Chapter 5: To Capture a Dragon

Arcturus stood on the deck of the Indomitous, watching the men assigned by the king -his men now- train for the upcoming task. He had demanded their best to ensure that minimum mistakes were made. He drilled them in a dragon's weak spots, reminded them how to disable the beast’s fearsome breath, as well as how to best spread out if the dragon had the chance to unleash its fiery fury. This rigorous training made the sixty-hour journey pass in a blur for him. By the end of the fifty fifth hour, Arcturus was sure they would at least hold up against the dragon. He had instructed the men specifically on using the stun setting on the crossbow to avoid hurting the beast more than necessary. The bolas they brought, the weighted fire proof nets, flash bombs, and the other various gear he requested also had its part to play. Even so, the soldiers seemed to keep to themselves, away from the paladin, as if he bore some curse that could rub off on them. Arcturus didn’t mind the extra distance. If anything, it allowed him to mentally prepare for the encounter with the dragon. He pictured the beast’s movements, the lunges it was bound to make, preemptively plotting out his tumbles and dodges to best avoid the creature’s inferno of a breath.

Dread Flame…it’s been two years since I’ve stained my name and my blade with your unworthy life. Why do I feel your claws squeeze me ever tighter. Will I ever be rid of you? Am I even deserving of peace, when I failed my family?

Arcturus stared into the cloudy sky, the drifting clouds, the perfect picture of serenity. Thankfully, there had been no sign of storms on the way to the village, even if his mind felt like one. No matter where he ran, what he did, the memory of Dread Flame latched onto him at every turn. From time to time, he would hear what he would describe as the faint roar of a dragon in the distance, Arcturus knew it was not real. Each time he would shake his head, to convince himself the sound was a product of his tired mind, for no one else made any mention of it. Arcturus tossed it up to his nerves and went through various sword stances on the ship's deck. He stepped to each movement in tune with his heartbeat, letting his arms flow gracefully with each swing.

“Town in view!” a crew member shouted out, interrupting his rhythm. “Keep an eye out for the beast, men! Prepare for the fight of your lives!”

“This is what we’ve been training for!” Arcturus sheathed his sword into his scabbard and strode over to the wooden railing at the ship's front.

“Aye aye, sir.”

“We’ll show this dragon what happens when they mess with us!”

Arcturus put a faint smile on his face as he made his way through the soldiers that gathered by the railing. He patted their shoulders, shook hands, emboldened them with a few words to calm their undoubtedly racing hearts. Some of these men had never seen a village from above before, their honest fascination and glee reminding Arcturus of what it meant to live. To truly live.

The town was small from the air, relatively tiny compared to Entis, a sea of masterfully crafted buildings that seemed to stretch on for miles. The small roofs could already be seen like tiny pebbles on a clear floor of green. He only lingered on the sight for a moment before looking to the surrounding skyline, almost expecting to see the dragon descend upon the ship with its teeth bared.

“Ready up, men! The dragon doesn’t care who inhabits this ship. In its eyes, we’re all kindling for its flames. Prey to sink its deadly teeth into, So quit your staring, pack up your gear, and be ready to disembark at a moment’s notice!”

Arcturus smiled as the men gave him a sharp salute before scrambling for their gear. He descended below deck with them to fetch a clipboard that had a list of questions he had prepared for the townsfolk who saw the dragon. He wondered how terrible of a beast this one would be, only to see Selina looking at him in his mind. Her eyes stared at him with the same familiarity Arcturus got used to whenever he his left home. He remembered how she had made him recite the paladin's oath before he left each time. It must have brought her comfort, he thought, to hear himself center his mind, his actions, and his beliefs.

So, as he picked up the pieces of his armor that Matilda had made for him, Arcturus began to recite his oath once more like he had always done for Selina.

“As a paladin, I am sworn to valor.” He placed his leg armor one at a time, left, and then right.

“My heart will know only virtue.” Next, he set the greaves, then tassels.

”My blade will defend the helpless.” He placed on his chest-plate and back-plate.

”My might will uphold the weak.” He attached the pauldrons next, hearing them click into place.

“My words will speak only truth.” His armguards completed him, his form already turned into a metal soldier. “And my wrath shall undo the wicked.”

Arcturus held up his helmet in his gloved hands before donning it softly, letting the straps tighten around his chin to perfection. Through the visor, he gathered his longsword and crossbow, before returning to the ship's deck. Along the way, several soldiers joined him some wearing smiles on their faces, others worry. Arcturus knew the feeling well, and offered them some words of encouragement. He spoke of their training too, praising the men for their unmatched skill. The soldiers thanked him with large smiles, almost forgetting that mere hours separated them from a clash with a potentially deadly dragon.

The Indomitous drifted into the small town, settling in a clearing not too far from the center of the town. From her plank filed out the soldiers clad in heavy armor, each carrying a different weapon, all equipped with packs of gear upon their backs and spirits of determination on their faces. Arcturus gave each an assignment, from rounding up the witnesses, to questioning the other townsfolk about the dragon. They all scrambled off, ready to please the paladin. He had not ventured far into the town before he was approached by the guard captain, with a retinue of four other guards. Arcturus remembered the bald man from the reports, but could not place the name just yet. He knew it started with a B though, for whatever it was worth.

“Welcome, Paladin Arcturus. Tis truly an honor to have you and your men aid us in the hunt for the wicked beast.” the blue-eyed captain said. “Your presence already put our fair town at ease.” he gestured to the buildings around them. “If we can be of any assistance whatsoever, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Yes, thank you, captain Borbaneous--” nodded Arcturus.

“It's Sirius.” The captain interrupted, making Arcturus mentally kick himself.

“Apologies. My mind is focused on the dragon. Captain Sirius, you should be commended for your unrelenting bravery. You and your men survived an encounter with a dragon! That is no small feat, considering the list of things the beast has done to your cozy town.” Arcturus gestured to the town center, which, despite the missing banner, looked rather pristine.

“Well, we had the best carpenters on the job to fix up all the damage caused by that rampaging monster. If you would’ve arrived after the cowardly beast fled, you would’ve gazed upon one of Devastation’s many faces.” said the captain as he smiled nervously. “Anyway, for the value of the damages, you would have to ask the councilman Troy Gestaurin. He handles all the book keeping affairs. Will the king send us money to cover the extensive repairs? My men worked day and night to-“

“I have every reason to think he will,” said Arcturus, eyeing Sirius with suspicion. It was not unheard of for towns to exaggerate threats so they would receive compensation for supposed damage. While they had been talking, a crowd began to gather, each person trying to thank Arcturus for arriving to finally free them from the dragon's tyranny. Arcturus held his clipboard at the ready, asking anyone who had a story for details, and strangely enough, everyone had their own version of things.

“See, the big scaly bastard came down, spoutin’ fire, and when he popped his jaws open, I saw teeth so many I lost count! He tore through my mum’s poor banner, he did!” a man sobbed, holding up pieces of a thoroughly shredded banner. “But thanks to the brave guards, the beast fled before he had the chance to gobble me in revenge. Should he return, I fear for my safety, good sir. You need to catch it before he destroys anything else!”

“He?” Arcturus raised an eyebrow. “So the dragon’s male?”

The man scrunched his face. “I dunno!” he spouted. “Not like I had the chance to glance ‘tween his legs when he rampaged aroun’ our town, sir!”

“Alright, I’ll just take that as a vague no.” Arcturus rolled his eyes, doubting a dragon would take the time to shred a banner, less likely in any villainous form. Thankfully, his soldiers had brought him other people to question, more importantly, townsfolk who had seen the dragon firsthand.

Arcturus settled comfortably at a table brought over by one of the many inns. The wood was rather thin, and covered in signs of wear. Across from him sat the little girl and her father that had seen the dragon during its first arrival.

“So, this dragon burst through your door, just like that? Had he no reason to target your house specifically?” Arcturus asked, looking up from the testimonial he had from the man.

“Not out of random, papa!” came the little girl’s voice. “He was after something like…something like a book of sorts!” the girl’s eyes lit up with realization. “Yes, he was searching for a book stolen by-“

“Hush now, Abigail. The paladin was talking to me.” The father quickly grabbed his child and bounced her on his leg. “Sorry to confuse you, my lord. The girl, she’s just shocked by this dreadful act of vandalism. Truly, she means nothing by it. The book, that’s just something she conjured to cope up with all the confusion and fear our town has been put through.”

“I understand,” Arcturus said. “However, there is a reason why you both stand here. I heard your version. Now I want to hear hers,” the paladin smiled back at the girl. “Abigail, you said the dragon was after a book? Why would you imagine a big, angry lizard like that would be after something so…ordinary?”

Abigail’s lips threatened to cover her face with the size of the smile that had sprung forth. She took a deep breath before answering.

“T’wasn’t a normal book! He was looking for this one, with pretty pictures of dragons in it! Told me so himself!”

“Oh, oh, h-hold on!” Arcturus chuckled as he struggled to keep up with the little girl. “You have to slow down there. I simply cannot write that fast.”

Abigail blushed and apologized before repeating herself at a slower pace.

“Me mum came home with a pretty book, full of pictures. It looked like a fairy tale, and…I love these kind of books, sir. They make me happy!” she said, putting her hands together.

“What kind of pictures did it have in it?” Arcturus asked as he wrote the description on his paper.

“Of dragons! All different colors! They were so pretty, sir paladin. I want a dragon of my own!”

Arcturus chuckled. “Well, Abbi, if I find an abandoned egg, I’ll know exactly what to do with it. Now, did the book say anything that can help our investigation? Who the dragon is? Perhaps why he was after this particular item?”

“Me mum dunno. It had strange scratch marks that could be letters, I suppose. Then, after she left, the dragon came into me home with a big boom like thunder!” Abigail held up her hands and mimed the wall crashing down.

“Were you not afraid of the dragon, Abigail? You tell the story with such excitement.” Arcturus chuckled. “Why’ you’re almost leading me to believe this dragon and you are best friends!”

“Well…” the little girl cocked her head back a bit. “I was a bit afraid, you know, when he barged in like the storm. The dragon was very angry.”

“Why was the dragon angry?” Arcturus raised an eyebrow.

“He said mum stole his book, and he wanted it back.” She started to lean back in her chair. “Are you going to kill the dragon, sir paladin?” she asked.

Arcturus stopped writing to look into her eyes, which started to fill with tears.

“You can't kill ‘im. Please! He promised not to hurt me mum!” her little hand grabbed onto one of Arcturus’ fingers.

The paladin’s gaze softened. “Oh, sweet child. The dragon probably meant that he would kill her painlessly. You cannot trust the words of a such a deceitful creature.”

“Nuh-uh! I don’t believe you!” said Abigail, placing her hands on her hips. “You weren’t there to see him! He’s not evil, just pissed because his book got lost, but he only wants it back, I swear. He never hurt anybody!”

“How can you be so sure of that, dear?” Arcturus frowned. “Dragons mastered the art of weaving lies. That’s why they live so long. They lounge in their caves, plotting from the top of their treasure hoards. No matter what this one told you, dragons can be very deceptive at times.”

“Abbi,” said the father. “Trust the paladin. He is more experienced in dealing with dragons.” he placed his hand on Abigail’s shoulder. “She’s just a child, sir. You know how creative young’uns are. I’ve been there to look into the eyes of real terror. Believe me, this beast is nowhere half as accommodating as she makes it sound.”

“But I saw it in his eyes!” Abigail continued, turning her head to her father. “Papa, he wasn’t a killer! Please, please, please, don’t make him the bad guy!”

For a moment, Arcturus believed what she said. The devotion she held onto the dragon’s sincerity was remarkable.

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Then Dread Flame roared in his mind, reminding Arcturus of all that he lost at the claws of a dragon.

“You were fooled, my dear.” He released a long, drawn out sigh. “Listen to your father this time. I believe this dragon would have harmed your mother grievously for stealing his item. I suggest you count yourself lucky he didn't want to extract his revenge on you or your father.”

“But that’s not-“

Arcturus heard enough by that point. He thanked the two for their time and had a guard escort the family out of the room.

The next person to enter was a guard who had been with captain Sirius on that day, in the man's words own words “the dragon attacked the village.” Arcturus endured through a tale of heroics that the man listed off as performed by many of his fellow guardsman, This valiant defender had just finished telling how he had struck the dragon with an arrow, when a half-elven woman strode into the room with her face full of anger.

“That's a load of goblin spittle you’s bein’ fed!” the woman pointed a finger at the paladin, brushing her brown hair out of her face.

“Excuse me?” One of the guards said.

She crossed her arms over her studded leather armor, worn from use by scrapes and patches.

“Let her speak!” Arcturus said to the two men that moved to restrain the woman.

“I met the dragon all these liars claim to have attacked the town, and he just doesn’t seem the type to do something so nonsensical.”

“Lady, forgive me for being blunt, but who are you to throw such claims?” Arcturus narrowed his eyes.

The woman must’ve been an adventurer, judging by all the gear she was carrying. She had a bedroll strapped to her back, torches, rope, and a backpack. Arcturus was ready to bet his week’s salary she was definitely one of those traveler types, or a mercenary.

“Name’s Lyndis Kuxion.” she said, “and that dragon you’re all ready take revenge on saved my life from a band of fockin’ bandits.”

“Is that so?” Arcturus replied, his voice thick with skepticism. “Please, expand. No. Enlighten us on how this supposedly benevolent dragon saved your life.”

“Glady, you Lumarian brute.” Lyndis said. She dragged her own chair over to the table, quickly turning it around so the backing was facing the table. She sat down, then started to tell her version of the story.

Arcturus listened to her tale of events. It all started on a nearby hill along the road. He figured she was exaggerating her abilities. What else was new with the adventurer types? They all slayed dragons single handedly, stood against dozens of enemies, and somehow always found a priceless artifact, all on the virtue of their own singular skill.

One thing stuck out, though. Arcturus considered himself generally good at picking up when someone was lying, but when the woman spoke of the dragon saving her, she certainly sounded like this was the truth. When her mouth ceased forming words, she just looked to him with a great big smile on her face.

“How does that sound? More believable than…murdering dragon descends upon a town to destroy buildings from the thrill of it, aye? They’re strong and full of themselves sometime, but dragons ain’t stupid. You should know that better than these cryin’ oafs.”

Arcturus frowned as he moved his fingers over to the report. He had two accounts of the dragon now that did not paint him in the same light as the rest of the town had shone on him. Most importantly, it certainly didn't match the official report the king had given him to study.

“Well, you can believe it if you want, paladin. I’ve no reason whatsoever to lie to you. Buuuuuut if you’d prefer to hunt monsters and blindly swing your sword at things, be my guest, of course.” She shrugged, stood up and brushed past a guard on her way out. “Best not waste your time with the others. They’ll just trickle the same squirt of urine and call it wine!” she yelled back to him.

Arcturus rubbed his forehead. This day seemed to drag on forever. “Alright, who’s next?”

Next to enter the room was captain Sirius with his usual guards around him. In his hands rested a brown cloth, clutched tightly, as if this bag was of the utmost importance. Arcturus noted that the guards were giving the captain a wider birth than they had previously.

“My lord,” the captain bowed as much as his back allowed, “I have returned with an item that may prove fruitful in your endeavor to capture the beast.”

He held up the cloth bag and undid the string that held the thing together. When the mouth of the bag parted, a single crimson scale was revealed, clearly belonging to the dragon Arcturus was sent to hunt.

“When the dragon burst into the house the first time, he must have scratched himself on a beam. Left this crucial piece of evidence behind without checking, like the proud fool he is.”

Arcturus reached out to grasp the scale in his left hand. It was smooth to the touch, like he figured it would be. He looked up to the captain with a slight smile of relief on his tired face.

“This will actually be of great help, captain. You have my gratitude for your contributions.” He gestured to a soldier that had just walked in, then handed the scale to the man, gently. The last thing he wanted was to damage the scale too much. “Make your way back to the ship and tell the captain to get ready for lift-off. Once that’s done, head to the gryphon keeper. I believe we have a way to find the beast’s lair.”

It had only taken an hour to round up all the soldiers and take off in the indomitous. The ship rose into the sky gracefully, being led as if on an invisible wire by the tawny gryphon leading it towards the mountains. Arcturus stood on the deck, eyes scanning the forest below, occasionally drifting to the sunflower-colored wing of the gryphon gryphon. He held up the scale, then smiled to the gryphon, still amazed at their tracking ability.

This is good. We’ll wrap this unpleasant story, and in a few hours, and after that, I guess I’ll go back to my usual life. What remains of it, at least.

Arcturus turned back towards the group of men that gathered on the deck. The squad fidgeted with the same anticipation that stirred within Arcturus’ breast. Despite being a force of destruction, he had to admit to himself. Seeing a dragon in flesh was a special feeling.

They flew for quite some time before the gryphon screeched back towards the ship as they reached the top of the largest mountain. The gryphon circled as Arcturus ordered the men to the lifeboats. Arcturus took the lead with his lifeboat as the four other boats followed him down towards the cave. He noted it was a tad small, for someone he considered the offspring of Dread Flame.

Arcturus jumped over the side of the boat as they touched down gently. He gave hand signals to the men to follow as he slowly advanced into the cave's mouth. He saw some of his soldiers hovering their fingers over the trigger of their weapons, or gripping the grip tight.

“Set up the traps,” he whispered to the others. They grabbed and set up several launchers for the nets, just in case the dragon decided to fly away from his lair. “You stay outside with the launchers,” he pointed out towards the sharpshooters. “Get ready to stun him if he tries anything funny.”

Arcturus turned back to his hunting party. “As for the rest of you, keep your weapons up and your eyes peeled. We don’t know what manner of beast we’re dealing with here.”

“What if he’s friendly?” A man suddenly asked.

“Are you ready to take that risk?” Arcturus hissed.

The stern look in the paladin’s eyes allowed for no comebacks. Once his men nodded, he made his way into the cave, the steps of their boots akin to the click clack of a centipede. The air smelled of stale cooked meat, and something specific to the scent of a dragon. Arcturus crouched along the cave wall, the others right behind him. They hugged it as if the wall could very well be the thing that would save them from what lay ahead.

The torch-lit hall led deeper into the cave, wide enough to fit at least two dragons. He found himself eyeing the tracks on the floor, along with scratch marks from what were no doubt horns on the ceiling.

“Why’s the dragon havin’ a focken-?”

Arcturus held up a finger to silence the man, cursing to himself. Although the man had a point, dragons could very well see in the dark. However, maybe this one just liked the illumination of the pleasant torchlight. He moved the thought away from his mind as he peeked around the corner ahead of him, barely stifling a gasp.

Forty feet away the dragon was lying on makeshift blankets and mattresses next to a pile of gold and books. His eyes were closed shut, and his chest was moving up and down with the deep breaths characteristic to deep sleep. Between the dragon’s front limbs was some kind of toy, that, upon careful inspection, revealed itself to be a stuffed dragon of some kind.

The Gods are with me today, Arcturus’ heart quickened as he grabbed hold of his crossbow. Let us see if you are indeed the-

“You know, it’s somewhat rude to sneak up on a dragon at the height of his laziness.” The red beast yawned, opening one eye lazily. He stood up on his four limbs and stretched very much how a cat might. “To what do I owe the displeasure of being roused from-“

“Aim at his throat!” Arcturus shouted, interrupting the dragon mid speech. Bolts of energy sailed past his gleaming armor as he fired his own crossbow at the dragon. Veledar yelped in surprise and tried to leap out of the way, but the barrage was much too thick to avoid every missile.

“Fan out! Trap him in the corner!”

“You insolent slugs!” Veledar growled as he inhaled a deep breath, only to have small sparks of useless fire escape through his jaws.

“Hah! Missing something?” Arcturus pointed a finger at the dragon. “Guess you’ll have to stretch your limbs after all! Men, advance!”

“How dare you?” Veledar hissed as he bounded past several men. With a whip of his tail he slammed them against the cave wall.

“FIRE!” the paladin’s voice washed over the scrapes of steel and claws.

Arcturus' men fired another volley, then he quickly tossed a flashbang towards the dragon. It exploded with a brilliant light that forced the dragon to leap behind his pile of treasure.

“Trap him!”

The men took positions around the cave, weapons at the ready, hearts thundering in their chests.

“Sir, we have him cornered. Shouldn’t we bring the nets?”

“Not yet!”

Veledar then burst out from behind the gold, wings spread wide. He swooped around the men as they fired, before suddenly turning towards the exit. The soldiers followed him with their energy shots, one man even tossing a bola. However, none of the attacks seemed to have an effect on the dragon, who spread his wings to fly out of the cave unmolested.

“What in the blazes happened?”

Arcturus took aim with his own crossbow at the departing dragon. He spied a slight glitter in the dragon's form, followed by more bolts from his men impacting the scales.

“It’s an illusion!” he cried out to his men in shock. He turned back towards the gold, but it was too late. Veledar had already pounced out onto several soldiers, flailing his limbs and tail, carving his way through the wall of steel-clad men that stood between him and freedom. The dislodged men landed on the ground with hard thuds, not rising when the dragon moved onto their comrades. The remaining soldiers and Arcturus fired volley after volley into Veledar's wings and torso, causing the dragon to recoil in pain.

“Rraaaah, what an annoying itch!” he roared out, smashing two soldiers together with his paws.

“You come to my home!” He smashed another soldier into the ground. “And attack me!” He toppled over soldier after soldier, the bolts of energy only a slight inconvenience to the red beast. He deflected nets that were tossed at his wings, bolas that would’ve rendered his legs useless, and even hitting back a flashbang thrown his way. He stopped only when the other soldiers were all scattered on the ground before him, with only Arcturus and a handful of soldiers left to stare him down.

“Take your leave, you ill-mannered monkeys, before I push you out myself!” Veledar hissed through ragged breaths.

“I don’t think so,” Arcturus raised his crossbow and shot another bolt into the dragon’s torso, followed by more from his soldiers.

“Nrrr…nraaaawarrhhh…”

Arcturus smirked as Veledar’s limbs splayed uselessly around his collapsing form. On his way to greet the floor, he still flailed his tail at several soldiers foolish enough to get close. They flew through the air with little grace, hitting the floor hard. Arcturus watched Veledar try to stand, the dragon’s limbs unresponsive, dragged down by invisible weight. Although he managed to keep his head up as his shaking limbs collapsed beneath him, the dragon stared at Arcturus' visor with his blue eyes full of spite.

“You filthy cowards! Not even daring to face me in a fair fight!” he gasped out in pain. “I guess…that steel dress suits you well…woman.”

“Fair?” Arcturus chuckled. “Take a look at yourself, beastie. You tower over me, weight more than all of us combined, bear scales that put even my own armor to shame, and to top that off, you can take wing whenever you please. I can hardly imagine how a fight would play out fairly between us, so please, illuminate me with your esteemed wisdom. You are, after all, much better than us, right? Isn’t that how your kind sees us? Playthings to combat boredom? Perhaps even prey to fill their bellies with?”

“If only you fought the same way you talk... You’re putting me to sleep just by talking,” the dragon snorted tiredly.

“Aye. But I’m the one who stands, while you’re the one to greet the ground. Sleep well, beastie.”

Arcturus didn’t even restrain himself this time. He just laughed in the dragon’s face, then ordered his remaining men to bring shackles.

He took off his helmet and set it down close to Veledar, who collapsed his head on the ground, his breath becoming increasingly steadier. The beast looked deceptively pleasing to the eye when incapacitated. A small itch even flared the words spoken by the two girls, Abigail and Lyndis. What did they see, when they looked upon this beast? A monster? Perhaps something else?

Arcturus almost felt pity for the creature. His hand twitched above his sword, not to grab the weapon, but to stop the men from carrying his orders. Perhaps it was wise, to have a few moments alone with the dragon. Just to consider his options.

Then Dread Flame roared inside the depths of his mind. Arcturus saw the ship going down. His desperate escape which led him to the very streets of his home, where the beast locked his claws around his leg to prevent him from giving aid to his terrified family.

The fear, the pain, the anguish…it all reflected off the scales of what Abigail and Lyndis branded as a friend and savior.

Arcturus rested his hand on the pommel of his sword, then approached the beast’s fallen head. The dragon’s moist breath stained his armor, but Arcturus felt anything but warm. His cold eyes bore straight into the beast’s blue gaze, hard as the steel he wore. “I am Arcturus Lund, dragon. Remember my name well, along with the day when you fell at my feet.”

“Y-You did not best me,” Veledar hissed, his voice growing quieter. “You brought an army into my home…ambushed me just as I fell asleep... and worse of all, you think your actions are justified.”

“Gah. I cannot waste anymore time with this nonsense.” He waved to his men. “I’ve had enough of this unpleasant tongue. Shackle him.”

The soldiers clasped large iron shackles onto the dragon, pinning his rear and front limbs together.

“Steel suits you, beast.” Arcturus said, feeling a strange, almost cruel manner of satisfaction from besting his second dragon since Dread Flame.

“Like false justice suits you.” The dragon shot back. “Why are you doing this? I only damaged a house and crumpled a stupid cloth on a stick called banner.”

“Oh, is that what you truly believe?” Arcturus pressed.

“It’s…the truth. Ask anyone around.” The dragon answered.

“Sir, is it wise to-“

Arcturus raised a hand. “I’ve already interrogated the town you terrorized. I am not doing this because I like it, dragon. I do it because it’s just. For crimes against our land, our king, and our citizens, you are going to be brought to our capital and made an example of.” Arcturus finished that off by picking his helmet.

“A trial for a wooden wall and a cheap banner…that doesn’t…sound right…” The beast managed to say before fatigue overwhelmed his senses.

Arcturus walked away from the dragon in silence. He was certainly a tad smaller than Dread Flame had been, but that made sense in a way, for the offspring to always be smaller than the father. Arcturus waved to the survivors to start moving the dragon out of the cave. They tied up some ropes around him and dragged the dragon down the hallway and out to the ship. Arcturus stayed behind with a group to recover the soldiers the dragon had attacked. He noticed something while they came to the first body. The man was still alive. He quickly gave a look to the others brought down by Veledar to notice with utter surprise that all of them were alive as well. It looked like the dragon had simply knocked them out instead of killing them. He called over a soldier with healing herbs and potions, praising the Gods for their intervention.

“Pah! The Gods. Are you asking for their aid, or mine?” The healer shook off his belt of vials.

“I’m asking both. Do what you can for my men please. We must depart immediately.”

“Hah. Bruises and simple scrapes are all the afflictions I can count. Either your dragon doesn't know how to fight.” laughed the man, “or he didn't attack with the intention to kill anybody.”

Arcturus walked outside to where the dragon now laid unconscious. Veledar was held tight by the ropes that now bound his wings together. Arcturus certainly didn't expect the dragon to spare anyone. Perhaps he really was as lazy as he described himself before the attack began.

“Collect his treasure before we leave.” he called out to some of the men. “It will be good to rid this beast from his ill-gotten gains.”

“What shall we do with it, sir?”

“Give back to those he stole from.” Arcturus said confidently, even if the same creeping feeling of doubt resurfaced beneath his confident smile. He dropped down between the dragon’s legs to rest his back against the beast’s scaly belly, warm, in spite of the hard scales that protected it.

Who am I really dealing with here? The paladin wondered as he looked upon the dragon’s sleeping form. Am I making the right choice, to condemn this creature based on shady evidence? To take his hoard without justification? What if…

Arcturus grabbed one of the dragon’s talons, a sharp, wicked thing he knew too well from his encounters with Dread Flame. He couldn’t allow himself to be pinned a second time. To be helpless. To stand idly and watch others suffer at the claws of a dragon.

With a grim look about his face, Arcturus stood up, took one last look at the dragon, then ordered him hauled onto the ship for the trial that awaited in in the capital city of Entis.