Chapter 6: The Search
Gobber woke up the next morning with a groan as he rolled out of the well used tavern bed. Stretching his arms above his head, he let out a hiss as a twinge of pain shot through his lower back, causing him to reflexively grip it with his good hand. Standing up, he rubbed at his back until the pain receded.
"Ye're nae a young man anymore, Gobber," he mumbled to himself as he got dressed and put on his hook hand before heading downstairs to the inn's main room.
Descending the rickety wooden stairs, Gobber found the room abuzz with activity, the numerous tables filled with Dingwall men enjoying their breakfast. Glancing around, Gobber caught sight of Andra waving him over. Walking over to where the lordling was, Gobber saw he was sitting with Will, Boyd and Maudie.
"Mornin', Gobber," Will greeted once the Viking was in earshot, his statement echoed by the others at the table.
"Mornin', everyane," Gobber replied as he sat in one of the open seats before letting out a loud, long yawn.
"Long night?" Will questioned with a chuckle.
"Saemethin' like 'at," Gobber confirmed as the innkeeper laid a plate full of food onto the table in front of him, "Ah went fer a walk 'en decided tae help oot at th' local smithy."
"Last night?" Maudie questioned incredulously before shaking her head and chuckling to herself, "Arenae ye supposed tae be on holiday?"
"Ye can take th' smith oot o' th' smithy but ye cannae take th' smithy oot o' th' smith," Gobber replied sagely as he ate his food, earning chuckles from the others.
"Sae, we're headin' oot tae th' farm where th' dragon attack took place taeday," Will stated, "Any idea whit we shaeld keep an eye oot fer?"
"Well, th' first thin' Ah'd look oot fer is th' dragon," Gobber commented sardonically, "After 'at, we should look fer any markin's it may 'ave left behind. Footprints, shed scales, th' pattern o' th' burns, 'at sort of thin'."
"Ye can tell whit type o' dragon it is from burns?" Boyd questioned.
"Sure," Gobber replied with a shrug, "Th' way th' molten rock a Gronkle spits burns is different from a Zippleback explosion, which is entirely different from a Night Fury's plasma blast."
"Ah'm startin' tae realize there's a lot more tae dragons 'an Ah thought," Will observed.
"Aye, an' Ah cannae even consider maeself an expert naemore," Gobber replied with a snort.
"Well 'en, if everyane is done wit' 'eir breakfast, Ah think we shaeld be headin' oot," Will stated as he stood up from his seat. The others nodded and rose to their feet as well. Following Will as he headed towards the door, Gobber could hear the sounds of scraping chairs and clattering plates as the other men in the room moved to follow them.
After everyone had saddled up, a process that, much to his embarrassment, was slowed as Gobber once again struggled to mount his horse with Maudie, the group set out from the village, this time joined by some of the villagers, the pounding of the horses' hooves thundering into the distance as they kicked up a cloud of dust in their wake.
After roughly a half hour's ride through the countryside, Gobber caught word that they were approaching the farm. The whole ride, Gobber's gaze had been drawn upwards, his eyes taking in the cloudy sky above them.
"Is there saemethin' wrong, Gobber?" Maudie questioned as she followed the Viking's gaze.
"It's pretty cloudy taeday," Gobber commented.
"Is 'at a problem?" Will inquired as he rode alongside them.
"Dragons arenae stupid," Gobber explained, "They know 'at they're easy targets when flyin', given how large They are an' how open th' sky is. 'At's why they prefer tae attack at night when it's harder tae see them. But, if they were tae gae flyin' aboot in th' daytime…."
"They'd prefer an overcast day tae give them cover," Will finished, his gaze now pointed upwards again, "Ye expectin' th' dragon to attack?"
"Ah daenae know whit type o' dragon we're dealin' with yet," Gobber answered, "Sae, it'd be best tae be ready fer anythin'. Especially when we're travelin' in a loud, noisy group."
"Whit daes 'at hae tae dae wit th' dragon?" Will questioned, "Ye daenae think it will attack us, dae ye?"
"Dragons need a lot o' meat, an' we know 'at we're saemewhere in whit it considers its territory," Gobber elaborated, "Between us an' our horses, we're th' biggest source o' meat fer leagues around. If this dragon is hungry enough, then it might try its chances."
"Good tae know," Will muttered as he glanced upwards, "Ah'll make sure 'at th' men are on guard."
As they rounded a bend in the road, Gobber caught sight of the farm they were traveling to. Or, at least, what appeared to be left of it. Before them was a stretch of flat farmland that had been burnt to barren earth and ash. At the center of the burnt land stood the ruin of a farmhouse, most of which was scorched, with part the roof having collapsed in on it. The nearby barn had also been gutted, leaving no sign of the livestock that had once lived there.
"Alright, lads!" Will called as the horses came to a stop in front of the ruins of the farmhouse and the men swung out of their saddles, "Spread oot an' look fer anythin' 'at cud help us figure oot whit kind o' dragon we're dealin' wit' 'ere. An' keep yer eyes open. Ah daenae want us caught with our kilts around our ankles if 'at dragon decides tae make a return appearance."
At his command, the men began to fan out, poking and prodding their way through the soot-covered field as they looked for any distinctive clue left in the dragon's passing.
Having successfully negotiated his way off of Maudie's horse, Gobber knelt down to examine the remains of the farmhouse. Picking up one of the burnt timbers that had once been part of the house, Gobber held it up so that he could look at the burn marks on the wood.
"Ye notice anythin'?" Will questioned as he looked down at Gobber.
"Naethin' particularly interestin'," Gobber answered as he stood up and tossed the piece of wood aside, "Th' burns are pretty normal fer a dragon attack."
"Sae, ye cannae tell anythin' from them?" Maudie questioned.
"Ah can tell ye a couple o' species 'at it isnae," Gobber replied, "Certainly cudnae be th' plasma blasts from a Night Fury."
"Thank goodness fer 'at," Will stated with a sigh of relief.
"Nor daes it resemble th' damage done by Gronkle magmaballs or Zippleback gas explosions," Gobber continued, as began to pick through the ruins again, "It rules oot pretty much any dragon with a more exotic form o' attack, but there are still plenty o' breeds 'at rely on plain, old-fashioned firebreath."
"Well, Ah suppose it's saemethin'," Will stated, placing his hands on his hips as he looked around at the ruined remains of the farm, "It's hard tae believe 'at ane dragon managed tae dae all this."
"Aye," Gobber agreed, pausing as he glanced around at the devastation as well, "With this much destruction, we're definitely dealin' wit' a full grown dragon, a big ane tae boot, most likely."
"Jist gaes tae show ye though," Gobber continued as he hunkered back down and began poking around again, "Despite whit we've learned aboot dragons, they're still, at heart, dangerous animals."
As Gobber shifted another board, he paused as something caught his eye. Looking down, he saw, partially covered by the soot-stained dirt, something that gleamed white in the cloudy light. Scooping it up, he held it in front of his face to get a better look at it.
"Whit dae ye 'ave there?" Maudie questioned as she hunkered down next to Gobber.
"Ah'm nae sure," Gobber admitted as he examined the object, which was thin and as long as his finger and ending in a jagged point on one side, "A tooth, perhaps. Or a sliver o' bone."
Suddenly, Andra let out a noise that sounded like the combination of a whisper and a hiss. Everyone quickly turned their attention towards the young man, Gobber slipping the bone sliver into a pouch on his belt as he did. Andra stood near the corner of the burnt farmhouse, his back to them. Looking past Andra, Gobber could see he was looking at a thick copse of woods growing on the edge of the farm.
"Andra?" Will questioned as he walked up next to his friend, glancing between the young man and the woods, "Whit is it?"
In response, Andra quickly turned towards Will, and began to mime the act of having a conversation, only looking at the woods through the corner of his eye. Catching on, Gobber squated back down and feigned looking through the rubble of the farmhouse, Maudie following suite. Tensely, Gobber watched as Will and Andra has a hushed conversation, doing his best not to look at the woods.
"Whit is it?" Maudie questioned, trepidation in her voice.
"Daenae know," Gobber answered, "Naethin' good Ah imagine."
"There's saemeane watchin' us," Will muttered just loud enough for the others to hear, "A group o' people at th' edge o' th' woods."
At the words, Gobber looked back towards the copse of woods out of the corner of his eye. It took him a few moments of looking, but eventually, slight hints of movement identified two or three figures lurking near the edge of the trees.
"Who are they?" Gobber asked.
"Ah daenae know," Will admitted, "But Andra daesnae think they're villagers."
"Well, why daenae we ask them?" Maudie inquired, "Maybe they know saemethin'."
"Ah doubt they'd be watchin' us from hidin' if they wanted tae chat," Gobber observed.
"Gobber's right," Will agreed, "But Maudie might be ontae saemethin' too. Ah jist daenae see how we can talk tae them withoot-"
"Hey, ye!" Boyd suddenly exclaimed, startling the others as he pointed towards the figures, "We need tae talk tae ye!"
Whipping their heads around, the group looked at Boyd as if he had gone insane. Looking back, they saw that the figures in the woods were already quickly retreating.
"Oh, Boyd, ye great, bleedin' imbecile!" Will shouted before he and Andra began hurrying towards the woods, "Come on!"
With that, Boyd, Gobber and Maudie began hurrying after the two lordlings as the other men watched them in confusion.
Crashing through the woods, Andra led the way in pursuit of the figures that he could just make out flitting between the trees. As he watched, Andra saw the figures begin to spread out and head in different directions. Quickly, Andra signaled to his friends.
"They're splittin' up!" Will shouted, "Pick saemeane an' get after them!"
The group quickly spread out through the woods, Andra losing track of the others as he focused on one of the elusive figures. To his joy, Andra realized he was gaining on the figure, and was almost on top of them as they ducked through a line of bushes. Letting out a loud cry, Andra burst through the bush and wrapped his beefy arms around the figure, dragging the person to the ground.
Quickly pulling himself to his feet, Andra faced the person he had just tackled, who was still laying on the ground. The first thing Andra registered was that the person was an old man, his form skinny and frail look, his white hair long and lank, while part of his face was covered by a bushy, white beard. Andra then registered that the man was almost naked, dressed in little more than a leather loincloth and a cloak made out of the fur of a black bear, the hood designed to look like the top of the animal's head and its upper jaw. Laying nearby, Andra could see that the old man had dropped what appeared to be a combination of a walking stick and a ceremonial staff, the top which was a bear's skull, from which hung numerous fetishes.
At that point, everything clicked in Andra's head.
The man was a Vendal.
Cautiously, Andra watched as the old Vendal slowly pushed himself back to his hands and knees, letting out moans of pain as he did so. Realizing that the old man presented no threat, Andra moved to the Vendal's side and leaned down to help him back to his feet.
Before Andra could do so much as touch the old man, a high pitched shriek came from behind the lordling as something slammed into him and knocked him off his feet. Andra hit the ground and rolled, feeling something latch onto him and roll with him as he did. A moment later, Andra came to a stop on his back while the other sat atop his chest. Blinking his eyes clear, and got his first good look at the person on top of him.
The first thing he realized was that the person was girl his own age. A rather pretty girl, he felt, despite the dirt and grime that marred her features, a few sticks and leaves caught in her curly, auburn hair. The second thing Andra realized was that she too was a Vendal, dressed in nothing more than a loincloth, rawhide chest bindings and a bear skin cloak similar to the old man's. Andra felt his face heat up as his eyes locked with the girl's hazel and everything went quiet for a moment.
Then the Vendal girl screamed at the top of her lungs and lifted the obsidian dagger she had been carrying over her head, preparing to drive it into Andra's chest. Letting out a scream of fear, Andra reached up and grabbed the girl's arm just as she brought the dagger down, stopping her attack cold. The girl struggled against Andra's arm for a moment, but she was barely half the lordling's size, and, after grabbing her hip with his free hand, the young man was able to easily lift her off him and toss her away.
Moving with her momentum as she hit the ground, the Vendal girl nimbly rolled to her feet as Andra picked himself up. Cautiously, the two faced off against each other, the Vendal girl clutching her dagger while Andra merely held his hands out in front of himself, trying to calm the girl and keep her from attacking.
Letting out another scream of challenge, the Vendal girl rushed at Andra with her dagger raised, the young man desperately shaking his head in an attempt to dissuade her. Leaping at him, the Vendal girl prepared to drive her dagger into Andra's face. Before she could, Andra caught the girl, one hand on her raised arm, the other on her hip again. Using her momentum to his advantage, Andra spun around and tossed the girl away, the Vendal neatly flipping through the air and landing nimbly on her feet.
Snarling, the girl moved to charge at Andra again, but was stopped as a steel blade was placed against her throat. Freezing in place, the girl glanced to the side, where she found Will standing next to her, his sword drawn.
"Ah think 'at's enough o' 'at, lass," Will commented, his tone warning before he glanced over at his friend, "Ye alright, Andra?"
Andra nodded in reply as Boyd came crashing through the foliage. Looking around, he spotted the old Vendal picking himself up off the ground. Taking the man's arm, Boyd helped the old Vendal to his feet before doing a double take as he recognized the man for what he was and took a hesitant step back.
"Well, lads, Ah hae tae say, Ah certainly wasnae expectin' this when we came tae look fer a dragon taeday," Will commented as he looked between the girl, who was glaring daggers at him, and the old man, who was watching the three lordlings wearily.
"Aye," Boyd agreed with a nod, "Ah mean, whit are a bunch o' Vendal daein' around here anyhow?"
"Ah daenae know," Will admitted with a shrug, "Looks like another problem fer us tae handle."
At that moment, Maudie came stumbling into the clearing, stopping as she saw the three lordlings and doing her best to catch her breath.
"Ye alright, Maudie?" Will questioned.
"Yes, m'lord," Maudie answered breathlessly, "Jist need tae take a moment tae collect maeself."
As she took a moment to catch her breath, Maudie glanced around at the gathered group, her face going pale as she saw the two Vendal.
"Are those…." Maudie began to say, before pausing for a moment to fully collect herself, "Are those Vendal?"
"It wud appear sae," Will confirmed before his brow furrowed and he glanced around, "Where's Gobber?"
"Ah lost him in th' woods," Maudie explained, her expression turning nervous as she looked around as well, "Ah thought he might be with one o' ye."
"Ah cannae say Ah've seen him," Will replied as Boyd and Andra gave shakes of their heads, "But Ah wudnae worry tae much, Maudie. Gobber can take care o' himself. Plus, how much trouble cud he possibly get intae on his own?"
Meanwhile,
Gobber huffed and puffed as he rushed through the woods, heedless of the branches and bushes that slapped at his arms and grabbed at his clothes. After a few moments of running as fast as her could, Gobber eventually stumbled to a stop, doing his best to catch his breath.
"Well, Gobber," he said to himself, looking around for any sign on the figure he had been pursuing, but knowing in his heart that they were long gone, "Ye ne'er were th' best sprinter, were ye?"
Glancing around at the surrounding forest, Gobber began to try and regain his bearings when a strange sound reached his ears. Blinking in surprise, Gobber glanced around as he tried to hear it better. Focusing as best he could, Gobber concentrated on the sound and found that it was oddly rhythmic, almost like something large breathing deeply, but with another quality he couldn't quite identify at first.
"Wait," Gobber muttered to himself as a thought came to him, "Is 'at….snorin'?"
His curiosity getting the better of him, Gobber set off in the direction he thought the sound was coming from. Wading through the thick brush, Gobber was unprepared as the ground suddenly seemed to drop out from underneath him, sending the Viking tumbling down a steep embankment.
Reaching the bottom with a thud and a grunt, Gobber took a moment to simply lay on the ground and let out a low groan of pain. His injuries were forgotten however, as a large snore sounded in his ear, accompanied by an exhaliation in breathe that ruffled his mustache and smelt of brimstone. Sitting up at once, Gobber quickly took in his surroundings.
The embankment he had rolled down led to a small clearing, the ground covered in nothing but loose gravel and hard packed earth. The mouth of a cave dug into the side of the embankment, the interior of it hidden by dark shadows.
What caught Gobber's attention though was the dragon that lay sleeping in the mouth of the cave. It was a large dragon, looking roughly three times Gobber's size and overall round in shape, it's bulbous head connected to its rotund body by a thick neck. Four powerful, trunk-like legs were splayed out from its body, each ending three claws. Its tail was relatively short, but ended in a bulbous club roughly the size as the dragon's head with body protrusions growing out of it. A pair of giant, bat-like wings were folded against the dragon's back and the whole creature was a dull orange-brown in color.
Gobber observed the dragon with large, alarmed eyes as the creature let out another loud snore, still mercifully oblivious to the Viking's presence. Slowly pushing himself to his feet, Gobber began sneaking away from the dragon, doing his best to make as little noise as possible.
"Gobber!?" Boyd's voice suddenly called out from somewhere in the woods and echoing around the area the Viking and the dragon were in, "Where are ye, Gobber!"
Suddenly, the dragon stirred mid-snore, letting out a snort as it did. Cautiously looking over his shoulder, Gobber watched as the dragon's black-on-yellow eyes blinked open sleepily, its small, frilled ears flicking back and forth as it awoke. Pushing itself up to its feet, the dragon stretched its wings and glanced around, freezing as its gaze fell on Gobber.
For a long, tense moment, neither Gobber nor the dragon did anything but glare at each other. Then, a deep rumble began emanating from the dragon's chest as its eyes narrowed at Gobber. Then, opening its cavernous mouth that was filled with dozens of razor sharp teeth, the dragon let out a monstrous roar that seemed to shake the gravel around them.
"Oh, Ah'm gaein' tae kill Boyd," Gobber grumbled as the dragon charged at him.
A/N: And the hits just keep on rolling. It's been awhile since I've updated this story, so I'm happy to get this chapter out. Hope you guys liked it as well! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!