2.Bounty Hunter
1232 Words
It had been nearly a month since Mira left Eternal Starlight Academy, yet she still found it hard to readjust to human society. Although she’d spent her early years among humans, that was a long, long time ago…
The rules of human society and the ways people lived now felt utterly alien to her. And what she found hardest to accept? Just how shockingly poor she was!
In the magical world, wealth operated under a different set of rules entirely. Money was useless; all transactions relied on magical energy. But here, money was something Mira had to worry about every single day.
Mira had always known the horrors of poverty—she was an orphan, often going hungry, wearing tattered clothes. As a young girl, she’d once fled a famine, and through a strange twist of fate, stumbled into the magical realm.
Maybe it was luck, or perhaps the blessing of the goddess herself, but Mira had been accepted into Eternal Starlight Academy—and had even been given the chance to study under the headmaster!
For gifted students, the Academy provided scholarships.
Mira’s natural talent made her one of the top students in her class, earning her a monthly scholarship of a hundred magical energy crystals. From then on, she had never worried about money again.
Now, looking at the pile of crystals in her magical satchel, Mira regretted it bitterly.
Why hadn’t she studied alchemy with Professor Vivian back then? If she’d taken the alchemy course, she wouldn’t be facing money problems now.
Alchemy at Eternal Starlight Academy wasn’t some high-level magic. Any student who had mastered Flame Art could enroll.
In fact, since the requirements were so low, gold and jewels had become common around the Academy. Chairs, benches—everything was gilded. No one even cared about these shiny trinkets that were neither edible nor drinkable.
Mira tugged at her hair in frustration, imagining that if she had just thought to grab a few gold bars or gemstones on her way out, she could have eaten well for years.
As it was, Mira didn’t even have a pot to piss in, and if things continued this way, she’d soon be thrown out on the street by her landlord.
But now, something had shifted. With no rent in sight, her landlord had been dropping hints, subtly suggesting other ways Mira could make money… like becoming a bounty hunter.
At first, Mira scoffed at the idea. She was an esteemed Eternal Starlight Academy alumna—how could she stoop to bounty hunting, such an undignified line of work?
Yet, when she happened to glimpse the bounty board posted on the city walls, she changed her mind instantly.
The top notice read: A dragon has been sighted near the Duskwood outside Moon City. One hundred brave adventurers needed to explore the forest. Ten silver coins will be awarded to participants, and ten gold bars for driving away the dragon!
Ten gold bars! Mira’s eyes widened. If she earned that bounty, rent would be the least of her worries; she could buy a house in Moon City without breaking a sweat!
Without a second thought, Mira tore down the bounty notice. After all, fortune favors the bold!
She found her landlord, explained her plan, borrowed money to buy an iron sword, and then rushed off to Duskwood.
At first, Mira felt thrilled, confident in her abilities as a top student from Eternal Starlight Academy. Driving off a dragon should be manageable.
But when she reached the forest, she quickly realized things weren’t so simple. Crowds had gathered along the forest’s edge, milling about. She could even sense the Elven tribe’s dragon-slaying wards encircling the place.
But where was the dragon? After wandering in the forest for five days, she’d yet to see so much as a clever monkey, let alone a dragon.
This barren forest wasn’t an ideal hiding place for any creature, much less a dragon with any sense.
Still, it wasn’t a complete loss—after all, the bounty notice had promised ten silver coins just for showing up.
Yet Mira sighed with frustration. Her iron sword had cost fifteen silver coins borrowed from her landlord. Not only hadn’t she made any money, she was now five silver in debt.
After searching in vain, Mira, hungry and worn out by afternoon, flopped down on what she thought was a tree root and sighed heavily.
At that moment, Mira found herself wistfully thinking of the apple pie back at the Eternal Starlight Academy cafeteria, and sadness washed over her.
Just then, the “tree root” beneath her stirred.
Mira froze, glancing down to find that she was sitting not on a root but on a tail—a scaly, muscular tail!
“Dragon!” Mira clamped a hand over her mouth, screaming internally but daring not to make a sound.
Dragon energy seeped through the air, dark and oppressive, filling the forest with an aura of crushing intensity.
Mira dared not raise her head, afraid she’d lock eyes with the beast’s fiery red gaze. Instead, she kept her eyes trained on the thick, barrel-sized end of the tail…
No wonder the reward was so steep at ten gold bars—who could possibly face such a terrifying behemoth?
With a clear understanding of her limits, Mira swallowed hard, slowly starting to retreat. She would slip away unnoticed. What were ten gold bars compared to her life?
After all, real dragons were nothing like the ones she’d imagined. It wasn’t cowardice that held her back but the overwhelming power of this opponent. If she charged recklessly, she’d be throwing her life away.
But as she backed up two steps, a loud rustling broke out through the trees, like an army long in waiting ready to strike.
She turned to look, confirming her suspicions.
Figures lined the forest, a thousand at least, huddling in the shadows. Mira even spotted a pair of long Elven ears poking out from behind a tree…
That was when Mira realized she had unwittingly walked into the Elven tribe’s dragon-slaying trap.
No wonder there were no animals in the forest these days; they’d created an illusion to keep it empty—a dragon-slaying snare!
It was all over. Every living creature in the trap would be considered fair game the moment the net was cast.
Before Mira could fully process this, a golden arrow whistled past her ear, striking the massive tail. Black scales collided with the golden shaft, sending a dazzling burst of light as a metallic clang echoed through the forest.
Mira barely had time to roll away from the oncoming rain of arrows, scrambling to hide behind a tree.
Black mist began spreading through the dense Duskwood, winds howling through the treetops like the wails of sirens, stirring up a storm of leaves.
Peeking out carefully, Mira observed both sides’ moves. After the first assault, there was no bloodshed, only silence, thick with an unbreakable tension.
Then, with a rumbling growl, the forest shook, leaves cascading down in waves.
A shadow loomed, and the enormous black dragon emerged, tearing through the treetops. Its wings battered the air with a storm’s fury.
In the dimness of the forest, its scales gleamed ominously, razor-sharp edges raking against the tree trunks with a screeching scrape. Each beat of its wings sounded like thunder crashing in Mira’s ears.
- Writer
