Disclaimer: for the third time, I do not own Capcom's Dragon's Dogma.

At times, characters won't be speaking in the game's tongue. That is because I cannot quite grasp the usage of the old tongue. The lines I do get right are straight from the game.

Chapter 3: The Capital

The scene: the Encampment, where many of the buildings are in shambles. Many people are fighting a giant, four-headed snake in the middle of the Encampment.

I gaped at the sight before us. Just yesterday, the Encampment was attacked by a Cyclops, now it was being attacked by a hydra? This place has the worst luck. Aiken took out his sword and shield and Rook took out his staff. While Rook kept his distance, Aiken ran forward, yelling, "We must cut off its heads!"

There was no way I was getting near that thing. I drew out my bow and fired an arrow at one of the heads. However, the arrow only bounced off the scales. Rook looked at me and shouted, "Arrows do naught against the hydra! Cut off its heads!"

I put away my bow and drew out my daggers. I looked at the hydra and saw Aiken scaling one of its long necks. During his climb, he lost his grip and he fell off the giant snake. I inhaled deeply, let out a loud sigh, and ran at the Hydra.

I jumped at the nearest neck and plunged my daggers into it. I scaled up the neck with the help of my daggers until I reached the head. I embedded one of the daggers into the hydra's head and held onto it for support while I hacked away with the other dagger. The head bucked back and forth like a rampaging ox and I hung on for dear (lifeless) self.

"Help me!" I heard a familiar cry.

I turned my head and saw that the head next to me had Aiken in its jaws, and he was desperately trying to pry them apart. Upon seeing him in danger, my concentration slipped and I was sent flying straight up in the air by the head I was on.

Being several yards in the air, I hollered as I started to fall head first. Somehow, I landed right on top of the second head of the hydra and I was about to roll off when I stuck my daggers into its neck. I still fell off, but not before making a long gash down its neck. As I landed on my rear, I saw that the second head seemed to pop off from the body like a cork from a bottle. The three remaining heads gave hisses of what sounded like annoyance and the hydra slithered off into the forest.

Wondering if Aiken was still in the jaws of the second head, I ran up to it. I stared at the head and I couldn't believe that I was the one who severed it. In fact, the head seemed to come off too easily, much like a lizard's tail. The jaws were currently closed, and I saw no sign of Aiken.

Without warning, the head suddenly opened its mouth and gave a long, angry hiss at me. In its mouth, I thought I could see the upper half of a person. Before I could try to reach him, the jaws closed for the last time. On its forehead, a red symbol appeared, then disappeared again. However, I only glanced at the symbol as I now noticed a pair of legs sticking out of the severed side of the hydra's head. I ran over to the other side, grabbed hold of one leg…

…and I was greeted by a back kick to the chin.

I stumbled backwards and I was about to land on my back when someone caught me. I looked up and saw that it was Rook. He said, "I got you, Arisen."

"Thanks." I muttered as I got back to my feet. I rubbed my chin and it stung to the touch. I moved my lower jaw to the sides a few times and, though it hurt, it still worked. I looked at the legs and I now saw that the person inside was trying to wiggle out from the severed side of the head. I stomped back over to the legs and told Rook, "Help me out here."

We kept our distance as we each grabbed a leg. On the count of three, we tugged and pulled the person out of the head. We rolled him on his back and we recognized him as Aiken. He took several gasps of air and he sat up. Other than being covered in Hydra saliva, he seemed fine. He looked at us and said, "Thank you both." He then turned to me and asked, "Are you all right, Arisen?"

I couldn't believe he was asking me that, right after I just fished him out of a hydra's head. My smartass attitude kicked in and I answered, "No, you kicked my chin when I tried to help you."

"I apologize, master," Aiken lowered his head, "I thought something else was trying to get me."

"Well, it was an accident," I winced in pain as I moved my lower jaw to talk, "but next time I pull you out of a severed hydra's head, don't do it again, please."

"I will remember that, Arisen."

I heard footsteps approaching us and I turned my head to see who it was. Dressed in shiny plate armor and a white cape was a woman with a sword and shield at her side. She had short black hair and a tan, and she wore a look of seriousness on her face. Following close behind her were several soldiers.

"I am impressed." The woman said with a slight accent in her voice.

The soldiers started gathering around the head and started talking amongst themselves. The woman walked up to me and said, "Ancient tales of the Arisen are well and good, friend, but make a gift of this head to the duke," a smile spread across her face, "and you might earn yourself a real title."

"Aye," I looked over the head, "the duke is quite the collector of taxidermied beasts, but how do I bring the head to him?"

"My men and I will escort the cart that will carry the head to the duke. I had hoped to bring more recruits back to the capital, but I believe the Arisen and a hydra's head will make up for it."

"That's real kind of you, considering we have only met this one time."

"Ah yes, I have heard some things about you, but you do not know me. I am Mercedes, captain of the recruitment group in the Encampment." She offered her hand forward, "May I have the honor of hearing the Arisen's name?"

"Kennedreth." I took her hand and shook it.

"Tis a pleasure talking with you, but now I have to help my men load the head. Rest awhile and we'll meet up at the southern waycastle."

"A rest sounds like a good idea." After all that excitement, I'd at least like a breather before moving on.

Ser Mercedes walked up to her men and started talking to them about loading up the hydra's head. I walked over to the big tent, the one with the riftstone in it, and sat on a bench. Instead of sitting down next to me, Rook and Aiken stood next to me, staring at me with blank expressions. I asked, "Care to sit?"

"I am fine, Arisen." Rook said.

"Likewise so, master." Aiken said.

I wondered when was the last time these pawns sat down, if at all. I thought back to the fight with the hydra, then I remembered that Creep from yesterday. He talked about the Encampment like it would be in danger, and this morning, the hydra was attacking the place. I highly doubt this was all just a coincidence.

Still, the fight itself was somewhat exciting. In fact, even minutes after the fight, my heart was still pound…oh wait, I nearly forgot that the dragon plucked my heart out of my chest. I put a hand over my chest and now noticed the absent beating that I became so familiar with throughout my whole, carefree life. I quickly moved my hand away before the message the dragon left behind could repeat itself.

I've heard of people who could still feel their limbs shortly after they lost them, maybe this was the case with my heart. A minute ago, I thought I could feel my heart beating again, but I guess it was little more than an echo. For a moment, I wondered if any other Arisen in the past have also felt this phantom heartbeat in their chests, but my scatterbrained mind quickly went on to another thought.

I looked to the pawns and figured that two were not enough to help me on my little quest. As crazy as the idea sounded, I think I should go ask the rock for help. I stood up, walked over to the riftstone, and placed a hand on it, saying, "I need more pawns to help me."

Again, I was teleported to the black void where the pawns resided. This time around, there were a few pawns wandering about aimlessly. There were some striders, some mages, and some fighters, some male, some female, some big, some small, some skinny, some…not so skinny, and so on. I saw a large, husky male fighter and I approached him.

He turned to face me and asked in a deep voice, "Yes, Arisen?"

"Do you mind coming with me on my quest to find the dragon?" I asked bluntly.

"It will be an honor to accompany you, provided you pay the necessary Rift Crystals."

I gave the pawn a confused stare. I asked, "What…are Rift Crystals?"

"They are fragments from the Rift," the pawn explained, "that bring us pawns to your world. The stronger the pawn, the more Rift Crystals are required to summon him or her."

"But I don't have any on me."

"Maybe you should check your pockets, Arisen."

I did what the pawn said and started searching the pockets in my vest and pants. During the search, I said, "I'm telling you, I don't have any…"

In my vest pocket, I felt many little rough things that weren't there before. I fished them out and saw that they were pieces of purple stones. I asked, "How did they get there?"

"Rift Crystals can be found in your world," the pawn continued to explain, "either earned from quests that you do or from monsters that carry them."

"But how did they end up in my pocket without me knowing about it?"

The pawn paused before saying, "I fear I do not have the answer to that, Arisen."

I decided that it would be best not to question the matter further, so I held out my hand full of crystals and asked, "Will this cover your fee?"

The pawn examined the little crystals carefully, and he picked out a few. He bowed his head and said, "I am at your service. I am called OneBigFurby."

My eyes widened and I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Strangely, none of the other pawns turned to stare at my sudden outburst of laughter. I eventually calmed down and asked, "What kind of name is that?"

"It is the name that my original master gave me." The pawn said, apparently not offended by my laughter.

"Master?" I was now curious. "You serve another?"

"There are many worlds beyond the Rift, and all of them have Arisen. When I am not serving my master, I serve other Arisen."

To be honest, I have never thought of the possibility of other worlds besides the Rift. Judging by what the pawn said, it sounded like all of these worlds are similar to ours. Curiosity got the best of me and I asked, "What are these other worlds like?"

"They are all almost exactly the same as yours," OneBigFurby said, "and they all have Arisen in them."

"How many of these worlds are out there?"

"Too many to count, I fear."

"Is it possible to go to them?"

"Only the pawns can cross the Rift into other worlds. I must say, master, out of all the other Arisen I have served, you are by far the most inquisitive."

"Of course! Don't these other Arisen ask you the same things?"

"Never."

I could not believe what I was hearing. Were the other Arisen in all of these other worlds dumb as bricks? How could any of them not question the possibility of seeing and knowing these other worlds? The pawn interrupted my thoughts by saying, "If I were to be in your position, I would not tell anyone in your world about this."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Tis just…best not to."

That one pawn was hiding something, but I did not feel like pressing the matter. I spotted another pawn, a female strider of a slender stature, and I approached her. She looked at me and asked, "Yes, Arisen?"

"I need your help." I held out the crystals for her to see.

"I cannot join you unless you dismiss another pawn."

I paused before asking, "Excuse me?"

"Only two support pawns can accompany you, along with your main pawn."

"But…what about the whole talk about me leading armies? How am I to face the dragon with only three pawns at my side?"

"I am sorry, Arisen, but this is the way it must be." The female pawn said nonchalantly.

"But-!"

"I am sorry."

I gave a frustrated sigh and turned away from the pawn. I saw a riftstone behind me and I strode up to it. I knocked on its surface and asked, "Why can't I have more than three pawns at my side?"

There was no answer from the rock. I knocked again, asking, "Hello? Voices? Are you there?"

There was still no answer. I asked, "Well, can you at least take me out of here?"

With no warning signs whatsoever, I was now back in the tent at the Encampment, along with OneBigFurby. I pocketed the Rift Crystals and looked over the three pawns I had with me. There was Rook, the mage, Aiken, the fighter and main pawn, and OneBigFurby the fighter. I looked at the last pawn and asked, "Do you have a nickname or something? I don't want anyone laughing at your name."

"My master has given me the moniker 'Sam'." The pawn answered.

"Sam sounds like a better name to me."

"You may call me by my moniker, if you wish."

I walked out of the tent and noticed that the hydra's head was gone. I couldn't believe they moved the head already. I decided that now was a good time to go to the southern waycastle to meet up with Mercedes. My group walked out of the second exit of the Encampment and, this time around, I got to take the lead.

One thing I quickly learned about the pawns: they are very talkative. I cannot walk five yards without one of the pawns saying some random thing. I forget most of what they point out, but they fall along the lines of: "The duke can stand to commission some new roads." or "There should be ore among the crags." and even "We share the roads with travelers, merchants, and other such folk."

Along the way, not only did I have to put up with my pawns' constant talking, but we also had to fight a ridiculous number of goblins, bandits, and wolves, and even then, my companions wouldn't stop shouting miscellaneous stuff.

"Look out! A goblin!" One would say.

"Goblins are fearsome in large numbers!" Another would say.

"Wolves hunt in packs!" Yet another would say.

In between fights, we would pick up bits of gold, herbs, and apples from the nearby trees. While I collected the useful stuff, the pawns would pick up things from regular rocks to goblin horns. I actually expected them to say things along the lines of "Apples are nutritious fruit." or "Everywhere you look, there are rocks to be found.", but surprisingly, they said no such things.

Finally, after what seemed like a very long time, we finally reached the southern waycastle. Waiting for us at the gate were Ser Mercedes and a few of her men. Behind them was a cart and ox, with the hydra's head tied up and resting on the cart.

Mercedes approached me and asked, "I trust you rested well?"

"I thought we'd go to the capital today, so that the duke's precious head doesn't rot." I simply said.

Mercedes gave an approving nod and she turned to her men. She said, "We head to the capital, men. Like it or not, the cart will draw beasts along the way. Stay vigilant, but fear not, we walk with the Arisen, slayer of hydras!"

"Uh, excuse me," I tried to interrupt, "but I didn't kill the hydra, it just ran away-."

The men present cheered for me, and my words went unheard. The gate opened up and the ox slowly drew the cart forward. As we started our slow walk to the capital, I asked Ser Mercedes, "Don't you think we need more than one ox to pull the cart?"

"Tis the only ox we have," Mercedes said, "or are you volunteering to pull the cart too?"

"Never mind." I quickly said. I think I was starting to like this captain.

Almost immediately after we left, we were attacked by harpies. Some of them swooped over us, singing, "OoooooOooooohhhh!" For some reason, that annoying "OoooooOooooohhhh" actually made Rook, Sam, and some of Ser Mercedes's men fall asleep. I guess their singing was that bad. I silenced the harpies with my bow and I proceeded to wake up my companions.

"Wake up." I slapped Rook's face.

Rook woke up to that and he got to his feet. I saw Aiken walk up to Sam and gently shake him awake. I looked to the men that have fallen asleep and I saw Mercedes wake them up by yelling in their ears. After that little skirmish, we continued down the trail until we were walking in an open tunnel in a mountain.

We passed by a rocky cliff with a few dead trees and several more harpies. Again, I fired arrows, Rook fired fireballs out of his staff, and everyone else tried waving their swords in the air in hopes of getting a single hit on one of the harpies. At one point, one harpy glided over me and said, "OoooooOooooohhhh."

Sleepiness overcame me and I muttered, "So…boring…" before I plopped onto the ground and fell asleep.

"Wake up!" I heard Ser Mercedes shout in my ear.

I woke up with a start and found that everyone was still fighting the harpies. I took out my bow and I helped finish them off. With them out of the way, the long walk continued. At one point, I looked over the cliff and saw a large city in the distance. I asked Ser Mercedes, "Is that Gran Soren?"

"That is the capital." She said. "Have you never been there before, Kennedreth?"

"No. I've never been beyond the Encampment before."

"Then there is much you have not seen."

"Aye…"

I do not lie: I have never been beyond the Encampment before. All my life, I've lived in Cassardis, doing nothing really productive. The few times I've visited the Encampment, I did not find much of interest. Beyond the Encampment, everything is new to me. I have fought goblins and a few wolves in the past, but even though I had read about cyclopses, hydras, and harpies, I have never fought any of them before until just yesterday. As far as bandits went, I had killed one one time before, and I felt no satisfaction from killing him, even if it was in self-defense. Killing bandits now, there is not as much guilt as before, since they were threatening my life just because I'm walking down an everyday path.

Anyways, more harpies and goblins later, we were now leaving the mountain, and we saw that the sun was starting to set. Up ahead, we could see the capital, and we were now on the path that led straight towards it. During all of these fights, we had used up all of our herbs and healing items, and we were all tired (except for the pawns, who never really seem to tire).

Just when we were getting close to the front gate of the capital, we heard a rough voice shout, "Get 'im!"

"Bandits!" The ever-shouting Sam pointed out the painfully obvious.

"Of course!" I shouted back as I took out my daggers.

Now, I could understand harpies and goblins wanting to attack us so they can eat some hour old hydra head, but why would bandits attack us now? Did the thought that we were the ones who killed the hydra not cross their minds? Either way, we all made short work of them, but fatigue was getting the better of me. My legs started to wobble and I was taking in many shallow breaths. After severing one hydra head, fighting hordes of monsters and bandits, and walking for who knows how long, of course I was tired.

At long last, we reached the front gate. Ser Mercedes looked to her men and, seeing no casualties, said, "Good work men! Tonight, the rooms are on me!" She turned to me and said, "Of course, that goes for you and your pawns too, Kennedreth."

"Thank you." I gave an exhausted sigh.

The gate opened up and the tired ox continued to pull the cart. Upon seeing the hydra's head on the cart, the city folk gasped and started to talk amongst themselves. As we walked through the gates of Gran Soren, I couldn't help but notice that there were only slightly more people here than in Cassardis. I asked out loud, "There aren't as many people as I'd imagined there be."

"It is usually livelier." Rook murmured.

"I think the panic over the dragon has left a big impact on the capital's people." Mercedes said in a low voice. She turned to her men and told them, "Take the head to the duke. I'll catch up to you soon."

She walked away from the cart and she led me and my pawns to an inn. The man behind the counter lifted his head up and his eyes lit up. He exclaimed, "Ser Mercedes! You are back! How are you faring?"

"I am fine." Mercedes fished out some gold and dropped it on the counter. She said, "One room for the Arisen and her pawns."

"Arisen? You mean the Arisen?" The man looked at me and asked, "You are the Arisen?"

"That's what everyone calls me." I shrugged.

"I must say, you look…"

"Small?"

"Er…plain, to be the Arisen."

"What did you expect me to look like, a big, tall man with feathered hair that blows in the wind?"

Mercedes chuckled at this while the man said, "Forgive me, I should not say such things."

"I was joking around on my part, too." I quickly said.

"Well, four beds for the night. Your room is to your right. Enjoy your night."

"I'll see you in the morning." Ser Mercedes said to me before she left.

I walked into the room next to the front counter and I saw four beds set up. I removed my weapons and armor, leaving only my everyday clothes to wear for the night. I plopped onto the bed and I found it to be extremely soft. I looked to the pawns and saw that they were not getting on their beds. I said, "You have got to be tired, after all that happened today."

"We pawns do not require sleep," Aiken said, "but if you want us to rest on the beds, we can do that."

I found that hard to believe. Truly, these guys were not human. I said slowly, "Aye…but Aiken?"

"Yes, Arisen?"

I got out of bed, walked up to him, sniffed his face, and said, "You smell like a hydra with bad breath. Can you at least take a bath before you turn in for the night?"

"I find that to be a good idea, Arisen."

Next time, Kennedreth visits the Pawn Guild and goes underneath Gran Soren.

Notice: I will be making up pawns as I go along with the story. If there are any out there that fit the exact descriptions and names, it is purely coincidental (I would actually be amazed if there was a big, husky fighter male with a deep voice by the name of OneBigFurby). To make sure that there are no coincidental matches, I will be making all of these pawns stand out in some ridiculous nature.

Chapter 4: The Guild (excerpt)

I opened the door with a flourish and saw that there were stairs leading down into darkness. I took out my handy dandy lantern and lit it. I expected the pawns to do the same thing, but they did not. I pointed to the darkness below and said, "You know you are going to need lanterns, right?"

"We have naught on us but herbs, master." Rook shook his head.

I gave a frustrated sigh. I had no gold left to buy the rest of my group lanterns. Well, maybe there was a chance of finding some gold down below. I hooked the lantern to my belt and told the group, "Stay close; this is the only light we have."

I took a step down, quickly lost my footing, and I tumbled down the stairs. Upon landing on the ground, my lantern was smashed and the light went out. I groaned in both pain and frustration. I heard footsteps running towards my direction and I felt someone help me up.

"Are you all right, Arisen?" I heard Aiken ask.

"Forget what I said earlier," I grumbled, "we have no light and I have a headache."

"Tis fortunate that you did not break your neck."

"Aye, it wouldn't look good in the history books…"