Chapter 2
Being awakened had always been something that made the newborn grouchy. Being woken up by hit in the gut by a man wearing a gauntlet didn't make him grouchy; it pissed him off! This man being Marius – with his smug grin – made it even worse. And if it hadn't been for Sepp running into the room looking for his chest plate, blood would have been spilt. The newborn decided then and there that he didn't like Marius, no matter how honorable and good of a Slayer he was.
"Come on, newborn," Marius said, the annoying smile ever present. "We've arrived, and the Commander wants us all outside now." With that, he left the newborn to get ready.
A few minutes later, they were all gathered on the outskirts of a small village, a peaceful place nestled in the green that surrounded Lovis' Tower. Said tower once belonged to the Dragon Knight Lovis, the former lord of the valley.
Dragon Knight… one of the betrayers. The ones guilty of slaying the Divine.
The newborn shrugged of the feeling of dread that suddenly filled his senses and focused on what Commander Rhode was saying.
"… start the hunt. Marius, you will lead the preliminary search of the Valley, but warn me before engaging the Dragon."
Marius and the other Slayers nodded and straightened their backs slightly, as if standing salute, while the Commander continued.
"I will notify the local officials about our arrival. Once you have any information, come and find me and we'll head out. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," Marius said, actually saluting this time.
"Good. This will be a day to remember, Slayers," Commander Rhodes said, putting her hands on her hips and raising her chin slightly. "Now hop to it!"
Marius and the two other slayers left with haste to find the Dragon, leaving the newborn with Commander Rhode. When he made a move to follow the others, she stopped him.
"Not so fast, my eager newborn," she said, sounding like a mother to a child; something that disturbed the newborn to no end. "Your mental state is still highly volatile, so I'm keeping you on a tighter leash."
He was about to protest when she interrupted him.
"Don't worry. I have an assignment for you as well," she said. "Enter the village and ask the villagers about the Dragon. Some are bound to have seen it."
The newborn nodded, a little grudgingly.
"Come find me when you are done," the Commander said. "I'll most likely be in the barracks; the local captains and whatnot always wants to talk to Slayer. Makes them think they are grander than the peasant-sitters they are."
She chuckled and then left the newborn to his own devices. He took in his surroundings, breathing in the scents of the forest and listening to the wind. This was a habit of his, something he would do whenever he came to a new place, though he was unsure about when he started doing it. Long before joining the Slayers, that's for sure…
Enough, Commander Rhode will be waiting for a report.
While walking up to the local inn, the newborn was stopped by an older man who sitting outside of the inn talking with another older man.
"'Lo there, Slayer! Right good to see ya," he said, somewhat excited. "Name's Ollie and I've got me something to tell ya, Slayer! I've seen a Dragon!"
"Oh, for Pete's sake!" groaned Ollie's friend. It was obvious he had little faith in the other man's credibility, and if it hadn't been for the previous reports of a Dragon in the Valley, the newborn would have shared this disbelief.
"Never mind him, I know what I saw."
"I believe you," the newborn said, shocking Ollie's friend. "Tell me all about it."
"Last night, I was looking out my window when I saw this great big beast in the sky," Ollie said with a lot of exaggerating moves. The local teller of tall tales, no doubt… "Right scared I was, so I hid in the closet."
The newborn reached out to Ollie's mind, trying to find out if he was lying. When was met with a single Hardy? he decided that the old man was telling the truth.
"Where was this Dragon when you saw it?" he asked.
"Way back in the Valley!" Ollie said pointing its general direction. "Now go get the bleedin' bugger, Slayer! That's what you're 'ere for, right?"
He thanked Ollie and went inside the inn, though he heard Ollie's friend mutter: "Can't believe the Slayer believed him… Nutter…"
Well inside, the newborn was met by the sound of rowdy laughter and clinking from the floor above him. Soon a pretty woman came down the stairs, looking like she could kill someone.
"Never have I met such disgusting… such perverts!" she fumed. "Fanny is a perfectly good name, no matter the connotation!"
She stormed right past the newborn without giving him a single look. He, however, couldn't resist the urge to look at the newly named Fanny's fanny. I can see why one might like to comment on it.
However, the noises from upstairs and Fanny's anger made it clear that there were troublemakers at the inn. Might as well check it out…
And true enough, there was trouble brewing. Four men clad in armor were harassing the barmaid; a cute blonde with the figure of an hourglass. Her displeasure with the four was obvious.
"No… no, I'm just the waitress!" the blonde exclaimed, slightly taken aback by a lewd comment made by one of the men.
"Then why don't you wiggle over here with some more ale!"
The men let out some raw laughter as the waitress left to get them some more ale, seeming anxious to get away from them. Not that she could be blamed for that.
The newborn walked up to the bar where the barmaid was standing, talking to the bartender.
"I don't think I can stand this much longer, Tim," she complained in a hushed tone. "Those Seekers are getting worse by the beer, and they keep propositioning me in the most disgusting way I ever experienced!"
"I know, I know," the bartender said sympathetically. "But dare not tell them to leave… They are trained soldiers, after all."
"I don't care! They are the most boorish lot I've ever-" she interrupted herself, seeing the newborn standing by the bar, looking at them. "Oh! Can we help you?"
"Maybe," the newborn said, and then turned his gaze towards the table that the four inebriated Seekers were occupying. "But first I am going to help you."
He made his way to the Seekers while ignoring the bartender's and barmaid hushed warnings and protests. The Seekers, being quite drunk, barely registered his presence.
"Wha- Huh? Who… Who are you?" one of them eloquently slurred.
"I'm of no importance," the newborn coldly said. "But didn't your mother teach you to treat women with respect?"
Oh, how he hated rowdy drunks. They reminded him of his childhood, and that made him hate them even more. Still, I'll just hurt them. Had it been the Commander here, they would have been dead.
"Oh, but Elsa of the inn, I don't know where to begin," the drunken Seeker rhymed. "You bring the finest beer. I want to unhinge your brassiere"
The Seekers started laughing at their comrades witty rhymes, while the man himself doubled over, giggling. The newborn was not amused, however.
"You drunks need to leave," he said, maintaining the coldness in his voice. "Now."
"Oh, this here Slayer wants some bruises, guys!"
All four Seekers stood up on wobbly legs and tried to attack the newborn. Tried. A swift punch in the face made the rhyming Seeker reel backwards, holding his now broken nose. The others came around the table. One on the newborn's left soon found himself doubled over by a punch in the gut, and then another punch in the face, leaving him unconscious on the floor.
The Seeker with a broken nose drew his sword and was about to try and slice the Slayer, when a commanding and angry voice stopped them all in their tracks.
"Seekers! What in the name of the Divine is going on here?"
The voice belonged to a man in his late forties, dressed in a shiny, heavy armor. His presence demanded respect, and promised pain to those who refused to give it.
"Sir! Well, sir we- HIC!" the broken-nosed, rhyming Seeker stuttered while giving the man a sloppy salute.
"Blind drunk! This is an outrage!" the man, obviously the Seekers superior, almost shouted. He caught eye of the newborn. "You there, Slayer! Tell me what happened here?"
The newborn considered letting the Seekers off easy, then decided that some extra patrol duty, or whatever their punishment, was already letting them off easy.
"They were getting drunk and nasty," he calmly said. "Harassing the waitress and scaring off other customers. When I told them to leave they got violent."
"Only because you-" one of the Seekers began, but was interrupted by his superior.
"Silence!" he barked. "You are a disgrace to our order! Get back to the barracks on the double! I'll send you lot on a punitive mission before the sun sets!"
The four drunken Seekers morosely left for the barracks. The superior Seeker turned to the newborn.
"Thank you, Slayer. I apologize for my men's dishonorable conduct."
The newborn waved it off.
"No problem."
The man gave him a sizing look.
"You seem to be able to handle yourself," he after an extended pause. "Come find me in the barracks if you're interested in some extra work. Just ask for Lieutenant Louis."
With that, he left the inn to take care of a couple of undisciplined Seekers. The newborn went over to the bar, and was met by two pairs off big, surprised eyes. He felt a smile tug at his lips.
"That was amazing Slayer!" the barmaid exclaimed while the bartender nodded in agreement. "You were like a… like a cat, or something stronger!"
"Aye, you had four trained warriors up against the wall," the bartender said, grinning. "Tell you what; I'll give you a discount on everything we serve here, and a promise that you'll always be welcome here at the Black Boar!"
"More than welcome," purred the barmaid seductively.
The newborn was slightly taken aback by the waitress' sudden forwardness, so all he was able to say in return was a slightly rushed "Thanks". He then left the inn in a rush and almost ran down a female Seeker.
"Hey, watch out!"
The newborn narrowly avoided the collision, and was now facing her. She wore studded leather armor and a skullcap of leather, effectively hiding most of her face. Her eyes widened when their eyes met.
"Oh, forgive me, Slayer! I didn't realize-" she sputtered, only to be interrupted by said Slayer.
"No, it was my fault." He let out a heavy sigh. "I wasn't paying attention."
There was an uncomfortable silence.
"Yes, well…" the newborn began. "May as well ask; have you seen a Dragon in the Valley, miss…?"
"Oh! Er, Elisabeth," she said, slightly startled for some reason. "And indeed I have! When I was on patrol with Lieutenant Louis."
"And where did you see it?"
"In the vicinity of the locked temple," Elisabeth said, looking at him intently with her chocolate brown eyes.
The newborn reached out with his mind and tried to read her thoughts, to see if she was telling the truth.
~Those eyes are beautiful! And the Slayer's not so bad either… Oh, to have those strong hands roaming my- NO! Bad Elisabeth! Bad! ~
To say that the newborn was surprised would like saying the ocean is damp. In the last five minutes, he's had, not one, but two women showing an interest in him. This was not something he was used to, not one bit. It had never happened while he was growing up or while training with other Dragon Slayer disciples. Sure, he flirted, but that was usually just a game. This was not a game; this was actual interest!
"Um, thank you for your help," he almost stuttered. "I have to go now. Goodbye."
Once more, a woman sent the strong and fierce newborn Slayer on the run. On the surface, he was calm and collected as he leisurely strolled towards the village chapel. On the inside, though, it was utter chaos! Damn it! Calm down! His heart was beating so fast that he was amazed it didn't escape his chest. And the fantasies that assaulted him made it even worse. He would've had to be blind not to see the beauty of the two women responsible for his near heart attack.
Calm down! You should be happy, right? You're Slayer and a man! Act like it!
After finally regaining some of his composure, he approached an old man with dressed in pale brown robes. His face was covered in wrinkles and he had a brown, slightly graying, mustache. He was standing outside of the church and there was a glimpse in his eyes when the newborn addressed him.
"Greetings," said the newborn. "I was wondering if you'd seen the Dragon."
"Ah, welcome Slayer. I am Romon, priest of the New Order," he said in a calm and collected voice. "And to answer your question; yes, I have seen it."
"Where?" the newborn said a bit harshly. He was a bit on edge right now and not in the mood for long-winded conversations with a priest.
"I went to visit the ruined chapel down the valley last week," Romon said, completely ignoring the younger man's tone. "When I returned at nightfall, I heard the sound of great wings. I looked up… and saw the Dragon! A frightful experience, I assure you."
"Thank you," the newborn said and left, not hearing the blessing Romon gave him.
He spent the next half hour talking to several guards and villagers. Some of them asked him for his help with different matters, such as Folo, who wanted him to rescue his pigs from the New Order. Of course, he had no time to help these people, but promised to keep them in mind if ever did find the time. But now he was heading to barracks to report back to Commander Rhode.
He found her in the barracks, talking to Lieutenant Louis. He was obviously enjoying it more than she was. She actually looked relieved when the newborn approached her.
"Thank the Divine you are here!" she said in a hushed, yet relieved tone. "This incessant small talk is making me want to be creative with my blade!" She was talking through her teeth at that last part.
For some reason, the newborn found it amusing to see the fearless Commander Rhode flustered.
"Please tell you have something to report, so we can commence the hunt," Rhode said, almost pleadingly. She was eager to get out of the stuffy barracks and away from the overbearing lieutenant.
"The Dragon has been sighted in vicinity of the abandoned temple," the newborn said, fighting the smile that threatened to appear on face. The Commander rarely displayed her emotions, at least not to their full extent. So seeing the self-proclaimed ice queen almost bouncing on the balls of her feet because of restlessness was something of a treat. Geh! Rhymes…!
"Good. That gives us a clear sense of direction. I hope Marius will be back with more news soon," the Commander said. "But any case, before we go I want you to enter the tomb at the back of the chapel."
The newborn quirked an eyebrow.
"The next part of your initiation would have been the confronting of hostile undead in a crypt beneath the academy in Rivertown," she answered the silent question. "To feel the wrath of a nether-spirit for the first time is a harrowing experience."
"One that I assume is needed?" he said flatly.
"The mixture of fear, elation and grim perseverance that hallmarks Dragon Slayers releases large amounts of adrenaline, which helps to stabilize the initial chaos the Dragon memories cause," she continued. "The effect is temporary, however. So the next and last part of the ritual is-"
The newborn hadn't heard most of what the Commander had just said. Blood was rushing in ears and his body felt like lightning was coursing through his veins. He saw flashes that stung his eyes and they didn't go away when he closed them. After what felt like an eternity, the pain faded, leaving him on his knees. Commander Rhode gave him a concerned look.
"Are you all right?" she asked with a strange tone of voice. Affectionate? Yeah, right!
"I'm fine, Commander," the newborn groaned as he stood up on wobbly legs.
"It's the Dragon memories, their getting to you," Rhode said and gave him a small, rusty key. "Here's the key to the tomb. Hurry up and face that ghost before the effects get worse."
She was giving him a strange look, and once again, he was tempted to read her mind. But dared not, she would know he did it and that would not end well.
Steeling his mind, his face became fierce, adopting the look that always made his adversaries tremble. The newborn left the barracks, but he wasn't heading for the chapel; if he was to fight the undead, it would not be with piece of metal that Gawain had given him, calling it a sword. He needed something with a bit more edge…
