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"Symbols" (Somewhere in the City-States) "So where have you been the whole day young man?" "I'm sorry Mother, I can't tell you. I swore an oath I did!" "An oath? Oh so you only keep you promises to people other than your mother do you Joram?" Unmindful of the argument brewing nearby, Futch stared at the mug filled with juice resting untouched on his table, trying his best not to be annoyed. Once again he found himself alone in an unfamiliar place not knowing when his companion would return. This had happened periodically upon their reaching the Jowston City State. This time, Humphrey had left early that morning, saying only that he needed to tend to some 'unfinished business.' All attempts to determine what exactly that 'business' was and how long Humphrey would be gone met with the same unnerving silence that Futch had long since admitted to himself he would never get used to. Not that Humphrey was unfriendly... Futch was deeply grateful to the man who had him under his wing and given Futch a semblance of hope for the future. It's just that, well, Humphrey hoarded words like Dwarves hoarded gold, and it was probably easier to plunder a Dwarven vault than the mind of Humphrey Mintz. It was a trait that Futch had learned to appreciate; far too often in the past, Futch's unthinking words had gotten him into a world of trouble. Still, sometimes Humphrey took it too the extreme... it wasn't as if Humphrey would die if he'd given Futch a few more details. It was now "C'mon Mom, give me a break. I'm fifteen already! Trust me for once!" "Fine! As long as you explain why Karin's family says she's been paying for your meals the past week. What happened to your allowance?" "You wouldn't understand..." As the volume of the argument between the innkeeper and her son escalated in volume, Futch found it harder to ignore. Even though the boy was fifteen, a year older than Futch, the former Dragon Knight found the whole thing remarkably infantile. Maybe it was because Futch had already seen so much more than the other lad had. He'd been in a war, helped overthrow an Empire, helped friends triumph over impossible odds... and die, he thought to himself , I've watched friends die as well. The young man tried to shake his mind from such thoughts... especially thoughts of one particular friend, but to no avail. Finally, he sighed and stood up, leaving enough potch on the table for the untouched grape juice. He had already turned towards the stairway when a phrase from the argument caught his undivided attention... "... telling you I'm a Dragon Knight! That's why I have to pay my weekly tithes!" Dra...Dragon Knight? Now there was a title Futch had not heard often since they entered the city state. The Dragon Knights were well known in the Toran Republic, but aside from a few grizzled veterans, who remembered them from the war with the Scarlet Moon Empire, few in the Jowston City-States remembered them. As far as he knew, there were no Dragons in this area, and although there were still some organizations here and there that used the name of 'dragon', he didn't expect to hear of one in a remote are such as this town of Araya along the border of Muse and Matilda. This was probably all some sort of coincidence or the boys fancy... but still... Futch turned and sat back down at his table, smiling awkwardly at a pair of old men who had been about to take his place. The two cast wrinkled scowls at him before turning to find an unoccupied table. The young man then surreptitiously turned his attention towards the mother and son pair. Not that he had much trouble doing so as the mother had raised her voice enough so that he probably still would have heard her inside his room. "... had enough about this nonsense! Dragon indeed! How am I to trust you if you keep spouting such blatant lies! If you don't want your Father to hear about this you had better come clean with me right now young man!" "See? See?" Futch could clearly hear the frustration in the boy's voice. "That's why I didn't want to tell you! You wouldn't understand anyway... I serve a higher purpose now!" "Higher than your mother, is it? You go to your room right now Joram and... hey! Where do you think you're... come back here! Joram!!!" Futch turned in time to see Joram rush out of the inn, almost knocking over a man who was entering. His mother ran after him, but stopped at the threshold, gasping and catching her breath. "Joram..." The inn was silent for a moment more before the various patrons turned back to their own affairs, assuming that the evenings entertainment was over for the moment. A movement by the doorframe caught Futch's attention. He stood up and headed for the doorway, stooping to pick up what seemed to be a piece of paper. On it were written the words 'Green Cavern at midnight', scribbled in a hasty manner. But what caught Futch's attention was the sigil emblazoned on the corner, a sigil Futch was familiar with. It had been his source of pride that he had been allowed to wear that symbol on his tunic for most of his young life. It was the symbol of the Dragon Knights. The REAL Dragon Knights. Something was very wrong here...
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