Hunter Or Huntress

Chapter 59: Proud Warrior

“So you are some kind of strange coward soldier... yet not a coward either?” Jarix questioned. His voice is not quite so bassy as the adult dragons. From what little Tom had figured out about dragons from his limited sample size, Jarix was a strapping young dragon. He was even sleeker than his father and looked like he could probably make a more than fair top speed.

He did carry a bit of armor, it was very limited though, consisting of a massive helmet and some protection around the long neck, shoulders, and wing shoulders. Unlike Baron, there was hardly a scratch to be found on him. Sleek blue scales running, shining all over him and he was currently sitting like a dog, head rolled over to a full 70 degrees, looking at him. With a face like he was inspecting a mouse that had been squashed in a fascinating way.

“Doing something smart that seems cowardly does not make you a coward. Some may think hiding behind a shield is cowardly. Is it?” This wasn’t exactly what Tom had envisioned when he had this discussion in his head to prepare. Jarix might be young but he was still fairly sizable and Tom felt a lot smaller than he was comfortable with right now.

“I guess not, but if you run to a bush, then you run from the enemy. How are you supposed to fight them then? You just sit there looking stupid and they can just go around”

“If you can kill the enemy from that distance it doesn't matter.”

“Like with a bow” Radexi added in. The young lad served as Jarix tender, he seemed full of life if a little young for an assignment like this. Tom wouldn't put him a day over 18. Judging by the shine of Jarix scales he was doing a fine job though.

“Tom, a dragon does not concern themselves with measly arrows when in a fight.” Zarko replied, “That’s what the escorts are for and if we run, those escorts are gonna kick the bucket.”

Zarko was much more to the point and Jarix’s navigator. She held the rank of second lieutenant being a freshly commissioned officer who was to serve with Jarix for hopefully many years to come.

“Death by a thousand cuts is still death, but point taken. Besides, you can’t hide in the sky like you can down here. That’s not what I’m...”

“Yes yes, enough about hiding. Is it true what father said, that you charged and killed a dozen darklings alone in the dark!?” Jarix questions excitedly. Tom was still struggling with figuring out how his exploits were that impressive to a dragon. Zarko didn’t give a shit, and Radexi listened more as if Tom was an old man telling war stories.

“I only killed ten,” Tom protested trying to not get a several-ton murder lizard to have the zoomies.

“Whoaa!” Came the response from Jarix, much to Tom’s dismay.

“I thought you were the one to kill the dark knight as well?” Hashaw questioned, sounding very interested. The colonel had been observing mostly, only providing limited input after making her initial observations on how strange she believed he looked.

“He let Esmeralda finish the bastard off” Jackalope added.

“Ahr, A noble deed for a grieving mother. My condolences. I must ask though, how you managed that…”

“Ohh you killed him with your fire magic right? I would have just fried him alive” Jarix interrupted, enthusiasm unfazed. Feet tapping like an excited dog which made the ground shake a little.

Tom looked to Jarix for a moment then to Sapphire then Hashaw. What was the correct response to this?

“How did you put a dent in his helmet with fire? Surely you would burn through or leave a scorch mark, though fire would normally just cook him alive inside?” The colonel went answering for him. The nonchalant delivery made it sound like she had quite a bit of experience on the subject so Tom wasn’t going to challenge it.

“Uhm. I use this magic staff to channel the fire into a shot” He unslung his rifle from his shoulder presenting it. “It’s enchanted” He was a genius.

“May I see it?” Hashaw questioned seemingly curious yet matter of factly. Tom guessed no wasn’t really an option.

“One second” He unloaded the rifle before handing it over while under the watchful gaze of Hashaw.

“Thank you” The colonel replied with clear doubt in her voice. She went about examining the rifle in detail, clearly fascinated by the scope on it. “I’m not going to pretend I know what this is… Why does it have a spyglass on it?”

“For when the enemy is far away”

“Good thing we rolled out the flag in the end then.” The colonel joked. “The warden didn’t want to alert you who we were before arriving. She claimed this keep had fallen already and should be treated as a hostile location and thus not be given warning. She even reassured us she had received word of darklings roaming the keep. I’m starting to get tired of her reassurances though."

“Sounds to me like she’s a lying bitch” Jackalope added in an uncharacteristically hushed tone.

“I have orders though, an investigation is to be carried out and any guilty party prosecuted. I trust there won’t be any problems with that?”

“Of course not colonel” Nunuk replied with a small bow. More like, figure out every secret you can and report back, Tom thought to himself.

“If you find any of my things, please ask before touching, some may be dangerous or fragile.” Tom tried. The last thing he needed right now was a broken piece of valuable equipment.

“As long as you do not attempt to hide anything from me. I shall heed your advice.” Hashaw replied in a harder tone. Tom knew a warning when he heard one.

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That was Baron. The fucking Baron! And he had come to Bizmati Keep to look for traitors and corruption. Sapphire had never been in a more conflicting situation between most awesome day ever and most terrifying day ever.

Sapphire did believe the colonel looked a bit perplexed when Tom didn't react to the name. She hadn't clarified for him though so Sapphire just kept her mouth shut. She had plenty to wonder about, such as how they would react to all of Tom’s things. There were still many things which he hadn't even told them about. She just hoped he would cooperate like he said he would.

Then there was Jarix. She had dealt with a young dragon once before back in the capitol. That one had been headstrong, arrogant, a know it all, and general pain in the ass not to mention a cheat when it came to her travel fare. Jarix at least seemed more excited than anything else. Though the line of questioning soon revealed why. He had bought the story of Tom’s heroic action, bow, string, arrow, and quiver. So now he was eager to have this mighty warrior follow him into glorious battle.

It was clear Tom was struggling with trying to keep the young dragon happy while trying to water down his expectations. Jarix though appeared stuck in his ways, continuously dragging the subject onto matters of battle, trying to discuss tactics and strategy. Not to mention get every story out of Tom that he could. It didn’t help that Hashaw was decidedly on Jarix's side in the discussion. She was clearly interested in Tom’s combat prowess and listening intently to every word.

Then a rumbling voice came from behind, as Archeon joined the discussion.

“Now kid, remember you are here to protect this keep. Not to go chasing after the first thing you see.”

“Yes, dad. You told me so a dozen times already. I am not just gonna sit here hiding now am I?”

That was new to Sapphire, seeing a dragon use such excessive head movements, sultry tone, speaking back to a parent... Oh gods no. He was like a moody teenager! Tom also seemed to pick up on this as his shoulders sagged a bit, looking a tad defeated. What chance did Tom have if Archeon couldn’t even demand his respect?

“And thanks to you, I now have a powerful warrior to help me prove once and for all, what every test and even the Baron himself has said. I shall become one of the most feared blues in our history. Our enemies shall tremble and fall before me!” Sapphire just swallowed once. Well, at least they wouldn’t need to convince him to help them defend the keep.

Archeon clearly seemed distraught by the show of bravado. Looking down to Tom.

“You think you can help him?”

“Yes, I need someone to keep my back clear. I don’t have the escorts I need for that!” Jarix added excitedly. Sapphire concluded the two dragons didn’t have the same kind of help in mind.

Tom got a few centimeters lower at having two looming heads over him staring him down. And Sapphire was once again very happy not to be in his shoes.

“I can try.” He responded in a very meek tone. The colonel gave a bit of a snicker.

“Awesome! with a fire mage to watch my back I don’t even have to worry about some sly bastard getting behind me when I go for the kill.” Jarix went in an enthusiastic tone.

Tom looked horrified at that, turning to look around at the others with an almost panicked expression. Archeon was clearly not much happier either.

“I really hope you're right son, I like you a lot better than your memory,” Archeon added in a sad tone.

“Don’t worry Arch, he’s gonna be fine. This keep has stood for centuries without real interference from us, why should there suddenly emerge something that could kill a dragon out here?” Hashaw added, sounding distinctly not worried.

“There was exactly that, not much more than a month ago, colonel. I just hope these fine people can save my son like they saved me if it comes to it. Unless of course in your endless brilliance decide they should all be put to death for defending their keep against a traitor.” He turned to back off from the conversation, taking to the wing with a running leap making for the greeting hall. Leaving a rather lost looking Vulzan behind, along with a rather awkward silence.

Jarix didn’t let the silence hang for too long though “Why doesn't he believe I can do anything, Vulzan? I have passed every test, I have done everything I’m supposed to. I have trained with the best and yet… He doesn't think me capable of even surviving a stay at a frontier keep in the middle of nowhere?” His tone had shifted dramatically, sounding genuinely hurt. Sapphire could see why, but what the hell was Volzan supposed to do about it.

“No, no it isn’t that. He’s just afraid you won’t think something is dangerous enough to worry about that is all.” Vulzan tried, clearly doing his best to calm down the agitated dragon. A noble effort in Sapphire’s mind, not very effective though.

“And what about you huh?” Jarix looked to Tom. “You don’t think I can do it either do you? That I need to hide like a coward to survive while you go charging off like a hero? You're the size of my foreleg if that, and you think I need protecting? While you don't!? ColonelWhat do you make of my father’s little hero?” Hashaw looked over Tom once again in an inquisitive gaze before walking up to and circling him.

“Armor is tested so that’s something. Though why you feel the need to cover yourself in every trinket you could find is beyond me, are you a man or a woman?” she was sounding rather sarcastic to Sapphire, which was not how she remembered most of the royal guard she had encountered before.

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“Man…” Tom went in an annoyed tone, she knew that damn well.

“Show me your sword.” Tom looked at the colonel with an angry scowl before drawing the blade.

“When did you last do that?” Gods, that had likely been a month actually. What little sparring practice he got was with the training swords not his own.

“The last time I saw a darkling” He answered truthfully feeling proud of that save.

“Did you kill with it?”

“Yes, ran it through the one that killed Anastasi”

“Very good. What does that bar mean?” She poked him on the chest at where he had hastily stuck his old rank on.

“Lieutenant in the Danish army”

“Well, I do remember hearing you were an officer. So, lieutenant then, do you think you can handle him? Cause I’m not quite sure.”

Tom hadn’t been having the best day. He had been dressed up, insulted, laughed at, treated as a weird outcast that they didn’t even wanna admit to having, and now he was being treated as a god damn collectible by a suicidal teenage dragon. Not to mention being belittled by a colonel who had no fucking clue about who or what he was. Brilliant.

Fuck it if he wasn’t gonna act as some gun turret to try and save Jarix reckless ass, but he did want a sweet ass dragon around not to mention he did seem like a good kid. That and he did seem to quite like Tom. So he took a step forward.

“Right so you want a fire mage as your pet then. Well, I’m not it. I will help you only once I’m satisfied you're worthy of fighting alongside. Until then, I’m your teacher! Passing my course will not take muscle or fighting skill. It will take compassion, love, care, and brainpower. You are a killing machine, a living weapon, but if all you want to do is fight, then that is all you are and that I will not fight alongside.”

“Your talking very loudly for someone in lightning range, you call me...”

“You don’t scare me kid I can see your throat from here and I play with that stuff in your mouth for fun. I saw how your father was harried, let me assure you, if it weren't for us you would be an orphan right now.”

“I doubt it” Jarix replied with an indignant raising of his head. Tom held up a hand with a raised finger.

“If you let me though, I will teach you the ways of my people mainly because I think it would be fucking awesome, not to mention great fun.” Jarix looked at Tom with a curious expression at that turn. “But you will learn more than war and battle from me. It will be a lesson in life. All of it. Whether you like it or not. You have 'till the children go to bed to decide, the first lesson will be in the grand hall tonight.”

Tom turned to the colonel before Jarix could respond. She looked a bit curious at the sudden shift in tone “Colonel Hashaw you and your crew are allowed to join, though spots for dragons may be limited. Your passengers are not welcome. I will be extracting an oath of secrecy from any who attend, including you.”

“You don’t get to order me about, soldier.”

“Correct and neither do you since I don’t serve in your army. It was an offer, who knows you might learn something.” Hashaw looked at Tom for a second as if trying to figure out what to say about that.

“What would a lousy lieutenant who can't even hold a sword have to teach me? I'm a veteran of hundreds of battles. I have fought for decades.”

“Excellent then it’s a while since you learned something and no I can’t teach you how to hold a sword better, but there is much more to teach than that. The offer is open. Now I believe you have a keep to inspect so we can be done with this corruption nonsense and get on to more important things because frankly, I don’t have time for this.”

“We do indeed. Sargeant Kolinky!” She shouted out, one of the six standing crew running over, “I want these people swept for traces of corruption. Especially this guy, taste him if you have to” She went, tapping Tom on the chest. She then walked over to Nunuk. What the fuck was that supposed to mean, taste, Tom wondered slightly worried.

The sargeant apparently had the ability to sense corruption or something, since they used him like a sniffer dog on all of them. Of course, the problem was a few of them had been carrying tainted and cursed artifacts which he could apparently smell. With some more arguing, it was decided they would go nowhere near the artifacts and be screened again tomorrow. Tom was pleasantly surprised to learn he was in fact clean somehow.

The bitch had rejoined apparently figuring out they were back to investigating. She of course attempted to make use of the situation accusing those with a hint of taint on them of being traitors and in league with the enemy. The colonel shut her up though with a threat of leaving her on a barren rock if she didn't fix her tone.

Following that, the sweep of the keep had proceeded without further delay. They went through everything and did so thoroughly. They hadn’t even gotten halfway done by the time Dakota, Esmeralda, and Fengi returned to the shock of finding their keep basically in the middle of a police raid with the army out front.

Tom had ended up just following the colonel wherever she went. Being asked to answer a shit ton of questions both while eating and while searching, many of which he didn’t really want to answer. Like why they had a distinctly unsafe amount of flash powder and blitz gel and the many odd bits of machinery. One of the officers even recognized the distillery for what it was prompting even more questions.

At least they hadn’t asked about the funny crops or most of his electronics since they were apparently boring He did end up spending 5 minutes demonstrating a zipper to them though. The other royal guards were clearly impressed by many of Tom’s more showy things such as flashlights. Hashaw though appeared unfazed by most things, she was in fact mostly interested in Tom’s weapons and Sapphire's new bow. The books had been a major sticking point too.

“Well, where might we find one who can read this English then” Hashaw questioned, clearly pissed she was looking at a stack of books with only Tom's word for what was in them.

“I’m all you got” Tom replied with a smug smile.

“Besides wouldn’t you be able to sense if they were, like, tainted or corrupted?”

“In theory yes. If I can’t have the books then I will take the plans for that bow.”

“You wanna steal my things?"

"No, I wanna protect my people against potential danger, and those books are a possible danger. So I will trade more protection for less threat” Oh you little… big bastard. He could hardly refuse that, he had wanted to use the bow design as a bargaining chip later though.

“We’ll discuss that later in the meantime just sniff the books will you”

Sergeant, more work for you” Hashaw responded with a slight smile.

When they found the quad bike though even the seemingly unbothered Hashaw stood speechless. They all fell for the fact it was in fact an enchanted item like the dragonettes had originally believed. Even the bitch was actually silent at that. From what Sapphire and the others had told him the quad bike would likely be worth thousands if not tens of thousands of gold if it had been an actual enhanced item.

“How did you acquire this?” Hashaw questioned, still slightly awestruck.

“It was given as a gift to me for my service” That was another lie but she didn’t look like she was paying much attention to him at the moment.

“I have never seen anything like it.”

“Yeah it’s quite something for a lowly lieutenant to own, it’s fast too and can pull a heavy trailer, it can even plow”

“You would use it… for farm work?”

“Of course, it is mine and I do what I want with it. It has lights too” Fuck yeah, Tom thought to himself. Even she was more concerned with the marvels they were seeing than asking pointed questions, perfect.

They had finished the inspection just before the kids were to be sent off to sleep. In other words, the deadline was up. He made his way to the greeting hall to find the two blues arguing. Not that he needed to go to the hall to hear that of course, it had been a pretty much constant back noise for a while and they clearly were not making much headway.

He walked in pretending not to have heard them.

“So Jarix made a decision yet?” the young dragon turned to face him, not looking too pleased, having just come out of an unfinished argument.

“If you expect me to pledge myself to you then no, but I would like to attend your lesson and keep my mouth shut.” Tom looked at him with a bit of a strained expression. could have been better could have been worse. It would seem his hero status had taken a hit.

“Very well, same rules as the others. Archeon, I don’t know if you can both get your head through”

“It’s fine Tom, besides Baron might want a little company too sitting down there with those terrible people.” Tom did his best to nod sagely.

“You do you, I’ll need a short while to get ready, the others are getting the chairs ready” He just hoped none of them was going to attack the wall or something.