Tracking
Talan POV
Talan follows the trail to find the creature haunting his dreams. Soon he discovers the dragonette will be on trial for her crimes. He resolves to find the wolf creature.
Four days of traveling and I have finally reached the edge of the Evergreen Forest. It’s unlikely that my little dragonette and her wolf prey were still here, but I had to try. Master Zaros’ demands felt heavy upon me. Who did the dragonette kill that was so important for Master Zaros’ plans? The dragonette was a powerful pawn, but Master Zaros considered his pawn more valuable than a dragon. It was odd, but Master Zaros never included me in his big plan. My part in his plan was to maintain control over the Port of Creekmont and to funnel money into his pocket. Not that I ever minded my minor role. It gave me freedom for my schemes.
It won’t be long before I reach Evergreen Town. The town was built around the famous Wizard’s Guild. The guild was famous for its grandeur as a castle instead of a normal guild building. Thoughts of the magical items stored in the vaults below the guild were tempting. Magical objects called to me like a siren’s song. It took all of my willpower to walk past the towering stone wall to avoid the lure of such tempting treasures.
Walking through the town, I decided to visit a local adventurer’s hangout to investigate the latest news in the area. The sign read Hallow's End the most popular tavern on Market Road. As I walked into the wretched place, the scent of sweaty skin, salted corn bits, and putrid alcohol burned my nose. Taverns were homes for the lowest of the low. I should know since I worked in one scrubbing the floors before Master Zaros plucked me off the streets.
I took my place at the bar, ordering an elven gin on the rocks from the bartender. Many adventurers surrounded me, deep in their conversations. Some of them rambled on about the recent viper wasp infestation along the Imber Mountains. Ugh. Those were nasty venomous creatures that ate wood like an orc drinks alcohol. Always taking too much and beating down anyone who blocked their path toward their addiction. I will need to avoid those mountains for the foreseeable future.
“Have you heard the latest bit on the dragon, Quinn?” A musky voice flooded my ears.
“Dragon? What dragon, Belas?” A crude woman’s voice answered.
The musky voice known as Belas chuckled. “A dragon rampaged in the forest not far from here a few days ago. This town was flooded with adventures trying to find it, but the White Rapids Guildmaster came in with an adventuring party and took it down. I hear the council will be gathering in White Rapids by week’s end to sentence the beast.”
The crude woman called Quinn gasped at Belas’ gossip. “I hadn’t heard nothin’ about a dragon. It was so close! The town coulda been squished…”
As predicted, the dragonette was no longer here. A guildmaster had hauled her off to meet her fate. It almost feels like a waste of a good dragon because of her potential and her ethereal beauty. She did have a frosty temper to her though, which made her hard to work with. Master Zaros wouldn’t be pleased by this development. He would demand that I retrieve the dragonette, but I wouldn’t risk my life against the Gleaca Council. I know not to mess with them.
“What’d the dragon rampage about? Does anyone know?” Quinn asked while gurgling down a beer.
“There’s a rumor of a giant wolf that battled the dragon,” Belas whispered. “The same wolf took out most of the wizard guild’s dragon hunting party.”
“Some of them wizards died out there, Belas?” Quinn sounded like her mind was blown away by that rumor.
“Well,”
The tavern door slammed open and a group of rich, experienced adventurers walked in with an oddball dwarf following them. The adventurers were heavily armored, but their clothing was clean. They were all dressed up with no enemy to fight from the look of frustration on their faces. Several patrons greeted the dwarf like an old friend, so he must have been from around here. It was only when the dwarf turned toward me that I recognized him.
“Hey, Belas! Look, Polly Wog has returned to tell his latest conquest.” Quinn smiled.
Belas broke out into laughter. “I wonder what group of adventurers he’s trying to impress this time?”
“It looks like a group from the Kingdom of Solis based on their clothes,” Quinn muttered.
“Poor souls, they don’t know what they are getting themselves into.” Belas shook his head before taking another gulp of beer.
That drunkard has no idea how true that was. No one in this tavern truly understood who that dwarf was, however, I knew better than to blow his cover. If I dared breathe a word of his identity, I would be more than just dead. The dragonette must have disposed of a pawn at the wizard’s guild. It’s the only logical conclusion of his presence here. I need to leave before he notices me.
“So tell me Polly Wog, are you the only wizard to return to the guild after facing the dragon?” One of the rich adventurers asked sarcastically.
Polly Wog grinned. “I am the only one here to tell the tale although I believe the elf prince may still be alive. He’s annoyingly good at escaping tough situations.”
Elf prince? What kind of company has this man been keeping, and why choose such a ridiculous name as Polly Wog? My respect for my boss has decreased significantly. I listened to him drone on as he boasted about thawing the dragon and wolf from a giant ice block. How his great master fell to the might of the dragon and the random wolf. I wasn’t getting any new information from Polly Wog’s retelling of events. I decided to slip out the back to keep Polly Wog from seeing me.
After restocking a few items, I found my way to the battleground of the dragon and the wolf. The ground was oversaturated with water. Broken limbs and fallen trees lined the giant clearing. Trenching through the mud, I noticed quite a bit of adventurers and Gleacan Guards investigating the area. With this much activity, I was certain the wolf was long gone. My dragonette has been captured to face trial. It didn’t seem like there was a way to satisfy my boss easily.
Liberating my dragonette would be risky at best, so my best bet was to find the bane of my existence. A chill rolled down my spine as the memory of the perverted creature flashed through my mind. I need to face that mutt if only to regain my sanity. The mutt has been haunting my mind for months. The question was where did the mutt go?
It was a stretch, however, Polly Wog had mentioned an elf prince surviving their encounter with the beasts. Perhaps, the elf prince may know something… If the elf prince didn’t return to the wizard’s guild with Polly Wog, did he choose to go back to his kingdom? It could be he need to report the event to his royal court. This was only a theory. I would need to do more research around here before I went to find the man down, but at least it was a way forward. I need to avoid Polly Wog at all costs, which was doable. I will get that wolf in my clutches one way or another.