Post by Lee on Mar 30, 2007 19:04:25 GMT -5
OoC: Wahahahaha. This is way out of what I normally do, but I decided to give it a try anyways. Yea...Anyways, I suppose I should post it now. XD
Chapter One
“That’s not enough, Lord Rodolf.” The large man seemed to dwarf the chair he sat in and had the look of a large cat stalking prey. He was examining clean fingernails, and when he looked up, it was with a smile that never reached his eyes. Oh, his eyes were a thing women swooned over. Warm, caring, and a sky blue so pure it could have been a piece of the sky pulled down just for his eyes. Yet, those eyes were deceiving, and hid a coldness that seeped from every other pore of his body.
The scrawny man sitting on the opposite side of the table visibly cringed, wringing his hands together. “What are you talking about Matthew? That much gold…And then the carcass of the dragon! Don’t try to tell me the dragon isn’t worth much-the mere claw of one would more than triple what I’m paying you!”
“Dragons aren’t as easy to kill anymore, Lord Rodolf.” Matthew stroked a clean shaven chin, which seemed oddly out of place with the wild mane of curly red hair that was bound back with a simple leather tie. “They’ve gotten smarter, and more fierce. Can’t no human but one of ‘em beast speakers get near ‘em anymore.” Seemingly out of habit, Matthew stroked the edge of his cloak, made of shining scales and odd colored hide-dragon pelts. It was how any folk could tell that he was a Dragon Hunter. “No, if you wan’ me to go after ‘em, you’ll have to give me a better deal than that.”
Rodolf slammed his hands onto the table suddenly, barking out a far less than civil, “Mew’s Death, Matthew! You know I can’t afford to pay you more, with the crops failing like they did! Stop playing your games!” It was ironic, that Lord Rodolf should be the one with the cold eyes, though he looked kind in any other aspect.
“Now, now.” He spread his hands in front of him as if to ward off a blow, Matthew smiled a true smile, “No need to insult Mew. If one of the Knights’ heard you, you’d be in a Camp before you could blink.” He shook his head with mirth, “No, no, I’m not a Knight’s spy. But best you watch your tongue ‘eh?” Now he leaned forward, clasping his hands in his lap. “No, I know how your treasury stands, Lord Rodolf. You aren’t without a way to pay me, though. Give me one of ‘em prize stallions of yours.”
He watched Lord Rodolf’s face change from outrage to shock to consideration. The stallions of the Rodolf Holdings were truly fine beasts, and cost quite a bit. Sitting back, Matthew returned to the relaxed stance of a lion at rest.
Matthew patted the stallion’s neck with his hand, admiring his new beast. It was truly a fine rapidash, with a strong mane and a strong body. Faster than any other beast capable of carrying a human, rapidash were and especially so were the stock of Rodolf’s Holdings. His old mare followed on a lead, carrying the bags. It was a far easier task for Diamond than carrying him and the bags, and he was fond of the rapidash. She was just getting old, and you couldn’t hunt dragons on an old mount.
Flame though…He was in the prime of his life, with a wild spark to his eye and love of running. They didn’t run right now, with the sun getting low and no place to camp in sight. Muttering to himself, Matthew sighed and looked up at the sky. “Well, might as well stop here. If’n the dragon flies over us; maybe we’ll see what it is, ‘eh? Can’t even tell me what I’m to kill, only that it takes livestock at dawn and dusk…”
All Matthew had been able to gather was that it came at dawn and dusk every couple of nights, and flew off with its kills. They were always smaller beasts-mareep, the occasional miltank calf-and that it wasn’t large enough to be a full grown dragon, or it was one of the smaller varieties. “Be my luck, they’ve got me off chasing down some overgrown bug…Mm. No matter, got you don’t I, Flame?” He dismounted and secured both Flame and Diamond, then set up his own camp, a cold meal and his saddlebags to serve as pillows. His bow he rested close to hand, quiver next to it. They would be of little use in a close fight however, and to avoid marring the dragon too much, Diamond and Flame could only do so much. No, what he would use would be the simple sword at his side.
He smiled, stroking the hilt of the weapon. Yes, the Queen had certainly made good call in legalizing the hunting of dragons. They were filthy beasts, and useful for naught. What they could do could be done more efficiently by any other beast, and they were by far too full of themselves. Almost thought themselves on the same level of intelligence as humans, not like any other intelligent beast, where even the pups knew that humans were meant to be the leaders. No, the world would be better off without the creatures, and while they still existed Rodolf would have quite a bit of work to do.
Leaning back against the saddle bags, he turned his thoughts to what type of dragon it could be. This was grass land, for as far as the eye could see, save for the smudge on the western horizon, the direction he traveled in, of mountains. Could it, perhaps be from there? It was the likeliest choice, since few dragons made grass land their home. Still, it would have to fly such a great distance to prey at Lord Rodolf’s Holdings…Perhaps it was a young one, or an aged one, that had been pushed out of its territory by a stronger one. That was a good possibility. What with dragons being hunted, the weak were easily weeded out, and the easily defended territories, or the ones with the best chance of hiding, were taken by truly strong ones. Not to mention the fact that it was those who had a tame beast speaker.
He snorted in disgust. They couldn’t even be called humans, beast speakers. Some could only speak to a certain type of creature, yet some could speak to all. They seemed to have an unnatural fondness for the things that went beyond master and pet. No, they treated animals like they were just as intelligent as humans, and that was plain unnatural, which was made even worse, when they went to the aid of some ‘poor dragon’.
No matter. Even if Diamond and Flame weren’t much use with the valuable dragons, an invaluable beast speaker was hardly something they couldn’t handle. Diamond was old and could have done it on her own. Flame was like throwing a large bundle of wood on a fire.
He fell asleep during that train of thought, one hand one his sword. It was Diamond’s nudging of his arm that woke him, late in the night. Flame stood quivering, nostrils flared, staring at the sky. He looked up in time to see a dark shape pass overhead, heading to Lord Rodolf’s Holdings, no doubt.
He thanked Articuno that both of his beasts were battle trained, and did not make a sound. Patting Diamond on the nose, he waited until the dragon had been out of sight for a few long minutes, and then whistled once, shortly. Flame relaxed, though he continued to look at the sky nervously.
It had the look of a salamence, thought it was indeed far out of its normal territory if it was hunting here. He couldn’t be sure in the dark, of course, but he wasn’t too worried about it. The only dragon he had never faced was rayquaza himself. Some great leader of dragons he was, not even trying to save his own species, walled up in that tower in the sky. No matter. He would have to come down one day, and when he did the last dragon would fall.
He did know, though, that he was going in the right direction. The salamence had come from the west, though if it was living on the plains or in the mountains he did not know. It did not matter to him either, so long as he was able to kill the thing. Not tonight however, not even when it flew over again. He would have to shoot at it to get it out of the air, and the wings would be worth Flame’s weight in gold.
No, he wouldn’t want to damage his valuables, now would he?
Chapter One
“That’s not enough, Lord Rodolf.” The large man seemed to dwarf the chair he sat in and had the look of a large cat stalking prey. He was examining clean fingernails, and when he looked up, it was with a smile that never reached his eyes. Oh, his eyes were a thing women swooned over. Warm, caring, and a sky blue so pure it could have been a piece of the sky pulled down just for his eyes. Yet, those eyes were deceiving, and hid a coldness that seeped from every other pore of his body.
The scrawny man sitting on the opposite side of the table visibly cringed, wringing his hands together. “What are you talking about Matthew? That much gold…And then the carcass of the dragon! Don’t try to tell me the dragon isn’t worth much-the mere claw of one would more than triple what I’m paying you!”
“Dragons aren’t as easy to kill anymore, Lord Rodolf.” Matthew stroked a clean shaven chin, which seemed oddly out of place with the wild mane of curly red hair that was bound back with a simple leather tie. “They’ve gotten smarter, and more fierce. Can’t no human but one of ‘em beast speakers get near ‘em anymore.” Seemingly out of habit, Matthew stroked the edge of his cloak, made of shining scales and odd colored hide-dragon pelts. It was how any folk could tell that he was a Dragon Hunter. “No, if you wan’ me to go after ‘em, you’ll have to give me a better deal than that.”
Rodolf slammed his hands onto the table suddenly, barking out a far less than civil, “Mew’s Death, Matthew! You know I can’t afford to pay you more, with the crops failing like they did! Stop playing your games!” It was ironic, that Lord Rodolf should be the one with the cold eyes, though he looked kind in any other aspect.
“Now, now.” He spread his hands in front of him as if to ward off a blow, Matthew smiled a true smile, “No need to insult Mew. If one of the Knights’ heard you, you’d be in a Camp before you could blink.” He shook his head with mirth, “No, no, I’m not a Knight’s spy. But best you watch your tongue ‘eh?” Now he leaned forward, clasping his hands in his lap. “No, I know how your treasury stands, Lord Rodolf. You aren’t without a way to pay me, though. Give me one of ‘em prize stallions of yours.”
He watched Lord Rodolf’s face change from outrage to shock to consideration. The stallions of the Rodolf Holdings were truly fine beasts, and cost quite a bit. Sitting back, Matthew returned to the relaxed stance of a lion at rest.
-*-
Matthew patted the stallion’s neck with his hand, admiring his new beast. It was truly a fine rapidash, with a strong mane and a strong body. Faster than any other beast capable of carrying a human, rapidash were and especially so were the stock of Rodolf’s Holdings. His old mare followed on a lead, carrying the bags. It was a far easier task for Diamond than carrying him and the bags, and he was fond of the rapidash. She was just getting old, and you couldn’t hunt dragons on an old mount.
Flame though…He was in the prime of his life, with a wild spark to his eye and love of running. They didn’t run right now, with the sun getting low and no place to camp in sight. Muttering to himself, Matthew sighed and looked up at the sky. “Well, might as well stop here. If’n the dragon flies over us; maybe we’ll see what it is, ‘eh? Can’t even tell me what I’m to kill, only that it takes livestock at dawn and dusk…”
All Matthew had been able to gather was that it came at dawn and dusk every couple of nights, and flew off with its kills. They were always smaller beasts-mareep, the occasional miltank calf-and that it wasn’t large enough to be a full grown dragon, or it was one of the smaller varieties. “Be my luck, they’ve got me off chasing down some overgrown bug…Mm. No matter, got you don’t I, Flame?” He dismounted and secured both Flame and Diamond, then set up his own camp, a cold meal and his saddlebags to serve as pillows. His bow he rested close to hand, quiver next to it. They would be of little use in a close fight however, and to avoid marring the dragon too much, Diamond and Flame could only do so much. No, what he would use would be the simple sword at his side.
He smiled, stroking the hilt of the weapon. Yes, the Queen had certainly made good call in legalizing the hunting of dragons. They were filthy beasts, and useful for naught. What they could do could be done more efficiently by any other beast, and they were by far too full of themselves. Almost thought themselves on the same level of intelligence as humans, not like any other intelligent beast, where even the pups knew that humans were meant to be the leaders. No, the world would be better off without the creatures, and while they still existed Rodolf would have quite a bit of work to do.
Leaning back against the saddle bags, he turned his thoughts to what type of dragon it could be. This was grass land, for as far as the eye could see, save for the smudge on the western horizon, the direction he traveled in, of mountains. Could it, perhaps be from there? It was the likeliest choice, since few dragons made grass land their home. Still, it would have to fly such a great distance to prey at Lord Rodolf’s Holdings…Perhaps it was a young one, or an aged one, that had been pushed out of its territory by a stronger one. That was a good possibility. What with dragons being hunted, the weak were easily weeded out, and the easily defended territories, or the ones with the best chance of hiding, were taken by truly strong ones. Not to mention the fact that it was those who had a tame beast speaker.
He snorted in disgust. They couldn’t even be called humans, beast speakers. Some could only speak to a certain type of creature, yet some could speak to all. They seemed to have an unnatural fondness for the things that went beyond master and pet. No, they treated animals like they were just as intelligent as humans, and that was plain unnatural, which was made even worse, when they went to the aid of some ‘poor dragon’.
No matter. Even if Diamond and Flame weren’t much use with the valuable dragons, an invaluable beast speaker was hardly something they couldn’t handle. Diamond was old and could have done it on her own. Flame was like throwing a large bundle of wood on a fire.
He fell asleep during that train of thought, one hand one his sword. It was Diamond’s nudging of his arm that woke him, late in the night. Flame stood quivering, nostrils flared, staring at the sky. He looked up in time to see a dark shape pass overhead, heading to Lord Rodolf’s Holdings, no doubt.
He thanked Articuno that both of his beasts were battle trained, and did not make a sound. Patting Diamond on the nose, he waited until the dragon had been out of sight for a few long minutes, and then whistled once, shortly. Flame relaxed, though he continued to look at the sky nervously.
It had the look of a salamence, thought it was indeed far out of its normal territory if it was hunting here. He couldn’t be sure in the dark, of course, but he wasn’t too worried about it. The only dragon he had never faced was rayquaza himself. Some great leader of dragons he was, not even trying to save his own species, walled up in that tower in the sky. No matter. He would have to come down one day, and when he did the last dragon would fall.
He did know, though, that he was going in the right direction. The salamence had come from the west, though if it was living on the plains or in the mountains he did not know. It did not matter to him either, so long as he was able to kill the thing. Not tonight however, not even when it flew over again. He would have to shoot at it to get it out of the air, and the wings would be worth Flame’s weight in gold.
No, he wouldn’t want to damage his valuables, now would he?
