The Dragon's Cry

"I've been running since I got here," you say. "I want to find out what they want with me."

"You must be joking," Aisalin says. After a few moments of silence, she continues, "You're not joking." She sighs. "Well, it was nice knowing you. Good luck in the next life - I intend to stay in this one."

Without another word, she turns and runs off...

And as the guards walk around the corner, you begin to wonder if she might have had the right idea. She seems to have better hearing, so she might have been able to tell that there were ten of them...

"You, there, stop!"

Ten armed guards in chain mail rush down the hall at you. What the heck are you going to do?! You open your mouth to scream--

And remember why they called you Shree! In the closed quarters of the hallway, your shriek actually forces the guards backward, knocking each other over. As their hands jump to their ears, you see them opening their own mouths, but can't hear anything.

After about fifteen seconds of continuous screaming, you drop to the floor, exhausted, and feel yourself changing from half-dragon back to human form. You must have changed reflexively, in response to fear.

You walk towards the guards, who are piled up in the hallway just this side of the junction, and aim your dagger at one who you guess is the captain.

"All right, I've had it! I've been kidnapped from my own home, my parents are injured or worse, our home might be burning down right now for all I know, and I'm stuck under a mountain gods-know where... WHY!? What do you people want with me?"

"They can't hear you," Aisalin's voice comes from just behind you. She heads immediately to the pile of guards and starts searching them for... something. You step back, and she starts talking to you while she searches. "You didn't tell me you could do that. I mean, us against two or three guards, maybe, but ten? I thought you were suicidal."

"Not quite. I need to get home. Find out what happened to my family. Find out if we even have a business anymore."

"Where are you from?"

"Rhee."

"You're practically home now. Just head straight up and you'll be in the Carthini foothills. Ah, there we have it." She lifts a ring of keys. "Let's see if they can hear us now."

She lifts her blade to the captain's throat. "Nod if you can hear me." He nods. "Now shake your head side to side." He does the same. "Good. Now my friend here wants to know what you people want with him."

"I'm not at liberty to say."

"Suit yourself," she says, and prepares to strike.

"Look out!" you shout as you spot a guard reaching for her foot.

Aisalin jerks back, her heel connecting with the guard's face, but his hand catches her other heel and she falls. You dive in with your dagger, plunging it unthinkingly into the attacking guard's back and only wondering afterward at how easily it sank into the chain mail. You pull it out slick with the guard's blood, shocked to see that it is glowing a deep red!

Aisalin jumps to her feet and slashes, backhanded, at the belly of the captain as he attacks her. His eyes bulge out in shock - no doubt shocked that someone as slender and... well, female, as Aisalin could be capable of...

And then it hits you. The two guards are dead, or close to it. You just killed a man. As Aisalin watches the remaining eight for signs of treachery, you drop the dagger and quietly go around the corner to throw up.

"Okay, then, let's try to be a bit more reasonable," Aisalin says. "Dragon-boy here wants to know why you've captured him. Come to think of it, I've gotten pretty curious too."

Returning, you pick up the dagger, only to find it blistering hot. You can pick it up with a rag, but... "Anyone have a spare sheath?" you ask, and six of the remaining guards raise their hands immediately.

"You," Aisalin points at one. "Slowly. Hand me the knife with the sheath. Good."

She hands it to you, and you remove the ordinary dagger, tossing it down the stairs. You pick up the dagger with a dishrag from your pocket, wipe it clean, then place it in the sheath. Affixing the sheath to your belt, you toss the bloodied dishrag after the guard's weapon.

"As I was saying," Aisalin starts.

"Why was I captured?"

"I don't know," one of the guards says. "None of us knew, except Captain Glossap. All I know is that several squads were to capture weredragons from the area. Ours wasn't one of them."

"And that's all you know?" you ask.

"That's it."

"Great, now what?"

"We can't have them following us, now can we?" Aisalin says.

How will you deal with the guards? Will you...

Contributed by Kelson Vibber

Things to consider while writing in this branch

The dagger. Where did it come from? Why did it start glowing?
The rune. Is it the mark of a mage? a curse? or the equivalent of Kilroy?
The skeleton. Who was it? Was s/he important? Who killed him/her? When? Does it matter?
What is Aisalin doing here?


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