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The Word 9
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The Word 9 (Disk 2 of 2).adf
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11-Dragons_Dreams.txt
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11-Dragons_Dreams.txt
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1996-01-17
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212 lines
|1-Dragons Dreams
By
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| ** Sparhawk ** |
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It had been many years. Now an old man, the once great warrior Kaliric
trudged home to meet his wife and sons. He longed to see them, to see
how fine his children had grown, how his home had improved, how his wife
had improved. He was sure the money he had sent regularly had made his
family the most prosperous in the city. He hadn't heard from them in
years.
Through the gates of the city he walked, his rusty armour clanking. It
still seemed like home, even though he had travelled the world. He
looked at the shacks by the walls, and felt pity for the people who
lived there. He had once lived there himself, and that was the reason
he had left to hunt dragons and make his fortune. The original few huts
had now grown into a slum. The corner-shop where he had once worked was
now little more than a raw-fish outlet.
He walked straight for the prosperous sector, near the centre. He
marvelled at the whitewashed homes and the tall, stately government
offices. He began to fantasise in his mind which one would be his. He
kept an eye out for any old friends, but all were new faces. Suddenly,
he saw one. It was Jacques, a guard he had once worked for.
"Jacques, is it you?" he began. "It's been so long... Where are you
working now, did you make Commander?"
"Kaliric? Why are you back? Yes... I did make Commander, then
General, even Whoremaster once, but know I've retired. Do you know
what's been happening here?" Kaliric didn't like Jacques tone. He
prepared himself for the worst.
"You're a wanted man, Kaliric. I tried to defend you, but to no avail.
I suggest you return to one of the other cities, and live the rest of
your life in luxury, buy some nice girls, start a souvenir shop... If
the stories are true you must be worth millions by now."
"What's happened." interrupted Kaliric. "What have I done?"
"You haven't done anything, Kaliric, or at least that's what I tried to
tell them. You were a respected man, a great warrior and such and that
was why they accepted them... but now they're bitter and..."
"Hurry up man! Tell me what's happened!" Kaliric was now agitated by
Jacques meandering description.
"Your children, Kaliric. They've gambled away fortunes in your name
and borrowed more. The creditors have a price on your head. You're
broke, and a wanted man. I trust you saved some of your money
elsewhere?"
Kaliric sat down on the floor. The news astounded him. All his life
he had worked and risked his neck to earn some money and move from the
slums. And for nothing. "What of my wife?" his tone was dead, resigned
to what he must hear.
"Remarried. I think she wanted more money. I'm sorry Kaliric, but now
it was so long ago. I've a little savings if you wish them, but you
must not stay here. Leave now!"
Kaliric was touched by the mans offer; after all he hardly knew him.
But he couldn't leave, not now. He had spent all his life wandering,
sleeping outside and eating whatever he caught. There was only one
course of action left. Back to work.
Kaliric eventually found his children. They were now around thirty
years old, and fat, and lazy. When they saw him they cowered in the
corner of the shack in which they lived. Kaliric slowly drew his sword
but then decided they weren't worth it, and they were after all his
children.
They finally blurted out their debts, and Kaliric was astounded by the
amount. In his mind he was calculating how much he must 'earn'. This
much for that debt, this much for a new house, this much for a better
living... the value grew and grew.
The work he had undertaken before had been in selling the rare scales
of dragons. Mostly he had attacked the small Wyverns, and sometimes
attempted a Blue and once even a Silver dragon. That Silver had been
famous, it had terrorised a city for years. Kaliric had made a fortune,
and earned a reputation in defeating that beast. Now however, the money
he needed meant many more years of hunting and fighting, unless...
Kaliric had finally decided on a course of action. He was an old man
now, there was no way he could survive in the slums, no way he would
survive years of catching smaller prey to make the money he needed. He
had to go straight for the big fish - The Gold Dragons. It was suicide,
he knew, but so was living here.
It didn't take long to find one. There was one reputed to be hiding in
the mountains to the north. A number of towns and villages, as well as
the capital city of a neighbouring Kingdom had been attacked by it.
This one was so vicious the city even offered, at every full moon, a
virgin tied to the walls to appease the beast.
These Golds were dangerous. Unlike other dragons, they possessed a
high level of intelligence and could speak. He had to prepare himself.
Wearily, Kaliric mounted his horse and rode towards the caves in which
the dragons lived.
The journey took him nearly two weeks. Kaliric looked worse than ever
when he arrived. His armour was no more than scraps of rusting metal
attached to an undergarment. A cloak, strangely in good condition,
covered the gaps and kept in warmth.
He knew that the dragon was here. It was an instinct he had learned,
there was something in the air, some smell or sounds that told him that
the great lizard was in residence. Of course, it helped that there were
bodies scattered around the cave entrance and blackened, scorched rocks
along the path itself.
Kaliric prepared himself, and announced his challenge. It was
customary to do so, even more so with the Golds. To kill a Gold you had
to keep it talking, then attack it unawares.
"I, Kaliric, scourge of the north, dragon slayer of the year, humbly
request an audience with the Gold dragon within." He wasn't so sure that
this was threatening enough, but after all he didn't write it.
"Scourge of the north?" growled a voice from within. "Kaliric? You
must be... " a throaty chuckle, "good god! around seventy by now!" the
laughter increased until finally a monstrous snout emerged, closely
followed by the rest of it.
The dragon was not a good specimen itself. It looked tatty, as if
someone had used it for target practice. It carried itself awkwardly,
wearily. It limped along one side.
"I see you are examining me." began the dragon. "I am in much the same
position as you."
"Me?" replied Kaliric querulously. "What position am I, the greatest
slayer who ever lived, in?"
"Now, now Kaliric. You know we can read minds. Right now you are
thinking 'Lunge to the left and catch him in the side.'"
Kaliric suddenly stopped lunging. "How ...? Never mind. Explain."
"I was also famous among my own kind. I won the 'most eaten human'
trophy seventy-eight times. I am aged eight hundred years, the
equivalent of your age to my kind.
"Like you, I also expected to return to a quiet nest, a nice bed of
gold to lie on, fresh food on which to feast, but I discovered my mate
had left with another dragon and taken my gold with her. You see? I
have also returned to hunting, to catch some more humans ad sell them to
my kind. Especially the kind broiled in armour..." The dragon looked
Kaliric over appreciatively. "No, you're too tough now."
"You're right. I am old." said Kaliric wearily. "What am I doing
here? I must have been a fool. Get it over with, eat me if you must,
I'm too tired for this life."
"Eat you? Good man, I'm a vegetarian! I only eat for contests. Why
not come with me? I could use someone like you... Come with me, help
me, it will be mutually beneficial, I promise you. How would you like
to help the humans and me at the same time? I'm too old to attack on my
own these days."
Kaliric was getting worried. Dragons weren't supposed to behave like
this. This one must be getting senile. It may be dangerous. It could
be lulling him with it's soft talk.
"I have had a dream. In it, I lie on the most magnificent bed of gold
ever. I have a wonderful mate, and many, many young dragons to serve
me. I am trying to make my dream come true, come with me and you too
can realise yours." What the hell, thought Kaliric. What have I got to
lose?
A man walked into the city. He had a spring in his step, a pouch of
gold at his belt. Kaliric returned once more to the city he loved.
He searched out his sons. They didn't recognise him at first, but when
they did they begged for mercy. Kaliric gave them some gold coins each,
and sent them on an errand to pick up some supplies from a certain cave.
They thought this strange, but didn't argue.
He was now much younger. After a long association with the dragon
Kaliric had regained some of his lost youthfulness because of the
creatures magic. Kaliric turned to the business he had left.
He paid off all his debts. Then he bought a beautiful house right next
to the royal gardens. He hired staff and settled down to enjoy the rest
of his now extended life. The dragon had done him good.
Their system had been easy. Kaliric would pay some humans to pick up
supplies from a prearranged cave known to both him and the dragon. The
dragon would boil and store them, later selling them to his kind. In
exchange, the dragon would likewise send a young, inexperienced dragon
to Kaliric, who would kill it and strip the costly scales.
The system worked. The dragon had found another mate and had an
impressive bed on which to lay. Kaliric had his house and his comfort.
Neither felt any sympathy to any of their kind. Kaliric only sent
money- grabbing thieves (most of whom aimed to steal the mythical
supplies) and poor, downtrodden beggars. The dragon had only sent
fatherless young dragons who would, under dragon law, be killed anyway.
Kaliric had realised his dream, and the dragon his.
End