Chapter 2
Campfire Confessions 1
After Gray's dazzling victory over the Zombie Dragon, the band of heroes made great headway into the twilit forest, filled with vigor and confidence. But as with any journey, the traveler inevitably seeks rest, and the Jedi's first night on Draconia had arrived.
(We see the group walking through woods as darkness grows)
Will: It's starting to get dark, guys.
Jo: We better find a place to set up camp. (They luckily chance upon a clearing) Ah, perfect. We stop here for the night. Someone should find some firewood or something to burn.
Rick: I'll do that. (Leaves)
Jo: We may also need something to sleep on.
Sara: I could make some plant mats.
Sally: I can help with that.
Cope: Hey Jackson, be useful and tidy up the place.
Sam Jackson: What the, do I look like some kind of servant to you? You seem to be forgetting what century we're living in, boy.
Lann: C'mon Sam My Man. We can do it together.
Sam Jackson: Telling me to clean up like he's my master. Out of his d*** mind.
(After a while the area is clean and there's a wood pile in the middle)
Will: Anybody got a lighter or some flint?
Gray: I got us covered.
(Inhales and gives off a fire breath that sets the wood pile aflame)
Will: Oh. I forgot we had a human torch with us.
Gray: Heheh.
Jo: Alright gang, I was able to recover some rations from the ship that should hold us over for a while. If we each take small portions there'll be plenty for all of us.
Squishy: Mmm, rations.
Anna: Blech. I don't see how you people can tolerate that stuff.
Stan: They seem fine to me. A little bland, but decently chewy.
Anna: That's what I'm talking about...
Will: Well let's dig in, people.
(An inventory screen pops in, rations are selected, and a sound confirms its consumption)
Squishy: Aaaah, that hit the spot.
Lann: Pretty good. Better than most standard issue brands.
Sam Jackson: Mmmm-mmmm, b***h!
Stan: You said it.
(Awkward silence for a bit as crickets fill the night air)
Jo: So… about time to hit the hay?
Sally: I'm not tired.
Sylvia: Me neither. Guess I'm still wound up from those dragon encounters.
Anna: Same, despite not getting to take down one single dragon since getting here, dangit.
Cope: Always tomorrow, dear.
Lann: Well this is a fine predicament: The beds are set but no one wants to jump in. How to fix that I ask myself.
Squishy: Maybe we can sing campfire songs—
Cope: No!
Sara: How bout we tell stories until we tire out?
Jo: Not a bad idea, Sara. Who wants to start?
(Quiet)
Squishy: This is bad: Normally I have something to talk about, but I'm drawing a blank.
Anna: Unthinkable!
Sylvia: Hmmmm… Maybe just talk about things in general? Like what we've been doing lately. We never got a chance since the barbecue.
Cope: Being bored isn't my idea of making myself tired.
Anna: Really, Alex? Couldn't think of a nicer way of saying "no"?
Jo: How about this: We let our guests do some talking. Gray, why not take a crack at it?
Gray: Who? Me?
Sylvia: Yeah; tell us about yourself.
Gray: I don't know: There isn't much to talk about.
Squishy: Oh c'mon, there has to be something about your past that's interesting.
Rick: I'm curious to know how you became so skilled at fighting.
Lann: Humor us at least, ya big lug.
Gray: (Considers) Alright. I guess it wouldn't hurt to recollect a little.
Sally: No siree.
Gray: Okay. Just let me get into a comfortable sitting position.
(Gets into a cross-legged position as the Jedi and others remain quiet with open ears)
Gray: As I told you earlier, I'm a Dragon Slayer. But I wasn't always like that. My beginnings were all humble and quaint, backwoodsy you could say.
I was born in a small village on the Eastern Continent of Belkhyde, the land I hail from. My father was an ordinary farmer who worked the fields and hunted regularly. My mother was an atypical housewife, tending to the house, the cooking, cleaning, all that. My father dabbled in blacksmithing for a while but never fully took up the trade. He worked with the other men of the village when it came to harvesting crops, selling them at market and bringing food to the table. As for me, I was like any other human-looking boy: I played, did my chores, goofed off with other boys, occasionally got into trouble. Life was as simple as it could be in that little wooded nook of ours. If things had stayed that way, I might have become an ordinary farmer-hunter like my father and would never have gone out to see the world.
Cope: But that's not how things turned out.
Sara: What made you you want to be a Dragon Slayer?
Gray: A few things. When I was five I was running around our yard when the light went away. I looked up and saw this large shape blocking the sun. To this day I still recall every detail of that shape: Two wide leathery wings, blue and white scales, a pair of arms and legs with great white claws, and a head of horn, scales and teeth.
Lann: A dragon.
Gray: That was the very first time I saw such a thing. Like any other impressionable kid I was instantly awestruck by something so large and scary-looking. I asked my father what it was, and right then and there the name of my eternal quarry was given: Dragon.
Anna: Whoa… That actually gave me chills.
Gray: For a good long while I wanted to know everything there was about dragons. Though my parents and the other villagers didn't know much, I still kept asking and asking. Even when I became old enough to farm and hunt I still had dragons on my mind, and sometimes fantasized about actually fighting one.
Whenever a chance to go to market came up, I'd volunteer right away, since there were merchants from other places who could tell me more about dragons. What I did hear wasn't that important, but it was enough to keep my interest going for years to come. Day by day I dreamed of getting close to a dragon. And out of nowhere, opportunity struck.
One day in my twelfth year some cattle were found killed outside the village. At first the people thought it was wolves, but around the carcasses were footprints that were undeniably those of a dragon. Finding this out I immediately became excited and began thinking, "This is my chance: I'm gonna go fight a dragon". So when nobody was looking I took my father's bow and headed for the woods near our village. After half an hour or so of following broken twigs and stomped grass I finally spotted this green dragon about my size eating a dead cow. From a hiding spot I readied my bow, aimed, and hit it dead in the eye. Went down pretty quick, but loudly. Never heard anything so loud in my life up to that point as that dragon's death cry.
Sally: Yikes.
Lann: That must have been some serious power in that shot to get at the brain like that. And hitting it right there to begin with is quite the feat.
Gray: I've had practice, and I was a pretty hardy lad for my age, haha! Even so, I couldn't believe it at first: that I had actually killed a dragon. But then I got all excited and proud over felling such a menace so easily. I wanted to bring it back but it was too heavy to carry, so I decided to head back and tell the others. When I got back my parents were pretty mad at me for running off. So mad that they didn't bother listening to me about the dead dragon. And even when I did get their attention they said that it wasn't possible, and forbade me from going out of the village alone. I was not one bit happy as you can imagine, so I decided to bring back proof the next day. I snuck out as before, this time bringing along a hatchet so I could bring back the dragon's head.
Sally: Yuck.
Gray: But when I got back there there wasn't a dead dragon: Just a bare patch where it had been, surrounded by what looked to be very large prints. It was about that time when I first heard the screams.
Group: (Gasps!)
Gray: They were coming from the direction of the village, so I ran back in a hurry. What I saw was something no humble country boy could ever imagine.
Some of the houses were crushed or set ablaze or both, with people running around yelling, fleeing, and trying to calm others down, all at once. A farmhand shoved a pail of water in my arms and that's when I asked what happened. He said that some winged beast came from the sky and attacked the village, spraying hellfire and destroying homes. After all the fires were put out my parents found me and were blubbering over my safety, asking me questions about where I was. Then someone yelled out about some kids and a farmer's wife being grabbed by the demon before it took off. As the men got together to discuss what just happened, I got a look at one of the demolished houses. Around it were prints like the ones I saw back in the woods, and then it came together. The dragon I killed must've been a baby, and the demon that attacked the village was its mom, seeking revenge for what I did.
Squishy: Oi crap…
Sam Jackson: Karma can be a real b**** sometimes.
Sylvia: So what happened after?
Gray: Nothing, at least for the first few minutes after my realization. I didn't want to move, to think, nearly didn't want to breathe. Then I remembered the people who were taken, and I snapped right out of it. I told myself that so long as there were people still in danger on my account, I would never have peace of mind. So I took my father's hunting knife and bow and ran for the direction where the villagers said the beast flew off.
For hours I plowed through dense forest like the one we're in now, fighting and running from whatever monsters got in the way. When twilight came I was tired and thirsty, wondering if those people weren't dead already. Suddenly I spotted a raised cave opening and headed in. After stumbling through the dark I reached the end, and what I nightmare I found there. Before me stood a green dragon three times my height with massive wings, legs as thick as tree trunks and eyes burning with rage. In one of its claws was the farmer's wife, half-eaten and almost unrecognizable. Nearby was the corpse of the dragon I killed, along with two other kids my age crying for help. At first I was horrified, but that horror turned to rage and I leapt at the dragon with my knife drawn.
Sara: Oh god that's horrible!
Rick: Guess that explains your hatred factor.
Gray: To make a long story short, the dragon managed to slash me up a bit, but never could deliver a killing blow, probably because its meal made it sluggish. I eventually got the upper hand and drove my knife into its soft neck, covering myself and much of the cave in more blood than I had ever seen on the farm. Drenched in blood, watching that dragon twitch, and the warmth I felt in my chest, I somehow knew the course the rest of my life would follow.
(Everyone remains silent, entranced and aghast)
Gray: As for the kids I saved, turns out a third one was eaten before the farmer's wife, so I was too late in saving him as well. And what's more, one of the survivors had their legs crushed when he was snatched, thus rendering him unable to walk for the rest of his life.
Stan: Oh man…
Gray: But rather than feel guilty, I felt detached from everything. Days after the incident I didn't care about others or what was going on. Everyone thought I was traumatized and left me to recuperate at home, but really I was just busy thinking and coming to grips with what I had just done. Rather than feel horrified over the creature I killed, I was thrilled. I felt a fulfillment that went beyond any joy I had in my simple life. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I no longer saw some humble farm boy. I had become something else: A slayer of dragons. And it felt right. Shortly after coming to this understanding, I packed some things and set out to better my skills, leaving without a word. It was the last time I ever saw my parents, or anyone from my village.
Sara: That's kinda sad…
Gray: Things got better after that. I got to see the world, hone my skills and mind, and got to slay more dragons. At one point I trained under a teacher along with a guy named Galahad for some time, and when I felt I had learned enough I left and continued my travels. As I went around Belkhyde I occasionally helped others, and soon people began calling me "Dragon Slayer". It was all routine like that until the night I transformed.
It was supposed to be a curse for slaying so many dragons, and the moment it struck it felt like one. At first I thought it was muscle strain, but then I felt a deep burning in my chest that spread out to all my muscles. I felt my skin separate into pieces and harden, my hands dislocate and extend, my mouth stretch out into a muzzle. Then there's the indescribable sensation of growing horns and a tail. Needless to say, it was a very unpleasant night.
Jo: I bet.
Gray: But the change wasn't all that bad. I gained extra strength and stamina, some handy dragon powers, and I looked even more intimidating in my armor. After some adjusting, I went on back into a slaying routine, only with a new look. I'd eventually meet and join a kid named Felt, slay more dragons, overthrow an empire, slay bigger dragons, save the world, and then go back to slaying dragons on my own. I didn't keep exact count of the number of dragons I have slain over the years, but I'm willing to say somewhere in the thousands. And that's pretty much all there is to know about me.
(Silence, as everyone takes in their guest's backstory)
Gray: (Sigh) I know the beginning part was pretty grim. It's one of those "better forgotten" memories. I learned to detach myself from the past in my travels so that I could fully enjoy dragon slaying. Honestly, I had forgotten all that until I started talking about my childhood. Guess things like that never truly go away.
Sylvia: Certainly not. It's remarkable you're this well-adjusted despite all that.
Sam Jackson: Not gonna lie: If s*** like that happened to me when I was twelve, I would have said "F*** the world" and gottten myself institutionalized.
Lann: Perish the thought!
Gray: Yeah, but my mind works differently, as you've undoubtedly figured. I've only told a few very trusted friends about that, come to think of it.
Rick: Why tell us all of that, then, even though we're strangers?
Gray: Welp, being here in some foreign universe, where people sail the stars, magic swordsmen defend the weak, dwarves bump uglies with reptiles, and game characters like myself can hang out, some adjustment to my own code is in order. Plus, being open about yourself is the quickest way to establish trust with others, and my past isn't something I'm that hesitant to share.
Will: Say Gray, there's actually something I want to ask you since you mentioned it. You said you're from a video game. How are you aware of that?
Gray. Hrrmm. It's hard to explain. It's something like a thought in the back of my head telling me that the place I'm from is called a "video game", and that my world and everyone I know exists in a game called "Atelier Iris 2". And for some reason, even though they don't exist in my world, I know exactly what video games are.
Will: Then you probably also know that, technically, you don't exist. At least, outside of the game. Does that freak you out in any way, like give you an existential crisis?
Jo: (Quietly) What the heck is with these questions, Will?
Gray:...I can't really say it does. I mean, most other people would probably be losing their minds at the idea of not being real, but I feel real enough. The way I see this, it's like with Eden. That's a self-contained world hidden in Belkhyde that shouldn't really exist, but Felt and his girlfriend came from there, and I've set foot there. We even saved the world there. What I'm saying is, I'm more or less in Felt's shoes when it comes to winding up in a strange outer world. I suppose you could call that my coping mechanism, heheh.
Cope: Interesting.
Will: I wanted to ask because we got a lot of guys in the military who are from video games and I never got a chance to ask them. Sorry for springing that on ya.
Squishy: Holy crap, we never did ask them, Sylvia.
Gray: That's fine. It's a nice change to my downer backstory. Anyway, I'm feeling tuckered out. Don't know about the rest of y'all, but I'm turning in. See ya in the morning.
Sally: Good night Gray.
Sara: Good night.
Anna: Sweet dreams.
Gray: Definitely, after that scuffle from earlier. (Closes eyes and dozes off)
Rick: Guess we better do the same, or should we set up a watch?
Jo: A watch would be wise. Alex, you got first shift.
Cope: What, why?
Anna: The leader has spoken, dear.
(She and everyone else snuggle in for sleep)
Will: Wake me in two hours and I'll take over.
Jo: Goodnight, y'all.
All: Goodnight!
(With that everyone but Stan tucks in, all goes quiet until)
Lann: Oh god those rations are gassing me up.
(Gurgling noises are heard, and Cope grumbles)