The smell of alcohol saturated the air. The floorboards creaked under Yoriko’s steps as she walked as she walked through the bar, not that she could hear them over the loud and laughing patrons. In her sights was a beauty of a young woman chatting up another patron. Yoriko took her seat on a stool adjacent to the girl. This girl was a well known industrialist’s daughter and heir to a vast fortune and responsibility.
“Willow! It has been too long! How are you doing girl?” Yoriko said, putting on her best buzzed face and stretching her arm around Willow.
The man interjected “Um, excuse me but we were in the middle of-
“Yeah, I know what you were in the middle of trying to do. Bad idea, though. This girl’s who-ha is covered in warts and shit, just layers of crap stacked up. She must have five or six diseases running around down there. I’d run if I were you.”
The man looked over at Willow for a moment, considering the situation. Then he got up and left. Willow turned to Yoriko in a mix of surprise and annoyance.
“What the hell was that? Who the hell are you? Have I done something to do?” Willow complained and asked. Yoriko dropped her drunk act.
“Relax, I’m sure you can find another boy toy without all that much trouble. I’m here to discuss something far more interesting than a fun night with a stranger. Give me five minutes to make you a very interesting offer.”
“You’re not going to leave me alone, are you?.”
“Nope.”
“Fine. What is it?”
“Once upon a time, there was a princess. This princess loved her father, the king, very much even if he could be a dick to the peasants. The king showered his daughter in love and riches and groomed her to one day inherit the kingdom. Father and daughter were happy for a long time until the princess discovered that the king had a secret: a dragon.
The king had a young dragon hidden away. What may have once been a majestic creature was taught to be a savage beast from by the king and his servants. The king wanted a weapon and, if given a chance to grow, this would prove to be a potent weapon indeed... if it could be controlled. If it could not, it would be a powerful force that would know only hate and suffering.
The dragon escaped its imprisonment and began attacking the kingdom. The king was not concerned with dead peasants and had the dragon captured alive no matter what the cost might have been. When it became clear that king would not kill the beast and end the danger, the princess took matters into her own hands. She took her sword and slew the beast in single combat, just barely walking away with her life.
After that father and daughter became much more distant. They rarely talked or spent time with each other and the princess would go out and fornicate with commoners, perhaps to spite him or maybe because she stopped caring about what he thought.”
“Let me guess: I should be swapping out ‘king’ for ‘captain of industry’, ‘princess’ for ‘me’ and ‘dragon’ for…”
An unsettled, troubled expression made its home on Willow’s face.
“The thing you faced was not unique, not even close. I’m looking for people that have fought, killed,and survived monsters and I want to recruit them. If you want to slay more dragons and leave this life,” Yoriko offered, taking a small card from her pocket and placing it before Willow “come here and don’t be late.”
Without another word, Yoriko stood and exited, leaving Willow with a card with a date and location three days and states away.
