Swift Assault

The quartet had developed a taste for slaughter, and when they finished their assault on the dragons, not a single one was left standing. All had succumbed to the fury of our heroes, who not only seemed tired but each felt very well and fully satisfied with the outcome. Far down the long, wide corridor, it was possible to see sunlight streaming in through the initial opening that Troy had made when he was hunting Kowalsk at the beginning of this adventure.

The light at the end of the tunnel, or rather the corridor, brought a feeling of hope that something very good was about to happen. Thillaila, shocked by it all, managed to ask:

"But what happened here? What exactly happened to you all?"

"I don't know. I just felt euphoric and wanted to let loose. So, I let this energy shine and burst out. And incredibly, now I feel very good," Kowalsk replied with a radiant smile that captured Thillaila's attention. She had never seen such a beautiful smile lighting up that face until now.

"And what's your excuse, Gareno?"

"My excuse, Thillaila, is that I simply needed this battle perhaps more than anyone else here. I needed to prove to myself what I was capable of. I feel that I did not disappoint myself, for from now on, I will be a dragon hunter. Now that I know I can kill some of them, I will do it. Oh, yes, I will!"

"Despite having been transported for so long by a dragon, or rather being stuck to one from the inside, I share your sentiment, young Gareno, and believe that I too will be a dragon hunter. The sensation was very good and liberating, and I feel as if I were less than 20 years old," confessed the old Kaminski.

"Ruol, ruol, uol. Uoff," purred Troy as if making a small confession about how much he enjoyed that battle.

Thillaila was tallying up and simply couldn't believe the number of dragons taken down by her friends. Mr. Kaminski took down exactly four dragons, one of medium size and three small ones, just with his hands and skills. Mr. Kowalsk felled the largest one and three small ones with a large army knife that inexplicably pierced the nearly impenetrable hide of the creature. Gareno, in his fury and brute strength, along with those special gloves he uses as weapons, managed to take down two medium-sized dragons. And last but not least, our mascot Troy, the friendly dragon, tore apart five small evil dragons. Total dragon count: exactly 15!

They started jumping and shouting to celebrate the feat, but suddenly Kowalsk's keen senses went on alert.

"There's something wrong with your count, Thillaila. I know I took down my dragons with this knife and I still can't explain how it pierced their skin this time. But I'm glad because with that, I finished all of them by hitting their vital spots, and they can't come back to life after that. Except for Troy, who knows how to kill because he's a machine for tearing apart other animals, what weapons did the rest use for you to count all the dragons as taken down? Do you know what the word 'abate' means?"

For a moment, Thillaila felt offended. If it were Gareno asking her in that manner, she would certainly have given him a sharp reply. However, she would never do that to Kowalsk, and even though she didn't know why, she felt a growing admiration and even greater respect for him.

"In the case of animals, Mr. Kowalsk, 'abate' means their death. I understand what you mean and apologize for my mistake. After all, if all the other dragons are alive and recovering, and they are evil and we need to survive them, logically they have to be eliminated. Could you lend me your knife for a moment?"

And before Kowalsk could even respond, there she was with the knife in her hands, taking down each of the dragons that still showed signs of life.

"Where did so many dragons come from, considering there were no more than five or six not long ago? And now, suddenly, there are dragons everywhere, of all kinds and sizes. But what is going on here?" roared Gareno, returning to reality and finally realizing he had been part of something very brutal and dangerous.

"I think I can explain that, Gareno. The dragons felt they would have food for a long time and, since they live in groups, decided to move here, making this place a nest for them. But the plan backfired and now they are going to become food."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Mr. Kaminski, and I also don't know how you know about the supposed nest you mentioned. Although the idea seems plausible to me, the notion of turning these creatures' meat into food doesn't seem advisable."

"Mr. Kowalsk, if I may say so, the snake meat we ate didn't harm anyone, and so I believe dragon meat won't either."

"Mr. Kaminski, no offense, but are you assuming or do you actually know that? How can you say that dragon meat would be as good for us as the snake meat was? And how could you know that while you were still inside that beast's stomach?" asked Kowalsk, gathering the strange clues he was collecting.

"How can you know what's advisable for us to eat or not when you said you spent your entire life inside a laboratory as a lazy guinea pig? What else do you know and are hiding from us? We've seen that you have inexplicable strength for your size, and even though you seem so calm, you can lose it easily, putting everyone's lives at risk here. And even though you appear patient and have this harmless look, I believe you are more dangerous than all of us combined. Why don't you tell us more about yourself and let our sense of security rise above where it is now?"

"I agree with you, Mr. Kowalsk. Your suspicion is acceptable. And as you gave me food and drink and shared your company, as some of you even told me a bit about your lives, it is only fair that I share my secrets with you."