I had followed the slaves to a large sewer grate to apparently ran to the central city so they were fine for now. I had searched for about a half an hour and finally stumbled upon a building with sold deeds. I went in a started search through. I had found a peculiar piece of land. I was a piece of farmland, by the description, it was run down quite badly and was selling for cheap. Four hundred coins. If that's considered cheap then I wondered what was the norm? I asked the manager to hold on to it for me and I would be back to pay for it later. 

Now I needed to find something to pay for it. If by chance alone, an opportunity came fast. A man standing in the street was causing a gathering, I assumed he was a town crier. 

"Here! Here! The young prince has asked able warriors to save a beautiful lady who has been trapped in an abandoned castle, guarded by a dragon! He has offered the sum of one thousand gold pieces to save the helpless beauty. To the group who can bring her back first." 

A woman in a castle? Sounds pretty cliche but one thousand gold pieces was definitely a cause for excitement. I grabbed a paper and with the help of some locals I found where they were gathering. As I closed into the pub a guard stopped me at the door "Sorry young lady but this pub is curranty in use for a meeting." "I know." I said. "I came to join." The guard gave me a dead-pan look. "Har har. Very funny. Why don't you go attend some tables at another bar, your beautiful so I'm sure you'd gather some tip fast. It'd be safer too." I glared at him. "I'm NOT interested in waving my ass around. Let me-" He cut me off "THIS IS ONLY FOR WARRIORS WENCH! FUCK OFF!" He pushed me away.

I was wanting to give him an 'educational' on why I could match any bastard in that bar but decided against it. If I attacked a guard then I doubt I'd be able to participate or receive the reward money. "Damn." I walked away, but not in defeat. I simply went to go get ready. 

.................

"It's been a full day, when are they going to get there?" I grumbled. I had been following a company of warriors for a full day and now it was day break and I suddenly spotted the castle. "FINALLY." I hadn't been able to participate directly in the event but I decided to enter uninvited. I left the bar and got ready by buying some equipment, I got a few things. A grappling hook and a small machine that could fire the hook, some food for two weeks and a telescope. It had all come out to 40 pieces of gold. I had 33 pieces left but I was fine. I returned to the slaves and given them a few of the food I bought and told them I wasn't sure how long I'd be gone. 

I then waited outside the pub until they left. I followed them to the gates and the company of warriors had been greeted by a few horses pulling a wagon. Probably a gift from the prince to let the warriors safe travel. Now I'd been following them for a full day and had to sleep outside for the night. I got up early to make sure I wasn't left behind. Their pace was slow enough for me to keep up, but not easily. I had my fur blanket, the hook machine and a week of food, plus my sword and mace. So I felt like a pack mule at this point.

We had finally reached the abandoned castle and it was already night so they seemed to sleep a safe distance away from it. I, too, set up camp. I was cold but I couldn't start a fire or they'd likely spot it. So cold food for me. 'One more night' I thought. I slept heavily.

I woke up and sleepily looked over to where the company of warriors had camped, expect they weren't there. 'OH SHIT!" I was panicking and suddenly remembered we were already here so It was fine. Their horses and wagon was there, but they were gone. I washed my face and was ready for the big day.

I moved closer to the castle and spotted some figures. I pulled out my telescope and looked at looked at the figures. It was, unsurprisedly, the company of warriors. They stood at the fallen portcullis, it laid on the ground. ' What were they planning?' I took the time to get a good look at the castle, I couldn't last night so now it stood menacingly. The castle was located on an edge of a cliff and the gate where the warriors were was facing an edge, the road curved out from the gate, besides it's strange location the castle looked pretty ordinary otherwise. I noted the tall tower that stood above anything else, it looked connected to the castle wall. I decide to start there. 

My plan was to wait until the company of warriors distracted the Dragon, then sneak in and take the lady and leave. Hopefully, before the warriors were killed. I looked at the warriors again and they were moving in. 'Alright, time to move' I jumped from my perch and ran towards the castle as fast as my sore body would allow me, I could hear roaring from the castle so they clearly had the Dragon distracted. 

I set up the hook machine and fired it up at the tower, it hooked on the window the first try and I quickly attached it to my belt. I climbed up, praying that it would hold. As I neared the window the hook started to bend. 'Oh, shit.." I picked up the pace and just barely managed to grab the window sill before the hook gave away. 'Damnit! I paid good money for that and it breaks!?" I managed to climb in the window and slinked inside. I let out a breath of relief. 'I'm in' I thought. Thank god!

I looked around and noticed that there were quite a few plants in here, lots bore fruit on their branches. I soon laid eyes on a rather peculiar sight. There was a figure laying on a bed behind some silk curtains. I stood up and slowly walked over to the bed and pulled back the curtains. My breath was taken away from what I saw...

The woman who laid on the bed was... breathtakingly beautiful. Her skin was smooth as silk and seemed to glow slightly. She wore a long dress that reached to her knees and it was white as snow. Her hair was silver and done up in a crown braid. My eyes fell on her ears and was taken aback by them, they were pointed. 'An elf?' I thought. They exist? I crouched down near her and flustered as I looked at her chest. It was... HUGE. Her breasts were enormous. If my breasts were the size of cantaloupes then hers were the size of... well just a little smaller than watermelons. I looked back up to her face and was about to try to wake her up before I realized she was looking at me. I jumped up and tried to speak. 'Crap, did she notice I was staring at her breasts?'

"Are you the one who is here to save me?" She asked. Her voice was like a breeze blowing through leaves, it was... beautiful, like her. I cleared my throat, before answering. "Yes, I've come to get you out of here." 

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

She sat up in her bed, her movements were graceful like she's been practicing for a long time. She stood before me and I notice she was just a bit smaller than me. She gave me a smile that took my breath away. "Thank you." She said. My stomach had butterflies in it as she thanked me. I had to think of something to say, I immediately turn my attention to the plants, trying to not stare too long at her. "These plants..." I asked. "You take care of them?" She looked at them and smiled again. She walked up to one and said. "Yes, they are plants that I take care of with my magic."

Magic? So she possesses magic? "How do you take care of them?" I asked. She showed me the plants soil start chanting something in a language I couldn't understand. The soil started to glow and the soil soon looked richer. 'Huh... so that's the magic she has. Interesting.' She picked a pear that was dangling off a branch and gave it to me. "Here" she offered. I slowly took a bite and was surprised by it's sweetness. 

"Wow... it's good." I said. She showed me another breathtaking smile. I could get use to her smiles. 

"If it is not too rude to ask, may I know your name?" I was suddenly surprised by her question. Should I go with this body's name? I guess so. "Teela" I answered. "Sarya." she said. That's her name? I suddenly remembered about why I was here. "Uh, Sarya. We need to get outta here." She nodded and said. "Of course." She agreed. 

With the damn hook broken, we had to take the stairs. I jogged down the stairs, Sarya following behind. 

We heard the roaring of the Dragon as we closed in and we came up upon the courtyard. The warriors were practical decimated, with only about five left. We were going to have to fight our way outta here. 

Not my first choice, but it was something that I was forced into so no choice here. 

I spotted a ballista that was overturned, I went over and flipped it with much effort and aimed it at the Dragon. I waited for a brief moment before pulled the lever. The large bolt flew right into the Dragon's wing and struck the point where it was connected to it body. The wing tore open and the Dragon let out an ear piercing roar that seemed to shake the castle itself. 

"Direct hit." I said. Now that the Dragon's wing was crippled it wouldn't be able to fly around. 

The Dragon turned it's attention from the now dead warriors to me and Sarya. 

'Ah, crap.' I grabbed Sarya's hand and ran down the stairs leading to the courtyard. I blew fire which covered the balcony which we were standing on a moment ago. We had to get out of here. I ran with Sarya to the gate and the Dragon followed. 

"Shit. We need to deal with him somehow." I yelled. "How?" She asked. A note of panic in her voice. I was short on ideas at the moment, how do you take out a Drag- I suddenly spotted the portcullis, It had a spiked design on it that looked painful. 'Idea' I thought. 

"Sarya, go hide over there. I'll deal with the Dragon." She looked worried but did as she was told. She hid behind some fallen rubble as I stared at the Dragon's advance. 'Don't be afraid, don't be afraid.' I repeated those words in my head. 

It advance slowed as it came closer. 'Don't tell me he noticed the portcullis' I thought. I hope it didn- suddenly the Dragon jump over the portcullis at me. "HOLY FUCK!" I Screamed. It JUMPED!? I managed to get out of the way in time as it slid and tried to turn in a 180 degrees.

The Dragon seemed to forget that we were near a cliff and it slid off the edge. It desperately tried to claw at the ground but it was too heavy. I could hear the booming sound of it falling down the cliff. 

Me and Sarya looked over the cliff edge. 'Please be dead, please be de-' A sudden roar could be heard from the chasm as I spotted the Dragon clawing it's way back up through the smoke cloud it created. 

"FUCK!" I yelled. DAMNIT! What would it take to kill this thing!? Sarya looked haunted. I was brooding. Should we run? I was thinking and my eyes fell on the portcullis again. 'Another idea' I thought. "Sarya? I need your help with something.'

.................

The Dragon had poked it's head over the cliff and I waited behind the portcullis, Sarya hide behind the rubble again. I wait for it. It seemed to be in a mindless rage as it soon stood on the ground with all fours. It roared and charged, the Dragon stepped on the edge of the portcullis and the other end flew up and smashed it in the snout. 

I had help from Sarya by asking her if she could manipulate the ground, and she said she could. I told her to build a small trench below the edge of the portcullis and had her hide. When the Dragon would come it would step on the edge and have the gate fly up in it's face. Kinda like if you stepped on a rake the handle would come up and hit you in the face. 

That's what happened here.

The Dragon snout was hit and with it came a sickening crunch as it reeled back. I seen it's snout was now horribly deformed as it fell over, trying to breathe. It wasn't dead. I unsheathed my sword and with all the strength I possessed I stabbed it in the throat. I jerked the blade up and down as it's breathing grew erratic. Blood was pouring out but I kept it up until it stopped breathing.

I jerked the bloody blade out and stepped back. Sarya came out from hiding. "Is it dead?" she asked as she closed the distance. 

I suddenly threw up my hands which startled Sarya. "HELL YES! I GOT IT! HAHAHAHAHA! WINNING!" I jumped up in victory as I was hooting in excitement. I grabbed Sarya by the waist and spun her around laughing. She shared my laughter and I soon put her down with sudden embarrassment. "S-sorry. I was just in the moment." 

She rewarded me with another breathtaking smile. "Congratulations, Teela." She said.

"Thank you, for helping me. I couldn't have done it without you." A small tint of red touched her cheeks and she smiled.

"Thank you for coming to my rescue Teela." She was really beautiful. We stood there for a moment before I broke the silence by saying. "We should probably get going." Sarya nodded and I quickly when to the Dragon and wrench out a tooth. "What are you doing?" she asked. I held it up and said "Trophy" 

We left the Dragon and castle to make our way back to Longris.

...............

Author's note: Part two should be out soon hopefully. Cheers.