Myotama goes to lay down on one of the mattresses and Tommy follows you back out to the common room. Spike, DoubleT, and two of the kids are not in the room, but otherwise it is just the same. Rain and Drake are both apparently lost in their VR worlds and the other two kids jump off the couch and engage Tommy in a game of some sort. From your angle, you can see Angel in the small kitchen. This leaves you completely undisturbed to think about dragon slayers and dragons. You already know that there are many symbolic dragons in the world, and that they are probably more dangerous to the public at large than the real dragons. These symbolic dragons take many guises some will be corrupt politicians, human and organ traffickers, criminal syndicates, hell the list goes on and on. The trick is not so much to identify the dragons, but to determine which ones can be killed and which ones will much your ass like a cat eating a mouse. Spike is right; there are tons of dragons that you can work against. But which ones
..
Your morning reverie is disturbed by
.something. The ground shakes as you rise and look about you. The road behind you leads back to the smoking ruin of the cavern you had found the small dragon using for a lair. A simple ruse had occupied his minions, leaving you the best opportunity to rescue the princess and directly challenge the monster who had been terrorizing the countryside. You have found companions that can assist you and the assault on the lair had been swift and brutal and the dragon, despite his fierce reputation, had been easy to dispatch.
You and your party had taken the princess and her son to some temporary safety and have camped at a crossroads. One road leads off to where a much larger and more dangerous dragon is stirring at the news that you have killed its progeny. Taking that road would certainly mean great danger and perhaps death, but your companions seem to want to go that way to rid the land of both dragons. The other road leads to safety for the Princess. She should at least be taken there. But is the safety only illusory or is it real? Would the dragons minions not seek out all who had been involved? In the cool morning, with mist rising from the nearby marsh, the decision is yours, and yours alone. Your team has vowed to go after the larger dragon with or without you, but the Princess and her son should be removed to a safe place.
While considering the options, a figure emerges from the mist and approaches. You are the person on watch and so only you see the man as he approaches. Strangely enough, he is armed and armored much as you are and bears the symbol of the Dragon Slayer on his breastplate. He stops a dozen feet from you and stares at you without speaking. His stance is that of a tired warrior and from this distance you can see that his armor is no longer pristine and shiny, but dented and in need of minor repairs. He places the tip of his greatsword in the dirt of the crossroads and rests against it. Then he nods at you and tosses a small statuette at your feet. I know that you are facing hard choices. I think you need this more than I do. It will remind you that you are a dragon slayer and that you can change the world, one dragon at a time. You see that the statuette is of a grand knight in shining armor and pick it up as the man shoulders his sword and begins to fade, replaced in the road by the form of a damsel who also stands there and watches you. She speaks, Your choice will be the right one, dragon slayer. Make it with honor, as you will find a dragon at either turn of the road.
..Gaze? Gaze? Are you alright?
You stir from a nap to find that Angel is kneeling in front of you. She offers you a chipped mug of soycaf as she looks at you with a worried expression. You were calling out in your sleep. She pauses then takes a small figurine from the pocket of her apron and holds it up to you. She places the figurine in your hand and closes your fingers around it. I know that you are facing hard choices. I think you might need this more than I do. It will remind you that you are a dragon slayer and that you can change the world, one dragon at a time. Your choice will be the right one, dragon slayer. Make it with honor, as you will find a dragon at either turn of the road. She then rises and fades into the dim light of the room.
.You feel something brush your leg and open your eyes to see the three kids running about the room. One of them must have kicked you by accident. You see Angel coming from the kitchen with a tray of steaming mugs. She tells the kids to settle down and gives them mugs before moving to stop at you. She looks down with a start. Oh, you already have some. I did not see you come get it. Shows how much I miss when not paying attention. It has been a couple of hours, do you think that it would be alright to go see if Myotama would like some soycaf and a bit of company?
