“Not just any dragon,” Thrang interrupted. “We’re goin’ after Slathbog the Red.”
“And dragons are bad?” Alex asked, sure he already knew the answer.
“Most dragons are evil, if that’s what you mean,” said Arconn. “Of course, there are a few dragons that are decent enough, but normally, yes, dragons are considered bad.”
“And we’re going to kill this Slatsbog?”
“Slathbog the Red,” Thrang corrected. “Yes.”
“And take his treasure?”
“’Course,” replied Thrang with a grunting laugh. “No good killin’ a dragon and then leavin’ the hoard lying about for anybody who wants it.”
“May I ask,” Alex said, looking from Arconn to Thrang and back again. “Whose treasure is it?”
“It’s Slathbog the Red’s treasure,” answered Thrang, looking surprised by Alex’s question.
“I don’t mean now,” Alex said quickly. “I mean, whose was it before the dragon took it? He had to take it from someone, didn’t he?”
“The treasure of Slathbog has been collected from many places,” Arconn explained. “Slathbog has been hoarding treasure for several hundred years.”
“At leastseveral hundred,” Thrang added.
“Won’t the people he took the treasure from want it back?” Alex asked.
“Common law clearly states that whoever kills the dragon gets the hoard. It’s on page fifty-seven of the Adventurer’s Handbook,” replied Thrang in a businesslike tone. “’Course that don’t mean others won’t try to steal it from us. There’s always someone lookin’ for easy treasure, but that’s part of the adventure, isn’t it?”
Alex rubbed his eyes. The idea of killing a dragon and taking its treasure sounded dangerous to him. It didn’t matter that he’d never seen a dragon and had no idea what a real dragon might look like. More troubling was the thought that if they did manage to kill the dragon and collect its treasure, other people might try to take the treasure from them. For the moment, Alex had completely forgotten that he didn’t really believe in dragons or magic because somewhere in the back of his head, a small voice whispered, It might all be real, you know.
“Don’t worry about losing the hoard,” said Arconn in a reassuring tone. “Killing the dragon will be the hardest part of this adventure. Getting the treasure home will be easy, once we have it.”
“Of course,” said Alex. “But I can’t help thinking that we’ll just be doing the same thing the dragon did.”
“What’s that?” Thrang questioned.
“Well, the dragon killed people and took their treasure. Now we’re going to try to kill the dragon and take the treasure from him,” Alex replied in a thoughtful tone.
“Yes, I see what you mean,” Arconn agreed with a nod. “But there is more to it than just killing Slathbog and taking the treasure.”
“Much more than that,” Thrang added quickly. “We’re on a quest and that makes all the difference.”
“A quest?”
“We’re not going after the dragon merely to get the treasure,” Arconn explained. “Our quest is to kill Slathbog the Red. He is evil, which is reason enough to try to destroy him, but there is even more to it than that. In time, Slathbog will decide that he doesn’t have enough treasure. He will start to think that he hasn’t destroyed enough cities or eaten enough people. Eventually he will leave his lair, looking for a new one—a new one where he can hoard more treasure and kill more people. That’s the way it is with evil dragons I’m afraid, and the only way to stop them is to kill them.”
“So this Slathbog,” Alex said slowly. “He’s destroyed several cities and killed lots of people?”
“At least five cities that I can name,” answered Arconn in a serious tone. “There may be more as Slathbog may have been called something else long ago. So to stop his evil forever, we must try to destroy him.”
“I see,” said Alex thoughtfully.
“If you agree to this quest and accept the bargain, you need to sign the contract,” said Thrang, pointing at the paper in his hand.
“May I ask a few more questions first?”
“Yes, of course,” said Arconn.
“How many of us will be on this adventure?” Alex thought twenty would be a small number to attack a dragon, especially one like Slathbog the Red.
“Eight, as I said before,” answered Arconn without saying anything more.
“Do we know how to kill a dragon?” Alex asked hopefully. “I mean, is there a special way that dragons are killed?”
“There’s lots,” Thrang answered enthusiastically. “But none of them are one hundred percent effective. There’s always some risk when goin’ against a dragon—that’s why so few adventurers ever do. Powerful creatures, dragons, and magical as well.”
Alex thought about Thrang’s answer for a minute before asking his next question. The fact that he didn’t believe in dragons was lost in the flood of questions that the little voice in the back of his head was asking.
“If only eight of us are going, why are there twenty shares in the hoard?”
“Said he had a good head for this.” Thrang laughed.
“Shares are given to each adventurer based on experience and special skills,” answered Arconn. “First-time adventurers get one share, experienced adventurers get two, the leader gets three. A wizard would also get three.”
“Do we have a wizard?” Alex asked hopefully.
“No,” said Thrang, stroking his beard. “Couldn’t find one available. Mind you, there aren’t many wizards around these days, and very few of them ever go on adventures.”
“That’s only sixteen shares,” said Alex, quickly thinking the numbers through.
“Well, one share goes to Clutter for setting up the adventure,” Thrang said. “And one goes to the Widows and Orphans fund, which is normal for most decent adventurers. Then there’s a share set aside to pay expenses the group might have while on the adventure.”
“That’s nineteen,” said Alex, not sure why he was so interested in how the treasure was divided. He felt certain that the dragon would be keeping all of the treasure, and he and his new companions would be coming home empty-handed, if they came home at all.
“There’s an extra share for whoever kills the dragon,” said Thrang with a grunting laugh. “If more than one adventurer is in on the kill, they split it up.”
“Oh,” Alex managed to say as thoughts of dragons raced through his head.
“’Course there’s other places to get treasure along the way,” Thrang added happily. “Always the chance of runnin’ into goblins or bandits, maybe even a troll, isn’t there? That’s where the bit about secondary treasure comes into play.”
Alex didn’t like the sound of goblins, bandits, or trolls.
“Before you decide, there are a few other things you should know,” said Arconn. “In signing this document, you pledge to do all you can to help the company achieve its goal. You promise to never desert the company for any reason. You agree to take orders from the company’s leader, and if worse comes to worst, you promise to return the belongings of the other company members to their families or heirs.”
“Oh,” said Alex. “It’s just . . . I mean, the thing is—”
Arconn was looking at him, and something in his look made Alex stop talking.
“Alex,” said Arconn in a soft voice. “Fate has chosen you to go on this adventure. It is your destiny to become an adventurer. If you throw away this chance, you will regret it for the rest of your life. You may not understand everything we’ve said, or even believe it, but it is all true.”
There was a sudden spark in Alex’s chest, and an odd electric pricking in his fingers and toes. He felt a real desire to go on this adventure. He didn’t understand why, but it felt right in a way that he couldn’t explain, not even to himself. All of his short life he’d wanted to do something different, something exciting. He’d never had the chance until now, and he knew that Arconn was right and that he would regret it if he didn’t go.