The Blood and sweat he’d spent during those past thirteen days had reached torturous levels. He had practised sword fighting for hours on end at the town barracks, ran for tens of miles in the mornings and evenings and worked for money at the tavern in between, in order to afford equipment. The innkeeper had seen him in a new light during those days. The man even gave him a bonus.

Celise didn't know what had brought a change in Karlston’s attitude but as long as he was helping the innkeeper it seemed fine with her. Karlston didn't know what had brought this change in himself either, seeing his younger brother suffering that way had just sparked a drive that forced him onwards.

His body had also gone through a sudden change. All the fat had been stripped off, the muscular definition showing all over his arms and his chest. But it was not enough. Karlston realized that even this much effort would not even put him an inch closer to his goal. His hopes lay in the heirloom his greatfather had left him.

Alber passed him the cloth wrapped shape. Karlston peeled it off, strip after strip. It revealed a plain hilt. There were no decorations on it. The handle looked the same as any old broadsword. As he pulled the sheath out of the wrapping, Karlston could see even that looked the same as any other common sword.

 Before, he had laughed at how trivial it looked and scorned the fact it was an heirloom. Now he understood. This was not an ornament for decorating a building. This was a weapon. A tool used to slay. It was meant to be practical. Karlston pulled the sword out of the sheath and looked at the blade.

 The blade seemed to emit lethality. The metal was as black as pitch. There wasn’t even a speck of rust on it after long years of neglect. In fact the blade seemed as good as new. Karlston stared at it for a good quarter hour. The longer he looked into it, the surer he was that he could see something within it. Sparks of a flame, flickering within.

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Karlston woke at dawn. He’d grown used to getting up early. He could see that he was in his tent. ‘So, the hunt is today… I just hope I am ready.’ He stretched and could feel his joints cracking. He could hear it raining outside. ‘Another advantage against the dragon, as long as it stops soon.’ As he got up, he did a regular check over his equipment.

His shield was fine, only a bit battered from previous use. His leather jacket was still dry, so it wouldn’t chafe him when he moved. It was when he checked his sword that he found a problem. One look at the handle was all he needed to tell. Karlston pulled the sword out of the sheath to reveal… a plain broadsword.

 He swore every harsh oath he could think of. ‘Thieving Swine! If I get my hands on whoever did this, I will rip them limb from limb and throw them into the Dragon’s maw!’ His first thought was to question everyone nearby and find out who had done it, but he realized it was futile. There were too many people. Even if he did find out who had done it, he would not be able to find them in this massive crowd. He sighed.

His death sentence had been finalized by a petty thief. He would not be able to go to the Slayers about this since they made it clear that everyone is responsible for themselves. The inevitability of the situation exhausted him. He went back to his sleeping furs and closed his eyes, hoping that this had been a dream and when he woke up his sword would be back in its sheath again.

Karlston woke up again to a loud clanging noise. He jumped out of his mat and pulled the sword from its sheath, still the same common broadsword. Attaching the sheath to his belt would only limit his mobility so he just held onto the sword, leaving the sheath hanging on the rack. He picked up his shield and ran out of the tent.

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Outside, it had stopped raining, leaving the ground damp with small puddles at some places. That was at least one good thing. Karlston lined up with the other hopefuls, they were actually organized for once, since their lives depended on it. Up on his platform again at the head of the group was Galton, he was eyeing the crowd, waiting for the stragglers to line up. After a few more minutes, he called for attention.

“It is now the time... Today the hunter gets hunted!”

A cheer broke out. Spears were butted on the ground. Swords were clanged against shields. The din made Karlston’s head ache. It was a while before the crowd quieted again. Galton jumped off the platform. He was now wielding a long pole with a large curved blade on top. He pointed it towards the Fang. The mountain was as ominous as ever.

“I will now lead you to the hunting grounds. But before we go I will give you one word of advice. In order survive you have to fight with your life on the line. Otherwise your death will be a certainty. This is a gamble. You should hope that the dice roll in your favor.”

He then started walking in the direction of the mountain. A few moments later, the troop followed. Karlston was near the middle of the line. Being too close to the front would mean that he would just be fodder for the Dragon, but being at the back could ruin his chances of landing the final blow before someone else. As Karlston continued onwards, he could feel the overbearing pressure of the group. It stunk of fear.

So he did not get caught up in it, Karlston ignored anyone who tried to talk to him. It would just make the feeling worse. It was a while before the acrid smell reached him, yesterdays stench was fragrant compared to this. Karlston gagged, it took all his effort to not puke. Most of the others did not have the same fortitude. People dropped to the ground, retching yesterday’s meal.

Karlston kept dragging his feet forward, he had to keep going. When he looked up he realized how close they really were. The Fang loomed over him. It gave off an oppressive feeling that made him shiver. He then realized that the troop had stopped. He looked around to see Galton waiting at the front. Behind the Slayer was a large chasm, the entrance to the dragon’s lair. Galton stood to attention and saluted the group in front of him.

“It is time for you to go hunting… I wish you all good luck. You will need it.”

He stayed there as the group slowly stepped past him. Karlston could see this was another test. It is easy to follow someone towards death. But it is much harder to walk towards it yourself. As Karlston watched over the people who entered, he could see that this was barely a quarter the size of the group that had started at the beginning. Karlston tightened his grip on his sword.

This was the moment of truth. He strode forward, each step feeling as heavy as lead. As he went past Galton, he glanced the Slayer’s way. The man did not even look in his direction. ‘Pretending he doesn’t know me, I should have realized. I will not be given special treatment.’ As Karlston walked through the dark crevice, it felt as if he had stepped into the abyss.

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