Tales of the Red Rogue - A Heroes Arrival

Chapter 8

Percy placed a rich smelling bottle of wine of wine of the table and made sure to include some actual fruit this time, he had a look on his face that only comes with a recent pay check, we had split the gold fair and square, I don't like robbing from friends and I liked Percy even if he is useless.

"It's a pretty payout, seventy five gold each is enough to live comfortably for a long while"

"Maybe for you darling, with my lift style, it won't last me a month, but that's the cost of fine silks and fancy wines."

"Speaking of silks, where can I get some nice clothes in a town like this? I'm in a desperate need of something better than rags."

"There's a good stall in the market that's open throughout the day, it'll custom make cloths for you, they get it done in a few hours but its nothing fancy."

"If it doesn't have holes in it, it'll be better than what I'm wearing now."

"You do look like someone dragged your through a field of thorns."

Little did he know I had basically dragged myself through a field of thorns to get here, I still can't believe I ended up in such a gorgeous and nice town.

Percy raised a glass towards me.

"Cheers, to new friends and future jobs together"

I clinked my glass against his and and laughed about how ridiculous it was to toast crime.

"Cheers, but I said I'll never work with you again, you couldn't even keep a look out."

"I... I was testing you, to see if you could handle yourself in a high tension scenario."

"Yeah, Yeah, I think you're just getting old elf boy."

"I'm as young and spry as anyone in this bar and that includes you."

I spent the next few hour drinking and picking at the fruit on the table, but the piece of paper in my pocket kept playing on my mind, a blood painting of a dragon wasn't exactly the most normal.

I feel like I've seen the symbol somewhere before, maybe Keith will know something.

The old Head Guardsman was in the bard drinking and sending his booming laughter around the room, oblivious to what I or Percy had been up to today, I decided to join him for a drink.

"If it isn't our handsome little resident tracker."

"Nice to see you Keith, any news on Shean?"

"If there was, I wouldn't be here, I'd be getting her, we looked around the woods but nothing came up."

"From what I heard it doesn't matter if your guys have been looking in the woods, they couldn't find the hair on their head."

I laughed a sad laugh at that.

"What can I say, Whiteglen's in the middle of nowhere, the kings not going to send the pick of the litter to out little old town, we just get the rejects."

"Better than nothing I suppose..."

"Not true at all kid, I'd run this place better if I was on my own, I'd have more free time."

I fiddled with the note in my pocket, I guess this was as good a time as any.

"Look Keith, I was wandering If I could show you something."

"Sure thing kid."

I placed the note on the table in front of the old guard and unfolded the paper to reveal the red dragon head drawing on the inside, Kieth's eyes grew wide and he grabbed the note of table and held it just at arms length.

"Where on earth did you find an old thing like this?"

"That doesn't matter too much does it, what does it mean though? I feel like I've seen it around."

"Some religious nuts came to town about seven years ago, they spouted some story about The Corruptor of Dragons."

"Corruptor of Dragons?"

"Yeah, they dressed up in red dragon masks, and red robes, danced around town and claimed we owed our souls the the Corrupter of Dragons, the Mother in Red."

"They sound pretty intense, did they get many followers?"

"A few people, they stayed for a few months and became the joke of town, they handed out posters and sang songs, people fall for religion quick if there's pretty pictures and nice songs to listen to, Shean's dad even joined up, whole reason he left them actually."

"So it was just a religion, why did they leave, did they do anything bad?"

"Nothing criminal, they wanted more women to join and got a bit creepy so we chased them off, don't appreciate those sort of pervs round here."

"Thanks for telling me all this Keith."

I walked off, leaving Keith clearly confused as to why I was asking these questions, he looked like he wanted to ask me something, probably where I got the note from but I assume he knew better push for where people got things in this town.

If this symbol belongs to a religion it doesn't really make sense that I found it on a dead body in someones wardrobe, religions are supposed to help people, I've never been part of one myself, and I understand there are evils gods but Keith wasn't describing evil he was describing people having fun in the streets and trying to get followers to join them, sure they got a little creepy but who hasn't around a cute girl.

I decided to have a wander around town to get some fresh air and think about this, the night air was cool and crisp, as I walked past the woodcarvers workshop I noticed a little community shed behind it that look older than the town itself, I hadn't spent much time at the part of town but it was just relaxing as the rest of it.

I passed by Shean's house and my heart sank with disappointment, I felt ashamed in myself.

I thought I would have found the girl by now, but its been days, I don't even know if she'll still be alive I had this ridiculous idea of coming into town and being the hero who saved the girl and actually having a place to call home, turns out I'm just as useless as any of the guards.

I placed my hand on Shean's door, all this thought of religion had me feeling the need to prey for her, my fingers ran past the carving of the snakes head in the door that I had noticed the first time I came here.

Wait... THAT'S NOT A SNAKE HEAD!

I scrambled into my pocket and pulled out he piece of paper and slapped it against the door next to the carving.

Snap! they look exactly the same.

The carving had faded over the years but now that they were next to each other you could see what it once was... A dragon head.

The religion of the Corrupter of Dragons must be involved somehow, Keith said they came into town about seven years ago, which would be before Shean was born but would leave more than enough time for her father to get her mother pregnant, and then leave before she was born.

There was nothing I could do right now, I would have to ask Shean's mother in the morning, but I ran towards the bar, happy with my recent discovery, and then I saw a flash of red.