A report had reached Squad One base, a dragon had appeared in industrial city, Sir Magma ordered all teams to move in a hour. Team Beta quickly departed to the scene.
All hell broke loose.
"Repeated disobedience"
"Ignoring your captain's orders"
"Acting alone"
"Prioritizing dragon extermination over civilian safety."
"You only had one healer and you had a major fight in a city".
"That is just insane". Lady Katrina yelled as she threw the report in front of her to the wall.
"A hundred and twenty wounded". She added.
Merlin struggled to find the words.
"I…I can fix this". He uttered.
"Nine dead.. nine dead". She responded.
"Reports that came in said, it's like you went berserk, only choosing to attack the dragon with not a single care for your surrounding or… yourself". Lady Katrina said to him as she starred him in the eye.
"Are you suicidal Merlin?". She asked.
"No". He quickly responded.
"Do you want to die?". She asked again.
"I.. i don't know". He starred at her in confusion.
"I don't know what came over me, this anger, the memories, i just couldn't". Merlin said as he gnashed his teeth and grabbed his head.
"The Roundtable had a meeting. Everyone voted that you should be suspended". Lady Katrina said as he offered him the letter.
"Everyone? Even her?". Merlin raised his head as he asked.
"She had no choice, you know that". Katrina said to him.
Merlin stood up from his seat.
His head began to spin.
"It's happening again… I'm all alone". He said to himself as he quickly climbed pearl as she spread her wings.
"Merlin wait, me and Rehema we can help you, we have..".
It was too late Pearl had taken to the skies.
They arrived at an inn, where he paid to sleep.
When he woke up to a group of adventurers, drinking and singing.
Merlin got out of his room and inquired about the noise from the innkeeper.
"They're just a bunch of explorers saying they seen a dragon at the new frontier meaning they're gonna find a huge deposit of gemstones. Anyone is open to join em if you ain't scared of a dragon that is". The innkeeper told Merlin as he continued sweeping the floors.
Merlin walked up to one of the explorers.
"Excuse me i would like to join your party, you might need some dragon killing expertise". Merlin said with a smile.
"Is that so?". The man responded with curiosity.
Several hours later,the battle was soon, the dragon was dead and the gemstones were shared equally.
"Here's yours kiddo". The man from earlier said to Merlin as he gave him a sack full of gemstones.
"Thanks." Merlin responded as he took the sack and hung it on Pearl.
The man returned to his group and whispered to another man.
"Did you see the wall that ball of muscle was fighting?". The man asked his friend.
"Yeah, bugger has lost it". The man said as he shook his head.
Merlin turned Pearl the other direction and headed away from those men.
He continued this way for months until he got the hang of it.
His name began to spread among adventurers and rumors began to spread of a dragon slayer.
Merlin visted a pub for a drink and was approached a group of adventurers who required his "expertise".
Another day, another mission. He got paid but something was unusual about this mission. Someone.
Another young man who carried an odd weapon and was clearly good at it. He was known as The Gunslinger.
"How'd you get those?". Merlin asked the gunslinger as he approached his horse.
"Oh, that's a secret for another day, dragon slayer". He replied him as he laughed and continued gulping down his whiskey.
"I heard those things were destroyed during the early years of the war". Merlin said to The Gunslinger.
"You know what they say, some things never die". The drunken Lee continued riding away while whistling a tune.
Merlin thought about how things must've been back then as he also rode away.
He continued working for hire, temporally aiding young adventurers guilds who wanted to make a name for theirselves and had the money to pay.
He fed himself and pearl and to him, his life became simple.
Twenty-one months had passed since he was suspended. He avoided other knights as much as people, almost like he didn't wanti to be called back. He felt maybe it was the guilt or he got used to isolation.
One day he was traveling between the central and eastern border and something stopped him in his tracks.
"Hey"
"Are you the dragon slayer? I heard he wears all black, heh". A small group of travellers asked.
"Well yes, you have a job for me?". Merlin asked he approached the group.
"Well yes." One of them answered him as an arrow was shot towards Pearl. He blocked it with his sword and jumped off her.
"Get up girl, up high". He shouted as she flew into the sky.
The arrows kept coming, Merlin rolled over, dodging them.
The men pulled out their swords and spears, a battle ensued.
Merlin was protected from the arrows by his armour but he struggled to keep all their blades away. They began to dent his armour.
Two men ran from behind pressing Merlin to the ground.
"Why are you doing this?". Merlin asked in horror and genuine curiosity.
"Remember industrial city, you demon". A man yelled out as he lowered his sword to Merlin's visor.
He used his strength to throw them off.
"You got our loved ones killed". A woman screamed out with a spear in hand.
"I messed up and i am soo sorry but i really don't want to fight you people". Merlin told them with concern.
"I know but we here, We've made up out minds to kill you". Another yelled out as he ran with an axe in hand.
"I'm sorry but i can't die…YET." Merlin told them as he proceeded to knock them all out. The remaining fled.
He looked at his fist, a tooth was stuck his his fist. He flicked it to the archer who hid in a tree, it knocked his bow away and he jumped down and took off.
"I have to live with this". Merlin said to himself as he looked at his reflection in a puddle, his armour was dented in multiple places and blood stained it.
Pearl finally came down, he rubbed her head and took out an apple from his sack, feeding her.
"I need to see a blacksmith. A good one". Merlin said to Pearl as he climbed upon her and she galloped down to the neck town.
He met a blacksmith and while waiting for his armour to be repaired he decided to spend the week there. A week turned to two weeks then a month, then two months.
He began to enjoy the town of Oakwood.
He frequented a bar at bar with a young elven waitress named Beatrice.
"Hello Mr. Knight". She would playfully say to him as he got a drink.
Adventurers who came through oakwood knew her for her kindness and none dared to hurt her.
The adventurers would usually tell their tales while drunk on whiskey and beer and Merlin would listen until one day.
"Won't you tell us a tale, Mr. Knight". Beatrice asked gently as she poured him another glass of beer.
"I'd rather.. not". Merlin said as he continued his drink.
"Tell US!!Tell US!!Tell US!!". The bar screamed in unison.
Annoyance became amusement and finally get responded.
"Okay okay… ". Merlin got up.
"Yayyy". The bar yelled in unison and raised their mugs.
He told them one of his great battles with a dragon and when he was done the bar shouted in excitement chanting the words.
"Dragon Slayer!! Dragon Slayer!!".
Merlin finished his drink and walked out of the bar to head to bed.
Someone had been watching from the bar, the Gunslinger raised his hat and walked towards the counter.
"Hello Beatrice".
"Hello Mr. Lee, what can i get you?". She asked.
"How long has he been here?". Lee asked her as he looked at the departing Merlin.
"I think two months". She replied him.
"Hmm. Finally settled eh". Lee quietly said to himself as he drank a glass of wine and went out of the bar.
He lighted his smoke, got on his horse and headed for the capital city.
Four nights later, Merlin got out to drink again, the men were chanting as usual but he noticed something different in the air. Someone different.
He turned his head slightly and noticed the gunslinger walk in with a young half-elven boy, real tall and dark skinned. He was dressed in a black attire and coat but he quickly noticed the gold ring, and strange scepter.
"Looks like there's money to be made". Merlin said to himself as he continued with his beer and smiled.