[h3]Captain Drystan[/h3]

Drystan stopped, suddenly noticing a small, abandoned campsite in his path. Strange. There was very little reason for someone to be on this island, especially with a dangerous monster lurking about. And he doubted that the creature was skilled enough or even had a use for building a fire. He stared, skimming the ground, looking for clues as to who or what had been there. His gaze turned to the trees, looking carefully for any sign of....

He was suddenly pulled out of his deep concentration by a loud shriek. His head+ shot around to look towards the sea. From where he stood, he could barely make out the Rancid Eel in the water. Or what was left of it. The unmistakable crimson cloud in the water grew larger and larger as he watched. The vein on his neck pulsed as his blood pressure rose. His lips slowly curled up into a smile. [i]'So it begins.'[/i]

He turned and took a few steps towards the beach when a bit of movement caught his attention. He stopped mid-step and froze, his eyes slowly moving towards the dark green blur. There it was. While it wasn't the creature they had set out to hunt, it was clearly of the same species. Most likely it's offspring. [i]'So the monster is able to procreate. We'll have to be sure to destroy it's nest...'[/i]

The creature let out a loud, gestural screech, showing off it's razor sharp teeth in the process. Drystan grinned as his hand slowly reached for his blade. Detecting his movement, the creature lashed out. It lunged forward with surprising speed, slashing it's sharp claws towards the Captain. He darted to the side, his sword now out of it's sheath and gripped firmly in his hand. [color=silver]"You want to play? Let's play."[/color] He swung forward, bringing his sword down on the back of the creature with an audible [i]whoosh[/i]. The creature screamed in pain as the blade cut deep into it's leathery skin, only stopped by it's spine. Drystan pulled the blade out and took a step back. The creature reared and slashed, bringing it's claws across Drystan's arm, slicing three large cuts between his leather bracers and his shoulder guards. Unaffected by his new wounds, the Captain drew his sword back once again and brought it down atop the creatures skull.

[i]CRACK[/i]

His blade made contact and the creature, once again, roared in pain, blood spurting from it's new wound onto the man who caused it. It staggered backwards, clawed hands pressing against it's skull, trying to stop the pain. Drystan dropped his blade to the ground and reached for the dagger at his belt in one fluid motion. As the creature tried to regain it's composure, the hunter again lunged forward and sunk the dagger deep into the fishman's throat. It squelched as blood shot out of it's mouth, it's airway punctured. With a grin, Drystan pulled the dagger out and dealt the finishing blow: one last swipe through the thing's throat, leaving it's head barely attached with only it's spine in tact.

It fell to the ground, lifeless and bloody. Drystan stood above it, covered in a mixture of the creature's blood and some of his own. His hair fell about his face as he breathed heavily, a smile still on his face. It had been far too long since he had had a good fight. He straightened up and wiped his dagger on his pants, cleaning the blood off. He returned it to it's sheath and went to pick up his sword from the ground when another sound caught his attention. He glanced behind, towards the sea and spotted it: far larger and angrier than the lifeless husk that lay on the ground, the sire, the fabled fish creature stood. It's stance was aggressive, it's arms held out to it's sides, claws poised and at the ready. It let out a blood-curdling screech so loud, those at the docks heard it and shuddered.


[hr]

[h3]Back in Rothenburg...[/h3]

The guards barracks were noticeably quiet today, as many had left with the Hunter's Guild and those who hadn't, were on patrol. The guard left in command sat at a desk nearest the door, clearly uninterested in his new position, scribbling a few notes on a piece of parchment.

As the door opened and a new figure emerged, he glanced up from his busywork. It was a bit of a strange site, not one he had expected. A woman, not much younger than the guard himself, entered with a boldness not often seen among the populace of the city. His eyes widened at the sight of the thing on her back.

[color=7ea7d8]"Oh. I....uh...."[/color] he stumbled, clearly caught off guard. [color=7ea7d8]"The Captain is out right now....I...er..."[/color] He glanced to a pile of paperwork to his side before looking at the tattered parchment in her hand. He shuffled a few papers before finding what he was looking for.

[color=7ea7d8]"Oh...ah, the Ogre."[/color] he said, clearing his throat. [color=7ea7d8]"Fine work. If I may, how was something as small as you able to slay a creature so massive?"[/color]

As he spoke, he pulled out a ring with a number of keys hanging off of it. He sifted through them, finding the proper one and unlocking a draw. He searched for a moment before pulling out a small coin purse. [color=7ea7d8]"I believe 40 coins was the agreed upon price."[/color] He placed the bag on the table in front of him and offered a small smile.