be best if you talked to her, with the job she's offering" He responded before a smile breaking out onto his face again "I will summon her here for tomorrow so before then you may want to clean up, especially that dirty old cloak of yours, we have so many better looking ones then that old thing" He joked.
He knew how much this cloak meant to me and what it symbolizes, it's a dark old thing but I carry it to tell my story.
Leaving the mayor's office with a red mark on my back from a good natured "pat" on the back from Jack I made my way to my home, I was born in this city and even though I was hired out by other cities to take care of their problems I will always call this floating rock my home.
Shrugging my weapons off my back I laid them out beside my bed and took a quick inspection of them, my sword took the larger sheath, above it rested another sword hilt, this one with a broken blade, it was slimmer but I had refined it to the same point of my normal sword and used it just as much, that broken blade was as much of my history as my cloak.
Finally I checked my bow, it was made from a rare oak that attacks anyone who approaches it doesn't like but I managed to gain its blessing to take a branch from it, in return anything I kill with arrows fired from the bow their life force will transfer to the tree, sustaining it.
Finally I looked to myself, I was covered in dirt and grime for my troubles of killing that dragon, my usual dark green leather had become browned, the metal additions had gained a slight rust to them.
My scarf had moulded slightly but the cloak... It will always stay fresh, a prize for my loss and achievements. it's white and black patterns was a telltale sign to any one, it was a sign of loss, the slash of red across the bottom was a sign of vengeance and the medallion of a arrow crossed with a star showed the blessing of the elves, a elder race who does not give out blessing lightly and neither should ones who have that blessing.
I shoved everything into a cleaner and started it up while I stepped into my shower, with the help of magic the water was always heated to the individuals benefits so the water was warm and pleasant, helping to relax my muscles. Clambering out of the shower I dried myself off before slipping on some simple shorts and collapsing onto my bed for a deserved sleep
"This woman better be something pretty fucking special to get in the way of my break time" I mumbled before passing into the endless void that is known as sleep.