Conversation

Fred said, "What plans do you have to attack the dragon?"

Thomas replied, "Nothing definite yet. It has been a while since an attempt was made. We know what does not work. Its armour seems to be resistant to edged weapons. The dragon has plenty of time to crush the would-be hero before swords can do much. In theory, a missile of some sort might work, but such a missle would have to either have more heft or more speed that we can give our arrows. One knight tried to kill the dragon while he was sleeping, but that did not work either. The dragon detected his presence."

Fred offered an alternative, "What about a coordinated attack?"

Thomas said, "I saw one of those myself my first year here. A band from my home kingdom, as a matter of fact. Eight pikemen and eight longbowmen. Good idea to keep the dragon at a pike's length, but his ability to fly takes away that advantage. I could not warn them in time, and they were wiped out. Mounted cavalry would not do much, either."

"So are you just giving up?"

"We have a couple of ideas that we are working on. But an attack is something we will only get one chance at, so we need to make sure that it stands a good chance of success."

"Are there any warriors amongst you?"

"We have all gained some skill, but none of us besides the princess and myself had much formal training."

"Were you a knight?"

"Engineer. I advised my prince on how to build castles and military engines. I was on my way back from Jaxinarta on business when servants of the dragon on the outside kidnapped me and held me hostage. Fortunately I was able to escape, but I had to bad luck to hide in the caves, and could not find my way back out. Fred, you have to understand that some knights come in with a good reputation, but they turn bad here. It is a sad fact of human nature. The problems that we have had to deal with most start from some of the would-be heroes who come here to seek a trophy. When they find that they cannot slay the dragon, they dispair."

"Like those elves I met? Legolam and the other one that pestered me for the bottle of wine seemed to be seedier than I would expect elves to be."

"It could be that the elves that came into the caves were of not of the best stock in the first place. But, yes, they are not impressive. They will rob you blind if they think they can get away with it. But the elves are generally harmless. The biggest problem here used to come from a maurading band of former knights that were loosely allied with the dragon. Some of those who have been here longer than I have remember those days."

Fred replied, "But those maurading bands are no longer a problem? Anslem told me that 'there were not as many servants of the dragon as there used to be.'"

1. "Not any more. Most, if not all of them have been wiped out."
2. "Not as such. But there are still a few lone wolves out there to watch out for."
3. "The dragon is recruiting new forces from some of the rabble outside."

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