Chapter 183: Welcome to Requbar

Chapter 183: Welcome to Requbar

The women gave a victorious yell as the dragon disappeared into the blue sky. As far as they were concerned theyd seen the monster off and songs would be sung about their heroism and valour. Idiots. All theyd really done was scare off a flying cow.

Even worse, they no longer looked at me like some feeble kid they had nothing to fear from. I was capable of taking on mighty beasts single-handed which meant one of two things. Theyd either want me to do the jobs they didnt want to do themselves, or theyd see me as a threat and want to put me in my place. If ever there was a time to leave the party early, it was now.

So, Dragonslayer, said Laney, you really are the one who was sent to help us.

No, I wasnt. You should keep looking, the guy you want is probably around here, somewhere. I have to find the rest of my party. And stop calling me Dragonslayer. It sounds corny.

Id already tried to get her to stop calling me Dragonslayer using logic (I hadnt slayed any dragons) but that hadnt worked, so now I was appealing to her desire to not seem uncool. She may have been a lunatic but she was still a teenage girl.

Dont worry, the legend of the Dragonslayer will never be corny. Ill make sure everyone knows what you did here.

Ugh. I preferred it when she called me Colin the Loser. Whatever gossip she spread, I was pretty sure it would bear little resemblance to what actually happened and do nothing but cause me grief.

With you leading the liberation of Fengarad, men will flock to our cause.

When did it become our cause? Its got nothing to do with me. But she wasnt listening. Her eyes had glazed over and in some dark recess of her addled mind she was seeing ticker tape parades in her honour.

We will inform the Queen of what you did, said Telma, looking pleased with herself. The dragon wont be so lucky next time. I shook my head. Flying cow.

You know, I could meet you in the city later. Worth a shot. I have some errands and stuff.

We insist you come with us. As our guest. She placed her hand on the sword that was back in its scabbard but could easily be drawn again. How many dragons did a guy have to slay to get a little respect around here?Follow current novels on novelb((in).(com)

I was escorted out of the clearing and into the trees. It was a warm day, as it usually was in Flatland, but under the dappled shade of the forest it was cool and quiet. It would have been quite a nice walk if we werent headed for the City of Missing Testicles.

The women were still excited about their encounter and were full of bravado.

We should have cut off its head and presented it to the Queen.

Did you see the size of its wings? Imagine the armour we could have made from its skin.

That acid breath could eat through iron. We could make it into a weapon. I wager it could eat through stone walls, too.

They nattered away, their claims about what they would do next time they fought a dragon becoming ever more exaggerated and ridiculous. I kept quiet and tried to keep my eyes open for an opportunity to give them the slip. It was quite gloomy under the forest canopy and if I could make myself as unnoticeable as possiblesomething Id always excelled atperhaps Id be able to disappear into the shadows.

Hoo hoo, said Laney, suddenly appearing from under my armpit, or so it seemed. This is exciting, isnt it, Colin? Youre going to be presented to the Queen of Requbar as a great hero. Youll be able to ask her for whatever you want. Even an army to retake Fengarad.

Why dont you ask her? Isnt that what you want?

Laney pouted. I have asked her. She says it isnt the right time. We have to observe the enemy to gauge their strengths and weaknesses. Pah! I already know their weakness. Cold steel right up their

Your Highness, said Telma, waiting for us to catch up, please dont fall behind. We still dont know why our guest is here or his true intentions. You would be safer up front.

Laney rolled her eyes. Guardian Telma, I assure you he is no threat and I fully know his intentions. She gave me a sly sideways glance. I didnt know what that was supposed to mean and I didnt want to know. We have sparred many times and he is yet to dominate me. In battle.

I ignored the leer. What she said was true, although I wouldnt call myself her sparring partner, more like her punching bag.

Maybe so, but he has been to Monsterland and may have been compromised in some way. We need to take care.

As much as I wanted them to take no notice of me, it was still annoying to be talked about like I wasnt even here.

No, not including me.

Oh, well, its not the numbers that are important, its the size of their hearts.

Im pretty sure the numbers are important, and everyone has roughly the same size heart. You dont have anybody, do you?

Laneys mouth shrank to a tiny bud. These things take time. War is no easy thing to leave your home and loved ones for. Once I have the first few, the rest will come. She tossed her hair aside like shed made her point and that was that. You there!

She had spotted another couple of men hanging around a street corner. These two looked like they were casing the house opposite for some light burglary. They didnt run, they just lazily eyed-up the soldiers.

This didnt go down well with Requbars finest. We came to a stop, possibly to teach these lads a lesson, but Laney was first to engage them.

You look like fit fellows. Are you ready to defend the honour of Requbar and fight the evil that stalks this land?

The two men pulled their cloth caps down lower and stared over Laneys head. They were more interested in the Xena cosplayers.

And if honour is not your calling, continued Laney, hands on hips and head thrown back, then theres gold waiting to be claimed. What say you?

They werent even listening to her.

You dont want their type riding into battle beside you, said Telma. Theres only one thing theyre good for.

The women all reached behind them and pulled out wooden batons. Not the type cheerleaders throw about, mores the pity. I wouldnt have complained if this turned out to be a city where people settled their differences with dance battles, the way it should be. The Battle of the Five Armies would have been very different if the elves opened with synchronised popping and locking, and the orcs answered with a barrage of krumping.

No such luck, though. These batons were short and stumpy and looked well used.

Please wait, said Laney. I think this ones interested.

The interested one suddenly had a knife in his hand and was reaching out with his other hand. Laney hardly moved, just shifted her head so the lunging hand missed her. She grabbed the wrist, twisted her body and kicked the man in the ankle.

It was a short, sharp kick that knocked his foot off the ground and into his other one, sending them both into the air. At the same time, she pulled him forward by the wrist so he was horizontal as he fell. He met the ground face first.

Youll be provided with full training in weapons and hand-to-hand combat, she said to the prone man.

Touch a member of the royal house will you? said Telma.

The second man was doing his best to give the impression he had nothing to do with the first, didnt even know him. It didnt help. The women had them both surrounded and blows rained down.

I imagine any woman watching the two clearly objectionable blokes getting what they deserved would cheer on the ladies and see it as justice.

That wasnt what was happening here. These women were wilding out because they knew they could get away with it, the same reason men do it. What I couldnt figure out was why the men had decided to provoke them when they undoubtedly knew what would happen.

This seemed like an ideal time to exit stage left. The soldiers were deeply involved in making the city a safer place and Laney was still trying to make her sales pitch through the sound of flesh being pummelled. I turned around and walked off.

No running, just a gentle stroll in the other direction. I had no place to go, but there had to be some nook or alley I could duck into.

The problem was the wide streets and spacious planning made it very hard to slip out of view. Everything was open and uncluttered. Even the flowering bushes were too neatly pruned to use as a hiding place.

Somewhere behind me my name was called out. Well, not my name exactly. Dragonslayer. I ignored it and eased my way around a corner ready to start sprinting as soon as I spotted something worth running towards.

I turned the corner and froze. In front of me stood more than a dozen female soldiers, all armed with swords and shields, and on the ground was the swollen, bloated body of a dead dog. They all glared at me (even the dead dog) and looked ready to beat the shit out of me, no questions asked. Time to break out my top rock?