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Star
- Joined
- May 23, 2010
Monster slayers were not in demand anymore, the mechanical behemoths that ravaged whole city-states had become the true enemy. Those who claimed to slay dragons and orcs and trolls were regarded as madmen and fools, so few had ever seen such things, they were thought to be extinct, or at least the inhabitants of far away lands.
No one had the silver to spare to slay werewolfs when the king Wiolant demanded tribute.
Thus Nero,a slayer by blood, found himself quite penniless and unable to eat more than once a day.
Luckily for him, however, a traveling showman, by the name Dante, had pity for him and allowed him to ride with him to 'the wilds'. 'The wilds' was a far off area of Nonn where progress had not yet settled, and people still bore their superstition nakedly. If there were anywhere on the continent that the monsters still lived, it was the wilds. Where there were monsters, there was life, for Nero anyway.
For many months, Nero stayed with Dante. Learning just how the world had changed so much that it robbed him of a job. His 'partner',Mari the marvelous mechanical maiden, was enough to slow the towns to a stand still.
As with all things, the companionship that Dante and Mari offered came to an end when they decided to go back to one of the large, modern city's to rest before the next tour.
Left with only a small amount of money from odd jobs, the hunter sought employment to no avail, till one bright afternoon...
+++
Dante plopped himself down beneath a shady willow and eyed the passing crowd with careful interest. His large Falchion leaned against the trunk lazily.
He had already spent out that weeks money buying info from shady bartenders with nothing to show for it.
Another night sleeping under the stars...and biting bugs...
Still, he was content with the bright green apple in his hand.
This particular kingdom was a fairly large one, as far as such a thing could be in the wilds at least. It's quaint charm gave him great hope for possible employment since most monsters were attracted to wealth and bustle.
The unemployed hunter watched the sun crawl across the sky, till it bathed the town square in gold light.
Perhaps it was time to try to adjust to this new world...
Lazy days like that one were not unwelcome, though he did wish for someone to share them with. Farm work couldn't be that bad.
Just as he got up to approach a passing farmer,who was hauling a small flock of sheep to be sold, a loud voice cried out.
"It has started again! My...my daughter is gone! DEAD!" The old man wailed, drawing the attention of all that passed.
"Please, the dragon has returned!" He pleaded, watching for sympathetic faces frantically.
Nero's ears perked up as he payed close attention to the scene.
A constable, dressed in a long indigo coat and a scabbard on his hip, pushed through the incredulous crowd.
"Roland...calm down...alright? I'm sure your daughter is simply out exploring the countryside again." The burly man said gently as he pulled the man away from the stares of the shocked people.
"No...no...you don't....you don't get it, I saw her burnt body!" He choked, tears binding him to the quickly panicking sea of people.
'Thats...not a normal dragons modus operandi...' the slayer reflected mentally,staying far away from the crowd.
Dire Dragons never killed maidens unless the tribute was denied or someone tried to steal what belonged to it. In that way, they were most reasonable creatures. What disturbed him was the 'again' part of the man's rant. If he was to be taken seriously, that meant that it had happened before...
A worrisome prospect to say the least.
Nero watched the father walk away, escorted by two royal guards.
If royalty was involved then there must have been truth to the old man's words!
Intrigued, the white haired man followed silently, hopping from rooftop to rooftop deftly. Eventually the rooftops ran out and Nero could only watch as the elderly man shuffled across the drawbridge to the king's castle.
The slayer made a mental note to return and ask if he could be of help once an official proclamation was made as he walked back to his shady tree.
The very next day the king himself stood in the town square and called his subjects together.
He wasted no time getting to the point.
"The feared archdragon Jormungand has returned to our lands. He left a granite tablet in my courtyard stating that he seeks a tribute of women and gold, if he does not have them-- he says that he will kill one woman for everyday he does not. I will not permit him to gut this hard working country! Thus, I have put a bounty of ten thousand pieces of gold on his head!" The clearly aged, but regal man roared above the crowds chattering.
One more job couldn't hurt...owning a farm was far better than being merely a worker.
Nero slipped on his red coat and approached the crowd at a run.
"I humbly accept your offer." He called out loudly.
"Then what are you doing here! Another daughter will die tonight! Go kill the dragon!" Came the reply.
That wasn't the welcome he had hoped for, but a welcome was a welcome.
The first place to look for a dragon was a cave, naturally.
After procuring some hiking supplies, on the promise of payment from the bounty, he set out into the hills to start his search.
As he stalked through the dense forest, an uneasy aura filled him. Something truly evil was in the air. Certainly smelled like an archdragon to him.
Archdragons were quite a different monster from dire dragons. Most dire dragons could be reasoned with fairly easily and were great conversationalists when they weren't hungry. Archdragons,however, were a different story. They were vicious, hateful beings that all other monsters despised. In fact, ages ago the others formed a pact to banish all the archdragons to the underworld and succeeded. Their re-emergence could only mean something greater to come.
Temporarily lost in thought, Nero almost didn't notice that he had stepped in some fresh campfire embers.
"How strange...a beast like Jormungand would kill anyone it found that could find it's lair...so what is a new campfire doing this deep in the forest?"he wondered as he searched for any traces of who the demon might have killed. He found no signs of struggle or conflict, which only perplexed him more.
He trekked deeper in, hoping to find the fled inhabitants. Instead nero found an unconscious woman tied to a tree.
"That's not a dragons work...." he said as he considered freeing her. If he did, who ever did this would know something was up and become even more thorough in cleaning up and would probably find a new place to hide. A set back he couldn't afford. Besides to which, how was he to know what the story was here? That woman could just as easily be a criminal as a victim. At the very least,he might get a lead on any suspicious caves near here.
Thus, Nero practically flew up a nearby tree and perched himself on what he thought was a sturdy branch,waiting to see who would return.
He wasn't waiting for very long.
He heard the footfalls of no less than thirty men approach. That camp couldn't have supported so many, which could only mean that whoever was using it were scouts for this larger group.
A long column of men emerged from the thick foliage and spread around the bound woman.
"You've picked a pretty one today..." the apparent leader said approvingly as he tore off the woman's top.
" Young too..." his hands greedily pawned at her small, firm breasts.
Everything clicked. There was no dragon! These savages were using the legend of Jormungand to scare the townsfolk into paying what they wanted. They even had 'entertainment' while they waited!
Revulsion and bile soured Nero's throat as he thought his options over.
He was badly outnumbered, and even though he had the skill and strength to kill all manner of beast, numbers beat strength every time.
Distraction was out of the question, no one was fool enough to abandon a prisoner.
He couldn't let those bastards get away with their actions, though.
The slayers better nature got the better of him in short order.
How tough could thirty guys be anyway? It would make a hell of a workout and a great story to tell.
With a bestial roar Nero dropped from his vantage point and rushed at the assailants, blade naked in his hand. The blade, meant for cutting through the toughest of dragon hide, made short work of two shocked bandits. Confident in their numbers, the group swarmed the invader readily, the first wave was cut to bloody pieces, screaming as the fell. Six down.
The would be hero had to admit, things were going well.
Better than he thought,actually. What he could not see was the leader slowly draw his bow and take aim. He couldn't hear the creak of the string tensing. Instead he felt a sharp heat cut through his ribs and stomach. He tasted the iron of his blood pouring out of his mouth.
Shock and adrenaline were the only things that kept him on his feet. He knew he was done for if he didn't run.
Two more expertly aimed arrows lodged themselves in his back.
He had to run but his legs felt like they were on fire!
The brutes closed ranks and began to cut off his escape routes. If he didn't leave at that second, he was dead.
With great, but nearly instant, effort Nero managed to sprint away like a deer, flitting between trees and bounding over fallen logs.
Frantically, he dashed into a dark gap in the nearby rockface, praying that they wouldn't see. The first step was a long one. All he saw was darkness rush up to meet him as he fell.
No one had the silver to spare to slay werewolfs when the king Wiolant demanded tribute.
Thus Nero,a slayer by blood, found himself quite penniless and unable to eat more than once a day.
Luckily for him, however, a traveling showman, by the name Dante, had pity for him and allowed him to ride with him to 'the wilds'. 'The wilds' was a far off area of Nonn where progress had not yet settled, and people still bore their superstition nakedly. If there were anywhere on the continent that the monsters still lived, it was the wilds. Where there were monsters, there was life, for Nero anyway.
For many months, Nero stayed with Dante. Learning just how the world had changed so much that it robbed him of a job. His 'partner',Mari the marvelous mechanical maiden, was enough to slow the towns to a stand still.
As with all things, the companionship that Dante and Mari offered came to an end when they decided to go back to one of the large, modern city's to rest before the next tour.
Left with only a small amount of money from odd jobs, the hunter sought employment to no avail, till one bright afternoon...
+++
Dante plopped himself down beneath a shady willow and eyed the passing crowd with careful interest. His large Falchion leaned against the trunk lazily.
He had already spent out that weeks money buying info from shady bartenders with nothing to show for it.
Another night sleeping under the stars...and biting bugs...
Still, he was content with the bright green apple in his hand.
This particular kingdom was a fairly large one, as far as such a thing could be in the wilds at least. It's quaint charm gave him great hope for possible employment since most monsters were attracted to wealth and bustle.
The unemployed hunter watched the sun crawl across the sky, till it bathed the town square in gold light.
Perhaps it was time to try to adjust to this new world...
Lazy days like that one were not unwelcome, though he did wish for someone to share them with. Farm work couldn't be that bad.
Just as he got up to approach a passing farmer,who was hauling a small flock of sheep to be sold, a loud voice cried out.
"It has started again! My...my daughter is gone! DEAD!" The old man wailed, drawing the attention of all that passed.
"Please, the dragon has returned!" He pleaded, watching for sympathetic faces frantically.
Nero's ears perked up as he payed close attention to the scene.
A constable, dressed in a long indigo coat and a scabbard on his hip, pushed through the incredulous crowd.
"Roland...calm down...alright? I'm sure your daughter is simply out exploring the countryside again." The burly man said gently as he pulled the man away from the stares of the shocked people.
"No...no...you don't....you don't get it, I saw her burnt body!" He choked, tears binding him to the quickly panicking sea of people.
'Thats...not a normal dragons modus operandi...' the slayer reflected mentally,staying far away from the crowd.
Dire Dragons never killed maidens unless the tribute was denied or someone tried to steal what belonged to it. In that way, they were most reasonable creatures. What disturbed him was the 'again' part of the man's rant. If he was to be taken seriously, that meant that it had happened before...
A worrisome prospect to say the least.
Nero watched the father walk away, escorted by two royal guards.
If royalty was involved then there must have been truth to the old man's words!
Intrigued, the white haired man followed silently, hopping from rooftop to rooftop deftly. Eventually the rooftops ran out and Nero could only watch as the elderly man shuffled across the drawbridge to the king's castle.
The slayer made a mental note to return and ask if he could be of help once an official proclamation was made as he walked back to his shady tree.
The very next day the king himself stood in the town square and called his subjects together.
He wasted no time getting to the point.
"The feared archdragon Jormungand has returned to our lands. He left a granite tablet in my courtyard stating that he seeks a tribute of women and gold, if he does not have them-- he says that he will kill one woman for everyday he does not. I will not permit him to gut this hard working country! Thus, I have put a bounty of ten thousand pieces of gold on his head!" The clearly aged, but regal man roared above the crowds chattering.
One more job couldn't hurt...owning a farm was far better than being merely a worker.
Nero slipped on his red coat and approached the crowd at a run.
"I humbly accept your offer." He called out loudly.
"Then what are you doing here! Another daughter will die tonight! Go kill the dragon!" Came the reply.
That wasn't the welcome he had hoped for, but a welcome was a welcome.
The first place to look for a dragon was a cave, naturally.
After procuring some hiking supplies, on the promise of payment from the bounty, he set out into the hills to start his search.
As he stalked through the dense forest, an uneasy aura filled him. Something truly evil was in the air. Certainly smelled like an archdragon to him.
Archdragons were quite a different monster from dire dragons. Most dire dragons could be reasoned with fairly easily and were great conversationalists when they weren't hungry. Archdragons,however, were a different story. They were vicious, hateful beings that all other monsters despised. In fact, ages ago the others formed a pact to banish all the archdragons to the underworld and succeeded. Their re-emergence could only mean something greater to come.
Temporarily lost in thought, Nero almost didn't notice that he had stepped in some fresh campfire embers.
"How strange...a beast like Jormungand would kill anyone it found that could find it's lair...so what is a new campfire doing this deep in the forest?"he wondered as he searched for any traces of who the demon might have killed. He found no signs of struggle or conflict, which only perplexed him more.
He trekked deeper in, hoping to find the fled inhabitants. Instead nero found an unconscious woman tied to a tree.
"That's not a dragons work...." he said as he considered freeing her. If he did, who ever did this would know something was up and become even more thorough in cleaning up and would probably find a new place to hide. A set back he couldn't afford. Besides to which, how was he to know what the story was here? That woman could just as easily be a criminal as a victim. At the very least,he might get a lead on any suspicious caves near here.
Thus, Nero practically flew up a nearby tree and perched himself on what he thought was a sturdy branch,waiting to see who would return.
He wasn't waiting for very long.
He heard the footfalls of no less than thirty men approach. That camp couldn't have supported so many, which could only mean that whoever was using it were scouts for this larger group.
A long column of men emerged from the thick foliage and spread around the bound woman.
"You've picked a pretty one today..." the apparent leader said approvingly as he tore off the woman's top.
" Young too..." his hands greedily pawned at her small, firm breasts.
Everything clicked. There was no dragon! These savages were using the legend of Jormungand to scare the townsfolk into paying what they wanted. They even had 'entertainment' while they waited!
Revulsion and bile soured Nero's throat as he thought his options over.
He was badly outnumbered, and even though he had the skill and strength to kill all manner of beast, numbers beat strength every time.
Distraction was out of the question, no one was fool enough to abandon a prisoner.
He couldn't let those bastards get away with their actions, though.
The slayers better nature got the better of him in short order.
How tough could thirty guys be anyway? It would make a hell of a workout and a great story to tell.
With a bestial roar Nero dropped from his vantage point and rushed at the assailants, blade naked in his hand. The blade, meant for cutting through the toughest of dragon hide, made short work of two shocked bandits. Confident in their numbers, the group swarmed the invader readily, the first wave was cut to bloody pieces, screaming as the fell. Six down.
The would be hero had to admit, things were going well.
Better than he thought,actually. What he could not see was the leader slowly draw his bow and take aim. He couldn't hear the creak of the string tensing. Instead he felt a sharp heat cut through his ribs and stomach. He tasted the iron of his blood pouring out of his mouth.
Shock and adrenaline were the only things that kept him on his feet. He knew he was done for if he didn't run.
Two more expertly aimed arrows lodged themselves in his back.
He had to run but his legs felt like they were on fire!
The brutes closed ranks and began to cut off his escape routes. If he didn't leave at that second, he was dead.
With great, but nearly instant, effort Nero managed to sprint away like a deer, flitting between trees and bounding over fallen logs.
Frantically, he dashed into a dark gap in the nearby rockface, praying that they wouldn't see. The first step was a long one. All he saw was darkness rush up to meet him as he fell.