DD Tag Along
Chapter 5: Dragon of Dondoria
A/N: Demonick is right. Tint's new shield is indeed based upon the Mirror Shield of the Legend of Zelda. Fido may only appear as a jerk until I reveal the reason behind his absence during the Kobold cave incident. Rubymoon, you bring up an interesting point about the tilt changing by a few degrees. That would explain the 0 degree weather in Florida… Thanks to both of you for your continued support. Sorry for taking so long to get out this next chapter.
(-)
A smug look was across my face as the workhorses dragged the cart across the uneven road. I was feeling incredibly cocky from my ingenious method of defeating the Kobold king. It was doubtful that any of the others would think of doing something like that. But, then again, the others probably wouldn't have gotten their buts kicked like I did.
Somebody was saying something to me, snapping me out of my glorious daydream. "…remember to act normal. Got that?" Jillian asked.
"Of course he didn't get it. He was too busy daydreaming." Deanna joked from beside me. The guilty look across my face gave me away.
"Then I will say it one more time. Dondoria is the center of Boneheimer's empire. When we get there, pretend that you are an ordinary citizen. We do not want anyone to recognize that we are not under Boneheimer's control. Just remember to act normal." Jillian ordered, stressing the act normal part. It was almost like she knew that I didn't know how to act normal.
"No need to worry. I'll go with him and keep him in check." Deanna offered.
Rurik suddenly looked alarmed. "Great. Put the two future people together in our world and leave them to do whatever. Gabriel should go with them also." Gabriel growled in response, but nodded her head in acceptance. Put the three misfits together in a very large town. I couldn't wait until we ran into the trouble that we were guaranteed to meet.
A thought went through my head that I had been meaning to ask. "Exactly how much control does Boneheimer have over the people in this world?" I asked to nobody in particular.
Tagorus was the one who supplied the answer. "That has yet to be determined. From what we have observed, there are two different levels. The first level includes the brutes that we messed with at the Fire'n'Water Inn. They live out their lives without the slightest clue that they are under Boneheimer's control, but at moment they could be serving as spies, puppets, or soldiers for him."
"What about the second level?" I asked when Tagorus paused.
The elven ranger shuddered slightly. "Those are the choice subjects. They are the ones who would be out adventuring, just like us. Boneheimer hunts them down and takes them to his laboratory. There he messes with their bodies, turning them into mutants with super powers."
Deanna leaned over and whispered, "Boneheimer has learned how to mess with someone's DNA." Why did she have to go and scare me like that?
Just appearing over the horizon was part of a castle. There had to be at least twenty towers sprouting above the gigantic wall that surrounded the castle and town. Atop each of the towers was a flag, colored black with two red triangles pointed towards the center. Along the top of the wall, men armed with large pikes patrolled along intently. This must be Dondoria.
Jillian was ready to give orders. "Tagorus, Rurik, and I will search out the weaponsmith, Orion. He should be able to identify that axe that Tint sold Rurik. Tint, Deanna, and Gabriel will locate the copper dragon. Feel free to buy some supplies in the meantime."
Our cart was ordered to a stop once we arrived at the gate to Dondoria. A large man with four arms approached us and asked, "Who is the leader of the group here?" Jillian held up her hand, signaling the guard over. "Party number and purpose." The guard demanded.
"Party Delta eighteen, reporting for mandatory rest and supply period." Jillian quickly retorted in an official manner.
The guard who had approached the cart turned to his partner, who was consulting a crystal ball with her three eyes. "They are early by two days. Plus this one is not on the roster." The female guard pointed at me. I gulped nervously as the four armed giant of a man approached me.
Tagorus was quick to supply an excuse. "We found this young man in the forests to the south. He has very important information regarding the resistance group that has been causing trouble over the past few months. We need to take him to be interrogated for information."
The guard pondered Tagorus' explanation for a few seconds, eventually waving us inside. I let out a brief sigh of gratitude, but then I realized what Tagorus had said. Interrogated? What if the guard checked to see if I had been brought before any sort of policing agency? That would identify us as resistance fighters and the entire town would be after us. That was exactly what I needed at the moment.
Dondoria looked exactly like that very first town that I had arrived in when I came to this world. The buildings were constructed of large stone slabs roofed with wood and straw. The streets were bustling with the same kinds of creatures that I had seen before, but all of them had physical modifications.
My wandering thoughts were snapped by Deanna waving her hands before my face. "What do you want?" I asked as I turned to face the pest.
Deanna smiled, "Good to see that you are in a pleasant mood. The others have already gone off to find Orion. Gabriel is waiting for us to get our shopping started."
"Shopping…" I groaned. I never liked the form of torture in the real world and didn't have high hopes for this time period. A wicked thought crossed my mind at that moment. Maybe I could find some sort of lust potion that I could use on Deanna. The blond girl seemed to read my mind, "Whatever it is, it won't work." Damn. Gabriel was further up ahead along the street, shaking her head.
The three of us searched through the various stores, picking up odds and ends to replenish our supplies. After the first ten minutes, I was already bored out of my mind. You can guess that my already overactive mind became nothing but mush after another hour of wandering about aimlessly. "Can I interest you in something?" A nearby shopkeeper asked as I passed by his stand.
I stopped and looked at the man. He was covered with a dark cloak that showed only a pair of glowing eyes beneath the hood. This guy didn't look like he could be trusted. But then again, I had one hundred gold coins to waste, and my supervisors hadn't noticed my disappearance, yet.
The shopkeeper looked me over with curiosity. "You might like this, Tint." The hooded man was pointing towards a rectangular shape that was draped with a blue silk cloth. Beneath the cover, something was moving.
"How do you know my name?" I asked, leaning over to take a peak beneath the silk cloth. "Oh, sweet! How much?" I exclaimed when I saw what was inside of the cage. I no longer cared about how this strange man knew me.
I could see a strange smirk cross the face of the shopkeeper. "Let's just say that I'm on your guys' side. For you, only the hundred gold pieces that Rurik paid you for that axe that you brought with you from your world."
For one short moment my brain thought of something reasonable to ask. "How did you get hold of this?"
"It needs to get out of this city and away from Boneheimer. Please." The cloaked man began to beg. This guy had some serious problems. I smiled as I tossed the bag of coins across the counter. In return, the shopkeeper lifted up the cage; cover included, and placed it in my awaiting arms.
"Keep yourself safe." I offered as I snuck back into the crowd. The rest of the group would be amazed at what I had found. I felt extremely proud as I darted between the buildings. Suddenly, a strong hand grasped my shoulder. I gulped nervously as I turned to face the person who had snuck up on me.
Deanna glared back at me. "Don't you ever go sneaking off like that again! We thought that someone found out that you were on the side of good. Jillian would have killed me if you blew our cover."
A smile crossed my face as Deanna chewed me out. When she stopped I held out my purchase. "Lookie." I said in a childish voice.
Deanna gave me a confused look. Then she lifted up the edge of the cloth and glanced into the cage. "Is that…?" She asked in an astonished tone. I nodded my head, my smile brimming proudly. "We need to go find the rest of the group and get to a private area." I informed the blond haired girl.
"Gabby is with them already. They sent me to look for you." Deanna replied coolly. With that Deanna took hold of my arm and forcefully dragged me through the alley. After rounding a few bends, Deanna stopped us at a doorway. "Resistance HQ." She stated as she tapped on the door.
A tiny window slid open and a pair of eyes observed us. "Password." The owner of the eyes demanded.
"Open up the door or I will kick your ass." Deanna quickly snapped.
"Password accepted." The window was quickly shut and the door pulled open from inside. The bouncer turned out to be a brown skinned ogre that glared sullenly as Deanna and I went passed him. The room turned out to be a tiny tavern with only a few seats inside. Deanna guided me over to the group, who were waiting in a corner. This very closely resembled the time when I was dragged into this world.
"You guys are not going to believe what Tint bought!" Deanna exclaimed. Right now she was reminding me of a typical high school girl, like what she was supposed to be. The other heroes appeared bored, except for Rurik, who was admiring his axe which now gleamed with a sparkling white glow. "Tint, show them." Deanna ordered.
I carefully placed the cage down on the table, waiting a few seconds for dramatic effect before yanking the silk cloth off. "Well it's about time that you took off that stupid cloth. Now I can finally get a good look at my new master." The wyrmling copper dragon looked up at me, "Big mistake. Hey, good looking." The young dragon now turned his attention to Deanna.
"Is that the guardian of Dondoria? I thought that it was a majestic creature the size of a large sailboat, not this puny little thing." Jillian stated in disbelief.
"If you don't like my size, then you can kiss my shiny copper tail. I am indeed the dragon of Dondoria. That bastard Boneheimer turned me back into a young dragon. Now when I get my claws on him…" The energetic cursing dragon let the threat hang.
"Prove it." Tagorus demanded.
The copper dragon turned his head up in a snotty display. "I do not need to prove anything to some pointy eared freak. I'll stay right here with my new master. That's right; I'd rather hang around Sir Ugly then with elf-man."
"I think he needs an attitude adjustment." Rurik exclaimed, drawing his axe near to the dragon. In return, the misbehaving lizard bit out at the shining metal. A quick zap filled the room as a jolt of electricity coursed through the dragon, knocking it into a shock induced sleep.
I opened up the cage door and lifted the heavy creature out of his confinement. Jillian had a skeptical look on her face, obviously worried about something. "With the dragon in his current state, there is no way that we can use him to overthrow Boneheimer. We are going to have to get out of town soon and think of a new plan. Tint, you bring that dragon along with us. He will have to serve as your familiar until we find a way to restore him to his original strength."
I was busy gently rubbing under the dragon's chin. He was acting just like a kitten. "I think I'll name him Sparks." I stated. The other heroes laughed at the suggestion, but I knew one wasn't happy. I shuddered in agony as I felt Sparks dig his claws into me. "If you don't like it, I could easily let Tagorus name you." I said. The dragon peeked open his eye, glaring at the elf. Soon his claws retracted, leaving nice spots of red along my arm. We were off to a great start to a beautiful friendship.
The joyful gathering was soon drawn silent by a loud banging on the door. "Surrender now, resistance fighters, or we will kill you." The voice sounded exactly like the shopkeeper for some odd reason.
"How did they find us? Deanna, did they follow you?" Jillian demanded as she pulled out her sword. It looked like we weren't going to be giving up without a fight.
Suddenly, a low chuckle sounded from Sparks. It dawned on us that we were in serious trouble. The dragon had been under Boneheimer's control and had given away our location. I was sure that I was going to get blamed for this if we got out of here alive.
(-)
A/N: I would like to introduce you to a character that is going to provide most of the comedy in the story. I hope that you will grow attached to Sparks, even though the little blighter has put the heroes in a tough position. Five chapters down, who knows how many to come. Thanks for reading and please review.