*Sob* *Sob*

Tears were flowing incessantly from Gloria’s eyes.

*Thump* Thump*

She was beating her son chest weakly questioning his firm decision.

“Why? Why do you want to….do….this….?”

Her voice faded as she continued to question her son’s conviction. His decision to join the dragon slaying expedition put her in a state of denial.

Gloria did not gave birth to Evan. That was a known truth to her and Evan. But she love him just like her own son. Evan came into her life while she was down and under. 21 years ago she had her first miscarriage while carrying her first child.

Her husband at that time fell out of love for her and decided to leave her. While she was in heavy depression, she found Evan.

Two days after her husband leave her, Gloria went into the woods so that she can disappear. Deep into the woods while she was wandering around she heard cries, baby cry. Her maternal instinct fired up and she ran.

She started running until her feet bleeds, her breathing got rough and drenched in sweat she found the baby. A baby with ashen hair in basket. On top of the baby there was a letter.

‘To anyone who found the baby,

This baby name is Evan. I leave him here because I can’t take care of him. A shaman told me if I leave him here someone more capable and worthy of him. Please take care of my son. He is my whole world.’

This was fate. Gloria believed that this was fate. Her fate to raise this child as her own. Tears started flowing like a broken dam. Another chance for life. The baby gave her that chance.

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She slowly picked up the baby.

“Evan. You are my son from today.Thank you. Thank you for coming into my life.”

“Mom I want to join the expedition.”

The moment she heard the sentence came out of Evan’s mouth,her hand unconsciously swing for a slap. It was ridiculous. The son she carefully and lovingly raise wanted to risk his life for a pipe dream.

“Please…. Evan…. why it must be the dragon? Can it just be a wolf? A deer? A rabbit? It is dangerous.”

Evan hugged his mother as she continue to cry. He stroked her back gently as he assure her.

“This is my dream mom.”

Gloria’s mind ran at a terrifying speed. She knew someday she will has to let her son go and achieve his dream. She accepted it. The fact that her son to leave the nest and become something. Still she need him to promise something.

“Then, you have to promise me!”

She looked into her son’s eye as she demand something from him.

“U-Um… Okey I promise.”

“Promise me that you’ll come back alive. Prioritize your life first. No matter what happen if it get too dangerous, just run. Run away from there. Promise me these and I can let you go.”

“I promise to stay alive. I promise.”

Thus began, Evan’s journey to become the dragon slayer.

A man was gulping down a mug of watered down beer. He slammed the wooden mug on the table as he sighed. The man rubbed his scar filled wrinkly face.

“Hmmm….”

Stroking his gray patched beard as he motioned the waitress for a refill. The waitress swap his mug for a filled one.

“Do you want somethin’ to eat with that?”

The man looked up at the waitress with a flushed face.

“Yes.”

“Is buttered baked potato good for ya?”

“Yes. I’ll take anything.”

“Alright then.”

The waitress went back to the kitchen.

Wolfred stare into his beer. A reflection of a middle aged man with scars on his face and brown hair with gray patches.

“I’m old.”

Wolfred thought to himself.

“Is it time to retire?”

Wolfred had been a mercenary for 30 years. He started when he was 15 years old. As a war orphan, Wolfred grew up in a run down orphanage until he was 12. He then began looking for jobs here and there but as he was still a child the pay wasn’t much.

As he reached the age of 15, he signed up as mercenary legally. Since then his life were filled with battle. Death was common occurrence but the pay was good. Fighting people and monsters. A life of blood, sweat, tears, alcohol and occasionally women.

Wolfred was tired. His body didn’t move like he wanted to anymore. Previous injuries were catching up to him. But he never let go of his dream. The dream of having 10,000 gold coins. A poor childhood life made him yearn money more than ever.

He intended to do one last mission before retiring. One last spur and that was the dragon slaying expedition. The reward of 100 thousand gold coins hooked and pulled him like a fish. He read the piece of paper again.

“Recruiting for expedition…. Hehehehhe.”

Yesterday, Wolfred carefully approached Count Tuesday to state that he will be joining the expedition. The Count face told him that there might be something wrong with the flyer. He almost fell to his knee in sadness if the flyer was a fake but today new fliers were distributed.

The content of the new flyer was the same as the old one but the date was changed to a week later.

“Hehehehehhe…..”

The middle aged old man was delighted for his dream will come true. He daydreamed of having all the things he wanted such as women, women and women. Wolfred was a pervert through and through. He was not called ‘Scar Face Pervert’ for nothing.