35 Run

Over the next couple of days, Captain Halido, Captain Leo, and three other dragonslayers were on a carriage towards Kyte village.

Captain Leo was the same child who Akai saved all those years ago. He was naive, but also brave and courageous. He trained to be a dragonslayer ever since he joined up with them as a child. Captain Halido taught him how to use a sword and crossbow, but Leo wanted to be like Akai. The man who saved him, even though he suspected something about the crimson black knight that others did not. He remembered the day that Akai saved him. He remembered Akai's black wings as he flew down upon the red dragon. Though, over the years, he believed that it was a part of his imagination. He never confirmed what he saw, and never asked Akai about it.

They wore a mixture of dragon scale armor. They no longer could afford to use up dragon scales for arrows, so they carried steel arrows. Captain Halido's and Leo's blades however were made up of dragon scales. They were no where as sturdy or light as Akai's blades since they weren't made from an ancient dragon, but they were still hard to break.

Captain Halido wore a helmet with his visor down, so that others won't think he was some grandpa. Captain Leo didn't wear any helmet. He had short black hair and was decently built.

The carriage rode from King's City to Kyte village in a couple of days. By the time they arrived, it was already night. A starry night surrounded the village although it was lit up by torches.

Captain Halido and Captain Leo proceeded to get off of their carriage as soon as they arrived. The other dragonslayers followed suit.

The other villagers stayed inside their homes. Some looked through their windows, but none of them gave a welcome. Their cold stares reverberated through the town giving the dragonslayers a hostile feeling. Captain Halido was the only one who has been to Kyte village, before. The reception was far different than when he first arrived 30 years ago. The dirt and crops were better than when they had left.

"Alright, we're here at the village. Everybody, stay sharp," Captain Halido ordered.

"Yes, sir," the three dragonslayers replied.

"Captain Leo, what do you suggest we do?" Halido asked wanting to test Leo's skills as a captain.

"I think we should go house to house asking the villagers about this girl and any dragon sightings. Also, we should send some men to search the surrounding forests, afterwards," Leo replied.

"Well, Captain, shouldn't you tell that to your men?" Halido asked.

Leo stiffened, and looked towards his three men and ordered, "Dragonslayers, go house to house and ask the villagers about any information regarding dragon sightings and look for any young girls who may be trying to hide their skin. Every detail counts."

The other three dragonslayers saluted and were about to check with the other villagers, but suddenly a woman came out of one the houses.

A red-haired woman who Captain Halido barely recognized. It was that girl who he thought Akai should have seen. The girl was all grown, now, though she was beautiful. He became slightly upset that Akai didn't come to see her, though Halido didn't show it.

The woman opened her mouth and said, "That won't be necessary. I'm Nera, and I'm the one in charge of this village's safekeeping. I can answer any questions you knights may have."

"Nera... Well, what a surprise. I don't know if you remember the last time dragonslayers came to this village," Captain Halido said.

"I remember. Were you one of them?" Nera asked not recognizing the knight by his body or voice.

Captain Halido nodded and introduced himself "I'm Captain Halido and this is Captain Leo" he said as Leo gave a small smile. Captain Leo didn't know what to think of the village or the girl. They felt cold towards him.

"Well, what would you like to know?" Nera asked.

The breeze grew colder as the torches rustled. Leaves blew in the wind from the neighboring forest.

"I'll just get straight to the point. Have you seen any dragons, nearby?" Captain Leo asked in a straight-forward manner.

Nera paused and said, "No. There haven't been any dragons around here for a long time."

Captain Halido replied, "I see. Well, if it's all the same to you, we would like to just check with everybody else. May we continue our talk inside your cabin?"

Without a word from Nera, Leo sent out his other dragonslayers towards the other villagers. She wasn't worried that the other villagers would give up Nia, but was worried that they may try to hurt them.

Knowing that the dragonslayers wouldn't leave, Nera gave a convincing smile and said, "If you need to be sure, you men can look around. Come, Captain...Halido, was it? I don't mind continuing our conversation, but I don't want your dragonslayers to start messing up the village."

Captain Halido understood and yelled towards the other dragonslayers.

"Come back, men!"

The other dragonslayers stopped in their tracks as Halido motioned his hand to call them back. Nera was relieved.

Nera and Captain Halido walked to her cabin.

As they approached the entrance, Captain Halido said to Leo, "I'll speak to her privately. Just wait outside with the rest of the men."

Captain Leo nodded in agreement.

Nera and Captain Halido went inside the cabin.

As the doors closed, Leo whispered to his men. "Let's go talk to the other villagers."

He took two dragonslayers and himself and walked over to the other houses. He left one dragonslayer to stay outside of Nera's cabin.

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As Captain Halido entered the cabin, he looked around the warm and cozy room. There was a teenage girl sitting by the table reading a book. The girl was dark skinned with brown long hair. She didn't seem to notice the dragonslayer.

"That's my niece, Nia," Nera said as she waved at the teenage girl.

Captain Halido was unaware that Nera had any siblings or family, but he never asked.

"Your niece? She doesn't look like she would be related to you in any way," Halido questioned. He was sent here to find a girl who was apparently didn't age a day. He would have remembered if there was a dark skinned girl in the village before.

"My brother was a traveling merchant. She got most of her looks from her mother. They died of a griffon attack," Nera said.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," Captain Halido replied as he walked around the cabin.

The floors creaked as he took slow steps.

Nia put her book down on the table and calmly got up. She breathed slowly trying to hold back fear. She looked at the dragonslayer and her mind would go back to that time 30 years ago. But she couldn't show it.

"Yes. Bi - Auntie Nera has been taking care of me for the past couple of years," Nia said calmly with a smile trying not to give away hint of what she really was.

Captain Halido walked closer to the teenage girl. She wore a simple villager dress. There were no scales showing on her skin, so the captain didn't think that she was a dragon. He believed Nera's tale.

Nia gave a small smile and bow to the knight.

"I'm Nia, good sir. Shall I brew some tea?" Nia said calmly.

"That would be lovely. Thank you," Halido replied as he slowly walked around the cabin.

Nia didn't recognize this particular knight from 30 years ago, but the fact that there was a dragonslayer so close to her made her feel uneasy. She breathed in and out trying to calm herself.

Nia walked away and began to brew some tea.

"So, Nera, you may not remember me, but I remember you. You were that girl who had a crush on Akai."

Nera's eyes widened. Nia listened, but continued to brew the tea over a small fire.

"Is he alright?" Nera knew that Akai was a dragon, but didn't know whether the other dragonslayers knew that.

"Oh, he's actually got quite a name for himself." Captain Halido paused and continued, "He wanted to come, but..."

He took a second to think of something to say, "...he was busy hunting other monsters. He's quite a busy man."

Man. That word trickled in Nera's mind. That would mean that the dragonslayers didn't know that Akai was a dragon. She gave a relieving sigh thinking that he was alright.

"Well, as long as he's safe."

Captain Halido then thought to himself that perhaps coming to Kyte village was fate. His mind wasn't focused on finding any dragon. He could tell that Nera was still that young girl who cared deeply for Akai. Nia finished brewing some tea and poured it into a cup.

The captain said, "Perhaps, it was fate bringing us here. Maybe, I could take you to King's City and have you meet up with Akai."

Nera was utterly surprised by the dragonslayer's words. At first, she didn't think that the knight was the honorable sort, but now she wasn't sure. The dragonslayer really was genuine. Nia didn't know, however.

"I..I don't know if I can." Nera blushed as if she was a teenage girl, again.

"Nonsense. I think you and Akai would still be perfect for each other. He really does need to get more of a social life, anyways. He never shows his face, anymore. I'm sure one of the other villagers could look after this place."

Captain Halido truly hoped that he could bring those two togethor. He really believed that Akai has done wonders and miracles for the dragonslayers. And he wanted to give back to the knight.

Nia took the cup of tea. Captain Halido looked over to who he thought was her niece.

"You can even bring along your niece."

Nia's hands began to shake. Captain Halido genuinely wanted to help Akai and Nera, but Nia didn't know the dragonslayer. All she saw was a man who killed dragons. She thought that the dragonslayer was trying to trick them. She recalled her memories of the other forest dragons being slaughtered. Then, the memory of that demon who killed her friends.

She placed the cup of tea on the table as her hands shivered.

Captain Halido noticed and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It just gets a bit chilly at night," She said in a calm manner trying not to draw attention. It was true that the air in the house sometimes got cold from the outside winds.

Then, the captain looked closely at Nia's forehead. Sweat began to pour down. The captain felt that something was wrong. He thought that perhaps the girl was ill. He didn't suspect that she was a dragon. There were no scales showing on the girl's skin and nobody knew about the power of illusive rings.

"Are you unwell? I think I have some medicinal herbs in my pouch if you'd like."

As Captain Halido moved closer, she instinctively walked back.

"No. I'm fine."

Nera jumped into the conversation knowing fully that Nia's calm manner was breaking down.

"She's alright. She just gets nervous around men," Nera said.

Captain Halido heard and replied, "I see."

He took out some medicine from his pouch and said, "But just in case, you may want to take these."

He held out his hand of herbs towards Nia. She breathed in and out slowly to calm herself.

She held out her hand to grab the herbs. They shook slightly and both Halido and Nia noticed.

As Nia grabbed the medicine, Captain Halido noticed her shaking hand. There was a ring. It looked familiar to the old dragonslayer.

"That ring."

Nia and Nera became frozen in fear. They thought that the dragonslayer knew about illusive rings, even though that none knew.

Captain Halido tried to recall where he had seen the ring, before. Then, he remembered that Akai wore a similar ring. He didn't think anything of it, but was curious to see it. The same kind of ring that Akai wears was something that sparked the captain's interest. Though, he still didn't suspect that Nia was a dragon.

"May I take a look at the ring? It looks familiar."

The captain slowly motioned to take the ring, but Nia took her hand back covering it.

"You don't have to be scared. I just want to see it," the captain said, but Nia was sure that the dragonslayer knew about illusive rings. If the dragonslayer took it off, then Nia's scales would show and she wouldn't allow that to happen.

She quickly backed away and kneeled down. The captain was confused by this action, but it only reaffirmed that the girl was ill. He didn't want to hurt any of them, but Nia didn't believe that.

Nera began to open her mouth, but it was too late.

Nia took a piece of the floorboard with one hand and threw it at the dragonslayer. The armored knight flinched at the unexpected attack. He was completely unprepared. The force from the wooden plank made the dragonslayer took some steps back.

Nia quickly grabbed a sword from under the floorboard. It was sheathed in leather. She unsheathed the blade and dropped the sheath on the ground. Captain Halido's eyes widened in shock. It was a red dragon scale blade. Nera backed away from both Nia and Halido, and as she did she tripped to the ground.

The teenage girl charged at the dragonslayer as he quickly unsheathed his own blade. He blocked the blade with his own. Sparks flew from the one clash. The captain didn't know what Nia was. She didn't show any scales, yet had the strength to throw that board of wood. Their sword stuck to one another as they both pushed back in equal strength. But Captain Halido pushed back. He walked two steps closer pushing Nia back the same distance.

Nia looked in fear of the dragonslayer. Her legs and arms shook. She felt that she was inching ever closer to death.

Nia looked at the dragonslayer in full armor. She couldn't let herself end there. Her memories boiled up. Fire and ash. The dead dragons laying on the bloodied grass. Birds and bugs eating the remains. All of it in part due to the dragonslayers. The dragonslayers took that away from her. And she never forgave them.

Her eyes turned green with rage. The red blade became hotter and hotter. Halido's blade started to crack. He looked at Nia's green eyes. A tail and wings sprouted from Nia's back creating holes through the clothes. Her teeth gripped.

Captain Halido now knew that he was dealing with a dragon, but it was too late.

The red blade seared in bright white fire and cut right through Captain Halido's dragon scale blade. His eyes looked at the fire and that was the last thing he saw. The blade cut through his armor's pauldron and across his neck, decapitating him. His head dropped to the ground.

Nia's eyes reverted back to normal and she saw the headless dragonslayer. Fear overtook her, again. She killed him. Her body frozen, but her grip on the red blade was tightened. The flame from the sword died out. The body fell heavily onto the floor.

"I killed him. I killed him," Nia said unable to move.

Captain Halido didn't even bleed. His wound was instantly cauterized. No blood dirtied the ground, Nia, or the dragonslayer.

The cabin door opened.

"Sir, is there a prob- CAPTAIN HALIDO!" a dragonslayer yelled as he entered the cabin after hearing noise that sounded like a struggle. He saw the fallen body of his comrade. His captain.

In shock, he looked at the teenage girl holding the red blade with light green wings and a tail.

The dragonslayer in anger took out his crossbow, but Nera ran and pushed the crossbow out of the way shooting a bolt towards the wall.

She struggled against the dragonslayer, but she was pushed to the ground. Nera was no match for a trained dragonslayer. Nia was stunned in place.

The dragonslayer aimed at the dragon.

Nera looked back at Nia and said, "Run."

Nia's body forced itself to move. It felt like time had slowed down for the young dragon. Blood rushed throughout her body. The dragonslayer shot his arrow, but the red sword, as if it directed its own course, deflected the bolt to the side. Nia quickly ran, pushing up dust and wood splinters from the wooden floor. As she charged towards the dragonslayer, he rolled to the side, but he wasn't fast enough. The red blade cut through the dragonslayer's leg as he was rolling.

She did not turn back. She continued to run as tears flowed down her cheeks. She flapped her wings and took off towards the forest.

"AGHH! Hey! We got a dragon!" the dragonslayer yelled in pain to his fellow comrades, "Dragon!"

The dragonslayer coughed up blood and laid on the floor with blood spurting out of his leg.

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Captain Leo was questioning the other villagers about any dragon sightings. He was also checking if there were any girls that were covering themselves in areas where dragon scales would show, but he didn't see any who could be a dragon.

However, the villagers didn't want to give any answers. They only wanted the dragonslayers to leave. Captain Leo started to think that getting any clues from these people were a waste of time, but he didn't want to give up.

As he was questioning a villager outside, that was when he heard it.

"Dragon!"

A scream coming in the direction of the red-haired woman's cabin. The other dragonslayers and villagers heard it.

The villagers visibly began to sweat. They feared for Nia's safety.

Captain Leo quickly ran over to where the scream had taken place and the other two dragonslayers followed, as well. But it was too late. There was no sign of the dragon, anywhere. Just the two bodies and Nera.

Captain Leo went inside the cabin and saw the decapitated body of Captain Halido. His body froze at the sight. He leaned over to the body and yelled, "Oh, no. Captain! Captain!" knowing full well that the captain could no longer hear him. Just the lifeless and headless body. Tears flowed out of his eyes, but he wiped them off. He saw Nera getting up from the floor and asked, "What happened? Where is the one who did this?"

Nera looked at the distraught captain and said, "Gone, now. And you won't be able to find him."

Captain Leo got up from his knees in anger.

"Captain Leo, the other dragonslayer is dead. And there is no trace of the dragon." one of the dragonslayers said after examining the body of the one-legged dragonslayer.

In Captain Leo's anger, he commanded the two dragonslayers, "Round up all of the villagers! One of them has to know where this dragon would go!"

He looked at Nera with hatred and sorrow in his eyes.