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It is a beautiful, spring day. The sun shines down upon the valley, the forested roads leading onward. At the end of the valley there lay Irontown, the fittingly-named large down that sprawled in the shadow of the Great Iron Mountain itself. It had earned its name in a rather straightforward manner: The Great Iron Mountain was a wealth of minerals, of all sorts. Certainly, it was why many believed there was a vast, ancient mine within the massive stone giant, and yet even they had not exhausted the resources of what many now called Irontown's sentinel. The town bustled, filled with miners and blacksmiths, and its own share of nobility and rich merchants. It was, in some people's opinions, only a few steps away from becoming not simply an exceptionally large town, but a city.

And yet... now the residents of Irontown lived in fear. For the great mountain that bestowed its wealth upon them was now the home of the enemy of humanity(or indeed, all similar peoples). Not simply a single dragon, but many now roosted in the mountain. At this point, all the citizens of the industrious settlement had seen was shadows and gouts of flame from the entrances to the mountain's innards, but they new how dragons behaved. Sooner or later, they would descend upon the town and destroy it. Those who attempted to leave the town were faced with either a dragon choosing now to hunt those attempting to escape... or bandits. The scum at the bottom of humanity's barrel had chosen to corral the residents inside and kill anyone who attempted to flee. Their reasoning was that when the town was destroyed with every man, woman and child within it, they could slip in unnoticed and pick it clean of all the wealth.

Irontown was failing, and it needed intervention.

It needed help.

---

The carriage rattled along the road. Lily sat with her arms folded across her chest, seated in the back. The driver was nervous. She had seen him, moments before... she wanted to reassure him in some way, but was unable to think of any possibility. She would simply settle for paying well. It had been difficult to find transport to Irontown given the town's current situation, and Lily had nearly settled for going on-foot before a carriage had offered to take her there. He was a man older then her, but not very old, likely in his thirties. Tanned skin, brown hair, green eyes... he had seemed confident until they had reached the forest valley before Irontown. There were bandits, and worse, awaiting them.

Lily would not allow the one who had agreed to take her to such a place to be harmed.

And, as if in response to her thought processes, Lily heard an arrow thunk through the wooden door of the carriage. The horses drawing it whinnied and the driver let out a yell. Lily's head snapped up as the carriage drew to a halt. Almost immediately, she heard voices. Men's voices, outside. Low and threatening. It did not take a genius to reason what was occurring, especially given that a dark, bearded face peered in.

"Oi, he's gotta girl back here... come on out, girlie. We ain't gonna hurt ya..." his voice was rough, and he spoke in a manner that indicated that yes, they were going to hurt her and everyone involved if it benefited them. Once again, it took little intellect to figure out what these people were. Bandits. As she rose, Lily mentally calculated how much it would cost to pay for the damage she was about to inflict. Ideally, the door would still function... Though it would cost more to repair it if it did not.

It mattered little, Lily would pay whatever was required. One hand raised to her back, gripping the hilt of her massive blade, Drakecleaver.

"What the-"

The bandit was cut off when the wooden panels of the door were suddenly pierced from within. The gigantic blade erupted from inside the carriage, and effortlessly pierced the bandit's chest and burst through his back in a spray of blood! Lily could hear cursing from his fellows. The door and torn from its hinges and stuck to her sword, along with the corpse.

She raised one armored foot and pushed the door and the body off her blade, before leaping out.

The bandits were clad in leather armor, with simple metal helmets. One held the carriage driver at bow-point, but right now he wasn't looking at the man and was instead distracted by the death of his comrade, and the girl who had just stepped out of the carriage.

"Th-that sword!" one of them cried, "It's... it's huge!"

Lily swung her blade foreward and put on a burst of speed. The bow-wielding bandit attempted to pull the string and fire, but he was suddenly cut entirely in half, up from his right side to his left shoulder! Lily spun, standing in front of the carriage, as the halves of the corpse fell beside her. The carriage driver had taken the opportunity to take cover behind his cart.

"With this blade..." she began, calmly, regarding the bandits. They backed away, terrified. This certainly was not what they had expected. "... I slay dragons. But dragons are not the only evil I extinguish."

"Sh-she's a damn d-dragonslayer!"

Lily took a step forward. The bandits took a step back.

She readied Drakecleaver once again.

Indeed, this was not the only place bandits had set up ambushes. And it would certainly be easy to spot the stopped carriage and the bodies lying beside it, the blonde girl facing down over a dozen armed men.

"Ah, no, see heavy armour won't do you any good! Sell it! Buy yourself lots of rope, chop down some wood, dig up some holes in the earth and make some punji traps. At the least you'll manage to inconvenience it."

Hypatia chuckled at the disappointed looks on the men sat around her, crossing one leg over the other. She sat at the attention of a semicircle of people, men both young and old. She'd arrived in the town a few days prior, taking a few days to scope the area out in relative secrecy, until someone finally identified her this morning. Hypatia the Hunter, A Dragonslayer or some renown, had arrived in their town. Now she was getting questions, all about how one actually deals with dragons outside of being a superhuman Dragonslayer.

"The armor would just hinder you. A dragon is a foe that simply does not care about how heavy a humans armor is, they can crush you with or without it. If anything, it would just make the encounter..."

She paused, her single eye flicking from face to face.

"Drag on."

Silence. Hypatia brought a hand to her chin, eye shut with an all-too proud smile on her face. That pun never got old. As usual, her audience didn't appreciate the comedy gold. She cleared her throat, getting back to the point.

"Humans need to use numbers and smarts to take down a singular dragon. The fantasy of a normal human taking on a dragon with nothing but steed and steel is just that - a fantasy. But that's why I'm here, I guess." The veteran Dragonslayer brought her hand to the back of her head, rubbing her silver hair. The air around her was relaxed, befitting the inn.

Hypatia absorbed herself in the questions and curiosities of the locals, engaging them in casual conversation and trying her best to answer them. She always made a point of getting to know a local populace, to try and steer them in the right directions when dealing with Dragons. Because, at the end of the day, it'd take more than just a few Dragonslayers to completely get rid of the draconic threat in Ahlunda for good. Everyone needed to chip in.

Brittle leaves cracked beneath his armored boots, leaving a wake of leafy destruction behind him. His metal-layered gauntlet breaking through the branches blocking the way as he marched through the forest. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the forest ceiling, creating small pockets of light in the otherwise pitch black. Howls and the chattering of bugs punctually breaking the silence, seeking to strike fear into him. Gritting his teeth, Drake approached his task with a vigor smashing away at the branches forging his own path through the wild. As he marched he stared into the darkness, the yellow eyes still following him, always watching. They blinked periodically, reassuring him that they were in fact a reality. Then they were gone and a deathly silence followed their disappearance. Nothing could be heard but the death of millions of leaves and branches that lay in his path. He paused resuming the silence and pulled his Falchion from it's scabbard, a loud noise greeting him as it's edge glided along effortlessly against the polished steel.

Grinning, he grabbed some tinder and placed it on the flat of his blade. Next, he grabbed a piece of flint and struck it forcefully against the flat. The fire burst alive in the darkness revealing everything around him for only a few seconds before dying as it's essence was pulled into the blade. It glowed lazily, the lack of strength in the fire causing the glow to be very dim. It was enough for him though, holding the blade before him like a torch he walked towards the next pocket. The silence remained for the entirety of his journey, not a single sound escaped the forest except his. He felt alone, immensely alone. Frowning, he allowed himself to bathe in the light of the next pocket. It felt divine, not in a spiritual way but rather a physical feeling.

He stood silently in the light, his armor reflecting it into the recesses of the forest. The shadows clawed their way from the trees, finally breaking free from the grasps of darkness and returning once more fitting themselves to the temporary light. He stepped out from the light and they immediately dispersed. The shadows retaking their territory.

Drake sighed and walked away from the heart of the forest. Due west he could probably find the road, though he may be strong he could no longer handle the deafness of the forest. As he walked, he hummed to himself the tune of the infamous song in his home town, 'O' Warrior of Vale'. A light in the distance grew brighter as he walked, since it was not from above it was most likely the exit to the forest. He smiled to himself, perhaps the shortcut was in fact worth it. He marched the rest of the distance patiently and pushed himself through the outgrowth and into the land brightened by the sun. It was a wonderful feeling after being in the darkness for so long, he allowed himself to stand there for a few more seconds soaking in it before taking a note of his surroundings. There was apparently a brawl on the road, presumably bandits since they were surrounding a carriage.

Pulling a pipe from his pouch he lit it carefully with his sword (Then extinguished it) and breathed in. Moments later, he blew out a small ring of smoke. He could help, it would be the right thing to do. However, what kind of man would waste the duration of his pipe? He mockingly waved at the group, (It would be hard for them to see him anyway since he was so far away but at least he acknowledged them.) before continuing to travel parallel to the road along the forest outskirts occasionally taking a drag from the pipe. What a wonderful day for a trip to Irontown, hopefully they'd finished his new gear.

I was in the Roaring Lion Tavern, drinking my time away. Scaleslayer laid on the bench beside me, a clear warning to all that I was not to be messed with. "Another mug of ale, please," I said, tossing a silver to the barkeep.

"Anyone know details about the lizard infestation up on the mountain? I might have some skills to offer, but I need to know what I'm getting into."

One of the local louts raised an eyebrow at me. "A Dragonslayer? Right, and I'm King O' the Faeries."

I stood up and calmly hefted the oak bench in one hand. After setting it down, I turned to the speaker and said, "Nice to meet you, Your Majesty."

The look on his face was utterly priceless.

A lone figure strode down the desolate road to the infamous Irontown. This lone figure was Leon Servius, intrepid adventurer, wannabe hero, and, of course, Dragonslayer. The decision to come to Irontown wasn't a hard one for Leon, as he could hardly resist the call to save a town in need. He'd been carefully planning his next course of action. Saving the city would be hard by himself, and he'd need to find allies. He hoped others like him would be drawn to the city, a group was needed. The city was surrounded on all sides by bandits and dragons. The most obvious course of action for Leon was to root out the gang of bandits around the city, then remove the dragon standing watch and looking for runners. After the townspeople left he would be able to fight the dragons. It was a hefty task, and it did not help that the number of dragons was unclear. For all he knew hundreds may be infesting the mountain. Yes, allies were indeed needed. There were certainly other Dragonslayers heading for Irontown, and for now he simply had to hope they'd be willing to work together. Soon Leon pushed thoughts of the battle ahead out of his head, and continued with earnest down the road, humming a tune to himself.

It wasn't long before he found the carriage of Lily of Madison, surrounded by bandits. Leon had heard word of the formidable Dragonslayer, but never met her in person. She was easily identifiable by the massive greatsword she used, Drakecleaver. Leon mused to himself that most Dragonslayers he'd heard of had fancy names for their swords. Perhaps he should find a name for his blades. But for now Leon decided to help Lily with her bandit problem; not that he thought she needed help, he was merely following his helpful nature. Leon ran around to the side of the troupe of bandits, moving quickly through the trees. He drew his swords, and poised to erupt from the treeline swinging. He prepared himself, then launched himself into the bandit closest to himself, quickly slicing him to pieces before he could so much as react. Leon then sprung himself forward again; this time directly towards Lily's carriage. He sliced down all bandits in his way, and came to her side. This was all in a matter of seconds. A cry came out from the bandits

"D-dammit, it's another one of those freaks! He's too fast!"

Leon turned his head towards Lily, swords still at the ready. "If I am not mistaken, you are Lily of Madison. I've heard of you in many a bar across Ahlunda. I assume you too are here because of the trouble in the mountains... oh, yes, and of course to take care of these folk too." Leon gave a reassuring smile to Lily. "I'm sure they won't be a problem for the pair of us, or one of us for that matter."

"Ellen Starvalley", on the road to Irontown

Even as the bandits approached Lily of Madison, even as she draw her collosal sword to face then, and even as she was joined by a man who seemed to be another Dragonslayer, someone watched from the shadows. She wasn't sure why she'd followed these men, but something in her gut had told her that if she didn't take a detour to do so they would end up hurting someone, or even worse. And seeing what they were doing now... These men were little more than vultures. But it looked like the vultures had aroused the wrath of lions, as the two Dragonslayers faced them down.

From her hiding place, the hooded girl pulled back the string of her bow until it was taut, waiting for just the right moment... She'd put out a call, and soon enough the lions would be joined in their hunt by another predator, hungering for those who would attempt to prey on the weak like these fools had chosen to...

With a loud bark, they came. Darting out of seemingly nowhere, a ten-strong pack of wolves suddenly beset upon them, their sharp fangs digging into their necks as black paws gouged at their bellies. With this, the trap had been sprung, and the moment had come. As the bandits no doubt reacted in panic to this sudden ambush, she let go of the bowstring, sending a steel-tipped arrow piercing through the neck of a bandit, and without pausing for breath pulled back another, and another, the whistling of each arrow only coming to a halt when it met its target...

The brief glimpse of smoke was not a distraction. Drakecleaver slammed to the ground, and scratched a long scar into the earth as Lily moved forward, and then swung it upward! The bandit who had been preparing his bow was immediately sliced open from bottom to top, his body barely held together as it collapsed backwards. The others backed away further, but still held their weapons up to bare. Lily held her sword ahead of her. The silvery blade dripped blood. She was aware of a name her... detractors had given her. Those who prayed upon the weak and innocent. As opposed to calling her simply Dragonslayer, they thought she would mind the name they gave her.

'Manslayer'.

Evil men, perhaps. Like the ones before her. There were many, still laying in wait in the woods... And then, suddenly, another figure appeared, and in the blink of a eye sliced one of the bandits to pieces! There was much commotion in their ranks as they tried to train their weapons on this new target. It was not someone Lily knew, but he certainly knew her. At his assertion of both her reputation, and that the bandits would not be a problem, she nodded. "These men are just as dark as the dragons."

Needless to say, the bandits were wavering. Then, near the back, a gruff voice spoke up. He was a bulky man with a thick black beard, and scars all over his face.

"Get a hold of yourselves, you maggots!" he snarled, "They might be Dragonslayers, but that means the boss'll pay us all the more handsomely for their heads! Cut 'em down!"

He thrust a finger forward, and the bandits seemed re-energized. Lily raised Drakecleaver... and then wolves appeared from the shadows. The blonde warrior was just as surprised as the bandits, who had little chance to defend themselves from the gnashing teeth and gouging claws. Bandits fell, struggling to fend off attackers, many dying from a torn throat or shredded belly. One bandit attempted to draw a bead on a wolf... and fell with an arrow embedded in his skull. And then another fell, axe falling from his hand as an arrow pierced his side. Lily swiftly looked around. An archer had joined the fray? Where had the wolves come from? They had paid not heed to the newly-arrived Dragonslayer or herself...

---

Near Hypatia, a figure stood. She wore not the simple armor of even one of Irontown's highest-born warriors. The highest Knight of such a place still wore simple armor when compared to other settlements. No, this was a figure who had, by the designs on her armor, traveled from far further. The curved metal crest above her helm, which covered her face entirely and allowed only for a thin T-shape for her to see and breath. It was polished armor, ornate designs peppering the surface, curling almost as if they were caressing the knight's body. She could only be a knight of Maison. And yet, to stand in full armor even now... Her frame seemed to be somewhat slender, at least judging by how the armor laid on her body. Armor also made it rather difficult to tell.

"And so you suggest they prepare a trap?" she began, "How certain can you be that a dragon would fall for such a thing so easily?"

Her voice was light, and almost childish, in contrast to the imposing appearance a fully-armored knight would suggest.

"Yep...." Felix said to himself raising a hand to shade his eyes from the bright sun to get a great view of the looming mountain and the town that lived in its shadow. He could make out the few bellows of fire and smoke from the various cave mouths and mine shafts in the stone giant clearly now. "Definitely a dragon nest. Lovely, I didn't come all this way on rumors alone." he said quite pleased with himself. "Should only be a few more leaps till I'm at its edge."

And with that statement his brief moments at the apex of his bounding leap had ended and he began to plummet to the ground. Felix could count the time he spent in the air with each jump in minutes if he really put his back into it, and thus it became his preferred method of travel when he was on his own. Inhuman jumps easily covered more ground for him than sprinting forward. It was less effort for it allowed him to bypass twists in paths and such, able to jump over most obstacles with relative ease. Which had come in quite handy, Irontown was a great ways from where his last job had been. A costal town that had a minor sea serpent problem preventing ships to enter or leave their harbor. The sea being very far from the more mountainous region, he was afraid with even his traveling advantages he would not make it before other dragonslayers did and managed the problem themselves.

As the rush of air increased as he fell closer and closer to the ground he gripped his massive great spear in anticipation. If there were as many dragons as they said it would be a invigorating job indeed. He glanced down at the ground to make sure his landing area was clear of anything troublesome only to see a group of people engaged in some kind of conflict. He squinted his eyes to better make out what the commotion was till he saw the glint of armor and what was most certainly a dragonslayers greatsword. "Ah, lovely, I won't be the last one to arrive it seems. But what on earth is going on there?"

As his decent brought him even closer he could make out more details. It was two dragonslayers in fact, and a group of bandits her presumed. Those classless jerks always tended to gather about unfortunate situations like this. He scowled at the very thought of the cut thoughts, not even proper thieves just thugs with no morals. Felix returned his attention to the dragonslayers taking note of their equipment to see if he had any idea who they were. He was fairly sure the one with the greatsword was one of some renowned. "What was that one lady dragon slayers name...Rose? Violet? Oh I know it was something floral... not that he was all that great with names, if he hadn't worked with you personally it was unlikely he'd be able to readily recall who you were. He raised an eyebrow as wolves became involved and what he could only assume was a third dragonslayer showed up "Oh my, more fellow slayers. Perhaps I won't be jumping the rest of the way if they are good company."

Now his falling had brought him in earshot of the confrontation and he heard the other male dragonslayer call her Lily "AH!" he exclaimed loud enough for the group to hear him. Second after he landed on the ground, just outside the circle of bandits. The impact kicked up a short lived cloud of dust as he straighten himself up to standing and heaving his impossibly large spear against one shoulder "Lily was the name. That one girl who killed her first dragon so young. I wondered why you seemed familiar."

He began to dust himself off with his free hand hardly paying attention to the bandits "Don't mind me." he said casually "I'm sure you three have this well in hand. Three dragonslayers against one group of bandits hardly seems fair. I'll step in if they give you too much trouble but I doubt that'll be much the case."

While others travelled the road to Irontown, confronting the dangers that came with travelling in Ahlunda, Feron sat in the town’s inn. He had arrived a few days prior and though he knew of the presence of other Dragonslayers, their numbers were still too few. Two, possibly three, stood in the inn with him; Hypatia surrounded by residents and a knight encased in plate, possibly a Dragonslayer; and another male with a gargantuan battle-axe at his side. He could just barely hear the talk between the veteran Dragonslayer and the town’s resident, but its contents did interest him slightly. While some dragons were no doubt intelligent enough to avoid simple traps like the female knight had mentioned, quite a few of the reptilian creatures he had faced seem no more than mere beasts; capable of great destruction but without intellect.

He finished the rest of his meal, mopping up the bowl with a piece of bread, before he finally stood up. While he didn’t quite scrap the building’s ceiling, he came fairly damn close. Walking over to the counter with measured steps, he set a few coins on it and muttered a gruff, “Thanks.” Looking around the room once more, if he made eye contact with any of his fellow Dragonslayers he’d offer them a small nod to acknowledge their presence. They, and any others that arrived, would need to cooperate if the dragon threat was to be driven from Irontown. With that in mind, he made for the exit, ducking his head under the lower doorway as he stepped outside.

Dragonbreaker leaned against the inn’s wall, its heavy head having already sunk into the dirt. Wrenching it free of the earth’s grasp with a small grunt, he gave the weapon a small shake to clear off the dirt before he slung it over his shoulder. He supposed he would do much the same as he had done the previous days he had been in town. Wander and patrol Irontown in case any bandits or dragons tried their luck with the settlement. Hopefully he would also see a few more Dragonslayers arrive. While rumor took time to spread, and travelling to this settlement was not a quick task by any means, even Feron couldn’t help but feel his stomach tumble a bit when he looked up at the mountain and saw the forms that flew about it. He had killed his fair share of dragons, and as such had a healthy respect for the creatures. Going against them outnumbered was certainly something he would like to avoid if at all possible. If the current rate at which his kind arrived at the town persisted though, then it seemed inevitable such a situation would come to pass. He could only sigh at such a thought before he began to walk.

"I can't be."

Hypatia simply shrugged at the armor-clanned knight, giving her unnamed inquirer a knowing smile. This knight had come a long way from the capital, and so young sounding as well! It was not all that surprising - knight orders took squires early, and Dragonslayers were trained even earlier. If she was of the latter, then of course she'd be willing to travel from Maison to this town.

"But I am certain that charging a dragon without any 'gifts' is suicide. The reason I suggest a trap is because it's indirect confrontation of a greater force. I am also certain that, despite the variety found in the dragon, they are animals as much as you and I. Like you and I, they have patterns and quirks, little routines they go through which even they are not completely aware of. Identify those, become familiar with them, and then use it against them."

The Hunter paused for effect, offering a nod to Feron in recognition. She elaborated some more.

"I wouldn't call it 'falling' for a trap, more they'd be walking into a trap. I think 'falling' implies an ad hoc, on the spot element to it. The only thing humanity has over dragons is numbers and brains...mostly. Better to use those bodies and brains productively, rather than throw them into a furnace, mh?"

"Of course, not all of them are so easily defeated by nets, pits, poisons and rocks. But that's a sad reality, I'm afraid. There's always Dragonslayers for those types, though."

The drunks didn't have any knowledge to impart to me, which was a shame. Still, I had to move on. If they wouldn't give me the knowledge I was looking for, I'd have to do the scouting myself.

Well, Darvyn, time to get to work. I hefted Scaleslayer and walked out into the warm sunlight. As I looked around, I saw another Dragonslayer giving a lecture on what the villagers should do if the dragons decided to attack. I figured I could hand out a few pointers as well.

"My name's Darvyn, and I'm a Dragonslayer as well. I just have a few things to add. Trapping the dragons is all well and good, but you still need to kill the bloody beasts. To do that, you need to stick it full of arrows. Swords and the like won't work unless they're either enchanted or so massive that only a Dragonslayer can wield them. Aim for the wings,, as arrows can't pierce the scales, the eyes are too small a target, and as for the mouth... let's just say that death comes out of a dragon's mouth, but it doesn't go in that way."

The knight tilted her head to the side, in another surprisingly childish gesture given her full plate armor. Not to say that there was no knights with a lighter, more youthful energy, but it was still somewhat unexpected. She seemed to be mulling over what Hypatia had said, pondering the facts presented. And then, after a few moments of silence, she sighed. "I'll need to tell my father that, then. Always going on about he could slay a dragon through pure skill alone... He's always getting himself into trouble these days. I'm kind of sad to hear only a Dragonslayer could do such a thing, myself, but even still. I... don't suppose you've seen my father, have you? He would be wearing armor much like mine."

It would be an identifying mark in a place like this, given how different the armor of Maison's knights was when compared to that of Irontown's.

She paused as the second Dragonslayer spoke, telling his thoughts on the slaying of dragons. "Is it not true that many dragons differ from one another? Can you really say that and apply it to every dragon? I have certainly heard tales of arrows felling dragons, and weapons of all sorts slaying them. At least in the hands of a Dragonslayer."

"The key words there, my friend, are 'in the hands of a Dragonslayer'. Most Dragonslayers, myself included, rely on massive weapons that can bludgeon a dragon to death or pound their way through the scales. No offense, but a normal human couldn't even lift them.

As for there being many different types of dragons, you're right about that. I'd think a small dragon could certainly be slain by a town guard swarming it and hacking the beast to death, but the casualty numbers would be immense. Better to stay well clear of it and hit it from a distance. With luck, you'll strike an artery and let the thing bleed into oblivion. Even if that doesn't happen, you only have to worry about the breath attacks, not the teeth, claws, and tail."

As the bandits stumbled trying to regain their composure from Leon's sudden assault, a man in their back lines called out, likely their leader, boasting that the pair of Dragonslayers would net them a hefty reward. The bandits regained their composure, poising to attack. Leon merely let out a deep laugh. "Are you all daft! I cut down a quarter of your men and you couldn't even retaliate. We're out of your league, you best flee here and never come bac-" Leon was suddenly cut of by a cacophony of barks. A pack of wolves suddenly emerged from the treeline and began to tear the bandits apart. Next, arrows began to emerge from the treeline. An archer, and Leon had a feeling they were the source of the wolves, and that they were a Dragonslayer just like them. Now the bandits were having a really bad day. "Wolves? An archer? It appears we have an ally on our side. These fools don't stand a chance. Let's cut them down, then we can introduce ourselves properl-" Leon was cut of once again, as a man fell out of the sky and landed next to the pair of Dragonslayers. The fight was starting to get ridiculous. Wolves? Men falling from the sky? The bandits surely had no chance. "Hm, another Dragonslayer? These bandits are going to have a bad day. If you intend to watch, very well. It shouldn't take too long for me, Lily, and whoever this archer is too clear these bandits. Let's get this over with."

Leon moved his two swords to the ready, dug into the ground, and catapulted into the group of bandits, swords dancing and cutting down scores of men. The ill-trained bandits could hardly stop Leon who caused chaos in their ranks, an unstoppable flash of light killing man after man. Leon was a Dragonslayer, but he could potentially fight a small army of trained men. His fighting style was made for the battlefield, made to take full advantage of his speed. He was always trained to be a soldier, and few Dragonslayers could match the effect Leon's presence had in the middle of the ranks of the enemies.

"Your father sounds like an interesting man! If he can do that, then I've got a thing or two to learn from him."

Hypatia let out a light laugh, treating the conversation casually. She appraised Darvyn, her smile fading as she listened to him and the subsequent exchange with the armoured girl. She waited until either side had said their part before continuing.

"As for your father, can't say I've seen him. I'll keep an eye out, it's the most I can do. Literally." She tapped her eyepatch, flashing the Knight a toothy smile. "But as for how you kill a dragon, that's entirely situational. You should be able to discern that from the observation stage, or at least get an idea. But everyone has their own way, I'm not a fan of hefting around giant weapons."

"You know, one time, a group I helped out came up with a pretty smart trap. It was basically a battering ram suspended between two trees with a sharpened end - staked a pretty big dragon. Interesting, yeah?"

The knight girl's expression was impossible to see, but she nodded in approval when the female Dragonslayer mentioned how a dragon could be slain in any manner by those who at least had the knowledge and skills and the numbers to properly pull off a slaying. Or, well, if you were a Dragonslayer. Normal humans, after all, fell quite short of Dragonslayers and did need numbers and trickery to hope to slay a dragon.

"Well, my father says he could slay a dragon through skill alone..." she said, her voice taking on a somewhat more worried tone then it had previously carried. "But I'm not sure I believe him. Please, please keep an eye out for him. He may have made it through the bandits, but... he... thinks more of himself then he actually is."

The girl paused for a moment, and then swiftly raised her hands and waved them, rather amusingly for someone in full plate armor. "Don't... don't tell him I said that. He's still a brave knight! Just... please, like I said... if you find him, tell him I'm looking for him. My name is Alexandria Carthing, of Maison."

Needless to say, Lily found herself quite surprised when a man fell from the sky and landed squarely in front of her. She quickly regained her composure and regarded him for a moment, before stepping around him and forward, toward the remaining bandits trying to hold their ground against the wolves. If he would not aid in the fight, and he was not an innocent in need of protection, then he would not be addressed until the fight was concluded. With him out of the way, she burst forward.

A bandit who had managed to evade the wolves, using a long dagger in a bid to slash through one of them from behind, suddenly found a shadow bearing down on him. Lily swung Drakecleaver in an outward arc, sweeping down until it struck the ground after cutting entirely through the bandit! The separate halves of his body toppled to the ground, staining the ground in blood. Indeed, while the huge sword felt light to one such as Lily, that did not make it cease to be an incredibly heavy piece of weaponry. The sheer weight behind the blade ensured that it would cut entirely through most targets. Even the necks of dragons.

The bandits were already wavering. Arrows continued to strike, each shot slaying another of the thugs, and the wolves ripping through their number... and now, the Dragonslayer with two blades effortlessly quartering half a dozen men in moments. Their morale failed them, and they began to turn and flee. The large, gruff man with the thick beard cursed.

"The... the bandit king will get you for this!" he shouted, jabbing a finger at them, before fleeing with his men.

Lily lowered Drakecleaver. A pursuit into the forest was not impossible, but she did not wish to leave the carriage. The driver peered over the side of his seat, gazing at the carnage. Indeed, many corpses lay strewn across the road. Some of them rather divided.

Lily turned her gaze on the driver.

"Are you unharmed?"

He nodded, weakly, looking somewhat green at the sight of the violence.

---

There was another figure in the field, near Evelyn. It was, by the look of him, a Knight of Maison, his wonderfully-crafted armor covered in ornate designs to signify his high standing in Ahlunda's capital. A helmet hid his face, with a curved metal crest atop it. When he spoke, his voice was deep, and yet had the air of someone who was both refined and experienced in combat. An expertly-crafted sheath on his hip held a longsword of some make, though the blade was hidden within the sheath.

"Ah, such a sorry sight..." he said, to himself. "Lives taken by those foul creatures! No man or beast should suffer under such cruelty!"

His speech was rather fervent, and given how he seemed to notice Evelyn only after he loudly declared his hatred of what had occurred. "Another warrior? A Dragonslayer, perhaps! Oh-ho! Greetings, I am Alexandrios Carthing, Knight of Maison!"

He approached, his booming voice seeming to carry across the entire field.

"It is a shame I meet you in the midst of such loathsome carnage, but worry not!" he continued, "I shall ensure the beast that perpetrated this atrocity faces my wrath!"

It was not an idle boast or lie. It seemed this man genuinely believed his wrath could topple a dragon.

As the bandits fled, Leon found himself standing in the middle of the carnage. He had a grim look on his face. He knew, in the end, he would never stop killing. He accepted this. He was, however, scared of the fact that he felt no remorse for slaughtering these men. He held no remorse for any of those he killed, even those that were innocent from the days he was a bandit much like those he had just slaughtered. He was trained to kill men, and he knew that he always would kill men. But the thought was a mere passing intrusion. He didn't care. Leon wiped his blades of blood, and sheathed them.

Leon turned back to Lily, the carriage driver, and the mysterious man who fell from the sky. "I'm glad you're alright, I would hate to see these slobs kill an innocent." Leon said, regarding the carriage driver. He then turned his attention to Lily and the sky-man, "As for you two, I have a proposal. It's obvious that we're all here for the same reason," Leon nodded grimly at the ominous mountain hanging in the distance, "as such, I believe it would be in our best interest to work together. The number of dragons on that mountain are a mystery, but there undoubtedly too many for one Dragonslayer to take down on their own. I'm sure we'll make a formidable team, even though I have yet to see your skills." Leon said nodding at the mysterious falling man, "By the way..." Leon put on his friendliest smile, "You can call me Leon. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Felix pressed his lips at the departing words of the fleeing survivor. "Bandit...king?" he murmured to himself. It was the first moment that the tall green haired man showed anything other than his somewhat detached grin faded even among the chaos and bloodshed of the very one-sided battle. "I don't much like the sound of that." All sorts of parasites tended to follow the desperation caused by the dragons. Normally it was simply opportunistic thugs that saw a chance to make easy money by bulling helpless civilians. It was simply a dirty truth. Those with low morals prayed on those with low luck. Those with such low standards of morals were often a side project of his when he came to towns. Seeing people who were willing to abuse other people weakness is something that didn't sit right with him. Ironic, he knew, coming from someone who still held ties with the thieves guild. But he had a unique view of such things where that came.

There were codes of conduct in the thieves guild, laws and rules that kept them from...tipping the scales so to speak. Those who abused those laws were brought down by the thieves guild itself. Men like his father for example. But those where thoughts he let slide from the front of his mind into the blacker depths where he wouldn't have to think to hard about it. What was important here is someone seemed to be running an organized group of ill repute. This warranted investigation, perhaps even sending a word thieves guild way. He pursed his lips again, did the guild have a station this far out? Town seemed a little...blue collar for the thieves guild to be involved but you never know...Maybe some small chapter had budded here among all the competitive business. There could be a decent amount of work to have.

But that was worries for later, he decided as his more natural demeanor returned. He clapped his hands, grinning at the other dragon slayers "What a fantastic display, I'm sure those dragons days are numbered with this skills gathering here."

"A pleasure Leon." he said bowing and in mid bow glancing over to the lady slayer "And lily yes?" he lifted himself up right and looked about "Wonder where that arrow warrior be, fun trick with the wolves that was..." He cupped his hands about his mouth and called out loud enough to echo slightly against the trees "IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU TOO ARROW PERSON! I AM FELIX CRAL!" Turning back to Leon he whispered " Wonder how they did that thing with the wolves. I wish I knew, I never had much of a way with animals." he took a step back and made a thoughtful face as if finally getting around to considering Leons proposal. "Well after..." he counted on his fingers for a moment "Blimy, ten-ish years of dragonslaying I'd hope I could consider myself adequately skilled. But yes, forming a hunting band does sounds good. Especially if we are forced to engage some of the foul wyrms in their mountain nest. Fighting in tight quarts like mountain tunnels isn't my strongest suite. As you probable guessed by my entrance I work best with wide open areas.