chapter one : arianna
His was not a rare predicament, but it was a dangerous one.
Lord Syroth hurried along the dark road, his cloak pulled tightly around his shoulders and his boots worn from the long walk. His coins jingled in the pouch at his hip, and he wrapped his hand around them to silence them. Who knew what sort of crooks hung around areas such as the one in which he now found himself?
"The Dragon's Claw!" he said with relief when he caught sight of the sign beside the pub and small inn. The wooden sign portrayed a fearsome dragon with pearly white teeth and bright yellow eyes. It would have been quite frightening were the paint not chipping. Shedding his cloak, Syroth stepped in to be greeted by nothing short of chaos.
A young woman charged past Lord Syroth, shouting something at the top of her lungs. Raising an eyebrow, the Lord strolled into the familiar scene; at least, familiar to those who spent quite a bit of time at pubs in their youth. He walked over to the bar, and hammered on the wood with his fist.
The barmaid hurried over to him, and asked kindly what he wanted.
"Nothing, thank you, ma'am," Lord Syroth replied, "but I am looking for someone."
"And who's that?" the barmaid asked, interested.
Syroth smiled. "Surely you have heard of one Miss Arianna Trapfoot," he said warmly.
"Aye," the barmaid said gravely. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you, sir. She's asked to remain anonymously lodged."
Saying nothing, the Lord drew forth a handful of gold coins and nonchalantly deposited them on the table.
"Right this way," the barmaid said without hesitation, scooping up the coins in her hand and tucking them away in her pouch.
"Thank you," Lord Syroth said. "Your service is much appreciated by all the people of Tskaroth City."
"Indeed," the barmaid agreed, opening the door to the private quarters.
Frowning, Arianna jumped off of her bed, landing agily on two tan boots, worn from travel and bloodstained from battle. What was this knock? Had she not asked the owner of the pub to let her rest in peace?
The visitor pounded the door again, much more urgently. Scowling heavily, Arianna stormed over and flung the door open.
"Yes?" she asked bitterly, crossing her arms, her sword bouncing against her leg.
"Miss Arianna Trapfoot," Lord Syroth replied, kissing the young woman's hand. "It is nothing short of an honor to --"
"Yes, yes, yes, get on with it," Arianna said irritably.
Syroth bowed. "I understand that you require rest," he assured the skeptical woman, "but it is a most urgent predicament in which I find myself." He stepped so that the coins at his hip made a musical chiming noise as he entered the room.
"Go on," Arianna said dryly, hoisting herself up on an empty table to listen.
"Tskaroth is a wealthy city, you understand," Syroth began, "so I am sure you have heard of it."
"I have," Arianna said smoothly, crossing her legs.
"My city," Syroth continued, emphasizing the word 'my,' "is in trouble. You see, we have...a dragon."
Arianna nodded, as though this information was quite unexpected. "I see," she replied. "And what is in this for me?"
Ignoring Arianna's question, Lord Syroth continued. "Oh, it is terrible!" he moaned, coating each and every word with dramatic agony. "The wretched creature destroys at its leisure, and kills if it has the slightest desire."
"Such is the way with dragons," Arianna replied.
"You, good, brave Arianna," Syroth whimpered, "are Tskaroth's last hope. Before we surrender and fall to ruins, we need the noblest dragonslayer to try and rescue us from doom. Would you be so kind...?"
"What's in it for me?" Arianna repeated, tapping a foot on the leg of the table.
"Yes, yes," Syroth said hurriedly. "Let me see," he murmured, untying his purse and tossing it to Arianna. "That."
Arianna lazily untied the purse and bit into one of the coins. "Solid gold," she said approvingly. "Just how would one get to Tskaroth quickly as possible?"
Syroth smiled. "I knew that you would help us poor souls, Arianna," he said, taking her hand and helping her down from the table. "Let me show you the way...."
Miss Arianna Elizabeth Trapfoot was a rare beauty in her profession. Her raven-black hair hung in sheets down the small of her back, and her green eyes were observant and sharp. She had a relatively pleasant look on her face, but she was battle-hardened, obvious from the scars that scattered her neck and face. She knew when and where she'd gotten each one, and she'd tell her stories to anyone who was willing to give up the time.
Arianna refused to wear skirts. Instead, she wore a man's chain mail and leggings, finishing off her outfit with a leather shirt, arm guards, and tan boots. A sword always hung from her belt, surrounded by purses of gold coins that she had received for killing a few dragons.
Now, Miss Arianna found herself riding her horse, Cirrus, down the road to Tskaroth. Her hair was braided to make travel less of a hassle, but her sword never left her side.
"Fine, fine day, Cirrus," she murmured to herself, releasing the reins to stretch for a moment. "What say we stop and take a rest? The dragon can't do much damage in that time."
Cirrus whinnied sleepily; he had never liked riding through the night. Arianna climbed off of his back, and patted his neck before lying down with her back to a tree that lined the forest path. The branches stretched high above her, the leaves warding off the imposing rays of the sun.
Arianna laid down her pack, and began to count her gold coins. They had been accumulating quickly lately; people were willing to part with just about anything to be freed from the claws of a dragon.
"Five hundred fifty two," Arianna announced to Cirrus. "We've been doing well. I'll get you a nice saddle when we defeat Tskaroth's dragon."
Dragons had become a growing problem in local villages. They came for the food, and wound up destroying everything before they left and eating every organism in the entire vicinity. So Arianna was left to deal with the mud-sucking creatures, sending them back to their filthy hellhole to rot.
Surely Arianna's hardest battle had come at the beginning of her career. A giant wyrm the likes of which few ever lived to tell about haunted a nearby village called Unaku. The place was practically surrounded by caves, so it was no surprise that a dragon had taken up residence.
You know what they say, Arianna had thought,
location, location, location. Arianna had been dwarfed by the monstrous green thing, but she'd managed to find a break in its armor and she had thrust her sword,
Dragonsbane, into the foul beast's heart. She'd walked away minus a finger, but how much could one ask for?
Tskaroth's dragon sounded of little concern to her. Arianna was used to dealing with large creatures, and this one sounded no taller than a man at the shoulder. All the kill would take would be a swift jerk of the sword beneath the creature's throat, but that would pay good gold, which was what Arianna was after. Dragonslaying was not work that one necessarily enjoyed, but it paid well.
Cirrus whinnied softly, which brought Arianna down to earth. "Well, Cirrus," she said, "we should go. We've dallied long enough, and there's money to be made and a town to save. Giddyap!" she cried, as soon as she was on her chestnut horse's back. Tossing a wisp of black mane out of his eyes, Cirrus galloped away down the dirt road.
Thundering black hooves carried the pair over many hills and valleys, until Tskaroth was in sight. The town was picturesque, with nicely paved streets and matching little houses; it made Arianna sick. However, the only thing missing from the scene were the happy little people. Frowning, Arianna rode Cirrus out into the streets of the town, a few wisps of black hair falling in her face. Silence pounded in her ears. It made Arianna nervous; if there was a dragon here, it wouldn't be so quiet....
Focusing her hearing, Arianna heard a soft inhale. She froze, and looked around through the corners of her eyes. She saw what she suspected - two yellow eyes were staring out at her from between two houses, and she could see a green body crouching in the shadows. Arianna's hand moved to her sword, and not a moment too soon. Out lunged the dragon.
The beast was a dark swampy green, with scales and talons that could cut through Arianna's body with a single swipe. Arianna didn't flinch as the dragon landed next to her horse, hissing viciously and flexing its leathery wings.
Moving Cirrus back, Arianna gave the dragon a closer inspection. She hadn't anticipated fangs, and yet there they were. She would have to be careful.
Jumping down from Cirrus's back so as not to endanger her faithful companion, Arianna lifted her sword and pointed it straight at the dragon. However, right before she struck, Cirrus gave a frightened cry, and Arianna instinctively looked over her shoulder.
Two more dragons were chasing Cirrus with snarling snaps, and a third was gliding overhead. Meanwhile, the first dragon was lunging at Arianna, fangs bared.
Arianna tensed, clutching her sword. She braced herself, and thought furiously as to what her plan should be. The three dragons on the ground were advancing, and the fourth still circled through the sky above, preparing to dive. Arianna decided that it would be best to attack one at a time, and moved for the first dragon she had seen.
As she swung out with her silver sword, the dragon drew back, hissing furiously. As soon as Arianna drew back, he lunged forward, fangs bared. Shouting, Arianna blocked the blow with the flat of her sword, and immediately retaliated with a swing, her blade moving in a narrow arc toward the dragon's throat. Again it drew back, giving its opponent room to advance, a dangerous mistake.
Arianna, sensing the opportunity, lunged forward and threw
Dragonsbane into the dragon's throat. Blood spurted green from the wound, splashing the sword as the dragon bellowed in fury. Not giving the dying creature a second thought, Arianna turned to face the other two on the ground, who were much more wary after having watched the skilled slaying of their comrade.
Arianna whistled for Cirrus, who galloped fearlessly over to his companion. She threw herself onto his saddle, and charged the two dragons. They instinctively drew back, but, after a brief hissing conversation, ran two separate ways. Arianna turned Cirrus 180 degrees, and watched as the two dragons vanished among the houses.
"Let's see," Arianna said to herself. "Let's go right. Hyah!"
Hearing Arianna's cry, Cirrus thundered to the right, in hot pursuit of the fleeing dragon. Arianna kept her eyes on the tracks of the monster, while Cirrus weaved between huts, searching for the creature. However, the tracks abruptly stopped, and Arianna knew that the dragon was hiding somewhere nearby.
Cirrus drew to a halt, and Arianna listened. For several seconds, all she could hear was the pounding of her heart and Cirrus breathing. Then, a soft growl reached her ears, and she tensed, grasping the hilt of her sword with both hands. She and Cirrus slowly rotated, looking everywhere for the source of the snarl, but nothing could be seen.
Suddenly, something struck Arianna hard on the back. She screamed a short scream before swinging her sword behind her.
It struck scales, and claws dug into Arianna's arms as the dragon on her back yowled in pain. She felt fangs brush her neck, but she whirled around and wrapped her hands around the dragon's neck, beginning a brutal physical battle.
Cirrus, though he was a brave war horse, found having a dragon on his back too much to handle. Whinnying, he began to run back to the main road, screaming as claws dug into his back.
Meanwhile, Arianna and the dragon were locked in combat. Using
Dragonsbane would have been impossible had she been holding it, for she was too close to the creature to strike properly. The breath of the dragon was rancid, and Arianna gagged as she fended off snaps and slashes.
Finally calling upon a burst of strength she didn't know she had, Arianna threw the dragon off of Cirrus's back. She swiftly drew
Dragonsbane from its sheath, and drove the silver blade into the dragon's heart before it could move. Blood flowed from the wound, but Arianna was already in search of the third dragon.
She and Cirrus walked a few paces before they emerged onto the main road. They immediately began crossing, but something green fell from the sky, blocking their passage. The flying dragon had dropped to the ground, and it was twice as large as the other two.
"You must be their mother," Arianna said. The primal agony of a mother who had watched her children die was in the dragon's eyes. Arianna knew, for she had seen that look before.
The dragon only growled, its body tensed for the kill.
"You should be put out of your misery," Arianna said quietly. She kicked Cirrus's haunches, and he dove forward, his black mane whirling around his withers as Arianna swung at the dragon. Dodging, the dragon threw herself at Arianna, claws gouging Arianna's thigh. A red stain immediately showed on Arianna's leggings, and she cursed.
The dragon drew back, growling. Arianna, fearless as she was, made another pass, furiously swinging
Dragonsbane. This time, the creature didn't even try to dodge, for her agony was too great. She fell to the ground, dead from a blow to the throat.
"Now, to find the last of the monsters," Arianna said, crossing the main road to hunt for the last creature. She followed the fresh tracks, and found it crouched in a corner. It was looking at something, that much was obvious. Arianna caught it by surprise, driving
Dragonsbane through its back. As it lay in its death throes, she knelt beside the object it had been staring at.
The egg was milky white and perfectly round. It looked freshly laid in the nest of muddy grasses and twigs. Sighing, Arianna cut it up with her sword.
Her mission accomplished, Arianna galloped off to the palace to alert Lord Syroth.
Riding up to the door, Arianna used the brass knocker to bang on the steel three times. A pause, then the doors swung open to reveal Syroth himself.
"It's not smart to answer your own door," Arianna said flatly. "I'm here for my payment."
"But...but you already have it!" Syroth exclaimed furiously.
"The payment was for one dragon," Arianna said matter-of-factly. "I just killed five."
Syroth couldn't manage to stammer out any kind of reply. Rather red in the face, he stormed off, returning with several more gold purses. Wordlessly, he thrust them at Arianna.
"You're welcome!" she said in mock-cheeriness, before turning Cirrus toward the main road and thundering away, leaving a rather shocked Syroth in their dust.
