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It was Dragonmancer Appreciation Day. Again.
Wren was pretty sure that Dragonmancer Appreciation Day happened only a few months ago. Knowing the Dragonmancers, they probably couldn't wait for next year and decided to host it again.
Wren was standing right next to a wooden table where the goat cheese for Master Trout would be served. Despite only being six years old, her bored expression on her face made it seem she was much more older. Around her, people laughed louder than usual and were basically screaming praises on how great the Dragonmancers were. A friend of Wren's father was recounting for the 100th time on how the three had singlehandedly saved Talisman from the "terrifying man-eating dragons."
Wren took a good look around her surrounding. There had to be a way out. She could just leave the celebrations, head to the outer parts and return before anyone noticed her. Luckily for her, everybody was busy crowding the Dragonmancers to notice a young girl. She headed out silently as she could and headed towards her destination.
The outer parts were pretty. Unlike the rest of Talisman. As Wren sat on the grass, she imagined what it would be like to leave this stinking settlement and explore the entire continent. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. Thinking it was either Trout, Crow or Gorge, she quickly got up while slightly panicking but relaxed when she it was her older brother Leaf.
"Wren!" exclaimed Leaf. "There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"Hi, Leaf." responded Wren.
"Let's go back before anyone notices we're gone."
As much as Wren wanted to protest, she decided that she'll listen to Leaf for once. As she got up, she noticed something odd. It was a giant tooth! As it approached nearer and nearer, Wren got a good look at it. The giant tooth was attached to a brown carriage. The carriage was being pulled by a black horse and on top of the animal was a man dressed in grey. He was wearing a grey winter coat, over a grey three piece business suit, and a grey bowler hat on top of his head. The man and the carriage approached the two siblings.
"Good morning, young ones!" said the man in an accent neither Leaf or Wren has ever heard before. "I'm looking for a settlement by the name of Talisman. Is this the one?"
"Who's asking?" asked Leaf placing himself between Wren and the strange man.
"I am," said the Rider. "My name is Dr. King."
"King?" said Wren. "That's a funny name."
"Wren!" exclaimed Leaf aghast while King stifled his laughter.
"As I was saying, my name is Dr. King and this my horse, Fritz." said King.
The black horse does a little bow with his head which causes Wren to let out a small giggle.
"So," said Leaf. "You're a doctor?"
"Yes."
"What kind of doctor?"
"Dentist."
"What do you want from Talisman exactly?" asked Leaf.
"Nothing much. I just want to meet the rulers of this fine settlement who are known as the Dragonmancers." responded King.
"The Dragonmancers?" said Leaf surprised.
"The Dragonmancers." responded King.
"I don't know, Dr. King," said Leaf. "The Dragonmancers don't really like outsiders. Unless you could help them with their tasks."
"Well, I'll certainly help them with something." responded the dentist.
"I think you should take him to them, Leaf." said Wren suddenly.
"You sure, Wren?" asked Leaf.
"Yeah, I'm pretty suuuuuure everything will go OK."
"Uhhh."
"PLEEEEEASE!!!"
"Alright fine! Moons above!"
King chuckled at watching the sibling interaction.
"Alright dentist," said Leaf. "Follow us."
When Leaf and Wren reached the center of the settlement, only then they realised how much time they wasted. Banners were removed, tables and chairs were packed up and their parents with their most stern expressions were the first to meet them.
As their parents yelled at the two for suddenly disappearing which somehow humiliated the two in front of the Dragonmancers, Wren kept on looking at King who was busy feeding an apple to Fritz and wondered when somebody would notice him.
As if they had read her mind, her father finally looked up at the strange looking dentist.
"And who the hell are you?" he snarled at King.
"Me? I'm a dentist looking to do business with the Dragonmancers." responded King in a cheerful tone.
"The hell you want the Dragonmancers for?" asked the father in the same hostile tone.
"Well that's for them to know and you to find out."
"Now listen here, pal." said the father while rolling up his sleeves clearly ready for a fight. Wren took one good look at the fit dentist and another at her skinny father and automatically knew who would win if a fight did break out.
Her mother must've also known since she quickly held one of his hands and gave him a silent look that translated to "don't do anything stupid."
"Well then," said King who then got off Fritz. "Could any of you point to me where the Dragonmancers would be residing?"
Wren swore she saw smoke coming out of her father's ears.
"Listen here, dentist and listen finely cause I am not going to say it again," said the father who was fuming at King. "Get the hell out of Talis-"
King then punched Wren and Leaf's father right in the face.
Their mother unleashed a horrible gasp as she ran, presumably to get the Dragonmancers. The father also got up and after realising he was bleeding also ran with his wife. A few people who were actively watching also ran.
"Forgive me, children," said King. "I really did not wish to use violence against your father."
"What kind of dentist are you?" said Leaf after getting over his shock.
King lets out a small laugh.
"I haven't practiced dentistry in over five years," said King. "These days, I practise a new profession....Bounty Hunter."
After noticing no reaction from the siblings, King opens his mouth again.
"Do any of you know what a bounty hunter is?"
They both shook their heads.
"Well the way the butcher deals in animal meat for cash, a bounty hunters deals in corpses."
"Oh moons above." muttered Leaf. Wren looked more and more interested.
"The state," continued King. "places a bounty on a man's head. I track that man, I find that man, I kill that man. After I've killed him, I transport his corpse to the authorities - and sometimes that's easier said then done. I show that corpse to the authorities - proving, yes indeed, I have truly killed him - At which point, the authorities pay me the bounty."
"What's a bounty?" asked Wren who did seem that interested in the fact she was talking to a killer.
"It's like a reward." explained King.
"You kill people and they give you a reward?"
"Certain people, yes."
"What do you mean by "the state." asked Leaf who really wanted to leave.
"Oh, there's a couple of human settlements who decided that by uniting they can truly survive a world full of dragons. It's really nice. You should visit."
Wren then pulled on Leaf's sleeves.
"Look," she said. "It's the Dragonmancers."
And sure enough, it was the Dragonmancers accompanied by their apprentices and a few civilians, including Wren and Leaf's parents and their older sister, Rowan.
"About time they arrived." said King.
He stepped back onto his carriage and reached inside, pulling out a long, unfamiliar mechanism.
It was made of dark wood and metal, its shape sleek but unmistakably dangerous. A curved stock rested against his shoulder as he lifted it with practiced ease. A thin, lit cord smoldered near the side, trailing faint wisps of smoke.
"Hey, Wren," said King. "Mind telling me who is who."
"The tall woman is Master Crow, the short one is Master Trout and the one with the lizard's face is Master Gorge." responded Wren.
"Thank you," said King. "Now children I think its best if you join the side of your parents."
Leaf and Wren obeyed the good doctor and joined the other side. Next to them, Rowan mouthed to Leaf "Tell me everything."
The crowd stopped at front of King and Crow, Trout and Gorge stepped forward.
"So," said Crow. "You're the outsider who dared create such chaos on Dragonmancer Appreciation Day. Oh, I see it now outsider. You are doomed. You will regret coming to Talisman. You will-"
Whatever Crow was going to say, nobody will ever know as King took his strange looking mechanism, pointed directly at Crow's stomach and pulled another strange mechanism. A fast, golden item came out of the mechanism and hit directly at Crow's stomach. She immediately collapsed writhing in agony. As the crowd watches in shock, King simply walks over to Crow and fires the mechanism again at her head. Blood spurts out and that's when pandemonium erupts. Several began screaming in horror and start to run away. Rowan grabs Leaf and and a protesting Wren by the hand and tries to lead them away but falls to her knees and looks like she's going to vomit her guts out.
King simply takes his mechanism and points it at a fleeing Trout and Gorge who were throwing people in front of them. King fires again and both men fall dead.
"ATTENTION EVERYONE CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!!!," yelled King.
Eventually the crowd stopped panicking and instead looked at the man who just killed the three most important people in seconds.
"Thank you," said King. "Now I know why most of you are wondering why I killed your beloved Dragonmancers. But first let me introduce myself. My name is Dr. King. And I am a servant of the court. The three people lying dead in the dirt, who the good people of Talisman saw fit to have them as their leaders, who went by the name of Crow, Trout and Gorge, are actually wanted outlaws with a price on their head of 10,000 gold."
Stunned gasps emerge from the crowd.
King continued. "I'm aware this is probably disconcerting news. But I'm willing to wager that these three had not only murdered a fellow companion of their, known by the name of Abyss but have also falsely claimed of vision that resulted in sacrifice of several innocent people. In my possession is a warrant made out by court Judge Redwood. I'll be happy to give you a map to his location. He will back up who I am and who your dearly departed Dragonmancers were."
King took a deep long breath.
"In other words, one of you owes me 10,000 gold."
After one of the Dragonmancers' apprentices, Tadpole, paid King the gold that absolutely nobody in Talisman knew about, King sat on Fritz and prepared to leave. He had previously met with Wren and Leaf with the former begging King to take her with him. King convinced Wren to stay and that they'll probably meet again when she's older.
King smiled to himself and left Talisman.
The End.